Designer Tidbits: Kate Spain (Paradiso GIVEAWAY) - The Jolly Jabber Quilting Blog

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Designer Tidbits: Kate Spain (Paradiso GIVEAWAY)

605 Comments

Hello Fat Quarter Shoppers! It’s Kate Spain here on the Jolly Jabber and I’m so thankful to Kimberly and FQS for inviting me here today to share about Paradiso, my newest fabric collection for Moda Fabrics! 

Q: Tell us about the Paradiso collection. What were you inspired by?
Kate: As it usually happens with my design process, when I finish one collection, I’m left with more ideas swirling around and unresolved so they carry me forward into the next collection. My previous collection, Horizon, was inspired by the colors of sea glass, and I guess it was that combination of dreaming of warm shores and escaping the cold winter that very naturally drew me into a tropical palette and floral Paradiso. The corals, aquas, blues and charcoal grays will blend perfectly with any leftovers from Horizon to create a bright beautiful range of harmonious, happy colors. If anyone has the kind of winter we’ve been having, Paradiso couldn’t arrive at a better time! 

Q: Which print is your favorite?
Kate: My favorite prints are usually the ones where I feel like I’m trying something a little different and bringing something new to my style that stretches and pushes me forward as a designer. It’s probably because of this that I can never pick which prints will be the most popular in a collection! I get attached to certain prints for various reasons so can I cheat and pick three? I love the energy of Rhapsody. This came from a painting I did in my sketchbook.

I really like the texture of this one called Tradewinds from random elements I pulled together from my sketchbook. And I didn’t realize it until I actually made a quilt, but I love the optical motion that Veranda adds to a finished quilt. 

Q: What is your favorite project you made with Paradiso?
Kate: Can I have a few favorites for this too? For Fall Quilt Market, the Moda Schoolhouse included a “pajama party” theme, so to play along, we were asked to make pajama bottoms. I have to admit, it seemed a bit daunting having never sewn anything that fit well before (oh! I’ve tried). But I turned to the internet for some how-to tutorials and was able to make a pair of drawstring PJs that I wear all the time. I incorporated elements from here and there and improvised a lot!

I’m also really excited to be offering new quilt patterns in our shop!


Here’s Shangri-La that I pieced and quilted for my booth at Quilt Market. 

And here’s Tradewinds that was pieced by Sherri McConnell, quilted by Val Krueger and is on our bed right now – along with my fave Denyse Schmidt pillows! As you can see, this quilt happens to be someone else’s favorite too! 

Q: If you could be any animal, what would you be?
Kate: Paws down, I’d want to be a cat so I could lounge on the ironing board, like Franny, instead of actually using it.

Stretch and sleep, like Lou, as much as possible

Or squeeze myself into an empty box, like Roscoe for a nap,

For a gazillion more pictures of these three (well, and some other photos too), come and visit me on instagram @katespain. Hope to meet you there!

SURPRISE! Franny, Lou, and Roscoe (along with Kate) are giving away a Paradiso Fat Eighth bundle and a Paradiso PDF pattern of your choice! To enter the giveaway, all you need to do is enter through Rafflecopter below. 

Thank you so much for reading along! We can’t wait to see what projects are made with Paradiso, and please don’t forget to share so we can highlight your beautiful work! 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

605 comments

  1. I think I like crocus simply because it's the first one to sprout in my yard in the spring ….regardless if there is still snow on the ground. Thanks for the wonderful giveaway!

  3. I actually have two favorite spring flowers… crocuses and daffodils. Thanks for the giveaway and the chance to win some of that beautiful fabric.

  17. Thanks for this delightful post! I love reading about fabric designers and their inspiration. And I love Kate's fabric. My favorite spring flower is the daffodil.

  18. Gorgeous fabrics! I love all spring flowers because they signal the end of the long cold winter! My fave is daffodils because they pop up first and are yellow! I also like the variety of tulips, and the scent of amaryllis.

  23. Loving our daffodils, forsythia and Lenten roses. Camellias also beginning to bloom. Love Spring but not so fond of sneezes that come.

