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!
Hi Susan,
Cannot wait to depart Michigan next month to head to Hudson, Ohio for your book signing.
And surprise….today is Willard and about quilts and the new fabrics. The friend driving me to Hudson is a passionate quilter so today’s message will be such a gift to her. I have been on a number of quilt shop field trips with her and I always gasp a bit when I enter, as the coordinated bolts of fabric are so like an artist’s palate.
Please continue with your photos of your house inside and outside, always lit up by those stunning ripples of sunshine. I love your cupboards and shelves. I am loving dishes way too much.
I am honored to be entered into your give always. Continue knowing your fan base continues to grow. I hope some day you will put together a book solely of all your quotes. I love them.
Spoonflower, huh? And I thought I came to the party too late to be fortunate enough to have any of your fabric…silly me. People and their creativity never cease to amaze. So happy you found it for us!
Grateful that I have an original Heart of the Home which I found when you first began at Port O Call’s in Rancho Palos Verdes when the store was still there. I thought you were a gem! and I still think you are a gem after all these years. Extra fun is that my niece….another generation down thinks you are a gem too! Guess who is going to get my Susan Branch collection when I head for God’s beautiful Kingdom???
Plus I made one granddaughter’s graduation quilt from carefully saved Susan Branch fabric I had hoarded for just the right project. Thank you for all your wonderful creativity:>)
Judy Tracy, Newport Beach CA
I enjoyed your new book and appreciate how you shared your personal life and dreams and struggles with us. You are a blessing and I always await your new blogs. Safe travels as you sign books…maybe I’ll make it to the signing in Austin, Tx.
First learned about you through your fabric. I do only hand quilts so I’m over the moon excited about your detour back into fabrics, and this site your sharing with us. Shhh don’t tell anyone but I still have some of your teacup fabric in my stash!! And a teacup tea party quilt, with your fabric showcased in the quilt.
Now off to stroll through Spoonflower….
What fun! I love your fabrics, or should I say you’re art, that now becomes fabric! What a great resource. Thanks for doing this and telling us about it. 🙂
your quilts are lovely!
xo,
Karen
Just received my book and can’t wait to sit down in a big chair and let the hours go by as I read and read and read some more. Thank you so much for all your Willards and missives that you post to us.
Hi Susan,
I am so excited about your fabric line on Spoonflower! I can’t wait to get my samples of fabrics so I can place an order! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!
Dear Susan:
Happy, Happy, Happy Anniversary. I love the fabric ideas, makes me think I can create anything (well…almost) I would love to pad the fabric and use it as a cover for scrapbooking (Sounds like fun, right) Have fun on the book tour, thanks for letting me enter for the quilt (: Sandy B
What a beautiful quilt! Thank you for being an elf and so willing to share it with one of your girlfriends. I can’t wait to see who wins and to checkout your collection at Spoonflower! I had not heard of them before.
Oh how exciting!! I love fabric, quilts and sewing!! I will be checking spoonflower out ASAP! If I don’t win is there a away I can get some of your wisteria seeds? They would look beautiful growing along side of my picket fence!
I’m excited about the fabric news. It is a
beautiful quilt and very generous of you.
Hope to see you when you get to the south.
Julia in SC
What cute fabrics! Makes me want to sew some curtains. ♡ the quilt too. Quilts are homemade happiness.
Have a great day!
Allison in Ontario, Canada
Hi Susan! Soooo excited to read about the new fabric!!! I seem to have developed a serious fabric addiction, have a new little sewing machine and teaching myself with a first project of pillow and quilt for our 3-yr. old granddaughter, and can’t wait to go to the Spoonflower website and just dream away!! And, about half-way through Isle Of Dreams, just loving it, thank you so much for sharing your heart with us.
Oh my gosh, I’ve been dreaming about this for years. Icould never find fabric designs I liked any where. I had designs in my head but no way to get them on fabric(I have no expertise in this area). COOL BEANS! This IS a good day. Thanks Susan!!!!
