FreeSpirit Fabrics July 2023 Release Preview
by Nancy Jewell, FreeSpirit Managing Director
Fireworks are not just for the 4th of July. The FreeSpirit July Release will generate bursts of inspiration for your creativity, stash and/or shop.
Let’s start off with the Kaffe Fassett Collective February 2024. Within the 47 SKUs, you will find new designs from Kaffe Fassett and re-imagined designs from Brandon Mably and Philip Jacobs. Add in the 6 new colors of re-orderable Reflections by Brandon Mably and you have every reason to cut up these brilliant, colorful fabrics.
If you are looking for a reason to use your Kaffe Fassett Collective Classic Plus pre-cuts, the Mondo Bag will get you rolling. This fun-to-make bag is the perfect project for you to get comfortable with Kaffe Fassett Collective prints. Just one 2.5” design roll in Lake, Vineyard, Meadow or Rainbow and the Mondo Bag printed fusible interfacing, available from Quiltsmart, is all that is needed.
July also finds a nice array of floral, garden-esque collections including birds which everyone loves. Bloomology by Monika Forsberg for Conservatory Craft, 14 SKUs, delivers March 2024, of course, guided by the art direction of Anna Maria. The collection captures Monika’s daily walks in Hampstead Heath, a wild park in London, through rain or sunshine, regardless of the season.
In the Pink, by Esté MacLeod, digital, 12 SKUs, delivers January 2024. It is a vibrant range of designs that consists of florals, plants, and birds created in Esté’s recognizable style.
Garden by Martha Negley, 13 SKUs, delivers February 2024, takes a page from Martha’s hobby as an avid gardener. It combines a few designs from her early collections along with new garden favorites.
Bird Garden by Mia Charro, digital, 12 SKUs, delivers January 2024, takes the effortless sense of freedom that birds display soaring high above the clouds, and encourages makers to use this energy and grace to fly high in their own creativity.
Southwold Blue by Sanderson, 8 SKUs, delivers January 2024. This line renders an iconic blue color palette in eight evocative designs representing the beauty of the English countryside.
Parterre by Sarah Campbell, 12 SKUs, 100% cotton; 4 SKUs, 100% cotton lawn, delivers March 2024, reflects on the nature of a beautifully structured colorful garden, seasonally sequenced. Happily, four designs – Poppy Field, Lola, Bestfriend and Bountiful, are also offered on cotton lawn that has a luxurious hand for sewing and wearing.
Re-introducing the meticulous illustrations of acclaimed British artist, Sam Wilde, is Florescence, digital, 12 SKUs, delivers March 2024. Sam collaborates with well-known companies like Apple, Svenskt Tenn, Turner Contemporary, Liberty and, now he brings to FreeSpirit a land of vibrant blooms in a kaleidoscope of colors from his imaginary world of delicately rendered art.
Field Cloth by Sew Kind of Wonderful, 18 SKUs, delivers May 2024, has the perfect feel for creating beautiful projects. The mix of small-to-medium-scale prints with organic and graphic elements works beautifully as featured in three Sew Kind of Wonderful quilt designs. Better yet, master the craft of curved piecing by making 20 fluttery, fun blocks in the Butterfly Field Quilt Kit and Block-by-Block Quilt Along. This project uses the same rulers required for the current Floral Felicity Quilt Along, making the cost of entry minimal. Remember that the Sew Kind of Wonderful ruler curve piecing requires no pinning, no centering and no snipping. Just cut, sew, and square up.
Delta by Victoria Findlay Wolfe, 12 SKUs, one 108” combed cotton quilt back, March 2024, takes you to the vastness of the delta in Africa. The contradictory experience from drought to a beautiful watery oasis and a very communicative ecosystem is similar to the visual movement, variety of texture and color woven through a quilt. The Wetlands quilt kit featuring Delta and Victoria’s pattern of the same name – true added value – is perfect for beginners and all of Victoria Findlay Wolfe’s loyal fans.
Last, but certainly not least, if you are looking for an affordable and quick-to-make quilt kit, look no further than Anna Maria spark packs, early December. A 12 pc. fat quarter featuring Love Always, AM and some of your favorite Anna Maria prints, partnered with one of the four featured Villa Rosa patterns – Victoria, Summer Song, Berry Smoothie or Honey Bouquet — creates a bright, colorful scrappy quilt in no time.
And with that, there you have a short synopsis of the FreeSpirit July 2023 release. What’s your favorite?