Thursday, February 28, 2008

There's Nothing like the Old Days

“Everything old is new again,” or so the cliché promises. There’s a lot of truth in that; or so we’ve learned from our newest fabric arrivals. When we say newest, we actually mean oldest, because we’ve become greatly inspired by the 19th-century reproduction prints by designers such as Jo Morton.


We know, we know, it’s surprising and unexpected. Over the years we’ve become well-known for our fabulous collection of Asian prints, contemporary prints, and batiks. But lately we’ve become enchanted by the possibilities that reproduction fabrics bring to quilt design. Look:

Batiks, reproductions, metallics, and Fairy Frost. It works. And our combination is actually conservative compared to the textures that people used in the 1800s. (Take a quick peek at Lincoln's bedroom.)

We believe there is no contradiction in our choice of these new fabrics. Reproductions have a wonderful graphic quality that complements contemporary designs. These groupings show how effectively reproduction fabrics, contemporary prints, and batiks can blend for a compelling quilt.

Their smaller-scale prints provide textural interest and balance the larger-scale designs of contemporary fabrics. As always, batiks blend beautifully with reproductions.

But beyond that, we love how using reproduction fabrics pays homage to the generations of quilters before us.

Stop by, get inspired by our newest fabrics, and see how everything old can become new again.