Hi Susan, I ordered two copies of your newest book for my BFF and myself. We met yesterday for lunch so that I could give it to her. We live on opposite sides of Michigan and met in the middle. We were first in line at Schuler Books in Grand Rapids, MI, where we met you a few years ago. We had a wonderful chat. I have not started my book yet, I’m savoring it!!
oh my gosh…my heart skipped a beat when i saw that fabric!!! Can’t wait to check out the site!!!!
I felt that this post was written for me! I do a lot of needlepoint (around a table with a rotating group of lovely stitchers) and try to find meaningful fabrics for the backsides of pillows/ornaments/etc. Spoonflower will be great (I scarfed up all of your MVI toile in blue a few years back because I feared it would disappear)! My mom was a quilter and also the woman who introduced me to your cookbooks (bought at Bunch of Grapes) way back when. So many connections with this particular post. Thank you!
I’m so excited about your designs at Spoonflower. Thank you for sharing! I flew through your new book last weekend and am settling in for a slow, savoring reread!
Susan,
Thanks for the great story about Spoonflower and the wonderful news about your fabric designs being offered there. So excited for all the possibilities.
Congratulations on all your wonderful achievements. I look forward to reading the books and hopefully getting my hands on some of that lovely fabric once my sewing machine has been fixed!
Wow! 30 years! My how time flies! Thank you for all the inspiration and positive messages sent via your books, your fun stickers (miss those), your blog, and I could go on and on! Thank you! Oh, and thank you for the information on Spoonflower – looking forward to a good browse! Have a lovely day!
I’ll be checking out your Christmas Watercolor Collection on Spoonflower right away. Can’t wait to see it! You always seem to know what we want, what we really, really want! 🙂
How exciting about Spoonflower and the easy access to your darling fabrics. I am so thrilled. Hope to see you in CA at the Danville bookstore.
What a very clever girl you are, Susan, to figure out how we can order your fabric. I will check out their site. Hope all the girlftiends don’t cause it to crash, lol. I love quilts especially the old pre-loved ones that are so soft. I still have my baby quilt that my Grammie made me 70 years ago. It is threadbare but that is part of its charm. My mom was a quilter, too and I have made a few myself. Happy travels to you and Joe. Now I must go and finish reading your book. It is such a good read. Hugs.
Almost Happy May Day Susan! Spring is here in Georgetown, KY. The foals and calves are born and the trees have budded. The horses are running and it’s a happy time here.
Blessings to you!
Julie G.
Susan,
Your blog is such a breath of fresh air and I always enjoy reading and soaking in the beauty and inspiration. Thanks for sharing yourself and your creativity with all of us!
Ahhhh!!! The FABRIC!!!!
Oh, my goodness. That IS a Grand Prize! Its a “major award” (Christmas Story reference) 😉 Lucky winner…its a gorgeous quilt with the sweet history of being procured and owned by you..xoxo
What a wonderful find Spoonflower is! The fabrics you already have there are darling! I hope to see many more. 🙂
Gasp! fabric fabric fabric!!! Wonderful news, Susan. I’m beyond thrilled. Also, thank you for the lovely pictures of the morning light.
Susan, I bought a slew of your fabric at a fabric store in Nipomo back in the early 2000’s. I still have a lot of it, I use it sparingly and carefully, it’s too precious to me to do otherwise. I started quilting when my daughter was born in 1977, and my fabric stash is my biggest treasure (other than that daughter perhaps).
Dearest Susan !
