The Fox Farm Fabric Collection
The Fox Farm Fabric Collection is a new line of Fabric by Melissa Mortenson of the Polka Dot Chair for Riley Blake Designs. It features bright and vibrant prints inspired by the English Countryside!
Hi there. Welcome! It’s me, Melissa Mortenson, and today I’m excited to be introducing you to my latest fabric collection with Riley Blake, Fox Farm.
My Inspiration for the Fabric Line
A few winters ago, I spent waaaay too much time watching period British TV shows.
It was cold outside and I had no intention of going out into the cold unless absolutely necessary. Most of what I was watching was in the English countryside and I slowly became enamored with all of the gorgeous TV sets.
I loved to see the wellies lined up by the back door, the dogs curled up by the fire and the overstuffed sofas with big floral pillows. I started sketching Wellies and the idea for Fox Farm fabrics was born.
As the line evolved it moved away from the English countryside and became more “cottagey”. I added a few barns (inspired by the ones I see here in Kentucky) and a panel full of positive sayings to have in your home.
About Fox Farm Fabrics by Riley Blake Designs
I joke that all of my fabric lines are VERY loosely inspired by Disney movies, this one is a subtle nod to the Fox and the Hound. Although my kids like to point out all of the reasons WHY it’s not like the movie. But it doesn’t matter to me like I said “loosely” inspired :).
Usually, for my fabric lines, I do a PDF ‘Look book” (you can see some of the past lookbooks here). This time I thought I’d try something different and do a video lookbook. I’ve loaded it below:
Fox Farm Fabric Video Lookbook
I’ve been blogging for over 12 years and sometimes you’ve just got to try something new so you don’t go crazy!! So video it is :).
You can also find it on my YouTube channel if you prefer to watch videos that way. I’d also love for you to subscribe to the channel while you’ve over there. It’s BRAND new and doesn’t have a lot of content yet, but I’m working hard to build it up.
In addition to the video, I thought I’d share a bit about a few of the projects featured in the lookbook below.
Patterns & Projects for Fox Farm Fabrics
The June Bag
The June bag is a crossbody bag sewing pattern and one of the VERY first bags I ever designed. I think I created it in 2009?? How’s that for “vintage”? I was headed out on a trip and needed a lightweight crossbody bag. I couldn’t find anything I wanted so I decided to make one.
This bag has been one of my favorites to make over the years. It’s fat quarter friendly (with the exception of fabric straps, but you can use webbing instead), and features a big pocket on the back. I love to use the pocket to store maps when we’re out and about. You can grab the pattern HERE.
Alice Bag Backpack
I’d been wanting to make a backpack version of my Alice bag for months and finally tackled it. I’ll be adding to the instructions of the bag soon, I”ll let you know when it’s ready. But it’s really easy. You just replace the existing handles with straps for a backpack. Here you can see a shot of the back. You can grab the pattern HERE.
Let’s Stay Home Quilt
We’ve talked a lot about this quilt and will be talking even more about it this month. The Quilt Along for the quilt starts at the end of the month, and I can not wait!!!
Busy Day Tablet Case
This is a simple to sew padded case that’s just the right size to store your favorite tablet. There’s even a zipper on the back for cords, cables, pencils, or headphones. Grab the pattern HERE.
Pillows, pillows & more pillows
The line features a panel which is just the right size to cut up into pillows.
Here you can see a few I’ve made from the pillow (the panel is also great to use for pockets for bags).
I also created one of my trusty Reading Pillows using the line. This might be one of my favorite tutorials, and I’ve got a few more variations of it planned for you guys as well!
Fox Farm Dress:
The blog tour for Fox Farm is now finished and I’m so excited to share with you some of the fun projects created by other Makers using the line.
The first up is this adorable dress by That’s Sew Kari. I love the way she mixed the stripes with the Wellie print, and those photos are amazing! You can get all of the details about the dress (including pattern info) on her blog.
Farm Sweet Farm Pillow:
Bev from Flamingo Toes has been one of my favorite bloggers since like forever.
She’s now a Riley Blake fabric designer too so i get to see her at events! She created a pillow and detachable pillow sleeve with the line. Hop on over to her site for the full tutorial.
Treat Bags:
You guys all know Amy from her amazing guest tutorials. She’s created a set of treat bags from the line. They are just the right size to stuff with treats and would make amazing teacher gifts! You can get the free pattern on her blog.
Prairie Picnic Quilt:
Melanie from Hello Melly Designs used FOx Farm for one of her new quilt patterns. Do you see how she made plaid? I mean how cool is that?
You can get all the info and grab the pattern on her site.
Video Tutorials for Fox Farm Fabrics
Last February I had the privilege to fly to Austin Texas to film a set of tutorials with the Fat Quarter Shop. A few of them have already posted. You can find them over on their YouTube channel. Each one features a different Fox Farm Fabric project, so you have lots of ideas of what to make with the line! We also have a series of tutorials planned to go along with the Let’s Stay Home Quilt Along.
I hope that you guys like the fabric. When I design fabric I try to think of designs that are fun, bright and colorful. I want to bring a bit of “bright” into your life and hope that I do. I’ll be sharing more projects this Spring and Summer using the line as well!
You can find the line online, and at many local quilt shops. If your shop doesn’t have it, ask for it! It’s available wholesale from Riley Blake Designs.
There is a list of fabric stockists on THIS PAGE of my blog. If you have my fabric and want to be added, just drop me a line!
