LIVE STARTING TODAY!! You're invited to check it out as Alex and I talk about my history as a fabric designer, important quilts, SKY Ombre fabrics, how they are designed, printed and used, which includes a free download of SKY STAR OMBRE PILLOW. Plus a peek in my studio. Special guests also include the fabulous  JULIE SILBER and JOE CUNNINGHAM.
First I'd like to share the behind scenes....There is a bumpy, circuitous story behind the planning and filming of my appearance on The Quilt Show #2706 which begins airing TODAY! Sept 6th 2020. A year ago I was getting ready to launch my new book, Ombre Quilts and SKY ombre fabrics was in Kaufman’s warehouse getting ready to ship to stores worldwide, Alex had let me know that my new stuff would be fun to share with her group. Normal stuff: Book highlights, Taping The Quilt Show in Colorado per usual, getting in touch with production team, figure out the project etc...

Our story gets interesting a few months later at the creative Craft Napa event, Jan 2020 when Alex and I spontaneously whisked ourselves to the middle of downtown Napa, squeezed into a crowded sushi bar, and luckily found an open cocktail table, wedged in between chatty diners. Even luckier to score two odd chairs, just happy to plunk ourselves down and absorb the vibrant surroundings: We were famished and ready to Join in!  Like a couple of  chatty Kathys, we were off and running about lots of industry news, what we were excited about, classes we were teaching and taking.  Just happy to catch up....We have been friends for years- but you know how busy we all get and I have just come to accept it’s impossible to keep up with all, so an evening out, just the two of us, is a very special treat! I bet you didn’t know Alex had hosted a baby shower for me back in 1998 when my first born was an infant! That was a lifetime ago~ Look how young we were! Hahahahaha. 

The Quilt Show production usually happens in Colorado, was now moving and there were LOTS OF UNKNOWNS. The way they worked and crew she and Ricky had to rely on was changing and would I be willing to be the first filming ginuea pig so to speak. “Sure” I said, we are all in this together!  Let’s continue... End of January, we were at Quilt Con in Austin and we planned that my filming was scheduled to be in March with an audience or potentially a field piece in Texas, the new location! “I’ll roll with it. Whatever you guys want to do. Just let me know when and where to fly into!” Famous last words! ​

Then end of January arrived and my husband and I got really sick. For over a week with dry cough, fever and we felt like zombies. We hadn’t been this sick in years. Then we finally got better. Was it the flight? Was it the big show? The running narrative was that maybe we got COVID 19 while at Quilt Con??? We seriously didn’t think we had....but today I wonder.Our doctors don't recommend getting tested as it's completely unreliable. Anyway, filming was delayed and not just because we had been sick but the CDC information coming daily was serious and this pandemic was in the USA. Scientists and doctors giving us daily reports of the situation and NYC was a terrible mess. The Quilt Show could not film now and talk of May/June was on the table...Then it creeped into July...Stay tuned was the best we all could do. AND we did. 

So in the end, it went smoothly, and yes, Alex has hosted a SAFE HOUSE PARTY in which you all are invited. Plus I offer a free pattern through both mine and The Quilt Show’s website that makes a super easy sawtooth star pillow with just one half yard of my ombre fabric. SO I hope you get a chance to watch and tune in. If you are not a member, I'll have the link which I am posting on Sept 13 and it’s live for just one week for free watching for my mailing list peeps, compliments of Alex and Ricky.

So amidst this terrible pandemic, lots of moving parts were happening with the excellent people of The Quilt Show and I are so proud to be a part of this historic time when Alex and friends are doing their best to keep upbeat, creative and sharing with all of you. Freddie Moran and Sujata Shaw is a favorite show too, a must watch and showed the one before me. 

So if you like what you see, stop by my website and pick up a bundle of 6 fabrics to make the Modern Madras Table Runner I talk about, a signed book or any other treats we have. Hope you are all staying safe. California is still burning although many blazes are under control, one began last night called THE CREEK FIRE and it's already burned 40,000 acres and as I write this, we are at our cabin in Tahoe and the sky outside is an eerie brown. A colorway I definitely do not get inspired by. Keep your loved ones close. 
Keep on making!
​with love,

Hi All! You know how much I love SHIMMER with its pearlescent print on top of gorgeous, hand drawn designs. I am so thrilled to be introducing my SIXTH Shimmer Collection with Robert Kaufman! 26 vibrant, sophisticated 100% premium cotton prints produced in Japan. I complied my photos and files of inspiration for months, revisiting and curating the best ones tucked in a special folder labeled SPRING SHIMMER 2020 long before we actually got here. I begin at least a year in advance and the collection evolves and projects are dreamed up to the last minute! Drawing, painting, pitching colors, creating mood boards to solidify my visual dreams of which I love to share with you. So here it is, I hope you love it.