  29. I would have to say the miniature daffodils are my new favorite flowers! Guess it is because I have a special spot in my heart for anything miniature….
    Love this new spring collection of fabrics so much.
    Thanks!
    nettiecrain@live.com

  30. Hyacinth and tulips – especially double tulips. Still in love with all things Kate Spain … some of my favorite quilts are with your fabrics. Judy C in NC

  31. Love these fabrics!! Kate Spain is a great designer!! Thank you for this great giveaway! I love all the flowers of spring for their great colors. I love seeing new plant life come into bloom.

    Have a super great sewing and stitching day!

  47. Crocus is my favorite, so simple but extremely beautiful with its bright and energic colors! And last but not least it's spontaneous ^_^

  51. I'm not sure how to pick one! They're all so happy and fun in their own unique ways! I love the daffodils, tulips, iris… And I love the blooms on the trees!

  58. Living in the Deep South, there are so many flowers to choose from!! I'll have to say it's a tie between azaleas and dogwoods!

    Thanks for an awesome giveaway!!

  60. Kate is one of my favorite designers. My favorite spring flower is Lilly of the Valley. I love the variations of green and the pop of white. Happy spring!

  72. I love the Texas bluebonnets–they are how I know spring has REALLY arrived!
    I am quite taken with the Shangri-La quilt, lovely indeed.
    Thank you for the giveaway.

  75. I absolutely love tulips!! But the bunnies and the deer keep eating the tender shoots and I end up with practically no blooms 🙁

  86. Tulips, hands down!!!! They symbolize spring to me.when snow is still on the ground i take a trip to Trader Joes and grab some to brighten up the house until they bloom in the garden.

  88. Love the collection. Daffodils. I watched several Bunches of mine brave 2 surprise massive snowstorms and still bloom and looked so bright and springy.

  93. Lilacs & Tulips are my favorite Spring flowers! Tulips because they're one of the first signs that Spring is truly here in Michigan and Lilacs because they smell like Spring!

  95. I love the cherry blossoms – does that count even though it's a tree flower :)!! I love this collection! I have Horizon precuts that I bought for a quilt for my bed – just haven't gotten it done yet!

  97. my favorite spring flowers are my purple crocus's and tulips because they really signify that spring is on the way. But I love all, all flowers. they are just the fragrance of life.

  99. I love daffodils! They're so sunny and bright. We didn't get any this year because the goats find them quite delicious but I enjoyed seeing them in other people's yards. 🙂

  103. Tulips! Every color is beautiful, and screams Spring to me. Since we in the Northeast are expecting snow again today, the first day of Spring, I may have to wait a bit for my tulips to come up. But it will be worth waiting for.

  107. Woke up to snow this morning!!! Love gerber daisies! Always brighten my day!

  108. California poppies! It took a couple years to get them to grow in our yard, but now they come up every spring on their own. I love the splash of orange they bring.

  109. We moved to Alabama a little more than a year ago, and my new favorite spring flower is the azealia.g

  115. Tulips,the are so fun.They are closed in the beginning ,to keep you patiently waiting for the big bloom when they open .I have forced bulbs for a pretty Spring table setting and in front of my dining room window.One of my Aunts favorite flower.
    Thank you for a chance to win this Awesome fabric

  117. I love hyacinths, I know it is Spring when I see the beautiful colors and I smell their wonderful fragrance. Thanks for a terrific giveaway!

  119. Crocus is my favorite spring flower. It's the first one to come up in my garden but they only last a week because it always snows on them.
    Mary

  121. I just loved Horizon and am finally creating a bed quilt out the fabric I've hung on to for so long!! I also love the warmth of Parisio. It will definitely be a must have. My favorite pattern is the one with half square triangles on point!!

  129. My favorite spring flower is the crocus. Spring is here when you see their little heads poke out – and their colors! Plus they come back year after year. ktsquiltdreams atgmail dotcom

  131. My favorite is the Blue Iris. Of course, I also really look forward to my Lilacs blooming in the Spring because the scent fills my entire home if the windows are open.

  136. I love crocuses and tulips. We don't see much of these in the Southwest, but when I was growing up in Montreal, they filled our garden!

  139. I love tulips. I grew up in Seattle and every spring there is a wonderful tulip festival with hundreds of thousands of bulbs that bloom. It's wonderful.

