Cloud 9 Fabrics Debuts Retro-Inspired Fabric, MicroMod

Rob Bancroft is branching out into the fabric field – and so is his pattern-making company.

Bancroft is the husband of Alexia Marcelle Abegg, with whom he co-founded the popular Green Bee Patterns in Nashville.

Bancroft's debut fabric line – titled MicroMod – by Cloud 9 Fabrics is now at Owl & Drum!

“I like the colors of the MicroMod prints as they have more of a masculine feel, which is something that we don’t have enough of in our store,” said Bianca Howell, the co-owner of Owl & Drum.

Howell and business partner Dani Weaver selected four prints from the brand-new microMod collection – named “Tick Tock,” “Vertigo,” “Seaweed” and “Night Vision” – during a recent buying trip to the International Quilt Market in Houston.

Tick Tock in White

Seaweed in Purple

Vertigo in Teal

Night Vision in Teal

MicroMod, a 100 percent organic cotton fabric, is a retro-inspired fabric which features geometric shapes, with purples and teals incorporated in the interesting color pallet.

“With it’s moody, neutral colors and vibrant accents, this mid-century, modern-influenced collection is perfect for everything from home decor to garment sewing,” according to Cloud9Fabrics.com.

“It is also one of Cloud 9’s price-sensitive collections, which means you get the benefit of buying organic at an average quilting cotton cost.”

MicroMod is the first licensed fabric Bancroft has designed for Green Bee Patterns’ new fabric division. (In fact, the Tennessee company is now called Green Bee Patterns & Design!)

For more information about Bancroft and his work, visit http://alexiaabegg.squarespace.com/green-bee-patterns.

Want to see more? Here's a taste of what of some future collection from Cloud 9 Fabrics.

Four prints from Coleman-Hale’s new collection for Cloud 9 - "Blossom Festival," "Motif Madness," Cranes" and "Of A Feather" - are also due to arrive soon at Owl & Drum.

Her new range is called Tsuru, which means “crane” in Japanese.

Tsuru from Rashida Coleman-Hale

“Tsuru soars with beauty and grace - and a touch of modern funkiness,” states Cloud9Fabric.com.

“Rashida spent part of her youth living in Japan, and some of her beautiful work is influenced by Japanese culture and landscapes,” Howell said.

For more information about Coleman-Hale and her work, visit her blog at iheartlinen.typepad.com. 

Owl & Drum is also eager to receive the prints called "Textila," "Sparro," "Chevrona" and "Lechuza" from designer Eleanor Grosch's new Mixteca range.

Mixteca by Eleanor Grosch

"Mixteca serves up wild sophistication - exotic and energetic, bold and dynamic, vivid and subtle," according to the designer biographies on Cloud9Fabrics.com, which notes Grosch's collection is certified as organic as is part of its price-sensitive collections.

"Eleanor is a very well-known print illustrator of animals who is also creating great designs for fabric," Howell said.

For more information about Grosch, visit justeleanor.com.

Interested people can also visit Cloud9Fabrics.com’s downloads page for the company’s current selection.

For more details about Owl & Drum – Tulsa’s one-stop shop for fabrics, homemade gifts, craft books, accessories and supplies – call Bianca at 918-742-1404, visit owlanddrum.com, or follow the store on Facebook, Twitter, Blogger.com, 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.