Official releases are when RKC account managers can finally show the world a new collection yet it feels like forever until it gets to the makers! SPRING SHIMMER ships worldwide November 2020 so be sure to ask your favorite shop to stock up for you! We have put together a fabulous LookBook featuring 8 projects all with patterns from myself, Noodlehead, Then Came June, Assembly Line, Rachel Rossi and Hello Stitch! Great stuff I think you'll love. I will be rolling out the projects over the next few months so not to overwhelm in one blog post! Plus I've selected 20 essex and yummy basics that coordinate with the prints. More eye candy below.

Keep making everyone! On somedays its the only thing that really fills me up, to get lost in the beauty of color, fabric and creating. It feels so good. Busy hands quiet the mind. 
Sending blessings and love to all. See you again soon!
​xo

Us makers tend to do pretty well hunkered down in our nests as we feather our surroundings, creating heart felt textiles to express ourselves and give to loved ones. We're used to writing TO DO lists in our creative spaces, making in isolation often, contemplating piles of fabric, reorganizing our collections, deciding what project we're gonna work on next. But after this long spell of hunkering down? What's going on for you? Some days I relish the solitude and others I feel downright awful and blue. Yesterday, I felt like a cat trapped in the dryer that keeps churning round and round on Air Fluff: Disoriented and aimless...Yup... I have Covid Brain. 

What to do?  Be in nature. Count blessings. Help others. Exercise. Stick to a project. Give to charities. Make masks. Zoom with friends and family.  I wanted to share that this Memorial Day weekend, I am donating 100% of PDF Sales to Meals on Wheels America. If there is a pattern or Ombré Quilts Book you've been holding off on, you get a double bonus. All of your dollars go directly to this great charity and you get the pattern too. A win-win! We all know the elderly need more care now than ever. 

Speaking of elderly, anyone watching Leslie Jordan on Instagram right now? I bust out laughing! A delightful southern, gay sexegenarian tickling all my funny bones with his daily quips and stories delivered in a thick Tennessee drawl. Interior decorating, nosepapers, mood boards (aka hot pics of Dylan McDermott) mama's recipes etc... I love him. Who else makes me smile? George and Eliot: Denyse Schmidt's kitties. She posts entertaining clips of their mischief making.  Her keen observations, I believe, cross into every aspect of life. To connect with a range of makers, I watch Pokey Bolton's IGTV where she has just finished her 47th day of interviewing creatives in our industry. What a gift she has given all of us, and if you can't watch it live, its on her feed. She's relaxed, inquisitive and having candid conversations with so many interesting people. This makes me happy. Enjoy the images of color, humanity and kitty beans. Keep making. Stay in touch. Take care and be kind to yourself and others 

Elephant and I is a best selling quilt/pillow pattern in which I offer an instructional YouTube video to help you make it! When I finished filming, I had this teaching sample and I thought, Let's make this into a jumbo bag and give away free instructions to fans!! I absolutely love how it looks, functions and feels. I use my new bag to haul quilts to events, it's big enough for a weekender and a catch all for just running around- Last week it was stuffed with warm clothing for 4! It's huge and can hold a ton stuff,  has sturdy handles which are hand stitched and it's comfortable to sling over the shoulder. My favorite  match stick quilting gives body, style and stability.  Below is the free bag making instructions but you need to buy the pattern to make the elephant and person. I have posted lots of detail photos to show techniques. Also go to my YouTube video for all three videos for more info on color selection, my favorite paper piecing tips and how to get that professional looking appliqué finish!

For the background strips, I used my Shimmer/Studio Stash fabrics mostly, a few beautiful prints from Karen Lewis and a variety of bright prints and solids for the woman and elephant, who wraps around to back of bag. Leather handles and suede trim are from my dad's 1970's workshop that I am up cycling. Waxed linen twine is heavy duty and I was sure to create my stitch holes with my chisel before stitching. 

