Hello to everyone popping in from Willard (or wherever you’re popping in from)! MUSICA (sorry that the Musica doesn’t work unless you can open two screens at a time on your device. If you can, click on the link, then come back to this page while it plays) . . . Welcome to my pink kitchen!
Well, it’s not really pink. But there’s yesterday’s sunrise . . . see what it did to my kitchen . . .
You can see the reflection of the sunrise from the windows directly across from these . . . turning daffodils, walls, and Beatrix Potter People sunrise pink!
The stove was splotched in pink too . . .
Morning sun sent rays across my dishes cupboard . . . had to grab the camera! Such a nice way to start the day! 
Later on, a breeze came up from the harbor and under blue springtime skies, out went our sheets for . . .
. . . a little flight in the cool salt air . . .
And that reminded me, of a really good idea I had, of the perfect 30th Anniversary Giveaway for some lucky person . . . I thought perhaps a vintage quilt would be just the thing! The Grand Prize I mentioned in WILLARD. . .
I actually decided to do this way last summer . . . you can tell by the leaves on the trees and the green . . . to give away this quilt, the one closest to us in the picture, white with the patches of color . . . I’m not sure where I got it, I’ve had it for so long. Be sure to sign up for it at the end of this blog. I do this A. because I have lots of quilts and it’s fun to share the wealth. B. It’s the 30th Anniversary of Heart of the Home and that would never have happened without YOU ♥. And C. In honor of my dad who told me to 
Here I am in 1999, thrilled because I had just gotten my first collection of fabrics with Springs Industries. They put me on the cover of Giftware Business (which I don’t think exists anymore), wondering, in the headline, “Who the heck is this person?” So this was an unexpected thrill. I never imagined my cookbooks could lead to designing fabric (I couldn’t even imagine cookbooks!). We won a prize for our booth at the 
International Quilt Show in Houston that year.♥ My corner of their huge showroom was set up as a bedroom, furnished in white wicker, a bed (the headboard), chairs, desk, even a hope chest, and the Springs people had made everything in it from my fabric, pillow cases, duvet covers, throw pillows, dolls, dresser scarves, cushions, quilts, book covers, wall hangings, lamp shades, table toppers, you name it. At a time when so many quilting fabrics were tea stained, we stuck out, not like a sore thumb, more like a rainbow on a sunny day. I’ve always loved sewing and quilts and embroidery and every kind of needlework so designing fabric with my watercolors just seemed like a natural to me, and now they were actually letting me do it! How could it be anything but fun?!
And it was fun! After Springs Industries, I was lucky again to be approached by RJR and I designed fabrics and quilts for them for several years. The only thing about fabric designing I didn’t like was that they would print the fabric only once and after it was sold out, that was it, they didn’t make any more. You’d blink and it would be gone. Like everything you see above, all gone. So it wasn’t all roses in that respect. And it was hard to get the fabric stores to know you existed, because consistency was impossible.
See those cute little teapots? I was heartbroken when they sold out and no more were made. “Why?” I wailed . . . But, it was fun while it lasted and I did love having fabric, I loved designing.
I had so much fun piecing together quilt design ideas with paper on my living room floor.
I’ve loved quilts ever since my grandma gave me one that her mom made. That was it, I was hooked, and since then I have looked for old quilts wherever I go, antique stores, flea markets, anywhere and everywhere.
I used to quilt a little bit myself, but then I learned that I could paint quilts faster than I could sew them. So when the time came, I was thrilled to design my own fabric. I just wished it could be around longer.
But no, I was not in charge, it was all gone, no cupcakes, no blue flowers, no hearts with teacups in them, no flipping tea balls. Months of work, on the parts of so many people, only six months on the market, it was all gone.😳
The licensing business has gone topsy turvy in the last 15 years, along with many manufacturers and many fabric houses. Huge wonderful Springs Industries, for all practical purposes, doesn’t exist anymore. So I have waited, still getting letters all the time from you asking for fabric, wishing and hoping and thinking, maybe someone will find me again someday.
Gone↓
But so far I’m still waiting. And while they were not finding me, wonderful things were happening on the Internet. New ways of doing things were being invented. Even our small studio could give you free bookmarks and stationery to 
print out. We could send you patterns, via email. A new world was opening. And somewhere else, genius people were learning how to print fabric on demand. ON demand!!! Which meant a designer could put a fabric design onto their website, a customer could find it there, and get just what she needed, a quarter of a yard, 10 yards, whatever. The customer had a choice of designs that were available in no other place. And those print-on-demand sites have just been getting better and better.
And now, in case you haven’t heard of them, I’d like to introduce you to Spoonflower.com. Because all by myself, with no contract to sign and nothing standing between me and you, I can upload any fabric designs I want to this site, and you can get them there, in a magnificent almost unbelievable choice of 20 (twenty!) different fabrics. And you know what else? Not only can I do this, YOU can do it too! You can design your own fabric, and they will make it! Anyone can! Your child’s drawing could be fabric! They will send you one of their little swatch books for $1 (like the one above and below) so you can see all the different fabrics, check the quality, touch it and feel it. Too good to be true.