This is wonderful ! A dream come true ! It’s like an early Christmas present ! What a wonderful idea. thank you for all of your love and all the gifts you give us : first your new wonderful book and now these fabrics and the promise of MORE of them on the horizon !! May the river of your inspirations never dry up !! Can’t wait for the “I Love England ” fabrics to come out ! And more and more …and maybe Beatrix Potter related themes ? Her figures are all copyrighted, but what about her cottages, Herdwicks, her hat and clogs, the embroidery work on her bed curtain that she did … Hill Top,
Mother Seraphima, so nice to hear from you, thank you! xoxoxo
Love the baby fabrics!🍼🐰
What wonderful news on the fabric! I was lucky enough to get some when you sold it in your on-line store, but never made anything with it. I couldn’t bring myself to cut into it! It’s still in the sweet box it came in. Every so often I open the box and look at the fabric, and touch it, and smell it. I’m not a sewer, but I love fabric! Hmmm, wonder how that happened?? lol
Hi Susan! After finishing, Martha’s Vineyard Isle of Dreams”, I organized my bookshelf in the kitchen to show off my collection of your books. They look so nice all together. For sure I will be adding the Revised and Extended “Heart of the Home” too. I have the original but look forward to seeing what you’ve added to this new version. I’m not a “sewer” but I loved seeing your new fabrics, they’re all so pretty. I sure hope Vanna picks me to receive that beautiful quilt of yours! 🙂
Looking forward to June 8th to see you in Pasadena! Take care 🙂
You were reading my mind when you scooped up those seeds! It was all I could do not to drop a note and beg for a handful! Thanks for sharing all the goodies and happy news. Always such fun to see what you’re up to.
Have ALMOST finished the new book. I don’t want to finish it! So, I’m dragging it out, savoring each page, each thought, each heartfelt memory like a luscious piece of chocolate. I can’t wait for the new edition of your cookbook hits the streets. It will be the perfect anecdote to reading withdrawal.
Ellen
Carpinteria, CA
Have you ever been to The National Quilt Museum in Paducah, KY? Wow! Truly an eye-opener when it comes to the diverse artistry of quilt-makers!
Well I love Spoonflower too! And I’ll be so happy to get some of your prints from them!! What a great idea!!! THANK YOU!
What a lovely WILLARD. Full of optimism and spreading happiness.
I’ve been consumed by caring for my mother lately, so today was the first time I’ve read your posts in a while. I loved your fabric line back then, and still have some in my quilting stash. So sad it was not reorder able! Will check out the Spoonflower site for sure. I love old quilts and would love to win this beauty! It looks like I have some reading to catch up on as well!
Wow..so neat that you have designed fabric in Spoonflower. I still have one piece of your fabric from way back when…I have used it sparingly!! Now I know where to get more..thank you. And thanks for sharing the giveaway.
Thank you for the information on Spoonflower. I am happy to hear I can now
get your fabrics again. I’m enjoying your new book.
Hi Susan!
I’m so excited to see the fabric. You always seem to know just what we want. Have a fun trip – glad you’re coming to Cedar Rapids.
Dear Susan,
I’ve been enchanted by your work ever since your first cookbook was published. Now I’m enjoying reading your memoirs–to me they read like novels–and I can’t wait to read the third one.
Susan, you are so full of wonderful ideas and plans. It is always special when I see an e-mail from you. I need to set aside some time to savor the blog just the way I do your books. My copy of the third book in your trilogy should be arriving today. I’ll need to do what so many others do–set aside several hours to read in a quiet comfortable place. Thank you!
I’m loving every moment of your new book, Susan! I simply can’t get enough. I hardly want to finish reading it…but I’m comforted knowing I can return to *your* Martha’s Vineyard any time I want…just by opening this gorgeous book! Keep letting your light shine, Susan…you bring so much joy to my life! Thank you!!
Love the fabric💕 how much fun to design..congratulations! I would love to be in your head for an hour..so creative and thoughtful..have a wonderful Willard day!
Omg….I about died and went to Heaven with this blog! Quilts and fabrics…YOUR fabrics!! I will be buying some straight away! The quilt for a drawing…I will keep my fingers crossed for this one! My Grandmother and I loved quilts…she even had a very old one framed to hang in her tall entry hallway…..and I was as poor as a churchmouse, but scraped and scrimped to buy one of my very own too. I still have it all these years later! We also loved knitting and cross-stitch. She was perfect at anything with any type needle or hook. I miss her terribly still. But the new fabrics hold those endless possibilities….and that is so exciting! 😊 I have to go check out the site for myself now….ta ta….xoxo!
I’m very excited about your fabric on Spoonflower. I’m fortunate to have some of your fabric I been cherishing until I find the right project!! I love the Happy Birthday fabric, it will make a great birthday banner. I look forward to more of your designs (teapots? hint,hint).
