At Quilt Market in Houston Texas next week, Avlyn Fabrics will introduce my first line called Shadow Leaf. Totally unlike the neato-o kid prints Avlyn is famous for, Shadow Leaf is only three colorways: grey, taupe/brown, and shades of indigo blue. For years I hungered for brighter colors and in particular, orange. I got my wish. Orange is now everywhere and like the fickle person I am, I've moved on to lust after different colors.
Last Market I saw grey combined with yellow and violet. It gave me indigestion. Grey is water, steel, rainclouds, and quiet shadows. Grey deserves whole lines devoted to it. That's where Shadow Leaf started. The focus print (upper left) is a layered composition of different sorts of leaves. The other patterns compliment the theme. This moderne print, inspired by a 1950s feedsack, is called Lines.
I like a pure soft grey, as in Daisies.
Everybody likes dots. Meet Ditty Dots.
A nice medium grey, with a hint of background leaves, is called Bamboo.
And here's Sprouts in black and an ivory background.So that's how Shadow Leaf started, with shades of grey.
Grey to me doesn't mean drab. I've found that working in fewer colors means an interesting design can happen. It also means your whole quilt or wall hanging doesn't depend on just that one fabric in just those colors.
Meet the Skinny Kitties. This wall hanging is in honor of Saito, the Japanese artist who loved cats and often painted them. This print by Saito hung in my bedroom for many years 
and I recently gave it to my niece Sarah as a wedding gift.And maybe Skinny Kitties happened because these guys now live at my house.
Here's a detail from Skinny Kitties. 
6 comments:
Pepper. I totally LOVE this line. To me, black and white (and any shade in between) is the perfect way to decorate. I had no idea you were doing a fabric line now, but this really speaks to me, and I'm sure it will to others as well. I'll make sure I come and see it in Houston. I wish you much success with it!
Lovely prints! I particularly like the sprouts with the black background!
Just beautiful! Bamboo is my fave!
I found your blog as a link from another quilt reference. I love your epigraph ("make the quilt, then paint the bedroom"). And I really like your fabric designs! I'm partial to daisies and to dots (as my most recent blogpost attests). The Campbell school is a site for Elderhostel/Exploritas classes (including quilting).
can you tell us when this fabric line will be available in retail stores? can't wait to see the indigo and taupe versions as well....beautiful!
gracemth@yahoo.com
Hi Grace,
I'll edit the post and enter the website so you can click on it and see the other prints and colorways as well. Thank you for reminding me! I think it will be fabric in January.
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