Spring Promise designer Ana Davis

Hi Everyone!  My name is Ana Davis and I am an artist, creative director, illustrator, and pattern designer.  I began knitting, crocheting, and sewing when I was 6.
This photo was taken around the time I began to sew.

I studied various forms of art through-out lower, middle, and high school and I have always been obsessed with color.



I often dream about color, and have for as long as I can remember.  In one dream from my childhood I entered a room where there was a wall full of tiny, white drawers.  As I opened the drawers, I found that each one was filled with intricate objects of single color.  I opened every single drawer just for the surprise and pleasure of seeing the color they contained.

My love of color and creation led me to a fine art major in college.  I spent  years in printmaking, painting, and drawing studios.   I still love to draw and a favorite summer pastime of mine is sketching the flowers in our garden.

While working toward my undergraduate degree, I also studied three dimensional art.  In keeping with my preoccupation with pattern design and sewing, I managed to cast patterns in bronze and sew pillows and quilts for my sculpture class.  In the midst of the conceptual art movement, sewing was very much out of step.  But since then, the disciplines I have so loved since my childhood have been embraced with renewed respect.

These days it seems everywhere I look there is a groundswell of excitement for the ingenuity, craftsmanship, and utter beauty of quilts and crafts.  It is a thrill to be involved with these movements & an honor to have my fabric patterns available to the incredible artists and designers who might use them.

My first fabric collection for Blend Fabrics is Spring Promise (which is now shipping!)... I tried to bring together the beauty of traditional motifs with the energy of contemporary color and the whimsy of modern geometrics.

 

I really hope you like my designs and I cannot wait for the pleasure and surprise of seeing the intricate objects they become.  Happy creating everyone!!

~Ana

One more thing... Check out blendfabrics.com for my latest collection shipping in August 2012... Animal Parade!

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Hello from Cori Dantini

Hi Everyone!  My name is Cori Dantini and I am stopping by Blend's blog to share a bit about myself.

Firstly... I would love to dress like my paper ladies and explore the world in their skirts, with sassy princess hair and fancy boots to stomp through puddles.  But in truth... typically you will find me among bottles of paint, glue & ink with bits of wordy paper clinging to the bottom of my slippers.

I live in a town called Pullman in Eastern Washington, which is nestled in the rolling wheat fields of the Palouse.  In fact this is my home town, the one where I went to high school (and then college), the one where my mom lives...
The place where I first picked up a paint brush!  I suppose you could say this is the place where it all started (I have never thought about it like that until this moment, but it is true)!  I graduated from WSU in 1993 (I think) with a BFA in painting and a minor in printmaking.  From graduating 'til now... I have done a lot of different things but mostly I have opened doors and walked in the room.

Door 1 - Sign Painter
Door 2 - Clip Art Designer (Yes... I sold my soul)
Door 3 - Greeting Card Designer
Door 4 - Commercial Illustrator
Door 5 - Etsy
Door 6 - Art/Craft Fair Vendor
Door 7 - Licensing... This has been the most exciting doors and it has led me to one of the best doors... Blend Fabrics!!!!  Which then led to my very first fabric collection - Beauty is You.

The past 2 years have been a bit of a whirlwind (a tornado might describe it better).  I have been working on loads of different things from Beauty is You (my fabric line here at Blend Fabrics) to a gift line which you will be seeing out on the shelves later this year.  I have also finished my first 12 month calender (2013) with Amber Lotus, my first full line of greeting cards CALYPSO, day planners, journals and a small 7inch calender with Orange Circle Studio.  Oh... Plus I run my Etsy shop (where I sell limited edition archival prints), and last but by no  means least, I do a series of art/craft shows every year.  Needless to say this has kept me busy!  Check out some of my prints..

At the moment I am getting ready for my first two shows of the season, but trying to fit in a series of new paintings.  So... Off I go to the studio, to get organized, and if I am lucky pick up a pint brush.

Don't forget to check out my new fabric line, Beauty is You by Blend Fabrics  - Now Shipping!

OOX,

Cori

www.corid.etsy.com

www.coridantinimakes.blogspot.com

Represented by Sheila Meehan, Meehan Design Group, 503-281-4881

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"The Best of the Best"... and More to Come!

For the last few months, I have been searching for the "best of the best" pattern designers for Blend to partner with to create fabulous inspirational projects for all of you.  I have searched blogs and websites and even Pinterest (I know that was a couple tough hours at work :) and I am pretty confident that we have have not only found the right partners, but that they are even better than I could have dreamed!!  While many of them are busy busy busy creating fabulous projects with our fabrics... I do have a sneak peek at one of my favorites...



Curby's Closet, among other things, is all about Quilted Baby Shoes for Newborns through 9 months.  Original and sweet little baby shoes that are soft and comfy and are just "Too cute to kick-off"!!
If you love to quilt, sew or give adorable and unique baby gifts then Curby's Closet shoe patterns are for you.  Make your own baby shoes with their easy-to-make patterns...  Choose from many styles like: Cowboy Boots, Loafers and even Ballet Shoes. Other styles (above) featured in Blend's fabrics are...  In Magic Garden's Happiness and Garden Gate prints is the Baby Ankle Strap (left), in Homespun Chic's Birdies and Stitches Roses is the Baby Mary Jane (center), and in Babysaurus' Dino Dots is the Baby High Top (right).  You can find these styles and many more at over a hundred quilt shops in the U.S., Canada, Australia and South Africa or online at www.curbyscloset.com.
Thanks to Chris at Curby's Closet for partnering with Blend on this adventure and for the fabulous shoes & patterns...  Stay tuned for more from Chris because you just never know what you will find inside Curby's Closet! Pin It

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Another Stitch Social Deal of the Week

Check out the latest Stitch Social Deal of the Week featuring Blend Fabrics!

