Sew in Love {with Fabric}: Halloween at its best: Boooo Ville!

Looking for spooky, creepy, and adorable?

Look no further than Matthew Pridemore's debut collection with Benartex,

Booo Ville!

This cute Halloween line features a panel of costumed ghosts, out trick or treating (plus a tree, joining in on the fun!).

Fourteen coordinates include a fun Halloween stripe, trees, tonal spider webs, spider stripes, and fun Halloween words. Sew much fun for a quilt, wall hanging, trick or treat bag, or table topper!

We asked Matthew to talk to us about his new Boooo Ville collection. Here's what he had to say:

How did you come up with the idea of trick or treating ghosts?

Halloween is a fun time with such an infinite number of costumes. The idea of a ghost trick or treating was the germ of an idea, and I started thinking about what other simple but recognizable costumes a ghost could wear. It snowballed from there. I try to tell a story—characters out on Halloween night, having fun trick or treating.

Tell us about the panel.

The ghosts in the middle can be fussy-cut blocks, of course, but I also included prints at the top and bottom that could be standalone designs. I wanted to find a good way to use that extra space, and I think it’s a good win for everyone—something useable.

Tell us about the character stripe.
It was actually the first piece I did—I came up with the ghost costumes and then put them in marching order on the stripe. It’s a really powerful stripe—a ready-made border with a lot going on.

How do you design?

I usually start with characters. For me, I have a story behind the characters while I’m drawing them, coloring them. It helps me through the process. They’re floating on a neutral background. I don’t usually have the environments at first. Characters will talk to me about where they want to be and the type of environment that would make them look good.

You’re a quilter. How does that affect your design process?

If every print in a line is busy, it can be a mess. After I have the character prints down, I look at the coordinates and think about how they will be used. The rule of thumb I use is if you cut a 2” or 4” square, what will you get from the fabric? We want each fabric to be user friendly.

What print are you most proud of?

The one I’m really proud of is the tree print. I’m just thrilled with how the details I created transferred onto fabric. The tree saw the ghosts and wanted to trick or treat too, so he has his mask on.

You and your wife, Heidi, are the creative force behind The Whimsical Workshop. How does that influence your design work?

Whimsical is part of me; it influences me. Both Heidi and I enjoy doing whimsical work.

The characters make me smile and I enjoy people’s reactions. It’s a cool thing when someone can look at what you’ve done and you can see a smile on their face or it inspires them to make something. That’s very rewarding. The characters elicit more of a strong emotional response than other designs.

Matthew and Heidi have two free quilt patterns using the Boooo Ville collection. Click here to find the free patterns.

"All Hallow's Eve" by Heidi Pridemore