Sew Serendipity

Book Winner AND a Very Special Offer!!

2012-01-10T09:48:00.002-06:00

Thanks to all of you who posted a comment to the blog. I so enjoyed reading each and every one! Thanks for the lovely words about my home and work. It made my day!

To answer just a few of the questions that were asked:
The white china cabinet really isn't one at all, it is actually a bookcase that is bought by the piece at Ethan Allen. I wanted something that looked more like a built-in cabinet that was more shallow than a regular china cabinet, plus I wanted to feel like I could add books and other items to it without it looking weird. It still has glass shelves and lighting, so it is especially pretty at night.

The Halloween spider dress is indeed the Betty June, just dressed up for the occasion! I wore a buckram slip underneath to give it a bit of extra pouf. It was great fun to wear and I am glad that so many of you liked it. It just shows you how adaptable the patterns are....don't be afraid to extend the limits of your imagination!!

And now for the book winner.....according to random.org, #151 is the winner! Congratulations!!

All Things Beautiful said...

I enjoyed your post with all the pictures. I would love to win your book.

January 9, 2012 12:20 PM

Please contact me with your mailing address and I will get your book right out the door!

SPECIAL OFFER
THROUGH JANUARY 13TH AT 11:59CST!!
Are you bummed that you were not the winner? Please accept our special offer on
Sew Serendipity Bags
of 10% additional off the $27.99 price, making it only $25.20....
and that's for an autographed copy!
IN ORDER TO GET THIS SPECIAL OFFER, PLEASE TYPE SPECIAL10
IN THE MEMO BOX WHEN PLACING YOUR ORDER.
We will calculate the discount and send you an updated order status (or PayPal refund). You will not see the discount in your cart at time of checkout.
HURRY! This is a limited time offer!!

New Year, Fresh Start, and a Giveaway!

2012-01-06T16:58:00.005-06:00

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO PARTICIPATED!

Hey Everyone!

It has been exactly 3 months to the day that I have posted here at the blog. I am sorry for my absence. I really didn't mean to be away for so long! It has been eventful around here, to say the least. Since the last time I have written, another market has come and gone, as well as the whole holiday season.
I can't believe that it is 2012 already...where did 2011 go? It is also hard to believe that this is the start of our 11th year with Serendipity. I feel so grateful for all the blessings in my life, especially for the opportunity to do something I dearly love for a living...I highly recommend it!

2011 brought many changes here at Casa de Whitt...we did some work on the house starting in September after we got a new front door put into the house. Of course, that happened during the HOTTEST week of the summer, and if you live anywhere in the southern US, you know how hot it was. Here's a photo of the new front door. It really changes the look of our home and we love it!

Once that work was finished, we had already decided that we would get rid of carpet in most of the house and add hardwood floors. BUT before that could happen, it was best to get walls painted and get rid of some older furniture for a fresh new look in the house. I spent most of the late summer and into the fall designing and writing the fall patterns, looking for new furniture and ordering sewing new pillows and window treatments, and generally overseeing the work on the house. To say that it was hectic is an understatement!

The work finally finished up mid-October and then market was upon us. The new furniture arrived and basically sat in the house without much else being done decoration-wise. For those of you who know me well, this is just the sort of thing that makes me nuts! I just didn't have the time to devote to decorating that I wanted so I put it on hold until we had market behind us. Once November was here, I was able to slow down a little and get everything back in its place. In hindsight, it was the best way to go but in October it seemed like it would never get here. Here are a few shots from market:

The "girls" got a change of clothes for each day of market again!

On Halloween, just two spidery girls!

My interview for Pat Sloan's radio show!

The rest of the year flew in the blink of an eye! Once I thought I was finished decorating, it was time to ramp up the Christmas decorating. I am a Christmas decorating fiend so I have to start before Thanksgiving. 8 trees and various decorations throughout the house makes for a big mess, but it is glorious when finished! I bought an artificial flocked tree this year. I have ALWAYS wanted one...and I love it!

During the Day

During the Evening

We had a restful Christmas with our family and rang in the New Year with cherished friends....now it is time for that FRESH START!!

I will be working on the Spring collection shortly (coming in May) as well as my THIRD BOOK! I know...it sounds hectic, but I think I am ready to take it on and I do love to keep my hands busy. As I get a little further along, I will give you a few hints about the new book...we are hopeful that it will be available by the close of 2012. That seems like a long time from now, but I know the time will fly as it always does.
I am not much for new year resolutions, but I will say that I will try not to be absent from the blog for 3 months again! It seems like when I have a lot to do, the blog is last on the list. It isn't that the writing is a problem, it is getting all the photos ready that seems to drag me down and I talk myself out of posting because I think I don't have enough time. I promise to try and do better this year!

NOW, if you are still with me here, it is time for that giveaway! Sew Serendipity Bags came out in late September so I know a lot of you already have had an opportunity to get a copy, but if you haven't, here's your chance! I will be giving away ONE copy to a lucky winner starting right now and going until 11:59 CST on Monday evening. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, January 10th. PLEASE leave ONLY ONE comment to enter. That makes it fair for everyone. Thanks so much!

Happy Sewing!!

New Fall Collection: Meet Savannah!

2011-10-06T16:25:00.000-05:00

The last new design in the fall collection is the Savannah Swing Jacket. Featured in two lengths (hip or fingertip), this jacket has a slight flare that floats away from the body for great and stylish swing! The sleeves are 3/4-bracelet length with many options for finishing out the cuff. You can choose a contrast turned cuff, ruffle, narrow band, or plain band with an optional button trim. The bodice has variations for double or single pleats as well as a squared or rounded front. The collar has a few options too. You can make it from the same fabric, contrasting fabric, or ruche it for great added textural interest.

For those of you who have been wanting a lined jacket, here it is! I have included full instructions for lining the jacket as well as an option to leave it unlined for those of you who would like a lighter weight jacket or maybe you just aren't ready to tackle the whole "lining thing" just yet!

This jacket is just fabulous made up in lovely textured heavy silk, wool, home decorating weight twill or sateen, and linen. It is best to stay with a heavier weight fabric for the jacket so that it hangs appropriately. This is one of the few times that I would recommend that you NOT use quilting weight cottons. There are so many wonderful heavier fabrics available that I am sure you will find something fabulous to make your jacket from.

You will notice that I also chose to mix it up a bit with my buttons. I have placed covered buttons on several, varying the size based on my whim at the time of making the jacket. Sometimes the buttons match, covered in the same fabric as the jacket, and sometimes they are made from contrasting fabrics. I also found some great accent buttons too, so don't be afraid to mix two different styles of buttons or more on your jacket. Let this design speak for your personal style!

It looks like we will be able to get these patterns listed very soon, so watch for next week when they will be available for purchase!
Happy Sewing!!

New Fall Collection: Fashion Formula Skirts, Volume 2!

2011-09-29T09:22:00.000-05:00

The Fashion Formula Skirts booklet that I released last fall was so popular, I decided to see if I could come up with another volume of easy to sew skirts. I had so much fun coming up with new ways to get a cute skirt from just strips and rectangles! If you are familiar with the first booklet, there are NO pattern pieces required as all of the skirt pieces are cut with a rotary cutter, ruler and mat, based on your hip measurements. There are four designs in the new booklet and all of them feature a yoke and the option of an elastic or drawstring waistband.

First up is the Jolie Pouf Skirt. This is a double layer skirt with simple pleating along the lower edge of the overskirt to create the scalloped edge. I love to use high contrast fabrics for this skirt. I think that it would be fabulous in cotton voile. Little covered buttons or fabric flowers at each scallop would be a lovely added touch as well.

Next is the Gabrielle Godet Skirt. This one is made from tapered panels with the insertion triangular godets between along the lower edge. The black version has eyelet fabric for the godets and lower edge ruffle trim. It is fun to mix textures of fabric with this one. I think a beautiful skirt could be made from a lovely heavy silk with lighter silk (maybe dupioni) godets. It would also be great made from linen or a lightweight wool or twill for a wonderful fall look. I also included covered button accents above each godet on one of the skirts just to add a little more detail.

The Corinne Pleated Skirt is made from pre-cut 2 1/2" strips, or you can cut your own. This is a great way to use a pre-cut strip roll, if you have any lying around. You get to enjoy the whole collection of fabric all in one skirt! I have included options for a contrasting hemband, frayed seams for a shabby look, and one skirt that I cut the strips from two fabrics to get a great alternating pattern.

The Adrienne Pieced Skirt is the last in the group. This design uses the technique of paper piecing. Don't be afraid if you have never done this before, as it is a snap to do! I chose a diagonal pattern for my panels so the skirt would have a chevron pattern when sewn together (reminiscent of the Missoni craze going on right now). I just used my extensive stash of black and white fabrics and put a pop of color in each panel as I went along. I love the result! I think it would also be fabulous done in bright colors with a pop of black here and there. This is a fun skirt to make with endless possibilities on the piecing aspect. It is a great way to use up that stash of little scraps you have!

We should have the booklet in stock very soon....will let you know as soon as it arrives!

Happy Sewing!

New Fall Collection: Meet Madeline!

2011-09-23T09:14:00.000-05:00

The first of the new fall collection is the Madeline Maxi Dress. I designed this one for myself this summer as I found that most of the maxi dresses were just too crazy and loose for my liking. Once it was designed I just loved the way it came together, so I decided that it had to be a pattern! I love wearing this dress and it never fails that I get compliments everywhere I wear it...you will too!

It is a snap to sew together. The waist is slightly raised to give you the slimmest waistline profile and you have two choices for the skirt length. Several choices are offered for the hemband. This dress zips up the back and if you follow my tutorial for inserting the invisible zipper, you will be feeling like Super Seamtress!! As usual, there are numerous ways for you to mix and match your favorite fabrics to make your own unique creation.

Here is a gallery of the shots taken for the pattern cover. I am doing the full leaflet for the pattern again so you get a lot of different images as inspiration. This design is currently at the printer and should be here within 2 weeks. We will be sure to let you know when it is available for purchase.

Next week....some new skirts!!

Happy Sewing!!

It's Here!

2011-09-21T20:38:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to check in really quick and let you all know that the new book, Sew Serendipity Bags just arrived here yesterday. It is up for sale on the website and signed copies are ready to ship! Go here and order yours right now!!

The book is beautiful and completely packed with great designs and techniques. It is the perfect companion to Sew Serendipity and I just couldn't be prouder!

I can't wait for some of you to get some projects made and posted to the Facebook page. It is always so fun to see what all of you come up with. I am so grateful to all of you for purchasing my designs and making them your very own. This book is even dedicated to all of you as a token of my appreciation!

Here are a couple of shots from the new book to whet your appetite:

The Socialite Handbag

The Laptop Messenger Bag

The new book has projects to suit everyone's skill level as they are divided into sections: Simple, Intermediate, and Challenging. I have built in skills and the use of lots of great tools to make your experience an enjoyable and successful one.

I will be introducing the new fall designs in the coming days that will be available starting mid-October, so stay tuned!

Happy Sewing!!

We Have A Winner!

2011-09-10T08:21:00.000-05:00

I just entered the numbers on random.org and we have a winner for Nancy's book!

It is #47, Kathryn!

Kathryn says, "My sewing career started as a garment sewer in 4H. I still love it. Nancy is a favorite of mine on PBS."

Posted August 27, 2011 3:49 PM

Congratulations, Kathryn! Please contact me here and send your mailing address. I just know you are going to love Nancy's book!

Stay tuned! I am putting the finishing touches on the new patterns before they go to print....sneak peek VERY soon!

Happy Sewing, Everyone!

Craft Buds

2011-08-31T10:08:00.001-05:00

Just a quick note to tell you all about a great blog called Craft Buds: Growing Your Handmade Business! Lindsay has some really informative posts about lots of topics to help you be successful with a homemade business. If you haven't stumbled upon her site before, you should go check it out.

For the month of September, she is going to be hosting Craft Book Month, an event to celebrate all things craft books! She's got excellent guests lined up (publishers & authors, including me to talk about my upcoming book, Sew Serendipity Bags at the end of September), weekly giveaways, book reviews, and more.

As part of the month-long celebration, she is also hosting a linky party with additional giveaways. This event will answer some questions for aspiring craft book authors---and inspire everyone to use those pretty books sitting on their shelves to make projects.

I'll be back soon to give you a sneak peek of the fall collection. Gotta get into the studio and finish up some sewing...photography session is this weekend! Then on to finalizing pattern pieces and writing instructions....fun!!

Don't forget to leave a comment for the giveaway of Nancy Zieman's new book on the last post if you have not already done so. You have until Sept. 9th at midnight (CDT) to enter!

Happy Sewing!

Nancy Zieman Sewing A to Z Blog Tour and a Giveaway!

2011-08-27T00:00:00.024-05:00

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

It is my turn to host the tour for Nancy Zieman's new book, Sewing A to Z. Nancy has really outdone herself this time by addressing just about anything you have ever had a question about regarding sewing! Seriously, this book is an amazing resource for all kinds of techniques that we tend to forget how to do after a while...or maybe I am just speaking for myself here. I never can remember how to miter the binding on a quilt....oh wait, I know why, it is because I hardly ever do that being a "poser" quilter! (By "poser", I mean that I really don't have the attention span or accurate enough 1/4" seams to get through a large quilting project.....just sayin'!) Never fear, Nancy has covered how to add that pesky binding and how to make it look professional.

That is probably my favorite thing about Nancy...she is a sewing professional in every sense of the word. I love her clever techniques. They save you time and the result is always perfect.

Here are the two techniques that Nancy addresses in her new book that really stuck with me the most:

1. Darts: I have been making darts in clothing for years, but it never occurred to me to do the clever thing that Nancy does to keep the line from the point to the edge of the fabric perfectly angled...she uses a piece of thread as a guide....now that is ingenious! I always "eyeball" it and most of the time it works, but this thread technique works EVERY time! Thanks for that one, Nancy!

2. Easing: There are a couple of places that Nancy addresses easing seams together. This is such an important technique to master, especially when making clothing. There are a lot of times where a seam will need this type of treatment, such as for sewing princess seams or adding a set-in style sleeve. Nancy gives you at least three different techniques to try. I love that she tells you that you might need to practice a little bit to get the technique just right. It does take some practice with easing before you are comfortable, and Nancy puts you right at ease.

The book is arranged as you would think. Since it is literally sewing A to Z, the techniques are alphabetized. This is great because it is like the book is already indexed! Have a question about zippers? Go to the "Z" section. Want to know about facings? Go to "F". Super easy and very well illustrated. Nancy is right there also with helpful tips throughout putting you at ease, which she does so effortlessly.

Be sure to go to Nancy's post, as she has a HUGE giveaway of goodies and you have to visit there to leave a comment in order to be entered.

I am also hosting a giveaway here, so be sure to leave a comment if you would like to win a copy of this wonderful resource book. I guarantee you will love it! It is destined to be your go-to book whenever you have a sewing question. The giveaway here starts now and a winner will be announced on September 10. Please submit only one comment to enter.

Here is the full tour, so be sure to check out everyone's review. There are some great ideas, tips, and even a video or two along the way.

Sewing A to Z blog tour:
15-Aug Nancy Zieman’s blog
16-Aug Whipstitch
17-Aug Sew Mama Sew
18-Aug Diary of a Quilter
20-Aug Amy’s Creative Side
22-Aug Quiltville
23-Aug Crap I’ve Made
24-Aug Eileen Roche’s blog
25-Aug I’m Just a Guy Who Quilts
26-Aug The Free Motion Quilting Project
27-Aug Sew Serendipity
29-Aug Lazy Girls Designs
30-Aug Pat Sloan Blog
31-Aug Tallgrass Prairie Studio
1-Sep True Up
2-Sep Sew News
6-Sep Off the Cuff Sewing Style
7-Sep V and Co.
8-Sep The Cottage Home
9-Sep Colette Patterns

Happy Sewing!

