Recently, I got some new fabric, and I'm not kidding....as a result, I couldn't get this song out of my head! (Make sure you listen to the second verse; it is especially apropos, given some of my new fabric!)
I recieved a little package in the mail the other day from Amanda Herring, The Quilted Fish!
She gifted all of her design team members a fat quarter bundle of every fabric in her new line, Sugar and Spice! (Did you hear the line about sugar and spice in the song? When I opened this, all I could do was to start singing, "Yummy, yummy, yummy, I've got love in my tummy!) Can you stand it?! Look at the great colors! I can't wait to tear into it! But I can't stand to open it. It's so pretty! I just keep petting it for a while as I figure out what I'm going to do with it. I have a few ideas up my sleeve. And, do you see what the fat quarter bundle is sitting on?! She also gifted each of us a 1-yard cut of two different laminated cottons! I LOVE these! And they are so soft and drapable! These are going to be so fun to work with! We get to do two projects this time...one from the cottons and one from the laminates!
Here is a funny story about these fabrics. When I opened them and pulled out the fat quarter bundle, Sweet Pea looked inside the box and saw the laminated cottons. Here is our conversation:
SP: "Mom! Raincoat fabric! I love it!" And she pulled it out. "Can I have this one?!" She was holding the red polka dots.
ME: "No, I have to make something with it for The Quiilted Fish. But I can make you something."
SP: "I love it, and you never let me have the fabric I want!"
ME: "That's not true, and you know it. Now give it back to me."
SP: "That's no fair!"
ME: "How about I make you something with it?"
SP: "No. I want it and I want to make something out of it."
ME: "Okay, I can get some more and you can have it. But I need this."
At this point, Sweet Pea runs out of the room with the polka dot fabric in hand and she HIDES IT FROM ME! I asked her for it back several times and she said, "No. I hid it from you." I was sorta mad, but inside I was also dying laughing. I faked like I was looking for it. Then, I decided to let it go. I looked for it half heartedly a couple of times over the next couple of days. I asked her a few times where it was. Each time, she'd walk over to her nightstand and stand right in front of the drawer. She'd say, "I looked in here, but it's not there." So, I was pretty sure I knew where it was.
After I finished her fleece vest, we were looking at the book with the little girl and doll patterns that I blogged about last week. I looked at the messenger bag pattern and said, "Would you like me to make you something like this out of that red polka dot fabric?" She said, "Yeah!" So, I said, "Well, then I'll need that fabric you hid from me to do it." Bingo. She went and got it for me. It was just too funny. So, I'm keeping it a secret, because I have some fun things up my sleeve for that tutorial (I hope I can execute them). But there's your one and only hint.
See the little crown on top of the fat quarter bundle? Amanda is so sweet. She sent us each a little crown pin to remind us that we are all queens and that we are special. It was her way of thanking us for our work on the tutorials. I thought that was pretty sweet. But, I am definitely the one who is thanking her for this great opportunity and these wonderful gifts. I am having a lot of fun with this team.
Here's a little close up shot of the bundle if you want a better idea of the fabrics. There are flowers, paisleys, big polka dots, and ARGYLE! LOVE! Click here to go to Riley Blake's website to see all the fabrics, since I am still petting this and haven't opened it up yet. You can also see all the laminates (there are 7 of them!!!) at the website as well. While you're there, check out some of the neat embellishments they have (buttons, fringe, ribbons). There's some pretty fun stuff there.
If you need tips on working with laminates, Amanda did an awesome tutorial for a checker board and a tic tac toe board and gave tips for working with laminates.
And speaking of fabric love...remember when I told you about the gal who did the hand dyed fabric and sells them at our guild meetings? Well, at that meeting I picked up some of her newest fabric, which is called Silk Radiance. It is so beautiful. It's 55% cotton and 45% silk, so it behaves a little better than silk. I bought some, but she had sold some of the colors I wanted before I got there. And one was my favorite color...a pretty teal. So I called Jackie and asked her if she'd dye some more for me. She specially dyed a bunch of fabric just for me, and I picked it up the other day. Again, all I could do was skip out to my car singing, "Yummy, yummy, yummy, I've got love in my tummy!" Check it out!
(SisLH, I picked up your fabrics for you, too! I put them in the mail on Saturday.)
