Fresh Figs

MODA Friendship Quilt Along

Today is my day on the Friendship Quilt Along! Welcome!

... our upcoming collection, AVALON. A fresh, summer feeling collection with beautiful reds, soft greys, buttery yellows, spring greens, all on an ivory background with a wonderful pop of navy blue! Due out in stores next month! We are so excited for this one we can hardly stand it!

 

A FEW INTRODUCTIONS

For those of you who are new over here, my name is Joanna and this is the home of Fig Tree & Company. We are so glad that you are here to see what we are up to. If you want to follow along our regular "goings on", then subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on our new FACEBOOK page! Click HERE to go to our page or LIKE us from the left sidebar.

 ... one of my favorite brand new patterns, LOLLIPOPS, made up in the AVALON collection with 1 Jelly Roll and some background and border fabric. There are no sewing templates in this pattern. I promise! Its a fantastic method that we have loved for years!

 

ABOUT THE QUILT ALONG

For those of you who are regulars over here but aren't quite sure what this QUILT ALONG is all about, here are some pointers:

• Each day [starting last Monday and going through March 1st], 3 different MODA designers are blogging about the Quilt Along and are sharing their own block with you. You can see the list of designers blogging each day at the end of this post. Each block can be easily downloaded on each designer's blog as a pdf.

• Each designer is also having a MODA fabric giveaway [courtesy of the wonderfully generous MODA mothership] of one of their collections so if you enter at each blog, you will have a great chance of WINNING something. Free blocks and free fabric, is there anything more perfect?!

• All of the blocks finish at 9" and would all work wonderfully in a sampler quilt. The instructiuons are all simple strip pieced and they all the blocks can be made from Fat 1/8's or large scraps so its perfect for your scrap bucket too.The directions for the blocks are all from Fat 1/8's.

 

• Warning: This could be a bit too much fun. We have gotten a bit addicted in just 3 days time!

 

HAVING A LITTLE FUN

Now I have to tell you that I just couldn't get into the Farmer's Wife quilt along [the one that swept the web last year] for a couple of reasons... the blocks were so small and they were all templates. Two things which I really don't love. So personally I enjoyed that one from far away. They were beautiful but I was happy to watch it go by.

This one... however.. is 9" blocks, which are just much more my speed, and no templates.That's right, not a template in site.

When I tell you that you can easily do all 3 of each day's block in that afternoon, I really mean it. Because I have kind of been doing it. Not all of them, but most of them....

This is our block... which I cut and pieced in under an hour, both of them.

It's Block #15 in the Quilt Along. I'm a bit addicted to it and plan on making it in several other color combinations and sprinkling it about my sampler or even making it every other block.... I guess we'll have to see how it goes. The flying geese are quite fun to make when you know yoiu only have to make eight! And it looks good in so many different fabric combos!

CLICK HERE FOR THE PDF OF OUR BLOCK

Now to visit some of our friends who have shared since Monday, since this is a Friendship Quilt Along after all... 

Here is Barb and Alma's block-

Here is Bonnie's block-

Here is Anne's block-

 

Here is Basic Grey's block-

 

Here is Camille's block-

Here are all the blocks we've made so far.... just looking at them is making me a bit giddy right now.

 

 

A FEW TIPS FROM OUR SEWING:

TIP #1: Many of these blocks use the method of sewing a square onto a rectangle, on the diagonal and then trimiming out the excess fabrics underneath. Whenever I use that method [which I love and use often], I trim out only the extra side of the piece on top and not whatever fabric was used for the bottom rectangle. This is because if you leave the bottom piece intact, it acts a foundation of sorts for your block. You cut that piece and it should be exactly the size you want it to be whereas the piece on top has been sewn and is often slightly irregular, coming out a bit shy of the shape or a bit large. The piece on the bottom will always be accurate and will help you with easier piecing as you build your block. The bulk of the extra piece has never been a problem for me or my quilter. The only time you can't use this method is when the piece that is being added on top is white/light and the piece underneath is dark. You must them trim out both pieces.i Try it and see some great results.

Tip #2: On Anne's block we didn't want to fuss with the thin bias tape so we used a 3/8" bias tape maker, made a small piece of bias from the end of the fabric strip, ran it through the maker and affixed it to our triangle with little dots of Roxanne's Glue Baste It. It was quick and easy.

We plan on making many more blocks as more of our friends share them so check back over here throughout the QUILT ALONG to see how they are turning out! We might even make more tomorrow!

... our SAIL AWAY pattern. All of those boats are made from one Layer Cake. Can you believe it? We love, love this quilt.