Not only can you provide your own designs, but you can shop Independent Designers from all over the world. And they have twill, they have organic cotton, they have silk Crepe de Chine, they have poplin, they have stretchy! You choose the fabric you like, and then you choose what weight you would like it in. You can cover chairs in their fabric! You can line picnic baskets! And you know what else? Let’s say you like a fabric so much you wish it was wallpaper. Guess what? You can have any of the fabric designs in wallpaper! AND in wrapping paper!!!! I am beside myself.
So I asked them to send me a fat quarter sample of my Martha’s Vineyard Toile in “Linen-cotton canvas” so I could check the quality, and this is what they sent. I wish you could feel it. It’s gorgeous. Digitally printed, eco friendly. You could make a bag out of it, or heavy drapes, or thick pillow covers. But you can also get this design in quilt fabric, you could make poplin jammie bottoms, it could be curtains, it could be wrapping paper. It could be wallpaper. And you can do this with any fabric on their site. All of it designer, all of it one of a kind.
My samples came fast too. Took maybe a week.
I asked for samples of my birthday fabric designs . . . and here’s what they sent. I thought it was wonderful. And this is a new design for me, it was never made! So we’ve decided to go ahead and let this fabric make its debut on Spoonflower! I see napkins, I see pillow cases, I see an apron. I see wrapping paper! I even see wallpaper used as drawer paper, polka dot drawer paper!
I’m a pros and cons person, so I really thought about it ~ the pros for doing fabric this way far outweighed the cons: Spoonflower fabric is made in America! No one can discontinue my fabric but me. I could wallpaper, make drapes, cover a chair, and make a duvet all in the same pattern. It ships internationally so my Australian and German and Japanese Girlfriends can get some if they want!♥
(Does anyone recognize those shoes on the window sill in my sewing room! Agnes!)
The other thing is that Spoonflower isn’t my business. They will sell my designs, but Spoonflower is responsible for the business side, not me. They take care of the customers, answer questions and are responsible for quality control. Once I upload the designs, they take over. And they carry so many choices of fabrics, they even have patterns you can buy that come with the pieces all cut out for sewing. And believe it or not, there is no minimum order! The Pros go on all day. I think they offer an amazing service. And they started their business the same way I started mine, at their dining room table. So I get to support a small business.
My wheels keep turning . . . I can have a line of Baby fabric again! My Teds! Lamb wallpaper! Lamb wrapping paper! Lamb curtains!
There is only one con that I can see, better known as a drawback . . . but even that has a pro side. It’s the price. Print on demand and “made in America” doesn’t come cheap. And their fabric isn’t available anywhere else! But prices aren’t really as bad as you might think, especially for the heavier weight fabrics ~ compared to other designer prices, it’s 
affordable. And the bright side of this “con” is that Spoonflower does not compete with all the wonderful little quilt stores that we love and want to stay around forever, because for all of this amazing service, they really can’t compete with quilt-store prices. The good side of that is that the shops don’t carry Spoonflower fabrics, and Spoonflower doesn’t carry the shop’s fabrics. They are the same yet entirely different.♥
And you can make a lot of pretty things with just a little bit of fabric. You can edge pillowcases, and make tiny quilt squares . . .
You can have sweet little appliquéd dish towels with way less than a quarter of a yard.
You can appliqué cupcakes for almost nothing. You can line a bread basket or make a window valance, or a scarf (because they also have 100% silk). You can cover boxes or line your shelves in the peel and stick wallpaper. You can use the wrapping paper as scrapbook paper. And I’m sure, with your kind of creativity, you can think of a jillion other things to do with it.
A little fabric goes a long way . . . someday I’ll design an I Love England collection. I’ve been playing with paper ever since I learned about this. I love the birds, that will be next.
Gone, but not forgotten. ↓
Just so you know, this is not paid advertising, or even unpaid . . . I have never spoken to anyone at Spoonflower, we’re not connected in any way. They don’t know me from Adam. I just like them and knew that if you didn’t already know about them, you would want to. You can follow them on Twitter, along with their 33,000 other followers, of which I am one, at @spoonflower. So NOW:
As of today, we’ve put up three collections, 15 designs, HERE. And we’re just beginning . . . The first is called “They Say It’s Your Birthday” ~ the second is the “Martha’s Vineyard Watercolor Collection” ~ and, lastly, just in time for the think-
ahead people, our “Christmas Watercolor Collection.” And we will just keep adding on . . . we’d love to hear what you want, you want the big Santa face that looks like Joe? No problem! We will always do our best. Slowly, over time, when we are not crazy with new books or on the road traveling the country, we will add more collections and build up a nice little store where the fabric designs stay up forever and ever and ever. Ahhh, the Internet, how I love thee, let me count the ways.
