Tag Archives: etsuko furuya

Fall Market Recap: Echino

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Hello there!  I am so happy to be back after my trip to the Fall Quilt Market in Houston.  I came home exhausted, but happy, and I have a memory card chock full of inspiration and eye candy to share with you.  (I’m hoping to have some big news to share with you soon too.)  I was only there for two days this time, so it was a bit of a sprint.  However, quite a few of the designers really stepped up their booths, and I think there will be more than a few things that you’ll love whether you are a fabric/quilting person or not.

Shall we start with Echino in the Seven Islands booth by designer Etsuko Furuya?  I nearly fell over when I saw these beautiful large-scale fabric deer.  (Um, where do we buy these?!  I don’t care what my husband says, we need this.)

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I also really loved this large scale deer print (below).  The tree behind the deer was embroidered and gave this large panel just the right amount of texture.

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I thought it was very clever how they used these small birds that you find in the floral supply/craft store to tie in with the Echino logo.

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The little dots of color on this back wall are all three dimensional butterflies.  I  know you will not be surprised that I really wanted to live here for the day.

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Maybe I will have to settle for a bag instead.

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For all of you fabric fans, what are you most looking forward to seeing from the show? I’ll be back the rest of this week and next with lots more to see.  I hope you’ll join me!

Filed under Fabric & Sewing, Inspiration, Travels Near & Far. Tagged with , , , , , .

By Kelly
November 3, 2010

4 comments

Spring Market Recap: Seven Islands

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Whew!  Today is my husband’s birthday so I have been up to my elbows in flour and chocolate since this morning.  Two dozen cupcakes and a big batch of chocolate mousse later, I’m ready for a little fabric break.

These pictures are all from the Seven Islands Fabric booth.  As much as I love Japanese fabric, I have to confess – I have a hard time keeping the different companies straight since Seven Islands distributes for several of the big names (Kokka, Echino, Sunfelt, Cosmo, etc.).  Kim over at True Up seems to be in the know on this stuff, so if you want to see more (and know what everything is called) — I would head over there next.

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I am an absolute sucker for these felt kits by Sunfelt.   I purchased a bunch last year, and they were so much fun to stitch up.  There is something a little bit genius about the way these kits are prepared.  Everything is already cut to size, so if you make one – they really do turn out just as cute as the sample.  (Here’s my cookie set.)  I’m fairly certain that Kelly from Superbuzzy grabbed a bunch of these for her store.  Do you remember the wind-up toys they had last year?  Well, they are back with more — this time with a cute fairytale theme.  (See below.)  I love Pinocchio!

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Etsuko Furuya (of Echino) had a new line with a cute transportation theme — sunglasses, planes, bicycles, and cameras.  There is a great preview of all of the fabrics here at the Superbuzzy blog.

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I think my favorite of her new fabrics is the green eyeglass shirt hanging in the back.  I can just see some cute, first grade hipster wearing this.

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Heather Ross’ new line, Far Far Away 2, was represented with some adorable bags.  I had really hoped that I might get a chance to meet Heather and thank her for designing the awesome purple unicorn shoes, but alas – it did not happen.  Next time, maybe.

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Last but not least is this new collection (I think it’s by Kiyohara) with these great horse-drawn carriages mixed in with trees, foliage, lace, and a few butterflies.

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This one is going on my “must find” list for sure.

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Well, this week is winding down, but there’s more…  Are you hanging in there for the big finish?

Filed under Fabric & Sewing, Inspiration, Travels Near & Far. Tagged with , , , , , , , .

By Kelly
June 10, 2010

2 comments

Day 5: E is for Elegance

EHere we are, E at last.  Today is Day 5 of  More to Love: A to Z, 26 Days of Alphabetic Inspiration.

I have really enjoyed starting each morning on this treasure hunt of sorts.  The one side effect is that I often think of words I missed while I’m driving or washing dishes.  Ah well… I guess that’s the beauty of this type of project.  There are so many words to choose from, but ultimately, I have to pick one or two or three and move on.

So here we are at E, one of my favorites.

E is for Embroidery Floss

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A well organized box of embroidery floss is like your own personal rainbow.  I will be honest.  Up until a few years ago, it had never occurred to me to organize it.  Embroidery floss goes on sale for 10 cents, so I always reasoned that if it ended up in a knot, I could just buy more.  I would pick up a few skeins here and there and they would fall into a tangled mess, slowly choking out every other item in the drawer.  If you own any, you’ll know what I mean.

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Finally, one day I saw the little cards and the little stickers to label the colors and a light went on.  This is one of those activities that can make you feel exceedingly old and grannyish, but is so worthwhile.  It makes embroidery a relaxing activity rather than a test of your ability to untie knots.

E is for Eyelets

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One of my favorite tools is my eyelet setter.

I used to feel guilty about getting rid of greeting cards, but now I recycle most of them into gift tags.  (There are a few that are extra special which I save.)  I cut out a section of the card with my 1 1/2″ circle punch and add an eyelet.  I like to think that this doubles the good wishes attached to the tag — all the happy birthdays and good lucks and congratulations layering on top of each other.

E is for Echino

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Elephant

Etsuko Furuya’s fabric line, Echino, is like a little jolt of happy.  Her imagination is so rich – it always inspires me to push a little further out of my safe zone.  (P.S. – The Elephant is not related, but he did start with E and he was just begging to have his picture taken.)

Lastly, E is for Egg

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This video has been around forever, but I still love it.

A few other E words to Esteem: elm, eternal, effervescent, Emma, erstwhile, England, earnest, Everest, elegance, elves, elongate, emphatically.

Until Friday!

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Filed under Inspiration. Tagged with , , , , , , , .

By Kelly
January 14, 2010

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