Modern Madness Round 2 | Region 1 Voting

Wow ... now this is getting exciting! The Region 4 results are in, and there are some big surprises. With the projected winner by 2 members of the Fat Quarterly team (Echino) OUT in Round 1, this really shakes things up for the rest of the draw.

We'll be interested to hear how you all fared with these results:

City Weekend by oliver + S - 521 votes (65%)

def. Spa by Rosemarie Lavin - 278 votes (35%)

Sanctuary by Patty Young - 450 votes (56%)

def. Echino by Etsuko Furuya - 349 (44%)

Habitat by Jay McCarroll - 426 votes (53%)

def. Hooty Hoot by Doohikey Designs - 373 (47%)

Castle Peeps by Lizzy House - 482 votes (60%)

def. Daydream by Cyndi Walker - 317 (40%)

Fandango by Kate Spain - 448 votes (56%)

def. Strawberry Fields by Fig Tree Quilts - 351 (44%)

Nature Walk by Cloud 9 Fabrics - 539 votes (67%)

def. Zoo Menagerie by Eleanor Grosch - 260 (33%)

Kumari Garden by Dena Designs - 476 votes (60%)

def. Wild World by Jenean Morrison - 323 (40%)

Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt - 510 votes (64%)

Groove by Caleb Gray - 289 (36%)

Now that Round 1 is over in all regions, it's time to tell us how you did. Complete the short form below to submit your name to the Fat Quarterly Modern Madness Leader Bboard! Remember, give yourself 1 point for every winner that you correctly guessed across all four regions, for a maximum total of 32 points.

The Leader Board is now closed. Stay tuned for your chance to submit your score again after all Round 2 match-ups are over.

And today we travel back to Region 1, where some of your favorites are back in action in their second round match-ups in what are sure to be some fierce battles. If you want to refresh your memory on these fantastic fabric lines, you can find links to them all here.

** Voting for Round 2 | Region 1 is now over. Thanks for playing! **

Good luck to all players!

Tacha's Fat Quarterly Fabric Pack

I have been eagerly waiting for my turn to have a go at the fabric stack game! Picking and auditioning fabrics has to be one of my most favourite parts of the quilting process. Imagining all the projects that could be from each stack – unfortunately just not enough time in the day to make all of the projects I would like!

I went virtual shopping at Lola Pink Fabrics and I could have bought everything! But I was drawn to this print:


Pat Bravo’s Paradise Double Bloom in Ivory

Just love the mix of grey, purple, green blue and splashes of yellow.

So next I looked for co-ordinates to really showcase those colours.

1. Central Park Seneca Reservoir 2. Metro Living Geometric Grass 3. Aviary Geometric Lilac 4. Central Park Cobblestone Reservoir 5. Metro Living Circles Grey 6. Central Park Cobblestones Lawn 7. Kona Crocus 8. Paradise Double Bloom Ivory 9. Metro Living Circles Pewter 10. Daisies and Dots Chain Dots Turquoise 11. Metro Living Circles Green 12. Kona Aqua 13. Central Park Cobblestone Sunshine 14. Sunkissed Life Defined Limeade 15. Kona Chartreuse 16. Kona Charcoal 17. Circa 60 Beach Mod Medium Dot Mineral 18. Central Park Cherry Hill Plaza 19. Kona Ash 20. Central Park Bridlepath Reservoir

Now I would buy ALL of these if I had the choice! I love making quilts with a lot of different fabrics in them. I think it gives them more depth.

But sometimes the wallet just won’t stretch that far so I forced myself to be a bit more selective….

1. Metro Living Geometric Grass 2. Aviary Geometric Lilac 3. Metro Living Circles Grey 4. Kona Crocus 5. Pat Bravo’s Paradise Double Bloom in Ivory
6. Kona Charcoal 7. Kona Aqua 8. Central Park Cobblestone Sunshine 9. Sunkissed Life Defined Limeade

Although to be honest I think I would have to get these as well.... ;-)


1. Metro Living Circles Pewter 2. Daisies and Dots Chain Dots Turquoise 3. Kona Ash 4. Kona Chartreuse
If you also like this selection then head over to Lola Pink Fabrics and snap them up quickly.

Modern Madness Round 1 | Region 4 Voting

Voting for Region 3 is now closed!

Eager to see the winners? We had 544 total votes, and here's who emerged from Round 1 to battle again in Round 2:

It's a Hoot by Momo - 431 votes (79%)
def. Beetle Bugs by Saffron Craig - 113 (21%)

Remix by Ann Kelle - 359 votes (66%)
def. Country Lane by Bari J. - 185 (34%)

Weekends by Erin McMorris - 313 votes (58%)
def. Gypsy Bandana by Pillow & Maxfield - 231 (42%)

Far Far Away II by Heather Ross - 318 votes (58%)
def. Shades of Grey by Daisy Janie - 226 (42%)

Hideaway by Lauren & Jessi Jung - 278 votes (51%)
def. Impressions by Ty Pennington - 266 votes (49%)

Modern Meadow by Joel Dewberry - 430 votes (79%)
def. A Tammis Keefe Tribute by Michael Miller Fabrics - 114 (21%)

Meadowsweet 2 by Sandi Henderson - 339 votes (62%)
def. Modern Whimsy by Laurie Wisbrun for Scarlet Fig - 205 (38%)

Urban Circus by Laurie Wisbrun - 304 votes (56%)
def. Origins by Basic Grey - 240 (44%)

So how did you do? Any upsets that you weren't expecting?

