I’m excited to share my new fabric collection with you called Entomologie! This is a bit of a departure from what you’ve seen from my recent collections, but it has been a long time in the making.

As you may know, I have a history of working with wool felt and appliqué. It’s been a dream of mine to stitch up designs, photograph them, then use them as motifs in a fabric collection. So you could say that my dream has come true!

 

Last year I became obsessed with stitching bugs! Moths, butterflies, bees and beetles. I released the Summer Flies By Banner (above) as a pattern in my shop and even taught a workshop based on these little bug-aboos. Next I photographed each bug and used Photoshop to isolate each motif. I also added elements I sketched and created in Illustrator so that not all of the print elements are stitched looking. The best way to translate this technique on to fabric is via digital printing. Digital printing, and printing on demand is where my fabric career began! I guess I’ve come full circle. I love the control, the unlimited possibilities and the lack of waste. What you need is what you print.

 

Ta da! This print is the main print called Flutter in the Coral color way (see top photo for Aqua and Teal backgrounds). I wanted the scale of the of the print to be nice and big so that the details are clear. I’m printing on a lustrous organic cotton sateen so the colors look amazing! It’s a home decor fabric that feels substantial but not too heavy for quilting. (I’m offering pillow kits in each color way! See my shop for details.)

 

The other fabrics in the collection include Flight (Top left, above) with “stitched” butterflies on pink, beetles on green and bees on aqua. Cameo (Top right, above) which features a digitally rendered bug collection. Foliage (Bottom left, above) and Deco (Bottom right, above) inspired by Art Deco jewelry that includes tiny beetles! (This set of 12 prints is also available in my shop, in 9″ squares.) I’d love to see them sewn into patchwork for a mini quilt, tote bag, etc! Ohh and how about some fussy-cut English Paper Piecing? Yes!

 

Something else I think is really fun is to create the actual stitched felt appliqués using the Entomologie fabrics as backgrounds, as shown in the mock-up above. Are you game for a stitch-along? I’m putting together materials kits to do just that! Yay!

 

Each materials kit includes 4 fabrics, 4 hoops, and plenty of wool blend felt in a curated palette that coordinates with the fabrics. I’m also including my all time favorite variegated pearl cotton embroidery flosses from Sue Spargo! (The kit is being sold separately from the Summer Flies By Banner pattern, so if you haven’t already purchased the pattern in the past you’ll need to buy it too.) Wait there’s more! I’m including an exclusive BONUS BUG design with the kit! The beetle was designed during my print development and I thought it would be a fun addition to the other 3 bugs.

I’m taking PRE-ORDERS for both the Entomologie Pillow Kits and the Entomologie Embroidery Materials Kits from now through May 20th! Because the fabrics are printed on demand, I’m collecting orders before going to print. All kits will ship the first week of June! I’ve got an embroidery STITCH-ALONG planned for mid-June, to allow time for everyone to receive their materials.

 

I’m so excited to finally see this collection take flight, so to speak! It’s been a true labor of love and I hope you’re as happy to see it as I am. In the coming weeks I’ll be sharing a bit more about the June Stitch-along as well as some other projects  to be made with Entomologie! If you’re interested in joining along, be sure to pre-order by May 20th!