Monaluna's New Raaga Line Debuts At Owl & Drum

A new collection from one of our favorite modern organic cotton lines has just arrived at Owl & Drum.

The vibrant Indian-inspired line - made by the ever-popular Monaluna - is called Raaga.

The three bolts we are stocking are: Roost, which features colorful peacocks on a white background; Lotus Blossom, depicting the flowers in aqua, pink and pale green; and Sunrise, a triangular floral print in pink, red and orange.

Roost

Lotus Blossom

Sunrise

Check out these new, 100 percent organic cotton fabrics in our Etsy store today!

Good Times Roll At International Quilt Market 2012 in Houston

The fall International Quilt Market 2012 in Houston proved to be a whirlwind of renewing old acquaintances and making some new connections with talented people and their pretty, cool products.

More than 1,000 vendors exhibited their wares – from fabrics to sewing notions, patterns to ribbons, book publishers to sewing machines, buttons to batting – and many thousands more buyers and store owners flocked to the Lone Star State to see the shape of things to come.

The scene was bustling across thousands of square feet of floor space, a convenient “networking lounge” was created for attendees, and dozens of wide-ranging classes, workshops and seminars were held on numerous business and creative topics.

Michael Miller Booth

Yep, the well-run Oct. 27-29 trade show at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston showed the future for the homemade crafting community is bright. 

And, hopefully, will get even brighter.

Kokka/Echino

“There was such a lot of choice everywhere and people seemed upbeat about the business climate going into the holidays,” said Bianca Howell, the co-owner of Owl & Drum.

Tula Pink and her new collection Salt Water.

“It was really nice to say ‘Hi!’ again to the people from ArtGallery, Birch, Monaluna and other companies we buy from and to see their great new designs.

“And, while we were there, we picked up some new lines from cool companies like Windham Fabrics, Lecien, Cloud 9 Fabrics, Andover, Riley Blake and BlendFabrics, who are all doing some great work,” she added.

“We also found a new ribbon resource, as well as some wool felt, that we think our customers will like.”

Among the prevailing trends in the field of fabrics are woodland creatures, bright colors (especially neon), distinctive chevron shapes, and nautical themes and imagery. So, look for some of those designs in the store in the future . . .

Michael Miller

“I liked that there were so many organic materials being used by so many different companies,” said Owl & Drum co-owner Dani Weaver, who was attending the twice-yearly trade show for the second time.

“Organic cottons are becoming more and more popular with people. It’s good, because you can make great products with them and they're better for the environment. Our customers have been asking for them.”

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 next International Quilt Market will be held from May 17-19 in Portland, Oregon.

“I’m looking forward to going back to Portland," Howell said. "It's where I lived for five years and where I established the Urban Creatures’ recycled T-shirt jewelry and furnishings business with my great friend, Carla.

“There are so many great designers and different stores in Portland. It’ll be fun to see the new places that have opened since I left town.”

Also next year, the spring edition of the International Quilt Festival will return to the Chicago area after a three-year hiatus. The event will run from June 21-23 in Rosemont. The last time the event was held in 2010 more than 20,000 people attended. Other festivals will be held in Long Beach and Cincinnati in 2013, too.

For more information about the International Quilt Market, visit quilts.com, www.facebook.com/quiltfestival or www.twitter.com/quiltfestival.

Owl & Drum stocks more than 175 fabric bolts made by more than a dozen different designers and manufacturers. More fabrics are added on a regular basis, and they can be bought in the Tulsa store or at www.owlanddrum.com.

The 2810 E. 15th St. store also sells unique handmade gifts, jewelry and other items made by Tulsans, Oklahomans and artisans from Portland, Oregon, plus a wide 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 the store on Facebook, Blogger.com, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.

Over The Moon To Offer Monaluna

Among the 150 fabrics that Owl & Drum is delighted to offer are four stylish prints from a California company lead by a talented, versatile artist.

Jennifer Moore designs and sells modern, organic cotton fabric out of a100-year-old farmhouse in Walnut Creek for her burgeoning business, Monaluna.

Owl & Drum is currently featuring four fabrics from Monaluna’s Fox Hollow line - Foxy Too, Shroomy, A Is For Alphabet and Wonderland Blue – and will be adding more of the funky firm’s fabrics in the future.

Foxy Too

Shroomy

A is for Alphabet

Wonderland Blue

“We are big fans of woodland creatures, particularly owls, so we immediately fell in love with their collection called Fox Hollow,” said Bianca Howell, the co-owner of Owl & Drum.

“The response to Monaluna has been great. It is refreshing that our customers are actually asking for organic cottons. And people love Monaluna’s whimsical designs. ”

Moore began licensing her artwork for fabric four years ago. After designing several successful collections for Robert Kaufman Fabrics, she decided to launch her own collection of prints in 2010.

Monaluna has been well-received within the industry, garnering press and accolades, and proving popular at trade shows and events.

“I really enjoyed meeting Jennifer for the first time at the Spring Quilt Market last May in Kansas City,” Howell added. “And people will really like the new designs she debuted at the Fall Quilt Market last week in Houston. We’re looking forward to having them in our store in Tulsa.” 

Monaluna’s fabric is made from medium-weight poplin weave, which is ideal for quilting, apparel and baby and childrens’ items, plus home accessories, too. The firm’s fabric is made in India from 100 percent organic cotton.

“Starting in 2011, all of our collections meet the Global Organic Textile Standard, or GOTS, which ensures that production is both ecologically and socially responsible,” Moore says on her website’s blog at monaluna.com.

“Our older collections  - Monaco, Marin and Anika - are made from organic cotton, but printed conventionally with AZO-free dyes.”

A graduate of the University of Minnesota, where she earned a degree in cultural anthropology and design, Moore has enjoyed an interesting and varied career in many aspects of product design.

She has worked in toy design for Manhattan Toy,  childrens' apparel for Target and decorative accessory design for Pottery Barn Kids.

But with the creation of Monaluna two years ago, Moore decided to follow her own creative path in textile and surface design.

Monaluna and its fabrics have been featured in numerous publications, including Stitch, Modern Patchwork, Modern Quilting, Sew News, Mary Jane’s Farm, American Quilt Retailer, Making, Handmade Living, Living Crafts and Do It Yourself.

Moore says on her website that her  “creative inspiration infuses both her business and personal life.”

She also says she “strives to create a life that is in balance, where her work and home are both informed by her love of beauty, nature, art and creative projects.”

Owl & Drum stocks dozens of fabric bolts made by seven designers and manufacturers. More fabrics are added on a regular basis, 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, plus 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.

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.