Back to School and Sneak Peek!

2011-08-22T16:09:00.000-05:00

OK....I admit, it has been a while! We have had such a busy summer around here! A bit of this and a bit of that have kept me from blogging much. It has been unbelievably hot here in Texas and we have worked hard to keep everything alive and ourselves cool. I know that many of you can relate!

I am working on new fall stuff for market (stuff you are going to LOVE)....the Sew Fresh group over at Cabbage Rose got to see a little bit, but I have been a busy girl since then and have yet another design worked out. There will be a new Fashion Formula Skirts booklet (part 2), a new dress, and a new jacket, finally. They are great and I can't wait to get the photography done so that I can share with all of you!

I do want to let you know about a great "Back to School" series over at Sew Sweetness. Sara graciously asked if I would like to contribute and I agreed to do one of the posts. Mine will be up on the 25th (that's this Thursday) and I will be talking about the importance of adding facings to your clothing projects. I hope you will hop on over and read all about it. There are many other great posts going on, as the series started a week ago. I have a button on the right hand column here for you to go straight to the series, or you can click on the hyperlink above too. I hope you all find valuable information and inspiration there!

Now for the sneak peek.....my advance copies of Sew Serendipity Bags got here today!! Yipee!! It will be another month before the book will be in your hot little hands, as they are all on a literal slow boat from China at the moment (no kidding)! We expect the books to be in-house at the end of September and will be adding a pre-sale option around the first to middle of September. We will send out a little note as soon as we have that available for you. I am just so thrilled with the book. It is a perfect "sister" book to Sew Serendipity. You can expect great techniques that I personally use, invaluable resources, the same wonderful hand drawn illustrations and lots of fun bag designs to play with.
Here is just a taste of the book to come....

Happy Sewing!

Where I Sew – Kay Whitt of Serendipity Studio

2011-07-18T07:17:00.000-05:00

Where I Sew – Kay Whitt of Serendipity Studio

Where I Sew

2011-07-05T11:20:00.002-05:00

Hope you had a wonderful 4th of July holiday. We had some good friends over for a smoked brisket feast on Sunday, then took it easy yesterday. It was a glorious weekend! A special thanks to all of the men and women who are members of our military, keeping us safe and free.

I just wanted to let you all know that my sewing studio will be featured on Pink Chalk Studio's blog this month! Kathy is doing a feature on many designers in the industry to show where we work as inspiration. You can even post a photo of your own sewing space on the July 2nd post!

My studio will be show on July 16th. You can currently see Jennifer Paganelli's sewing studio on the July 3rd post. Just click on the hyperlinked text in this post or on the sidebar to navigate to Kathy's blog to read all about Jennifer's space. See the list below for other designers who will be featured:

Sunday, July 3        Jennifer Paganelli
Wednesday, July 6    Tricia Waddell
Thursday, July 7        Betz White
Saturday, July 9        Brigitte Heitland
Sunday, July 10        Peter Lappin
Wednesday, July 13    Rita Hodge
Thursday, July 14    Sarai Mitnick
Saturday, July 16        Kay Whitt
Wednesday, July 20    Aneela Hoey
Thursday, July 21    Kate Spain
Saturday, July 23        Alissa Haight Carlton
Wednesday, July 27    Jan DiCintio
Thursday, July 28    Pat Sloan
Saturday, July 30        Jacquie Gering
Sunday, July 31        Kathy Mack

I am about to embark upon some magazine project sewing, then full on into the fall collection. I appreciate all of you who have posted your creations to the Facebook page. It has been so fun to see what you all are up to! I know it inspires so many to get busy and turn that fabric stash into something fabulous!

Until next time, HAPPY SEWING!!

Winners! & Come see me!

2011-06-21T09:21:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone who left a comment. I read each and every one and I am thrilled that so many of you are sharing my passion for sewing! Thanks so much for your kind words about my work. All of that positive energy really made my day! Using www.random.org, here are the two lucky winners:

#152: Lori Anne said,

"I just purchased 3 of your patterns to use for my 23 yo daughter and would love to win these to add to our collection! And since she's also a HUGE Mavericks fan (and yes, she's still up in the clouds too!), it would be so appropriate for her to win! LOL Thanks for the giveaway!"

Posted June 18, 2011 9:45 PM

#41: DD Lindsey said,

"I NEED these patterns because I just recently bought your book and I am SO excited to try 3D sewing for the 1st time (aside from some bags I've made). I know once I start, I won't wanna stop! And I'll NEED more patterns to try! Did I mention that I NEED these patterns?!"

Posted June 17, 2011 12:42 PM

Congratulations, gals! Please contact me with your mailing address and I will get your patterns right out the door!

On another note, many of you who live here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area know that this weekend (starting on Thursday) is Martha's Sewing Market in Arlington at the convention center on Ballpark Way. This is a show that is open to the public and sponsored by Martha Pullen. She is the maven of heirloom sewing and publishes the magazine Sew Beautiful. They did a lovely photo shoot of some of my designs in their newest issue, so go check it out! Here is a sneak peek.....

I will be attending the show as a guest in Sew Southward Bernina's booth, signing books, promoting the new pattern designs, and talking to folks. I plan on being at the show most of the day Thursday and Friday. If you plan on attending I would love it if you would stop by to say hello! Hope to see you there.

Spring Market Recap and a Giveaway!

2011-06-17T10:28:00.005-05:00

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.
Thanks to all of you who left a comment!

OK....I KNOW how late this is! The past month has been a whirlwind of orders, getting organized post-market, a Fabulous win by my beloved Dallas Mavericks (I am just coming down from the clouds on that one!), making the FINAL pass on my book manuscript (Yay!) and about a million other things.

Anyway, just in case any of you might still be interested (and I hope, hope, hope you are), here is a photo recap of spring market. I redesigned the booth this time and went all white for the backdrop. I LOVE how it made all of the samples jump right out at you! I also created a faux shop window at the front corner of the booth and to my surprise, it made the booth almost look circular....very cool! I also made some lovely felt birds to decorate the top of the booth....and I want to clip them all over my house now! I plan on doing this layout again for the fall, so if some of you missed the spring market, you will see yet another version of this design come October.

I thought it would be fun to change the dress forms out each day so everyone would have something new to see and also so the "girls" wouldn't get too bored. It was a lot of fun and there were many who came by each day just to see what the girls were wearing! That was most defnintely a hit!!

So, if you are still reading, I AM DOING A GIVEAWAY HERE! I will be giving out a pack of one each of the new patterns.....that's the Diane Kimono Dress, Betty June Dress, Rita Reversible Bag, and the Camilla Insulated Bag!!

I WILL CHOOSE 2 LUCKY WINNERS!!

(using the random number generator on random.org)

This giveaway starts NOW and will run until 11:59 PM CDT on Monday, June 20th for US residents only. All you have to do is leave a comment about how badly you need these little beauties!

I am so thrilled that so many of you have been following this blog and my Facebook page. I am getting really close to 1000 followers on Facebook! If you have an account and haven't "liked" my page yet, I would love it if you would! You can get to it over there on the right by clicking on my FB icon.

My brain is already hard at work on the new goodies for the fall release...there is going to be some great stuff!

I hope that wherever you are this weekend, you are staying cool and enjoying the "almost summer" season.....

Happy Sewing!

Summer of No Pants: A Skirt Tutorial from Sew Serendipity!

2011-05-16T00:00:00.186-05:00

Here is my skirt tutorial from my book, Sew Serendipity, as my guest post for the Summer of No Pants. You can sign up for a Sew Serendipity book giveaway here. I decided to start with the Ruffled Skirt and add a pocket from another variation. I used two prints from Poodle, a great collection from Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom for Free Spirit Fabrics. The dot is from Michael Miller. I will take you completely through construction according to the instructions in my book. The embellishments are the added pocket, ruffles, and fabric flower.

You may be thinking,"How can I use this?" Simple! You can apply the ruffle idea between seams on ANY skirt or dress pattern as well as dressing something up with a great fabric flower. You might even get industrious and design your own pocket for a paneled skirt. Think outside the box!

Let's get started! First, cut the pieces from the fabric. Notice that the pocket piece is flipped. I only needed the left side pocket and wanted to fussy cut the fabric. That's why I like tissue...you can see through it to do that sort of thing.

Now that the pieces are cut out, it is time to add the fusible interfacing to the wrong side of the facing pieces and sew them right sides together at the sides. Press the seams to one side and serge the lower edge. Set the facing aside for later!

Next, cut some strips for the ruffles. I made my strips 2" wide. Cut off the selvedges, then fold the strips in half widthwise wrong sides together and press.

I used my ruffler attachment set at every 6th stitch and gathered up one of the strips. LOVE this foot! It is worth its weight in gold!

Here, I have shown you the difference between a pressed ruffle and one that isn't....can you guess which is which? This is why I press my ruffles!

Now it is time to add the ruffles to the upper and lower edges of one of the pocket pieces, against the right side of fabric. I just follow the line of stitching that was created from ruffling the fabric strip.

Add the other pocket piece, right sides together and stitch along the upper and lower edges. Turn the pocket right side out and press, then edge and topstitch the finished edges.

The pocket is added to the left side front piece next. I stitched close to the edge on the sides and on top of previous stitching along the lower edge.

It is time to add the ruffles to the center front and back pieces. Just line up the raw edges with a bit of ruffle extending beyond the upper and lower edges, then stitch in place.

Add the side front and back pieces to the center front/backs. I serge these seams after stitching for a neat appearance. Press the ruffles toward the side pieces, then edge and topstitch the seams. Notice on the center back, the straight edge is serged and ready for the invisible zipper.

I am NOT showing the zipper installation here, but you can visit my "Don't Fear the Invisible Zipper" tutorial on the sidebar. Lots of people have been very successful with their zippers using this method!

Wow....like magic that zipper is in place now! Sew the front and back skirt pieces right sides together along the side seams, then press the seams to one side.

Add the waistline facing to the upper edge of the skirt, right sides together. Notice how the zipper seam allowance has been opened out with the facing. This will be folded in once the stitching is completed.

After stitching, trim down the seam to 1/4" and clip to ease the curve. I always understitch my facing seams. This is done by turning the seam toward the facing and stitching close to the seam line on top of the facing. This prevents the facing from rolling to the outside during wear. Once the understitching is complete, turn the facing to the inside and press.

Open the facing out once more along the center back and fold in the edges of the facing and press, then fold back inside once more.

Edge and topstitch the top finished edge of the skirt, then stitch in the ditch on the side seams to secure the facing. Now it will stay in place during washing and wearing!

Add a ruffle to the lower edge of the skirt, starting at the center back seam against the right side. Notice how I left the first part of the ruffle free. This is so I can join the ends of the ruffle before sewing it to the skirt.

Once most of the ruffle is in place, I stop and fold back the ends of the ruffle and press. Then, open out the ends and mark those creases. Align the creases and stitch together. Trim down the seam and finish attaching the ruffle to the skirt.

Make the lower section of the skirt by placing them right sides together and stitch the side seams. Press seams to one side, then add it right sides together to the lower edge of the skirt on top of the ruffle. Stitch in place.

Press the ruffle down to rest on top of the lower skirt. The seam allowance is pressed upward. Edge and topstitch this seam. Add another ruffle (this one is 4" wide, then folded in half before adding to the skirt) just as the other ruffle was added.

Press and topstitch the seam.

Now for the flower! I cut one 1 1/2" wide strip and folded it in half just like I did for all the other ruffles, ONLY this time, I pressed a small amount at each end to the wrong side for a neat finish. When I gathered it, I set the ruffler for EVERY stitch so it would have a tighter gather. Once gathered, I pressed it flat and began rolling it up.

Once it is rolled up, I used a double threaded needle and hand stitched the layers together. Leave the needle attached once the stitching is complete. See the difference between the flower that has been steamed and the one that hasn't? I like to think that my iron makes these "bloom"!

Use the attached needle and thread and stitch the flower to the lower right seam.

This skirt is ready to wear! I hope you found some inspiration to make this YOUR summer of no pants!

Happy Sewing....

Summer of No Pants!

2011-05-04T15:31:00.001-05:00

Have you heard about the Summer of No Pants yet? It is the great idea of Marigold, blogger over at Hideous! Dreadful! Stinky! She started this event last summer when she decided that she would be decidedly more feminine wearing skirts and dresses all summer instead of t-shirts and shorts. She loved it so much that she decided to do it again this year and has asked me to be a guest blogger! How could I say no? I love to wear skirts and dresses all summer. They really are the best choice...you can look great and be cool....and that is super important in my Texas heat!

She will have several bloggers writing and sharing their finds and reviews. I will be participating with a tutorial from my book, Sew Serendipity. My post will be published here on my blog on May 16th. Marigold will be giving away one of my books on her blog during that time!

Once all of us have shared information with you all, your part begins! From May 23rd to June 17th, we are inviting you to participate in a sewing challenge....make one skirt or dress each week and share it with us on the Summer of No Pants' Flickr group. I plan on doing this and would love to see what all of you sew up! I think it will be great fun for everyone.

Be sure to go on over to Marigold's blog and read more about this fun event by clicking on the banner above. I hope you decide to join us.

Happy Sewing!!

Last Sneak Peek: Meet Camilla!

2011-04-27T17:05:00.000-05:00

Here is the last new design for spring, the Camilla Insulated Bag. I was inspired to come up with this design at the request of a friend who was having a hard time finding a good quality lunch bag with the correct proportions. That was a good challenge for me and it grew into a rather nice design, I think! Once I had made the bag in the size she needed, I realized the possibilities this bag had in other sizes too. After getting three worked up in different sizes using the laminated fabrics, I thought it would make a nice handbag or tote too, so the pattern offers 5 different sizes with endless possibilities!

The largest size made in laminates would be great to pack up a lot of food for a picnic or snacks for a road trip. It would also work nicely for trips to the grocery for small bags of frozen items or fruit. The two other sizes as insulated bags work well for lunches, drinks, or snacks. These bags have a full velcro closure across the top just under the handles to help keep your items at a good temperature.

The non-insulated bags have interior pockets and a magnetic closure. I played around with the depth of the bags and made them a bit shallower so they would be better suited to use as handbags. You will also notice that I used my flower from the Summer Flower Tutorial to embellish some of the bags.

A tip for working with laminates: try using your walking foot. I found that it worked better than my teflon foot! Because I was quilting layers of insulated batting with the laminates, I needed an even feed under my machine. I thought I would see what the walking foot would do with the laminated fabrics. It was fabulous! I can't recommend this highly enough.

I also made some fabrics into laminates by using the iron-on vinyl from Therm-o-Web. This was an easy product to use and I got great results. It doesn't make the fabric too heavy to sew with, so I recommend trying that as well, especially if you find some fabrics that you want to use and they are not offered as laminates.

Lastly, I used some of my Echino Japanese linen for one of the large tote bags....LOVE it! When working with heavier fabrics, I make some recommendations in the pattern for the type of stabilizer that will work best, so hopefully it will help in making good decisions when you get ready to make your bags.

So, that's it! Now you have seen all the "newbies" for spring. The stock has just arrived, so it will only be a matter of DAYS before we have these listed and ready for purchase!

Happy Sewing!

Sneak Peek #3: Meet Rita!

