Observer Fabric: April Rhodes Blog Tour

Observer-April-Rhodes

What's your color?

(It’s a broad question, but just grab the first word that flutters into your brain.)

Got it? Don’t feel pegged down by it. Like myself, it probably changes based on season, mood, or current fabric obsession. If you were to ask me a last week, I’d say SPARKLES!! Haha! 😉 And a week before that probably hot pink.

But usually, outside of season or mood or fabric obsession, when asked, “What’s your color?” I’ll blurt out, “NAVY!”

So boring, right? I used to think so. I used to lie and say that my color was orange. Orange?? When have I ever grabbed for an orange sweater, or purchased 5 yards of orange?? Who was this psychedelic crazy person I was pretending to be?

Trending patterns!

Well, I’m over insecure thoughts of navy being boring because I’ve decided that when in doubt – navy. Feeling frumpy? Wear navy. What to paint that dingy wall? Navy. Your friend is having a baby and needs a quilt? Navy. Want to dye a rad streak in your hair? NAVY!

I’m a sucker for all things navy – even down to the shades that aren’t technically navy at all. So maybe I should call it the navy family. My navy family isn’t very exclusive and likes to gather all shades of slate, cloudy blue, mineral, pool, powder blue, even sage slips in every once in a while.

Beginner-Quilt-Pattern

April Rhode’s fabric line Observer is my color.

Oh yummmm. I have fully adopted this entire navy family as my own and will be incorporating some of these prints as fabric staples.​

Observer-Fabric

The print I truly can’t get over, and trust me, you just gotta see it in person, is Stone Wash Cloudy. Not navy, but the purrrrfect compliment to all things dark blue. And isn’t that the funny thing about some of our favorite fabrics? If you truly consider it, they are probably not the show-stop’n large-scale prints. They are the blenders and subtle companions that accentuate the bold patterns. Through years of quilting I see that the fabric I reach for the most may be a warm solid taupe or an inconspicuous cool blue. This Stone Wash Cloudy print just earned a spot on my favorite fabrics shelf.

hand-quilted

In this baby quilt I paired some of my Observer prints with a few other fabrics including solid Slate, Mineral, Mint and Cream poplin. I think the Mineral (the outer left strip in the picture below) especially pairs nicely and accents the collection well.​

Observer-Fabric-Quilt

When I received this fabric in the mail, the earthiness of it just screamed, “HAND QUILT ME!!” I also have a few quilt patterns that call out for the same thing so, perfect solution – combine the two! Thus my Weekend Candy quilt pattern made with Observer fabric.

Quick hand quilting tip: I use DMC Perle Cotton No.8 threadembroidery needles and a leather thimble – which is AMAZING! Also, a needle threader will make your life muuuuch easier 🙂

Just like hand quilting, this fabric collection is beautifully textured from a distance, but has details that beckon the viewer to look closer. Once you get close enough you can hear it whisper, touch me.

I actually have that problem with most things, which is why my mother stopped letting me go shopping with her – “SUZY! Stop touching everything! Put that down! nononoNO” *CRASH* “sigh...alright, bring me the pieces...let’s walk to the cash register….”

Don’t you wish you had the pleasure of parenting such a fun, obedient little girl? 🙂

Those of us who feel the need to run our hands over something in order to feel its connection, we are the tactile feelers of beauty. We quilters, sewers and textile-lovers understand that sometimes to truly know a thing is to hold a thing. Even if that thing is a miniature glass poodle that also happens to be crazy slippery, MOM.

Suzy-Quilts-Baby-Pattern

If you would like to make this quilt, these are the fabrics I used from left to right:

The Weekend Candy quilt pattern and can be purchased in my shop. Sizes for a baby, throw and twin quilt are included!

Navy-Baby-Quilt

To follow along with the rest of April's blog tour, visit her blog for the full schedule. Up next on the tour is Karissa from Cotton Bottom Designs. You don't want to miss what she makes! 🙂

7 thoughts on “Observer Fabric: April Rhodes Blog Tour

  1. Shannon says:

    Yasss – I’m all about touching! Which makes it so tough that I have to order most of my fabric online. This is such a gorgeous line and I’ve added several names to my expanding list of fabric to order. So thanks for that 😉

  2. Susan says:

    No way are your colors boring or frumpy.I have to try so hard not to buy all the bright colors in the pac.I wish my hand went for colors like these more often .It is a lovely quilt.
    Susan

    • Suzy says:

      Both my husband and my best friend love neutrals and black and white. If it wasn’t for their influence I would probably be making rainbow everything 😉 Colorlove is an evolution and sometimes you just gotta make bright quilts! Thanks for the sweet comment! xo

  3. Christine says:

    Love this fabric! Love hand quilting with No. 8 Perle Cotton with a leather thimble! And I am so on your page about navy, but gray might be in close competition!
    Your quilt inspires me!

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