  146. My "favorite" Spring flower is Bleeding Heart. However, one favorite is not possible with all the daffodils and rhododendron blooming here in the Pacific NW. Love the colors in Paradiso!! Thanks for a chance to win some fabric.

  149. I love tulips, especially the parrot tulips! Your new fabric line is gorgeous and I love your Tradewinds pattern, but then I am a sucker for all things flying geese. Thank you. kathleendotlutzatcomcastdotnet

  153. I don't know if it qualifies as a flower but give me a sprig of daphne any day. The first whiff of daphne is my personal harbinger of spring. Here in Portland, Oregon the daphne bloomed early — February — with all of the other spring flowers right behind. Love your new fabric line!

  164. My favorite Spring flower is a lilac, they smell wonderful and usually bloom around my birthday. Thanks for the generous giveaway! jacklynnsteven at netzero dot com

  168. Crocus is my favorite as they are first up in the spring and it's a reminder to me that it winter is really over and warm weather is coming. 🙂

  171. Crocus are my first loves of spring flowers…then daffodils & tulips are a tie. LOVE the kitty pix …we have 4 kitty helpers here!

  180. It's a toss up between pansies and petunias!! I do love all flowers… How they liven a yard, perfume the air, draw the bees and hummingbirds, and make a home lovelier!!119

  183. Thank you for your giveaway! Beautiful colors in the collection. Almost anyone would appreciate a quilt using these vibrant colors.

  189. I love Lily of the Valley because it's the flower for May which is when my mom and I celebrate our birthdays. It's a miniature flower with such a sweet fragrance !!

  198. Not sure if this is a spring flower but my favorite flower is a yellow rose…..but also love the smell of lilacs when they are in bloom….it always makes me stop and take a deep breath…..

  200. Tulips are my favorite spring flowers. Especially the pink ones. They scream Spring and also let me know that Easter is around the corner!!

  201. Love this fabric!! I have lots of favorites in this collection. My favorite flower is the Rose. There are so many lovely colors! Thank you for the giveaway!

  230. Tulips are my favorite flower. Growing up in Iowa, I knew when the tulips bloomed, spring was really going to happen!!!

  236. I love Kate's fabrics! Super excited to get my hands on Paradiso. Especially knowing that it will pair nicely with my Horizon leftovers!

  241. I love Kate's designs and would love to win! Spring is here and this collection is fabulous. My favorite flowers are tulips!

  244. love it when the snowdrops peep through as I think, yes spring is on the way. At the moment we have wonderful daffodils in the hedgerows and lovely little purple violas, so pretty.

  246. Thanks for the giveaway. Magnolia's are my favourite spring flower, and I have planted a number of them. Luckily my sister is an arborist, so she will be able to contain them within my small town section. Love the colours of the new range, so clear and saturated.

  252. I love Lily of the Valley because it's the flower for May which is when my mom and I celebrate our birthdays. It's a miniature flower with such a sweet fragrance !!

  255. My favourite spring flower would have to be the primrose. They grow wild in our garden, almost carpeting patches of the grassed area in spring bringing so much colour and joy. Thanks for a great giveaway.

  262. Hyacinths and tulips. My dad loved tulips and hyacinths remind me of Easter and they smell so fresh

  270. I love roses in Melbourne we have a big horse racing met at the start of November which is Spring at this end of the world and the racecourse is know for its beautiful roses I have some in my garden which I haven't killed which is a big plus as I am not much of a garderner.

  278. I love my Chinodoxa because they don't get eaten by bunnies or slugs! They make a lovely carpet year after year. But I also have Scilla, Frittalaria, crocus and tulips, so they ALL are my faves! This line of fabric reminds me of the warm sunny days of spring flowing right into early summer.

  303. I love many flowers but tulips are one of my favourites. When I bought my new house, I received a pleasant surprise that spring. There are over 30 tulips that grow on the strip of grass beside my driveway every spring. Thanks for the giveaway 🙂

  307. I LOVE Lily of the Valley. Pretty, wild, petite and such a wonderful scent! heavenly! Thanks for a great giveaway.

  317. Well, my daffodils are out already! So I'm going to say them, because they seem to be the first true signs of spring in my garden!

