FreeSpirit Fabrics 2006, 2012
In 2005, a forward-thinking marketing person from one of the preeminent quilt fabric manufacturers approached Denyse about designing a fabric collection. The artwork Denyse produced for that proposal was ultimately rejected by that company’s (not so forward thinking) powers that be.
Denyse remembered that she had one quilt-industry contact in her database, who had stopped by Denyse’s booth at the International Furniture Fair (The Surface Design show was held at the same time). That person was Donna Wilder, the founder of FreeSpirit Fabrics. They reconnected, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Inspired by the quirky treasures collected from Denyse’s favorite haunts, Flea Market Fancy showcases Denyse’s unique ability to combine vintage charm with a modern twist. The saturated palette of oranges, turquoise and brown was drawn from one of Denyse’s first quilt designs, Drunk Love in a Log Cabin. Donna was the ideal partner in helping to shape the collection, and support the new endeavor.
Donna moved on from FreeSpirit around the time that FMF hit the market. The fabrics caught the imagination of a new generation of quilters, but was gone from the market so quickly that finding any of it was a full time job! A devoted group of FMF fans organized a successful campaign to bring it back. Eventually, the new owners of FreeSpirit saw the light, and reprinted FMF to great success in 2012.
Flea Market Fancy fabrics graced many beautiful quilts and other creative projects, as well as some of Denyse's stationery products with Chronicle Books.
