Hello from Charlotte Lyons

Hi! I'm Charlotte Lyons, one of the designers for Blend Fabrics. My new collection, shipping this month, is called Walnut Hill Farm...

Walnut Hill Farm was named after the place where I grew up in Missouri... A place that inspired my childhood creativity and my love for handmade traditions. Now I live in New York, in a small town on the lower Hudson River with my husband, Andy.  Fortunately for us, our three grown daughters and their guys all live nearby... which means lots of happy times together!! Among my other favorite things (homemade birthday cake, pink houses, the hour before sunset), I adore buttons, colorful felt, quirky collectibles and vintage textiles. You can imagine that my home studio is pretty well stocked after decades of collecting... and a lot of those bits and pieces appear in my fabric design.

A stylist by nature, I share my inspirations through designing, blogging, teaching and publishing...The Home Companion Series with Mary Engelbreit and Barbara Martin and my own books:  Mothers and Daughters at Home and Between Friends - Projects to Share. After tackling nearly all the arts and crafts...painting, drawing, embroidery, rug-hooking, collage, quilting, knitting, papercraft, etc... It's been completely delightful to step into the wonderland of fabric design. I faithfully blog about all that, the old and the new, at House Wren Studio, my six-year-old blog. There's even more to read and see on my website and at my Etsy shop!!

Working with everyone at Blend to develop my vision into a cohesive collection and then seeing it come to life at Quilt Market has been pretty dreamy! Actually, it has been better than a dream...It's real!! The color, the quality, and the design integrity of the fabric is amazing - luxurious and beautiful!  Sewing with it inspired me to create a suitcase full of samples to take to Market. Check some of them out...

My favorite was probably the apron made from Button Box trimmed out with my never-ending stash of vintage trims. Proudly wearing it all over Market, I was stopped everywhere so people could admire it!

For sewing on the Go... I made a stitched cottage that had a secret pin cushion (under the roof) and a back pocket for scissors, buttons, trims...For whatever you need on the go!






At the last minute, I stitched up a cherry Christmas stocking and embroidered over the printed Hilltop pattern design. So Pretty!! I love the way that looks and think combining embroidery and fabric design has lots of potential in quilting and crafting.







Later this month, I am headed to sunny California to CHA (Craft & Hobby Association) and I am teaching a Sailor's Valentine class there based on embroidery with my fabric! I will also be traveling around the country (and France!!) this summer to teach, and I will be using my fabrics in all my class projects and looking for more ways to create patterns for crafting, sewing, and quilting.


I am excited that another collections is in the works...so stay tuned for Annika! This whole experience continues to be a designer's dream come true...The best kind of fun!! My deepest thanks to Anna, Joe and Kate at Blend. It is an honor to be part of the A-Team!!

~Charlotte Lyons
http://www.charlottelyons.com/
http://www.housewrenstudio.typepad.com/

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Hello from Jessica Swift

Hi Blend Blog Readers!! I am Jessica Swift, one of the lucky designers to be working with Blend Fabrics. I am here to tell you a little bit about myself and what I'm up to beyond designing fabric.

I am a surface designer and painter based in Atlanta, GA, though I will be moving soon, to a yet-to-be-determined city, because my husband is about to graduate from medical school and start his residency -- new adventures are coming!! I grew up in Boulder, CO and I earned my BFA from Ithaca College in upstate New York. You can find me on my website, my Etsy shop, on Twitter and Facebook...Whew!!

I have an eponymous line of products that I am growing: from items primarily made by hand in my studio to items that are being manufactured, beginning with my first line of rain boots, which debuted just a few weeks ago!

I also license my work to a variety of companies for different products including stationery, cell phone covers, stretched canvas, fabrics (obviously!) and more! Here are some images...

Have I mentioned that I am obsessed with color?? Ever since I was a little kid I have been addicted to funky color combinations...It amazes me looking back at things I loved to do as a kid and the things that captured and held my attention because they are essentially the same things I love today! That's how I know I am on the right path! So, color is my thing and it is infused in everything I create.

When I am not creating artwork and working on business stuff, I love to spend my time outdoors and practicing yoga. I love to travel as well, but not doing enough these days! I am working on a new licensing deal that will hopefully take me to India in March...So my fingers are crossed! Oh, and I love to eat! I am an 18-year vegetarian and I love to indulge in healthy, delicious food -- I am currently obsessed with making dehydrated kale chips and raw vegan sweets!