2011-04-21T10:17:00.003-05:00

The Rita Reversible is my take on the popular reversible bag design idea. This design is like getting two bags in one! Both sides are fully functional to be used as an exterior and there are lots of design choices.

I know that a lot of us like to try to keep our bags organized, so if you make a variation with pockets on all sides, you will get the benefit of four really nice deep pockets to stash your stuff. Most of the variations offer the pocket style with pieced panels. You can add your own flair by adding the plain or ruffled contrast trim between. Below you can see the variations with those trims added.

Ruffled Trim, Side 1

Ruffled Trim, side 2

Plain Trim Variation

If you are in love with a particular fabric, you can opt for the one piece variation and showcase the motif on each side. On the one shown below, I used a coordinate from the same line and did the pocket variation so there would be at least two nice pockets integrated into the bag. I also left the handle longer on this one so it could be cross-body length.

What is even better is if you are in love with two different sets of fabrics...what to do? Feature one set for each side! Then you can have two totally different looks with one bag. With this idea, I had a lot of leftover black and white fabrics and decided to scrap it up a bit. It is a great way to use up your little bits!

Black and White Bag, side 2

The closure is offered two ways: a loop and button, or buttonhole and button. I chose to use large coverable buttons so I could feature different little design elements from the fabrics as an added accent. A large pretty button would also look great.

I used Shape-Flex stabilizer in the bags. It is a great woven cotton fusible interfacing that has a lot less trouble with a crinkled appearance. This is particularly helpful since this bag is reversible. I also used fusible fleece to add a little more structure for the quilting weight cottons.

This bag is a great way to express your creativity. The pattern should be in stock in a week or so...we will let you know as soon as it is available for purchase!

Happy Sewing!

Sneak Peek #2: Meet Diane!

2011-04-13T09:03:00.000-05:00

This is the Diane Kimono Dress! Several of you with keen eyes caught a glimpse of her in the blog banner photo earlier this week and wondered if there is a pattern for THAT dress. The answer is, YES! Patterned after the simple construction of the Claire Cami Dress, Diane is a drawstring dress with no closures. You just slip this dress over your head and cinch up the drawstring....easy to sew, easy and comfortable to wear!

I decided to add kimono into the name as the criss-cross fashion of the bodice and some of the fabric choices I made lent an Asian feel. The Dolman sleeves are incorporated into the bodice, so the sewing is fast. The waistline on this design is raised with a very forgiving fit. I have offered four cutting lines for the skirt on the pattern, so if you would like to make a version to wear with skinny pants or leggings, that is an available choice. I slimmed the skirt a bit for this dress as compared to Claire, but I added a fuller fold line also so you can choose for a full or slimmer skirt. There is also a tiered version. I decided to make that one like the tiered skirt in my Fashion Formula Skirts booklet where you cut strips for the last two tiers instead of giving a pattern piece. I think it simplifies things a bit.

This dress makes up very nicely in regular quilting weight cottons. Two of the dresses featured here are made in lighter softer fabrics. The tiered one is made from cotton voile and it is dreamy to wear...so soft and flowy. I highly recommend trying out this type of fabric for the dress. Another of the dresses (blue and gray) is made from cotton shirting. Cotton shirting is lighter weight than regular cotton, but not as light as voile. The result is a nice soft dress, another good fabric choice.

Diane is at the printer also, and will be available for sale early next month. Well, that is it for sneak peeks this week....next week, I will be showing the new bags!

Happy Sewing!

Sneak Peek #1: Meet Betty June!

2011-04-11T17:43:00.001-05:00

We were fortunate last weekend to have a picture perfect day here in Texas for the photography...not too much wind (of which we have had a LOT lately) and just the right amount of sun. We tried one of our local public parks for these shots and I am so happy with the result! I love the Betty June Dress! It is so retro 1940's-50's. This one is named after my husband's late maternal grandmother. She was always such a tastefully dressed lady.

Because Monique was such a hit last spring, I thought I would see what else I could come up with that had a similar vibe. This design features a button closure on the fitted bodice as well as a side zipper to make it easy to get in and out of. Lots of you were itching for a dress with some sort of sleeve, so here you go! The waist is slightly raised, a flattering position for just about everyone. You can see that there are several ways to finish out the dress...with a small ruffled or plain contrast on the bodice and hem and different belt options. The skirt is about knee length, but can easily be altered to any length.

Notice the option of making the skirt out of 2 1/2" strips. I think this is a great way to use about half of a jelly roll! I just used scraps from the skirt to make the covered buttons. The other variations either have the major pieces in one fabric or a contrasting bodice. As usual, I am offering lots of ways to use several prints in a collection...one as a main focus with the others as accents.

Betty June is dressy and feminine without being too fussy. This design will be available for sale in early May. We will be sure to send a shout-out as soon as we get the pattern listed on the website.

Stay tuned, another great dress is up next! Until then, Happy Sewing, everyone!

Stopping to Smell the Roses

2011-04-08T15:04:00.000-05:00

Wow! Where did February, March, and nearly half of April go? I swear it hasn't been that long since I posted last....but it has! Time flies around here.

Just wanted to assure you all that I have not left the country or anything....but I have been so impossibly busy that I haven't had half a chance to think about the blog. The new spring collection had its priority as the review of the new book manuscript (more about that this summer!!). There will be some really nice goodies coming out in the new collection. We will be showing it at market next month, so I have been very very deep in design, sewing (a LOT of sewing), photography, drafting, writing, illustrating, etc.....I am happy to say that those little suckers are now on their way to the printer and NO ONE (except certainly my husband) could be happier about it! Let's just pretend that I am my usual pleasant self while facing all these deadlines (NOT!)....anyway, it feels good to have all that accomplished. I will be sharing some sneak peeks with you next week...need the weekend to recoup and maybe get my filthy house back in order....the level of dust is a nightmare, and let's not even get into what the carpet looks like....think tornado crossed with thread, fabric, etc. and you will be in the basic ballpark of things here!

Thought I would share some loveliness from my garden outside. These are antique roses and the aroma is simply heavenly. If it weren't for these beauties this week, I might have gone stark raving mad! I had them beside me as I toiled at the computer and would have to stop periodically to take a sniff and marvel at the miracle that is nature. I have my smart sister to thank for these beauties. She became a rose gardener several years ago. Who knows how many varieties of old roses she has now? Her garden is a wonder of color and scent....I just had to get in on it. Lucky for me she propagates her beauties and I was one fortunate recipient. These were planted last fall and just took off as soon as it warmed up here in Texas. She does sell some of her babies from time to time, so I'll have to keep you posted on that. In the meantime...just look at the color and the fullness of these blooms! What a joy!

Thanks to all of you who keep coming back to the blog to see if I am still here or not....I AM and will honestly try to be a better blogger from now on...cross my heart!

Hope all of you are finding time to sew and do what you love...until next week.....Happy Sewing!

Essential Bag Info, Part 1

2011-02-10T14:01:00.003-06:00

Below are the answers to the winning questions from the bag question giveaway. I hope you find some useful info here!

Question #1:

What is the best interfacing formula for a bag? Do you prefer to use a stiffer interfacing such as Decor Bond, or do you prefer to use multiple layers of a lighter weight interfacing?

This is a great question! I do unofficially have a stabilizer "formula". I am a huge fan of Pellon products. My favorite one for bags is Peltex 71. This is a one sided fusible stabilizer with a lot of body. It is easily added as the structure to form the outside of a bag.

There are many reasons why this one is my favorite:
1. It is purchased by the yard and is 20" wide.
2. It is fusible on one side.
3. It is easy to sew through, even when fabric is added to it.
4. The seam allowance is easy to trim.
5. It lends great body to a bag without too much heaviness.
6. It creases well when you need to crease it (think bottoms of bags and sharp edges along sides).
7. It does not soften over time the way buckram can.
8. It is washable. Note: I do not recommend washing bags...I prefer to spot clean them...I see no good reason for throwing something like a bag in a turbulent place like a washing machine, but that's just me....

OK...now that the love fest for Peltex is done, I can move on. The other stabilizer I simply could not get along without (for ANY kind of sewing) is Pellon lightweight fusible interfacing, 911FF. This is also a one sided fusible interfacing. I add it to the lining of my bags as well as pockets and handles. You can double the thickness without any fuss and it is always easy to sew through. I have literally gone through many bolts of this stuff!

Why do I love it so much?
1. It is purchased by the yard and is 20" wide.
2. It is easy to work with.
3. It readily adheres itself to the wrong side of fabrics and stays put.
4. It lends itself well to the lining of a bag because it adds a bit of body but not too much. I would definitely miss it if I skipped adding it to the lining.
5. Adds strength and stability to bag lining, pockets, handles, etc.
6. Great for reinforcing spots where you are adding a magnetic snap or any sort of clasp.

My personal formula is to use Peltex 71 and Pellon 911FF together throughout the bag making process. These are referred to many times throughout my pattern instructions and they are NOT something you want to skip. Other than good fabric choices, it is my opinion that stabilizers can literally make or break a bag design.

Having said all that, what if you don't want a stiff bag? I have a few designs that for whatever reason I have decided that it is best for them to have a softer feel. Instead of using Peltex 71, I use Pellon Thermolam Plus. This is a one sided fusible fleece and works great if you don't mind a soft sided bag. There are times that for construction reasons, it might not be feasible to use a stiff stabilizer like Peltex. This is where the fleece does a nice job. I think it lends body better than just substituting regular interfacing. Now, I would not recommend that you substitute fleece for Peltex in any given pattern, as a designer usually has a certain look in mind. Altering the supplies during construction will certainly alter your outcome! Proceed with caution if you veer off the path!!

Some of you might be wondering why I don't use double sided Peltex. I think it is simply too bulky once that other adhesive layer is added. I have not personally worked with it, but I have looked at it and decided it simply wasn't for me. I know myself pretty well and I can just imagine it would take me about 5 whole minutes to get one side of that stuff stuck to my ironing board pad...not fun!

Question #2:
When creating a bag with more body, what is the best way to decrease bulk in the seams?

In my opinion, the best way to reduce bulk in the seams is to trim the stabilizer down by the size of the seam allowance. This means that you will only have fabric in your seams and this should reduce the bulk by a lot. This is not something that I personally do as my machine stitches through all layers pretty well most of the time. It is a useful idea, though, and if you experience broken needles and visible stitches in your seams, then you might want to try this idea.

Another thing I like to do is to sew my exterior seams twice before turning a bag. I think the reinforcement of two stitching lines on top of one another makes the bag sturdier during use.

Question #3:

I'd love to see suggestions for customizing the interior. I usually find that I love a bag exterior but the inside is lacking. How do I add pockets, or a divider, or maybe a zipper compartment, a place for my keys? Or can I transform this bag easily into a laptop bag? Or with a few changes can it become a diaper bag?

This is a question that is asked often. Many of us lead busy lives and have lots of things to carry with us. I like for the interior of my bag to be organized. Nothing is worse for me than endlessly digging to try and find something! 99% of my bag patterns include instructions for adding interior pockets, and many have exterior pockets as well. The best thing to do if you want to customize an interior for your personal needs is to look at what you would a like a pocket for. Something like a cell phone, keys, or sunglasses usually only needs a simple patch-type pocket that can be added to one side of the lining before its side seams are sewn and added to the main bag unit.

You can measure your items and determine the best pocket size from there. I like to have my pockets sturdy for what I add to them, so I make mine twice as tall as they need to be and add fusible interfacing to the wrong side of the fabric. Then I fold the pocket in half height-wise right sides together and sew it, leaving myself an opening for turning. The double fabric and interfacing makes the pocket able to hold your stuff and withstand repeated use.

As for adding a dividers, well, dividers are tricky business. I have devised one in my newest book, Media Frenzy for the iPad bag. It took some engineering to get it just right, but it works great. Unfortunately there is no real cut and dry way to explain this as there are a lot of variables here based on the bag design you are working with.

Zipper compartments are fairly easy to add. You can add a recessed zipper to a bag as shown here. Again, keep in mind that it does depend on the bag design you are working with. Here is yet another tutorial for this.
If you want a zippered pocket, here is a great tutorial. Since these are so well photographed, I will let them speak for me, as this is exactly the way I would recommend adding these details. I have patterns that detail these techniques in the same manner.

I would think to make a bag work as a diaper bag, you would just need to decide what types of pockets work best for what you want to carry and add those to the lining before it is sewn together and added to the bag. Take note above of the information I shared about doubling the fabric and interfacing for a nice sturdy pocket.

Laptop bags are a bit more of a challenge. It is important to protect that precious cargo. I recommend adding a layer of fusible fleece and high loft batting to your lining. You might even want to consider making the lining from a soft fabric like flannel to cradle the laptop even more.

Just a side note here...I will have a diaper bag and a laptop bag in my new book Sew Serendipity Bags, out in September, so keep your eyes peeled!! It will also have zippered pockets in some of the designs...looks like I might have read some minds here!!
Let me know if you have any questions about my responses here. I hope that you find the information helpful.

I'm Back!

2011-02-03T10:06:00.001-06:00

Hey Everyone!

It has been TOO LONG since I have last posted here. I have been a terrible blogger and I apologize! What a whirlwind December was with book writing and the holidays. I finished the second book manuscript and it feels so great to have that whisked away to my editor! The book is scheduled for release in late September, and I will keep you posted on that as it progresses. As I have mentioned before, it will be about bags and I am so excited about sharing it with all of you! I think you will love the designs. It is designed to be a companion to the first book, so all of you who are familiar with Sew Serendipity, the new book will follow the same type of format.

To be honest, I decided that after writing two books basically back to back in addition to my continued releases of new designs for markets, I seriously needed a break from designing and writing, so I took the month of January to recharge my batteries. It was a great decision! I feel so much like my old self again without the pressure of writing or deadlines that books bring to your life! I have spent days getting back in touch with my knitting, crocheting, and I even picked up some counted cross stitch that I haven't done in years. It has given me a lot of time to think about new designs for the spring.

I have even started baking bread! I bought a book called Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day a while back. It is a no-knead process of making bread and it is really easy. The bread is wonderful and it is nice to have fresh bread for dinner without much effort. If you like to bake, you should check out this book! It is available here on Amazon. The authors also have a nice blog here with great tips for making bread.

Don't worry, I haven't forgotten that I still owe you some information about bag making...I do plan on getting the first post up on that here in a few days, so hang in there! The thought of more writing about bags after finishing the manuscript was unbearable and I knew I would do a better job with that here if I was able to get some distance on it. I will write these in a question/answer format and add them to the sidebar for easy reference.

So, like the groundhog, I have come out of my cave and I am happy to say that I, too, did NOT see my shadow....looks like spring will be just around the corner, thank goodness! Most of us are covered under snow and ice....the warmth of the spring sun is going to be wonderful for all of us!

Take note of some changes to the Blog Favorites sidebar....I have done some updating with new ones to follow and read. There are so many talented people in the world! I hope some of these inspire you to seek out and feed your own creativity.

Until next time, Happy Sewing!

Where are the books?

2010-12-07T20:08:00.000-06:00

I have good news and bad news. The good news is Sew Serendipity has gone to a 2nd printing! And now the bad news...the publisher is completely sold out and will not have the 2nd issue available until late January. Amazon is now out of stock and most of the large retailers are out too. If you need a copy for Christmas, I still have a few available on my web site.

I can also direct you to two great online stores that have copies left. Please visit Quilt Home and Cabbage Rose Quilting & Gifts. They can hook you up with a signed copy of Sew Serendipity and lots of other great stuff too. Now get that Christmas shopping finished up!