The Modern Basket Weave Quilt Kit is created with the Calypso Collection by Maude Asbury.  The kit includes the Quilt Craftable Pattern, Calypso fabrics for quilt blocks in Spindle Turquoise, Dot Grey and Leaf Olive, and Calypso fabrics for backing and binding in Kite Tails Turquoise.  All this plus free shipping for only $34.50 - Hurry only 3 days left!! Pin It

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Stitch Social - Deal of the Week

Hey Everyone - Check out the "Deal of the Week" from Stitch Social...

The Reversible Bucket Bag Project Kit featuring Blend's Homespun Chic Collection by Melody Ross. The Reversible Bucket Bag Craftable project, taken from The Bag Making Bible by Lisa Lam, walks you thru every step of how to make each component of a bucket handbag.  The Kit includes everything you need from the fabulous Homespun Chic fabrics to all the tools to create every part yourself.
HURRY - the deal ends February 26th at 11:59 AM EST. Pin It

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Hello from Jules Davis.

Hello... I am Jules Davis, designer of the Garden of Delights Collection for Blend Fabrics.

I am a designer, art director, illustrator and founder of Brand Bird, a full-service visual communications company specializing in brand development.  I've been in business for longer than I care to divulge in a numeric fashion - Let's just say a lengthy stretch!  I've done all manners of design from branding to licensing style guides (including Barbie and the Powerpuff Girls) to making props for film and TV.

While living in L.A., I worked on the first Shrek style guide and got to see the film in animated form from DreamWorks before it was finished.  I moved to Atlanta to be an art director in consumer products with Cartoon Network.  That made me a rock-star to my niece, who got the royal tour and loads of free PPG S.W.A.G.

Surface design for retail results in lasting objects that people can interact with and enjoy... That makes it a bit more meaningful - and let's face it - I am a shameless consumer!  My design is informed by my love of travel (been to 14 countries and 45 states thus far) and fashion (I also have a degree in fashion illustration).  I love the mid-century modern minimalist aesthetic and I believe the best education comes from motion and change.    

Random facts:  I zen out over jigsaw puzzles (super nerdy) and I get crazy-excited interacting with wild animals.  If you have ever been licked by a giraffe... You get it!  

Blend is my first exciting foray into fabric.  Developing a full collection was a bit of an education.  The Fall Quilt Market in Houston was great  fun and an honor to be exhibiting along the likes of Amy Butler and Ty Pennington (who FYI, is super-delicious in person) as well as the other fabulous Blend designers.  I was thrilled for my collection to be one of the first out of the gate for the Blend evolution into stationery and gifts.

                  


You can find more of my work on products for modern-twist, iPop, Lamp-in-a-box and Alluminare.  You can also find me at www.brandbird.com, twitter, and flickr.

I am currently working on my next fabric collection and look forward to being a part of Blend as they bloom and grow.                                                    

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Blend Projects... Which one will you make??

Hello Blend Friends!  I wanted to share some fun and super-cute projects created using a few of our fabulous fabric collections.  Click on the links to find out where you can pick up your pattern or project... And don't forget to go to "where to buy" on www.blendfabrics.com to find out where you can pick any of these and more Blend collections!!

  

 Check out these two adorable little girl dresses created from our "Feather N Stitch" and "Believe" collections.  Full twirling tiers, sweet yoke details, and ribbons and rick-rack... It is never to early to start sewing the perfect summer dress for the little princess in your life!    

                                                         

Spring Fling (left) and the Summer Pinafore (right) dresses were both made from patterns from Kari Mecca's Sewing with Whimsy book published by Martha Pullen Company.  These two dresses plus many more fill the pages of this fanciful treat in children's sewing and embellishing.  Click here to find Kari's book and many others plus fabrics, trims, notions and more... www.marthapullen.com

Of course now that the little girl in your life has the perfect twirly dress... What else could she need???  

How about her own spectacular playhouse!!  

This is a wonderful new pattern from Ellie Mae Designs for Kwik Sew created from Blend's "Believe" collection by Jone Hallmark.  A fun and whimsical playhouse  covered in fairies and flowers and the ABC's... A wonderful surprise for every little girl!  Wondering where you can get yours... Stay tuned this is just a sneak peek...the Ellie Mae Design - pattern #108 - does not come out until spring 2012.

Now what would a project blog post be without any quilt projects??  Both these wonderful quilts were created by Metropolitan Quilt out of West Linn, OR.  Not only did Jeff and Debbie  do the fantastic patterns which are for sale on their website, but they made the actual quilts that were both featured at Fall Quilt Market this past October.


"Plumes et de Couture" is created from our Feather N Stitch collection by Sarah Watts.  A wonderful collection of novel conversationals, lovebirds and geometrics complimented with this great applique pattern... A must make for that special soon-to-be married couple or perhaps the new home buyer!!






"Versailles" is created from our Homespun Chic collection by Melody Ross (that just started shipping Feb. 2012... so hurry and get yours!!).  A fabulous mix of vintage ladies and sewing patterns, novel geometrics and whimsical florals are wrapped up in this fun and flirty quilt.


Stay tuned for many more fabulous quilts from Metropolitan Quilt... We certainly hope you love them as much as we do!!
www.metropolitanquilt.com


I hope you enjoyed some of our projects thus far!  We can't wait to see which project you make...Make sure you post them on our facebook page!!  There are so many more to come so check back soon & look for our next designer post by Jules Davis...   Cheers!

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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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