One of the very first fabric designers I ever actually noticed was Jennifer Sampou. I'd only been quilting a year (almost 15 years ago). My stash shopping was very limited because I was in grad school with limited time and money for quilting. But after a few purchases I started to notice the names on selvages. And what I noticed was that most of the fabric I purchased was from Jennifer Sampou. I filed that fact as interesting and kept quilting.
Fast forward to two years ago and I am at Quilt Market. And guess who has a booth?! It was my first total fan girl moment. I briefly introduced myself and marvelled at the coincidence that Jennifer is married to my publisher. The next Quilt Market I stopped by Jennifer's Booth to say hello and we ended up chatting for well over an hour about everything - motherhood, fabric, creativity, colour, sewing, books, marriage. My first designer crush is truly a kindred spirit.
Since then I've truly enjoyed the opportunity to play with Jennifer's latest fabrics. When you listen to the designer discuss their inspiration for a fabric line the fabric itself takes on a new light, almost quite literally. Jennifer's neutral palate is inspired by her love of things that shimmer - feathers, shells, crystals, and even fools gold. The fabric itself is metallic or pearlescent (depending on your own description).
When my Shimmer fabric arrived in it was a very special shell from Jennifer. Have I mentioned how much I love shells? I have a casual collection of the shells I pick up from every beach I find. Just the interesting ones, the pretty ones, even the cracked and beat up ones. They sit in bowls and jars throughout my house. I had a completely different project in mind before the fabric and the shell arrived. At the same time, my girls took over the table setting duties. Every night they raid my shells and rather carefully place them around the table. They might forget forks, but the shells are always there.
The fabric I requested - shocker - were all the light prints in the line. You know me and low volume. But rather than play with a pattern I already had or even experiment with another inspiration, I had to incorporate my shells.
Each shell is appliquéd on the osnaburg background. I wanted it to feel like a scattering of shells on your feet at the beach. I used the technique I use to create and sew my appliqué circles. The shells come alive, or at least more realistic with the simple quilting. For the back of the table topper I improv pieced the scraps into a slab, with just a bit of aqua added for fun.
It's almost too pretty to use on the table, but my shell loving girls think it is perfect.
April 1- Robert Kaufman/Jennifer Sampou
April 2- Janice Ryan- Better off Thread
April 4- Julie Herman- JayBird Quilts
April 5- Natalie Barnes- Beyond the Reef
April 6- Stash Books- C&T Publishing
April 7- Amanda Jean Nyberg- Crazy Mom Quilts
April 8- Lee Heinrich- Freshly Pieced
April 9- Cheryl Arkison- Naptime Quilter
April 10-Christina Cameli- A Few Scraps
April 11-Elizabeth Hartman- Oh Fransson
April 12-Faith Jones-Fresh Lemon Quilts
April 13-Gemma Jackson- Pretty Bobbins
April 14- Katie Blakesley- Swim Bike Quilt
April 15-Amy Smart-Diary of a Quilter
April 17-Holly DeGroot- Bijou Lovely
April 18-Jennifer Sampou-Wrap Up
Leave a comment here for a chance to win a Shimmer charm pack. It will be perfect for your own shell project, among others. Tell me about your favourite beach.
Giveaway open until midnight MST on Friday April 18.
I so had to pin this one, I love love it.. I am a shell collector too.. Tons of them and this would be gorgeous in my home.. thank you
ReplyDeleteOh, that is gorgeous. My daughter would love your table runner too. She is a beach lover.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is in Panama City, Fl where I used to live.
I'm a huge fan of the aqua blue water in Mexico. And that white sand....thanks for the give away.
ReplyDeleteAny beach in Maui. I'm not picky.
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoyed reading your post... interesting!! Love your shell runner a stunning centre piece!
ReplyDeleteSo fresh. I love it. Loving the blog hop. finding so many new blogs to follow. I'll definitely be visiting your blog again.
ReplyDeleteAs I read your post I could hear the soothing sound of waves lapping the fine sand on my fave beach I discovered last Fall in Sete, France. Although it was not beach weather, it was a perfect stop on our drive to get to southern France. There were so many whole shells - I gathered several and they are a prized souvenir of that restful stop on the Mediterrean.....
ReplyDeleteCarolyn A.
Love the shells made with this fabric. So pretty. Thanks for the chance to win some.
