Make a Fun Project with The Lorax!!

The Lorax has always been one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books, it has such a good message of environmental responsibility and its one that kids and adults alike need to be reminded of! So I got really excited when I found out they were making a movie, and even MORE excited when we got in The Lorax Organic Fabric Collection from Robert Kaufman!!! These prints are SEW cute!!!

   
   

The movie hits theaters this Friday, giving you plenty of time to stop by the Cabbage Rose and pick up some of The Lorax Organic prints to create a quick patchwork quilt to cuddle with (movie theaters can be cold!), or create everyone in your family some Lorax pajama bottoms to go see it in! You can even cut out some of the pieces from the panels and use fusible web to iron them onto tshirts, book bags or use them to create the Speak for the Trees FREE Quilt Pattern from Robert Kaufman! Use the Earth Panel for a more subtle look, and use the Bright Panel for the original Dr. Seuss colors!!

If your little one has a birthday in the next few weeks, make it a Lorax Birthday and use these awesome prints to decorate for the party, make cute favors and celebrate by going to see the movie!! Kids will be full of inspiration with all the color and fun patterns! And if you have been wanting to get the kiddos into the whole world of sewing, this is the collection to get them interested! When they can see how colors and patterns translate from a movie or book to the fabric, they are literally seeing how the creative process works for lots of designers out there! You can also use their interest to get them sewing themselves, pick out 3 coordinating prints for a pillowcase kit and let that be their very first project! All it takes is a few straight lines and they will have a fun and funky pillowcase, as well as the confidence to maybe try something new! Giving your kids the gift of creativity is one of the greatest things you can do for them, so why not use The Lorax to spark it!

Teachers, don't forget about Earth Day!! It's April 22 this year and what better what to talk about caring for the Earth than with the help of The Lorax! Grab some of these great prints for your kids to create some responsibility reminders! Be sure to check out The Lorax Project website for great ideas, activities, games and more cool stuff!

"Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not"

-The Lorax

Another Project for Curious Nature!!

So, it is no secret that everyone is in LOVE with Curious Nature by Parson Gray but maybe you're still stuck on what to make with it, especially if you have fellas on the brain. Well, I was perusing the Free Spirit blog the other day and found this awesome Media Mate tutorial using David's gorgeous prints! I absolutely love well designed, beautiful storage options and this convenient little CD/DVD holder just about takes the cake! This is a great project to give as a gift to guys as well as gals, see how different it looks in the aqua vs. the grey? It can go masculine or feminine, depending on which colors and prints you choose! So pick a few of your favorites and download the FREE pattern to get started!

Happy sewing!

Ancient Patterns: Threads of Time

Hey everyone! This week, we are taking part in a wonderful program at the Fort Worth Community Art Center called Ancient Patterns: Threads of Time and I just had to jump on here and share a little about it!

 

Currently, artist Fay Jean Hooker's Quilts Beyond Borders exhibit is on display, showcasing the most incredible and inventive "quilts" you've ever seen! Using wood pieces, aluminum cans, vintage rulers and oil paint, this Texas-native has created awe-inspiring quilts that not only are as pleasing to the eye as traditional fabric creations, but there's another deep sense of imagination captured in each one of these fabulous wall hangings that comes with her utilization of found objects! This exhibit was so incredible for these Fort Worth area 4th graders to see, it really inspired a sense of creativity and awe in all of them!

The artist typically starts with a favorite quilt pattern, then uses her math (just like normal fabric quilters) to figure out what size wood pieces she'll need. Then comes the cutting, painting and gluing...hours upon hours of work and thousands of wood pieces are used to create these masterpieces!

The kids really loved seeing what they could find in each piece! The vintage ruler "borders" on this quilt really had everyone tickled! 

This amazing piece could keep you staring for hours! All of the patterned triangles are actually a collage of aluminum cans from different sodas! The kids were all trying to find their favorite brand!

After checking out the amazing exhibit, the kids got a little quilt pattern history lesson from the Cabbage Rose Gals! We explained to them how we can create incredibly intricate patterns from a few basic shapes!

We showed them the Big Star Quilt that the kids make every year at Kid's Camp! I think it really excited them knowing that kids can create awesome quilts!!

 

Then it was time for all that their little eyes and ears took in to make its way into the real world with a creativity project! We brought tons of great fabric in all shapes and sizes for them to play with, layer, and create their very own quilt block! We had showed them some basic patterns that they could try to recreate but we REALLY loved seeing them experiment!

We told them all about how to use their negative space to create shapes and they really ran with that idea! 

