I did a thing!
- Cass Merrigan
- 4 hours ago
- 5 min read
Sometimes life put people in your way just to put a bomb under you. I am blessed with two such bomb makers in my life right now. Without them I would never had collaborated with the amazing Jennifer Paganelli to promote her Sweet Talk range, and without the other I would not have designed my own range. Yup, I did a thing!
It really has been a whirlwind experience. Late last December I was contacted by the team over at KK Fabrics, and asked if I was interested in designing some ranges for them.. so I let them know that I had ZERO intention of designing a traditional range. On the other hand if they wanted to make binding fabrics I was all theirs. I must have said something correctly because I had a meeting scheduled for my first business day in 2026 and we hit the ground running.
So the timeline is this. Contacted late December, Meeting 19th January, presentation due before Feb 8th and artwork delivered by Feb 17th. Or something like that, I do mean whirlwind. Now keep in mind all I presented was binding ideas, but somehow I ended up with a range of spot basics in 27 SKUs and 5 SKUs of binding fabrics. It's all still a little surreal.
So this is SPOT. Original name I know, but, I am all for calling a spade a spade! I was also really overwhelmed and having to make a lot of decisions really quickly that week. I am terrible with undecided things, they eat away at me until I have a resolved course of action. So I called it spot and moved on.
It was an absolute mission culling the ranges down, I presented three times as many and told them to choose as was too biased. I do not presume to know what people want to buy, I only know what I want to create - so I left the chose to others with more wisdom than myself. What I did have more demands about were the binding ranges. I did initially present a solid eight designs, all with colour variations - being a new product for them we all agreed it was better to take it slow and introduce a few at a time. So no, I will not be showing you those that didn't make it through as I am going to be pushing hard for them to be included in the next release. The binding range is called "Binding Glory", a bit of a pun as the binding is generally considered the crowning glory of a quilt. That and the binding really is glorious, if I do say so myself.
This first range is a little different, it is seven different strip combos printed WOF and the repeat is 1.5m wide. We wanted to make it as accessible to quilt shops as possible, having to invest in 7 bolts to have the whole range is incredibly expensive, I thought this may be a good option. Stores can sell it in cuts per colour or meter, or pre pack it as a binding kit. Each colour way has a few quilt labels as well that coordinate with the binding, just to add that little something extra. While you may need a few packs to bind a larger quilt, these would be perfect for binding pouches and smaller makes like cushions etc.
Now for "talk to me".
So this design has two options, one full of love and sweet sentiments, the other a wee bit snarky and sarcastic. Now I know my black sense of humor is not for everyone, but luckily if you don't want to see it, you don't have to! The way the binding works it is an either / or situation. You choose what message you want your quilt to convey and the other side is folded in and never to be seen. My middling child has demanded the loving side for the quilt I am currently making her. Which I am stoked about, so yes I will be asking for additional sampling so I can make that happen for her. The snarky side I will most definitely be sending to a sister, they have the same sense of humor as me... This design also comes with two quilt labels ever half meter, and you guessed it, one loving and one most definitely a little sassy.
Lucky last, "Live Laugh..."
As the saying goes, live laugh toaster bath. I am loving that I got this one through, and in all three colourways as well. Don't worry the quilt label that says "Space for name and year" has been left blank on the final artwork.
This binding was designed for my Orbit quilt, which was the 2025 sew along block a day quilt. It is also the reason that I am not rushing to quilt it as yet, I REALLY want this binding on it. If you are familiar with my Orbit quilt then you will most definitely recognise the colours used. Crossing fingers it looks amazing when its all printed!!!
I love these so much!!! I have so many projects planned with these binding fabrics and no they are not all quilts.
Things to make with your binding strips!
Live Laugh in Navy will be a lanyard about two minutes after the sampling walks in my door. I'm not even joking, I have the handwear on my desk and I am so excited.
I will be roping Nikki from @cottoncraftdesigns into making some doggo collars!
There will be more than one zippy pouch created. I am thinking postage stamp style with the striped Iconic binding.
I definitely need a new cushion make from the quilt labels and binding strips.
When I FINALLY get around to making my quilt coat I will be using one of these bindings to conceal those nasty raw seams. OOOHHHH maybe I should make a postage stamp Spot coat!?
It really isn't just about quilt binding, there is so much more that can be created.
Things to keep in mind
Two things.
This range was designed with 3/8" seam allowance. I know its a little wider than the standard 1/4", but I struggle to get great mitered corners on my quilts when I am wrestling it at 1/4". 3/8" just works so much better for me. I know I am not the only one that enjoys having a little more to work with.
This is not a bias binding. You will be cutting across the width of your fabric and not diagonally. So it will not bend like a bias binding and will not be suitable for binding scalloped edge quilts.
Right! I think thats all the main things to cover, I will be back with more info as it becomes available! Drop a comment if you have any questions! Cass xx
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