Amy Butler on August Fields

We asked Amy Butler a few questions in our ongoing exploration of the trend towards home dec weight fabric collections. Check out our current stock of home dec fabrics including new August Fields!

SMS: August Fields will be your third home dec group (is that right?) How is designing such a group different from designing a quilt-weight collection?
Amy: AF is my 4th home dec group in total, but my second with Rowan. The overall design inspirado is very much the same as the way I approach working with my quilting designs but scale becomes very important. I love to play with the depth you can create by layering various sizes of prints and imagining how they might look on furniture, pillows, and throws. The play on color and print becomes very exciting! I always scheme new ways to build collections that I’d love to put in my home right now! It’s deliciously selfish in an artsy kinda way.

SMS: Westminster calls the fabric “heavy cotton sateen.” How would you describe the weight and finish?
Amy: I think describing the weight as a heavy cotton sateen is pretty accurate. The weight and more importantly, the weave on AF is slightly heavier than my Nigella collection. I always like trying something different and I wanted to experiment with a bit heavier hand. AF to me is the perfect balance of the right amount of weight and body.

There’s a lovely finish to the fabric as well. The feel is gorgeous, smooth but not too silky. I think the combination of all of these elements makes the material very flexible and usable for a huge variety of projects. It’s perfect for slip covers, pillows, throws, and for accessory projects like bags. It’s actually quite nice for certain garments like skirts and jackets. I wanted to make sure the end use wouldn’t be limited in any way.

SMS: What do you think are the advantages to sewing with these wider and heavier fabrics?
Amy: I think as a sewists, we’re all super excited to make projects that touch every aspect of our lives. It’s great to find a breadth of material available when we go into our quilt shops. We’re making everything from quilts and clothing to accessories and home dec projects. The biggest advantage to the wider widths is it allows us to expand on our sewing needs. The fabric itself is so flexible and can be used for so many different things.

SMS: Anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Amy: I will have loads of inspiration and idea images on my web site, featuring AF and several of my other upcoming patterns and fabrics. I’m working on finishing up some great free downloads too! Thanks to all of your readers for spending time with my interview!

9 Responses to “Amy Butler on August Fields”

1. Maggie responds:
   Posted: August 20th, 2008 at 7:52 am →

   I adore home dec fabrics for handbags. With heavier weight home dec you can use less interfacing.

   Thanks for the interview. Its always interesting to know what designers are thinking.

2. rachelle responds:
   Posted: August 20th, 2008 at 8:29 am →

   can’t wait to get my hands on some! looks fab as usual!! can’t wait to see the free downloads–

3. Mellissa - wondermommy responds:
   Posted: August 20th, 2008 at 8:38 am →

   Wonderful interview!

4. amylouwho responds:
   Posted: August 20th, 2008 at 9:02 am →

   Hip Hip Hooray For Amy Butler!! She is the reason I am excited about sewing and therefore sewing again!

5. Kelli responds:
   Posted: August 20th, 2008 at 9:44 am →

   Think of the possibilities…Thanks to y’all for covering so much that helps me stay informed about what’s new and exciting. You keep me going!

6. Amber responds:
   Posted: August 20th, 2008 at 10:11 am →

   Thanks for this – I love her new quilt patterns – I bookmarked both of them!

7. Tersea responds:
   Posted: August 20th, 2008 at 11:51 am →

   I purchased some of this fabric, and love it! How could you go wrong!

8. Laura responds:
   Posted: August 20th, 2008 at 10:56 pm →

   I like home dec fabrics for quilt backs, as well. I first learned of this idea in a class with Freddy Moran- many of her quilts have Marimekko backs. Heavier fabrics have a lovely drape, wash well, and the wider width is handy. Also, many of the home dec fabrics have a very pleasing overall pattern, and a quilt back is a nice way to show it off.

9. Christine Bolin responds:
   Posted: August 21st, 2008 at 6:32 am →

   I agree with everyone. She makes beautiful fabric and great ideas.

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