If you haven’t heard of the ubiquitous Brimfield Block by now, then I’m thinking you might not get on the internet very much. Back in September of 2017 before the launch of Brimfield Awakening, Kim Martucci reached out to me to ask if I’d be interested in playing with a new EPP block she and Nisha Bouri were launching. I had a good feeling about the pattern, but as I was working with it and saw the reception that I was getting from my progress and finished photos, I knew that it was going to be a blockbuster EPP pattern.
Fast forward to the announcement of me as the newest fabric designer with Art Gallery Fabrics, Kim & Nisha immediately reached out, without even knowing what my collection would look like, offering to make something for my booth at Spring Quilt Market 2018. Knowing that my collection was inspired by my love of English Paper Piecing, I knew that this would be a match made in heaven. And boy oh boy was it. Check out this picture of the quilt in my booth.
I have no idea how they were able to finish this in time for market because it sure is a show-stopper. Here are some progress photos of their work along the way.
I know that Kim & Nisha are awesome sauce, so I definitely wanted them to let you know more about themselves and their company. Everybody say hiiiiii:
We created Brimfield Awakening just about a year ago when we got back from going to the Brimfield Antiques Show up in Brimfield MA last May. While we were there, we found the original “Bee” block in a musty old Hefty bag in one of the fields that inspired everything. Bee was hand stitched and made out of vintage fabrics and feedsacks from the 1930’s and 40’s and we knew we had to revive her. So on the back of diner placemats and napkins, we hatched our Brimfield Awakening idea. Fast forward a year later and here we are, making you a quilt for market! We knew it would be kind of nuts; the time for making it would be limited given the quick turn-around that is almost always expected with respect to market sewing, and the first Brimfield trip of the season would happen smack dab in the middle of the limited time for making your quilt! This would require road trip sewing. While Kim drove, Nisha rode shotgun and stitched her heart out up the Jersey Turnpike with our GPS pointed towards Brimfield.
We were moved to tears while watching the unboxing of your fabric YouTube video and instantly we knew we wanted to do something with the Mandala Drops fabric that is so special to you and is a tribute to your beautiful sister. As EPP-ers, we appreciate the time you took into making your fabric collection with the fussy cutter in mind. It was a joy for Kim to fussy cut the Mandala Drops fabric for this block. Nisha, too, also wanted to use the Mandala Drops fabric in a special way and also wanted to incorpoate the selvages of your collection into the orange peels of the block she made. The scale of your Anthonem fabric flowers is perfection – fitting right into our Brimfield Block template sizes. Your Marine and Rainbow Striped Flow fabric make the most amazing sub patterns in our design. Honestly, two EPP gals couldn’t ask for a better fabric collection with which to play around – thank you!
So, we burned the midnight oil and then shipped our quilt top off to San Diego where @GotchacoveredQuilting, Carrie Hanson, got to work, creating a custom long arm pattern in record time. She did an amazing job and then turned the completed quilt top around up to you in Portland. The best part about this quilt, was that it was a project that brought so many people and creative minds together to create a beautiful product.
In the mad dash to get this quilt finished for my booth, the quilt top took a trek across country to Carrie Hanson of Gotcha Covered Quilting before it came to me. I’m so amazed by her quilting. Wow, right?
As soon as market was over, Jess from Paper Pieces picked up the quilt and took some fancy pants pictures and I’m basically drooling. Scroll through to check them out.
Seriously this Brimfield Block quilt went on a wild adventure and I am forever honored and grateful to have been able to showcase this in my Spring Market booth. Thanks Kim, Nisha & Carrie. You are all stars!
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