My first fabric collection for Blend is Preeti...If you have not seen it, check it out on the Blend website. Here are a few pictures...

Isn't it pretty? The colors are a little softer than those I typically use which rounds out my aesthetic nicely, don't you think??  

My second collection, Molokai will be debuting in a couple months -- Here is a sneak peek to wet your palette and get you dreaming about a Hawaiian vacation.

It was so amazing and fun to be in Houston at Quilt Market for the Blend launch -- I have never seen so many quilts in my life!! It was so cool to see up close and personal all the fabulous designers and companies I have admired for so long. Wandering around the show was exciting and mind-numbing all at the same time!! So much fabric...So much color...It was quite the experience!! And I got to hang out with my fellow Atlanta designer pals, Sarah Watts and Jules Davis (who also design for Blend) and stay in a fancy hotel! It was terrific to meet all the other Blend designers especially my hotel-roomie Sharon Kropp...What a cool lady!!

So, that is a bit about me.  I am so happy to be part of the Blend gang...Hope you are enjoying all our collections and are excited as us to what is coming next!! Thanks Blend crew for everything (so far)!!

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Hello from Sarah Watts

Hello Blend Blog Readers!  I want to take a second to introduce myself... I am Sarah Watts.  I am an illustrator, a surface designer and a fabric designer for Blend.  I live in Atlanta with my husband Scott and our dog Buffy...who loves to wear sweaters (the dog, not my husband)!  I have a BFA from Ringling College of Art and Design, majoring in Illustration.  I have worked on all sorts of things: children's apparel, stationery, kids' books and gig posters.  Currently I am illustrating a young adult book for Simon & Schuster, designing a new collection for Blend and working on some kids' clothing.  My favorite things are live music, the smell of burning wood and thrift junking.  I also love coffee and enjoy a good craft beer!  Below I attached a few images of my work...  You can find me and see more of my work on my website or my blog, or you can find me on Twitter.

 

I am the designer of Feather N Stitch (you can find it here)!  It was so awesome to see my collection by Blend at Quilt Market this past October!  It was actually the beginning of a CRAZY two weeks for me... One of those times when all sorts of plans collide together by accident / happenstance.  I went to Quilt Market first, then I went to Las Vegas where Scott and I got married... After being together for nine years, we finally did it!  He wore a cowboy costume and I wore a saloon girl outfit since it was Halloween.  After Vegas, Scott and I went home to visit family, which was nice and relaxing. Then, since I am a trustee of my college, they had me come down to a meeting, where I did a presentation about my career to the Illustration Dept... But wait, the fun did not stop there.  We went to Costa Rica for our honeymoon... It was absolutely magical!  We saw iguanas and sloths and all sorts of creatures.  What a whirlwind two weeks, with the Blend launch being the kick-off!  Sheesh!  Now I am back in my bat cave cranking out work... and my next fabric collection... Cushion & Dust.... Stay Tuned...

So back to Quilt Market...The whole time there, my head was exploding!  Not only did I get to see my fabric collection launch for the first time with Blend, but I also got to meet so many awesome people.  I was also so excited to meet all the other gals that designed for Blend... They are so cool!  The samples from our fabric that Blend pulled together were awesome...I especially liked the pillow.

I had no idea how big the fabric industry is and how many great people are in it to share the interest.  I also had a blast with Jules Davis  and Jessica Swift (two other Blend designers based here in Atlanta) acting silly and causing ruckus in Houston...Did I mention that I technically spent my bachelorette party with the Blend bunch?

Here I am geeking out over my collection, Feather N Stitch.  Those quilts in the booth were very comfortable!




Here are us ladies...Jessica Swift is on the left and Jules Davis on the right.

Recently I had a booth at ICE, a craft show in Atlanta and the neatest thing happened...  A girl buying one of my prints realized that she just bought my fabric collection online.  It was so cool to meet someone that had already purchased it.  A real person.  Haha!!