As an added note, join me in the Fiskateer chatroom Thursday night (December 9) at 9pm eastern. We will be talking about the Media Frenzy book and other fun stuff. As always there will be some great giveaways. Visit the Fiskateers blog for all of the details. Hope to see you on Thursday.

WINNERS!!

2010-11-29T11:10:00.001-06:00

Hey Everyone!

Thanks so much for participating in the bag question giveaway. So many of you had some great questions, but there were two that I thought were outstanding. I particularly like the way that one of them was phrased, so I picked it, even though many of you asked a version of the same question.

Here are the lucky winners:

Erin Stewart Hill said:

I love creating bags and cannot wait to buy your book!

I have 2 questions:

1. What is the best interfacing formula for a bag? Do you prefer to use a stiffer interfacing such as Decor Bond, or do you prefer to use multiple layers of a lighter weight interfacing?

2. When creating a bag with more body, what is the best way to decrease bulk in the seams?

November 15, 2010 1:34 PM

I love how Erin asked about a "stabilizer formula"...there is one I actually use and will happily share it with you. Many of you asked this very same question, so it is certainly one that many people need an answer for.

Alexandra said:

November 16, 2010 11:47 AM

This is a great question, and one that is often asked. While adding a zippered pocket may take a little more time, it is definitely doable. Other types of pockets are a snap to add to a lining and I will answer this one when I compile all the questions and formulate my answers in the next week or two.

Congrats, ladies! Please contact me with your mailing address so I can get your Media Frenzy book out to you as soon as possible.

As for all of the questions asked, you all certainly gave me some food for thought as I finish up the new book's manuscript. I plan on addressing many of the things you asked there, but wait....you won't have to wait until next year when that book comes out, as I plan on grouping like questions together and answering them here on the blog as a sort of "Bags 101" for your reference! It will take me a week or two to accomplish this, so hang with me on that.

WINNERS!! and the NEXT GIVEAWAY!!

2010-11-15T11:24:00.003-06:00

Hey Everyone,

Thanks so much for the lovely comments! We did have fun at market and all of the new stuff went over very well. There is a lot of eye candy at market...so to those of you who have never been, I hope you get the opportunity to go sometime. It is a great show filled with inspiration!

We have a couple of winners here for the first giveaway, courtesy of random.org. They are:

#9: Sarah

It looks like so much fun!!! I'd love a chance to win! thanks :)

Submitted November 10, 2010 3:27 PM

#67: Sarah and Jane

You are one creative, savvy designer whom my daughter and I adore. We just love your designs!!! So far, we are enjoying sewing from your Sew Serendipity book, but look forward to trying our sewing efforts with your new adorable tunics. Thanks.

Submitted November 11, 2010 7:51 AM

#9 Sarah, I have your email address, so I will be contacting you. #67 Sarah and Jane....Just use this link with your mailing information and I will get your patterns out to you as soon as possible.

Wow! I guess random.org really likes "Sarahs" this time. Congratulations, winners!

NOW, stay tuned. If you did not win here, you have another opportunity, starting today!

This giveaway is going to be a little different. I am currently in the final stages of submitting the manuscript for my NEXT hard cover book, which will be all about BAGS!! I am looking to gather questions (really good ones) from customers regarding making bags. If you have had a burning question (or questions), now is the time to ask. I will use these submissions as a way to build my tips and techniques throughout the book. I thought this would be a great way to get your feedback.

What do you get out of the deal? Well, the BEST TWO questions (my judgment here) submitted will win a copy of my newest self-published bag book, called Media Frenzy! It is a soft cover 28 page book that is dedicated to bags for digital devices such as eReaders, iPads, cameras, and GPS navigators. There is also a pattern for a snappy wallet and camera strap. It is packed with great photos and illustrations in addition to detailed instructions.

Remember, you have to submit a question (or questions) SPECIFIC to bags......The giveaway starts today and will run until Thursday evening at 11:59 PM CST.

Winners will be announced next weekend.....thanks for participating and Happy Sewing!

UPDATE (11/19/2010): It will be a few more days before I can work on the Q&A so keep the questions coming. As long as you get them in before I post the results, your questions will be considered for the giveaway.

Fall Market Post and GIVEAWAY!!

2010-11-10T14:34:00.003-06:00

Hey Everyone!

I can hardly believe it has been a month since my last post! The last few weeks have been packed full of activity, of which I hope to share with you partly in this post and the next one as well. We had a great market showing off the new stuff and getting together with friends that we only get to see twice a year. We had some added fun this year due to market being over Halloween and I just love to wear costumes! I never really get to so anytime the opportunity presents itself, I seize it. Since I was signing copies of the book in our booth as well as several other places during market (Checker, F+W, and Moda), I decided to dress as a queen for Halloween. No queen should be without her throne, so I had one made especially for this market by the fabulous j.caroline! Check this thing out....she did a fantastic job. A huge shout-out to my friend Caroline and thanks again for making this so much fun!

Here we are together on the last day of market.

And what queen would want to be without her king? Okay, he wouldn't actually dress up as a king, but he is one anyway (in my heart!). He is such a tremendous help at market and it isn't any secret that he is a way better salesman than me.....I don't feel the least bit jealous about that, either! Here we are...notice that I did coordinate his clothing to go with mine....I HAD to do something....he draws the line on silly costumes!

Here are some shots of the booth for your enjoyment from various days of the market, along with what I wore for each day:

On day 1, I wore a skirt from the new Fashion Formula Skirts mini-book (remember, no pattern pieces required on that one) paired with a variation on the Catherine Coat (made from Japanese linen border print by Echino).

The second day of market was Halloween, so those photos are above. Here are some shots of day 3 at market. I had a great opportunity to shoot a video with my good friends from QuiltHome.com. We talked about the new designs and had a lot of fun in the process. Just ignore those bare feet....I always seem to choose shoes that are not the best for walking around at market, but they always look good (when I am actually wearing them.....) I am wearing the new Priscilla Tunic in these shots.

We received some great news over market. I learned from my publisher (F+W Media) that my book is now in its second printing! Yipee!! We have just a few left and when we run out, we won't have any more until January. If you are thinking about ordering a signed copy (first edition) as a Christmas gift, don't delay!

AND NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY.....Starting right now and going through 11:59pm CST on Friday, November 12th, I will be giving away one copy each of the Fashion Formula Skirts mini book and the Priscilla Tunic pattern to TWO lucky winners. Please submit only one comment per person. I am saving copies of Media Frenzy for the NEXT giveaway which will take place shortly after this one closes.

Hope you all are doing well and getting ready for the holidays....hard to believe they are just around the corner!

Happy Sewing!!

I'm on TV!

2010-10-09T08:27:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to let you all know that my segments with Nancy Zieman on Sewing with Nancy are now beginning to air. Check your local PBS station's schedule for when these episodes will be shown in your area (#2407 & #2408). Here is a teaser trailer for the segments:

You can also purchase the DVD from Nancy's Notions as well, if you are interested. Enjoy!

Fall Preview, Part 2

2010-09-29T20:04:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!

It is time for the final fall reveal and the project that took a TON of my time this summer, but I think it was definitely worth it....see what you think! I have written a 28 page soft cover book called Media Frenzy for all those fabulous media devices in your life. Now you can tote them around with some real attitude, "Serendipity Style"! There are instructions for 4 different bags in this book, along with a simple wallet and scrappy camera strap.

The madness for this book began when I purchased a digital SLR camera this summer...a Canon T1i. It was way overdue as we have been using a tiny camera for pattern covers and other shots. It is fantastic to have a camera with so many capabilities. Once I had the camera in my possession, I realized that I needed a camera bag, and not just ANY camera bag, but one that would suit my needs as well as look darn good. I began doing a bit of research to see what was available and then decided I would design my own. With a lot of thought and planning (and a lot of math!) I designed not one bag, but two! One is called the Essential Camera Bag and is for those of you (like me) who have the camera, a charger, and a few other things, but don't really need the HUGE bag to lug around. It features a comfortable adjustable strap that is designed to be worn either over the shoulder or cross body to keep both arms free without danger of dropping your precious cargo. The other is the Ultimate Camera Bag and has a ton of room for the photog who has it ALL and wants to lug it all around! Both bags are designed for the camera to rest face down inside with movable partitions to customize the interior to your liking.

Empty:

Filled with camera stuff:

The next bag is the Digital Messenger, designed specifically for an iPad or eReader. I made the interior permanently divided and padded so you can slide your digital devices in and out without worry, plus you still have the other half of the interior for your other essentials. With a divided bag, there are no worries about scratching the screen and the bag is designed with an adjustable strap to be worn cross-body....comfortable and practical, but still great looking! Everyone will want your bag!!

The last bag in the book is the GPS Destination bag. Ever get annoyed at the fact that most of these devices don't come with a bag to carry all the stuff they come with? Well, we did...so I designed a great little bag that is simple to make for carrying it around. There is even a little felt sleeve to slip the screen into so there is no danger of scratches. The best part is that you can choose your favorite fabric and make this bag a statement of style rather than just simply for utility.

To round out the book, I added a Simple Wallet and Scrappy Camera Strap. These accessories complete the bags and give you everything you could possibly need for staying organized while carrying any one of these bags....no need for a purse, just one bag and you are done! (Dig our "vintage" Pentax camera in the photo below....glad I don't have to use that one! The megapixels are seriously compromised... )

Again, this book will be available in mid to late October (as soon as it arrives from the printer). Enjoy, and happy fall everyone!

Fall Preview

2010-09-14T09:19:00.002-05:00

Well, it is finally THAT time! I have been deep in the "design cave" and now I think I am beginning to see some light creeping in. It must be time to share some of this stuff that I have been laboring over. This sort of work is mind-numbing at times, so it has a way of making me scarce on the blog front. That seems to happen to a lot of designers. We tend to hunker down when there is a lot to do (it almost involves putting on blinders!).

As you can see from the new header, my machine has been humming. I decided to refresh the Catherine Coat a bit, so she will have a new cover. One of the variations that I decided to highlight was one that I wore with a lovely drawstring at the back waist as well as a number of buttons down the center front bodice. You might remember seeing it.....the fabric is from the first French General line with Moda. Along with the updated cover, I will be providing the instructions for the drawstring and wool roses.

The gray one in the header is probably my favorite one to date from this pattern. It is a new Moda wool and I just adore how the little wool roses turned out. It is feminine without being too over the top....reminds me of Anthropologie (LOVE their stuff!). I also decided to have a little more fun and make one from a bright coral twill (coming out in Moda's new line called It's a Hoot!). Look for it in stores soon.

Enough about Catherine.....let's talk skirts! I am releasing a new mini-book for fall called Fashion
Formula Skirts. There are NO PATTERN pieces, people! These lovelies are based totally on mathematical formulas that I have worked out FOR you so you can concentrate on playing with fabric, then looking fabulous in your new creation. I think you are going to love these. There are three basic constructions and lots of different looks (wouldn't you be disappointed if I hadn't exhausted all of those options??). I think you will be pleasantly surprised by all the wonderfulness of these varieties. I sort of surprised myself on a few of them...just sayin'!

Last on the clothing front but certainly not least is a new tunic. This is Priscilla....featuring princess seams, and large bell sleeves that can be three different lengths. I designed this beauty to wear with leggings or at knee length with fun tights, boots, or heels (or a great combo of these....do it up to the max!). This is a wonderful way to showcase the fun new prints out there. And don't worry about cotton clinging to your tights or leggings....remember something called a slip? Just buy one of those on the cheap and slip it on underneath...that cotton will hang beautifully and swing with your every step.

Feast your eyes upon these and know that they will be available in early October. I know...it seems like a long time, but it will be here before you know it. They have to do their time at the printer before they come to you!

Stay tuned...there are bag previews to come, and I must say...they are fabulous! Can't wait to share....

Happy Sewing!

Sewing Challenge!

2010-09-01T15:59:00.001-05:00

Fiskars is doing a sewing challenge for this month, which is National Sewing Month. You can read all about the rules here on their official Facebook page (so you have to belong to FB to participate!). You have all month and you could possibly win a new pair of scissors or a $50 gift card to Walmart!

Be sure to read all about Rebecca's jacket, pictured below. She made the Mod Jacket from my book as one of the inspiration projects for the challenge. She actually stayed under budget to make the jacket and I think the fabric is fabulous!

That's about it for now. My sewing machine has been REALLY BUSY since my last post. My fingers have been also, as I have been busy writing instructions for new stuff on the computer. I am hopeful that I will have more to share with you soon...maybe some teaser photos of the new designs.

I hope you have had a bit of time to yourself to do what you enjoy (hopefully a stitch here or there....)

Happy Sewing!

Come to CityCraft!

2010-08-16T10:16:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone!

It is HOT here in Texas. The August sun is cruel and I am doing my best to stay inside and get some much needed work completed! You will be glad to know that I am working hard on designs for the fall release in October. There are lots of goodies to come and once I start sewing and stop writing the instructions, I should have a little to share with you on what I have been up to.

Tomorrow evening (Tuesday, August 17th) from 7-9PM, I will be at CityCraft in Dallas. I will be showing the samples from the book and signing copies. It will be a great evening, so I hope you can stop by and join the fun.

CityCraft is the coolest new fabric shop...a sewing lounge, actually, with lots of fabric goodies, patterns, notions, etc. Located just off the Tollway behind the Inwood Theater at Lovers Lane, they are in the middle of the action...lots of good eats and shopping! Callie, the owner, is young, vibrant, and one smart cookie! You can read more about the shop, the classes they offer, sign up for the newsletter, etc., here. She is also on Facebook and posts often with the latest from the store, so be sure to become a fan!
Here are some photos of the shop that I took last month during my visit. This will give you just a small taste of the style of the shop.

Lots of gorgeous fabrics:

The front window:

Hmmm, this dress looks familiar!

and of course....THE BOOK!

Happy Sewing everyone!

Feeling Chatty?

2010-08-10T20:40:00.000-05:00

I wanted to check in with you all and let you know that I will be the special guest at an online chat this Thursday evening at 8PM CDT (9PM EDT) with Fiskars. To learn more about this event, read their blog post here. To join the chat, click here and you will be directly connected with the chatroom.

I will be answering questions about my design business as well as my new book, Sew Serendipity. We will be giving away 2 books and some fabulous Gingher products, such as thread snips, 6" shears, and a needle threader. That's a lot of free stuff for one hour's worth of chatting!

So mark your calendars and join the fun! Hope to chat with you then!

Happy Sewing!!

Sewing Challenge

2010-07-27T09:06:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to give everyone an update on the sewing challenge that has been going on over at the Muse of the Day and Possibilities blogs. Carolina and Alicia decided to sew the tunic dress from Sew Serendipity and post their findings as they went along. I am thrilled to say that they have both finished their dresses AND they fit! They are both very pleased with the results. Both are new sewers, so I am even happier that the tips and instruction I gave in the book helped them to be so successful. This is just what I wanted the book to be able to do....provide excellent instruction for people new to sewing and still satisfy the needs of the more experienced too!

Be sure to visit both blogs for more information on just how it all went with Carolina and Alicia on their respective blogs. I was especially moved by Carolina's post, as she does a comparison between making a muslin and traveling to a downtown area that is unfamiliar, but how with careful planning it can become a wonderful means of discovery. I certainly could not say it better myself, and coming from a happy customer makes it all the more special! Thanks to these two special ladies who decided to take this sewing journey!

On another note, be sure to check out our fan page on Facebook if you haven't already. Lots of happy customers are posting their projects and I try to add photos from various happenings around here pretty often. Don't miss out on all the fun!

Happy Sewing!!

Sometimes, a girl just has to party!!

