This is the first of an 8 part series for SHIMMER COLLECTION.  January 29- April 15, 2014 Jennifer will take you on a behind the scenes tour through inspiration, design, look book,  blog hop with popular quilt bloggers, free patterns she has created for you and  giveaways.  SHIMMER FABRIC IN STORES APRIL 2014!

I have always been inspired by things that Shimmer…Found feathers, frosted leaves, rock crystals and the way the light shines over the ocean. As long as I can remember I have been collecting things that shimmer, whether it's an antique silver spoon, an abalone shell chandelier or bottle after bottle of Martha's craft glitter.  I am pretty sure that until the day I die I will be enchanted by such things. 

People and animals shimmer too. The way my family glows when sharing something they are proud of or when my girlfriend shows me her new sparkly earrings, it's not just the jewelry that shines…She shines even more. Even Albert, my cat, shimmers. Purring loudly, happy to be inside on a cold winter night. 

These images plus many more have been the inspiration behind my new collection called SHIMMER for Robert Kaufman. We are launching the fabric which will be in stores in April along with a fabulous LOOK BOOK  to inspire you and give ideas of what you can make. The LOOK BOOK is filled with patterns from top designers and new patterns I designed with Shimmer especially for quilters and sewists like you. Stay connected as the FABRIC and LOOK BOOK are coming soon! And of course, I will do some fabric giveaways, cause it's just plain fun!!

Until next time.
Create and SHIMMER, it's in our nature!

Jennifer

"Live life a little more today. Dance, sing, play and love. See the beauty in life and you will bring out the beauty from within."- unknown.

I have a friend named Shea. She's a nature girl. She loves gardening, tending her chickens, playing in the creek near her house and loves anything the color of the forest, water or sky.

So when I asked her what colors I should use for a quilt I was planning for her new updated room (She’s 10 now.... double digits are impressive!) naturally, she said, “I would like it to be greens, teals and blues”. “Good enough!” I said.

Pulling the right combination of fabrics from Studio Stash was easy as there are 17 colors that fall into that color category and I would have no problem creating a quilt that reflected her. Within a few minutes after picking up my colored pencils, I had a quick thumbnail sketch of a big zig zag quilt.

As I started laying out the fabrics, I was tempted to add a pink stripe for a bit of “pop” — after all, it’s one of my favorite colors. She squished up her face when I mentioned this...but no words, just a face followed by a darling toothy smile.

In the end, after chatting with her mom (my best friend) I decided to add just a touch of pink in the bottom right corner....Which is my way of tugging her little ear, and whispering to her, “Goodnight my child, sweet dreams” and maybe one day she will like pink too.....

You can download this pattern for FREE at PatternSpot.com or  Robert Kaufman Co.  Thank you Robert Kaufman for providing the pattern. Quilt was pieced by Debbie Slack and quilted by Jocelyn Marzan.

Jennifer Sampou is showcasing her wonderful new fabric collection, Studio Stash.
Enter to win up to 4 fat packs ($30 value each) by joining her email list (bottom of  page). Drawing ends August 31, 2013. All existing subscribers are eligible. 
Don’t worry, Jennifer doesn’t share her list with anyone else.