Welcome to Sit & Sew Radio, a Quilt Addicts Anonymous podcast with Stephanie Soebbing. Hear interviews with influential and interesting people in the quilting world, learn about new quilting books and notions and hear some fun quilting stories. Listen to each new episode while you are sewing. Produced by Quilt Addicts Anonymous blogger, teacher and pattern designer Stephanie Soebbing.
Rank #1: Episode 31 - Amanda Murphy and Rebecca Bryan.
Welcome to Episode 31 of Sit & Sew Radio, a Quilt Addicts Anonymous podcast.Today's episode features Amanda Murphy, Bernina spokesperson, author and fabric designer, and Rebecca Bryan, author, teacher and fourth generation quilter.Both interviews were recorded at QuiltCon and it was kind of fun to listen to them a couple months after they were initially recorded. At one point Rebecca Bryan and I were talking about the brick and mortar version of Quilt Addicts Anonymous, which at the time I was still considering an open studio. Now it is definitely a full blown quilt shop, complete with staff, a large class space and fabulous modern fabrics. That just shows you how much can change in a couple months.And speaking of the shop, the Spring Clearance Sale is happening right now. There are nearly 100 fabrics, bundles, thread packs and patterns that are on sale. Right now they are 25% off, but the price will continue to drop over the next two weeks as we move some of the items that have been around for a bit to make room for the new fabrics arriving in May. so click here to check it out and get a great deal.Bernina, Amanda Murphy Designs, Benartex, Amanda Murphy, Nordic Holiday, Amanda Murphy, fabric designer, authorBernina, Amanda Murphy Designs, Benartex, Amanda Murphy, Nordic Holiday, Amanda Murphy started her career in the quilting industry as a fabric designer for Benartex. With a background in graphic design, creating beautiful prints for fabrics was a natural starting point.From there she began authoring books on quilting, signed on as a spokesperson for Bernina and now travels the country teaching people to improve their quilting and let go of mistakes.In our interview Amanda shares some great tips on how to improve your free motion quilting (hint: it includes listening to podcasts like this one) and which comes first for her, the fabric design or the quilt she wants to make with the fabric.Amanda's new fabric line Nordic Holiday with Benartex is shipping to quilt shops this month. You can learn more about Amanda by visiting her website, amandamurphydesign.com.Rebecca Bryan, Modern Triangle Quilts, Bryan House QuiltsRebecca Bryan, author, teacherRebecca Bryan, Modern Triangle Quilts, Bryan House QuiltsRebecca Bryan is a fourth generation quilter who became obsessed with quilting after discovering modern colors and fabrics.She started pursuing quilting as a career after her first book idea came to her in a dream. She took it as a sign that quilting was supposed to be more than a hobby and today she has published two books, is working on a series of online classes and is working on her first fabric line.In our interview we talk about how she developed a career for herself, developing her own sense of color and design from her traditional roots and how she balances career and being a mom to four kids.To learn more about Rebecca, visit her website bryanhousequilts.com.
Rank #2: Episode 35 - Tula Pink.
Welcome to Episode 35 of Sit & Sew Radio, a Quilt Addicts Anonymous podcast. This week we are thrilled to have renowned fabric designer Tula Pink as our guest. Tula, who just released her 25th fabric collection at Fall Quilt Market this past weekend, has withstood the test of time and remains a creative force in the industry. Speaking of market, we just unveiled our own new pattern, Medallion Star, to glowing reviews in Houston. Use this week’s coupon code MEDALLION10 to save $2 on a Medallion Star pattern at shop.quiltaddictsanonymous.com. It was so much fun to talk to Tula Pink, but this episode brought with it some new challenges. I spoke to Tula the week before market about her fantastic new products, AND I COULDN’T SAY A WORD ABOUT IT TO ANYONE. Not even my husband. In our interview, Tula discusses her great efforts ahead of this year’s market to keep her newest fabric collection top secret. In the past, word always seemed to creep out ahead of time. Now that market is over, I can’t wait to share this interview with you. Tula discusses her milestone 25th collection, Tula Pink All Stars, which is an incredible accomplishment that is not lost on Tula. To commemorate the occasion, Tula’s All Stars collection recreates some of her most iconic and coveted prints from her archive and gives them a color makeover. That includes the original Owl from Full Moon Forest, which is from her very first collection and holds special meaning to Tula as she notes in the interview. There’s also the Bee from Flutterby, Tail Feathers from Plume, Squirrel from The Birds & the Bees, Raccoon from Acacia and Frog Prince from Prince Charming. “With this 25th (collection) I wanted to really offer something special,” Tula said. “It felt like a big deal and I wanted to make it a big deal.” We also talk about Tula's new book, Coloring with Thread: Stitching A Whimsical World With Hand Embroidery. In this book, which is available for pre-order at Amazon, Tula’s most memorable fabric designs are brought to life by needle and thread along with instructions so you can do it at home. In our interview, Tula discusses the connection with her collaborators who stitched her designs featured in the book. “It was just a really cool way to bring in my followers and the people I’ve connected to on social media into a project with me, to let them have some ownership of it, because that’s really what I do,” Tula said. “I create a raw material, but it’s everything that everyone else makes out of it that sort of completes the collaborative process.” Also in the interview Tula opens up about her creative process, which is a fascinating listen coming from one of the most inventive creators in the business. To learn more about Tula Pink please visit tulapink.com. We hope you enjoy the episode!
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