2010-07-23T10:49:00.001-05:00

Hey Everyone!

Just thought I would send out a reminder about the next book signing party at Sew Southward Bernina in DeSoto, TX on Saturday, July 24th, from 11-1. If you live in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, please drop in and see the samples from the book, have a little something to eat (this event is catered!), and visit with us a while. This is my home Bernina shop where they keep my machines humming! This is a great shop with friendly people and great service. Come on in...you don't want to miss this!

Last weekend, my dear friends Clarees and Bob threw a book signing party at their home for me. It was a beautiful event and everyone had a fantastic time! It was great to see close friends and celebrate a bit. See the photos below for all the festivities...and a HUGE THANK YOU to Clarees and Bob for a lovely night....LOVE YOU!

Here is a photo of the table where we stacked up the books. You can see my oversized poster in the background.

This is a cool circle mobile that Clarees made for decoration above the table....actual leftover fabrics from the book projects! So fun and creative!!

Check out the cutest party favor ever! These are little mint tins that were given out to guests. I LOVE these!

Here we are....the Monday Girls....Marsha, Leslie, myself, and Clarees. If you have my book and have read the acknowledgments, then you now know what these gals look like...all of them wonderful friends...the best I have had in my life!

Here are some wonderful treats from the party....that cake in the background was to DIE for...yum!

Here I am actually signing a book...I think I have finally gotten past freaking out a little when I sign these things....at first it made me a bit nervous as I was afraid I would misspell somebody's name or something else dreadful like that!! (Check out that great pen....my good friend Jane brought that for me! I am so spoiled!)

And last but certainly not least, here is our friend John goofing around as usual. John is one of our oldest friends. We were in art class in high school together, many years ago. He and Keith were actually in a rock band together back then, too! We love ya, John.

Well, that about sums up my life...I have actually squeezed in quite a bit of work over the past several days....getting pattern orders out and working on new designs for fall....so stay tuned! Maybe there will be a sneak peek or two. There is another book signing event coming in August at a great local store, more details coming soon!

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend and as always....

Happy Sewing!

Summer Flower Tutorial

2010-07-12T11:21:00.010-05:00

I had a great weekend meeting customers and signing books over at Cabbage Rose in Fort Worth on Saturday. Thanks to all of you who came out and made this a special weekend for me and the shop. Be sure to visit their blog to see photos of the event. They are also doing a giveaway of my book, so don't miss out...go over there and sign up. Maybe you will be a lucky winner!

And now......

It's finally ready! The summer tutorial!! This was originally a flower embellishment that I made for the Monique Dress neckline with a few modifications. I have added an alligator clip to the back to make it more versatile and the circle that the ruffle is sewn to is slightly smaller to make the flower a bit fuller. This is a wonderful accessory for a jacket, dress, skirt, bag, to dress up a tank top or T-shirt (neckline or hemline)...even your hair!

I use a ruffler foot attachment to make the flowers. This is a fabulous foot and I highly recommend it for anyone who likes nice crisp ruffles. Plus, you don't have to pull up any pesky threads to gather and it is super fast....they are a little expensive, but worth their weight in gold (well, almost!).

Follow the steps below to make as many as you like and have fun with them. If you would like to share your work, please feel free to post to our fan page photos on Facebook. I am working on getting a link on the blog for a Flickr group, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Here is what you will need for your flower:

2" x 45" strip of fabric
ruffler attachment for your machine (this is fabulous, but if you don't have one, then just gather the flower with two rows of long straight stitches instead)
2 - 2 1/2" squares of wool or woolfelt
1 large button for the center
several 6/0 glass beads for embellishment
1 metal alligator hair clip, about 2" long
hot glue
hand needle and thread

Cut a strip of fabric 2" wide by the width of fabric.

Trim off the selvages.

Press 1/2" to the wrong side at both ends of the strip.

Fold the strip in half widthwise, wrong sides together, and press.

Place the raw edge of the pressed strip on the right hand side and slip into the ruffler attachment, set at every stitch.

Begin ruffling!

Press the ruffle flat.

Cut a 2 1/2" square of woolfelt, then roughly draw a circle just as a guide. Notice that this is the largest circle that could be drawn, so you only lose the corners. Once you have made one flower, drawing the circle will probably not be necessary for the next one.

Begin sewing the strip to the woolfelt square. Line the stitching up with the lines that you drew for the circle and turn as necessary to continue sewing.

Once you have made it all the way around the first time, place the strip just to the inside of the first row and continue in a concentric circle until the entire strip has been sewn down...see below....

By the time the entire strip is sewn, there should not be any woolfelt visible at the center of the flower. If you do have a small amount, don't worry about it as the button at the center will cover it.

Here is the flower all stitched in place.

Turn the flower over and check your stitches.

Trim off the corners...see, even mine is not perfect, but hey...it IS the back and by the time this flower is finished, no one will see this!

Give the flower a light press from the back, flip it over and sort of scrunch up the layers a bit, then steam it a few times to fluff it.

Here is mine, "post-fluff"...

Add the large button of your choosing to the center by hand.

Then add the glass beads as you like.

Flip the flower over and add the alligator clip with hot glue. Notice how mine is just inside the outer edge of the flower so that the clip will not show during wear.

Trim down the remaining 2 1/2" square to be a circle, add it to the back and hot glue in place. This covers those stitches and trimming from earlier steps and leaves a nice finish.

Now, put that flower in your hair, on your clothes or bag and look fabulous!!

Happy Sewing!!

BOOK SIGNING BULLETIN!

2010-07-09T16:37:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!

Just a quick reminder about the wonderful book signing event at Cabbage Rose in Fort Worth, TX tomorrow from 10-2. Yours truly will be there wearing one of the dresses from the book (well, not technically, but one I made using the pattern from the book!) If you live in the area, please come by and say hello and have some fun...heck, you might find something you can't live without! There will be door prizes, drawings, and goodies galore....so don't miss out!! I would love to see you.....

I will post some photos here and on my Facebook page, so if you attend....you might get your photo posted!

Oh, and that tutorial I keep talking about?? It is coming.....SOON (hopefully before the end of the weekend....) I promise!!

Happy Sewing.....

The Book Winner and a Special Offer for the "Losers"

2010-06-27T13:38:00.009-05:00

THE BLOG DEAL OFFER HAS NOW EXPIRED!

The winner of the BOOK GIVEAWAY is:

#105: STACEY, who said:

"This would definitely change my life! I could make all kinds of cute dresses... I'm thinking in a suit or linen material, then I can wear them to teach in! :)" on June 25, 2010 10:26 PM

And now for those of you who did not win. Anyone that participated in this giveaway can get a special deal on a signed copy of Sew Serendipity. I am offering a $5 discount off of the current price on my web site. This offer is valid only through Wednesday, June 30 and ONLY for those who "registered" for the book giveaway. This is my little "thank you" for all of the great support you have provided me and the book. To take advantage of this deal, simply complete a purchase including the book at http://www.sewserendipity.com/. In the Comments section of your order, write "Blog Deal" and your blog username. You can also include any special signing instructions in the Comments field. Once I verify your participation in the book giveaway, I will apply the $5 discount. If you pay with credit card, I will adjust your total before processing. If you pay with PayPal, I will issue a refund. Your total at the time of purchase will not reflect this special offer, but I will hook you up with the "blog discount".

I really appreciate everyone that pre-ordered the book from me as well. If any of the pre-order customers feel left out, I have a deal for you too. If you order $30 or more from the website between now and June 30, I will give you a $5 discount too. This offer is only for those that pre-ordered the book from me (I know who you are!). Complete your order and write in the Comments section "Pre-order customer". Once confirmed, I will issue a $5 discount or PayPal refund as appropriate.

Thanks again for the kind words, support, and encouragement. You keep me inspired. And as always....

Happy Sewing!

Brace Yourselves...it's time for the BIG BOOK GIVEAWAY!!

2010-06-24T07:55:00.003-05:00

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED AS OF NOON,

SUNDAY JUNE 27TH, CDT

Well, the books are here and the preorders are out.....so it seems like the perfect time for a book giveaway! There will be ONLY ONE LUCKY WINNER, chosen by random.org. The early sales and response to the book have been excellent. It is almost surreal for me!

Just to whet your appetite a bit more...here are some more images of projects from the book:

Be sure to leave a comment about how much this book will change your life (well, maybe not your life...rather your sewing life!!) and consider yourself entered for the drawing. The giveaway starts now and will close at noon CDT on Sunday, June 27th. We will announce the winner on Sunday evening.

I have a fab tutorial that will post next week after the giveaway, so stay tuned and as always.....

Happy Sewing!

The Fabulous Bari J. Interviews me at Market!

2010-06-18T10:13:00.002-05:00

Hey Everyone!

I just wanted to share with you the interview I had with Bari J at market. I talked about the book and the new designs for market. This was graciously posted on YouTube by Boutique Cafe. They are the best with pod casts and other live videos with many designers, so be sure to check out their site.

Hope you enjoy it and have a great weekend. I will be back soon with more posts...I am thinking about a fun summer design tutorial for you all....so hopefully my brain will have it all figured out soon.

Until then, Happy Sewing!

The Winners!

2010-06-07T19:54:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone,

We have a couple of winners to announce for the giveaway. Sorry that we did not post sooner, as Blogger was experiencing problems all day and I was unable to post earlier as I had wanted.

As stated in the Giveaway, we have 2 winners (as generated by random.org), and they are:

#80 Stephanie, who said:
"I'm so excited about your new book and can't wait to get your new patterns!!"

#17 neighbourhood.gal, who said:
"I can not live without more summer dress patterns. Especially ones that will work with cottons. And those with a bit of vintage feel.
Need I tell you."

Congratulations, girls! Please contact me from this link with your mailing information and I will get your patterns out to you as soon as possible.

I want to thank everyone who left a comment. It was great hearing from all of you!

Happy Sewing!!

Market Review and a GIVEAWAY!!

2010-06-03T11:50:00.005-05:00

GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED AS OF SUNDAY, JUNE 6TH AT 11:59 CDT

Hey All,
It has been CRAZY around here since we got back from market over a week ago. My apologies for not getting this posted sooner, but I had patterns to stuff and orders to ship, so that had to come first. Now that I have that all completed, it is time to share the booth and other stuff with you from market. I know some photos are floating around on Facebook and other blogs, so some of this will be repeats of stuff you have seen somewhere else, but hang with me...there is some real goodness here at the end of the post!

We had a great market. The response to the new designs was fantastic, not to mention how much everyone loves the book. We had two golden copies at market for preview. The photos on the blog here and at the website just aren't a proper substitute for holding the book in your hands and being able to experience it in person. What can I say? Krause did a beautiful job with the layout, photography, just everything about it is perfection! We are still on schedule for shipping at the end of the month, so those of you who have ordered...just hang in there...we'll get those books out as soon as we get them here!

Here's a bit about what I was wearing at market:

Day 1: I am wearing Monique in some luscious cotton from Rowan. These are some Phillip Jacobs prints with a bit of Kaffe Fassett thrown in (the dots)...this fabric is so soft that it feels like voile. It was just a dream to sew with and to wear. I am not normally drawn to vibrant yellows, but I LOVE this fabric!

Day 2: I am wearing the Sophia Trench Coat with the Sabrina Tunic underneath. These are fabulous new fabrics from Moda that were shown at the show called "It's A Hoot". It was designed by MoMo and there are large stylized owls on the print as well as other great elements. I really love the colors and how the large scale print works with the trench coat design. It lets those fabrics really sing! Just an FYI, the coat is made entirely from twills in that line and the dress is made from the regular cottons. It drew a lot of attention and I have to say that I loved wearing it!

Here I am with Gene Stewart from Moda (you can see him over on the right). We were recording a short video about my new designs and book for him to share with customers who couldn't make it to market.

Day 3: I am wearing the Claire Cami Dress. It was our most popular pattern at market...super simple to make and I must say the quintessential summer dress. This one is made from Sandi Henderson's Meadowsweet fabric with Michael Miller. I just love that fabric!

We also had some sightings of my designs being worn by other vendors at market...which is always a treat. Here are the girls that were working in the Quilted Fish's booth. They are all wearing variations of my Emaline Skirt. Don't they look adorable?

Here I am with Amanda Herring of the Quilted Fish. We first met at the Pittsburgh market last year and she is a delight, not to mention VERY talented! She has her first fabric line coming out with Riley Blake in the fall and it is fabulous. Be sure to check it out. She is also wearing the Emaline Skirt. See how great it looks on the whole Quilted Fish crew!

Here is Pillow & Maxfield wearing my Torii Tunic in their new fabrics for Michael Miller, Pretty Bird. Don't they look wonderful? I just can't get over how fun it is to see my designs all over the place and know how much people enjoy them. It does my heart good, I tell you.

Last, but certainly not least, here is a photo of my husband Keith and me on the first day of market. This man is wonderful! You should hear (and some of you have) how well he knows the designs. He can talk the talk with the best of them and he does a great job with the orders at market while I am somewhere talking (usually in the aisle or running around when he lets me out of the booth!) None of this would be possible without all of his support. We will be celebrating 18 years of marriage here in a week or so...I am so glad to have him in my life. We make a great team!

Now for the part you have been patiently waiting for me to get to....if you have made it this far in the post, then certainly, you deserve to be awarded.....

TIME FOR THAT GIVEAWAY!!!

I will be giving away 2 SETS OF THE NEW PATTERNS! That is one each of Monique, Claire, and Rachel...so there will be 2 lucky winners as of Monday morning. Just leave a comment about how you simply can't live without these patterns and you will be entered! The giveaway starts now and goes through 11:59 PM CDT on Sunday evening. Winners will be posted on Monday morning....good luck to all and as always.....

HAPPY SEWING!

Big News!!

2010-05-12T08:50:00.003-05:00

Hey Everyone!
Just wanted to let you know that the new designs are NOW available for sale on our website here in the New Products section at the bottom of our homepage....AND the book is available for pre-order too! We are offering it at a special promotional price of $25.99 until it is in house next month. When you place your order, it will not be processed until we receive our stock. We will notify you when it ships. Please also remember that you can request to have your autographed copy personalized. Just leave your instructions in the comments section when you place your order.

I got my promotional copies on Monday afternoon....the book is just beautiful! My publisher did such a wonderful job with the layout and photographs...I know you are going to LOVE it! Go on over and take a peek....there are some more shots of the projects as well as some points of interest about the book, too. Below is another project from Sew Serendipity. This is the Ruffled Skirt.

Time is drawing close for market now. We will be leaving in a week and there isn't a ton left to do, but I still have a few things I want to sew before we fly out. If anyone is attending the show in Minneapolis, please come by and say hello! We would love to visit with you and show off all the new goodies. We will be in booth #1835. I am also going to do a presentation at Schoolhouse the day before market opens, showing the projects from the book and discussing the layout. If you will be in attendance, be sure to check it out!

Until next time.....Happy Sewing!

Sew Serendipity Book, Part I

2010-05-05T08:30:00.007-05:00

Hey Everyone! The time has finally come to begin sharing bits of my first book with you. I should be receiving a couple of promotional copies in the next few days, and I can tell you, it still doesn't seem real yet. I guess until that darling is in my hot little hands, this still all seems like a dream!

At the top of this post is the cover. This is one of the many skirt projects in the book. Doesn't the model have great legs? I wish those were mine! (so, no, that is NOT me!) For those of you familiar with how I approach designs in my patterns, you will be pleased to know that I have followed a similar format for the book. There are skirt, tunic/dress, and jacket designs in the book to total 18 projects (so, that is 6 each). Just some technical stuff, the book is a hardback with a concealed spiral binding so it will lay open when you sew (a great feature, I think). The pattern pieces are full-size and printed on tissue that you will find in a pocket on the inside cover....no enlarging at the copier for these pattern pieces!