ReplyDeleteShawn
ooooohhh, I love the back as much as the front. Gorgeous....almost too good to use BUT then again, once it has been loved, washed, faded, a couple of marks....it will indeed look like the weathered shells that you find on the beach... Just lovely Cheryl...
ReplyDeleteI have had a lot of Jennifer's fabrics in my collection over the years too. I became aware of her name in the mid 1990s and searched for everything she designed.
ReplyDeleteI like your table runner. I'm not much of a beach person and haven't been to the beach in years. When I was young, I used to go to the beach below the bluff in St. Joseph.
ReplyDeleteI grew up going to South Padre Island with my grandparents in South Texas - lots of shells and warm water. Now I go to the outer banks in North Carolina, usually in the winter - not so many shells and usually in the winter so there's a wind, but it's starting to feel like our "home beach".
ReplyDeleteI love this table runner. I live in the mountains but seek out beaches whenever I can and have shells all over my house. What a perfect way to use this fabric!
ReplyDeleteThe shell detail is exquisite what a treasure this runner is!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great addition to the family table! Love how the textures are so shell-like!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is where I was born in Digby Nova Scotia. I have lots of shells from there!
I love your table runner. My favourite beach is Point Pelee, a national park here in Ontario. So much fun and tons of things to see, living or not. The boardwalk is a nature lovers dream.
ReplyDeleteI like your shell table runner, the fabric really helps show the patterns of the shells.
ReplyDelete24Tangent@gmail.com
I have a small shell collection myself, so I love your table runner.
ReplyDeleteI love this idea for a table runner! I'm a shell collector too and Shimmer is perfect for this. I used to live near Lawrencetown Beach in Nova Scotia. We had great fun body surfing in the waves there.
ReplyDeleteLove your table runner ! Shimmer looks so good in your shells!
ReplyDeleteI love your shells!, love the shimmer fabric also.
ReplyDeleteThe shells look awesome! Gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great table runner! My favorite beach is Huntington Beach CA. My dad took me to the ocean for the first time. It was cold that day so we just flew a kite on the beach. It was a rainbow kite that had about six sails.
ReplyDeleteLove your beach-themed table runner. Those shells look awesome, the quilting definitely makes them pop.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach here is:
http://www.salisbury-beach.org/
Its not crowded and has a good shore for kids to play.
Favorite beach is in Maui.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity.
acbeier71@gmail.com
Oh, just beautiful! I love the way you outlined. Gorgeous! I think my favorite beach was Nag's Head. We aren't really "beach" people, but my husband and I lived in Virginia for a year and went to Nag's Head and had such a wonderful, memorable time. So beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI love your table runner. What a great use of the Shimmer fabrics! My favorite beach is any beach in Hawaii…I like the warm water and great waves, and snorkeling almost anywhere there!
ReplyDeleteThis is the first table runner I have seen that I would like to make....great idea!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is the one back home where I grew up. The water never gets very warm, but the sand is almost white and there are a lot of sea-shells looking just like the ones on your table.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway!
My favorite beach is any that I can have to myself - just waves and winds and birds. Your seashell project is lovely!
ReplyDeleteLove your table runner and the creativity of your shell loving girls! Thanks for sharing and the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteYour table runner is beautiful. So creative and imaginative!
ReplyDeleteLovely, lovely! Thanks for inspiring us. Julie @ RunningHen.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteSuch a pretty runner! I may need to make one for a friend's beach house . . .
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance.
I spent most of my life in Fla and will return to visit family for Easter. This piece is just gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteLove your table runner and it is pretty enough to use on the table!!
ReplyDeleteI am totally smitten - I love these fabrics. I must now find out whether I can buy them in England!
ReplyDeleteLove your table runner!....my favorite beach is Assateague National Seashore in MD. My family has camped within a short walk of the beach. Mostly empty of people. The ghost crabs are fun to chase after the sun is down.
ReplyDeleteYour table looks prettier than y beach at Lake Erie. very creative.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is here in Maine. At our favorite (and now closed for condo development--sniff) campground, you could sit on the beach at night at the firepits made of giant boulders thrown up on the shore during storms. During the day you could lounge on these same boulders and watch the lobster boats come and go. Maine--the way life should be!
ReplyDeleteFabulous - I love shells too and I have a large collection of tiny European cowrie shells, all collected on my favourite beach on an island off the west coast of Ireland!
