Market Recap, Purse Palooza, AND a Giveaway!

Well, I don't know how it happens, but summertime comes around a little quicker with every passing year. This one is no exception! I always find myself wondering what happened to January-most of May?? I guess it means I have been super busy!

Just going to share a bit of market recap with you. For most of you who follow on Facebook, you have already seen the booth and what I wore each day, so this will be brief! We had a great time at market as usual. It is so nice to play catch up with friends we only see twice a year and have a laugh or two. We get to meet new people too. One such person is Sara Lawson....she is an absolute doll! We have been talking back and forth through Facebook for over a year now, so getting to meet in person was a real treat!

In case you don't know who Sara is, she is a super talented sewist who can make anything she sets her mind to. She has mad skills and designs the most lovely bags. She currently creates free sewing tutorials for Pellon as well as shares her sewing adventures over at her blog, Sew Sweetness. If you haven't seen her work, hop on over NOW and go see her stuff. She has quite the sense of humor too! I wish we lived closer to one another....that TX to Chicago thing is a real bummer!

Here we are at market together. She made Monique dresses to wear at the show and looked absolutely fabulous the whole time! She added the best circular skirt to the bodice. I love how it looks!

The next person I was fortunate to finally meet in person was Heidi Boyd. She is just a lovely person, inside and out...what a pleasure it was to talk face to face! She has written some fantastic craft books...more than a dozen (yes, I wrote dozen, people) books on all sorts of great stuff. We exchanged books at market, so I have my own personal copy of her most current book, Stitched Whimsy. It is ADORABLE! I simply must make time to sew up some of her designs....they are just to die for! I need to make these friends closer to home, though...Heidi lives all the way up in Maine! Go visit her blog at Heidi Boyd.

Here's me and Heidi at market:

Now, for Purse Palooza......this is Sara's event that she is doing on her blog. She will be hosting all sorts of great designers during the month of June on her blog. There will be pattern reviews, tutorials, and giveaways galore....you DON'T want to miss it! There's a link over on the sidebar to navigate you to the schedule so you can follow along. I will be posting at the end of June about double loop sliders, so don't miss it! Plus, Sara will be giving away an autographed copy of my bag book!

Now....if you have followed along this far, it is GIVEAWAY TIME!! Just leave a comment here and I will be giving away one each of my new patterns/booklets (includes: Fashion Formula Dresses, Artful Bags & Accessories, The Bebe Dress, and The Sally Shirtdress) to

ONE LUCKY WINNER,

chosen at random. PLEASE enter only once (duplicate entries will be deleted to keep it fair and square for everyone!). The giveaway ends on Friday, June 1 at 11:59PM central daylight time. This giveaway is open to everyone....US and international, so what are you waiting for? Leave a comment today!

And as always....Happy Sewing!

New Designs in the House!

Just a quick post to let you know (in case you are not following us on Facebook), that the new patterns are here and orders are shipping! They are selling like hot cakes, so if you ordered yet, get on over here and place your order today!!

Happy Sewing!

New Spring Collection: Artful Bags & Accessories

Here is the final reveal of the spring collection, Artful Bags & Accessories! This collection of designs will be contained in a small booklet, 8.5 x 5.5 and 24 pages. There are no pattern pieces, as all of the components are cut using your rotary cutter, ruler, & mat. These are perfect for the crafty adult or creative kid. All of these designs were sewn up using a new line of fabric from Moda called Oh Deer! by Momo. It will be available in shops nationwide in the coming weeks.

First up is the Artist Portfolio. This one is really easy to put together and is perfect for showcasing a large scale fabric. I love the vinyl pocket on the interior because not only can you see your supplies at a glance, but your fabric choice shines through as well. This piece holds an ample amount of supplies as well as up to a 100 page sketch pad, 11 x 14 in size. With the convenient handles, it is a cinch to fold up and carry with you. Just think how great this would be for the artist on the go or that creative young one who likes to travel with drawing supplies!

Next is the Crafty Carry-All. This is a nice size (not too small or large) tote bag that has lots of room to hold all sorts of supplies. There are interior and exterior pockets as well as an interior loop to hook your keys to. It is constructed with Peltex, so it stands well on its own. This is the perfect tote for running errands or going to a crafty workshop. The straps are attached all along the bottom and sides of the bag, making it extra sturdy. The trapezoid shape makes it just a bit narrower at the top than the base so it is comfortable to carry over the shoulder.