Dear Susan,
Last weekend while visiting family in La Conner Washington I enjoyed walking through a quilt museum that was in an old house built in 1891! In one room they had a quilt where each square was signed by the quilter who made it. I loved reading their names: Lola, Elsie, Belle, Cora, Emma ,Olive. I adore quilts and as a simple sewer, so appreciate the work that goes into them! Your art and the quilts are an inspiration.
With many thanks,
Julie
So glad you found SPOONFLOWER and are putting your designs on it. My sister and I love the site and have made things from some of their amazing fabric for several years now. I have a tea themed kitchen, so therefore love your tea designs. I also love quilts. Thanks for sharing!
Your quilts are so beautiful. & Wonderful fabrics.
I JUST LOVE ALL OF YOUR WORKS! I ALWAYS LOOK FOR YOUR NEW BOOKS AND CALENDARS. JUST LOOKING AT YOUR DRAWINGS MAKES MY DAY SO MUCH HAPPIER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love your fabrics! The quilt is beautiful!
Hello Susan –
I always look forward to getting online and reading your blog posts. They are Fun, Lighthearted, so down to earth and your photographs are great. I just received your latest book and am looking forward to reading it.
Thanks so much !!!
Good day, Susan,
More than half-way through “Isle of Dreams” and I am enjoying it so very much! I could have read it in one evening, but I need something to look forward to after my work day, so I am making the pleasure last as long as possible!
Warmest regard,
Hilda : )
Happy Anniversary Susan! I have been a fan since the beginning. I have gifted your cook books to my daughter and to my daughter-in-laws….a very special gift!
Thank you!
Susan, I loved reading about the fabrics, it’s so exciting that this is finally available. I’m not really a sewer, but now I feel like creating something! Your quilts look so pretty and fresh blowing in the breeze, how generous to give one away! I love quilts and I always admire them when I’m at an antique show or shop. They are often on the pricey side, so I’m always wondering what to look for (or avoid) in an old quilt when purchasing…can you offer any tips? Thanks! (and Happy Anniversary, can’t wait for that updated book!)
I’m in heaven! To have your artistic flair in fabric is beyond exciting! And I can make wallpaper out of it too!?! Woo Hoo I’m hooked on Susan Branch things! I’m heading to my parents cabin in Pinedale tright now o pick up your newest book which I ordered last week when I finished The Fairy Tale Girl. I just love love love all things Susan Branch ! Thanks for being you girl!
Susan – you are awesome. You just keep getting more great ideas and come up with all kinds of fun things for us “Girlfriends”. Thanks for taking care of us and for taking us on your trips both foreign & domestic! Love Ya!
Debbie from Florida
Susan ~ I just had to drop a few lines to tell you about our stay in Weathericks’ Bradstones Cottage. Jean, the owner, says ‘hi’ to you, remembers you with fondness and wanted me to pass along her regards! She must have thought you and I were close friends (it feels as if we are as we ARE so alike; same age, love of tea, etc.) and she spoke of you with fondness. If fact, she had your book, A Fine Romance, opened to the pages referring to your stay in the cottage and had the postcard you had sent her on top. What a lovely welcome to see a familiar part of home as we stepped through the door. Jean was so funny ~ “I don’t think I’ve ever been referred to as ‘cute’ before…” she remarked with a hearty laugh. Sadly, Darcy the peacock did not grace us with a visit, nor were there any vintage teapots to be had at the antique shop down the hill but I did snag a teacup and saucer. Thank you so much for the the enticing “review” that prompted me to make the reservation. Our stay was a memory maker in every way.
With kindest regards,
Marsha Richards ~ fellow anglophile and tea lover
P.S. Can wait to get home as your newest book should be waiting for me.