  323. I am testing a another designer's pattern right now with Paradiso and i can't wait until it is released so i can share it! great line!

  339. Oh dear, I somehow deleted my favorite spring flower in my post when I went to correct spelling errors! Daffodils, for sure, above all others. Such sunny, happy flowers after a harsh winter.

  350. I like Lillie's and also daffodils. I planted a lot of bulbs for spring when I first moved here. The squirrels were very fat and happy that year!

  352. I would have to say that tulips are my favourite. The various shades and colours that they come in would make a wonderful quilt!

  358. Daffodils. My mother loved them and they were always the first flowere we say as we drove south to Arkansas each year.She always got happy about seeing them as we got closer to her home town.

  359. Crocus are my top fav flower for spring! not much makes me happier than catching my first glimpse of those tiny beauties! <3

  362. I love all spring flowers but I think that my favorite are the tulips. They come in so many bright colors and are so very fun.
    Thanks for the chance to win such pretty fabrics.
    Warmest regards,
    Anna
    quiltmom1(at)shaw(dot)ca

  364. Not sure if you would call this a spring flower, but I love it when my roses start blooming. The color is just gorgeous, just like Paradiso.

  368. My favorite spring flower (if I have to pick one) is a tulip. I love all types, and enjoy seeing the new color combinations that come along each year.

  376. Love Kate Spain! As a novice quilter, she was an early favorite of mine and continues to be so! 🙂

  377. I love tulips! My Grandmother planted some in our yard and after she passed in the month of August it was a surprise to us in the spring when they started popping up everywhere. It's been eight years and I always look forward to them in the spring!

  380. Snow drops are my favorite because they are just so delicate and sweet, plus they are some of the first to arrive in spring!

  392. I like the primrose. It's one of the first flowers I see in the spring. They cheer me up with their bright colors even if there is still snow on the ground.

  394. It's autumn here, but when spring roll around I can't wait for my Agapanthus to bloom 🙂
    I love hearing how your lines came about – that scetch is beautifully translated into Rhapsody!
    Thanks for the chance to enter <3

  401. I am not sure if the snowdrop is technically a Spring Flower since mine were blooming at CHristmas on Vancouver Island – but the snowdrop is my favourite flower of all. For Spring I love daffodils the best.
    Pauline
    perry94022 at hotmail dot com

  406. Veronica are my favorite spring flowers because they are the first to bloom. I also like deadnettles for the same reason

  409. I love the daffodils. I have several varieties, and they all make me happy just looking at them. And I absolutely love Paradiso! It is one of my favorite collections, and I would be thrilled to win!

  410. Daffodils are my favorite all-time flower! I wish they'd grow all summer long. They are so delicate and unique. God is so creative!

  421. The lovely little crocus. It reminds me that Spring really will come again after the long, dreary winter!!

    Thanks for the giveaway. The fabric and the patterns are beautiful!

  424. It has to be daffodils, or buttercups here in the South. They always are the first to let me know Spring is here!!

  427. Tulips are my favorite! The pajama bottoms that Kate made are so cute! Love the pink! ��

  431. Here down under the leaves are starting to change colour, I love autumn with its cooler nights but still warm days. My favourite flowers are lavender.

  445. Do I have to chose just one? I love lilacs and lily of the valley in spring…but honestly, after a long winter, all spring flowers are beautiful!

  446. In Florida when we see the azaleas, Spring is around the corner. Time to get your bathing suit on. Love you bright, happy colors!

  448. I love all the bulb flowers when spring arrives, but tulips would be my very favorite. Kate's new fabric line is perfect for spring with all the vibrant colors! Thanks for a chance to win!

  468. I love pale pink tulips and snow drops and hyacinths and daffodils….ok, there's really not a spring flower that I don't love. Spring flowers always give me a sense of renewal and a reminder of life's possibliities. If beautiful blooms can rise up to the sun after a long winter, anything can happen.

  469. I'm a big fan of the crocus because where I live it means that Spring might finally be in the near future (regardless of what the calendar says).

    I also have a cat named Lou who's favorite position looks a lot like your Lou cat!

  470. Awesome spring colors! I agree with Kate in her animal choice. My cat, Mitsy, lays on the edge of the sewing table in the sun and watches me work. There are some days when I would love to reverse roles.

