Quilt Market, sans Quilts (plus giveaway!)

If you’ve never been to Quilt Market, you might be thinking of it as all quilts, all the time. Long-arm quilting machines, quilt fabrics designed by famous players in the industry, quilt patterns, and quilting rulers and tools as far as the eye can see… You’d be right!

But you know what? It’s more.

Now, more than ever, embroidery and garment designers are also flocking to Market. Even many of the major “quilt” fabric designers wear clothes they’ve made and/or designed themselves, and quilt cottons are coveted not only for quilts, but also for garments, bags, and accessories. Some designers like Amy Butler and Anna Maria Horner create fabrics and patterns for quilts, garments, and/or embroidery; other textile artists like Alison Glass work with garment designers to create truly unique patterns and products. This is what we love about the fabric industry: at its core, it’s truly a collaborative and multi-talented community.

Even though they weren’t there in a quilting capacity, we loved the awesome garment and embroidery exhibitors at the Spring 2014 Quilt Market — and we think you will, too! Here are some of our favorites:

– Whimsy Kits. An accomplished craft-book author, Heidi Boyd designs and creates adorable animal-inspired felt stitching kits with all materials assembled. Some are two-dimensional for use with an embroidery hoop, while the “softies” kits transform into soft stuffed creatures like a FREAKING NARWHAL. How awesome is that?

– Serendipity Studio patterns were getting a decent buzz before Market for their effortless style and great fit, but designer Kay Whitt made huge waves by collaborating with Alison Glass, who added embroidery and applique details to Kay’s floor samples for extra oomph. Our favorite? The Tara Tank dress. It’s easy to sew, drapey, and gorgeous.

– Caroline Hulce’s “Gleeful” is a new addition to Art Gallery Fabrics’ limited edition mini-collections coming out this summer, but her garment line Sew Caroline is just as scrumptious. While her patterns are incredibly cute and on-trend (think Anthropologie), they are also a great value, each offering instructions for customizable modifications like flutter sleeves and elasticized waistbands.

– Penguin and Fish. Designed by Alyssa Thomas, these embroidery and plushie patterns are simply delicious, and have been a long-time favorite for the RST crew. Alyssa’s adorable forest and domestic animals come to life with simple embroidery instructions, and she has even designed coordinating fabric lines — perfect for children’s rooms and nurseries! Even though this isn’t a quilting post (we swear), we have to mention that we are REALLY excited about Alyssa’s new quilt patterns coming up this year.

And here’s the best part: we’re giving away this Penguin and Fish embroidery pattern:

To register, just leave a comment below and tell us who your favorite garment and/or embroidery pattern designers are. Whom should we know about? Who knocks your hand-knit socks off?

Entries must be received by Friday at 11:59 p.m., and we’ll announce the winner on Saturday. Good luck!

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