This & That Patterns have become an indispensable staple at Fat Quarter Shop. Out of Sherri Fall’s intensely creative mind have come a huge harvest of neat quilt patterns using all sorts of pre-cut fabrics, and a whole lot of these have been the pattern of choice for many of our coolest kits, like the Bonny Little Bag. Here, Sherri talks about how she got her start with This & That, her newest batch of pattern goodness, and you won’t believe the crazy amount of projects she’s now at work on! Talk about creating and creativity! P.S., don’t forget to enter the the Good Cheer Giveaway!
I started sewing at a very young age and have always loved to create things. I love to do just about anything creative. I have been quilting since 1990. When I started quilting, I felt like I really found my niche.
I have been married to my high school sweetheart, Paul, for 17 years. We have 2 girls and 1 boy, ages 8, 11, and 15, and 2 bulldogs. Paul is very supportive of my designing and does all the order entry and shipping for me. He takes care of things around the house when I am getting ready to go to Market, and he even goes to Market and works in the booth so I can walk around and shop. (He really gets a kick out of Market, especially Sample Spree!)
I started This & That patterns in 2004 when I met Eileen Taylor, who designs the Holly Taylor fabric line for Moda, at my mom’s quilt shop when we were ordering fabric. Eileen asked me to design a quilt for her using her new fabric. I fell in love with the process of designing and really enjoy designing with Holly Taylor fabric. Holly Taylor fabric was one of the first fabric lines I used when I started to quilt, and I have loved it ever since!
I also love to work with Moda’s Charm Packs. I have lots of patterns that use that use them. Some of my new favorites are Around the Bend Table Runner (very easy to do; just sew nine-patches, then applique the orange peel over the seams) and Town Square, which is a neat table topper that looks great with a big candle placed in the middle of it. The charm patterns are small projects that can be done in a day. They may look difficult, but I have lots of diagrams in the patterns, and they go together fairly quickly, even for beginners.
I also do a lot of bags with the charm packs. I love the new bag patterns Clutter Bug, Sweet Stuff, and Every Day Fancy! I think you can never have enough bags. There are zippers in some of them, which I know a lot of people are scared of, but the lady who tested these had never done zippers before either and said that she was able to do it, no problem, because of the diagrams!
I get inspiration from hunting for antiques (I love anything vintage!), looking at new fabric to see what it looks like it should be made into, or sometimes just being out and about and seeing something I think is a great idea. It’s kind of hard to say where all of the inspiration comes from, sometimes I don’t even know!
I am working on a new book for the newest Holly Taylor spring line called Northern Solitude. It will have lots of fun projects in it — quilts, wallhanging, table runners, and many more. Even a pincushion! Then I’ll start on the Frosted Memories book for the 2009 Christmas line, also by Holly Taylor. This fabric is awesome! It has little panel squares that remind me of a good winter day spent at Grandma’s house — I just love it!
I am also working on a Block-of-the-Month for Spring Market along with a new club with lots of fast, fun projects, as well as some embroidery patterns and new charm patterns. And whatever else I get an itch to do!
Be sure to check out my new blog! I’ll be posting lots of fun stuff that I’m working on, so you can keep up with me!
Sherri Falls
This & That Patterns
This & That Blog