Maybe no one else noticed, but I took a break from designing fabric last year. A baby/toddler in your life can do that. But by fall, I was starting to feel a strong desire to sketch and design again, and it was really wonderful. I forget sometimes with everything else going on how much I love that. Anyway, those designs resulted in my next line of fabric for Cloud9 Fabrics, Sidewalk, which previewed at spring Quilt Market a couple weeks ago. I’m excited to introduce it to you!

Most exciting for me is the fact that Sidewalk will be printed on organic interlock knit! I’ve long been fan of sewing with knits; you may remember that I ran a couple of series of posts on this blog (the KNITerviews and KNITS: Stretch Yourself!) dedicated entirely to knit sewing. It just makes sense to me to learn how to sew with knits, considering much of the clothing we wear is made with knit fabric (t-shirts, leggings, dresses, skirts) and it’s one of the most comfortable types of fabrics to wear. Here’s a few of the cute samples Jess sewed for the Sidewalk display at Quilt Market!

Made by Rae Sidewalk knits for Cloud9 Fabrics (Fall 2016)

Knits have been traditionally been difficult to find and purchase online, where you can’t predict true color or weight, most knits are solid or striped, and the types and behaviors (amount of stretch, recovery) vary widely. So I’m thrilled that Cloud9 decided to introduce interlock knits into their fabric lineup. I’m also happy that other manufacturers have been following a similar trend; the more a company prints on a predictable knit substrate, the more familiar and comfortable we as customers will feel purchasing and sewing with knits (I’m looking at you, Windham; I’d like to see more knits on the Briar Rose jersey please)!

[Just Hatched Leggings, a free pattern + tutorial from my blog!]

I first got a chance to try out the new Cloud9 knit substrate last fall (I used it for all of the samples in my Creativebug class, Sewing for Little Ones: Trace and Make Tee and Leggings) with their first house-designed line of knit solids and simple prints, and am happy to say that the weight and stretch are fantastic and they are super soft and high-quality (read: no pilling!!) to boot. I couldn’t be happier to have these designs printed with Cloud9.

Sidewalk is an ode to school days, riding the bus, and walking to school. I have fond and vivid memories from my childhood of traveling home from school, past well-manicured lawns and through woods on warm afternoons when I could take my time and day dream a bit. I think my own kids could use a little more free-range time in their day, you know? Cut grass, warm sunshine, and chasing grasshoppers. First, two prints featuring little pairs of shoes, “Fancy Steps:”

Another favorite, "Lawn Ornament." I love the recent flamingo trend. Clementine is on board with this one because it's got pink. No surprise there, right?

Here's another print that comes in two colors, "Art Class." I love the colored pencils.

A fun floral (lots of people are telling me this reminds me of the floral print from Lotus Pond!) with a dark teal background:

Some snakes and bugs! I'm always designing for my boys. I think these would make the best pajamas!!

I'm quite fond of these buses, too. Hugo is going through a strong pro-bus phase right now at age 2, so this one was drawn with him in mind.

And finally, I really wanted to bring back the most popular print from Small World, "Red Rover." This print is a bit smaller in scale than the original corduroy print from Small World, and the red is more orangey-red, and the blue has been changed to black. I think it will be great for knits! (PS Red Rover is also being printed on cotton laminate -- perfect for raincoats and beach bags -- as well!)

That’s the line, all 12 prints! Which print is your favorite? Are you excited to sew with these?

Sidewalk ships this fall, so look for it in shops in October 2016. Please help me spread the word about this line by pinning any of the images in this post! I hope you enjoyed this preview!

New fabric preview: Sidewalk!

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