GIVEAWAY

As we mentioned above, we are of course having an AVALON GIVEWAY. So leave us a comment about which color or specific print of Avalon you are looking forward to most. To see the entire collection, click on the AVALON button on the right sidebar so you can see all of the fabrics [we've fixed all the collection links so you can click on any of them if you like].

... a styled shot of our SAIL AWAY pattern. Can't you just channel the beach when you look at those boats?

Two lucky winners will be chosen, one for a DESIGNER ROLL and one for a LAYER CAKE. We will also add a third winner for a grouping of all our AVALON patterns and a charm pack!. Be sure to comment to be entered.

Thanks for quilting along with us. Can't wait to see some of your blocks!

Here is the schedule:

FEB 18th

Barbara Brackman

Basic Grey

Barb & Alma- Blackbird Designs



FEB 19th

Bonnie- Cotton Way

Brigitte- Zen Chic

Anne- Bunny Hill



FEB 20th

Camille- Thimbleblossoms

Deb Strain

Eric & Julie Comstock



FEB 21st

Jan Patek

Joanna-Fig Tree & Co.

Jenn Ski


FEB 22nd

Kaari-French General

Lynne-Kansas Troubles

Kate Spain


FEB 25th

Kathy Schmitz

Edyta- Laundry Basket

Lauren & Jessi Jung


FEB 26th

Lisa- Primitive Gatherings

Malka Dubrawsky

Barb & Mary- Me & My Sister


FEB 27th

Laurie & Polly- Minick and Simpson

Pat Sloan

Sandy- Pieces From  My Heart


FEB 28th

Sweetwater

Stephanie Ryan

Vanessa- V & Co.


March 1st

The Cutting Table

 

 

We interrupt this program...

We are working on more PATTERN SHOWCASES for you but thought we would let you know that today....

TAPESTRY IS SHIPPING TO STORES AS WE SPEAK!

 YEAH! It is the perfect harvest collection so don't miss out!

 

So if you have the time this next week, be sure to go to your local quilt shop and check it out in person or let your fingers to do the walking and visit your favorite online shop or come and see what kits we still have AVAILABLE from this collection.

 

 

 

Introducing.....

Well.... I bet you think I am writing from Houston right about now but I'm not this year. I kinda wish I was right about now as I am thinking of all my friends and colleagues in their grubbies setting up thier booths, living on trail mix & Monster drinks, working like dogs, not getting a lunch break, running around trying to organize last minute details, worrying about product launches....

oh wait, I am not missing any of that LOL!

 

What I am missing, is catching up with some of my closest designer friends, seeing what wonderful new collections and designs my colleagues have dreamt up, hanging out with our wonderful MODA team and getting to say hi to some of our favorite customers! I do really miss being in the midst of it all!

 

Instead this year we are at home, watching Market unfold through the blogs, tweets and facebooks of others. I have been wanting to share a bit more personally about our year for a while now and am almost ready to do it. It might explain why we are at home. I hope to share it all with you soon.

 

For now, I wanted to show you a little sneak peek of our newest fabric collection... AVALON... that will be showing tomorrow at Market. We are absolutely in love with the lighter, crisper colors and the slightly [but not too much] nautical, Americana feel of this line. We think its... well, we think its a little bit perfect right now!

 

Stay tuned for the next couple of days as we show more of the line and also share with you some of our brand new patterns that are accompanying the quilts to Houston.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Talk to you soon.

 

From Market...

I am sure that some of you remember that I promised booth shots yesterday. But then again I am sure that some others of you remember that I sometimes promise things and can't manage to get them here in time LOL!

Well, today my day aligned and I found a moment to upload a whole LOT of Market pictures... way more than I would guess most of you would ever want to se!. But here are some of my favorites and I promise that tomorrow I will show some more.... promises, promises!

 

A FEW FAVORITE CLOSEUPS FROM MARKET...

... a bowl full of candy goodness. These new mini swatches are called MODA CANDIES and they are good enough to eat. We will have plenty of them available for your snacking pleasure in the fall!

 

... simple little pins from the new book, WITH FABRIC & THREAD.

 

... a stack of our new brochures for stores.

 

... my new book in the booth.

 

... a closeup of the left side of the booth. Where many of the projects from the book resided.

 

NEW PATTERN: PINEAPPLE & FIGS

 

 

 

MORE BOOTH PRODUCT SHOTS

... one of my favorite quilts from the book, dressing a mannequin like a jacket.

 

... a little booth embellishment.

... me in the booth. Doesn't it look like I need that chair to hold myself up with?

BOOTH SHOTS

... right side of the booth.

... middle of the booth. Table filled with goodies from the book and new patterns too.

 

... the whole booth.