And here are a few more reasons to love the Internet ↑ Giveaways! And we can connect in a way we never could before. This back and forth we have together is just amazing.♥ When I was in my twenties, I had to have my wisdom teeth pulled, and they gave me some sort of knock-out drug. While they were waiting for it to go into full effect, I started talking to my mom in a drugged-up-loony-bin-way about how someday, la-la-la . . . I wanted to have a knitting store, la-la-la, Mommy, where all my girlfriends could come and we could sit around and knit and embroider and drink tea from a tea pot and watch soap operas and teach each other things. The idyllic world. And guess what? If you count Downton Abbey as a soap opera, which I do, I got my dream! Pretty darn close, anyway!
So Girlfriends, Happy my Anniversary! Please be sure to leave a comment at the end of this blog. Just any little comment will enter you in the drawing . . . there will be three winners, three names drawn in a week or so, each getting a set of books (the trilogy) PLUS a well-used paintbrush, a pencil stub, a blotter bookmark, and a seed package from my own driveway . . . And then, ONE MORE name will be drawn, for the Grand Prize . . .
This gorgeous old quilt ~ and of course, a package of wisteria seeds. Because I know you. ♥ Happy Almost Mother’s Day! ♥ See you at the bookstores! ♥ Lots to look forward to in 2016!
Dig and be dug Girlfriends! Wob you!
I can’t wait to order your quilt fabrics again!! Thank you!
I just finished your new book and loved it!!! Makes me want to visit Martha’s Vineyard and write a book!! You’re so right! Everything happens in God’s perfect timing! Hope to see you in Asheville, NC this summer!
Love vintage quilts! Love your blog!
So excited for you to come to Salt Lake next month! My friend and I are literally counting down the days.
What a wonderful 30th anniversary present for us. Loved the post 🎈♥️🎉. Poor Vanna, she will have a hard time getting her tiny hand in to pull out the winners names.
Praying, for all our sakes, it doesn’t ruin her manicure, or heaven forbid, if she breaks a nail! 😜
Dear Susan, I just ordered your book, “Isle of Dreams” last Wednesday and it was in my mailbox when I arrived home yesterday! I was so excited. Kudos to you and your staff for getting them to us quickly! I have been trying to read bits and pieces since it arrived but seeing they are paying me to teach I have not been able to do it justice! I will definitely be setting myself in a comfy spot when I get home!
Hi Susan, Your new book was wonderful! Just as great if not better than the first two! Excited for all your upcoming events! Thank you for this aweseome giveaway ♥♥♥
Hello Susan,
Would you believe that it has been snowing here in southern Vermont all morning and all my daffodils are bending their heads down but things are warming up and soon those beautiful Spring flowers will brighten our landscape again. What a perfect time to sit down and read your wonderful Willard letter and this blog with a cup of tea!
Susan, you have given all of us such joyous news about all that you have been doing and you must be so excited with everything that is happening to, and for you! Congratulations!!! I have your new book and am saving it for when I can sit down and truly enjoy it. Am sure it is very special as were your other two books!! Happy book touring – it was great meeting you in Lake Winnipesaukee a few summers ago!!
Michele/Woodstock, Vt.
through my name in the hat to win!!!! I love your blog, Susan!
Susan, is there anything you can’t do? I see a quilt or pillows in my future if I can get my mom to agree to a new sewing project! And I am hoping your next trip to England results in another new book😊. Always love your blog and the new Willard. Happy Spring!
I can’t find my way out of a hotel room. I go to the door of our room, look at that hall that looks exactly the same in both directions, and instantly turn the wrong way. Always. So much so, it’s gotten dependable, so now when I think, “Go right” I immediately go left, because now I know that what I think is the opposite of what it should be. I get lost in Malls too. Thank Goodness for cell phones and Joe. Thank you Kelly!! xoxo
Susan,
Had to laugh because I do the same thing. I even turn the wrong direction coming out of a public restroom. My husband gets a laugh out of it.🙂
Jan
I love your quilts and fabrics! I’ve just started quilting again myself and hope to start a story quilt soon. Love the teapots and cupcake prints!
Hope to see you at the book signing at Titcomb’s Bookstore-my favorite bookstore on the Cape.
I love to read your Blog, I can imagine myself on your Island, feeling the breeze, smelling the smells, sitting in your kitchen watching the dawn and seeing the birds on the feeders, all too soon I have finished reading and here I am at my desk, waiting for the next time.
So sweet Ann, thank you!
My sentiments exactly!
We are bosom buddies! I feel like you know what’s going on in my head!
I really loved seeing (a picture is worth 1,000 words – sometimes…) and reading about these wonderful fabrics! It was such a nice surprise 🙂
Thank you for sharing your creativity in so many fun ways.
I am attending the book signing in Plainville on Saturday with my friend Jane, and we are so excited to some with our hot-off-the-press books!
I love England…and I love Susan Branch. This posting was just the right amount of grace that I needed today. Thank you!
Sending spring time blessings,
Bethie
Another give-away! What fun! The quilt is beautiful and I have been looking at your lovely fabrics. Dreaming of these fabrics before I fall asleep at night is so much fun.
This is amazing! I am so excited about your fabric!!!! I’m heading over now for a look see!