  473. Such bright and lovely colors. not usually what I go for, but sometimes it takes something you don't immediately identify with to spark a great project!

  474. We have these weird little flowers that popped up out of nowhere. They are a stalk about 10 inches high with a flower that looks like a firework burst in red. People call them Naked Ladies because they don't have any leaves!

  495. I love any flower that will grow in my yard because it has to be brave to do so. I do love Lilies of the Valley because they remind me of my Mom.

  496. My favorite Spring flower is the Hyacinth. I love to "stop and smell them" when I see them. Thanks for a great Spring give-a-way!

  498. My favorite spring flower is March flowers. They look so happy with all that yellow bursting from each petal. I remember picking them for my mom when I was little. ♡♡♡

  499. My favorite spring flower is March flowers. They look so happy with all that yellow bursting from each petal. I remember picking them for my mom when I was little. ♡♡♡

  514. Daisies are my very favorite flowers – but I do love to see the crocuses and daffodils popping out – then I know Spring is really here! Thanks so much for the chance to win this beautiful fabric 🙂
    Debby E
    samtaylorcjsmimi at yahoo dot com

  519. I love Kate Spain!
    Freesia are so beautiful and fragrant. My favorites in my own yard are the tiny two-toned mini-daffodils! They're so cute!
    reillyr2(at)hotmail(dot)com

  525. I'm a huge Kate Spain fan and I can't wait to get my hands on this newest line. My favorite spring flower are the Forsythia.

  527. Iris and crocus are my top two. I've also developed a fondness for our state flower – the pasque flower! Thanks for the chance.

  532. My favourite are daffodils. The snowdrops appear sooner, but the cheerful colour of the daffodils keeps me smiling!

  533. My favorite spring flower is the lilac because the scent means winter is over. Thanks!

    Please click on the delaineelliott above for my email link.

  537. I loved daffodils for many years but only because they were first. I wait it out for tulips before I feel like spring has really set in! It's the vibrant colors that make me feel happy. Just like the colors of the fabrics above, they POP! Would LOVE to win this one.

  542. I am happy with anything and everything that blooms in the spring – crocus, daffodils, tulips. So bright and colorful, and a great contrast from the dreariness of winter.

  544. My favorite Spring flower(s) are the daffodil and the lilac. Daffodils are so cheerful and lilacs smell wonderful.

  567. Forgot to say I love tulips. And daffodils. And hyacinths… ok… I love spring flowers in all their shapes and sizes and wonderful colours!

  570. There is a tiny 5 petaled flower that pops up in my garden before anything else in the Spring. It's called a Windflower & is my favorite because it heralds that Spring is on it's way!

  576. I have a profound love for daffodils. They also make me think of my grandma. 🙂

    – Verena S.

  582. Beautiful fabric!s! Love the colors and prints. Lilith of the valleys are my absolute favorite spring flower. Thanks for the chance to win!

  586. Spring flowers…yay! Crocuses and Marsh Marigolds are the first to joyfully announce spring around here but the shops are filled with colorful tulips, Easter lilies, daffodils, and pretty pastel colored daisies all so beautiful but my favorite spring flowers are the cherry blossoms on our front yard tree; pretty and perfectly pink. When they fall to the ground it looks like someone sprinkled confetti all over our front yard ????????????????????

  595. Daffodils are my favorite spring flowers. They are among the first to bloom and they smell like Heaven! Thanks for the giveaway!

  597. Living in the Lone Star State, I look forward to the blankets of bluebonnets & Indian paintbrushes every spring. In our small town, there red bud trees everywhere & wisteria climbing all over. Plus, everyone's cars have been blanketed in yellow from all the oak trees pollinating!

    This collection is one of my favorite of Kate Spain's so far!

  599. I love tulips, but can't seem to grow them. I'm outside of the usual tulip hardiness zone, but every year I keep hoping to luck out and get the bulbs to sprout and the flowers to remain more than a few days! Thanks for the giveaway! bwwedprep(at)yahoo(dot)com

  602. My favourite spring flower is the tulip. So many different colours and varieties. Thanks for offering a giveaway of Kate Spain's newest. Love her collections.