Friday, October 17, 2014

Quilt Market Sewing: Wild & Free

Wild and Free Agave Clutch by Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt

Getting the opportunity to sew projects for Quilt Market is never something I take lightly. There's no question that it's exciting to work with fabric that hasn't yet been released, but it comes with a strong sense of responsibility too. These projects are part of what designers are using to sell their fabric, and it's important to me that my work makes their work look good. My friend Maureen has a beautiful limited edition collection coming out with Art Gallery Fabrics this fall, and a few weeks back she gave me the challenge of making projects with pieces of her fabric that were approximately 3 x 4" or smaller. She also sent me some coordinating AGF solids to add to the mix. I had a great time seeing how creative I could get with these little scraps. While most market projects are made entirely from large pieces of fabric, I don't think it hurts to show people how a collection looks on a small scale too, especially since scrappy projects are always a popular choice with quilters.

Maureen's Wild & Free collection is a beautiful mix of bohemian and traditional styles, and it made me immediately run for my stack of linen to use as a background for all the projects. The version of my Agave Clutch above has the largest scraps I used on any of the projects. The yarn dyed Essex linen in leather works as a simple backdrop for the prints, and I also love the leather ties I used on the zippers -- something I repeated on all the projects I made with this collection.

Wild and Free Mosaic Bag by Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt

I made a smaller version of my Mosaic Bag to feature the tiniest scraps. The half square triangles on here finish at one inch, and I adore the way they look. It's almost like having a small modern painting on the front of this piece.

Wild and Free Mosaic Bag by Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt

Maureen's prints line up nicely along the top of the pocket on the back of the bag. I used Andover's denim colored chambray for the background and braided cream colored cord for the handles.

Wild and Free Hexagon Coin Purse by Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt

The last thing I made was a little coin purse out of black Brussels washer linen. All these bags are lined in AGF solids, and this pouch has an interior of saturated gold that looks fabulous against the navy zipper and dark linen. Using a more limited color scheme, I made four tiny half-inch hexagons and hand stitched them to the front. It's a small accessory, but I really like the way this pouch turned out.

Definitely check out Maureen's blog to see the amazing things that she and others have been creating with her fabric. I know her booth is going to be drop dread gorgeous when all of these projects come together in one place!

I'll have more Quilt Market sewing to share with you next week, so stay tuned!

9 comments:

  1. Your projects are perfect for showcasing these new fabrics. You really put thought and attention to every detail. Beautifully done. Falling into Autumn Bliss...

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  2. The 1 inch half squares and tiny hexies are wonderful. Great ideas to use some very precious little scraps which are dear to my heart.

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  3. Fabulous job putting these together Heidi!

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  4. Oh Heidi, both of the bags look great!

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  5. Beautiful projects Heidi - those triangles are so teeny but so perfect :-)

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  6. These are goregous! Your patchwork and fabric colors and choices are just stunning!
    Love all of your touches!!
    Susie

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  7. So cute! The first and last one are my favorite!

    www.simplydavelyn.com

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  8. So pretty- I guess time restrictions generally dictate the bigger pieced fabric projects but I prefer the tiny ones too.

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  9. These all look fabulous, I can't decide which is my favourite!

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