I’ve missed you. Is anyone else as excited as I am for Autumn to finally arrive?!! This was a HOT Summer with more triple digits than I could count. This week, however, the wind has been blowing, leaves are falling, and the forecast is cool 90s and mid-80s. I’m thrilled! I know Autumn doesn’t officially start for another week, Sunday, September 22, 2024, at 08:44 A.M. EDT in the Northern Hemisphere, to be exact. But let’s not wait!
Autumn 15% Off Sale
Every Fall pattern, kit, or fabric bundle is 15% off with the coupon code HelloAutumn15, entered at checkout. We’ve listed over 30 Fall items to be activated for 15% off when you enter the code at checkout! Coupon Code expires Oct 15, 2024.
Free 3YD Bravo Pattern Download
Don’t forget to download your free pattern this month! Free to download from Sept 15 through the 30, 2024 is 3YD Bravo. Click on the 2024 3YD Quilt Series Sew Along tab above to learn more about the 3YD series. Every month this year, receive a monthly free 3YD pattern download. Or you can click here for a shortcut. Scroll down a little until you get to September 15.
The above button should take you to google drive to download/print the pattern. If google drive doesn’t work with your system, just email me at Lisa@materialgirlfriends.com. I’m still working out the best way to do free downloads. Adding it as a file too. I don’t know why Google Drive is having such issues.
Back in Stock!
Re-introducing the Material Girlfriends’ Scarecrow’s Song panel and fabric line. When the fabrics were released in June, we sold out so quickly! It never even made it to a show! The panel was on back order and now finally back on our shelves – just in time for our Hello Autumn Sale.
How are fabric lines made?
Well, it takes a village. This pretty scarecrow girl was requested by Marcus Fabrics as a follow-up for our Autumn Waltz panel. He was so well received, that they wanted a sequel. He is sold out everywhere, sorry. See him in an image below side-by-side with Scarecrow’s Song.
Lora was my scarecrow model. Isn’t she pretty? From the photo image, I drew my scarecrow sketch. When I was happy with the sketch (after dozens of sketches, mind you) I scanned her into my computer and re-drew her in Adobe Illustrator. Lora drew the mums and thistles which I also scanned and added to the panel. The panel was going to be a ‘cheater appliqué’ so we needed to design the fabrics to drop into her clothes, pumpkins, background, etc. Lora is the color specialist and always puts together a fabulous palette for me to play with. I peck at the computer until it looks like fabric.
We always design far more fabrics than we need, nor can be printed. Monika, who is the art director at Marcus Fabrics, is a huge help. She helped us edit the panel, and narrow down the fabrics, and she and her team did the color corrections. For example, I was trying to make an egg apron (light green apron above) and Monika didn’t even know what an egg-collecting apron was. Don’t wanna confuse the city-folk so we went back to a basic apron with two pockets.
It takes us about a month to go from the Lora picture to the “final” files for Marcus Fabrics. After months of paper proofs and edits, the files are ready to print. We then get strike-offs of actual printed fabric to make more edits and corrections. Marcus Fabrics then prints and distributes the fabric lines. Whew. It’s a year. I started drawing in June 2023 and the fabrics were shipped to the stores at the end of June 2024. I couldn’t tell you how many people ended up working on this single line of 15 skus – a village for sure.
We have a couple of free pattern downloads for Scarecrow’s song too! This whole line is included in our Fall Sale going on right now until October 15, 2024. Enter coupon code HelloAutumn15 for 15% off.
Lora and I are still designing fabrics. We look forward to when we can reveal our next line. Until then, we have to keep it under wraps!
Fall Show Schedule
We’ve three shows this fall! We hope to see you at one of them if you’re local.
September 21-22, Diablo Valley Quilt Show in Walnut Creek, CA. We’ll have all our Autumn kits and patterns at this show. Tell us the coupon code HelloAutumn15 to receive 15% off your purchase.
October 4-5, Mother Lode Quilters Guild Show in Sutter Creek, CA. We’re featured artists at this one. We’re so excited! Again, just mention that coupon code for 15% off your purchase.
October 10-12, Pleasanton Quilt, Craft, & Sewing Festival at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton, CA. We’re new to this show although it’s the 10th annual show this year! The coupon code is still good until Oct. 15!
October 19, at 3020 2nd Street, Knightsen, CA, 10 am to 4 pm. We have a local Holiday Craft Show we’ll be participating in. Most of the vendors are quilters but I heard there will be kittens too!
Happy sewing,
Lisa Norton & Lora Zmak