Welcome!

Camelot designer Jackie McFee talks about the inspiration for her collection My Gray or the Highway (in stores now!) and offers up a tip for creative expression.

Camelot Fabrics:  Please introduce yourself and tell us what you do.

Jackie Mc Fee: Hello! I’m Jackie McFee, a surface pattern designer and a busy working mom of 3! You can read more about my story on my website.

CF: What inspired you to design the My Gray or the Highway collection?

JM: I am obsessed with color and how it permeates every aspect of our lives: from the food we eat, to the clothes we wear, to the paint on our walls. My current color crush (and has been for a while) is gray. It is simply the best neutral with so many shades that can translate across multiple ages, products and designs.

CF: Can you tell us a bit about your creative process? What do you most enjoy?

JM: The spark. That moment when you get inspired from just one thing. The idea begins to form, then you start to sketch, then patterns start to take shape, then colorways, then you can feel it in your bones that a collection has been born. I love that feeling!

1

CF: What is your creative work space / studio like?

JM: My husband and I built my studio as an addition to our home in Charlotte, NC back in 2009. It is a large, beautiful space filled with windows, sunshine, design books, fabrics, ribbon, and inspiration from all over the world! There may be an occasional glass of wine in there too : )

CF: The title of the My Gray collection is cheeky & fun, but it also speaks to the concept of expressing your own creative voice, and being yourself. What are your tips for quilters, aspiring textile designers (and anyone who works creatively with fabric) to find and express their own creative voice?

JM: Ignore everybody. Go with your gut. There is so much “noise” out there that it is hard to literally think sometimes. Don’t listen to it. Do something creative, something, anything. Make progress. Hit road bumps. Make a mess. The magic is always, always in the mess!

  
2                                                                                       3

CF: If you could be on a road trip anywhere in the world, where would you be driving and in what kind of car?

JM: NO ROAD TRIP FOR ME PLEASE!!! As a busy mom, I am in my car 24/7! I’m basically a glorified über driver! Put me on a beach, with a frozen drink, and a really good book. #heaven

Thanks Jackie! We’d love to hear/see what you are making with My Gray or the Highway. Tell us in the comments below or tag us #camelotfabrics in your social media posts. Follow Camelot’s Facebook page and Cora’s Quilts’ Instagram feed, for TWO (!) chances to win a fat quarter bundle of My Gray and a copy of the Flora quilt pattern by Cora’s Quilts. Giveaway details will be posted starting this Wed, August 2nd.

Happy sewing!

1- Wallet by Lins Handmade
2- Flora Quilt & Pattern by Cora’s Quilts
3-Pom-pom Tote – Camelot Fabrics Free Pattern – designer: Made by Marion

Hi everyone!  We’re starting off February with a blog hop organized by Tricia Maloney to celebrate her newest book I Love Precut Quilts! published by C & T Publishing.  And it’s not just a blog hop, but there is a giveaway of Tricia’s book too! More about that in a bit…

We love to thumb through new quilting books and love the easy to follow instructions in Tricia’s book – perfect for beginner quilters. More seasoned quilters too will find some fun projects to stitch up in a moment’s notice.

Two of our favourite patterns in the book are:  Paper Lanterns (show left below, would be fun in Camelot Fresh Solids and Mixology), and the Serenity Table Set (shown right, we envision this place setting in Do What You Love).

Tricia is no stranger to Camelot Fabrics.  She has designed and created beautiful quilts for us to showcase our collections at Quilt Market. Pictured below are the quilts she made for our You Are Dino-Mite collection (left, arriving in stores June 2017) and Meadow collection (right, in stores this month!).  Not coincidentally, many of the quilts Tricia has created for us are well suited to precuts :).

LEFT: You Are Dino-Mite by Heather Rosas for Camelot Fabrics, RIGHT: Meadow by Camelot Design Studio

And now for the giveaway!

This is a very special FAN FRIDAY!

In June, I  went to Vermont with some friends (see previous blog) to visit the Vermont Quilt Festival!  And they have a special category dedicated to kids!  I always love seeing that section as I know how much work it can be to get our kids excited about quilting.  My two eldest boys have already made a quilt that was featured in this section and next year my youngest one wants to participate.  So I always view this section with great interest!

And this year I got a nice surprise!  I got to see a quilt made by a 9 years old boy using Camelot Fabrics Star Wars Glow in the dark fabrics!  He loves Star Wars and picked out the fabrics AND decided where they would go.  He also quilted the piece on a home machine.

Congratulations on a job well done!  We hope you enjoy your quilt for years to come.

I just love this week’s Moody Monday fabric collection!

Captivate by Alisse Courter is such a beautiful collection that sets the tone for a very feminine and romantic project!  The rich plum accent fabrics blend well with the soft pink and taupe fabrics.  There are so many ways we can combine these together.

This Moody Monday is all about our quest for calm and celebrates a softer side with Jackie McFee capturing the essence of the two Pantone colours of the year: Rose Quartz & Serenity!

This new collection, Rose Quartz & Serenity, brings a sense of calm and relaxation.  It reminds me of the beautiful sunsets I was lucky enough to see during my holiday in Cape Cod.  The fabrics offer a balance between a warmer embracing rose and a cooler tranquil blue and will surely help you enjoy the moment you spend working on that very special project.

Making a quilt featuring this collection will surely provide you with a much-needed sense of tranquility and inner peace.

What are you planning to make with this collection? Be sure to check out the full program  in your local quilt shop.  Click here to find the one nearest your home.

Happy Sewing!