And now we move on to Region 4, home of several powerhouses (Patty Young, Lizzy House), early favorites (Echino, Hope Valley), dark horses (Habitat, Nature Walk, Wild World) and what is sure to be an epic showdown between Fig Tree Quilts & Kate Spain! Exciting stuff.

Here's the voting sheet, and links to the lines are below:

** Note: voting is now closed. Thanks for playing! **

Spa by Rosemarie Lavin
City Weekend by oliver + s

Sanctuary by Patty Young
Echino by Etsuko Furuya

Habitat by Jay McCarroll
Hooty Hoot by Doohikey Designs

Castle Peeps by Lizzy House
Daydream by Cyndi Walker

Strawberry Fields by Fig Tree Quilts
Fandango by Kate Spain

Zoo Menagerie by Eleanor Grosch
Nature Walk by Cloud 9 Fabrics

Wild World by Jenean Morrison
Kumari Garden by Dena Designs

Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt
Groove by Caleb Gray

Good luck to all of the players, and have fun everybody!

Modern Madness Round 1 | Region 3 Voting

With 1256 votes in Region 2, I think it's safe to say that Modern Madness is catching on! This round was a real nail-biter. It was fascinating to watch the results come in and see the leaders emerge, and there are some surprise winners for sure.

But enough commentary -- let's get to the results!

Flower Sugar by Lecien - 716 votes (57%)
def. Urban Zoologie by Ann Kelle - 540 (43%)

Rouenneries by French General - 783 votes (62%)
def. Party Dress by Mo Bedell - 473 (38%)

Swoon by Melissa Averinos - 674 votes (54%)
def. Greenfield Hill by Denyse Schmidt (46%)

Buttercup by Fig Tree Quilts - 803 votes (64%)
def. Beach Mod Circa 60 by Monaluna - 453 (36%)

Sherbet Pips by Aneela Hoey - 985 votes (78%)
def. Forest Friends Flannel by Cloud 9 Fabrics - 271 (22%)

Innocent Crush by Anna Maria Horner - 729 votes (58%)
def. Swiss Chocolate by Amanda Murphy - 527 (42%)

Farmdale by Alexander Henry Fabrics - 654 votes (52%)
def. Holiday Happy by Monica Solorio-Snow - 602 (48%)

Bliss by Bonnie & Camille - 968 votes (77%)
def. Queen Street by Jennifer Paganelli - 288 (23%)

It was interesting to note that Fig Tree Quilts made mention of Modern Madness in their most recent newsletter, which certainly led to a strong surge for Buttercup in its defeat of the popular organic Beach Mod collection. The voters that turned up for Team Fig Tree also helped Rouenneries pull ahead of Party Dress (a match that was deadlocked in a 50/50 stalemate for days) and cemented the victory for Bliss. Go Team Fig Tree!

Speaking of Bliss, it and Sherbet Pips came out of the gates strong with over 950 votes each. Are these two powerhouses destined for a Round 3 match-up?

And how about those upsets? The strength of Swoon toppled Denyse Schmidt's Greenfield Hill in a decisive victory, and the sweet Flower Sugar proved to be too much for the popular Urban Zoologie to handle.

Fortunately, several of those already defeated in round 1 will return to fight again. We'll see Denyse Schmidt, Ann Kelle, Daisy Janie, Cloud 9 Fabrics, and Saffron Craig back on the hardcourt in Regions 3 & 4.

The battles in Region 3 are sure to be #epic. It features the first appearances by designers extraordinaire Heather Ross, Momo, and Bari J. Saffron Craig, Daisy Janie, Laurie Wisbrun and Ann Kelle are all back in action. And two lines that some picked to go.all.the.way. -- Modern Meadow and Meadowsweet -- both make their Modern Madness Debut.

Ready to vote? Well, what are you waiting for? We'll have a short voting window for this region -- voting will only remain open for about 48 hours. We'll link up to the fabric lines below for your reference.

Still need to print your brackets? Here's the link.

** Voting for Region 3 is now closed. Thanks for playing! **

Beetle Bug by Saffron Craig
It's a Hoot by Momo

Country Lane by Bari J.
Remix by Ann Kelle

Weekends by Erin McMorris
Gypsy Bandana by Pillow & Maxfield

Far Far Away II by Heather Ross
Shades of Grey by Daisy Janie

Hideaway by Lauren & Jessi Jung
Impressions by Ty Pennington

Tammis Keefe Tribute by Michael Miller Fabrics
Modern Meadow by Joel Dewberry

Modern Whimsy by Laurie Wisbrun for Scarlet Fig
Meadowsweet 2 by Sandi Henderson

Urban Circus by Laurie Wisbrun
Origins by Basic Grey

Modern Basics Winner!

