Sherbet Pips!

Today's the last day to enter my giveaway celebrating Sew Mama Sew's Giveaway Day. Jump here to enter!

Yippee skippy ... look what arrived in my mailbox a few weeks back!

Yup, it's like an advance copy of my friend Aneela Hoey's debut line for Moda, Sherbet Pips! Many of you know Aneela as the creative force behind the comfortstitching blog, as well as a fellow founding member of Fat Quarterly. I've been able to catch just a small glimpse behind the scenes as Aneela was planning and working on this, her first major fabric collection (but surely not the last).

I know this line is going to be a BIG hit, based upon the major buzz that's going around the blog and Flickr communities and further evidenced by the fact that I believe it was the first line to completely sell out at Sample Spree during Quilt Market in Houston last month.

Want to see what the buzz is all about? Let's take a quick tour through the collection ...

First up, some whimsical illustrations in the inimitable Aneela style. These little guys (and girls) on scooters should look familiar to anyone who has followed Aneela's blog, and specifically her brilliant embroidery pieces. I am so happy to see them translated to fabric.

And did you notice the little puppy chasing after the scooters in the photo above? Well, he's featured in his very own print. And one of the things I love most about this collection is the color tone -- the reds, pinks, and aquas are a bit ... dusty. Not sure if that's the proper term, but they're a bit more muted than most, which I think will immediately give quilts made from this line a cozy, worn-in, and already much-loved feel. Oh, and are you starting to see the amazing fussy-cutting potential here?

OK, ready to be blown away? Take a look at the ingenious way that Aneela incorporated a stripe into the line ...

... SCARVES! How brilliant is that? The pièce de résistance of the line, IMHO.

But what I'm most excited about are the GREYS. Grey, grey grey ... I love it. I can't get enough grey fabrics, and this line really delivers. Instead of dots, Aneela designed squares. Squots, maybe?

Here are our scooter friends again, this time in the beautiful shade of grey. The exciting news is that I've heard from some of my other fabric designer friends that we'll be seeing a lot more grey prints next year. And I am a big fan of that news.

Little girls on swings -- another of Aneela's more popular illustrations. Have you seen her mini quilts based on this design? If not, check out this tutorial. It's great!

Another great grey print, and another riff on dots. This time, it's reverse dots. Yes please!

I guess I can only fondle these for so long until the edges get frayed, so I'd better cut into it soon. I already have a half-dozen or so patterns in mind, but I'd love some more ideas. Can you suggest some patterns that would best highlight this line?

Oh, and here's a tip: I've found that several prints from the "Blush" line by Basic Grey for Moda coordinate really well with this line (like this one and this one and this one), so if you like pairing prints from across different lines (like I do), you might want to pick up some Blush while it's still available.

Big congrats to Aneela on what I am sure is only the beginning of a successful journey in the world of fabric design.

Sherbet Pips will be available in Spring 2011 .... April, I believe.