Owl & Drum Enjoys International Quilt Market 2013 in Portland

The spring International Quilt Market recently staged in Portland, Oregon, debuted the newest styles, designs and innovations from companies across the evolving fabric industry.

A lot of people are doing a lot of good work, that's for sure!

And many of those new creations are now arriving at Owl & Drum. Every week, more and more fabric, books, gifts and supplies are winging their way to our midtown Tulsa store.

"It was great to see all the interesting work being created by so many different designers and companies," said Bianca Howell, the co-owner of Owl & Drum.

"A lot of the new fabrics are now being designed by artists - such as Tula Pink, Leah Duncan, Charley Harper and Eloise Renouf - and not just traditional textile designers.

Dani and Bianca with the lovely Tula Pink

"So, some of these fabrics are, well, actual pieces of art. I love how they look and feel."

One artist who really caught the eye - with her great fabrics, her sense of fun and her colorful booth at the Portland Convention Center event - was Tula Pink.

"We are excited about Tula Pink's Acacia, which is her new line for Free Spirit Fabrics," Howell said.

"We love her color choices and her signature raccoon print. It was very hard to decide which fabrics to order from among the eight great prints she created in three different colorways."

Owl & Drum also ordered some of Tula Pink's needlepoint kits, which feature designs named Parisville Sky and Night Shade Absinthe from her previous fabric collections.

"Tula's got a great eye for design, detail and bold colors," Howell added. "She was great to work with and she's got a charming personality."

Harper is a well-known wildlife illustrator and Birch Fabrics have licensed his images for a range of fabrics named after the late artist.

Charley Harper for Birch Fabric

Duncan is an illustrator and textile designer based in Austin, Texas, whose first fabric collection has been unveiled by Art Gallery Fabrics. Her artwork (and now her fabrics) are inspired by nature, folk art and Duncan's love of children's illustration.

Leah Duncan for Art Gallery Fabrics

Renouf's latest collection for Cloud 9 Fabrics - featuring names such as Birdsong, Winter Woodland, Forest Floor and Passing Clouds - is a journey through woodland through the four seasons, with dense greens and golden hues in late summer and early autumn to paler, cooler colors in winter.

Eloise Renouf for Cloud 9 Fabrics

The International Quilt Market, which was established in 1979, is the only wholesale trade show for the worldwide quilting and soft crafts industry. It showcases quilting supplies, decorative crafts, textile arts, needle crafts, computer software and doll-making supplies.

The market, held each spring and fall in different U.S. cities, is the catalyst for the development of the quilting industry, which now boasts gross annual sales of about $3.6 billion in the U.S.

The International Quilt Market is staged by Quilts, Inc., which produces three consumer shows and two trade shows each year that “set the standard for both the art and the business of quilting,” according to its website, quilts.com.

The fall International Quilt Market will be held from Oct. 26-28 in Houston. The next spring quilt market will be held from May 16-18 in Pittsburgh, PA.

For more information about the International Quilt Market, check out its page on Facebook.

Owl & Drum, located at 2810 E. 15th St. in Tulsa, is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, and from 12-4 p.m. Sundays. It is closed on Mondays.

For more details about Owl & Drum – which stocks more than 250 different bolts of fabric, unique handmade gifts, craft books and equipment/supplies – visit www.owlanddrum.com or call Bianca at 918-742-1404.

Birch Fabrics Evoke Style From Iconic Era

For Cynthia Mann, it all started with a love of style from a distinctive era.

“My own home was built in the 1950s,” she told Sew Hip, a UK crafts magazine, in an article titled ‘Devoted To Fabric.’

“It’s a design style that I completely connect with – simplistic and colorful – and seemed a perfect fit.”

She established Birch Fabrics in 2009 with the aim of creating 100 percent organic cottons in colorful, adventurous palates to appeal to the quilting and crafting community.

Ellie Fam in Grey

And the company’s first collection debuted in January 2010. 

“Circa 50,” which was designed by Jennifer Moore of Monaluna, was described by Mann as having an “(Charles and Ray) Eames-era appeal with whimsical juvenile accents that lend themselves perfectly to nursery bedding, while still being sophisticated enough for pillows on your sofa or curtains in your craft room.”

The fabrics evoke colorful 1950s themes including iconic automobiles, houses, chairs and woodland creatures.

Birch Fabrics, based in Paso Robles, California, makes vibrant organic, environmentally-friendly fabrics for today’s crafters and quilters.

Mann started with an interest in sewing and developed an “obsession” with fabric a few years after graduating from college, as her friends and siblings began having babies.

The company recently announced its two Spring 2013 collections that will be debuted at the Fall Quilt Market in Houston, Texas, in late October.

Birch Fabrics' newest designer, Emily Isabella, is a talented artist and a country girl at heart.

“She's passionate about organic fabric - just like us,” Mann writes on the company’s website, www.birchfabrics.com.

“We are so excited that Emily has joined our team … Her debut collection, Yay! Day!, is her first quilt fabric collection, but Emily has been designing textiles, among other things, for years.”

Birch Fabrics has also launched a new line of baby and toddler bedding called Birch Organic.

The California company’s collections also include Robotic, Set Sail, Safari Soiree, Commute , Storyboek Two and Mod Squad.

Currently, Owl & Drum carries 4 blue-and-green and coral-and-teal fabrics from the fun Mod Squad range.

Rally in Green/Cream

Stem Floral in Coral

Mod Squad in Green

Rally in Cream/Coral

The fabrics incorporate iconic images from the London of the “Swinging ‘60s” era, namely the scooters and mopeds, the logo for the Underground trains (or “Tube”), jangling guitars, raindrops, taxi cabs, the Big Ben clocktower and the Royal Air Force “target” logo that was so beloved of the Mods.

Owl & Drum stocks about 100 additional fabrics made by seven designers and manufacturers. More fabrics are being added each week, and they can be bought in the Tulsa store or on its website at www.owlanddrum.com.

The 2810 E. 15th St. store also sells unique jewelry and other items made by Tulsans, Oklahomans and artisans from Portland, Oregon. It also sells a variety of craft books, equipment and supplies.

Owl & Drum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, and from 12-4 p.m. Sundays. It is closed on Mondays.

For more information, call Bianca at 918-742-1404, visit www.owlanddrum.com, send an email to owlanddrum@gmail.com or follow us on Facebook, Blogger.com, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram. 

Our First Fabric Shipments

It's feeling a bit like Christmas here at Owl & Drum! That's because this past week we received our first two shipments of fabric. We're opening the boxes and getting excited about the new products, with many more soon to arrive.

The first collection we received was from Dear Stella Designs. We love how their fabric designs are a great blend of modern edginess and traditional standards.

Pictured below is Dear Stella's collection called "Playdate." These prints are perfect for your little girl's nursery or bedroom. At the recent quilt market, we noticed that there is an elephant trend among designer fabrics - and Dear Stella's elephant print is one of the best we have seen. We love it!

                                     

Also new in our shop is Birch Organic Fabric.  This California-based company uses 100% organic cotton and low-impact dyes, so not only are Birch's fabrics stylish and fun they are also environmentally conscious. 

These mod prints are a great combination of whimsy and sophistication. Therefore, whether you want to make a hip handbag or a boy's quilt you will be covered with Birch's collection "Mod Squad."

Both of these collections are available now in Owl & Drum's Etsy shop.

Cheers,

Bianca & Dani