ReplyDeleteI love how this fabric is sewing up on the blog hop, and the runner is wonderful. My favorite beach is Sand Beach at Acadia National Park in ME - very beautiful but way too cold for swimming.
ReplyDeleteSusan G
I heart this fabric. I have already put it on my wish list!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter lives in North Carolina...we spent a day at Emerald Isle beach when we were down to visit....my first time seeing the Ocean. Is definitely my Favorite!! lol
ReplyDeleteSadly, I've never been to the beach. I would love to make your table topper though, love the shells.
ReplyDeleteLove the Hawaiian beaches. The water is so clear.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite beach is the one I grew up at: https://www.google.com/search?q=fischland+beach&client=firefox-a&hs=LKh&rls=org.mozilla:de:official&channel=sb&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=Sb9FU-jjM4XCtQaSiIFo&ved=0CDoQsAQ&biw=1024&bih=602
ReplyDeleteI used to live in Washington and I loved the beach on the Puget sound. We lived about a mile away and would go see the tall ships when they came in and other fun events on the beach.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is Lily Lake beach. Love the table runner. Also love the chance to win this fabric. Matsche.christine@yahoo.com.
ReplyDeleteI like Nanny Goat Beach on Sapelo Island. You can't get there unless you have a legitimate reason to be on the island, so it's deserted!
ReplyDeleteLove your shell story. I also have a collection in jars and on shelves in my home. How wonderful to capture the look with fabric.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach so far is the one in Sarasota, Florida that I went to when I was 17. It was so pretty and white sand was so beautiful! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteCheryl, Pacific beach where Nautilus shells thrive, "the spiral of life"
ReplyDelete"Sacred Geometry"
Their pearlesence shimmers like Shimmer.
The aqua stripe gives a beachie look to the runner.
Beautiful work! thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteNo beaches in Kansas. I have been to Daytona Beach, it was wonderful.
ReplyDeleteLOVELY table runner, and even lovelier daughters who set the table with shells. :) My favorite beach was in Maine, where the bits of minerals in the water made it look like you were swimming in glitter -- it immediately came to mind with the beach/shimmer connection. Thanks for the giveaway! sarah@forrussia.org
ReplyDeleteThis table runner is gorgeous. Perfect use of the low volume fabrics
ReplyDeleteWow! Your runner is just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite thing about the beach is just being near the water. I love listening to the waves.
I love Jacksonville Beach, FL especially in the winter when a nor'eastern blows through!!
ReplyDeleteReally pretty table runner. My favorite beaches are all around Maui but it's been way too long since I've been there.
ReplyDeleteI love Galveston Beach - it's where my now husband and i had our first kiss!
ReplyDeleteI love your quilting and design on this quilt. It's so pretty.
ReplyDeleteEasy question. My favorite is Clearwater Beach. It is where two of my children chose to be married and the place that I can witness my grandchildren play and grow.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite beach is Long Beach on Vancouver Island. It's the most wonderful place for beach combing and shell collecting!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is in Oregon! Sandy beach that is so awesome.
ReplyDeleteThe beach in my town - Bennett Beach. In the spring when the water is low one can walk for a long way. As the water comes up through the early summer the waves become great for keeping the water warm and some fun, if very tame, body surfing. By the time August rolls in there is usually no beach front left.
ReplyDeleteI love this. I am crazy about seashells so I will need to make this for myself.
ReplyDeleteI love the wild, windswept Northumberland beaches... but I'm biased, its where I live!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely project for the fabric!
ReplyDeleteTo be honest I don't have a favourite beach. I do like to collect shells though.
Love your table runner. Favourite beach--the one we visited in Belize--the sand was not hot! Started a low volume quilt due to your visit to our guild in Calgary:)
ReplyDeleteI love all beaches. Thanks for the opportunity to win!
ReplyDeleteGosh the shell quilting looks superb on that runner. Such delightful fabric and perfect quilting designs too!
ReplyDeleteThe very best beach Ive ever been on was on the then RAF Gan, in the Indian Ocean - which was reinvented to be an expensive but tranquil holiday destination - the Maldive Islands!
The islands are beautifully remote with the most beautiful beaches. As Aircrew back in my youth, we crews would stay there for either 3,5 or 7 days as our aircraft made its way to Hong Kong.