The courage it must have taken to share the ups and downs of your life, I SO appreciate you & your story, thank you for sharing it with the world in two beautiful, thoughtful books I could barely put down. And when I did, I’d have to take a moment to sink into the feelings that arose in me. So many of us shared the rules, traditions, expectations of that era. The topsy-turvy relationship joys & sorrow – life disappointments and heartbreak. I’m so happy for your happy ending. Ok, now for my suggestion for who to play you in your upcoming movie or series…drumroll….Rose Byrne! She’d be perfect and she is such a great actress. If I were a casting agent, it would be set in stone!
Thanks again for sharing even more of your life. You are such a light.
She’s dark haired, looks good with bangs! You are so right Julie, she’d be perfect! xoxo
Everything you write makes me Happy!!
Thanks for sharing!
Love your artwork! Thank you for your fun blog! Julie from Paso Robles, CA 😉
I love reading your e-mail blog every week. A Fine Romance is one of my very favorite books. I have family who live in the Cotswalds in England. I have had so many memorable trips to visit my son and his family.
Dana Boyd
Wow! What a milestone! Congratulations. You continue to create, write, draw and share generously with all of us. I have enjoyed you for your very first book to this blog…and I hope that it continues for a very long time. Thank you!
Thank you for being an inspiration. I’ll see you in Georgia on June 25!
Thinking of you and Joe as you prepare to embark on your cross country journey and wishing you both happy adventures! Your designs at Spoonflower are wonderful, and it’s so great to have them available as paper as well as fabric. I especially love the toile of my most favorite-est place to call home in the whole world. (Even if today on the island was only a beautiful day if you’re a duck.) The quilt is beautiful.. Whoever wins it will be one lucky ducky no matter what the weather!
Hello Susan! I loved the new Willard, most especially the sun-blotched photos in the kitchen. There’s something so invigorating about bathing in the glow of that kind of light ~ just makes your whole day! My friend, I can’t tell you how much I love the new book, I’m reading it again, up to the John Madden section now. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything that made me feel I was there with the author more than “Isle of Dreams.” I married practically out of H.S. (65) and didn’t experience as much of those turbulent times many of you did ~ but it sure was a confusing era, wasn’t it? I was rooting for you every step, the pathway to “Heart Of The Home” being birthed was soooo exciting to read…well, I could go on forever! Congratulations dear Susan, I’m so happy for you, praying for a safe and fun trip!
You are the special-EST! I have wanted your Martha’s Vineyard fabric since, oh, the moment I couldn’t have it!!!! I’m SO excited for all your happy bits. I’d just squeeeeze you if you were here! Happy everything, darling. xoxoxox
Thank you! I feel that squeeze! xoxox
Oh, Susan! I just finished your new book. It was so beautifully written and messed with my schedule in all kinds of (good) ways as I couldn’t put it down! What an amazing account of your heart finding its home. In sharing your experiences you’ve helped give me courage and inspiration to begin pursuing something that I’ve been excited about trying for a while. I’d kind of forgotten how important it is to believe that nothing happens without taking those first steps. You give it your all and put that hope out into the world and amazing things can happen! Thank you for your kindness, your story and all the ways you share your joy of life.
Why is it EVERYTIME I read your blog I get more and more excited to see you in CINCINNATI at the book signing!?! My daughter is coming with me and she’s so excited to meet you! (Need to get her Susan Branch book collection started!) And I can’t wait to get my hands on some fabric to start some projects. This is so exciting! ❤️❤️❤️
I’m looking forward to reading your new book, and I always love your blog posts.
Such a beautiful quilt!
I enjoyed your explanation of Spoonflower. I’ve heard that name before but didn’t know all about it. So thank you!
I’m a real quilty person and it would be wonderful to win yours! I love going to antique shops to see the quilts there. Yours that you’ve owned so long would be very special.
It’s amazing what “Print on demand” uses can be applied to printing technology. I only thought of “Print on demand” for custom machined/plastic industry products prototypes (i.e., sheet metal, plastics, precision machining, etc.). I would have never dreamed of “PRINT ON DEMAND” for applications of fabrics, wallpaper, gift wrap, etc. Totally amazing what TECHNOLOGY can produce!!!!
I’m looking forward to seeing you in Hudson, OH. It’s only ~9 days away, and I’m so thrilled to have the opportunity to meet you!! 🙂 Also, I look forward to the “Grand Drawing” for the beautiful quilt! If I’m the lucky winner, I would cherish it forever, and it would fit right in with our country home located on 49 acres! Thank you for writing your beautiful blogs!
Heartfelt thanks from an avid Susan Branch fan,
Donalee Yakubik 🙂
Yikes, 9 days, I better go pack! But first, we need to get Vanna to choose some winning names for us! See you in Hudson Donalee!
Hi Susan! Just starting reading your last book and really love it! Sent a copy to my daughter Lisa Hay in Texas and we are reading it together! I txt what page are you on? And she replies, so we go back and forth! So much fun! It’s hard to put the book down, but I do have to cook, clean and such – Darn! I feel we are kindred spirits, you and I! We are almost the same age, so I relive everything with you! Thank you for this lovely gift that we can read over and over again! Love, Gloria Groza in S. California
Fun to read with a girlfriend!!! I read Outlander with my faraway Girlfriend and we did just what your daughter and you are doing . . . it makes it twice as good!
