Are You in the “Retail-tainment” Business?

Let’s face it, retail today is not just transactional.  It is “Retail-tainment” –interactive, engaging, and entertaining, allowing for personal discovery and driving makers to your shop or online storefront.  FreeSpirit gives you what you need to excite your consumers, especially with the July 2024 Release. 

Let’s begin with the very well-received TIM HOLTZ ECLECTIC ELEMENTS PALETTE – a program designed to drive customers to shops every month for the pink, red, and orange Palettes.  Now, get ready to add to the Palette color stories with Yellow (January); Neutral (February); and Green (March) – 10 new fabrics each month on 10 yd. bolts.

Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements Palette, top left to right, Pink (Ships October); Red (Ships November); Orange (Ships December); bottom left to right, Yellow (Ships January); Neutral (Ships February); Green (Ships March).

As a reminder, every month, from October 2024 through September 2025, a new color story filled with an intriguing curation of salvaged ephemera, typography, and photos mixed with nostalgic prints will arrive at participating Palette shops. “Charter Member” shops should be ready for 12 months of new ideas and ephemera.  If you are a shop owner and haven’t signed up yet for the subscription program it is not too late!

Espania Quilt, featuring Kaffe Fassett Collective February 2025, Designed by Kaffe Fassett.

Nothing says personal discovery more than KAFFE FASSETT COLLECTIVE FEBRUARY 2025, 40 SKUs. A mixture of new and beautiful fresh flora, fauna, and abstract melding of color from Kaffe, mixed joyously with reimagined rich florals of Philip and scaled-down Brandon prints.  FreeSpirit again makes it easy for retailers to invest in the Kaffe Fassett Collective thoughtfully with the latest 10-yard—case pack options.

Handkerchief Quilt featuring Shot Cottons and the original Woven Stripes by Kaffe Fassett.

KAFFE FASSETT SHOT COTTONS AND THE ORIGINAL WOVEN STRIPES, Re-Order, February 2025 add to the Kaffe story. Kaffe Fassett Shot Cottons feature 12 new skus combined with perennial favorites providing a palette of 35 colors in total. Couple this with the re-introduction of the much-requested original Kaffe Woven Stripes, and Kaffe lovers have the ability to add interest and luminous color to any quilt.

Cabin Fever Quilt, featuring L’Heure Bleue by Este MacLeod, Designed by Joanna Marsh, Kustom Kwilts.

Beautiful blues! L’Heure Bleue, by Este Macleod, Digital, 9 SKUs, January, is a French expression meaning The Blue Hour, the twilight time each morning and evening where there is neither full daylight nor complete darkness. Printed digitally to capture all the saturation from intense deep indigo to the lightest tints of ice blue, there is a hue of blue for every mood.

Interlace Quilt, featuring Bexleyheath by Morris & Co., Designed by Susan Ziegler, Quiltin’ Tia Quiltworks.

You, as a shop owner, can engage with customers by pushing their comfort zone with these Liberty-esque cotton lawns, BEXLEYHEATH by The Original Morris & Co, 12 yd bolts, 10 SKUs, January.  These iconic prints, featured in new colorations, are 54/55” wide and perfect for backing quilts, apparel sewing or even creating a modestly priced summer weight quilt, all ideas perfect for creative classes.

Posie Patch, featuring Bloom! by Mia Charro, Designed by Bonnie Osness, Lake Girl Quilts.

BLOOM! by Mia Charro, Digital, 12 SKUs, January, isn’t just a collection; it’s a celebration of personal blooming, a journey of color and joy that reflects vibrant transformations — a tribute to the magic within us all.

Country Plaid Quilt, featuring Country Romance by Sanderson, Designed by FreeSpirit Fabrics.

Sanderson’s English cottage look is translated into COUNTRY ROMANCE, 10 SKUs, February, featuring designs from its vast and treasured archives, ranging from timeless stripes and classic florals to detailed botanical illustrations.

Garden Walk Table Topper, featuring La Dolce Vita by Stacy Peterson, Designed by Janice Belling, Quilted Garden Designs.

This bright, festive collection certainly lives up to its underlying message, “The Sweet Life!” LA DOLCE VITA by Stacy Peterson, 16 SKUs, February takes you to the beautiful Amalfi Coast.  This fabric line translates nicely into fun table toppers, memory-capturing quilts and leaves you longing for the colorful homes built high up on the cliffs overlooking the blue Mediterranean waters. 

La Dolce Vita by Stacy Peterson Renaissance Ribbons, Available in February.

Couple this with a smattering of La Dolce Vita Renaissance Ribbons, February, and you have the makings for a good, colorful time!

Snazzy Quilt, 9-Month Block of the Month featuring Chromatics by FreeSpirit, Designed by Charisma Horton, Charismas Corner.