You have no idea how much I miss that job!!
My husband and I spent time in Waikaloa on the Big Island in Hawaii. We're not much for sitting on the beach but truly enjoyed the walk along the shoreline and in the area around it. There are many interesting lava formations.
ReplyDeleteI don't have a favorite beach yet, but I love shells. I can't wait to see this fabric in person.
ReplyDeleteOur favorite beach is Agate Beach in Haida Gwaii!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach would have to be in Petosky, MI. I remember going camping with my family there growing up and walking along Lake Michigan looking for petosky stones. I can't wait until my daughters are older and I can share this tradition with them!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is Bean Hollow State beach it's a pebble beach located halfway between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay on Hwy 1 in California.
ReplyDeletei love to visit my BFF at Three Arch Bay in Laguna, So. Cal. private beach, so relaxing...thanks for the give away!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is in Clovely, NSW It's just a walk down the hill from where I lived while in Australia years and years ago.
ReplyDeleteMy family's favorite beach is Napili bay in Maui. We rent a condo where the sliding glass door has you walking out over the grass and to the beach where you can sit and watch Molokai across the water. We have some good memories from there. Thanks for hosting this giveaway. Those fabrics look wonderful.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful table runner. I am collector of shells as well. My favourite summer beach is the one right off our front deck. But when it is frozen my favourite beach is one with sunshine,warm waters, soft sand,and a light breeze. That means a winter vacation! Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteThe shells are beautiful! Can't wait for this fabric. Love your work!!
ReplyDeleteI live by a lake so I am more a fan of the rugged shoreline that I see out my windows. This charm pack would be so much fun to work with!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach would be wherever I'm at on a beach! love them all! Beautiful fabric too!
ReplyDeleteI have been to many beaches in the Caribbean but my favorite beach is Pensacola Beach in the Gulf of Mexico.
ReplyDeleteKathy Davis
kdavis1@centurytel.net
Loving this fabric, enjoyed my circle class with you last summer with FVMQG. Beautiful shell design
ReplyDeleteSuch an elegant tablerunner. It's stunning. My favorite beach is ANY beach.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is the one at Cape Canaveral. It's almost always deserted and you can sit and watch the ocean for hours and never see another person. Perfect! Thanks for the chance to win. VermontPines at aol dot com
ReplyDeleteThe runner is lovely. I had a huge shell collection as a kid - mostly from Florida (both sides) and North and South Carolina. Hilton Head is really relaxing.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the opportunity to try these fabrics.
notwendy gmail com
I love La Esperanza in Puerto Rico! Is perfect for snorkeling. I used to collect shells for my grandma apartment that is near the beach :) it would be nice to create a table runner like this for her! I probably will try to do it, and shipped to her back to Puerto Rico:D
ReplyDeleteWhat a perfect project! My favorite beach is probably Moonstone Beach in Humboldt County near where I went to college. There are so many neat rocks, and Humboldt beaches are almost always great places to find secluded spots.
ReplyDeleteThose shells are gorgeous! It is a perfect match of pattern and fabric
ReplyDeleteAnother shell lover here. I brought some home with me when I visited the Bahamas. I love your table runner. I need to make one for myself.
ReplyDeleteLove your seashells!
ReplyDeleteThe beaches in the island of St. John. We spent our honeymoon there almost 16 years ago.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to check out the Hawaii beaches!
ReplyDeleteWow! I love the appliques! They are amazing! I have been working on applique techniques. This would make a great project.
ReplyDeletegorgeous fabric. My favourite beach is in Devon here in England, it's a little cove. OK so we don't often get beach weather but I wish I lived nearby so I could walk on it in the evenings.
ReplyDeleteI love your table runner. It's a very clever design, the quilting really makes it pop. I dont have any beaches nearby, going to the beach is a very rare treat for me.
ReplyDeleteYour table runner is beautiful. Love the fabric.
ReplyDeleteOhh la, la I love your shimmer table runner with shells. Gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is probably on the Big Island of Hawaii, at the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel where my hubby proposed to me many years ago. Beautiful beach with many memories.
SewCalGal
www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com
We found some giant seashells on an island off the coast of North Carolina. It's my favorite.