I know someone who would love your books and seeds! The quilt is a bonus!
I was so fascinated with your fabrics and what is available now!! How exciting!! Wallpaper and other things too!! I could hardly believe I was reading it!!! I love fabrics and your designs are so darling!! Thank you!! Have a wonderful trip!!💕💕
Happy anniversary! I am blessed by your creativity, Susan. Thanks for sharing!
Many years ago, my husband and I drove up the coast from out home in Southern California to visit your adorable shop. Your blog is the next best thing!
Just lacking that reach out and touch it thing . . . but I try! xoxo
Pick me, Susan, it’s my 30th anniversary this year too! (I was born in ’86 😉 would also love to have your quilt, you have turned me on to quilts and I actually had saved that picture hoping to find one that looked similar, love the colors! Happy anniversary, your books old & new have inspired me & comforted me during a tough few years, thank you for sharing your beautiful gifts <3
Happy 30th Anniversary Kristen, or maybe better said, Happy Birthday! Thank you!
Forever Fan! See you in Pasadena. I am going to bring a quilt made with your fabric that I finally got around to finishing!!
Love that Janet!
Hi Susan,
This is your fan from Israel. I love reading your blog and the fabrics are fantastic. Hope you’ll continue for many years to come….
Hi Ruth! So nice to hear from you. Thank you!
I love the Williard! So beautifully designed, just like your books, blog – and everything you do.
Thank you for the eye candy…those luscious fabrics!
I love morning sunlight, too. There is something about it that’s so very hopeful, a whole day full of promise.
3,160 – what a good round number for my entry into the giveaway. I love quilts but don’t have many left, as I’ve given away all my family made ones to my daughter and granddaughter. I’d love a new one to cozy under on cool spring and fall mornings, for winter mornings when I sit on the sofa with my cat and hold my hot cup of tea close. I love your fabric and hope there will be other choices, more flowers, more water colors, more ocean and island sun and sky colors.
Hi Susan!
Please, please, please bring back the Santa face that looks like Joe. = ) I have been dreaming about making something with that happy Santa face for sometime.
xoxox
I will work on that Alex!
Your blog, your creativity, your art, your joy, your everything – you make me happy!
XOXO Thank you Connie!
I almost have no words for all this wonderfulness! 🙂 Thank you Susan Branch!
Thank you back Jennifer!
Agnes. (Little heart here). My sweet great Aunt’s name who hung her washing on the line and made pink applesauce. Finished your new book. Loved it. LOVED IT! Love the fabrics. Happy Anniversary as well. Thank you for the sweet joy sharing gifts you pour out on the world. Happy Hearts!
Thank you so much Kristin!!
Beautiful! I hope I’m not too late for the drawing! 🙂
Right on time Tammy!
Love that your fabrics will be available again! Hope I’m not too late for the drawing!
Not too late Loretta!
Love you and your books – just finished your latest, and enjoyed it SO much.
My daughter and I are quilters, and I’m so excited about your fabrics
on Spoonflower!
Thank you so much Pam!
Dearest Susan you are the role model that shows us gals that we need to fellow our heart & persevere on our passions that make us tick…..no matter our age…no matter others thoughts…and to keep moving forward to live the type of life that feels right…Reading your books, blogs, tweets….is like sitting down with a best friend, through your writings from the heart your words give us the courage to follow ours. That strong women don’t need to be brash, we can embrace our softer, creative, homebody side…& surround ourselves with the things that reflect that. That life is a adventure & to work at making our dreams come true, & do the things that make us HAPPY!!!And I have to add that I love seeing your photos of your home, garden/yards & especially your clothesline…I too am a hanging it out to dry gal…when the weather & temps cooperate. Thank you for being a inspiration!
Thank YOU for the lovely words Cynde!!! Just so nice. ❤️
Wow, what a post plus a new Willard. I so enjoy everything that you do and am very inspired to keep dreaming but not only to dream but to begin pursuing those dreams. Thank you for your inspiring work! Also, the Spoonflower fabric is fantastic. I am a cloth collector. I don’t really have to make anything out of it, but just enjoy having a little bit of fabric folded just to enjoy. Now I can have the Martha Vineyard Toile – yippee!!!!! Please include me in your drawing.
-Donna
Count yourself in Donna!
Hi Susan,
I’m such a fan of yours! My niece is Sheri Honeycutt and I love you both!!
Well, I adore Sheri too! So nice to meet you Bonnie!
Hi Bonnie,
Just wanted to tell you I think Sherri is the absolute tops!!!
Group love xoxo
Hello again! I left a comment a couple of days ago but forgot to ask you about a fabric. I think you had a fabric out in 2007 that had pictures of coconut layer cakes, blueberry pies, pitchers of lemonade and watermelon etc. Do you have any plans of making that fabric again? It would be perfect for some projects I have in mind. Also I was wondering if there will be more of the charms for sale. So many are sold out : ( Thank you and have a wonderful day!
