Lucky Strikes – Prints and Story

Kim has formative memories include watching Bowling for Dollars in her family’s sunken den in 1970s suburban Ohio. Her parents were both on bowling leagues, so she spent some time hanging out in the alleys while her parents played. Her mom even made eight strikes in a row while pregnant with her! For Lucky Strikes, her third collection for Cotton + Steel fabrics, Kim drew on her bowling memories to create a fictional ladies’ league from that era. The collection features 18 quilting cottons, two cotton lawns, and two cotton-linen blend canvases. Read below for the story behind each print.

Lucky Strikes was released in July 2015 and is now out of print, however, you can still find it at some independent fabric stores. Some prints are still available to purchase wholesale. Visit the Cotton + Steel website or phone 1 (855) 355-7267 for more information.

*New*! Kim has created some custom iPhone cases and other fun products with some of her favorite prints from Lucky Strikes. Check them out in the Etsy shop.

Related

Fabric Collections Lucky Strikes

Lucky - Royal // Bowling is filled with superstitions and rituals to bring good luck, so this vintage print was a natural for the collection. SKU # 3016-1
Ladies' League - Navy // This is a mashup of two vintage prints. The names and grouped in "teams" of four or five. Some were drawn from the original print, some were gathered from top-10 names lists from the 30s-50s. Kim even included all of the Cotton + Steel designers' grandmother's names. Can you find your name, or someone you love? SKU #3017-2
Clothesline Floral - Red // "Clothesline" is a bowling pin configuration where one outer side of the triangle is left standing (the 1-2-4-7 or 1-3-6-10). Since it also evokes dresses drying in the wind, it was perfect for this sweet vintage floral print. SKU # 3012-2
Strikes - Gray // X is a symbol for a strike, which you want lots of in bowling. SKU #3022-2
Dime Store Dot - Coral // "Dime Store" is a pin configuration where the middle pin and a back outer pin are left standing (the 5 pin and the 7 or 10 pin). SKU #3019-2
Coffee Shop - Red // This Pennsylvania Dutch-inspired geometric floral reminded Kim of wallpaper that might have been in a bowling alley coffee shop. SKU #3021-1
Domino Plaid - Turquoise // This cute dotty plaid feels perfect to the era. SKU #3018-2
Domino Plaid - Grass SKU #3018-3
Scorecard - Blue Green // Scorecard is an original print by Kim, designed to underscore the bowling theme and provide a fun low-volume print to use in your sewing and quilting projects. SKU #3020-3
Scorecard - Ivory // Scorecard is an original print by Kim, designed to underscore the bowling theme and provide a fun low-volume print to use in your sewing and quilting projects. SKU #3020-1
Lucky - Orchid // Bowling is filled with superstitions and rituals to bring good luck, so this vintage print was a natural for the collection. SKU #3016-2
Ladies' League - Gold // This is a mashup of two vintage prints. The names and grouped in "teams" of four or five. Some were drawn from the original print, some were gathered from top-10 names lists from the 30s-50s. Kim even included all of the Cotton + Steel designers' grandmother's names. Can you find your name, or someone you love? SKU #3017-1
Clothesline Floral - Periwinkle // "Clothesline" is a bowling pin configuration where one outer side of the triangle is left standing (the 1-2-4-7 or 1-3-6-10). Since it also evokes dresses drying in the wind, it was perfect for this sweet vintage floral print. SKU # 3023-1
Domino Plaid - Navy // SKU # 3018-1
Strikes - Pink // X is a symbol for a strike, which you want lots of in bowling. SKU #3022-1
Dime Store Dot - Navyl // "Dime Store" is a pin configuration where the middle pin and a back outer pin are left standing (the 5 pin and the 7 or 10 pin). SKU #3019-1
Coffee Shop - Orchid // This Pennsylvania Dutch-inspired geometric floral reminded Kim of wallpaper that might have been in a bowling alley coffee shop. SKU #3021-2
Scorecard - Dark Plum // Scorecard is an original print by Kim, designed to underscore the bowling theme and provide a fun low-volume print to use in your sewing and quilting projects. SKU #3020-2
Lucky Mustard - CANVAS // Bowling is filled with superstitions and rituals to bring good luck, so this vintage print was a natural for the collection. The motifs were scaled a bit bigger for the 80% cotton / 20% linen canvas blend version. SKU #3025-12
Lucky Neutral - CANVAS// Bowling is filled with superstitions and rituals to bring good luck, so this vintage print was a natural for the collection. The motifs were scaled a bit bigger for the 80% cotton / 20% linen canvas blend version. SKU #3025-22
Nine Pin LAWN - Black // This feedsack print, printed on Cotton + Steel's silky cotton lawn, makes a perfect apparel print for the whole family. SKU #3024-11
Nine Pin LAWN - Pink // This feedsack print, printed on Cotton + Steel's silky cotton lawn, makes a perfect apparel print for the whole family. SKU #3024-21