Katherine Ferrier

Umbrella Prints is the beautiful collaborative endeavor of textile designers Amy Prior and graphic designer Carly Schwerdtan. The Australian textile house specializes in organic printed fabrics that feature sweet and simple hand-drawn designs in unusual colorways.   As part of their focus on sustainability, they save every bit of their beautiful fabrics, even the smallest pieces (known as "trimmings") that are left over when cutting out patterns for various projects. Every spring, they throw down a challenge to artists, designers, quilters, thinkers and makers of all tpes to create and share something they've made with a Trimmings Pack.  

There's a special category for quilters, with Maura Ambrose of Folk Fibers at the helm as the industry judge.  I've been in love with Umbrella Prints since I first discovered them at Nido, in Burlington, VT a few years ago. As an improvisational quiltmaker, with a love for juxtaposition and count...