Q & A Friday Week 18

Canning Day Greens and Yellows

Aren’t those yellows and greens just perfect for spring?–They are all from my Canning Day collection which is in quilt shops right now.

This time of year always has me reaching for a green/yellow palette.  I just had to pull a mix from various collections.

Greens and yellows from my various collections.

From top to bottom these fabrics are from the following collections:

1. Apricot & Ash (gingham) (my brand new collection coming out in August–I haven’t shared it here yet but did share some peeks on Instagram.
2. Sugarcreek (little white yellow floral)
3. Canning Day (green/white floral)
4. Pepper & Flax (white background with tulip sprigs)
5. Pepper & Flax (light yellow background with chicken wire and daisies)
6. Flower Mill (green and yellow x’s)
7. Canning Day (yellow/green flowers on white)
8. Canning Day (yellow floral)
9. Sundrops (green dotted rings on white)

Below is another little green/yellow fabric stack I put together and photographed 7 years ago. =)  Many of these fabrics are long out of print but it is such a pretty picture of fabrics that I just had to share.

If you ever struggle with putting fabric together, mixing and matching from your fabric stash is a great way to build this skill.  I used to do this so often and it was always fun to see how different fabrics mixed together.  Choose fabrics from different designers and manufacturer’s, try different color combos you might not have thought about using.  Or start with a favorite focal fabric and choose coordinating fabrics based on that palette.  Make sure that you are adding different scales as well as different types of prints (flowers, geometrics, blenders etc.)

Anyhow, I hadn’t planned on sharing all of that before diving into my Q&A for today, but it’s something I enjoy doing and it can really help boost your confidence in choosing fabrics that mix and match if you prefer not to work within just one collection of fabric or just one designer.  I really like scrappy quilts that feel cohesive so mixing and matching has always been something I enjoy.

Canning Day Fabrics in quilt shops now

PS…you can always work with just one collection at a time as well (as you know!).  A lot of time and thought goes into putting a collection of fabric together so that you have a range of colors, prints, and scale to make that perfect quilt. =)

And now on to this weeks questions

I had two couple follow up questions from last week’s Q&A post:

Debra Holstine says…”You’ve mentioned before that you buy some fabrics by the bolt.  None of my fabric stores around me sell by the bolt.  Where do you find the “by the bolt” fabrics?

Answer:  While most local quilt shops might not typically sell by the bolt, many of them will be happy to order a bolt of fabric for you.  Especially, something like a basic that doesn’t need to be pre-ordered.  I would first start by asking at your local shop to see if that is something that you might be able to purchase from them.

If you get a no, or if you don’t have a local quilt shop, both Green Fairy Quilts and Fat Quarter Shop will sell in 15 yard increments with a bulk discount (this is the typical yardage on a bolt)

Sewing Room Peek

Question from Tammy Soelberg: “Where did you get your fabric shelves and how tall/wide are they?  I love how you can store bolts of fabric on them.  I need some like that for my sewing room.”

Answer:  They are the Billy bookcases from Ikea.  They come in different sizes and the measurements are listed on the website.  Both the narrow ones in the photo above as well as the wider ones in the photo above are both from the Billy line.  The shelves are adjustable so you can move them around to fit whatever you need them to.  I have the height extensions on the top of each of the book cases to gain a bit of extra height.

Pretty threads that have nothing to do with the next question. =)

Question from Jan from TN: “Regarding your upcoming topics, would you be able to provide all of us with a “layman’s” language explanation of copyright but kinda in a nutshell?  There have been many lengthy, wordy, detailed explanations in the past that many people simply refuse to read thru as their minds go to mush after reading”technicalities”.  The reason I ask is that I know it’s a real problem — everywhere!  People are not only copying patterns for others but many don’t understand that you must receive permission (written I believe) if you wish to use a designer’s specific pattern as your guild’s raffle or opportunity quilt that your organization will profit from.  Even I’m unsure if you must obtain a designers’ permission to simply display a quilt you’ve made from their pattern in a quilt show.  Patterns are very expensive nowadays and downloads, using our own ink & paper, are sometimes just as expensive or maybe a tiny bit less.  I’m not sure if this is the reason quilters refuse to purchase their own patterns or not but it’s happening everywhere!  Even some quilt shops don’t require each student to purchase a designers’ pattern.  They’re not only hurting the designer but also themselves for the sale of all those patterns.  I’m sure this topic will open the floodgates on this topic but “rules” need to be repeated every now & Again!  Thanks!”

Answer:  I may be over simplifying my answer but…treat others as you would want to be treated.  I don’t think any of us would purchase a novel and then proceed to make copies to give to our friends (at least I hope not!) and the same should hold true for quilt patterns and books.

As far as obtaining permissions for raffle quilts or display quilts, it’s been my experience that some guilds/shows have those guidelines in place.  When I have been contacted for permission it has been a requirement of the guild/show.  Of course it is thoughtful to provide pattern information in these cases even if it’s not a guild/show requirement.

So, I guess, my advice would always be….treat others how you would want to be treated (you can never go wrong with kindness)…and if unsure, just ask! =)

  I am not an expert about copyrights (at all!) and I think of these situations less in terms of the “legality” of things and more in terms of extending respect and kindness.

Holliberry Fabrics

And Jan B from TN had another question last week (PS Jan..thank you so much for your questions!):

….”I’d like to know when your gorgeous Christmas line, Holliberry, is due to hit quilt shops, Thanks!”

Answer: Holliberry comes out in July.  I am really looking forward to seeing what you guys will be making with this line!

Holliberry Fabric Collection

Thank you guys for another fun Q&A post.  Please leave me any questions you’d like answered in a future Q&A post in the comments below.  I really enjoy taking the time to answer your questions and it helps me know what you’d like to hear more about.  Have a wonderful weekend!

Corey