Quilt Market and Upcoming Trends

Well it's that time again!  International Quilt Market has come and gone and we get a sneak peek at what's coming up in the next year.  Sure, we are already making those orders, but we did see some cool stuff come out of Market we wanted to share.

Creative Grids, our ruler brand of choice here at the shop, is really making a strong effort at making their tools more accessible - they had a slug of new rulers made specifically for left handed quilters.  Diane and Lauren aren't lefties, but Myke here at the shop is and I'm sure he can tell you all about the frustrations of being a lefty using tools designed by righties.  Keep an eye out for those for your favorite southpaw quilter!

Everglow from Tula Pink is getting pushed hard.  If you haven't seen Everglow yet - WOW.  

The picture doesn't do those neons justice - and yes, we will be getting it! 

Last year we saw quilted themes re-emerge in popularity for clothing.  Target had a range of cottage-core dresses serving very much Little House on the Prairie + quilts:

Did I see this actual dress with the quilty stars on it?  Yes. Did I buy it and modify it?  Yes. Fight me.    

Some loved the trend, some hated it, but regardless it really took off.  From the looks of it though, it's not going to slow down one bit.  Quilted jackets were featured at Schoolhouse at Market so we expect to see more in the way of wearables to make it over into the quilting world in the coming months.

The statement this year has been clear - modern isn't a niche anymore and it is definitely here to stay.  What's been really great though is we are seeing more in the way of modern patterns and prints that are more "useable" and translatable for more traditional quilters.   

Interestingly, there are a lot of vintage vibes coming too.  Look for this to come out in retro holiday prints (yep, that kitschy pink will make an appearance for both Halloween and Christmas), calico-esque small prints, and flower child throwbacks.  

Mauves and plaids will be coming in strong, but it also looks like farmhouse chic (think Chip & Joanna) is starting to find its way out.  I'm not gonna lie, my heart isn't breaking there (for the love, save me from wainscoting and shiplap).  For kids, forest animals are a big theme again. 

I can hear mom groaning from here, but y'all...gadgets and gizmos were hot as usual.  It looks like bag construction is making a comeback so we saw a lot in the way of utilitarian tools more specific to bag making and that kind of sewing projects.  Moda is really trying to make those jelly roll rugs happen again, and it looks like they're still going to be a popular technique over the next few seasons.  

Love them or loathe them, digital prints are here to stay.  Fabric companies that have been a little slower to adopt digital printing are now starting to feature some digital lines and it looks like the industry is really throwing support behind digital printing overall.  One of the benefits of digital printing is the sharpness and clarity of the designs, and this is really shown off by the growing number of lines featuring photorealism.  I realize that's not for everyone, but digital prints will be harder to avoid as the months go on. 

Last of all...prices.  We have been singing the same sad song for months and unfortunately, this didn't change with Market.  Prices continue to rise, and they don't appear to be stopping.  Some manufacturers are rising higher than others, but we're seeing increases across the board.  As always, we remain committed to keep prices as reasonable as we can (without violating the various MSRP rules we now must follow) to keep the art of quilting accessible in our communities.  

I encourage you to check out all of the social media accounts for the major companies - Free Spirit, Moda, Art Gallery, Creative Grids, etc. - where you can really get a good (and free!) look at what they have coming.  The only things that won't be super accessible and behind a login/paywall will be from the event itself (since it's not open to the public at the time).  It's always so cool to hear the designers themselves talk about their new lines.  

What are you looking forward to seeing in 2023?  Share in the comments!

News for 2022!

 Now that 2021 is in the rear view...

2021 in a nutshell, am I right

It's time to look ahead!

First off...starting January 1, 2022 our Saturday hours are changing from 10am-5pm to 10am-4pm.  These were our hours years ago, and we're going back to that schedule.  

Secondly, the It Takes a Village Block of the Month will start in February, not January.  Take your pick of our blue colorway ($155):

or you can choose your own adventure for $85 - get the background of your choice at the shop and then supplement with your stash, scraps, and precuts:

Come see the scrappy version live and in person on January 7th and 8th at 10:30.  Did I mention this pattern is a one of a kind exclusive for The Cotton Patch?  The ONLY way to get this pattern is to join the program! 

So what's next?

You will see more classes, and a lot of variety among them. Some will be small projects or make & takes, and others will be longer and more complex.  If you know our teacher, Cheryl, she is working on a new quilt to teach - and if you know her, you know it's going to be awesome and a lot of fun! Diane will be teaching curves in the near future too. Looks for more techniques and skill builders.  As always, we will try to keep the class costs down, but like everything costs are going up.  Speaking of which...

Fabric prices are rising  r a p i d l y  and unfortunately, the jumps are significant. 

Same, Luke. Hard same. 

We don't like it either. But here's the thing. When we think of fabric, generally we think about just the yardage. But there's more going into it than just the greige goods. Transportation costs are HUGE at the moment, and everything is going up - even things like packaging.  With all that considered, we will continue to strive to keep our prices as close to double wholesale plus shipping. It really kills us to see wholesale at $6+ per yard for regular cottons, but despite our whining, groaning, and gnashing of teeth, there's nothing we can do about it.  We tried.  On top of that, various fabric companies have established MSRP rules that shalt not be broken, we are bound to sell at that price. Don't worry, we'll address that ol' chestnut another day.

Despite the fabric cost increases, fabrics are still arriving at velocity, and we have some super cute stuff coming! More wide backs are on the way. Tula Pink and Kaffe Fassett lines will be showing up too, so that's new for 2022! We have some fabulous new batiks on the way.  As everyone knows, this year has been tough supply chain-wise (please refer to the picture at the top of this post), but hopefully we will be getting resupplied on basics - solids, thread, etc.

The pandemic has sure changed a lot - where we gather, how we work, and how we shop.  That being said, internet traffic is up for just about all businesses and we're no different.  We are looking forward to revamping our website to make it easier to navigate and more user friendly overall. Look for more on the blog and on Facebook - we'll be doing more videos and live feeds in 2022!  So if you don't follow us on Facebook today, now's a great time - click here: to get to our Facebook page.  If you don't have your own Facebook account don't worry, because our page is a public business page and visible even without an account (you just won't be able to Like/Comment/Share).  

You have already seen (and loved!) our Sew Simple 3-Yard bundles, but you'll be seeing more cut goods and kits coming in.  So if you've been missing pre-cuts and grab and go projects, you don't have to wait much longer!  You'll see more monthly programs as well. We also have a few great Block of the Week programs lined up through the end of 2022 - stay tuned for more. 

We hope everyone has a happy and safe New Year. We're excited for what's to come, and we hope you are too. 

Do you have something special you'd like to see us offer or carry in 2022?  Leave us a comment below.