Indygo Junction Blog

Countdown to Quilt Market: Booth Design

Cheryl — Thu, 16 May 2013 13:00:30 +0000

Booth design is very important at Quilt Market. The booth needs to tell the shop owner all about your brand, in the instant that they walk by. This year we have an extra large booth, so we’ve worked very hard to design it. This extra work we have put in will not only make it look great, but also make it easier to set up!

It all begins with the crate, which we ship full of samples weeks beforehand. Here Amy is rolling the crate at Pittsburgh Quilt Market.

When you arrive, your booth is nothing but a metal divider. The first thing to go on is curtains.

It’s important to really highlight your favorite new items for that season. This booth from Houston Quilt Market does a great job drawing attention to Vintage Notions, which we had just released. It also shows off our Indygo Junction logo, which had just been re-designed.

We bring a lot of mannequins to our booth. It is the best way to show the garments off properly. These ladies have traveled all over the country with us!

In the end, you have a sea of beautiful booths. Here is a bird’s eye view of Pittsburgh Quilt Market.

This year we sent two large crates and a variety of smaller shipments to meet us at Market. Although the contents might look haphazard, they are well-packed for ultimate organization. It’s almost time to crack them open and start setting up!

Quilt Market Countdown: Ye Olde Market

Cheryl — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:00:09 +0000

Here are some great pictures of Indygo Junctions booth from the late 1990′s…

An award-winning booth!

Amy’s husband Bob was on hand to help that year…

Even little Jack put some hours into the booth!

Now, here are some images of IJ’s booth from Spring 2012 Quilt Market in Kansas City. It’s amazing to see how things have changed!

Pet Pals at Quilt Market

Cheryl — Mon, 13 May 2013 13:30:26 +0000

It’s always interesting to see what new patterns are the most popular at market. Over the years we have always had a really great response with our Stuffed patterns. I mean, how could you resist these little guys?

This cute little elephant is from our Patchwork Pals pattern, which was made to coordinate with our Patchwork Pals fabric line.

These lovely ladies are the Recycled Sisters. They are made of repurposed sweaters, notions and hankies.

The Yo-Yo Monkeys were much loved at market. Don’t they have the sweetest faces?

People thought they PJ Pet Pillows were pretty perfect. A friendly face and a spot to pack your PJs. They were so popular we made smaller Zipper Critters as well!

Have you made any of these guys yet? I have a nephew’s birthday coming up, I think he may be in need of a new stuffed toy….

Quilt Market Countdown: I Spy IJ!

Cheryl — Sun, 12 May 2013 17:00:56 +0000

There is one thing that really gives us a thrill, and that is when we see our patterns being worn or carried out in the real world. It is especially great to see Indygo Junction being represented by the buyers at market…

Here Amy meets with a store owner who is wearing a lovely example of our Great Fit Gored Skirt pattern. (Amy is wearing the Day to Night dress)

The Shopper is a popular pattern! This sturdy bag has plenty of room for all those catalogs and samples you gather at market.

I wonder what patterns we will spy next week in Portland? If any of you are coming to market next week, wear (or carry) your favorite Indygo Junction pattern and stop by our booth, we would love to see it!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Quilt Market Countdown: Fabric Lines of Years Past

Cheryl — Sat, 11 May 2013 18:34:24 +0000

As you know, we are really excited to debut our new fabric lines, SoHo Bandana and CROSSROADS Denim at Quilt Market. Which got us thinking about our fabric lines from years past…

One of our favorites was the sweet, vintage inspired A Stitch In Time with Mother Goose. This line coordinated with our embroidery book, A Stitch In Time which has 24 vintage nursery line art designs.

The Sew-It Book collection had a lot of great prints, and projects, in fact, The Sew-It book is still available!

Mother Goose was a very popular line for us. Everyone loved the nostalgic fairy tale prints.

In 2008 we debuted Tiny Tots, which was inspired by a 1940′s pre-reader book for children. You could recreate the book with our fabric panel, or use it to make other fun children’s projects.

The Dressmaking Collection was another popular line, based off of images from Amy’s book, Vintage Notions.
One of our favorite lines was Halloween Masquerade, which was inspired by 1920′s/1930′s vintage images. It’s always fun to go all out for Halloween, and this let us decorate to the nines!

It’s so interesting to see how our lines have changed over the years. Which has been your favorite? Did you miss out on something that you covet? I wish I had gotten more of The Dressmaking Collection and Halloween Masquerade, two of my favorites!

Quilt Market Countdown: Indygo Junction Team, Livin’ it up!

Cheryl — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:00:37 +0000

It’s officially a week out until Quilt Market! We’ve been talking about past markets and how much fun we have had over the years. We have had lots of different people join us on our market adventures, and thought you might enjoy seeing some pics from market through the years…

This year’s market is in Portland. It was last there in 2008, which is when this picture was taken. What beautiful flowers! (and ladies of course!)

In 2009 the team hit Pittsburgh for Quilt Market. Love that Shopper bag!

Here are Amy and Cheryl in the Indygo Junction booth sporting the Chic Cowl Neck Shift and the Day to Night Dress.

