Welcome To Moda Fabrics!

UnBoxed - Confection Batiks

UnBoxed - Confection Batiks

Written by: 
Kate Spain

Remember what it was like to go into a candy store and to want one of everything…in every color? Confection Batiks will indulge that impulse!

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks PreCuts

During the summers when I was a little girl, our family would visit Block Island - a small, blissful island gem off the coast of Rhode Island. Among the seaside shops that dotted the main street was a place called "Harbor Sweets", the one and only penny candy store where you could buy everything from salt water taffy to homemade chocolate fudge. I remember walking into the small space with its dark, hardwood floors, the smell of sweet sugar and walls of glass containers filled with colorful treats. I wanted one (or more) of everything! Confection Batiks is an eclectic mix of hand-carved block prints in savory candy colors of blueberry, raspberry, strawberry, mint, currant, lime and melon. This yummy collection lets you be like a kid in a candy store where you can mix and match and try every flavor!

I started designing this collection by carving some woodblocks - which I love to do. There’s something beautiful about the handmade feeling that is carried through the batik making process. Here are some of the blocks I carved. You can look for these shapes throughout the collection.

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Carved Blocks

After carving, I ink the blocks and print them to my hearts content!

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Flower Block

Sometimes in repeat, sometimes just on their own to get my creative juices flowing.

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Flower Repeat

Then it’s time to work on a palette to bring the designs to life. I have a bulletin board in my studio space where I collect and group colors that resonate with me. You can see some of that here in pinned magazine clippings.

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Inspo Wall

In the upper right, you can see that I’ve matched my palette to the closest Moda Bella Solids so you can mix in solids as you wish. I always recommend pre-washing solids for shrinkage if you’ll be incorporating them with batiks. The batiks have been already been washed during the dyeing process.

I designed a fun quilt pattern called “Harbor Sweets” to go along with this collection.

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Harbor Sweet Blues

If you like star quilts, you’ll love this one because you’ll never lose a point on your star... ever!

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Harbor Sweets Side

Harbor Sweets is a big quilt, finishing at 91" x 91".  If you want a different size, you can omit or add rows to make it whatever size you like.  My quilt was made with one Confection Batiks FQ Bundle or 36 fat quarters.  And background.  The pattern is KS2001

The Harbor Sweets pattern is also available as a PDF Download on my KD Spain website.

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Harbor Sweets PBB

If you make the quilt, use the hashtag #harborsweetsquilt so I can oooh and ahh over your creativity!

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Red White Crafty Cop

I love this pretty red-and-white version made by Jessica - she's @craftycop on Instagram.

While it’s a simple block design, the quilt can take on a totally different look depending on fabric selection and placement. The pattern includes three options with fabric requirements for each. There’s the one shown above where the blocks alternate the position of the prints, and then there are these two options:

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Harbor Sweets A

All of the stars and corner pieces are set to emphasize the print. 

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Harbor Sweets B

This simply has the placement reversed.

Some of you may follow me on Instagram - @katespain - where you may have seen that I joined a super-fun QAL using the Exploding Heart pattern designed by Laura of Slice of Pi Quilts.

I used a bunch of the blue/turquoise/teal/purple prints from Confection and mixed in a couple prints from my other batik collections.

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Exploding Hearts Fabric Picks

It’s been such a blast!  Btw, you may not know this about me, but one of my quilting superpowers is that I can assemble quilt tops in the blink of an eye. Wanna see?

(P.S. Someday I’ll make a real design wall!)

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Exploding Heart Detail

I finished sewing the quilt top together just in time to take it for a snowy walk around our neighborhood.

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Lighthouse

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Backyard

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks Gate

CT Kate Spain Confection Batiks St. Mary's

Thanks for visiting the Cutting Table today and for reading along. I hope you’ve found some treats and inspiration to take back to your sewing rooms!

In the meantime, come join me on instagram @katespain) and Kate Spain on Facebook.  I always look forward to seeing what goodies you’re working on!

Kate

Ask about Confection Batiks at your favorite quilt shop.

Posted in: 

Comments