P&B Textiles is coming out with a collection of extra wide fabrics that is just stellar. P&B is at the front end of the 108" market and they make many extra wide backings, knowing very well quilters love to piece, but not so much that last seam for the back. 

The fabric is called Grassroots 108 and it is loaded with texture. I'm not sure why they call it grassroots (other than rooted in grasses) but it looks very much like grasscloth that is being used in the wallpaper industry. There it stands for any wallpaper made out of natural fibers, grasses, like sisal, hemp, jute. It can be simply woven or can have intricate designs and it was extremely popular in Europe in the 1960's-70's. Its texture provided noise absorption when other ways were not so available to most homeowners. The design hides imperfections on the wall and doesn't show dirt so quickly.

The newest grasscloth wallpapers are much more smooth and they are getting introduced now to home decors again when customers are looking for an alternative for painted walls without going fully into the world of wallpaper designs. The trend is definitely going in the direction towards wallpaper again, but the industry knows that homeowners are not ready to make the big jump to walls with flowers or stripes yet.... They start slowly by creating wallpapers that are just enough different from painted walls. The more expensive homes have already wallpaper again.....

Wallpapers and fabrics go through the same trends. Right now, going natural, organic is very trendy and dominant. We have more different wooden accents and natural materials in our houses.. Texture is important, especially in neutrals. We want to bring the outside inside and the inside outside. The whole outdoor living phenomenon is part of this picture. You can't open a catalog without seeing how the line between outside and inside is getting more blurry by the season. A few years ago, a deck was just a place for a chair and a BBQ. These days there are complete sitting sections with rugs and specialty lights available for that outside deck. A place for grillng can be found in that fancy, big outdoor kitchen....

Of course, the Grassroots collection is not made out of these rougher fibers. It is 100% smooth cotton, but the design looks very organic and natural. It is clearly inspired by grasscloth. Actually, the name makes me smile, because when you look at it, it almost seems as if this is a street pattern in a very large city. An air view picture of a map. It would make a great fabric for a modern map quilt. High in the sky, it is almost the opposite of grassroots...

Just like its wallpaper sister, the design can hide a possible (;)) imperfection in the quilt well. Any help is welcome, not?

The colors of Grassroots are inspired by their natural sources: twigs and grasses and this will give the collection a unique spot in the world of extra wide fabrics. Very often, extra wides have much less texture or are "wild". Bold colors seem to be produced a lot, which makes sense as the world of extra wide is still relatively new. Up to about 10 years ago, the only extra wides were whites and creams....since then a complete new world has come into existence and of course we love to make full swings and go from "boring" backings to super brights. The problem with those multicolored brights is that they are not following the color trend. Except for specific art pieces and maybe also in (some) children quilts, loud multi colors are just out. They don't fit the organic trend at all. If one has used contemporary fabrics on the front, a backing should also be contemporary as the goal is always to create an unit..... and this is why Grassroots is so great...it can safely be your fabric for any modern quilt backing and there is hardly anything else available (yet) that has and texture and color.

Grassroots has 12 colors and they were so smart to add a few blue ones as well. It is a sophisticated collection and the colors will be gorgeous on home decor quilts. It follows the colors for the new house and this backing can be seen on a new couch. It's an adult, decorative backing. On purpose I am not saying that it is a backing for a men's quilt... Organic/muted colors are also the trendy ones for women!

The collection is scheduled to ship to stores in November. I hope you can find it in stores before Thanksgiving, because it would make a perfect and quick tablecloth for your Holiday celebration as well. Couldn't be a better harvest.... 

I spoke to my friends at P&B and told them how impressed I was with this collection. In my view it should also be printed in regular width of 44" and in more colors :) Until then, look at the 108" group for all your fabric needs. Maybe you can get a 1/4 or .5 yard.....It's pretty awesome!