Fresh Figs

Mushrooms in Blogland

I just wanted to thank everybody for such a warm welcome to blogland. It really is a magical place that you don't know is there until you find it. Then you wonder how you ever got along without it. You have showered me with emails and left such lovely comments... a girl could get addicted to this! I am sorry if I haven't had a chance to respond to all your emails or comments yet. I've been answering a few at a time, especially all the emails.

This week has been one of those deadline weeks for me that I know other designers have blogged about in graphic detail. I have to tell you that although I don't enjoy the anxiety that usually surrounds this time, I do work well under pressure and so I have gotten an unbelievable amount of stuff done in a rather short period of time [the deadlines & all the little worker bees who have been working as hard as I have, thank yoiu].
I have just put on the final borders for the last quilt going to the quilters & believe it or not, I am feeling a certain amount of peace. Well, I'm sure that will pass tomorrow when I look to see what else still has to be done, but until then..... I'm basking in it.
In addition to finishing up quilts and working on fabric lines, I have been composing and editing the next edition of Fresh Vintage. I have been finding such wonderful vintage images and not all of them made it into Fresh Vintage, so I'm posting a few of them here. I will add more tomorrow. They are currently making me very happy.

Now if I could just design a fabric line around each and every one of them, I would be a happy girl.
By the way, what's up with mushrooms these days, mushrooms are everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I love my
fungus as much as the next gal, but there's something a foot...

Speaking of Fresh Vintage.. in each issue I add a recipe from my archives or one given to me by one of my students or customers but this time I am stumped for something simple and homey- a dessert or a fun summer salad. I am enlisting your help in finding something good for the next issue!!

I would really love it if you would comment about it or email and tell me what it is. If I think it might work, I will contact you for the actual recipe. Please, please, save my recipe-less butt. Anything with figs would be extra fun.... hey Monica, are you out there? Anything with figs?

Folklorique Hits the Streets

Fig Tree's newest line of fabric is about to hit the streets, so to speak! I have to admit that I have been working & creating with this fabric for many months now and am almost ready to move on to something new and different but I know that it is new for all of you and I am excited to see what you think and what you do with it.
One of my favorite things about designing fabrics is when I get to see the wonderful creations you all come up with. Honestly, I am often inspired all over again when I see what your imaginations have created, even more so than by my own designs sometimes. For me seeing the fabric through someone else's creativity is one of the greatest "perks" of being a designer. I never get tired of people sending me pictures of what they have made using Fig Tree fabrics. Keep those creations coming!

As for me, the latest thing I am working on is a mix of this line, Folklorique, and the new line, Allspice Tapestry, which will debut at Spring Market in Salt Lake City in May. I'm calling it Coney Island
[it seriously makes me think of giant summer ice cream cones on a warm day at the boardwalk]. It is a traditional NOSEGAY quilt block from the 1800's, usually made with many templates and Y seams. For those of you who know me, you know I don't do templates or Y seams unless there is absolutely no way to get around it. Well, it took a bit of work and mathematical manipulation, but I am proud to say I have designed this block without a single template or Y seam. And even though it is all done and off to the quilters, I am still grinning from ear to ear that it all turned out how it looked in my head [that doesn't often happen for most designers- to have it come out like what you initially thought it would]!
In fact, I went to get an ice cream cone this afternoon in honor of finishing it. Pistachio Ice Cream. The color would have fit in with the quilt.

Fresh Vintage

One of the questions I get asked the most often is, "What is Fresh Vintage?" If you've looked at our website or ever heard me lecture or do a workshop, you'll know that I call the look and feel of the palette I use for Fig Tree, "Fresh Vintage". I've been calling it that for so long, I don't even know how it started except that I can tell you that is is very descriptive of what the style actually is.

It is "VINTAGE" in that we work hard to reproduce colors and designs from yesteryear, using the tones that were used so much in days gone by. Now, mind you, these are not pastels or "cottage" colors or primary colors as we think of today, not that I have anything against any of those palettes. The colors used back then- in vintage childrens illustrations, food packagaing and advertising posters [just to name a few] were vibrant and strong, fully saturated. They were different from the colors we use today in that they were softer, created on a warm base.
I once heard a interior designer refer to these colors as the "forgotten colors" and I thought that was the perfect description.
Fortunately for us, these colors are coming back into vogue- colors such as aqua blue, chocolate brown, pumpkin orange, buttercream yellow, chartreuse green, plum, celadon, tomato red..... I could go on forever.
These are the colors that represent "fresh vintage" for me. They are warm, soft and vibrant at the same time and they evoke feelings of nostalgia, and times past.
And yet our interpretations are "FRESH" in that we are adding patterns or creating palettes for today. To use for the modern, chic home. To wear. To make a handbag. For a throw for the couch or pillows for the kids rooms. This style is a mix of yesterday and today. It is meant to bridge a more classic "country" home and a the more simple, clean colors of todays fresh styles. Hence "Fresh Vintage."

When used for quilting, I often pair the fabrics with traditional quilt blocks or am inspired by entire vintage quilts I come upon at a flea Market or quilt show. To mimic the feel of quilts from the bygone era, I always start with cream [instead of white] and use plenty of those "forgotten colors" mixed together for a scrappy, bohemian look, or just a few at a time for a more traditional feel.
Hope you are inspired to create some Fresh Vintage projects of your own.

The Figs Greet You

Hello fellow quilters, crafters and bloggers-
For those of you who are finding me for the first time, please read more about me in the ABOUT ME section of the blog. For those of you who are Fig Tree fans--- I am so glad you are here. Many of you have asked me to share my inspiration and the process of design for me and this is what I hope to do here...

It was sometime early last fall that I was first introduced to the world of blogging by my friend Jackie of the Wren's Nest. I just didn't get it. I couldn't understand what all these people could talk about and more importantly why anyone else would read them. Well, I understand all too well now! I am hooked on catching up on my favorite blogs, love the search and the thrill of finding new charming, inspirational blogs by women know and unknown to me... and now, I too am joining this "illustrious" group in hopes of adding something to the conversation over the months and years to come. I hope that you enjoy what I have to say and that Fresh Figs becomes a place you come back to often.

For right now [since its already 1:30 am where I am], I would just like to add that I am going to be doing a series of posts for Gina at Quilters Buzz about my inspiration, designing fabric for MODA and my recent visit to MODA headquarters in Dallas, Texas. I think you might enjoy some of the tales and the pictures in the next few days so please stay tuned.