Sew Hot Brand-Rep - Part One!
Earlier this year Sew Hot put out an announcement on Instagram that they were looking for a few Brand Reps. Being one of my favourite fabric shops in the UK I instantly applied and was blown away and so excited when I received the email to say that I had been selected!
So, what does a Sew Hot Brand Rep do? Spread out over the next 12 months, I will be sent 6 different bundles of fabrics that the Sew Hot team careful pull together with me and my brand in mind. My task in return for the fabrics is to transform them into something to show them off!
What arrived in my first fabric pack was a delicious mix of bright solids and prints with an interesting addition of Kona sheen - which I had never worked with before.
Fabrics sent: (top to bottom of photos below)
I think a fabric pull can really make or break a quilt pattern. They are an extension of the maker and so often you can identify the quilter from the fabrics they have used in a quilt pattern. So, to lose that control was a challenge, which surprised me at first, but then stepping out of the comfort zone was good. It made me really work creatively to make the most out of the prints and solid colours.
My first idea was to make a few quilted cushions. I wanted to shrink my Sweet Wonder quilt pattern down to a cushion size and first thought these fabrics would be perfect for this idea. I use a web-based programme called PreQuilt for all my quilt designs to help decide on fabric placement. I uploaded the fabrics on to Prequilt and started to play with placement on the quilt design. I also tried the fabrics in a Collider Quilt Block (not the full quilt, just the block that makes up the pattern). They both looked good, but something just didn’t ignite my excitement about making them.
Sweet Wonder Quilt as a cushion using the Sew Hot fabrics.
Collider Quilt Block as a cushion - using the Sew Hot fabrics.
Around the same time I was deciding on a design, it was the 1 year anniversary of my first quilt pattern Retro Metro Quilt. I hadn’t used this pattern for quite some time - and hadn't even thought about using it for this project but as soon as I uploaded to fabrics in to the design it was like Cinderella trying on her glass slipper - they just fitted perfectly!
Retro Metro Quilt pattern in PreQuilt - this is how I choose the fabrics in PreQuilt to choose the fabric layout.
Now I had decided on the pattern and a fabric placement, it was time to cut! This is one of my favourite processes of quilt making. The fabrics pull together and are transformed. The quilt top fabrics complement the backing fabric perfectly as the quilt blocks came to life.
Once the quilt top was sewn together it was time to baste and quilt the quilt! I used my favourite Aurifil Thread in Fleshy Pink (Aurifil 2420) which was the perfect tone across the quilt and much softer against the Kona Ivory than white.
I used a walking foot on my Janome M7 with a wavy stitch an inch apart. If you are looking for a quick way to quilt a quilt - this is a really fast way to produce gorgeous texture with your quilting which looks amazing.
transformation, from graphic design to quilt!
The fabrics for the quilt top were the perfect combination for the quilt backing.
The quilting made the texture of the quilt pop!
The overall look of the quilt was perfect!
The quilt was finished off with my favourite stripy binding (this fabric was from my own stash and is Art Gallery Fabric - The Open Road collection, Backroads Umber).
This has been such a great experience. It sounds like such treat to have fabrics sent to you to make something with, and believe me, it has - but I never realised how much it would push me to work differently and look at the projects from a different angle.
Click the link above to watch my chat with Sew Hot about this first collaboration and all things quilty!
I have really enjoyed this first journey as a brand rep. Remember to check out Sew Hot. Before I became their brand rep, I was a massive fan. They are super quick with processing your orders have a humongous collection of fabrics and I can pretty much get everything I am looking from them including any colour of Aurifil Thread. What is there not to love about that!
Thanks for having me Sew Hot team!
I am back at the end of November with my next fabric bundle, so keep your eyes peeled for part two!
