Hi, Harriot.

Hi, Harriot. Here’s a look at my newest fabric collection for Robert Kaufman.

Harriot has been a new experience in many ways. First and most obvious, there are yarn-dyed wovens in this collection! To say that this was a learning experience is definitely an understatement. Going from thinking about designs being printed on top of fabric versus ideas, colors and textures being woven together to create the fabric is pretty different. But it was fun, and the results can be something different to work into projects.

Harriot has some yarn-dyed wovens, but it also has a couple of screen-printed designs as well. I’m really happy that I was able to have the mix of both. I feel like it gives you a lot to work with in many different ways.

In thinking about plaids and textures, I couldn’t help but also think of things you might find in a forgotten wardrobe, and not necessarily a gender-specific one. It was in this idea that Harriot became the muse for this collection.

I chose this spelling for Harriot in particular after reading about Thomas Harriot and how he’s credited with making the first drawing of the moon through a telescope. This collision of history, observation and drawing couldn’t have been a better fit.

One of the screen-printed designs in the collection features a bold scallop that had me thinking immediately about all of the different ways it could be used (including many moon-like ones). I’ll start with the more straightforward approach.

An enticing motif is always well used as a prominent feature on a project like in the String Bag (above, pattern by Green Pepper Patterns), or as in the See-It-All Pouch and Two-In-One Case (both below and by Aneela Hoey in her book)

But it can also be used in ways with patchwork and quilting that play off of the shapes when cut and sewn in different ways–one of my favorite ways to play.

My Circles Quilt was one of the first things that I wanted to make. I couldn’t wait to see the different ways that I could position the scallop print to be cut up. (PDF version of this pattern is coming soon!)

Similarly, you can see how peeks of the print mixed with plaids and other textures play with an appliquéd shape. Here’s new pattern Hunt–my newest appliqué project that I’m very glad to finally be able to share with you.

All of the appliquéd shapes are the same, but they’re made to look different based on where in a print they’re cut out. It was such a delight to figure out all of the cutting possibilities.

In contrast, here’s another version of my Hunt design with a very different (and easy) fabric approach.

This quilt top (background, appliqué, border) and binding is made from just one fabric. That’s it. All along I’ve thought of the scallop design as a 3-for-1–colored stripe on one side, another colored stripe on the other, and a shapely motif that connects them. Use them separately, together or cut up and sewn together. Here I used all of one color stripe for the background and the other color for the appliqué. The border is cut to show off the scallop, which looks complicated but was really very easy.

My new pattern Hunt (and acrylic templates!) are coming soon. Stay tuned.

Also new, and a LONG time coming is this, meet Mini Eads.

Ever since releasing Eads, I wanted to do a secondary miniaturized option as well. It just works so well, and it can be a great place to make use of your scraps. More about this new pattern in another post, but for now you can see how the different pieces in the collection–including the scallop–can be cut up and pieced. The two-tone version on the right features a plaid from Harriot and Kona Grellow. I LOVE how Grellow fits into this collection.

One more thing to show you for now.

Here’s in a new version of Tangelo. Tangelo is always a good way to combine different colors and textures, and so it felt fitting to use with Harriot. You can also see the scallop print at play (blue row 4th from left) and how it can provide some nice variety along with the other pieces. I couldn’t wait to see this one come together. This quilt was a group effort made by my friend Ellen Rushman, my mom Kathy Friedlander and myself. Go team!

I’m thrilled to finally be able to share Harriot with you. There’s plenty more to share–including garments(!)–but I’ll stop here for now. I really hope you like the new line and that it can inspire you to do some sewing as it certainly has done for me.