Some days just bring the unexpected!

Today was one of those days. Jennifer Garant, one of the designers of a couple of fabrics we carry in our store, called us to ask for our feedback on her fabrics, and to inquire as to whether there were any fabrics out there that we were having a hard time finding. (Imagine that, she called little old us!)

Anyways... she has a line of "fat chef" fabrics that she will be designing for Timeless Treasures (I don't have an ETA for that group). I had told her that I was very excited about that group, because people had been asking for chef fabric for several years, and there was nothing on the market. So she asked if there was anything ELSE that we were looking for.

At which point, I thought that I would bring her question to the forum. I've often *wished* that someone would ask me what fabrics to design... and this is exciting, so I'm sharing the opportunity with you all.

I suggested that people often like to make gift quilts, that bring to mind a certain occupation or relationship... and that a line of fabrics based on "sisterhood" or "girlfriends" might be nice.

And now... let's open this up to comments from all of you! Chime in! Tell Jennifer what you'd like to see on fabric!

Here is a link to her website, so you can see the types of artwork she's done in the past.

http://www.jennifergarant.com/

Designing for fabric is new for Jennifer, and she says she's enjoying it thus far.

Let the suggestions begin!

Gosh so many good fabrics out there already.. will have to think about this. Can't wait to see what others come up with :thumbup:

I see tons of people always looking for Harley Davidson fabric. I know no one makes it because HD guards their propietary stuff like a hawk. The name Harley, the bar and shield logo, gas tank shape, heck I even heard of them sueing someone for using the name Hog in their motorcycle related business. They do license but I am sure the fees are so exorbitant that fabric makers know they would have to charge ridiculous amounts of money to license the logos and such. However it is almost just as difficult to find any generic biker fabric. Sure there are flames, and some chopper stuff out there, and tattoo fabric. After looking at her website I think she could sure come up with some fun biker fabric designs.

the Harley fabric made me think... A couple of years ago, I was looking for fire fabric. Not flames, cuz' you can find that, but real fire, like they paint on cars now, its flames plus. I realize its a long shot and there might not be a huge demand for it, but it would be beautiful and could be done in lots of colors.

Yup, I agree with the biker theme. I just made my son a Harley quilt from his t shirts...Harley can't get me for that!! I posted a pix of it a few days ago. I used flames around the border but would like to have some other choices! Now, here's what I'd like to see on top of the biker theme; chicks biker theme...a friend of his wants me to make HER a t shirt quilt and she has a pink Harley, pink in every room of her house and beach house...well, you get the picture. I would love to see some pink biker gal fabric!

I do lots of quilts for children for Project Linus, mostly for kids ages 6-17. I find it difficult to find theme fabrics that don't have PINK in them. Boys do not like pink.

I'd love some novelty kid fabric with crayons, art supplies, animals (not cutesy or baby animals), robots, any outer space stuff-- all WITHOUT PINK. No petal pink, no Pepto pnk, no fuchsia, no magenta-- NO PINK.

How about so little pink that there's hardly any? Robert Kaufman has a group coming out with art supplies, and while there is a bit of pink it's not dominant at all.

http://www.robertkaufman.com/fabrics/back_to_school/

I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to see panels in smaller sizes for small wall hangings. Mostly what I see in the LQS are more lap quilt size. I am talking about one that would be oh... say, maybe 12" to 15" x 18". Then it could be kept that size or given borders to enlarge it.

I would love to find some bulldog fabric. Not cutesy, but looking like English Bulldogs...

I would like some Nascar fabric that's NOT Gordon, Johnson or Earnhardt Jr. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

I am always looking for light fabrics with movement. Something fluid, non static. In several color ways, white off white, beige, tan.

Yes to Lights

More guy stuff, not just sports and hunting/fishing. Other hobby related themes...photography, bicycles as well as motorcycles, antique and vintage cars & trucks...oh and I've been looking for something with pine cones for a friend.

More mostly white backgrounds with smallish dark prints. Classic looking, not cheapy looking flowers. Several dark colors..black, dark blue, dark brown, aubergine.

And how about an aubergine line...very dark purple with contrasting colors.

I've always loved the Laurel Burch prints. I'd love to see some prints with fantasy birds, butterflies, and florals.

And small gingham checks are very difficult (for me) to find in 100% cotton - they're so wonderful for "girly" quilts.

How about woodworking that's not cutesy.

Knitting!

I'm biased. I'd like something "hard science--y" not just biology/animal related. Chemists and Physicists are people too (well sort of, anyway). Maybe with pairs of goggles? Or atoms? Test tubes, etc. Computers, or my new son-in-law's thing, electrical circuits and circuit boards (which is kind of cool because they can be really geometric and colorful)?

I like flowers but my guys are not really excited about them and they aren't into hunting.

I would love to see dog breeds, but each individual. Put all the Welsh Corgis on a fabric by themselves. Put all the Beagles together. I would LOVE to buy fabric with just the breeds I love best.

I have looked for truck fabric. My son is a trucker and wants a quilt with eighteen wheeler trucks on it.

I would LOVE any kind of fabric with the New York Yankees on it :D

You can not find any nurse type fabrics. The last one printed was Loralie a couple years ago (as I wrote this I wanted to check Loralie spelling and googled it. They have another nurse/doctor panel out!) So some competition would be good!!

I agree with MOM-6 - more GUY FABRIC - from geometric guy colors (nothing with flowers) to more specific themed fabrics (job trades/hobbies/interests).

I tried to make something quickly for a man and had such a time finding 'manly' fabric - I didn't make it.

OH MY can you imagine the number of quilts that could be made for well deserving nurses!

I would love more dog fabric, esp. bulldogs too!

[quote=StitchinJoy][quote=Favorite Fabrics]Some days just bring the unexpected!
http://www.bearpawquilting.com/cgi-bin/Store/store.cgi

I would like to see more tone on tone fabrics especially in the darker colours, particularly black and dark brown and navy and purple. So often blacks read as gray or have greenish or bluish tinges. Finding backgrounds often takes me forever and many times just don't seem to be available. I know that these must be the more "boring" fabrics to design but quilters need them. Often tone on tones are just tiny florals and I would like to see other designs incorporated into them perhaps geometrics, tiny stripes, butterflies or even sewing objects. Right now, I just can't find the black that I need.

http://www.bearpawquilting.com/cgi-bin/Store/store.cgi

http://www.bearpawquilting.com/cgi-bin/Store/store.cgi

http://www.bearpawquilting.com/cgi-b...es=0&lastmenu=

These are cool fabrics

How about "format"? That's probably not the right word.

What I mean to ask is... do you think there's an unmet need for panel-type fabrics? Squares (as for pillow panels) or the 2/3 yard panels that make up into quick wallhangings if you just add borders? How about apron panels? I asked Timeless Treasures if they would be having an apron panel as part of the new chef group and the answer was no. :-(

I would love to be able to find more horse fabrics that are English riding related, rather than western or the usual hunting scenes - fabrics featuring show jumping and dressage, and maybe some with the different warmblood breeds and their logos.

Fabric featuring F1 cars and famous circuits such as the Nurburgring would also be cool.

See, that is my problem - those are great fabrics, but they are all western themed, not English :-(

And there were also no bulldogs. I am always looking for them.

Did you see this site? It has English bulldog fabrics (and other things):


http://www.hotdiggitydog.com/E/Engli...t%20Fabric.htm

Thanks for the link. I have seen that fabric, not quite what I am looking for. I might just have to make do, while I continue my search... Penni

something for the hairdresser and legos for my son and all the boys out there who enjoy playing and creating with legos