We invite you to join us in creating a “Fabric Story” each month, with the characters of the fabrics we have curated for you. The stash you are building is the artist's palette you will draw from for a creative project. Look at fabric in a new way and build confidence in your choices.
The Alchemy of Fabric Club - February 2017 Edition:
Magenta Magic
Printed fabrics have a character. When you see the fabric, it brings to mind an association with a time period, an era, a trend of the times, a place, an experience, etc. Fabric can be just like music, and it has the ability to transport you to another time or place at a glance. It is reminiscent by nature, bringing back memories that are triggered by association. All this is at play in influencing our fabric choices and preferences.
Each month we will be presenting a new “Color Story” in the Alchemy of Fabric Club along with ideas and information for you to build your own color vocabulary.
Magenta Magic is the February launch for the Alchemy of Fabric Club. We have curated seven choices as the core group, with “magenta” as the dominant focus and grey playing a supporting role.
These fabrics just might be the launch for a planned scrap quilt pattern, such as "Himalayan Pink," from Madison Cottage, which Trish Erickson created from these colors.
What is wonderful about creating quilts from a wide range of fabrics in a planned color story, is you have an opportunity to change up the scale and texture of the prints to add interest, but the color plan will hold the design together.
Having worked with quilters for forty-two years in the store and the classroom, I know that they fall for a color story or a style of fabric first, and this sets the creative process in motion. They are “makers,” and it feeds their soul to create beautiful things.
Variety is the spice of life, and that really rings true in scrap quilts. Our Magenta Magic group represents just that, with two larger scale prints that are so magical--because when cut them up, no two pieces are exactly alike. The artist hand drawn "Cotton and Steel" gray check pattern has a texture, but reads as a solid. The smaller low contrast gray is used to balance and ground the vibrancy of the magenta fabrics. You see subtle geometry and value changes in the remaining pinks that balance out the starter pack of choices. The magenta tones are considered the “spark.”
- *Cotton and Steel- Basics- xoxo-Lilac / 5001-10
*Mystic- Valori Wells-Coastal Fog- AVW-15858-316
*Cotton and Steel- Alexia Abegg-Print Shop- GRID-GREY-4037-01
*ROWAN-Kaffe Fassett- Ferns-Cherry-PWGP147-Cherr
*AG-Art Gallery- Joi de Vivre-Stitched Diamant Verve-JOI89122-designed by barij
*RK-Robert Kaufman-In the Bloom-Pomegranate-AVW-15251-281
*Free Spirit-Anna Maria Horner-Fibs and Fables-Labyrinth-Petunia
We have also curated 10 other choices from a variety of collections and designers that can expand from the original seven in the core group. From this base of colors & patterns surprises will be catalyzed in your creative project.
10 Suggested Fabrics to use with February Alchemy of Fabric Club
- AGF- Squared Elements- SE-616 Carbon # 105789
* Rowan- Philip Jacobs- PWPJ051.REDXX/Pattern: Brassica- Color-RED
* Kaufman-Mystic-AVW-15860-281 Pomegranate
* Rowan-Philip Jacobs- PWPJO82.PINKX/ Tree Fungi- Pink
* Cotton & Steel- Sarah Watts-2030-Cat Lady
* Robert Kaufman- Mystic-AVW-15856-316- Coastal Fog
* Robert Kaufman-In the Bloom- AVW-15256-281- Pomegranate
* Cotton & Steel- Rashida Coleman Hale-1930- Macrame
* Robert Kaufman-MARKS-AVW-16352-293 –Smoke
* Free Spirit - True Colors by Heather Bailey - PWTC038.Water
While this is a mail-order fabric club, we want this to feel like a classroom when it comes to inspiration. Please share your work using the hashtag "#AlchemyofFabric" on your preferred social media platform, so others can be inspired by your work. You can also search #AlchemyofFabric to see what others have done, and to gain your own inspiration.
You can always see what we are doing here:
Facebook.com/The-Stitchin-Post-115644758478546
-- Jean & Kayley
Hi Cece--If you don't want to do a whole quilt, how about a table runner? You could use that same Himalayan Pink pattern, but only do a couple of the vertical rows, or you could try one of our very favorite table runner patterns--Cranberry Chutney. It only needs 6 fat quarters, and you can find the pattern with a kit in Magenta and Lime on this page: http://www.stitchinpost.com/patchwork-quilt-kit/cranberry-chutney-runner.html
If you used the two grays in place of the greens, it should work just fine. (I would take out one of the magentas--possibly the really large poppy floral.) It's up to you--but just remember to have fun!
Posted by: The Stitchin' Post Staff | February 27, 2017 at 04:19 PM
I am confused as to what to do with these fabrics. I thought there would be several ideas without starting a new quilt. I already have plenty of UFO's.
Posted by: Cece Montgomery | February 26, 2017 at 06:29 PM
This is really exciting. Would love to join in
Posted by: Patricia Gureasko | February 19, 2017 at 04:09 AM