Have you met Mandy?

(Photo courtesy of Mandy Noble/Simply Solids)

Mandy is someone I call an actual real life friend. I met her through shopping for fabric (of course) and then I met her real life friend (Lynne) with my other real life friend Brioni and yet another real life friend, Justine (confused? Me too.) Now we try and get together at Lynne's house often enough to keep us sane and sew. Although in reality we don't end up sewing much and spend more time laughing and gossiping. I thought it'd be nice to have Mandy come over and say hello, because you might not have met her before and that'd be a shame. So here she is......(read through to the end...there may be treats...just saying)

Tell me a bit about  Simply Solids, how did it come about?

Lynne and I were complaining about the lack of Kona solids in the UK and how we just couldn't get what we wanted and maybe should order it in in bulk ourselves.  Then she kind of bet me to start a shop - so I did!!

How long have you sewn for?

My mum taught me to sew when I was little, but I never did a huge amount other than curtains till after the kids were born.  In 1989 I went to a quilt exhibition of slave quilts in Atlanta, Georgia and swore that one day I would make my own quilt, it took a good 11 years before i started one and another 7 years before that was finished!  3 kids got in the way, but once they were past the baby stage I signed up for a block an month workshop and that was it - I was hooked.

(Photo courtesy of Lily's Quilts)

What would you say is your style of quilting/sewing? 

When I started quilting I was into japanese Daiwabo fabrics so everything was very muted, but after joining flickr and discovering the blogging world I discovered new modern fabrics and fell in love.  I love bright colours and simple designs and my quilts today reflect this.  

(Photo courtesy of Mandy Noble/Simply Solids)

What is your favourite Kona colour combination?

My favourite colour combos change all the time, but at the moment I love peridot/hibiscus.  I can gaze at the stock on my shelves for hours!

Explain a little about how Simply Solids works, describe your shop and what you sell.

My goal with Simply Solids is to have the complete range of Kona Cotton Solids combined with a few other ranges - Amy Butler Solids, Kaffe Fasset Shot Cottons and some plain Linens.  I will always order in any colour a customer needs and am always open to suggestion for different ranges.  I also stock Gutermann Cotton threads and wadding meaning that customers can get everything they need to complete a quilt.  I stock Moda pre-cuts because I love them, the ranges are always changing and they offer such flexibility.  I have only been going for a year so my stock and ranges will continue to grow and grow!

This year you'll be at the Festival of Quilts - where can we find you?

I will be at stand D49 with my husband helping out so please come and say hello.  It is my first time selling at the festival of quilts and I am very nervous, so a few friendly faces would be great!

(Photo by me!)

For those of you that are coming to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, here's a voucher to download and print off for 10% off anything on Mandy's stand (D49, remember - just opposite-ish the Fat Quarterly stand which is D44!)

You can find Mandy's blog here and her wonderful UK based fabric store right here.

But that is not all. Oh no, that is not all. Mandy is also offering one of you lucky blog reader types a jelly roll of French General's Christmas line, Fa La La La French General.



Just leave a comment on this post for a chance to win. No other hoop jumping, just a comment.

Giveaway will stay open for the next week until I get home from the Festival of Quilts (so until Monday 15th August). Please make sure you have an email linked to your profile or leave a contact email in your comment. It makes things soooo much easier. And next time you need solids try Mandy out for size. She won't disappoint.

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