I loved playing around with the different projects so much that you will find many of them can go together. So, not only are these great projects, but you can actually build a wardrobe from these designs. Here is another beauty shot of a jacket and skirt that you will find in the book (this is one of my personal favorites):

In writing the manuscript, I thought about all the things that I would love to include in a pattern, but just don't have the space. Therefore, there are chapters that tell all about how to measure yourself and how to apply it to different parts of the pattern pieces to get a great custom fit. Sewing is only part of the magic that happens when you are making clothing for yourself. If you don't feel like a million bucks wearing something you made yourself, then a part of the process was not fully utilized. I aim to help in all aspects through the book with tips for choosing fabrics and making the design your own in addition to fitting tips and fully photographed step by step sewing techniques (yes, those are my actual hands!) that are some of my favorites to use.

In the next several posts, I will be sharing more photos of the book as well as how the book is laid out and the special way I decided to approach the design work. Stay tuned and let me know what you think so far!

The book goes on sale in June. We will post an official way to order through our website at that time and you can order your own personal SIGNED copy if you wish! For those of you attending market, I will have the projects from the book on display along with the promotional copy for you to take a closer look. We will be in booth #1835, so come by and say hey!

Happy, happy sewing!!

New Designs for Spring!

2010-04-22T13:05:00.002-05:00

Wow, it has been a while since I last wrote to the blog. Things have been pretty busy around the studio...lots of thread and snips of fabric flying about as I prepare for Market next month. I just finished writing instructions and finalizing the pattern pieces for three new designs. We spent the weekend in intermittent rain getting the beauty shots for the new covers....I am happy to report that everything is now safely at the printer and should be in stock ready to sell in early May!

I thought I would take a little time today to share the new ones with you so you can begin anticipating their release!

The first one is the Monique Dress. It is a great easy to sew dress with a decided retro feel. The neckline lays so beautifully...I am so proud of that! The waistline is raised (somewhat Empire) for a flattering fit, which most of you know is something I readily do on all my dress/tunic patterns. I really had fun with the pieced bodice and playing with a variety of fabrics. I think the different details on each dress really make each one unique. Here are a few samples of what I am talking about.....

The next design is the Claire Cami Dress. This one is REALLY easy to make, since there is no zipper or anything. The result is an easy fitting dress with a drawstring closure (high-waisted, again) that you pull as tight or loose as you would like when wearing. This one is a cinch to sew and makes for a perfect summer dress....cool and comfortable. With 5 different lengths included on the pattern pieces, you can make a great tunic or a long flowy dress...so many options and so much fun!

The last design is the Rachel Cross Body Bag. This is my first foray into cross body bags, and I am very happy with the result. I made it with 4 different pocket variations to change it up a bit. I think the adjustable handle with all the great hardware really sets this one off. The hardest part about this bag is deciding which fabric to use!

Drop me a line and let me know your thoughts about the new babies. I am anxious to get them in and share them with you.

Stay tuned....there will be a BOOK page reveal very soon......so excited!

Until then, happy sewing (as always!)

Sewing with Nancy!

2010-03-10T12:12:00.005-06:00

Hey All!
I am back from my whirlwind trip to Wisconsin to tape a two part segment with Nancy Zieman for Sewing with Nancy. It was a wonderful trip and a fabulous opportunity. What can I say about Nancy? She is a true professional. This was my first experience with television, and she made it so easy. She wrote the outline for our script and we planned each step extensively the day before taping so that everything would go smoothly. You couldn't ask for nicer people or an easier process!

I landed in Madison last Tuesday and then arrived later that afternoon in Beaver Dam where I did a brief talk about the book, Sew Serendipity (coming in June), to a group of people who are affiliated with Nancy's Notions and her production company. That pretty much wrapped up Day 1.

Day 2 was our planning day. I worked with Nancy and her staff to prepare for Thursday's taping. I had spent the previous week sewing samples in different stages of development so that the "magic" of sewing could occur instantly for our viewing audience. You can't imagine how detailed that can be when sewing. There were parts of each sample that I had to make several times to be able to step it out. We spent Day 2 finalizing the sequence of samples and steps and tied up a few loose ends. We had to make some tissue pattern pieces and sew a couple of small items, but that was about it. It was a busy productive day. Here is a photo of Nancy, Donna, and me as we began our day.

Day 3 was where the magic happened! We traveled to Madison to the University of Wisconsin. The PBS studios are located on campus. I was told a bit of interesting trivia about the building. It seems that it does not have a front entrance! This is because it was built in the late 60's/early 70's when the protests for the Vietnam War were going strong and there was a fear that the protesters would get into the building and take over the station. As a result, the building is a sum of mazes and if you don't know where you are going, you can get lost easily!

Below you can see photos of the studio where we taped. You can see the enormous spotlights on the ceiling, the great camera crew (operating with HD cameras, I might add...very cool) and the control room. It is simply amazing how many people it takes to do a show like this. Everyone was so professional...it made the experience so enjoyable and dare I say it....easy!

We did the first segment talking about three of the skirts from my book and about different techniques from each one. It was amazing how quickly you forget the cameras are there and just do what you need to. We did have a couple of takes on some segments, but overall, we got a lot of them in the first try....that made me feel really good! We did the second segment on three of the jackets from the book. Again, we demonstrated the different detailing and techniques for those. At the end of the segment, there is a showcase of photos from the book showing the projects all beautifully modeled. We also had time for a bonus segment where Nancy does a brief interview with me regarding the layout and details of the book...a good promo for the DVD of our segment and the book.

Here's a photo of Nancy preparing to tape one of the technique cutaways for the segment.

Just a reminder....the book will be available at the end of June and the DVD in the fall. Our segments are scheduled for late September and early October on your local PBS station. Air dates will vary based on your local channel's schedule.....I am sure I will blog the time when our local station will air it here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Now, back to work and getting ready for spring market....never a dull moment here!

Our BIG Snow

2010-02-16T13:55:00.002-06:00

As I am sure most of you have already heard on the news, we got a record snowfall last week here in the Dallas/Fort Worth area of Texas. Thursday, February 11th was the single snowiest day in our history! We estimate that we received somewhere in the neighborhood of 12 inches....it was unbelievable! It snowed for a straight 24 hours. Many people were without electricity, around 250,000 as of Friday morning. We were very lucky in that we never lost power, so we stayed nice and warm.

Can you believe this is our neighborhood here in Texas? We can't!

We were not so lucky with our beautiful live oak tree that had about 20 years of good growth on it. The snow was very wet, and as result, quite heavy. The tree eventually succombed to the weight and we woke up to a disaster Friday morning, as our tree had split right down the middle. See the photo below for the carnage. Needless to say, we are very sad to lose it. We are glad it did not damage the house or block the street, but it is still with heavy hearts that we realize there is no way to save it. So we are now in the process of clearing it and shopping for new trees.

We think that after seeing what can happen to a live oak in snow (and we have experienced some scary stuff in the past with ice too), we're choosing a different type of oak for replacement. We are currently debating between the Burr or Chinkapin Oak. They are both native to this part of Texas and are disease resistant. They also tolerate the heat well, which is equally important in these parts. We would welcome any advice regarding our choice here, so feel free to chime in! It will be hard to have small trees for the next several years, but there isn't a lot of choice to be made.

Since this was our only tree and we have to start over, we will be putting in three trees at one time. Our front yard is large and we always wanted more, so this is as good a time as any to go ahead with that plan. Looks like there is going to be a lot of yard work this year!

On another note, I will be going to Wisconsin in a couple of weeks to tape a segment with Nancy Zieman for Sewing with Nancy! I am excited to be a part of her show. We will be focusing on some of the projects for my book. I will be taking photos of the process of the shoot for the show. It is scheduled to show later on in the year, probably fall. I will let you know as soon as I know more.

Guess that is about it for now....need to get sewing and working on those spring market patterns...hopefully I will have some goodies to share from that soon!

Keep warm and Happy Sewing!

Scissor Mat Tutorial

2010-01-14T14:16:00.002-06:00

Hey Everyone! Hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and New Year. I want to thank everyone who left a comment about the Christmas decor...yes, it is exhausting to get all of the decorations up and then again put away for another season! I am grateful for all of the kind comments that were left and happy to hear that you enjoyed the tour!

Now, back to work with a fresh perspective and renewed energy for the new year! I thought I would start off with a tutorial on what I like to call a scissor mat. This is a super simple project and you can make many in one sitting if desired. The idea came to me once I had my new spiffy sewing table and island. I didn't realize that I was a "scissor hurler" until I had nice surfaces to work on and then thought with horror that I didn't want to scuff them up unneccesarily. I mean really, I DO throw scissors and machine feet around when I get going in the studio. It is a wonder that anything survives the abuse I hand out!

This idea is easily adaptable to make coasters, hot pads, placemats, etc., nearly anything you can think of that you would like to have a little padding underneath. Just change the size to suit your needs. I would suggest a square for coasters (maybe a 4"-5" square) and hot pads (9" square) and a large rectangle for placemats. When I make placemats, I cut my rectangles to 13" x 18" and quilt them with my walking foot after assembly. I find that placemats only really need one layer of fleece, so if you are making some, apply the fusible fleece to the back of only one of the fabrics.

I used 2 - 10" squares in the tutorial from a layer cake I had lying around, but you can use anything you want. Scraps would be a great idea. You can even piece them together and make them scrappy if you want. 2 - 10" squares will yield two mats.

Here's what you need:
2 - 5" x 10" pieces of fabric
2 - 5" x 10" pieces of fusible fleece (I like Pellon's Thermolam Plus)
all the regular necessities: rotary cutter, ruler, mat, scissors, thread, iron, and sewing machine

1. Start by cutting the 5" x 10" pieces of fabric. I used two contrasting fabrics. Note that I am starting from 2 - 10" squares and cutting them in half. I just set the extra pieces of fabric aside for future use.

2. Next, cut 2 - 5" x 10" pieces of fusible fleece.

3. Lay the wrong side of each fabric piece against the fusible side of the fleece.

4. Iron each fabric and fleece piece together.

5. Lay the two pieces right sides of fabric together and pin, leaving an opening to turn the mat right side out.

6. Stitch together, starting along one of the long sides with a 3/8" seam allowance. Pivot at each corner and backstitch at the beginning and ending of the stitching.

7. Don't forget to leave an opening!

8. Clip each corner diagonally.

9. Turn the mat right side out and press, turning in the opening edges and pressing them flat.

10. Edgestitch around the entire mat, 1/4" in from the finished edge.

Ta-Da! You are finished! This mat is also handy for throwing your machine feet onto as well. I have also noticed that since I started using my mats, it is easier to locate my scissors when the studio gets messy.

Happy Sewing!

Merry Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!!

2009-12-21T13:57:00.007-06:00

Hey Everyone,

It has been a whirlwind over here the last few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas! We have had two parties here at the house and I have shopped, knitted, sewn, and baked more than I would like to discuss.... I can't believe it is all here already. As mentioned before, I am "one of those people" who gets my halls decked before Thanksgiving since I do so much holiday decorating. I have decided to share my Christmas cheer with you and provide you with a tour of our home at the holidays. I have several large trees up on display, each with its own theme. I do love Christmas decorations as you will readily see. So come along with me on a tour...starting with our front door, through the formal areas, family room, kitchen, studio, hall bath, office, and the master bedroom and bath. I will let the photos speak for themselves. I sincerely hope all of you have a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Big Studio Reveal!

2009-11-24T15:42:00.020-06:00

Hey Everyone!

Yes, it has been a whole month since I have written. In that period of time, I have been to Cincinnati for the step by step photo shoot for THE BOOK at the end of October. The trip went well and I enjoyed the process. I think these photos will be a great addition to the techniques featured in the book on various projects. We had some extra time while I was there, so we also shot 3 short technique videos for You Tube to accompany the book. Will let you know more when I do.... anyway, it was fun and the weather there was perfect. The leaves were all changing colors and just lovely...we don't get a lot of that in TX....just green leaves, then brown leaves, and finally....NO LEAVES until spring....but that's okay! We don't get a lot of really cold weather either and even though I think I would like to see snow for an extended period of time, I think I would grow tired of it.

But I digress. There is more that I have been up to in the past month. Getting orders out, running around getting errands completed, and decorating for Christmas. Yes, I am ONE of THOSE people who decorates before Thanksgiving, but it is because I put up seven trees and decorate every room, so I like to get it up early and enjoy it. Perhaps I will take a few photos to share these "decked" halls of mine!

Well, this is supposed to be about the studio, right? A while back I posted about the start of this project and the awesome sewing table I had built, The Sewing Studio, Part I. Well the rest of it is done and I finally have a chance to share the results. It is in a word....FABULOUS! I can't begin to tell you how wonderful it is to have a dedicated space to work. It took us two full (VERY full) weekends to make the island featured in the photos you are seeing. There used to be a bed in this room since it doubled as our guest room, so I have been stooping over a bed to cut out and create designs for more years than I would like to count. I finally decided that this was just pure silliness and decided to get the bed out and make a real work space. I should have done this years ago! It is refreshing not to mention inspiring to go in and work in my studio, and who wouldn't love being able to say, "If you need me, I'll be in my STUDIO!".

To give you some background on this piece, we started with an oak base cabinet from Home Depot. It measures 60" long by 24" deep and regular counter height. It was designed to have a large sink placed in the top. We used that space to create a slot below the countertop to store my cutting mat when not in use...it is ingenious! If you look closely at the photos, you can see the framing for that inset before the top was installed. I access it from the side where the stools are.

When creating the top, I wanted to make it wider than the original 24" so I could have an overhang on one side to sit and make notes about designs and do other types of work. It has already come in so handy. I finished up the last of the illustrations for the book there and the lighting was just perfect! The top is made from 3/4" thick MDF with wood trim added to the edges to make it appear thicker than it is as you can see in this photo:

We added faux beadboard to the sides and back, then I painted the entire cabinet with cheap white latex paint. I wanted to be able to use this piece without having to worry about messing it up, but I still wanted it to look nice. By using this type of paint, I achieved a matte look and was able to blend the oak parts with the non-oak parts. I sanded it pretty heavily to get a slightly distressed look. I even rolled the top with the same latex, then hand sanded the whole thing. It looks like laminate! I was amazed with this result. I have to say I wasn't sure it would work out, but it did.

Notice the faux feet at the front? I cut a piece of wood with the jigsaw to accommodate for the overhang of the cabinet, as I wanted it to look like a piece of furniture. We added it to the front and I distressed it to match the rest....I have to say that we are quite pleased with ourselves for building this thing! As my husband likes to say, "It took about $300 in materials and $5000 in labor...." Go figure!

There is a lot of space to stash stuff in cabinet itself and the countertop is divine for laying out large patterns and cutting out stuff. I am the queen of the castle now!! Hope you enjoy the photos....

And, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Hope you fill yourselves to the gills with all the goodies and enjoy your family and friends. I know how thankful I am to have a successful business doing what I love. Thanks for your support and enthusiasm. It means more to me that I could ever say!!

Here are the Winners!!

2009-10-24T19:09:00.012-05:00

Here are the three lucky winners (and their comments) for the latest giveaway!

#28: Melissa said...
The designs all look fabulous! I especially love that strip skirt.

#32: 3 Stitch Creations said...
Love your bag & pruses! & those skirts are just gorgeous! Keep them coming!

