This year is the 250th anniversary of America’s independence from Great Britain. Since Hitty is an American doll, I thought it would be appropriate to create new fabric designs to celebrate our Semiquincentennial. The patriotic one-yard sampler features four brand new coordinating red, white and blue prints, as well as two of my top-selling designs: “Hitty’s Garden” and “Hitty’s Hexagon Quilt.”
PRINTREE’S TWILL FABRIC
Instead of using Spoonflower, I decided to try a new company called Printree. The reason I chose them is because they have a different printing process that uses higher resolution, which makes it easier to print tiny details. I tested three of their lightest cotton fabrics and found that the Twill fabric had the best weight. It works well for sewing by hand and machine.
The new versions of “Hitty’s Garden” and “Hitty’s Hexagon Quilt” have been optimized for Printree’s printers, which means they look even better than the Spoonflower versions. The other new patriotic prints are available exclusively from Printree. Because the price for Printree’s fat quarters was quite high, I decided to make my design a one-yard sampler. Each sampler contains six different prints (enough to make multiple dresses or quilts) plus a set of 4 miniature American flag designs to make into Hitty-size pillows. Thanks to Martha Allen for her suggestion to make the flags! I will add a tutorial for making flag pillows as soon as I have time.
PRE-WASHING AND SHRINKAGE
The fabric will not be pre-washed when you receive it, so I recommend washing and drying before sewing. First, either zig-zag the raw edges or use a delicates bag to prevent fraying. Then hand or machine wash on a delicate setting. Tumble dry on low heat. The Twill fabric shrinks quite a bit, but gets even softer after washing. You can expect up to 5% shrinkage. In addition, the design can become skewed during printing (not aligned with the grain of the fabric). You can fix this by stretching the fabric forcefully in the opposite direction. I did not detect any color fading after washing.
COLOR MATCHING
Custom printed colors are notoriously difficult to match. I have tried to ensure that the colors are as accurate as possible. However, I have no control over the printing process, which means that Printree’s printed colors may differ slightly from batch to batch.
COPYRIGHT
These designs are my own creations and are subject to copyright laws. You are allowed to use any fabric you purchase to make items for personal use or for sale. However, you may not copy the actual designs. Full disclosure: as a Printree designer, I do receive a small commission for purchases of the American Hitty Sampler. This helps pay for my design development costs.
ORDERING – READ THE TUTORIAL!
Printree sells fabric in Fat Quarters and Full Yards. There are two different widths of the Twill fabric. The regular size is 43” wide. That means a yard is 43″ x 36.” Their wide version is 59″ wide. My sampler is designed to fit on one Full Yard of the regular Twill.
Because Printree’s website can be confusing, I have taken screenshots to show the process of ordering fabric. Please review “Printree Orders“ before you purchase. Special thanks to Martha Allen and Alice Swann for helping me check the tutorial.
Click here to purchase the American Hitty Sampler on Printree!
AMERICAN HITTY SAMPLER CONTAINS THESE FABRICS:
Calico Roses Red
This is a variation of Hitty’s “Calico Roses” dress from the book. It has white roses on a red background. The colors coordinate with “Hitty’s Cradle Quilt.”
Hitty’s Cradle Quilt
This red, white and blue patterned faux quilt, inspired by the book illustration by Dorothy Lathrop, has Hitty’s name printed in red on white squares.
Patriotic Plaid
A classic red, white and blue plaid tartan fabric that coordinates with “Hitty’s Cradle Quilt.” This design works well for dresses as well as quilts.
Hitty’s Garden
This is a new Printree version of the Floral Dress in the Stockbridge Library. It is printed with green leafy vines and red and blue flowers amid tan-colored branching shapes on a brown background.
Rachel Field’s Stars
This print was inspired by the dress Rachel Field wore when she flew to California to accept the Newbery award in 1930. It has white stars on a navy blue background.
Hitty’s Hexagon Quilt
This faux quilt made of hexagons is a multi-colored design, inspired by a real silk quilt which was gifted to Rachel Field and Hitty. It has been enhanced for Printree.
Miniature American Flag Pillows for Hitty
These four patriotic pillows are very easy to make. The size is perfect for Hitty beds. They show how our flag has evolved over time: 1776: American Revolution (13 stars), 1828: Hitty’s First Year (24 stars), 1928: Hitty’s 100th Year (48 stars) and the current U.S. flag (50 stars) in 2026 to celebrate our Semiquincentennial!
Tutorial to make American Flag Pillows – Coming soon…
What can you make with the American Hitty Sampler?
On the left is Hitty Mabel wearing “Patriotic Plaid,” made with the Daguerreotype Dress pattern. In the middle is Hitty Raikes wearing “Hitty’s Garden,” made with the Floral Dress pattern. Hitty Kelly Sue (made by Sue Sizemore) is modeling a dress made from “Calico Roses Red.” I used the Floral Dress pattern for her dress, too, but modified the bodice by adding a lining and rounding the neckline.
Here is Hitty MacKenna next to her wooden cradle with “Hitty’s Cradle Quilt” and a “Rachel Field’s Stars” pillow. She is wearing a personalized nightgown. I cut the name out from the quilt fabric and stiffened it with Fray-Check. Then I glued it on with fabric glue to make it look like an appliqué.
I am so pleased with this sampler and hope you will be too. The American Hitty Sampler is a great resource for all sorts of patriotic Hitty projects for the Seminquincentennial, or any other time you want to celebrate Hitty’s heritage.