CHROMATICS by  FreeSpirit Fabrics, Re-Order, 10 yd. bolts, 45 SKUs, March, are nicely priced mixers designed to inspire and coordinate with any FreeSpirit fabric print.  Tell a complete FreeSpirit story with prints, solids, and now, Chromatics.

Garden Quilt, featuring Nation of Flowers by Martha Negley, Designed Stacey Day.

There are so many beautiful flowers across the United States, NATION OF FLOWERS by Martha Negley, 17 SKUs, delivers March, captures six iconic flowers that make for a cross-section of the United States — the perfect palette for her gorgeous art and her love of gardening. 

Celebration Quilt, featuring Sisters Mountain Meadow by Kathy Deggendorfer, Designed by Valori Wells.

SISTERS MOUNTAIN MEADOW by Kathy Deggendorfer, Digital, 11 SKUs, March, is a commemorative collection celebrating the 50^th Anniversary of the Sister’s Outdoor Quilt Show.  This show, which began by displaying quilts outdoors for others to enjoy, is now a yearly pilgrimage for over 10,000 quilters.  What better way to relive the beauty and inspiration of this show, than by encouraging quilters to relish in a fabric journey to Sisters, OR?

Joy Ride Quilt, featuring Rising Tide by Monika Forsberg, Designed by Sharon McConnell, Color Girls Quilts.

Inspired by the children’s book, The Snail and the Whale by Julia Donaldson, RISING TIDE by Monika Forsberg, 12 SKUs, March, brings the magic of the seas from the song of the whale to enormous waves. 

Curvy Log Cabin Quilt, featuring Vintage Cloth by Sew Kind of Wonderful, Designed by Sew Kind of Wonderful.

Jenny and Helen from Sew Kind of Wonderful bring retailers and quilters a complete fabric story which beautifully partner with their patterns and rulers – both are perfect for engaging with the maker and producing add-on sales. VINTAGE CLOTH, 18 SKUs, May, was inspired by the art, tiles, architecture, textures, and landscapes from their European travels. These perfectly quaint designs make for incredible quilts, backed by VINTAGE CLOTH Cotton Lawn, 4 SKUs, 54/55”, 12 yd. bolts May.

Curvy Log Cabin Quilt, featuring Complements and Vintage Cloth by Sew Kind of Wonderful.

Complementing VINTAGE CLOTH or any fabric is the low-volume collection called COMPLEMENTS, 20 SKUs, Re-order, 10 yd. bolts May. These neutrals with slight glimpses of soft color capture the need for subtly and provide plenty of breathing room for the quilter.

Reflections Quilt, featuring Findings and Grace by Valori Wells, Designed by Valori Wells.

Valori Wells continues to take us on her journey of self-discovery with FINDINGS, Digital, 10 SKUs, May. Findings celebrates her 25 years of designing and the journey that has made her into the artist she is today. 

Star Sampler Block of the Month, featuring Kaffe Fassett X Morris & Co., Designed by Liza Lucy.

In talking about “Retail-tainment”, we would be remiss if we did not mention the Star Sampler Quilt Block of the Month, featuring the Kaffe Fassett X Morris & Co. collection, 32 SKUs, December.  The perfect vehicle for bringing quilters back to stores month after month and also selling to a platform of personal discovery, this 7-month block of the month can be run in a manner that best fits each shop’s retail environment.  Plus, there is a bonus “quilter’s lace” project, Broken Lace and Old Dishes – two quilts for the investment of one.

Jungle Magnolia, Designed by Judel Niemeyer, Quiltworx (left to right), Kaffe Fassett X Morris & Co.; Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements Palette Pink, Red and Orange, Untamed and Solids by Tula Pink.

Plus sew much more to entertain and engage including: 

• Jungle Magnolia, from Judy Niemeyer, Quiltworxs in three iterations – Kaffe Fassett X Morris & Co, Tim Holtz Palette Pink, Red and Orange, and Untamed by Tula Pink.
• Park Place Quilt Kit  – a sweet walk-through town – featuring Vintage Cloth by Sew Kind of Wonderful (perfect for any customer who has been a part of Floral Felicity and Butterfly Fields)

Park Place Quit Kit, featuring Vintage Cloth by Sew Kind of Wonderful.

To all the shop owners out there, we have provided you with so much you can utilize to “Retail-tain” your customers and to help find new ones.  For the consumers out there, be on the lookout for when all these amazing new collections and programs are available at your local quilt shop or favorite online retailer.  Feel free to tell us your favorite collections and what you want to delve into from the July release in the comments section. Check out these new fabrics here https://freespiritfabrics.com/fabric-lines/just-released.