Guess what? The 3rd Saturday in March is National Quilting Day, and that’s today! We know we don’t have to tell you that, to get you in front of your sewing machine, or to pick up your needle and thread and work on your latest project this weekend. Have a wonderful Quilting Day!
This weekend, I am looking forward, and looking backward. There have been a lot of changes in the industry in the last couple weeks, and in particular we thought you would like to know that Kona Bay Fabrics has closed and I’d like to give an appreciation for the beautiful Asian fabrics they have produced for so many years. It was one of the first companies we ordered from when we opened in our basement, and over the years our family has become friends with the owner Doug. My kids used to run around his warehouse in Hawaii, when we visited Paul’s parents in Honolulu.
So now I guess Kona Bay fabrics are going to be collector items. We are stocked up and expect to get one more shipment, but if you’ve ever wanted to own a Kona Bay collectible Asian panel, floral, etc. now is the time. Our best wishes to Doug and everyone at Kona Bay… we will miss you.
Looking forward, I wanted to talk about one of the trends I saw at QuiltCon. In the past I’ve talked about how Linens have been so important both at the Tokyo Quilt Festival and in Modern Quilts.(Solid, Natural and Printed Linens)
At this QuiltCon I saw SO much Denim and Chambray! It is so interesting to see how these fabrics associated with work garments (i.e. blue collar) have been used for all or part of many Modern Quilts in 2017. We’ve been bullish on chambray and denim for a long time, because of these fabrics being so strong in fashion and home dec the last few years. We expect to see these fabrics join Linen as an important basic in Modern Quilts going forward into 2018. I’ve put solid/natural Linens together with Chambray and Denim for your convenience.
I have 136 photos up now, from QuiltCon 2017. You can see them here.
Also we just previewed my clip from the new Modern Quilting PBS show “Fresh Quilting” and it will be up on our Video page in the next few days.
I am working on the pre-trip Textile/Craft day for the Tanzania trip, and yes we still have a few seats left. If you would like to toast the New Year under the stars on the Serengeti with me later this year, call Aly at NatHab (details at this link) and save your spot!
sharing your Passion for Fabric…
Luana
