Safari Moon Wins First Exhibitor Award Houston Fall Market 2013

Nancy Helpinstil made this fabulous bag by Indio Junction HERE

Karen Turchan designed and made this quilt. It will be a free download on the Art Gallery Website.

Nancy Helpinstil made this bag too!

Hountington Hobbo bag by Pink Sand Beach Designs   HERE

Sharon Camping made this hippo and everyone wanted to squeeze it! I kept saying it was a self portrait just kidding! It is so cute! I guess everyone wanted it : )

Alex kept saying I was goning to win !!!!! He was so so sweet! I think I won because he kept saying it!

The set up was a bit stressful but it all came together in the end!!!!! 

My design for the applique quilt

My Photoshop composite many months beforehand, this really helped me plan! The scale is a bit wrong however... oh well.

HOUSTON QUILT MARKET 2013, International Houston Quilt Market 2013, FALL QUILT MARKET HOUSTON 2013

Houston we don't have a problem, I am here! I am saying this for good reason, my husband and I had so much trouble getting to Houston but it all worked out!!!!! Thank God.

Set up is fun but stressful, after so many months of planning the booth is so differnent in reality... it was much smaller than I thought. John helped me so much arranging all the hand made things and decorating the booth. 

The George R. Brown Convention Center is one of the 10 largest in the nation

You can see some of the bags other things on the side wall of my booth... what's wrong with my face???

Pat Bravo's Rapture booth was gorgeous.

 Rapture won 2nd place double booth award!!!

I absolutely love the cups with paint in it ! It was so so pretty!

Could you die over Jeni Baker's Dreamin Vintage? I wanted to take home everything in her booth!

Her new line is gonna be a huge hit what a great great concept... vintage sheet designs from the 50,60s 70's Wonderful!!!!!!

So empressed that Jeni sews and quilts everything!!!!!!!!!!!!!! NO HELP AT ALL!!!!!! She is amazing.

Anglea Walters Drift fabric line is to die for, One of my favorites of her collections. Seriously need a photo of her reverse applique quilt it was unbelievable I am sorry I don't have a picture.

Leah Dunchan had a gorgeous booth too, Her new line is called Meadow so painterly and beautiful.

Love the details and the rug that really looked like grass!

The beautiful Leah is like Grace Kelly so ellegant and graceful.

AGF is so creative ! Always the most artistic mulitple booth displays.

Shocked how good chile con queso is! Thanks Jacey Lucas for taking us to an awesome resturant!

Alex is so so fun!

I love the AGF women! I wish I had more pics of you guys!!!!!

Walter must be the nicest man on the planet! He is always happy and works so hard.

John got Roasted by Angela Walters... should I be proud or embarrased??? hehehehe

AGF Designers we are missing BARI J : and Bonnie Chistine. (  Wonderful group of women and I am so honored to be standing here amongst them.)

Overland Journey Orange ... Pillow from Safari Moon

 I am so excited to share with you my first fabric collection with Art Gallery Fabrics. Quilt market is just a week away and I am nervous and excited with anticipation. I have been working very hard this past year designing and now sewing for my booth and had help from my friends with some of my sewing projects. I first found this block online for free and decided to make it using scraps. I re- wrote the pattern originally from Marcia Hohn and altered so that is much easier. I decided to quilt linear lines across... it is not perfect but I do love this pillow. The Orange overland journey fabric goes perfect with Art Gallery Fabrics "Squared elements Lemongrass". Anyhow, I am happy with this pillow I did make some mistakes with some of my projects I can share with you later. In the mean time, I can't wait to see the reality of how all my projects will look once they are put together at quilt market. Fabrics come out in December!

For a Link to this pattern come visit my new pattern store HERE.

Simple entertaining table runner

Here is a beautiful table runner made from blocks HERE all you need to do is piece 2 paper piece blocks and add a center block that matches the same size, The fabrics are Art Gallery fabrics assortments of teal and reds and navy blue. I thought it made a pretty color combo. Great for 4th of July even though that is far away with the Holliays approching. But even having a friend over for a meeting and cookies and tea. Or a garden party. 

Blocks measure 12' add a 2.5 inch boarder in between and sides then bind. Volia I hope you enjoy this post.

Love Frances : )

Becoming a designer with Art Gallery Fabrics

Here is my collection for Safari Moon




I am Thrilled to Annouce that I am now a designer with Art Gallery fabrics. I waited a long time to get here and it was a lot of hard work. I have been a huge fan of Pat Bravo. Her designs jump off the shelves when you see them in the stores. I couldn't beleve one day I read on her blog that she was from Argentina and I jumped out of my chair. That is where my parents are from. My father is a famous composer and jazz musician named Lalo Schifrin who grew up in Argentina. I imedieatly wrote to Pat and told her I was a graphic designer and who my fater was. She wrote back and wanted to see my work... Talk about jumping out of my chair again! You have no idea how nerveous I was. I had to give myself a week to prepare a presentation to her. I was sick to my stomach with nerves! I did not hear back right away in fact it may have taken a week or so to hear back. Well can you imagine...I wanted to bite the head off of anyone who was near me. I was so so nerveous.

When I finally got my letter back I will never forget. I thought I was going to be rejected. I read the first line of the letter and nearly feel out of my chair again!! She wrote back and said after seeing my work she thought I would be perfect for Art Gallery Fabrics. Well then I danced around the room! It was Saturday night no one was home for me to celebrate this victory. But Getting into a fabric company doesnt always mean that they will accept your designs every time. I guess we think yay we did it but this is acturally where the hard work begins...

  

I worked with Pat for seven months before finally launching. I had created some beautiful designs but she was really trying to pull out of me something that was unique and differnt.
I think I felt like during this process that it was pulling blood out of a turnip. You could be a great actor but wrong for the part. So many things have to come together to make a good collection and,
There is so much design out there and she was pushing me to go farther. So I decided to do a lot of research online and found that I love exotic places and illustrating them.  When I looked at some African fashions and all the patterns and noticed how colorful and bold they are, I gravitated toward that style. I decided to tell a story with my fabrics. I buckled up after almost giving up and created something totally differnt.  I sent the new designs to Pat after International Quilt Market Portland 2013 and she flipped over them! I was thrilled.

I also submitted 3 colorways and we had to decide on just two. I love warm colors but seeing all the African designs out there, there were so many emerald, blues, and green strong colors that seem to fit and pop with these design. And this was the birth of Safari Moon. And getting a place in the fabric design world.

I am inspired by  all the bloggers out there and love seeing all the beautiful hand made quilting, sewing going on. It is hard not to be intimidated by all that but I just want to be part of this wonderful world of all you creators out there.

From me I hope that my designs will capture your heart. I want to tell stories with my designs and create illustrative whimsical adventures for the quilter to escape to.

Much Love, 

Frances

Thanks Sara Lawson of So Sweetness for this beautiful interview~

SO SWEETNESS INTERVIEW HERE