 

... center right.

... the book side or the left side.

 

More shots tomorrow. Not sure you guys could load it all up if I kept going today!

Joanna

 

Fresh Bundles

Given that our shopping cart has been down, we haven't had the opportunity to show you guys any of our latest bundles. Well, we have a limited cart back up now so thought we would share a few of the latest.

Oh, I think you might love these! We sure do!

 

The Spring Bundle

 

The Meadow Bundle

 

The Beach Bundle

Click here for more info on any of the above yummies!

A little Sneak & a Peek

 

You know when you see fabric that just makes your heart skip a beat?  

That is what this is doing for me right now. I know, I know... part of me feels like I can't say that about my own work and I should wait for someone else to say it. But I can't!

I also have to admit that this is not always true of every collection or design I do. Sometimes I really like them and think they are good. Sometimes I love them. Sometimes I wish I could have added something more or expressed my vision a bit differently. Sometimes its a combo of all of the above.

But sometimes, I dream about them before they get here.  This is one of those times.

I have so many more pics to show you but I think it might be best to wait just a bit. It's called TAPESTRY. Hope it adds some loveliness to your day.

 

Stay tuned for another big reveal this week. We are just full of surprises around here.

 

Introducing.....

It always feel so odd for me to announce the arrival of one collection- in this case Butterscotch & Rose- while literally at the exact same moment, introduce the newest group that we are about to show. But sometimes that's just the way it turns out....

So, today we would like to introduce to you our newest collection, due out in stores in Spring, 2012!

 

Introducing

California Girl

 ... a Summer Inspired Retro group reminiscent of days at the Boardwalk.

... fat quarter bundle of goodness.

... jelly roll of yumminess.

 

And the first quilt pattern that returned from the quilter.... Star Blooms. Available in two size blocks. Shown here is the 20" block. To see the rest, come visit us in Houston or check back here for more sneak peeks! 

 

Pattern and more info will be available in November!

 

Talk to you soon,

 

Joanna

xoxox

B&R has hit the streets!

Hope you're not already tired of me talking about this collection but.... BUTTERSCOTCH & ROSE HAS SHIPPED and is arriving in stores as we speak.

The timing for this quintessential, classic autumn collection couldn't be better we think. We can imagine a whole slew of projects out of it. What might you make?

And even better, we have a kit available for our most popular pattern from this collection, My Log Cabins.

Kit contains all you will need for any of the 3 variations in the pattern.

The Barn Raising version.

 

The Birds in Flight version.

 

The Sparkling Diamonds version.

Click here for more info.

I will be back tomorrow morning with some last minute sneak peeks of what is right around the corner. I know you have all been so patient so I want to make sure I get them out to you before I leave for Houston. Don't forget to check back!

xoxo

Joanna

Market Fabric Snapshots

Fig Tree went traditional this time around. Classic and traditional with some of our most popular colors from best selling lines. Do you recognize any of them?

Introducing Butterscotch & Rose....

For a dash of classic elegance for Fall 2011. I hope it conjurs [sp?] up visions of fall and winter projects and even a bit of home redecorating. I created it for autumn, but some of my customers have shown me that it is certainly perfect for the holidays as well! Pull out the rich reds and classic greens paired with the cream and Christmas is just around the corner. I wonder what you might create?

Tune in tomorrow for a chance to get some in person.... soon!  A giant box of MODA goodness just arrived and I am itching to do something with some of it!

 

Here are my favorite shots of the colorways.

... Ruby.

 

... Butterscotch & Buttercream.

... Sky.

 

... Fresh Tarragon, Frosting Rose, Chocolate Tart.

 

Here is the inspiration story:

"Inspired by the sights and smells of a recent autumn getaway in the little wine country town of Sonoma, California, Butterscotch & Rose is my interpretation of my favorite season! The collection flowed directly from the mix of harvest leaves, gourmet bistros, walks in the woods, gorgeous tones of roses still blooming [after all this is California] and the scents of the beginnings of the wine harvest. I hope that I was able to capture all that this region brought to me as its September gift."

xoxox

 

Buttercup, Buttercup!

 
Last time I talked with you it had started shipping but now its officially here, and there and a bit more over there! Buttercup has officially hit store shelves nationwide!!

[If you are international, maybe just a few more days....]

Hope you are able to get your hands on a little bit of this Springtime goodness in the midst of this crazy cold weather and start working on something to bring a little sunshine into your life. Our sources say that the fabric is close to selling out on the wholesale side so get yours while you can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know we'll be sewing up a storm over here this weekend. Hope you will be too! Now.... what to make first?

Hope your weekend is full of fabric goodness!

Talk to you soon.