The Five Favs Series with: Hannah of Coffee Bar Quilt Co.
Episode 10
The Story behind Five Favs
This series developed out of my love of movies, and specifically, movie lists. Critics and film geeks alike spend hours pouring over lists, ranking everything from best movies of the year (pretty standard fare) to top five music documentaries (getting a little more granular) to top five movie characters that shaped who you are (pretty personal and specific!). I thought it would be fun to play with this idea in the quilting world. Since we spend so much time in our sewing spaces, they contain interesting snapshots of who we are as creators, and can offer a sneak peek into other aspects of our lives, too. And so- the creation of The Five Favs Blog. This is a top five of the guests favorite items in their sewing space.
I am delighted to welcome Hannah from Coffee Bar Quilt Co. on this month’s blog! I first came across Hannah’s work on Instagram and was blown away by her use of color and her absolutely gorgeous photography- I knew I had to get her on the blog! Hannah’s designs work traditional motifs into modern quilt magic, giving classics new and beautiful twists. Also- I’m kind of low key obsessed with her latest pattern, Nightflower, so you should all definitely check it out :)
About Hannah
“I grew up in rural North Carolina and currently reside in Waxhaw, NC, too close to the city for true comfort! The dream is to one day live somewhere a little more wild. I have two small children and am married to a wonderful guy, Joshua, who's very creative himself and incredibly supportive of my dreams. If you've followed me on social media before now, you probably already know that I'm silly and weird and like to have fun!”
Where Hannah Works
“My sewing desk is actually just a corner of my kitchen, so whenever someone on socials says what a pretty ‘studio’ I have, it makes me laugh a little, because they're not seeing the kitchen part of the room, or the cubbies where my kids store their toys just opposite my desk. It's usually incredible messy in this room, because a lot of life happens here! Homeschooling, sewing, cooking, and most recently, playing Yahtzee with my 6-year-old boy, who has a new passion for winning. He really, really likes to win. The one thing that doesn't happen often in this room is cleaning. Pick and choose, right? Happy kids, clean house, quality food -- someone once said to me, you can only pick two from that list of things. We go big on happy kids and good food.”
Fav 1 - Sewing Desk
“I have to mention my sewing desk itself as my first favorite in my sewing space. Josh (hubs) custom built this desk for me. He doesn't think much of his carpentry skills, but he underestimates himself. We came up with this L-shaped design, with one part big enough to fit my large cutting mat, and the other part big enough to quilt a large quilt or to cut fabric for a pants pattern. The desk is just tall enough to fit my ironing board underneath, so that I'm able pull it out and conveniently press seams as I go. And that white canvas on the wall? There's a window to a bedroom behind it (weird, I know, and not my favorite feature of this house), and eventually I plan to replace the canvas with a wall hanging quilt.”
Fav 2 - Fabric
“Like a lot of other quilters, I get a lot of inspiration from my stash. I use a lot of solids, mostly Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Solids, because I love the way they show up the quilting and the design of the patchwork. I have a drawer with my solids organized, but I also tend to have stacks of fabric sitting out on my desk. I adore unexpected color combinations, so having fabric sitting around sometimes helps me stumble across a new color combination I can't unsee!”
Fav 3 - Books
“I am a thrift store hound. I cannot walk out of a thrift store with empty hands. And one of my favorite thrift store finds is books, all sorts, including but not limited to sewing and quilting books. My favorite quilt books are photography collections of historical quilts, but I'll snap up anything that isn't 1990s applique. I was a child in the 90s, so I'm a little allergic to that stuff. My two current favorite quilting books, though, weren't thrifted: Barbara Brackman's Encyclopedia of Pieced Quilt Patterns, and Lindlee Smith's (Plains and Pine) new book, Lone Star Legacy Quilts.”
Fav 4 - Color Cards
“I buy my solids online, so one of my favorites is my color cards. I have two sets of color cards, AGF Pure Solids and Kona cotton. I love the convenience of color cards, and I use them all the time to find just the shades I'm looking for. The best way to keep color cards organized is in a three-ring binder with baseball card sleeves, or so I hear. If you'd like to cultivate a little chaos in your life, though, you can just keep all your color cards in a large tupperware container like I do, and keep promising yourself that one day, you'll implement a solution to this mess. Ha, ha.”
Fav 5 - Kids
“Last but not least, my kids. Is this cheating? Maybe. I'm a known rule-bender. My kids are my heart, and they're almost always around in my sewing room. I have a little boy (6 years old) and a little girl (3 years old). Girl has only recently stopped climbing up on my sewing desk to try to cut up fabric before she's caught (she likes my embroidery scissors because they have a bird on them), and boy has a mild interest in quilt math and embroidery. Sometimes I think it might be nice to have a private room, but honestly, I've grown attached to having my sewing space in the middle of family life. For me, the interruptions have become the plot.”