I’ll get that one onto Spoonflower as soon as possible, thank you for asking Sheree! Charms coming!
I can hardly wait to get some of your delightful fabrics!!! Beautiful. I have a dream of some day getting to Martha’s Vinyard!!! But right now, I enjoy through your eyes’ Thanks.
Susan, I love reading you… I wish you and your husband a wonderful trip around the country.
Best wishes from BLED, SLOVENIJA…small, green, magical country from Europe.
How I love hearing from you Martina! Thank you!
Oh this is so exciting to hear! When your fabrics have come out in the past, I have had pretty good luck finding them, but I knew like you said that once they were gone they’re gone, so that meant I would buy yards at a time, not knowing what I wanted to do with it (yet), but just that I needed to get as much as I could, so I wouldn’t run out on a project. And believe me your fabric did not stay in shops long. 🙂 Being able to order what you need when you need it will be great!
My one (but I have many) request for a pattern would be your “heart flowers”. I would love to have that pattern on some silk for a scarf! Wouldn’t that be pretty?
It would be! We’ll do it!
Yay!! Have a great trip! Relax and enjoy.
Hello Susan!
I have given your books to so many of my friends and relatives-we just love your writing and artwork. A few of us will be joining you in St Charles, Mo! Can’t wait to meet you in person! I recently received a notice from The Royal Mint that they are issuing Beatrix Potter/Peter Rabbit commemorative coins. I just received my first 2 of 5 coins. They are a 50p coin and maybe you can collect them while in the UK! Best Wishes on your travels ! Oh! I wouldn’t mind winning a beautiful quilt!
What a wonderful elf you are Sweet Sue! Wob you too!! LOVE the new fabrics!
I LOVE quilts!! I have a couple that my grandmother made, one in a fan pattern that she made just for me! And seeing your fabrics makes me wish I could sew! Lol. I can do enough to get by, just never been great at it. Been thinking I might take a class or something…I took home economic classes in Jr. High – remember those?!? I think they need to bring them back – for everyone! Not just the girls.
I am so excited about being able to buy your fabric, wahoo!
what a beautiful entry. I just love to look at fabrics and quilts!
After reading Isle of Dreams, I can see why you call Heart of the Home your
first baby. The book was created with so much love, sacrifice, patience, time, sweat, tears and finally, joy, after finding a publisher midwife to bring your
baby into the world. I appreciate my 2 copies (a 5th and 16th printing) all the more now and I look forward to having the revised edition.
Your book Isle of Dreams is an engaging and inspirational masterpiece of a story
you absolutely had to share with the world. You kindly delivered total satisfaction
at the end like a luscious dessert after a wonderful homemade meal. xxoo
thank you, Susan
How kind and lovely of you to say that . . . you have just made a red letter day even redder! Thank you Barbara!
I can hardly sew a button but I loved looking at your fabrics. I always feel so peaceful when I read your blog & Willard too. Love the books also. Thank you Susan for the calm you send into my life! BTW, my wonderful daughter is named Susan too. I’ve always liked that name.
The fabric and gift wrap are very nice. Would love to win the quilt!
What a pretty cozy surprise to look at your blog! Fabulous ideas. Now on to checking out Spoonflower!
I’ve been a fan ever since your first book was published. You have always made me feel at home with your words and art when at times I struggled to feel cozy in my own space. Thank you!
Dear Susan thank you for the cheery blogs. I look forward to reading them. I only wish that you were making a stop in South Florida.
Safe travels.
Hi Susan!
Well definitely Happy Anniversay to you! I hope you are continuing to celebrate. Luv your blog posts, this one reminded me of my wedding gift from from grandparents ( lovely handmade quilt) which we have used, enjoyed, and will pass on to our children. Hope I can take a quilting class and make a couple more in the near future, hope, hope, wish, wish….
Can’t wait to see your new fabrics and papers also. I have a few craft ideas. Your books are on my wish list…..Mother’s Day. Have a fabulous week with safe travels! XX
Thank you so much Joyce!
Enjoy the trip across country! Just wanted to let you know that my BF Linda and I have all of your books and have been your fans since the beginning. We were talking on the phone (she lives in northern California) and I live in southern California (for the next two months-then moving to Massachusetts) and we were discussing you and the new book. She had just been talking about you with a walking buddy. You are making the girlfriend rounds! 🙂 Happy travels!
Oh, I love that Teresa, thank you!
What perfect timing! I just got a new sewing machine and could not believe my eyes when I opened your blog and found this about your fabrics! I love everything Susan Branch and can’t wait to check out Spoonflower and get some of your fabrics. My mom was a quilter and I think this may be just what I need to get started. Thank you so much for all the joy and inspiration you bring to our lives!
Love your new fabrics!!
I was so happy to see where you are offering the Martha’s Vineyard Isle of Dreams charm again. I just ordered it! I have the Fairy Tale Girl charm…..Just lacking A Fine Romance charm to complete the set. I am really hoping you offer those again. I have read the first two books and am on Isle of Dreams now. It is fantastic!! Looking forward to meeting you in July at the Brewster Library. My husband and I will be celebrating our wedding anniversary while we are on Cape Cod. Timing worked out great! Safe travels as you make your way across the United States.