#41: Dorothy said...
Love the Stella pattern....want it, need it.....want to make it for my daughters. All of your patterns are wonderful..have ordered 3 of them so far and am making the Dharma Eco-Friendly bag for Christmas gifts. You are so talented and have wonderful designs.

The winners were selected by random.org. Congratulations, gals! Please contact me here to leave your mailing information, so I can get those patterns out to you. I will be out of town for a few days, but will get your stuff out by the end of the week.

Thanks to everyone for leaving comments. They were fun to read and I appreciate all of the kind words!

Next up, the big STUDIO REVEAL.....stay tuned and as always, happy sewing!

Market and A GIVEAWAY!

2009-10-20T08:23:00.026-05:00

Hey Everyone!

Things have FINALLY settled down from market now, so here is my post of the happenings. We had a great time, got to visit with friends we only see twice a year, and sold a lot of patterns. Below are a few shots of our booth at market. We tried different lighting this time. I bought some clamp lights from Home Depot and made little slipcovers for them so they wouldn't be hideous in the booth. They worked really well, so I am going to add a few more for Minneapolis in the spring.

Of course, we had the new designs in the booth and everyone loved them! I wore a bit of something new every day to showcase the different new clothing designs. Stella was a BIG hit, especially when everyone found out she is made from Jelly Rolls! A lot of shops are excited about doing a class with the pattern, so I am excited that they liked the pattern so well. The mini-book, Little Luxuries, was well received. I think that the idea of pretty little organizers for traveling turned out to be a good idea. Torii and Emaline did very well also, with a lot of people excited about a more fitted design for a tunic. It looks like bag designs are still going strong, as Bijou and Abigail got a lot of attention too! Check out the photos of my outfits for each day to see how the new stuff "wears".

Here I am in the Stella Strip Skirt:

And the Torii Tunic:

And the Emaline Skirt:

Here is a good story involving Bijou. I have been very fortunate to get to know Kathy Miller of Michael Miller fabrics. She is such a wonderful person and so very generous. She has been so kind to promote my work along with her fabrics. If you haven't seen her blog posts at Making it Fun that I mentioned in a previous post...be sure to check it out (you'll have to scroll down a little bit). The photos are just fantastic. I have been lucky enough to work with their fabrics for most of the year now as they are coming out of production for my design work and it has been such a treat! As a big thank you, I decided to surprise Kathy with a bag of her own from one of her favorite new fabric lines, Plain Jane, in the citron/gray colorway. It couldn't have played out better....she snuck into my booth, saw the bag, swooped it up, and acted like she was going to run away with it! Imagine her surprise and delight when I told her it was hers anyway!! I couldn't have planned it any better....you gotta love it when that happens. Here is a picture of us with "the bag". If you are reading this, Kathy....thanks for everything! You are the best.

That's about it for me with market. I did get to see some wonderful new fabrics that will be coming out soon...always an inspiration for new stuff, and a few other little delights that I found there as well that I hope will be influencing what I do for 2010. It will be an exciting year, I know already.

I leave on Sunday for Cincinnati to do the technique photo shoot for the book. I am excited to see the process and so happy to be a part of it. I hope to take some behind the scenes shots of that to share with you when I return late next week. Remember that the book will be out the last part of June next year. I hope to share more as we get closer to that release. The book so far has been a good adventure. I have learned a lot and feel it has made me a better pattern writer.

GIVEAWAY!!

Now for the FUN PART.........it is Giveaway time!! I will choose at random 3 LUCKY WINNERS for a pack of one each of the new pattern designs....that is 6 patterns, folks! Just leave a comment about how you can't live without them or something to that effect and you are entered! This giveaway will run until noon CST on Saturday, October 24th, with the winners announced Saturday afternoon.

BIG FALL REVEAL!

2009-09-22T08:53:00.012-05:00

Hey Everyone! I know, I know, I have been gone a while. There has been a lot of fabric and thread flying around in the air around here in preparation for market. Since market is a WHOLE TWO WEEKS EARLY this year, everyone has been going crazy trying to be ready. I think our whole industry will heave a huge sigh of relief when this one is over, so listen carefully because you may actually be able to hear it!

Anyway, I thought I would share my new designs for fall now that most of the sewing is finished and the patterns are currently at the printer. They should be here by the end of next week and be available for purchase the first week of October.

So without further ado, here are the new designs:

The Stella Strip Skirt: Stella is made from pre-cut fabrics, such as jelly rolls (Moda) or you can cut your own strips....it is up to you. This skirt can be made almost entirely with a serger, if you have one...it makes the construction super fast. It also features an easy to wear elastic waist with four rows of elastic. This means that the upper portion of the skirt lays really flat and does not add bulk to your mid section. You can also choose to wear it at the waist or slightly below, as I like to do.

The Emaline Skirt: Emaline is a redesign of Emily. Em was due for a reprint and I decided it was time to freshen her up, make some new samples with new variations, and improve the pattern pieces. For those of you who have worked with this pattern, I made the pleat markings really confusing....sorry! I didn't intend to do it, but the way that Emaline is marked, there will be no confusion at all....wish I had done it this new way to begin with....we all learn as we go along, I guess! There are three basic variations.....plain, pleated, or gathered, with lots of options to add ruffles, bands, and even a wonderful tulle ruffle to the bottom! It can be sleek and casual or ruffled and ultra feminine...your choice!

The Torii Tunic: Torii is my first long sleeve tunic. She has sort of an Asian flair, depending on the fabrics you choose. This design is featured in three lengths so it can be worn with jeans, leggings, or as a dress. You also have the choice to make the sleeves three-quarter or full length. Of course, there are also trim options with contrast at the neckline, sleeves, waist and hem...an obsession of mine! Oh, and you should also know that this design zips up the back...so gear up for that invisible zipper again!

The Bijou Traveler: Bijou is a wonderful travel bag that features two exterior pockets....one being my special media pocket complete with a grommet for your earphone wires. This bag will slip nicely "under the seat in front of you"...if that sounds familiar at all..... The zippered top keeps all your stuff safely inside and the bag also has divided pockets along both interior sides. The long shoulder straps make this bag a breeze to sling over your shoulder and get going!

The Abigail Bag: Abigail is a great shoulder bag in two variations....yoked or gathered, with or without a magnetic or latch tab closure. She features two zippered pockets....one exterior and one interior for keeping your keys, sunglasses and whatever else you have within a fingertip's reach. There is also a high interior pocket so your phone won't get lost! This design is a lot of fun using three different fabrics and is a breeze to sew together.

Little Luxuries Mini-Book: Little Luxuries is a collection of travel organizers for your jewelry, lingerie, and toiletries. These are all quick to sew projects that would make a wonderful gift for the sophisticated traveler in your life. I decided to try a new format with this collection and put them in a small booklet. It is the same physical size as a pattern, but in a booklet form instead....I will be anxious to see what everyone thinks of this! I decided to showcase the new French General fabrics for these....and they turned out so feminine and fun! I can't wait to show them all off at market with their matching Bijou Traveler.....a set to die for!

I would like to take a moment to thank all the generous people out there that make my work so fun....

Moda: thanks for all of the wonderful fabrics!

Michael Miller: Thanks for the fabulous fabric and for promoting the new patterns on your blog...be sure to check them out....Kathy Miller had some wonderful photographs made of her nieces in my new skirt designs....thanks so much, Kathy!

So, that is about it in a nutshell.....let me know what you think....I think I will be doing a giveaway maybe the first part of October for some of these patterns, so stay tuned.....

Oh, and the Sewing Studio, Part II should be ready pretty soon....can't wait to share that with you....it is going to be fabulous!

Happy Sewing, Everyone.....

The Sewing Studio, Part I

2009-08-18T10:57:00.015-05:00

I am writing today about the changes I am making to create a "studio space" for my work. This is something that will be taking a few more weeks to complete, but it is well on its way as I am happily sharing Part I with you today. I have been working out of the guest bedroom of our house since I started the business. I use the bed as a cutting surface which is a bit too low, as you could well imagine. Since no guests stay in this room (heck, I would have to do some MAJOR stuff removal for that), I have decided that it is time for the bed to go and to put in a great work island (not built yet....but will be soon....thus Part II at a later date).

When I started my business 8 years ago, I had just bought my first serger and didn't even have a table to put it on! So I improvised and put it on one of those rickety little round tables...you know, the ones with the screw on legs? That got old pretty quickly, but it took a while to get a solution. Since I sew all the time, I never put my machines away. I like for them to be out and handy at a moment's notice. I don't really care for the sewing cabinets that are available because most are made from non-wood products and boast about their storage and the fact that they fold up into a small cabinet....not interested in all that! To suit what I wanted, we found an unfinished wood sofa table (which was too tall, but my handy husband cut the legs off for me). We finished it and I have been using that for the last 6 years. It was fine, but I didnt' like that my machines had to be so close together. I really wanted more space, so I began to think about how I could upgrade my sewing space. I had my table near a corner of the room and wouldn't it be nice to have an "L" shaped table where the serger could have its own space?? Wow....that would be awesome...so I began looking around to see what was available. As I suspected....nothing! At least nothing that I really liked and was willing to spend any money for....which leads me to the solution that worked just perfectly.

A few years ago, my husband had some guitar cabinets made so that he could display them on the wall, beautifully "framed" and protected from UV rays. The craftsman that made them did such a beautiful job, as you can see in the photos. Jim is one of those guys that does everything right.....you couldn't ask for better made cabinets. I knew that he had also made furniture, so I decided to ask him if he would be interested in making my table, and thank goodness, he was! We worked out the details on what I wanted...wood choice, style, and size, and he drew up some great sketches of the sewing table of my dreams..... Please visit his website, Ozark Valley Displays, to see photos of his amazing work. You will mainly see guitar cabinets, but keep in mind that this talented man can build just about anything....you just have to be willing to ask and know that quality takes time.

This wonderful table arrived last Friday and we have been busy ever since, getting it set up, redecorating, and moving other stuff around. I covered the cork boards with fabric over and got those hung up over the weekend and just finished the cover for the office chair yesterday. Notice my polka dot light? It is a clamp light that I covered and it takes up no space on my table top!

Stay tuned for Part II, because we are planning on making a large work island next for the center of the room. We will be doing that part ourselves in the coming weeks, so it may be a while before the big reveal. By the time we are finished, it is going to be one sweet space! I already feel like a spoiled sewing queen over here... just imagine how I will feel when the whole studio is complete....there will be no living with me!!

A Sweet Distraction

2009-08-12T08:25:00.003-05:00

Don't these luscious chocolate dipped macaroons make you stop in your tracks? They certainly did around here! One of my dearest friends just celebrated her birthday and I made these for her birthday dessert. They are huge....about the size of an ice cream scoop and are surprisingly easy to make. I stumbled across the recipe somewhere online, as I am ashamed now to say I don't remember where! I highly recommend them if you are a fan of coconut and dark chocolate...think of them as the "ultimate Mounds bar", only far better!

So these were a little distraction from my work. We all got together on Monday and celebrated. It was sushi for lunch, then the movies (Julie & Julia, which was a very good movie, by the way), then on to the macaroons. It was a yummy day spent with great friends....now back to work!

I have been busy over here and you will see the fruit of that labor very soon. The fall designs are coming along quite nicely, and that is a good thing since printing deadlines will be looming before I know it. The funny thing is that market always has a way of sneaking up on everyone, and this year it is two weeks early, so it is being extra sneaky this year! Anyhow, I think I will be ready without a sweat....thank goodness.

Below is the recipe for these lovely macaroons. Once I figure out how to attach a pdf file for this thing, you will be able to click on it from the sidebar for easy download.

Tres Leches Coconut Macaroons

Recipe yields 24 large macaroons. (I actually got 30. It probably depends on the size of the scoop) Use an ice cream scoop to make the mounds.

Ingredients:
4 - 14 ounce bags sweetened coconut flakes
2 - 14 ounce cans sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons heavy cream
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 - 2 packages of high quality dark chocolate (I used Ghirardelli 72% dark chocolate)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper. Mix half of the recipe together at a time by placing a bag and a half of coconut in a mixer bowl, along with one half of the remaining ingredients. Mix slowly with a paddle attachment. Once all of the ingredients are well blended, add the remaining half bag of coconut. Mix in and empty the bowl into a very large bowl. Mix the other half of the ingredients in the same way. Add it to the already mixed portion. Use the ice cream scoop and lightly pack the ingredients together so that the macaroon holds together nicely during baking. Place onto the cookie sheets and bake. I was able to place two sheets into my oven on different shelves, so I changed their position halfway through baking to keep the browning even. The original recipe says to bake for a total of 10-12 minutes, but I found I needed longer. I baked for 10 minutes, then moved my pans, and set the timer again for 10 more minutes. You will know when they are done when the bottoms are nicely browned and the tops are lightly toasted. Remove them from the pans to cool on a rack. Once they are completely cooled, they can be dipped in chocolate.

Melt the chocolate in a medium bowl in the microwave, stirring after each minute until just melted. Dip the cooled macaroons halfway into the chocolate, then place back onto baking sheets covered with parchment and set in the refrigerator or freezer until the chocolate is set.

Now sit back and enjoy the wonderful combination of coconut and chocolate...and as for that diet, think like Scarlet O'Hara....I'll think about that tomorrow!

Don't Fear the (invisible) Zipper

2009-08-04T09:06:00.028-05:00

Today I am going to talk about the dreaded zipper. I know there are many of you out there who despise them....really they are not to be feared! Honestly, I avoided learning how to install an invisible zipper for a long time because I thought there was some sort of magic that I didn't know, so I continued to put in conventional zippers until I designed the Sabrina Tunic. I decided then and there (this was just LAST SPRING, people!) that I had to learn how because I didn't want that tacky "take a look at where I put in my zipper" thing going on down the back of my new tunic! It isn't that I hadn't put an invisible zipper in before, but you have to think a little differently to get them in correctly, and I let that cloud my judgment....well, I am SO OVER that now, and I can't imagine putting in a regular zipper on any clothing garment anymore.

This was the inspiration for this post as well as a recent email conversation that I had with someone asking if my tunics required the installation of a zipper and that she really didn't get along with zippers too well. I encouraged her to master this technique, as it will open doors for you if you can think...."An invisible zipper? Ah, that is no sweat!"....So without further ado.....Don't Fear the Zipper!

You will notice in the following photos that I use a regular zipper foot. I HAVE an invisible zipper foot, but I prefer to use my regular one. Why? I learned the hard way that some zipper teeth get along with the grooves in my invisible zipper foot and some don't. What I found was that the length of the zipper teeth vary from one brand to another, making some brands grip too tightly in the foot grooves. For example, my foot works great with Coats and Clark zippers, but not so great with Unique by YKK. I found that no matter what I did (change the stitch length, pull the fabric/zipper combo through), my fabric would pucker...gasp! No amount of ironing made it smooth. This was enormously frustrating, so I taught myself how to use the regular zipper foot with any type of invisible zipper and I haven't look back since. I encourage you to try this if you have experienced this puckering before....or even if you haven't, since most of you have a regular zipper foot and are under the mistaken impression that you have to have a special foot for these things. Yes, it takes practice to get as close as the other foot automatically puts the needle, but you can do it!

It is also important to note that you can substitute an invisible zipper for a regular one in just about any article of clothing. Just remember NOT to sew the seam where the zipper will be placed. I also find that it is much easier to sew a zipper into something where not much construction has taken place yet, so for the back of a skirt, I would install the zipper before sewing the side seams, for example.

