New Fabrics Soon From 'Inspiring' Quilt Market

The 2013 International Quilt Market in Texas proved the industry is going from strength from strength.

And many of the stylish new fabrics which debuted at the recent event in Houston will be on the shelves at Owl & Drum in the coming weeks and months.

"It was a very inspiring event," said Bianca Howell, the co-owner of Owl & Drum in midtown Tulsa.

 Fox Field quilt by Tula Pink

"I was very happy to see the evolution of the modern fabric industry - and the great work that the companies and designers are creating. I think our customers are going to love the new designs for the new season."

Sylvia collection by Lotta Jansdotter

About 600 exhibitors representing dozens of different companies and designers staffed about 1,200 booths - with the annual event attracting hundreds of buyers from across the country, plus buyers from as far afield as Australia, England and Japan.

Mary Perisho, Owl & Drum's sewing instructor, was thrilled to attend her first International Quilt Market.

"Mary is a seamstress, not a quilter, but after attending the Quilt Market she can't wait to now start her first quilt. After all the inspiring quilts she saw, she will have a hard time figuring out which pattern will be her first!"

"We really enjoyed attending the Schoolhouse Series, which were day-long previews of new fabric collections, as well as sewing and quilting supplies," Howell said.

Wee Wander by Sarah Jane

"And the best part was hearing first-hand from the designers about where the inspirations came from for the colors, prints and meanings in their new collections.

"Among my favorite lines I saw at the Quilt Market were new collections from Anna Maria Horner for Free Spirit, Leah Duncan for Art Gallery Fabrics, and Amy Butler for Rowan Fabrics."

Dowry by Anna Maria Horner

Meadow by Leah Duncan

Quilt by Leah Duncan for Art Gallery Fabrics

Hapi by Amy Butler

"We also got to see the curated quilt exhibit for the International Quilt Festival before it opened to the public the following week. The quilts that people created from around the world were truly impressive."

Here are a photos of a couple of quilts that were part of the 2013 Modern Quilt Guild exhibit:

The fun-packed event was staged from Oct. 26-28 at the George R. Brown Convention Center in downtown Houston.

The International Quilt Market is a wholesale trade show that was started in 1979 at the request of many quilt shop owners across the U.S. to provide one central marketplace for quilt shops and their suppliers.

Produced by Quilts Inc., it features all the major fabric, batting, publishing, stencil and pattern companies.

The annual fall edition of market is always held in Houston.

In 1981, the first spring edition of Quilt Market was held in San Francisco. Subsequent spring markets have been held in Williamsburg, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Los Angeles, Boston, Nashville, Chicago, Denver, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Charlotte, Providence, Portland and Atlantic City.

For more information, visit www.quilts.com.

For more details about Owl & Drum - which carries about 300 fabrics made by many different designers, crafts supplies and tools, plus numerous unique gifts - visit www.owlanddrum.com.

The 2810 E. 15th St. store also sells many other items made by Tulsans, Oklahomans and artisans from Portland, Oregon, plus a wide variety of craft books.

Owl & Drum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. The store is closed on Sundays and Mondays, but it's open every day online at www.owlanddrum.etsy.com.

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

Leah Duncan Fabrics Debut At Owl & Drum

Leah Duncan has many arrows to her creative bow.

And fabric - her latest artistic endeavor - is sure to hit the bulls-eye, too!

Already a successful greeting card and tea towel designer-illustrator-printer, her first-ever range of fabrics for Art Gallery Fabrics have just been released - and Owl & Drum is thrilled to have five different bolts of Duncan's debut designs.

"After seeing lots of bright colors in fabric collections, I was delighted to find these pastel hues in Leah Duncan's collection," said Bianca Howell, the co-owner of Owl & Drum.

"When I was living in Portland, I saw her cards in a little shop on Belmont Street and was inspired by her organic illustrations. The cards are beautifully illustrated and she uses a wonderful range of colors."

Duncan's collection of 100 percent premium cotton fabrics - titled "Tule" - feature interesting symmetrical and geometric shapes in distinctive colorways.

The five fabric bolts that have just been put on Owl & Drum's shelves are:

Terrain Cactus - featuring pale green spots on a white background, interspersed with orange and yellow dots;

Mojave Illuminated - featuring dark blue triangles on a white background, complemented by smaller green, orange and yellow triangles;

Windmarks Arid - featuring a chevron design of blue, peach, yellow and silver-gray dots on a white background;

Mojave Opaque - featuring white triangles on a peach background, plus random pea green, peach and silver-gray triangles;

and Native Fringe Solar - featuring geometric lines of orange, white and peach shapes in a Southwestern style.

Duncan is an Austin-based illustrator and textile designer who creates artwork inspired by nature, folk art and her love of children's illustrations. Each of her archival prints are created with pigment inks for long-lasting quality.

"Leah's collections are influenced by her Native American roots, mixing hand-drawn details with bright, eye-catching color combinations that will bring you to a world where folk meets modern," according to www.artgalleryfabrics.com.

Her wide range of greeting cards - depicting different types of flowers, as well as rabbits, buffalo, deer, whales, quails and other animals - are printed on entirely recycled paper.

Duncan also makes limited edition cotton tea towels that have proved popular with Owl & Drum customers since the store opened in midtown Tulsa a year ago.

"People just seem to love Leah's style," Howell said. "She's a very talented artist and designer."

For more details about Duncan and her creations, check out her website at www.leahduncan.com.

For more details about Hollywood, Fla.-based Art Gallery Fabrics, visit www.artgalleryfabrics.com.

For more details about Owl & Drum - which carries about 300 fabrics made by many different designers, crafts supplies and tools, plus numerous unique gifts - visit www.owlanddrum.com.

The 2810 E. 15th St. store also sells many other items made by Tulsans, Oklahomans and artisans from Portland, Oregon, plus a wide variety of craft books.

Owl & Drum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday. The store is closed on Sundays and Mondays, but it's open every day online at www.owlanddrum.etsy.com.

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

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.