I made this quilt as one of the samples when Kaffe Fassett and Brandon Mably visited Cotton Candy Fabrics in September. I wanted a gradient rainbow of Kaffe Fassett Collective Fabrics, manufactured by Free Spirit Fabrics. Clearly you can tell how much I like the reds and pinks from how dominant they are in the ..read more

Once in a while a designer comes along that is so good and offers such fresh thinking that they have the ability to truly change perspectives. That once in a while is now with Sheri Cifaldi-Morrill of Whole Circle Studio. Sheri has always been creative, personally and professionally. She went to school for graphic design ..read more

Last week we had the pleasure of vending at the Bayberry Quilt Show on Cape Cod. It was a lovely show in a great place. Katy was on sight to handle the action and sent me photos of her favorite quilts from the show. These three quilts were very summery in all their floral glory ..read more

We’re vending at the Maine Quilts quilt show in Augusta, Maine this weekend and there are some real “wow” quilts here. With quilts ranging from traditional to modern, machine to hand quilted, traditionally pieced to applique, and everything in between, there is something for everyone at this show. Here are some that caught my eye ..read more

Katy helped customers make gift tags as a fun make-and-take project at our Christmas in July celebration in the store. Several people asked for instructions so we are sharing them here. Katy’s samples show holiday fabrics but you can make them with any theme to further personalize them for the person whose gift they will ..read more

Maddie turned 25 last week and we celebrated her birthday with our annual week at our house in Maine. She brought 8 of her closest friends and with a pack that large I thought it would be fun to make them personalized beach towels. I packed up my Bernina 790 Pro and brought her to Rangeley so I could run the embroidery machine while I worked on some piecing projects on my 535 that I keep in Maine. Obviously you need a sewing machine that does embroidery. You also need a hoop large enough to accommodate your design, 60wt bobbin thread and 40wt embroidery thread – we prefer Isacord an ..read more

This pattern started as a Scrappy Valentine Quilt, but I’ve been adapting it for other occasions. We are calling this version, “Land That I Love” to celebrate the 4th of July. It is super easy to make and goes together in just a few hours. Supplies Needed: 1/3 yard light blue fabric for background Scraps of red, white, and dark blue fabric, OR, (1) fat eigth each of red, white, and dark blue fabric 2/3 yard piece of fabric for backing and corresponding batting Coordinating thread Sewing supplies including rotary cutter and ruler, pins, sewing machine with new needle, snips and an iron ..read more

We are starting a new feature on our blog, Meet the Designer. I’m super excited to feature our first designer, an immense talent that is quickly becoming a valued friend. Billy Reue is an architect, artist, and quilter whose creative pursuits explore the intersection between abstraction and the built environment. He is a FreeSpirit Fabrics designer and also maintains an award-winning architecture practice in New York City. Billy is known for his thoughtful projects that marry creativity with pragmatism. And, he has an awesome new fabric collection, Mosaic, out for FreeSpirit in July. Har ..read more

Have you gotten into a sticky situation with your iron? At our shop, it is almost guaranteed that we’ll have messy irons. Between ironing on interfacing, ironing lower quality fabric (not purchased at CCF!), and one errant wool mat, there is always a need to clean the irons, and Kim has tested all the tools and has a recommendation for you. Kim’s choice for the cleanest irons in town? Magic Iron Cleaner! This product is made of Class 55 polishing compound and removes stubborn residues and fusibles from sole plates. The unique formulation doesn’t harm the sole plate, and actually creates ..read more

What’s a pressing cloth you ask? A pressing cloth is a piece of fabric that allows you to safely iron your project. Because you put the pressing cloth on top of the item to be ironed, it protects your fabric or embroidery from extreme heat. This is especially helpful when sewing with polyester threads or doing embroidery as those materials can melt under intense heat. The pressing cloth can also help prevent sensitive fabrics from losing color or shine. And, pressing cloths should always be used when using interfacing or fusible products to avoid any of the adhesive from touching the surface ..read more