Let's Talk Hand Quilting!
There's something special about the texture and color hand quilting adds to a quilt. Whether you're just getting started or looking to try something new, explore Tara's hand quilting video course, colorful threads, and favorite supplies.
Hand Quilting: Video Course
Chromatic Hand Quilting Thread Pack
Hand Quilting Kit
Arcade Thread Pack
Little Gems Hand Quilting Thread Pack
Rainbow Brights Hand Quilting Thread Pack
Sparkle Remix Hand Quilting Thread Pack
Meet Handloom
65 colors, endless possibilities. Handloom's beautiful slubby texture and woven colors give even the simplest quilt a little extra depth and interest.
Explore precuts and curated bundles, and find your next favorite color combination.
A Little More from the Studio
Let's Talk About Solids: A Guide to My Favorite Fabrics
I get asked a lot about what fabrics I use in my quilts, about what manufacturers I stick with and to be honest, since I'm all about exploring color, it's not so much the the fabric line that I'm loyal to (I'm actually not loyal at all, though I am partial to Handloom right now for obvious reasons), it's about what color I need. Not every manufacturer has every color and there are so many different colors in the world, with different saturations, hues and values. I used to shop a lot in person, but local shops have fewer brands of solids available in store, so I often now turn to online shopping to buy favorites from multiple manufacturers. When I talk about solids, I consider anything from a standard solid broadcloth, to shot cottons, cross weaves & linens to live in the "solid" category, including Handloom. While Kona was the most common solid brand available in stores, due to changes to their manufacturing, I'm hoping to see more brands flowing into local shops. I love the texture of different shot cottons (like Artisan, Peppered Cottons & Handloom) and I love the funky colors I can often find from Michael Miller Cotton Couture. When you're shopping online or even in store, it's helpful to have a way to keep a swatch of fabric for reference, whether you want to buy it again or use it like a paint chip to help build a palette. In my studio I store 5-inch fabric swatches on a d-ring. I cut a little hole, so I can thread them on the ring & I write the name of the color and the manufacturer so I can reference it later. This is how we always did it when I worked at Pottery Barn Kids and Michael Miller. Having the bigger swatch of fabric helps you to really see the color and lay it against other fabrics to see how they interact. While I do like to freely move the colors around to help me build color palettes, color cards do absolutely have a place in my studio. I have a large collection of them and I use them for reference when I'm looking for a general color to order online or attempting to color match something in my stash that isn't on my swatch ring. Check out how I organize my swatches ↗ The glue on the cards can change the color a little, but they're such an amazing resource, I started carrying color cards in my shop to share with you! A great way to build your own colors swatch ring is to either be committed to the process, by cutting a swatch from each and every solid you buy, carefully notating what the color is or buying charm packs from manufacturers and using those to make a swatch ring. Unfortunately, not all manufacturers make solid charms or have packs with their entire collection of solids, so that may be a little hit or miss depending on the brand. I do carry Handloom precuts that have the full collection of colors (and my shop is the only place you can find precuts with all 65 colors!). All the bundles I use in Blocks Studies (which are sometimes also available in my shop if I have extras and I'm planning to expand bundle offering in the new year) are mixed manufacturer. Even though they may vary some in texture or thread weight, I've never had an issue cross mixing brands in my quilts (though admittedly, I am a pre-washer). Do you mix manufacturers or are you a brand loyalist? Either way, I hope this post might open up some new brands of solids for you! Below is a list of the solid fabric lines I use most often. There are plenty of other excellent solids available that aren’t listed here—I’m only sharing the ones I know and use regularly myself. Shop Color Cards ↗ FABRIC LINE MANUFACTURER # COLORS IN LINE MY TAKE HANDLOOM BY TARA FAUGHNAN WINDHAM FABRICS 65 COLORS I know, I'm a little biased because I designed all the colors for this collection of slubby cross-wovens. The texture is beautiful - and like a shot cotton, it has a crossweave of two different colors of thread to make vibrant and interesting colors with a lot of depth. These are some of my favorite fabrics to use these days, and they mix perfectly with solid fabrics! KONA SOLIDS ROBERT KAUFMAN 365 COLORS Everybody knows Kona. It's the coarsest weave, but available in the largest selection of color especially if you're looking for pretty clear and bright colors! COTTON COUTURE MICHAEL MILLER 245 COLORS MANY OF THE COLORS WERE CURATED BY ME! A higher density weave resulting in a finer fabric than Kona, with a great hand feel that is amazing for hand quilting (put this on your quilt back!). There is a nice range of saturated and dusty colors (that I helped create when I worked there from 2010-2019). RUBY & BEE WINDHAM FABRICS 105 COLORS This is the same base cloth as Cotton Couture so is a wonderful fabric. The range has a more limited number of colors, but they are all beautiful. BELLA SOLIDS MODA FABRICS 340 COLORS This base cloth falls somewhere between Kona & Cotton Couture. The color range is broad, but leans more muted, with subtle tones. You won't find screaming oranges here! PURE SOLIDS ART GALLERY 227 COLORS This base cloth is not quite as thin as Cotton Couture. The range has a nice selection of brights and muted colors. PAINTER'S PALETTE PAINT BRUSH STUDIO FABRICS 210 COLORS I would use this brand more, but it isn't available locally. I do love their gorgeous array of colors! ARTISAN COTTON WINDHAM FABRICS 90 COLORS MANY OF THE COLORS WERE CURATED BY ME! Not a true "solid" but a crossweave of two different colors of thread to make vibrant and interesting colors with a lot of depth. I love the way these fabrics feel so much I designed my Roam & Traverse quilts with them! These are some of my favorite fabrics to use these days, and they mix perfectly with solid fabrics!
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To Pre-Wash or Not? A Quilter’s Guide to Pre-Washing Fabric
Pre-washing fabric is one of the biggest debates in quilting. Here’s why I always pre-wash, how it affects shrinkage and dye bleeding, and whether it’s worth the extra step.
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Working with Wovens
New to sewing with woven fabrics? Learn Tara's favorite tips for working with Handloom and other wovens, including prewashing, managing fraying, adding starch, and getting the best results from your fabric.
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Hi, I'm Tara Faughnan
I’m happy you’re here! If you're looking for clearly written and illustrated quilt patterns that are color-driven and technique-focused, you're in the right place.
I design quilt patterns that are technique-based and include video courses to help you learn something new (and have fun doing it)!
Quilt Gallery
Explore the quilts, experiments, and creative rabbit holes that shaped Tara’s signature style and love of color interaction over time.
Student & Maker Testimonials
Feedback from quilters sewing with Tara’s patterns, fabrics, and video courses.
Debra Stoner
"How could you not be inspired to explore color and design with a squircle!? This course encourages you to expand your quilting knowledge and skills based on color, design and method teaching in supportive and engaging classes."
Laura Schmidhammer
"Best technique yet. I will be using this idea in a number of my improv projects because I love the inset rather than joining 1/4 and 1/4 circles..."
Elizabeth Goldbaum
"MINDBLOWINGLY Awesome! I watched segments twice, took notes, printed the written instructions and notated those...so clear, concise, and helpful! Tara, you are a natural instructor, and your can-do, try-it-out, experiment philosophy - and the speed in which you tackle..."
Debra Stoner
"I was never comfortable playing with colors. I was a quilt kit person. Now I'm crazy about playing with colors. I trust myself to have fun and follow my intuition. It's freeing! Tara is a fantastic teacher. She encourages exploration and experimentation, then praises all the effort."
Megan Walker
"Straightforward, honest and understandable lesson from a real human who doesn't always get it perfect, but knows how to fix it - bravo, roll on the next block."
Carrie Brodsky
"As a new-ish quilter I took this course to learn new techniques and skills. I am so pleased with all that I learned AND with the finished quilt! The video instructions were invaluable. -- clear, supportive and encouraging. Thank you, Tara, for a great experience!"
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