Perfect! I’ll see you there! And yes, we do try to keep the dream charms in, but sometimes the manufacturer has issues with delivery as promised. So patience becomes the name of the game! Thank you Lisa!
I so enjoyed reading and looking at your blog!
I’m going to read and look again!
I have all your books, two of some in different rooms, so more handy.
Safe travels. Such a neat lady you are, neat and unique ~~~
Thank you Linda, and thank you for being here!
Wow!
I would love to read your books! And all those fabrics look so lovely!
I feel a kindred spirit with you. I can sit for hours pouring over my books or imagine what I could create with any number of treasures. Thank you for being so special.
I am meeting my BFF in Moro Bay for your book signing! She lives in Idaho and I live in California so we don’t get to see each other very often. This will be so much fun!
I love Martha’s Vineyard and your blog helps remind me of my visit there. I do have an old friend that lives on the island, perhaps you know him, Rick Karney. Looking forward to seeing you in New Hope, PA on May 3rd.
Love the fabrics, but i really don’t need more, I really don’t need more, I really don’t need more, I really don’t need more……but so cute for birthday pillowcases, oh, and napkins, small doll quilts, table cloths. Mmmmmmm…
I know, we don’t need more! xoxo
Love the fabrics. Cute for all sorts of projects. Still thinking of fun sewing projects with the grand daughters.
I’ve done this 3 times and I keep getting prompt to do it again. Contest must be closed.
I have no power over the gremlins that must be living inside this blog, I’m so sorry about the prompts. But yes, that last post, we announced the winners. But there will be more drawings down the road . . . xoxo
Susan and Joe,
Wishing you safe travels and a wonderful adventure. I hope to see you in NJ, (pretty soon).
Susan,
Thank you for all you share…it really spreads joy in the everyday wonders. Your story with all the ups and downs, twists and turns made me realize real life stories really are the most interesting.
Take care and all the best
They truly are! I’ve always loved finding out how other people made it through the ups and downs . . . Thank you Hillaire!
Love the fabric and the new charms. Have a wonderful trip!
I received my book this week and I am so excited. But I work this week-end so I am saving it for next week when things will be quiet and I can read, inhale, and absorb every written word and every beautiful picture you have so lovingly inserted in your book. Safe travels for you and Joe on your wonderful, exciting trip.
Thank you Susie and Happy Reading!
I love to leave comments because then you know I’m reading your writings and looking at your paintings and photos! I have two quilts that my grandmother quilted with the ladies of Sts. Peter & Paul Catholic church in Pulaskifield, Mo. in the 1930’s! They are my treasures. All quilts are treasures. I hand quilted with my mother when I retired in 1990. Best times ever. These were tops she pieced when my sister and I were little and she was a stay-at-home mom. When I touch them I am touching her!
So sweet Linda! xoxo
How exciting Susan! I’m looking forward to finding your lovely designs in fabric.
Loved reading “A Fine Romance”. You are a fantastic writer! Can’t wait to read your newest book soon! Have a safe trip.
I love your sunrise pink kitchen! Especially how the light falls on your Beatrix Potter friends. My aunt just gave me the statue of Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail for my 35th birthday. A few years back she gave me Jemima Puddleduck. My collection is slowly, but surely growing!
That is too cute . . . your aunt must be a sweetie!
Dear Susan,
I’m hoping to get to one of your book tour stops in Calif. I’ve almost finished with M.V. Isle of Dreams — dragging it out to make it last! I am so happy you’re going to get to put out your fabrics again. So many love your art and finding new ways to share it with others is part of the fun. All the best on your coming adventures! Looking forward to you packing the girlfriends along for your next trip across the pond. 🙂
We will be doing that! xoxo
Susan, I love your books and I love your fabric designs. I have to confess, I am not a sewing or craft person. I broke the needle on a sewing machine in seventh grade home ec, so I think that scarred me for life!
I am thrilled to see your fabric designs can also be bought as gift wrap as I am quite good at wrapping presents!
Yes, well, needle breaking is so scary!!!! You just know it could lodge in your heart even when it doesn’t! Yay for gift wrap! 🙂
Once again, as I am reading your newest book, you post two amazing blog posts. I look so forward to it all. My husband is beginning to read your books too. He knows how inspired I have been with your ideas, recipes and way of life. Thank you.
Nice to hear that! Tell him I said hello!
Oh Susan,
So awesome…Willard and this Blog…as you are…We share Birthdays, as I told you before…so Happy Happy again…I cannot wait to hear about your Transatlantic Cruise…love to say that… on one of THE QUEENS..work the Cruise Ships here at the Ports, such a fun job…the 2 Queens come in once a year, Victoria and Elisabeth…you know which port…across the Bridge where Mom used to live…in So. Cal….may see you in Pasadena…so much to read and lovely…I may have missed the Drawing…xoCarol O in so.cal with Red Toile gravy
Under the bridge we go . . . it’s so exciting! xoxo Oh yes, old friend Carol with the red toile gravy boat! XOXO
Just want you to know that your new book is helping me move. Moving isn’t fun but your enthusiasm in building your new life, back when, is helping me to be a bit more focused now. Thanks, as always.
