A Print That Celebrates the Tools of Sewing
Hand Made Notions Navy Cotton is a quilting cotton from the Hand Made collection by Amber Kemp-Gerstel of Damask Love for Riley Blake Designs. It is 100% cotton, measures 43"/44" wide, and is sold by the yard. The print features assorted sewing notions — buttons, embroidery floss, pins, thread, and more — scattered across a navy ground, making it a true conversational print: the closer you look, the more familiar sewing-room tools you find. Riley Blake Designs describes Hand Made as great for quilting, apparel and home decor, and this navy notions print fits all three.
Conversational prints like this one reward a little planning. The individual motifs are the story, so the fabric works best where pieces are large enough to show whole buttons, spools, and pins instead of cutting them into unrecognizable fragments. At the same time, navy is a forgiving, grounding color that lets the colorful notions stand out without overwhelming a project.
What This Fabric Is Best For
This print shines anywhere a love of sewing is the theme. It is a natural choice for sewing-room projects — machine covers, project bags, pincushion-adjacent decor, and wall hangings for a craft space — where the subject matter matches the setting. In quilts, it suits feature blocks, borders, and backing, especially for a quilt made for a fellow sewist.
It also works beyond the sewing room. The navy background keeps the look classic enough for apparel accents and home decor, while the playful motifs add personality. Because the notions are recognizable rather than abstract, this fabric makes a memorable gift fabric: a quilt or tote made from it immediately tells the recipient it was chosen with their hobby in mind.
Cutting, Piecing, and Color Pairing
Before cutting, press the fabric and spread it out to see how the notions are distributed. For larger pieces — a border, a bag panel, or a quilt back section — position your cuts so a pleasing mix of motifs lands in the visible area, and avoid slicing a favorite motif in half right at a focal point. For patchwork, choose block components big enough to keep at least a few notions whole; simple squares and rectangles show a conversational print far better than tiny triangles.
If you use this print in pieced blocks, let it be the feature fabric and pair it with calmer companions. Solids and small-scale basics in colors pulled from the notions themselves — the reds, whites, and bright accents of buttons and thread — let the print breathe. A white or cream solid makes a crisp contrast against the navy, while a red or aqua accent echoes the sewing tools in the design. Avoid pairing it with another busy novelty print of a similar scale; two competing conversations in one quilt top leave the eye nowhere to rest.
For sashing and binding, a solid navy or a simple stripe keeps the frame quiet. If the whole quilt uses this fabric as a backing, the navy ground is a practical bonus, hiding wear well on a quilt that gets everyday use.
Project Ideas and Care
Try this fabric as the backing for a sewing-themed throw, cut into large squares for a simple patchwork quilt that lets every notion show, or sewn into a tote bag for carrying projects to class. In the sewing room, it makes a cheerful machine cover or a set of fabric baskets for notions themselves. For apparel and decor, consider aprons, cushion covers, or a lined project pouch.
Care follows the instructions given for this fabric: machine wash cold and tumble dry low. Cold washing and low drying help preserve both the deep navy ground and the bright colors of the printed notions, especially in projects that pair this fabric with lighter prints you want to keep looking fresh.
Shop the Hand Made Notions Navy Cotton 43"/44" Fabric Per Yard at Linda's Electric Quilters.