In Houston last Fall the ladies posed in the Clover booth. Love the Classic Cap Cheryl is wearing!

Spring Quilt Market 2012 was in Kansas City last year which meant All Hands On Deck. Not only did the whole office come to help,

But Amy’s family worked as well!

Fabric Fridays – Summer Linens

Cheryl — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:21:41 +0000

Well, maybe it isn’t summer quite yet, but it is going to be here before we know it! And the cardinal rule for sewing? Get your seasonal wardrobe done before it arrives. So I need to get on the ball if I’m going to get my skirts and dresses ready for the summer.

My favorite summer fabric to work with is linen. I love the weight, and the ease of sewing it, and let’s face it…it’s just right for those hot summer days and nights. I’m so excited that fabric designers are embracing garment fabrics, including linen. I love the new prints from Anna Maria Horner, I would love to use her large prints in skirts and the smaller for dresses. Combine them with some gorgeous Robert Kaufman solids, and you have a perfect summer wardrobe.

May is for Mother

Cheryl — Wed, 08 May 2013 16:03:51 +0000

The month of May has arrived and has brought with it flowers and a few leftover April showers. And, of course, May means Mother’s Day is coming up. This year, instead of making something to give to your mom, we have a better idea, make something together!

Schedule a special craft day with your mom (or if you are the mom, with your kids!), and spend some time together. We’ve put together three crafty kit ideas that will make your Mother’s Day memorable.

Felted Flowers

Unlike fresh-cut, these felted flowers will last forever! Use our Fabric Flowers book, pair it with the Vivid Rainbow Wool set and 15 Vivid Colors roving set to make a felted garden that you can wear. (For flowers on the lighter side, check out our Natural Ivory Wool and Pastel Rainbow Wool Pack) And don’t forget those needle felting tools!

Hankie Style

Vintage hankies are a beautiful reminder of a bygone era. Today, few use a hankie for it’s original purpose. So what should we do with them? Make clothing and accessories of course! Hankie Style has 22 projects for you and your mom from gorgeous garments to simple scarves. And if you don’t have a stash of vintage hankies to use, be sure to check out our hankie kits…you can use fun florals or way-out Western.

Zip-a-dee Jewelry

Jewelry is a go-to Mother’s Day gift, but it means more when you help make it! You will have so much fun together creating one-of-a-kind necklaces, brooches and bracelets using zippers, it might become a new Mother’s Day tradition. (Don’t have any zippers at home? Check out our zipper accent packs!)

What are your Mother’s Day traditions? We always go out for the ever-important lunch and then spend the day together. I think this year my mom will love making the Zipper Jewels!

The CROSSROADS connection

Cheryl — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:59:34 +0000

We are so excited to announce that not only will we be debuting SoHo Bandana at quilt market this month, but also our new line of denim solids, CROSSROADS!

Our CROSSROADS collection is a functional and affordable fabric line that offers endless possibilities for purses, clothing, quilts and home decor. With 14 fabulous colors to coordinate with quilting cottons, the possibilities are endless!

The CROSSROADS collection was inspired by a re-emerging community here in downtown Kansas City – The Crossroads district. The textures and colors of the weathered brick buildings, the pavement and the industrial elements are all part of the fabric of this amazing part of town which has emerged over the last several years as an artistic haven for eclectic pop-up shops and vintage vendors.

Our fabric colors were inspired by local elements such as Midtown Moss and Metal Grey. The CROSSROADS fabric and patterns combine utility and fashion for today’s casual lifestyle, whether it is for upholstery, pillows, purses or clothing. The colors mix and match to bring you endless options for your personal design style.

To learn more about Amy’s design inspiration, check out the Amy Barickman blog. In the meantime, tell your local fabric store to come see us at Quilt Market & request they carry this versatile fabric line today!

Metal Grey CROSSROADS looks great in our Over The Top Tunic pattern. We love the updated look of our Retro Raglan Jacket in Soft Aqua Crossroads

Fabric Friday: Cool Cords – not just for little bears & college professors anymore!

Cheryl — Fri, 03 May 2013 12:35:21 +0000

For some people, the word corduroy conjures up images of college professors or little stuffed teddy bears! Or maybe you hear the swish-swish sounds in the background! Well, corduroy has come a long way! Now available in a variety of widths, colors & prints, corduroy is a great way to add texture to your fashions & accessories.

We love the corduroy collections by Robert Kaufman Fabrics. Their Corduroy 21 Wale offers a rainbow of colors in a super, tiny pinwale (FYI – what is pinwale? It’s those little ridges that make up the signature corduroy!) Kaufman also offers a great selection of printed cords from some other great designers called Cool Cords.

Some of your favorite designers – like Amy Butler – are also offering some of their most popular cotton prints in a corduroy version as well. Keep you eyes open for new ways to use these great, textured fabrics.

Here a just a few inspiring projects created in corduroy!

Pint-size Pinafore (IJ959) created in Kaufman’s Cool Cords

Pullover Poncho (IJ958) in Kaufman’s Cool Cords

Reversible Sun Hat (IJ956) in Kaufman’s Cool Cords

Classic Cap (IJ928)