ReplyDeleteLove the shells! My fave beach is the Florida Panhandle, actually from Orange Beach, Alabama to about Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. So many happy memories!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is in Marblehead, MA. There's a giant rock formation with tidepools filled with critters, easily accessible and just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite beach is Sugar Beach in Maui!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is St. Petersburg beach in Florida.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is the one I have been going to all my life -- Stinson Beach just north of San Francisco. Although the water is coooold and dangerous, it is a great place to take a long walk next to the water.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is wherever my imagination takes me. Thanks for the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteLoved the grid you quilted on the shell! Thanks for the chance to win
ReplyDeleteI love the low volume prints in this quilt. It reminds me of my time in Florida.
ReplyDeleteLove your table runner, the shells are so pretty, your appliqué skills are impressive!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous fabrics. Thanks so much for sharing
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea... Love the seashells!
ReplyDeleteWe enjoy the gulf-gulf shores or Panama City beach...thanks for a chance to win some fabric!
ReplyDeleteI love the shells and this makes your quilt unique.
ReplyDeletesenstrings (at) yahoo [dot] com
Lovely tablerunner Cheryl! Thank you for sharing your work and your helpers creative table setting!
ReplyDeleteLovely low volume shells
ReplyDeleteToo nice for the table? Absolutely not! Your table looks spectacular! Love your runner; and the color of the placemats is just yummy with it!
ReplyDeleteI am getting very fond of the Shimmer fabric. thanks
ReplyDeleteWhat a great project to make with those lovely fabrics!
ReplyDeleteWhat an elegant table runner. And a marvelous collection of fabrics. Love it!
ReplyDeleteDon't know why the unknown. I'll try again. Love the fabrics!!!
ReplyDeleteMy favourite beach is Skaha in Penticton BC...my husband and I went there each with our own families as children and now we take our kids almost every summer (we live in Edmonton).
ReplyDeleteWhat pretty and elegant fabrics. Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteI agree, it's to pretty to use but as long as no one has mustard at the table, you might be ok. =)
ReplyDeleteWe aren't around beaches enough to have a favorite although I am partial to Lake Powell. Lovely shells. Thanks
ReplyDeleteI've been to the Atlantic Ocean once and barely remember...but I love the beaches of Lake Mi! Thanks for the chance to win! ksmith8@emich.edu
ReplyDeleteI love anything to do beaches, thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI'm actually not a beach person, but a few years ago I won a trip to Satellite Beach in Florida. It was in October and just beautiful! The beach was almost empty--just perfect! I'd love to go again.
ReplyDeleteHELLO,we love beaches! These are such neat fabrics! Thanks for a winning chance!
ReplyDeletemsstitcher1214@gmail.com
Don't enter me. I just had to say how much I love Shimmer in the Shells! Genius and so pretty!
ReplyDeleteGreat idea, beautiful projects. These fabric are so nice too. Thanks for putting my name in the hat for the drawing.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is Newport Beach in Orange County. Clean sand, nice waves, good snack shops, fun little shops to walk by, surfing movies to watch! Good memories!
O-o-o-h! I love your shell table runner! The Shimmer fabric was absolutely perfect!!!
ReplyDeleteI would be thrilled to win some of this gorgeous fabric.
Thanks!
We have beautiful beaches here in SC. I can't pick just one, but we love Garden City.
ReplyDeleteNormally I hear metallic fabric and something tacky or cutesy comes to mind, but these are really elegant.
ReplyDeleteThis is awesome! Love it.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach would have to be the one closest to my house on my home island of Saipan. It is called Pau Pau beach and it was only 5 minutes away and holds many memories! The water is a beautiful turquoise and the sunsets are amazing because Saipan is smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. You should come visit! :)
ReplyDeleteI love that you use the fabric for seashells! So clever, because shells have that certain shimmer :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is Bali. Bali's in Indonesia, which is the country where I'm from. I went with my family once, I love the beach but moreover the people there!
I absolutely love the sea shell idea. I can just see all the sparkly shells on the beach when I look at your piece.
ReplyDeleteShore Acres on the Oregon coast is my favorite. :)
ReplyDeletecraftyccain@gmail.com
Love the shells! The best beach I ever visited was in Sydney, Australia, but I can't remember its name!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite beach is Longbeach; me and my husband have spent some really good times there.
ReplyDeleteI very much enjoyed reading your post... interesting!! Love your shell runner a stunning centre piece!
ReplyDelete