Home, you get the joy of making one all over again. And the work, sweat and tears! 🙂
I am so excited to learn that your fabric designs are available from Spoonflower. I discovered them a couple of months ago and ordered a yard of a
William Morris design. I was soooo pleased with the quality, the fabric is beautiful. Thank you for making your designs available, I love them.
I thought it was wonderful too! So impressed with them!
Susan,
Just love your Blog. So happy to see one in my IN box this week!! They always make me smile and daydream about Cape Cod trips I’ve taken. A beautiful place!
Love your art…and you are a wonderful wordsmith! 🙂
Thank you so much Cathy!
So many ideas, so little time… My little brain is spinning all day long keeping my hands busy. SB fabric again! Now I have even more to think about creating.
I just finished “Isle of Dreams” (my family pre-ordered it from your website for Mother’s Day and I made them give it to me early) and I have to admit, I’m sad to reach the end. I guess I’ll have to start over again and re-read “A Fine Romance.” How about another volume? Chapter One: Sue falls in love with Joe. Chapter Two: Sue is working on more cookbooks. Chapter Three: Sue and Joe move to dream house for two. Chapter Four: Sue and Joe renovate dream house. Etc. etc. etc.
Hmmmm. Like it!
Susan, Thank you so much for all your inspiration! I’ve been reading your books and blog for a very long time and they bring so much love into my heart and home. Happy Mothers Day to you as well
Thank you Sarah!
Dear Susan,
Yesterday’s book signing in Madison, CT was awesome! It was such a pleasure to meet you, to see Joe and to listen as you answered questions from the audience. My husband and I enjoyed every moment. You are a true gem and I have adored you ever since you appeared in Country Living Magazine I think in 2007. I have been making Harvest Moon Cocktails ever since! Then when you appeared in Romantic Homes Magazine (one of my all-time favorites) I was totally hooked. Thank you for your inspiration, your kindness and just being you!
I had the BEST time with all of you. It was just wonderful. I don’t know how I got so lucky. Thank you for being there Donna!
Susan, I love you, your spirit, and artwork. Your make my work days go by much faster when I hop on your website for a short “mental” break! Thank you for inspiring my creative side! Your humor is great.
You make me think I can actually paint, cook, quilt, scrapbook, and journal all in the same day…..but then I remember I’m still at work! 😉
LOL, yes, must get home first! 😃
Your energy and sweetness is infectious! The best kind! So glad you can keep designing fabrics and your fans can be happy once again!
Lucky to have the amazing Internet to make it all possible! Thank you Jayne!
I’m just now getting caught up on my Susan posts because I dislike having to hurry through any of them. And always, fresh inspiration! This summer will be the first in her twenty-six years that my precious daughter will spend as a young wife in their newlywed apartment (she and my wonderful son-in-law married at a nearby beautiful, old mill in late October!) Hannah and I had such a fun, rich world together, as it was just the two of us for nearly all of her life, and though she’s only an hour away at the most, it can still pack a wallop, and when it does motivation can just sink (though I would never throw this on her — moms are supposed to raise independent daughters with a solid foundation for their own lives!). So with Hannah’s encouragement and consent, I’m turning her old bedroom (the master one, of course!) into my sewing room; fresh look for a new start! The lighting is much better, and of course it’s bigger than the one I had. Which, btw, was unexpectedly taken over by big dog crates for two equally unexpected adoptees for when they are in the house — and “their room” complete with toys, dog couch, and Things They Can’t Chew on hardwood floors, is gated off from my decidedly ONLY boy of nearly ten years, Linus. Who knew? At any rate, this was a great post to boost motivation, especially as my two months of summer break are approaching quickly 🙂 🙂 And as mom is still storing so much of what doesn’t fit into a small apartment and teeny kitchen (plus all the childhood things she or I want to keep), it still has many touches of Hannah. So thanks for sharing all the fun, fabric, ideas, and great new website (liked on Facebook!). It truly helps. The downside is….the purple and lime walls of teenagehood will have to wait until later to paint. Thank goodness I’m used to them :-O And as all pet owners well know — praise be for the Dyson or your vacuum of choice. I know you and your siblings make sure your mom knows she’s loved every day, but please tell her thank-you, on behalf of your online girlfriends, for the daughter she raised who gives back so much of what she learned as the oldest of eight: A love of sewing, knitting, cooking, creating, and the confidence to just take a chance and follow your dreams 🙂 I will make my mom her favorite cherry scones, and asked Hannah if, instead of going out or her driving to visit me, I could bring tea to her. Among the things I store are her Wedgewood Peter Rabbit dishes and tea set, which my mom started collecting for her when she was very young and Wedgewood was still made in England. It will be careful packing, but so much fun!
Family life in a nutshell. Loving it dear Frances. Thank you xoxoxo.