Last is the Arts & Crafts Caddy. This one is loaded with pockets for all sorts of creative supplies like crayons, colored pencils, markers, pencils, brushes, paints, etc. There are two large interior pockets that are perfectly sized for 9 x 12 drawing pads, leaving the inside of the bag free for stashing anything else you need. This is the perfect accessory for a busy creative space as it keeps all of your drawing and painting supplies well organized without taking up a lot of room. Because the handles are short and on the narrow sides, this would also be a great addition to the back seat of a car or SUV between the seats to keep art supplies organized on a long road trip!

We will be listing the new patterns (ALL OF THEM!) sometime this week. We will be sure to keep you posted when that happens.

Happy Sewing!

New Spring Collection: Meet the Girls of Fashion Formula Dresses!

Yet another reveal of the Spring Collection.....Fashion Formula Dresses! Yes, I wrote DRESSES! After the popularity of my two Fashion Formula skirt booklets, I began to think about whether I could do the same thing with dress designs. After much trial and error, a LOT of math, thinking, sewing, and tinkering, I came up with three great dress designs for you!

Paige, in Alexander Henry fabric with a Michael Miller zebra print as the contrast

This is a full size booklet....28 pages, 8 1/2" x 11" in size, with a large pull-out sheet in the center for the hand embroidery. There are NO PATTERN PIECES......well, none that are included anyway. I am teaching you how to take custom measurements and make your own bodice! It may sound intimidating, but it really is easy to do and results are amazing. I give you a measurement chart to go by, but I really recommend that you go ahead and measure anyway. There are some measurements that may vary from one person to another and I want you to have the best fit possible.

So, let's meet the girls! First up is Maria. This design is based on the traditional Mexican folk dress. There are only three measurements to take and the fit is loose and easy. You can choose to wear this dress with or without a belt. I personally prefer the belt, but it looks great without also. I mainly wanted to include this style of dress so I could go crazy with hand embroidery which is all the rage right now. It was so much fun to come up with the designs and then watch them come to life as the stitches went in. I love playing with color, so this was paradise for me! I know what you are thinking....wow, doesn't that hand work take a long time? Well it isn't fast, but the end result is so pretty it is worth every minute.

For this design, I give you two options for the length and you can opt to pleat or gather the skirt onto the bodice. The dress goes together super fast so you can get down to the hand work. These dresses were made up in the new Michael Miller Cotton Couture fabrics. They are so smooth and soft. What a pleasure to stitch with!

The next dress is the Paige Pillowcase Dress. Yes, this is sort of a pillowcase dress, but for grown-ups! You need a few more measurements to create this bodice, but again I walk you through the whole process and it is easy once you get the hang of it. This dress has a tie that gathers up the upper bodice for a nice custom fit at the neckline and underarms. You can opt to have the tie at the left side front or center back. There are also lots of options on the skirt style, length, and extra little details for contrasts, ruffles, hembands, etc.

Paige, in Tanya Whelan's Sugar Hill Fabrics

Paige, in Michael Miller's Road to Marakesh border print fabric, on a windy day!

Don't forget about those wonderful border prints....I love the way they get to be showcased here without any interruption to the fabric.

The last dress is the Veronica V-Neck Sundress. Once I had designed Paige, I began to wonder if I could play around with the front bodice to make a V-neck style. It took a bit of work, but I managed to work something out that will be easy for you to follow. This dress has so many possibilities! You can actually interchange all of the skirt styles between Veronica and Paige, so your options are many.

Veronica, in Heather Bailey's chevron from Pop Garden

 (sorry, this fabric is no longer available, except from my stash!

Veronica, from an assortment of Kaffe Fasset and Brandon Mably fabrics

These dresses are just so perfect for the summer....easy sewing with a comfortable and flattering fit. The beauty of the ties at the neckline are that once you have them as you like, the dress will pull over your head easily without having to untie a thing! And because there is elastic at the high waistline, the fit is super comfortable. I know I will be wearing these a lot throughout our hot summer to come here in TX!

I am expecting the stock to arrive about the middle of next week (May 10th or so). I will post here and to Facebook when we have them up and ready for sale!! This booklet will be $16 for three unique dress designs, lots of design options, and all the tips you will need for measuring yourself with great success!!

Happy Sewing!!