Solving Mysteries with
Moda's Nancy Drew Fabric
UPDATE: CONTEST WINNERS ARE:
Suemac & Lea - Nancy Drew fabric charm packs
Michelle - Nancy Drew Coin Purse
Scrapatches - Nancy Drew 1930s Clutch Bag
E-mail me your addresses to ship to - nancydrewsleuth @ aol.com
In this Mystery: Missing Fabric, Fabric Creations, & A Giveaway!
Chapter 1: The Missing But Fabulous Fabric Puzzler...
Grab your magnifying glass and let's get to the bottom of this puzzler! For fans of Nancy Drew from the casual reader to the "obsessed" collector, the new Nancy Drew Get a Clue Fabric by Moda has been a fantastic product. Unfortunately, possibly due to marketing that didn't hit all target audiences and persnickety quilt shop owners (so says the clues among a few quilting experts and enthusiasts), not enough quilt shops carried this line of fabric, so Moda only printed a certain amount ordered and then some. They have no plans for another printing of the fabric nor a new line which is too bad--this was the latest news I heard as of January this year, perhaps things have changed since... I hear it has sold very well at quilt shops and has sold out in some places online--especially the book spine styles. They were very popular and went quick.
Being a Nancy Drew consultant, I always try to explain to companies that license Nancy Drew, that what sells best is classic Nancy Drew - the books that were printed from 1930 to 1979, #'s 1 - 56 from The Secret of the Old Clock to The Thirteenth Pearl. There were three cover illustrators during this period. The Rudy Nappi art and a couple of Bill Gillies covers are still in print as the series is still being reprinted and sold. It would appear that the most coveted art, however, is the Russell H. Tandy art from the 1930s to 1940s which is no longer in print due to covers being revised over the years. So for fans young and old--many of the younger fans love the vintage Tandy too--the Tandy sells more in my Nancy Drew Sleuth Shop--over the more modern classic art. So I always tell people to include a mix of styles to satisfy even the most picky fans. There was no Tandy art in the Moda collection--unless you count the silhouette endpapers which feature the 1930s silhouette designed by Tandy as well as other silhouettes. Since many quilt shop owners tend to be from the generations whose Nancy Drew books would have mostly featured the Russell H. Tandy art--some of which was still in print through the 1960s, I was told by a quilter that quite a few of the shop owners she knows passed on the fabric because it wasn't "their Nancy" or the art was unfamiliar to them. While I can't solve this puzzling conundrum now as to the who's and whys of why some shops ordered and others didn't, I can tell you that of the fabric I was able to order for The Sleuth Shop from Moda, the vintage silhouette endpapers has been the most popular style. It is one of my favorites outside of the book spines. However, I love it all because I grew up reading the Nancy Drew books in the 1970s and 1980s+, so what I grew up with is featured heavily in the fabric--the books at that time had revised covers like the ones shown on the book panel fabrics.
As well as the fabric has sold from the shops that did order it and as little fabric as Moda has left available to order, I was hoping that they might consider a reprint or even a second line - perhaps smaller in size as a test - using more of the vintage 1930s and 1940s art in addition to the 50s to 70s art. I think it would do well and would certainly be nostalgic to quilt shop owners who are familiar with Nancy Drew. I'm not sure of what your experience has been with the fabric, be it online or in your local areas, but I'd love to hear feedback in the comments. Only 1 quilt shop in my Phoenix area appeared to even stock it unless I missed some--but I called dozens of shops, some had no idea what I was talking about. All around it is great fabric and is very nice quality. Moda did a great job on it.
Chapter 2: SLEUTH-tacular Sewing Projects
My Mom is a quilter and loves to sew, so she has been busy working on some Nancy Drew projects. So far she has made pillow cases with nice French seams and has completed the quilt top for a Nancy Drew quilt for me using blues and yellows in the fabric. I love the border she did using one of the styles of book spine fabric--it really makes the quilt look so nicely finished. We are working on the back of the quilt and then she has a quilting friend who will likely quilt it with her longarm quilting machine. Then we'll start work on another one. One of our next projects is going to be a Nancy Drew shower curtain using the silhouette endpapers fabric. You can see the whole quilt top above and here's a close-up:
My Mom used a pattern called Summer Salsa Quilt pattern for the main part of the quilt - you can find that free pattern here. Moda fabrics used include: Book Spines, Endpapers, Blue and Yellow Magnifying Glasses, Blue Dots, Blue Nancy Faces and "Nancy Drew" Logo with Nancy.
Quite a few Nancy Drew collectors and members of my Nancy Drew Sleuths fan group have purchased fabric and have been working on projects too and some have commissioned items by others. I wanted to share some of those images with you below - so many neat and SLEUTH-tacular ideas!
Quite a few Nancy Drew collectors and members of my Nancy Drew Sleuths fan group have purchased fabric and have been working on projects too and some have commissioned items by others. I wanted to share some of those images with you below - so many neat and SLEUTH-tacular ideas!
Nancy's Hidden Staircase Bag
Nancy's Book Spine Tote
Nancy's Book Spine Bag
Linda's Red Nancy Pillow Case
Linda's Blue Eps Nancy Pillow Case
Linda's White Eps Nancy Pillow Case
Linda's Nancy Faces Pillow Case
Lea's Carry-on Bag
Lea's Scrub Top
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Robyn's Layer Cake Quilt
Amanda's Hawaiian Style Nancy Faces Shirt
Chapter 3: Nancy's Mysterious Fabric Giveaway
I'll be giving away 4 prizes as a thanks for visiting my Blog and sharing your feedback on what you've see here and the fabric and your love of Nancy Drew! To enter: You get 1 entry into the drawing if you leave a comment - share your feedback on the fabric and what you've been up to with it! You get 5 entries into the drawing if you leave a comment and also share this Blog at your Blog and/or Website - just make a note in your comment of where you shared. Also, be sure to add your name to your comment. PLEASE NOTE: This Blog is on comment moderation due to spammers, so as soon as I see your comments I will approve :) On March 16 following the Nancy Drew Blog Hop, I will draw for the 4 prizes and post the winners here.
The Prizes:
2 Nancy Drew Charm Packs
Front/Back:
Nancy Drew Coin/Camera Style Bag
1930s Nancy Drew Clutch Bag
Chapter 4: The Mystery Behind the Drew Fabric Contest
Starting March 25 to March 29, I am hosting a Nancy Drew Fabric Contest here at the Blog and will be posting entries all week along with other interesting fabric ideas! On March 29, a poll will go up for you to vote on your favorite Nancy Drew fabric projects and we'll give prizes out to the top vote getters. If you have created something fun with the new Nancy Drew Moda fabric, you can send in 1 entry per person. E-mail entries to: sleuths@ndsleuths.com by March 24 to enter. You do not have to create something new just for this contest--anything you've created (has to be created by you) with the Nancy Drew Moda fabric is acceptable.
Chapter 5: Beyond Nancy Drew Fabric - Clues to Nancy Drew
If you want to learn more about Nancy Drew and the history behind the mystery, collecting information and tips and more clues, visit The Nancy Drew Sleuth Website. Learn about the Nancy Drew Sleuths fan group and their annual Nancy Drew conventions here. This year we are in Boston for our 2013 convention, May 28 - June 2.
Thanks to Carol at Just Let Me Quilt and Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt for including me in the Nancy Drew Blog Hop! View the schedule of hops here.
Thanks to Carol at Just Let Me Quilt and Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt for including me in the Nancy Drew Blog Hop! View the schedule of hops here.
Happy Sleuthing!
Jenn:)
