Quilting & Sewing

For my quilting needs during the summer of 2009, I frequented Red Hen Fabrics in downtown Marietta, Ga., right off the city’s center square. I’ve found a wide selection of traditional and funky fabrics. I now go back for fat quarters, fun, and inspiration on other projects.

A woman of style, creativity, and modern classics, Lotta Jansdotter has published two of the best books on sewing– “simple sewing” to be exact. Her emphasis on simple design paired with clean lines and modern, bold patterns and textiles is refreshing and absolutely irresistible. She has a penchant for screen printing, and her Swedish heritage speaks through the fabrics she creates. Her brief blog updates are amusing, and she has some lovely things for sale on her site too. I have both of her American-published books, Simple Sewing and Simple Sewing for Baby– and I don’t even have a child. That’s how classic and adorable her projects are; I am compelled to create them.

For an amazing online selection of fabric, thread, patterns, etc. Fabric.com has been one of the best websites I’ve found. Great Amy Butler selection. Great customer service, too; when one of my orders was incorrect, they sent out replacement yardage promptly and were more than understanding. Also, they’re local for me– Marietta– which I didn’t even know at first (so don’t worry about any location-influenced bias on my part!).

Another website with great selections is Quilt Home, which has a wide selection of holiday and other themed prints too. This one and the former do have varying selection, even within the same designer’s collections, so it’s worth visiting both.

Textiles & Design

My mom Val has been doing custom sewing and design work my entire life, if not for anyone else than certainly for her own children and home. In Michigan and Georgia (her two primary markets) she has worked with and created for an eclectic group of patrons, with a wide range of income levels. She has also done countless volunteer projects as well, sometimes affiliated with the Methodist church, just as often out of her own care and kindness. Some of her creations and home furnishings reside in classic homes in the Savannah and coastal Georgia area, and those homes and her little touches have appeared in several magazines. Her most recent effort allows the online market a chance to buy some of her creations. Textiles, Art, Design, Vintage by shopval is hosted by the hand-made craft vendor site Etsy. She continues to do custom design and small projects for clients, and may even sell some of her things in Atlanta-area boutique Evolve soon, but in the meantime, check her shopval page for items for sale online. (Currently she’s working on a custom design wedding gown made out of vintage heirloom Indian silk saris.)

I’ve discovered a wonderful little source for vintage fabrics with new-fabric quality: Repro Depot. This company does reproductions of some great prints; sometimes their reproduction status and limited quality make them more expensive than craft or even quilt stores, but some of these I just can’t resist. Plus, she sells a wide selection of craft and sewing books, including two collections of assorted swatches of vintage pattern (at right).

The goddess of quilting and home decorator fabrics, and the inventor of “Midwest Modern” style, Amy Butler continues to supply great books, patterns, and– most of all– fabrics. I made two different versions of her “Domestic Goddess Apron” as Christmas gifts for two of my best friends (2009), and they were beautiful. My mom and I even improvised and made a miniature version for one friend’s daughter (for her to grow into, she can’t even walk just yet…).

I beg you, spend a few minutes browsing the ribbon selection and enjoying the whimsical design of The Ribbon Jar– it will not disappoint. Buy more than fifteen yards of ribbon and they’ll send them to you in a special-designed jar, just for you. I am cooking up a few projects that entail variations of ribbon, so that I’ll have more excuse to stock up.

Fashion

My absolute favorite spot for fashion inspiration on the internet is The Sartorialist. Check daily to see his escapades around the world, usually around Milan, New York City, and Paris. He also published a hefty book of hundreds of his favorites since 2005, when he began his blog (which is now Time Magazine‘s Top 100 Design Influences).