For my last ramble...I wanted to share with you a few things that I made out of my collection, Feather N Stitch.  My sewing process is a bit hodgepodge...I like the raw edge look and I like to just dive in and not really exactly measure anything sort of like how I approach my artwork.  The spontaneity is the fun part.  My friend, Diana, sent me this awesome demo and I thought it would be really cool to make my own out of my fabric... It's a lamp!   How crazy is that?  I also made a fish animal...that is probably not the first thing someone would think of to make from Feather N Stitch, but I figured since birds eat fish...  I hope you enjoy!  One day I would love to make little "how to's" out of these projects I do.  I will keep you posted on that.
Here's the link to the Fabric Critter Lamp demo...  http://matsutakeblog.blogspot.com/201/10/electrified-fox-lamp-tutorial-and.html

And of course the stuffed fish...Haha!!

I hope you enjoyed my post.  Check out my website and blog, and keep an eye out for my next collection with Blend in 2012.  Have a great holiday and thanks a ton to the Blend bunch for making all this happen!!

~Sarah Watts :D:D

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The Launch of Blend Fabrics - Quilt Market Fall 2011 - Houston, TX

Not only did we launch Blend Fabrics, the licensing division of Anna Griffin, but we also debuted our first 10 fabric collections (check them all out on our website). It was a very exciting weekend for all of us here at Blend and Anna Griffin. We had a fantastic show and received a fabulous response to all our collections!

Here is the front of our beautiful booth that we shared with Anna Griffin. 

It took a lot of time, work and effort, but was well worth it! We even won

2nd place for Best Multiple Booth!!! Check out the red ribbon!!!

And here is the award! Yeah!!!  

We kicked off the weekend with the launch party for Blend on Friday evening. The champagne was flowing and the appetizers were delicious! We were thrilled by everyone who was there to wish us well, including all of our fantastic artists!

Here is Anna with one of our artists, Jessica Swift, giving a fabulous speech and 

champagne toast.

And here they are...The world's best and most creative artists!!

From left to right...Sarah Watts (or should I say Cormack - she ran off to Vegas after the show and got married!), Sharon Kropp, Charlotte Lyons, Jules Davis, Jessica Swift and Jone Hallmark (absent from the picture is Maude Asbury).

One of the BIG questions at Quilt Market...Who is Maude Asbury???  Can you guess??

Stay tuned to find out just who Maude Asbury really is!

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Greetings from Blend

Hi everyone and welcome to our blog! Blend Fabrics - the licensing division of Anna Griffin Inc. - officially launched in October 2011 at International Quilt Market, where we were thrilled to introduce our first 10 fabulous fabric collections! Below are just a few of our exciting new lines that are shipping now!

Calypso by Maude Asbury is an eclectic mix of bold graphics and geometric designs. The perfectly coordinated color combinations and the thrilling variety of patterns - from florals to pinwheels to stripes and ovals - are playful, contemporary and lots of fun!

With fanciful fairies, whimsy florals, butterflies and paisleys, Believe by Jone Hallmark is filled with all things feminine. Delicate lines, painterly ginghams, soft colors and even the ABC's combine perfectly to create this whimsical fairytale collection.  

Spice up your sewing with Kitchy Kitchen by Maude Asbury, a fabulously fun fabric collection with a retro twist. Produce infused patterns, kitchen utensils, lemon and lime wedges and bold geometrics create a recipe for sewing success.

Songbirds singing, cheerful birds chirping and lovebirds flirting make this conversational fabric collection something worth chattering about! Feather N Stitch by Sarah Watts is a celebration of marriage between novel prints and fresh color palettes.

Brontosaurus, triceratops, stegosaurus and tyrannosaurus rex dance happily among leaves, dots, stripes and playful geometrics to create this fresh and fun children's collection. Babysaurus by Sharon Kropp boasts bold primary colors, soft pastels and storytelling designs.

Be inspired by the organic elements of nature with Garden of Delights by Jules Davis. This collection features delicate butterflies and hummingbirds, buzzing bees, along with garden tools, flower petals, leaves and winding vines to transform the simplicity of nature into a dynamic celebration of prints, patterns and color!

Aren't these the most fantastic fabrics you've ever seen? Stay tuned...There is so much more!! We can't wait to recap our trip to Quilt Market in Houston and then begin introducing you to some of our beloved artists!

Want to see even more? Check out http://www.blendfabrics.com/ and tell us which collection is your favorite!!

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