Sunday Stash #242 – Blue Carolina

While I was gallivanting around New York City last month in my sparkling Louboutins, I managed to catch up with a No Girls Allowed Quilt Bee 2 member, Christopher Thompson. I love me some of The Tattooed Quilter any day of the week, but especially if it is on a rooftop overlooking the city, drinking bottles of wine into the night, all the while discussing Broadway, French bulldogs, fabric and the state of the quilting world. For the record, I think we managed to solve all of the quilt world’s problems by the third bottle. Of course, as one would suspect, by the time we shook the fuzzies away the next morning, we’d both forgotten all of our brilliance. C’est la vie!

For those who may have missed it, Christopher recently released his debut collection, Blue Carolina for Riley Blake. It features traditional elements combined with some modern motifs, all in a landscape of shades of blue. It’s no secret that I gravitate towards tone-on-tones (blenders), so these blue-on-blue pieces are some of my favourites! I especially enjoy the graphic stylings of Carolina Tile in Blue, and can we really go past a text print? No, no we can not.

There are three colour ways: white, blue, and navy. There are seven fabrics in each, making it a twenty-one piece collection. You can see all of the fabrics in action in the Blue Carolina Look Book. You’ll quickly see that this isn’t just a quilting affair, but this collection translates well into bags, home decor, and apparel. It also gives a big you-know-what to gendered colour norms, as these blue fabrics would appeal to a wide aesthetic. I’m never first in line for florals fabrics, but I think I’m going to sneak a few of these into an upcoming project just to show a more delicate hint of my hand.

But seriously, can we talk about that Carolina Edie print? This is actually modelled after his own French Bulldog, Edie, and is in a word: divine. After my own recent foray into novelty fabrics, this is exactly the type I’ve discovered I love the most. Subtle, with a touch of humour, that easily blend into a project, only to offer a surprise to the viewer upon closer inspection. Tick, tick, tick! Also, having actually met the real life Edie (who coincidentally enough is also from Oklahoma), I can say with utmost authority that she also loves this fabric–she told me with one lick.

Blue Carolina has already hit stores, so you should be able to find it, or request it from your local quilt shop. Make sure you tag Christopher on Instagram: @The_Tattooed_Quilter with any of your makes, as I’m sure he’d love to see which kimono you lined with his Carolina Lace in White. I mean, if you’re like me of course.

On a totally unrelated topic, the winner of the Fussy Cutters Club book prize based on random number generator is Beth Conlin! I’ll reach out to you by email, and congratulations!

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