I used to post a lot on here with something to the effect of "I have the coolest friends." (It's been so long since I have blogged regularly that I have forgotten the tags I used...) What's really great is that I still have the coolest friends.
One of my dearest friends is someone that I met through quilting. She was one of the founders of the Modern Quilt Guild and her talent never ceases to inspire. Latifah is a creative force unto herself. She is also one of the most loving and faithful friends I have had in my life.
One day when she was at my house for lunch about a year ago, she mentioned to me that she was going to be launching a fabric line with Hoffman Fabrics, known for their surf fabrics and batiks, but definitely not well known for modern fabrics. I was immediately intrigued by the alliance and couldn't wait to see what they came up with together. (They have since launched the amazing Me + You batik fabric line which is breathtakingly beautiful - simple, clean and modern)
But then Latifah was going to try a whole new thing.... She was going to be their step into modern printed fabric.... and she did not disappoint! Well - here it is. Grafic Fabric has arrived. It is absolutely my favorite fabric line ever and I was so deeply honored that Latifah would ask me to be a part of creating products with her line before it was released so I could participate in her lookbook - see it here, it's amazing. The thing about these prints is that they are so beautiful - somehow both sophisticated and gritty at the same time - the colors are sublime and I love the patterns so much. She somehow captured the urban grit of the city and street art and telephone wires and made it into something that is restrained and elegant.
I have so many more projects that I intend to make with her fabrics, but here are the four that I made for her book. Naturally, I thought that my Still Waters Quilt would really highlight her different prints, so I made two of them. I also made a Pucker Up Pillow for Latifah as a gift and then made a second Pucker Up Panel and used it as the pocket detail for a Super Tote (pattern by Anna Graham of Noodlehead) for a swap partner and friend.
My pal, Hollie, and I snapped a photo of the big Still Waters Quilt by the Cabazon dinosaurs recently when we were on a road trip, but Latifah took the rest of the pics and I can't believe how fun all the projects look.