You brought back so many wonderful memories. We’re going to try to stop to say hello to Jean on our next trip. I wonder where Darcy was?????
oh susan i cant wait to see your fabric! i loved your pink kitchen, it looks like mine:) my plants are starting to pop up, my seeds are growing in the window and i can smell my viburnum across the yard! spring is finally here , life is wonderful and we can all enjoy the beauty of it a little more through your beautiful work:)
Hi Susan,
Years ago my then neighbor made a sweet quilt from your fabric. She was and still is one of my best friends. Although we live many miles apart, we still keep in contact. You brought us together! Whenever I meet someone, and we have a nice conversation, I sometimes say, ” Do you know Susan Branch?” If she says,” Yes”, I know we will be friends. Thank you Susan!
What a great day with Willard and a new blog. The fabric is a total shocking wonderful surprise as it is sooo hard to find these days. Favorite comment from Willard is about being afraid but doing it anyway. Keep “daring greatly” as Brene Brown (Ted Talks) would say!!! Thanks a million.
My dear Susan,
Discovering you several years ago has been life changing for me, especially after a difficult divorce, growing mistrust & bitterness. Your lovely gifts to us of creativity, generosity, humor & kindness have inspired me to see life in a very different light. Starting my mornings with a message from you is so positive & inspirational. Getting to know you has been the best gift of all.
Thank you!!!
Susan – you are a ray of sunshine! I love your adventures and sharing them vicariously through you. I quilt a bit and the fabric is darling! Happy 30th!
I have been a fan since I found you in Country Living magazine in the ’80s. I love your books and calendars, and eventually hope to have all of them. Thanks for the info on Spoonflower! What a fantastic find. Please keep writing!
I am so happy to see your fabrics again. Pretty please, with lots of sugar on top, design that I love England collection. It sounds ever so lovely and would go with my travel decor. I would love to make pillows with it! Happy Anniversary!
Hello Susan!
I’m overjoyed about your designs being available on Spoonflower! I have hunted and scoured the internet for your fabric – I have a collection that is so precious to me that I can’t cut it! But now, I will make those precious quilts and all manner of treasures with it! Thank you, thank you!! And buy more of course! 🙂
P.S.
Starting to read all of your beloved books over again – can’t get enough – you are a beautiful, talented writer, creator – amazing!
thisoldhousetoo.blogspot.com/2016/04/come-sit-stay.html What a surprise to see one of the illustrations here that I used on a blogpost about you this afternoon!… I want to be sure that it is OK with you that I did so.. .if you have a minute, please click on the post link above – I am so enjoying your book, which just arrived, Isle of Dreams….
I am reading your new book. I love it. I don’t want to read to fast, because I don’t want to finish it. I already know there is a happy ending. I also love your new fabric designs.
Well, will wonders never cease! What will they come up with next?! Oh my gosh-I sound just like my grandmother! I am already planning a sewing project with your designs. I’m in my seventies and feel just like my daddy did when he was in his eighties-there just aren’t enough hours in the day to do all the projects that are in my head!
Beautiful entry today, Susan. Love the idea of the fabric! what a beautiful time we live in! thanks for your blog.
Dear Susan,
This weekend I finished reading Isle of Dreams. You help me to remember to look for the beautiful things in my life. Your words, photographs and art work touch my heart. When I first saw the photograph of your cottage on page 102, I began to cry. I didn’t know why until I realized I was remembering my grandparents small cottage in Cape May, New Jersey. It was the speckled sun. It brought back happy summers with them in Cape May.
Thank you Susan for the gifts you share with us.
Cindy
Oh, my! Can’t wait to see all things Susan Branch on Spoonflower! Thanks for letting us know!
Just bought your newest book and can’t wait to read it. It is the biggest of all, isn’t it? Bet there was so much goodness to fit in you couldn’t choose. Yum!
oh my gosh … I’m sure I’ll win this time. Thank you for putting your beautiful quilt up for giveaway…I’m sure I might win that too! Love your Willards!
Hope to see you in Prescott 🙂
Deb
I love your designs for sunflower. I am going to get some for my mom for mothers day!!😍
Susan,
Thank you for the Willard newsletter and all your blogs, books, etc. You make each day brighter for me. I read, re-read and save all of your letters, etc.
I would love to have the quilt but realize that it may go to some other lucky person who would love it as much as I would.