We have a winner!


Congratulations to Karen P.

Please contact us at winstuff@fatquarterly.com with your mailing details. Thank you!

Be Our Guest: Fussy Cut

Hello fellow sewers!

It is Angela from Fussy Cut. I’m a big fan of Fat Quarterly, so I am very happy to be asked to share with you in this space. After you are finished up here, please head on over to my blog and say hi!

Today I am writing about one of my favorite things – scraps! I am very diligent about saving, storing, and sewing with them, and I am here to encourage you to use your own. Let’s get started!

First off, what pieces of leftover fabric should you save? Personally, I save anything that is a 2 inch square or larger. Even those small pieces can be used to create a special, tiny patchwork project. For a time I kept pieces that were even smaller, but I realized I never actually used them. They were just taking up space. I put all pieces that are a fat-eighth (11” x 18”) or smaller in with my scraps.

Next, how do you store these fantastic scraps? My favorite place to keep them is a nine cube storage shelf (found at Target and Ikea) filled with fun containers. They are large enough to hold a ton of scraps and attractive enough to keep in any room. Mine is in my dining room, which is where I currently sew. If you don’t have the money or space, organized containers can be easily kept in a closet or on a shelf.

It is easier to sew from your scraps when they are already organized. My preference is sort them by color. If you don’t have that much storage space, you can sort in other ways – light and dark colors, warm and cool shades, solid and printed fabrics, etc. If I’m feeling motivated at the time, I cut my scraps before I put them away. I like to square up my small pieces and cut strips out of the long ones. That when I need them, all I have to do is press them and they are ready to go.

A couple extra things to keep in mind…

1- Keep those selvedges! You never know when you might be inspired to use them. They may take a while to collect, so start now if you haven’t already. Selvedges are a great thing to have on hand.

2- If at all possible, try not to stuff your scraps in a completely closed box. It is hard to use them if they are out of sight. If you store them in a closet, use open containers, baskets, or totes. That way you can see them on a regular basis.

3- If you don’t have time to cut or sort your scraps, no big deal! Find a cute container to keep them in temporarily. I throw mine into an old wire basket that I found at a thrift store. When it is full, I sort and store them.

Now that you have saved and organized your scraps, it is time to get them out and sew! You can use them for quilts, pillows, pretty much anything. I’ve included several photos throughout this post. I made every one of these projects completely out of scraps. So go on, pull out your scraps and be creative! With the cost of cotton going up in the near future and the amount of job loss due to a poor economy, it is a great way to do what you love while using what you already have.

Modern Madness Round 1 | Region 2 Voting

Wow, the fabric lines in Region 1 gave us some great round 1 battles and some really close calls! 893 of you logged your votes, and I sure you're eager to see the results. Ready? Here we go!

Tufted Tweets by Laurie Wisbrun - 500 votes (56%)
def. Magnolia Lane by Laura Gunn - 393 (44%)

Sunkissed by Sweetwater - 641 votes (72%)
def. Coquette by Carina Gardner - 252 (28%)

Modern Affair by Pat Bravo - 483 votes (54%)
def. From Little Things by Sarah Fielke - 410 (46%)

Flora & Fauna by Patty Young - 552 votes (62%)
def. Geo Grand by Daisy Janie - 341 (38%)

Parisville by Tula Pink - 598 votes (67%)
def. My Folklore by Lecien - 295 (33%)

Punctuation by American Jane - 455 votes (51%)
def. Owl's Range by Saffron Craig - 438 (49%)

Nest by Valori Wells - 676 votes (76%)
def. Marine by Dan Stiles - 217 (24%)

Central Park by Kate Spain - 622 votes (70%)
def. Sweet Broderie by Rosalie Quinlan - 271 (30%)

Congratulations to all of the winners for advancing to Round 2! They'll all be in action again on March 14th.

Keeping score? Give yourself 1 point for each of the match-ups for which you correctly predicted the winner, for a maximum of 8 points. We'll collect scores after all of the round 1 match-ups are over to create the Fat Quarterly Leaderboard.

Today we move over to Region 2, where the competition is just as tough. Think you've guessed these right? Only time will tell. Voting for Region 2 will remain open through Tuesday, March 8th, and links to review the fabric lines are included below. Here we go ...

** Voting for Region 2 is now closed. Thanks for playing! **


Urban Zoologie by Ann Kelle
Flower Sugar by Lecien

Rouenneries by French General
Party Dress by Mo Bedell

Greenfield Hill by Denyse Schmidt
Swoon by Melissa Averinos

Buttercup by Fig Tree Quilts
Beach Mod Circa 60 by Monaluna

Sherbet Pips by Aneela Hoey
Forest Friends Flannel by Cloud 9 Fabrics

Innocent Crush by Anna Maria Horner
Swiss Chocolate by Amanda Murphy

Holiday Happy by Monica Solorio-Snow
Farmdale by Alexander Henry Fabrics

Bliss by Bonnie & Camille
Queen Street by Jennifer Paganelli