I just loved seeing all the color flying around! These kiddos were really excited to be playing with so many cool patterned fabrics, seeing how they worked together, mixing and matching! You could tell their creative wheels were turning! 

The boys were all interested to know about all the fabric designers we LOVE who are men! A lot of them were already interested in drawing and we explained how easy it is to turn your drawings into fabric designs! That lit their eyes up for sure! And I'll be honest, my favorite blocks were done by the boys! Don't ever say boys aren't creative...they just need a little encouragement, but then watch out! :)

Put all those fun blocks together and what do you get? An awesomely creative "quilt" that only a kid could think of! We had such a great time today, imparting just a little bit of what we know to these awesome young people. Imagination is so important for kids to develop to become truly fulfilled adults and by teaching them just a little about quilting and fabric, we hope to open up the door to a whole life full of creativity and inspiration! We'll be getting whole new groups of 4th graders tomorrow and Thursday and we just can't wait!

You too can be totally inspired by this fabulous exhibit so grab your friends, family or just go by yourself and fully soak in the inspiration!

Fort Worth Community Art Center
February 3 - 28, 2012
1300 Gendy Street, Fort Worth TX 76107
www.fwcac.com

A Simple Spring Throw DIY!!

I'm sure I'm not the only one who is constantly sifting through Pinterest for super cute and super easy projects when I don't have the attention span for making anything else and I was tickled when I came across this cute and modern Spring throw DIY! It also helped that this little pretty was made with Echo by Lotta Jansdotter (I'm in LOVE with that grey print!)

 Lotta's debut collection is full of really fun and modern graphic prints and ALL of them would be fabulous for this project!! 

-To make a 4 x 6 throw, you’ll need two yards each of two coordinating fabrics. The designer of this project picked a medium-weight linen for the back, but you can really use whatever you'd like! Another coordinating cotton would be cute or if you're making this for a baby or kiddo, use Minkee to back it! There's nothing softer or more comfy to cuddle with!

-Approximately 7 yds. of ribbon or bias trim (you’ll need a length equal to the entire perimeter of your throw, plus about 10 inches for overhang).
-Thread to match fabric and trim
-Basic sewing supplies

So if you're convinced this is your next project, then come out to the Cabbage Rose or shop online and get everything you need to add a little Springtime punch to your bedroom, living room or wherever your family gets cozy!

You can get the full instructions for this project here! Happy Creating & enjoy your weekend!!

Curious Nature is in the Shop!

We fell in love with Parson Gray, the design guise of the super-talented  David Butler when we saw his amazing booth at Market this past Fall! The hubby of our long time friend and design whiz Amy Butler is breaking out from his photographer/rock star hat and has hit the ground running in the fabric world with his debut collection, Curious Nature!!

   

   

This is an absolutely awesome collection for the guys in your life! We all know it can be so difficult shopping for that perfect mix of masculinity and style when shopping for fabric but David has answered all those questions of "what would a guy like" with this collection! The prints work wonderful together or on their own, and the graphic prints are the type of textures you could see any cool guy surrounding himself with!

I really love the FREE PATTERN David designed for this collection! It's sleek, modern and like the fabrics that make it up, its a great graphic design that guys will love!

David shared this picture on the Parson Gray Facebook page and it got my head spinning with great ideas for clothing and accessories for the fellas! Create everything from chill pajama pants for your high school grad to wear around the dorm this Fall, to stylish and chic dress shirts and ties for your working man! Speaking of college, I think creating everything your college man would need at his home away from home would look oh-so-stylish in these prints. A quilt and pillows is necessary to start, then how about whipping up a few Honey Bun Poufs all in one fabric or in many so he can have some extra seating. Sew a strip of one or several coordinating prints onto all of his towels so he doesn't loose them! Maybe a fun laundry bag will actually get him to the laundromat instead of bringing all that dirty laundry home for mom to do...yeah, maybe not but you can at least try!! :)

Or how about an awesome messanger bag? Here's David  sporting the High Street Messanger Bag created with his one of his fabulous Home Decor Cotton Sateens and hardware from an old Army/Navy Store messager bag that he found for $5! I don't know a guy alive who wouldn't carry his books or laptop to school or work with a cool bag like that! Just remember with the guys, its all in the details!

So how has Curious Nature inspired you? Share with us in the comments what you plan to make!!

Machine Binding How To!!!

If you've got questions about machine binding, Deonn Stott has the answers! Check out this great video how-to from our friends at Riley Blake all about how to machine bind your quilt!