These silks are what I'm going to use to complete my March challenge with Lynn. Yes, I know I'm late getting started, but I've been trying to get all the pieces in place....inspiration for design, inspiration for color, and then figuring out how I'm going to execute my idea. Okay, I'm off to figure out that out now!
Until next time,
Mama Pea
Stephanie, I love it! What a great story. Thanks for all of the kind words about Sugar and Spice!
Posted by: The Quilted Fish | March 28, 2011 at 10:52 AM
Ah! I can't believe I'm just now seeing this post! I check every day! Anyway, love that Sugar and Spice fabric! Can't wait to see what you do with it. I'm particularly interested in those beautiful hand dyed fabrics. Can anyone purchase some?
Posted by: carolld | March 28, 2011 at 10:59 AM
PS: That story of Sweet Pea is so cute! Looking forward to seeing what you make her with that laminated fabric.
Posted by: carolld | March 28, 2011 at 11:01 AM
HA! I love the dialog with Sweet Pea, and I have to say I can't blame her one bit, as the polka dots sure are yummy! :)
Posted by: Candice | March 28, 2011 at 12:45 PM
Sugar and Spice materials adorable. Love the colors. So cute. The silk is lovely and the shades are wonderful...
Posted by: Weekend Cowgirl | March 28, 2011 at 03:21 PM
Love the story with Sweet Pea! I would hide it from you too :) LOL
I love this fabric line and the name! It looks so yummy!
Hugs,
Donna
Posted by: Donna | March 28, 2011 at 08:28 PM
Oh my! Those silk/cottons are fabulous!
Too funny with SP hiding the fabric. She hides things about as well as my P. does. LOL! "Don't look in there mom. It's not in there." wink, wink
Can't wait to see what you make with that bundle of yumminess!
Posted by: Lynn | March 28, 2011 at 09:49 PM
First, I am laughing about the beading tute! yours will be so much better than mine, I have no doubt... I will refer my readers to your blog=)
that silk/cotton fabric... it looks so soft... I have never heard of that fabric before.... what does she charge?
Posted by: Jackie | March 28, 2011 at 10:08 PM
Love the Sweet Pea story and the new fabric!! Can't wait to see what you do with it.
Posted by: Deb | March 28, 2011 at 10:59 PM
Those fabrics are so pretty - very springlike. I'll be anxious to see what you do when you finally cut into them.
Posted by: LuAnn | March 28, 2011 at 10:59 PM
Fabric is gorgeous! I love it! SP is too cute and funny. Sounds like she has an eye for beautiful fabric! Smart girl! Can you blame her for hiding it?? Lol!
Posted by: Linda | March 29, 2011 at 12:41 AM
Love the story about Sweet Pea - too funny! That fabric is gorgeous, can't wait to see what you do with it!
Posted by: Allie | March 29, 2011 at 02:53 AM
It's rocking with the oldies! SP must be needing some MP time! Love Radiance, but haven't done anything with the pieces I picked up at Houston!
Posted by: Maggie Szafranski | March 29, 2011 at 07:26 AM
I really love the fabric and I love the story about my darling little Sweet Pea. But most of all I love your telling about how you are PETTING the fabric! It so reminds me of when you were a little girl and first showed your tremendous love of fabrics and the feel of them. We would go into a fabric store together, and you would walk among the bolts of fabric petting all of them.
Some of them (mainly the old-fashioned cotton-knits), would catch on the skin of your hands and you would yell, "Yuck!! Mom, don't buy this fabric for anything! Other fabric (wool), would be so itchy, again you would make an awful face and say, "No, no, not this fabric!"
But then we would come to the blanket bindings, the fleeces, and the soft, soft all cottons and you would indeed, PET them and just stand there cooing! So you have always had a love for fabric and a touchy-feely appreciation of sewing. You will, though, have to eventually unwrap your bundle! :-)
Sounds like Sweet Pea has inherited Mamma Pea's genes for sure.
Posted by: Peg | March 29, 2011 at 03:26 PM
Grinning away here. 'Yummy, yummy ...' was very popular, when I met my future husband. we decided not to make it our song, as it did not sound right. We chose "America' by Simon and Garfunkel instead! The materials are yummy!
Posted by: Rosemary Dempster | March 30, 2011 at 06:51 AM