I have a 100+ year old quilt given to me about 30 years ago by my grandmother. It was falling apart at the time and could not be repaired but I cherish it (scars and all). When I was going through cancer and chemotheraphy last year, I cuddled with it and it made me feel so much better. Praise the Lord that the cancer is gone and prayerfully, it will never return.
God’s blessings to you and Joe on your upcoming tour.
Love and prayers, Judith
Just finished the “new book”. I forced myself to read only a little at a time because I wanted it to last. But the end came like all delicious desserts do! 🙁 But here I get just a little bit more to sustain me. Thanks for all you do! You give a lot of pleasure to us all reading you.
Hi Sue.
I am in the middle of your new book and I am loving it !!! Thank you for transporting me to your magical “Isle of Dreams”. You truly are “The Fairy Tale Girl”. Thanks for sharing your amazing story with all of us.
Have a wonderful and safe trip Sue and Joe !
Hugs, Carol
Hello Susan, Happy Anniversary!!! The new fabric options are wonderful!
Looking forward to seeing you on April 30th.
The quilt is lovely! It reminds me of one I had on my bed as a little girl. <3
Good Afternoon Susan:
You are such a giving person. Thank you for being the kind and generous person you are. I love your books and have purchased many. Unfortunately, your book tours do not include the Minneapolis area. I have been to the Eastern seaboard and you are very fortunate to be able to go on tour there. I so enjoy your pictures of your travels. Please do not give this up.
Thank you for sharing your fabric line. That is so exciting!
Marcie
Have loved you since your first calendar….want that quilt! I love quilts as well and have several hanging on my wall in my own little cottage..here’s hoping!😘
Congratulations, Susan, on 30 years well-spent. We all think you are beautiful!
I love the fabric. I am retiring in May so I will put it on my list of wishes to try.
What a great idea….fabric, wallpaper, etc! Amazing world we live in. Thanks for the info
……waiting patiently for Willard who hasn’t shown up yet! I do hope he didn’t lose his way. Of course, keeping fingers crossed for Vanna to pull my name out of the vat when drawing day arrives! Beautiful spring…enjoy every minute!
Takes four days for Willard to go out to everyone. . . lots more time to go! Let me know if it isn’t to you by then Vicki!
Happy Anniversary! I just adore your products and your blog and your humor and your…I could go on and on…
Thanks for another great Willard!
Love you ❤️
Susan, I love your blog, your fabrics and old quilts. I had a very old family one once, but it disintegrated eventually…
Laundry on the line is divine!! I especially love the Mother Teresa quote you wrote at the end of the post. You must be surrounded by peace with all your acts of love, many of them I’m sure you don’t ever mention!
Happy Spring to you and Joe, Sally
I also love quilts and have a lot of my grandmothers. I recognize scraps of some of my dresses as a little girl. I also love the fabrics and the website do a cute fabrics with dishes and teacps for us to make cute napkins out of…Love your bog.
Maragret Ladd
Oh happy day! I already knew about Spoonflower, but I am so excited to hear you have designs on there! I didn’t know you could get swatches of the different fabric types. I’m heading over there now to get my swatches, and check out your designs!
Your fabrics are so cheerful. What an interesting way to get them back in the market. And so many choices of fabric as well as wrapping paper and wallpaper. Who would have thought it ever possible? I have some of your original RJR fabrics, and I got Susan’s Stash a while back from your website. The appliqued cupcakes in the photo above are adorable! Did you do them? Hugs and Smiles.
Hi Susan! When I got your new book last week I sat right down and read the entire book — straight through! I was so fascinated that I couldn’t stop. Then I started reading it again so I could savor every word! I’m taking it slowly this time! I can’t wait to see the fabric groups that are to come — I love the ones available now. Keep creating for your devoted fans! Fingers crossed that Vanna picks me!
Reading Isle of Dreams now. Love your sense of humor. Beautiful quilts.
Oh boy, oh boy! Sew sew sew! Spoonflower has come up with a genius idea! AND your designs! Could life get any better?
I would love to be entered in your drawing. You are THE BEST!