​

 ELEPHANT & I JUMBO TOTE: 22.5"x 25"
 Materials:
•Elephant and I Pattern by JenniferSampou.com/C&T Publishing 
•Colorful scraps for elephant and person. See pattern for details
•12 strips of light value background fabrics 2 ½” to 8 ½” widths by 28” long. 1 1/2 yd lining fabric
•Two premade purse straps approximately 31” x 2” or make your own from thrift shop vinyl/leather belts.
•Grommets, 4 D rings or heavy floss to attach handles to bag details. Maker’s choice

-Watch YouTube Elephant and I for tutorial https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEGXP4_bQpM&t=424s
-Watch C&T YouTube for tutorials about bag making and Kraft-Tex https://www.youtube.com/user/CandTPublishing
-Expectation is maker has some experience with bag construction or see The Better Bag Maker (C&T Publishing 2014)

Make:
Layout Strips: Choose 11-12 strips cut for background fabrics. Lay out to your preference.
1. Strip Rectangle: Sew 2 ½” to 8 ½” widths by 28” long strips right sides together. Press seams open. Continue stripping until rectangle measures 46” x 26”. 
2. Follow Elephant and I pattern: Make person, elephant based on pattern instructions and YouTube tutorial. 
3. Position elephant and person to background. Place elephant and human 5” up from bottom, person’s hand 3 ½” in from right side. Back elephant foot 15” in from left side  It wraps around to back of finished bag. See photo above. 
4. Quilt Sandwich: Cut lining and batting a bit larger than the top rectangle. Baste. 
5. Matchstick Quilt: Topstitch across entire surface. Begin in the center and work outward, trim edges. 
6. French Seam: Bag Side/Bottom: Make French seams by folding wrong sides together and sew a  ¼” seam. Turn wrong sides out and sew a ½” seam to bury raw edges. Or sew right sides together along one side and bottom and finish raw seams with 1" Kraft-Tex or leather trim. Maker's choice.  
7. Grocery Bag Bottom or Boxed Corner: With bag inside out, pinch bottom corners matching side seam to bottom center.  Measure up 3 ½’ from tip and pin at the 6 ½” width and draw a stitching line and pin. Sew from each side to center French seam. Backstitch for durability. 
8. Bag top edge: Cut or sew together a strip of up cycled leather or Kraft-Tex 45”x 1”. Fold in half and press. Fold strip over top raw edge making sure both edges of leather/Kraft-Tex are equidistance ½” from edge. Glue down or use binding clips to hold in place. Top stitch along edge, with slight over lap where strips meet.
9. Handles: Attach handles 3 ½” below top edge and approximately 5 ½” from outside edge using grommets, D rings or hand stitch with heavy duty thread. If working with heavy material such as vinyl use a heavy needle on your machine or if by hand, be sure to create your holes with leather chisel prior to stitching so threads go through layers with ease. 
 
This pattern designed and made by Jennifer Sampou is for personal use only. Please contact JenniferSampou@gmail.com if you’d like to teach to a class. Must have permission. Thank you. Visit jennifersampou.com, Instagram and @Jennifersampou YouTube for instructional content. A special thank you to Becky McCoy for sewing assistance. 

Hope you enjoy making a new version of Elephant and I. As always, part of the proceeds of this pattern are donated to Elephant Nature Park in Chiang Mal Thailand co-founded by Lek Chailert the most ethical sanctuary to visit where elephants are in their natural habitats, just being elephants: Not being ridden, doing tricks for human amusement or mishandled by mahouts. The animal kingdom is most precious and it's our job as stewards to respect, honor and protect. Above is my current book of choice, Animalkind, by Ingrid Newkirk and Gene Stone, It's really insightful and I am learning so many fascinating things- there is  so much we don't know about the amazing world of animals. Last year, my husband and I changed our diet to 90% Whole Food, Plant Based, which we now understand is the way to a sustainable future on our planet. Changing old habits takes commitment but it's been fairly easy to do together- we both grew up eating meat and raised our children on meat but the more we learn, the more we grow and understand adverse health effects, question the ethics and sustainability of eating animals. To the right, my zip bags made from recycled coke bottles and a sweet pic of a happy romp in the grass from the sanctuary.  ​Always, I send my blogs with kindness and hope you are all well and safe. Now go CREATE!