Here goes:

1. Finish the raw edges of the fabric to receive the zipper.

2. Unzip the zipper and place it face down on the ironing board. Open out the zipper teeth away from the zipper and press it flat.

3. Place the zipper along one side of the fabric, right sides together. I like to start with the piece that will be to the right of the zipper. It does not matter which side you start with. Place the zipper stop about 5/8" - 3/4" below the top edge of the fabric. The zipper tape may extend beyond the fabric edge depending on the brand of zipper. (some have more tape extending beyond the stop than others) Have the edge of the zipper tape even with the finished edge of fabric.

4. Move the machine needle to the FAR RIGHT position and have the needle in the "needle down" setting if you have that. Begin at the top of the zipper, getting as close as possible to the zipper teeth. Backstitch at the beginning and end. Stitch alongside the zipper teeth as far as possible, stopping when stitching becomes difficult next to the bottom of the zipper.

5. Zip the zipper closed and lay it flat against the wrong side of fabric that you just attached. If there are seams that you have passed in the process of stitching the zipper, use a removable marking pencil to place a mark where the seam is located on the unattached portion of the zipper tape. This is very important, as it helps you to line up the zipper to the other piece of fabric and have your seams meet nicely once the stitching is complete.

6. Open the zipper once more and turn all pieces to face right sides up. Line up the remaining piece of fabric to the side of the zipper. Turn under what will be the seam allowance and slip the remaining side of the zipper underneath. This will put the right side of the zipper against the right side of the fabric. Match up the marking with the seam and pin that spot in place. Check the top of the zipper and pin it in place exactly as the other side was sewn.

7. Stitch the remaining side of the zipper in place in the exact same manner as the first side, only move the needle position to the FAR LEFT. Check your work on the right side of fabric to be sure that the seams and upper edges of fabric meet up appropriately.

8. Zip the zipper closed and match up the edges of the seam below. Pin in a couple of places to hold the fabric together.

9. Move the needle position to the FAR RIGHT again and stitch the seam starting at the lower edge. Have the finished edges of the fabric at the 5/8" marking on your throw plate. Continue stitching until you have stitched just slightly past the original stitching for the zipper. This line of stitching will be slightly to the outside of the original stitching. Backstitch.

10. With the wrong side facing up, press the seam open. Turn the piece over and gently press the seam, including the fabric to either side of the zipper flat.

11. Back on the wrong side, stitch the zipper tape that extends beyond the stitching along the bottom to the seam allowance on either side.

And that is it! You have successfully installed an invisible zipper! Now all we need is more cowbell...... : )

Happy Sewing!

Thank you!

2009-08-04T09:03:00.003-05:00

Just a quick note to thank all of you who left such nice birthday greetings for me! It made my day extra special (and the ones to follow as well). Thanks also for all of the nice compliments on my still looking young. How do I do it? I haven't a clue...guess I am lucky! I do try to take care of myself....exercise, eat reasonably, get plenty of sleep (believe it or not), and stay out of the sun. Guess I will keep up with that regimen!

On the topstitching comments...thanks so much! I hardly think that my stitching is the best in the world, but I do my best to make it as good as I can...I will have to post some of my secrets in the future!!

A Big Day and a Lot Accomplished

2009-07-08T10:07:00.011-05:00

Hey Everyone....

It has been over a month and I am sorry about that! I am a bad blogger!! At any rate, a lot has been going on around here in the past month. I have been working like a demon and I am happy to announce that I have officially finished the book manuscript as of yesterday....Yay! It has been a lot of work, but I have really enjoyed the process. I still have some illustrations to finish and other small things to finalize, but the bulk of the work is now done.

Just in time for another big day....my birthday! Today is the big day and when I say big, I mean it....can you believe I hit the 40 year mark today? I can't. Another thing I can't figure out is how the time went by so fast. I honestly have to say that I am so happy with my life. I have been so blessed to get to to what I love for a living. Coming up with designs and sharing them with you is my greatest passion. Thanks for all of your support in making that possible.

Now that most of the book work is finished, I will be turning my attention to fall market designs, of which I already have a few floating around in my head. I hope to have some photos to share by the end of the month if all goes well.

I have some celebrating to do, so this post is short and sweet, but I did want to share some more cryptic photos of the projects from the book. Sorry I can't be more forthcoming with them, but you will just have to wait until next summer and all will be revealed!! Don't worry, it sounds like a long time from now, but it will be here before we know it!

Happy Sewing!

Drumroll.....We have some winners!

2009-06-06T15:25:00.004-05:00

What fun it has been to do a giveaway! I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed reading your kind words. I feel so happy knowing that many of you are following my writing. Sometimes I wonder if anyone even knows about the blog, but now I know you are out there and reading....I feel the love!

Now without further ado, here are the three lucky winners, as chosen by random.org.

kaiolohaiakids, who wrote:
I think you are the best model for your clothing! You look fantastic in all your outfits! Congrats on your blogiversary!

Jess, who wrote:
I followed a link from someone else's blog from all of their market reporting. I thought you had the cutest outfits on and your booth looked great, so I added you to my reader about a week ago. I really like that you have patterns for adults...that are cute and not generic! Well, Happy Blogiversary!!

Alisa, who wrote:
Just recently found your blog and love it. Hope to see you again in Houston in the fall.

Congratulations, gals! Please contact me here to leave your mailing information, so I can get those patterns out to you.

There will be a new post here in a day or two....so stayed tuned and happy sewing!!

BLOGIVERSARY GIVEAWAY!!

2009-05-31T09:32:00.005-05:00

Hello All....

Hard to believe, but it will be one year since I started this blog on June 5th! So, to celebrate, I have decided to do my first giveaway! I know that these are quite popular in BlogLand, as I wish I had found out in time about the Sew Mama Sew event that ends today. I know lots of you follow various blogs and love getting to participate in the different giveaways.

I am giving away 3 sets of my new patterns just released for Spring Market....they are the Catherine Coat, Olivia Dress, and Sylvia Sling. Here is a photo of the pack you could possibly win....

I will be doing the drawing on Friday, June 5th and announcing the winners next weekend. Please leave a comment on the blog and you will be successfully entered!

Thanks to those of you have left such nice comments over the past year as I started out on this journey in blogging. It has been nice meeting you, and I look forward to meeting even more of you!

Happy Sewing.....

Market Report!!

2009-05-20T12:31:00.016-05:00

Hey Everyone!

We are back from Pittsburgh where the Spring Quilt Market was held. We have never been to Pittsburgh before and weren't sure what to expect, but it was great! It only rained a little bit one evening and the weather was otherwise fantastic. We visited with a lot of shops and designers and I have to say that our industry is doing well, despite the gloom and doom you will hear these days. We are all grateful for our wonderful customers and will continue to work hard to bring you the best designs as the year progresses.

I met some great new people....probably not new to you in the blog world...Paula Prass and I finally met face to face after emailing each other since last market. She and her daughter are delightful, and of course, Paula is one of the great new fabric designers for Michael Miller. You will see some of her fabric in my booth if you look closely. She was premiering her new line Summer Soiree at market and everyone just loves it! Here is my Carmen Convertible Bag that I made with it. I am not sure when the line will be out, but it should be soon.

Our next door neighbors were the Quilted Fish. Amanda Herring is the talented designer, and we had such a fun time getting to know one another! She is new to the industry, so please go check out her great designs. She and all of the gals who worked in her booth were just fabulous people! We look forward to getting together at fall market in October (which isn't that far away...). Here's me and Amanda....

We also met Trish Preston of Two Peas in a Pod. She was shopping ideas for a fabric line, so let's all keep our fingers crossed that good things will happen for her. She is so fun to talk to and has a great energy about her. Be sure to visit her blog and etsy store as well!

Of course, we saw good friends from previous markets as well. We visited with Jona and Joey from Fabritopia (GREAT PEOPLE!!), and Jona is just the best blogger ever....I aspire to be as dedicated as she is! Check out the link to her blog on the right....Stop Staring and Start Sewing!. We also talked with Chelsea from Pink Fig and Lila Tueller, who designs fabric for Moda as well as having her own line of patterns. We also saw our friends Heidi and Roland from Quilt Home. They are just the best people....they have one of the best fabric websites out there, so be sure to check them out. They always have the latest and greatest in fabrics, including all of those wonderful home decorating fabrics that make for wonderful jackets, I might add....keep them in mind when you get ready to shop!

I am including some photos from market from each day...so you can see what I wore and how the booth looked.

This is my outfit from Day #1. I am wearing a version of the Catherine Coat. This one is featured in a new line of fabric from Moda, French General. It is a beautifully textured piece of fabric with a subtle red stripe. Everyone loved it! The tunic dress I am wearing is the Sabrina, also made from a print from the same line. I added some fabulous silk for its luxurious shine and texure. Notice the drawstring at the back waistline of the coat in the next photo. I am planning on offering the instructions for that on our Catherine Coat page as a downloadable pdf for anyone interested.

This is my outfit for Day #2. It is the Olivia Dress and it is made from a great border print offered by Michael Miller called Pod Posey. I love how you can play around with border prints and get this nice effect! Notice my shoes in the second photo.....someone actually took a photo of my feet with me standing on my floor quilt, so don't be surprised if you see them somewhere!!

And here is my outfit for Day #3. It is another version of the Catherine Coat. The fabric is from Dena Designs for Free Spirit. It is the home decorating twill weight....bought it at QuiltHome.com!! (see, I told you that you are going to have to get some fabric there!)

We had a great time in Pittsburgh....good food, and terrific markets in the Strip District. Be sure to check it out if you are ever there. I wish I could shop at those markets on a regular basis, but the commute from there to Texas is a bit much!

Enjoy the photos and we'll be talking again really soon.....

All Spiffed Up for Market!

2009-05-08T15:53:00.013-05:00

Well, I have been busy sewing for myself (for a CHANGE) and it has been so fun! I made two new bags to take on our trip to market. One is a purse and the other a travel bag for reading, snacks, and probably a small knitting project for the plane, plus whatever else last minute stuff I decide I think I can't live without.

The first one I am going to show is from the Sara Satchel pattern. I decided to use the one-sided Peltex fusible in it instead of the buckram/fusible fleece combo and it worked great. I highly recommend this substitution if you are thinking about making this bag. Notice also that I decided not to crease the sides for a different look.

The next bag is from my new pattern, the Sylvia Sling. I used a mish-mash of fabrics on it this time in the three piece variation for the side. I am really liking the different fabrics together and how each side has its own personality. Note that this bag is loaded with my junk and still manages to look great!

I plan on getting another Olivia tunic length dress made to wear at market plus some skirts.....so nice to carve out some fun sewing time! Let me know what you think about these sewing adventures!!

Hope you have time to get some sewing in this weekend, and Happy Mother's Day to all of you hard working moms out there!!

New Designs for Spring

2009-05-06T15:32:00.009-05:00

Hello All! It has been a while, and yes, I think I have a good excuse for that! I have been busy at work over the past six weeks preparing for Spring Market in Pittsburgh and continuting the work on the book. I can't believe that we will be on a plane this time next week! The booth stuff shipped yesterday, so I am pretty much finished here with the exception of a few illustrations to finish and get off to the publisher and a bit of sewing for myself. I almost feel guilty for taking the time to sew for myself, but not quite!

Anyway, I thought I would share some photos of the new designs that will make their premiere next week at market as well as on our website for you to purchase if you so desire. I designed a new coat, dress and bag. Believe it or not, my brain is already thinking about what will be released for the fall....lots more cool stuff to come!

The Catherine Coat is offered in three lengths: hip, fingertip, and knee. It has 3/4 or full length slightly gathered sleeves with several options for cuffs. Other design elements include a large optional collar, button or tab closure, an Empire waistline, and A-line lower jacket. I had fun with many different fabrics for this coat, ranging from home decorating fabrics, veleveteen, and even some Minky plush for a robe version! Wow, does that stuff ever shed! The results are wonderful, but what a mess!!

The Olivia Dress is also offered in three lengths: hip (for wearing like a tunic), above knee, and mid-calf. It features a large yoke at the neckline with gathered raglan sleeves and has options for contrast fabric at the waist or a tie belt. The dress buttons down the front, so it is fun to play with different looks such as vintage or covered buttons. I played a lot with different fabrics for this design as the brown floral dress is a great border print by Michael Miller. I love the way the border plays along the hem and bodice of the dress!

The Sylvia Sling is the new bag. I based it on the popular hobo style with my own twists here and there. It came out to be a nice roomy bag without being too large and I love the way it hugs your body when carrying it! It is a great way to showcase a group of coordinating fabrics. It has a zippered closure and features many interior pockets. You also have options for the handle details such as a decorative buckle, large buttons, or a fabric flower.

All of the new patterns feature tissue pieces, even the bag! These will go on sale sometime next week. Hope you enjoy your preview!!

Knowledge, A Powerful Tool (My recent experience with copyright law)

2009-03-25T08:44:00.014-05:00

Today, I am going to post about knowledge. It is probably one of the most powerful tools we can possess. Although it is important to have knowledge, it is more important to know how to use it. I know this sounds like an obvious thing to blog about, but I am going to focus on one type of knowledge in particular, that of copyright law.

Many people think they understand how copyright works and how it serves to protect ones work. I have had an up close and personal experience recently that put the knowledge I thought I had into sharp focus. Here's the gist of copyright. Let's say you write a pattern (I am using that because that is what I do, but you can substitute anything here that you can file a copyright for). When you write something that you don't want someone else to literally copy, you can place a copyright symbol and the year on this work along with your name. This is called giving notice and tells anyone who picks up your work and reads it that they cannot take it as their own. The US Copyright Office recognizes notice as an official copyright without having to file a copy with them. However, if someone does copy your work and you would like to be able to pursue damages, then you need to file your paperwork with the copyright office within five years of official publication (or three months if you want to recover legal costs). Most consider your work officially published the first time you place copyright notice on it or make it available to the public. This was all knowledge that I already had and understood (or mostly understood) in the eight years I have been writing patterns for sale in the marketplace.

I also understood that this meant that someone cannot go to a copy machine and copy the work. This is a direct violation of copyright law, which is why places like Office Depot and Staples will not make copies of such works. They can actually be held liable for those copies! This serves obviously to protect the author's work. Most people understand this portion of the law and for the most part respect it (we hope!).

This next part is where people get confused. Let's say that you come up with a design idea (like a bag with a removable liner) that you think is ingenious and you write a pattern for it. That idea is NOT protected under copyright law. Your interpretation of this idea is, like how you design it and how it works in your pattern, but only through the expression of it in your pattern. Copyright law allows for two people in different places getting the same idea at the same time and acting upon it. Why? Because these two people will interpret the idea in a completely different manner, therefore, both of their works are protected by copyright. If you visit the US Copyright Office's website, this fact is one of the first addressed in the frequently asked questions portion. Because copyright law works in this manner explains why there are a bazillion bag patterns that seem similar or a lot of other types of designs for that matter.

Where copyright does protect is in the area of author's expression (words, illustrations, pictures, etc.). It is that intangible that makes your pattern read, feel, and look differently from someone else's. Every person has their own style of speaking and writing. When that comes through in written text, it becomes unique to that person, and is protected by copyright. Think about it, there are only so many ways to tell someone how to cut a square or rectangle or put a basic bag together. These are things that are in the public domain, and not protectable under copyright. It is what makes your writing and presentation unique that puts you under the copyright umbrella of protection. If someone were to copy that unique style into their own work, they are infringing upon your work!

Being in the publishing business makes the author vulnerable to people who don't understand the way the law works. Unfortunately, we will encounter these people from time to time and it can be very expensive to defend yourself if this happens. I recently encountered one of these people regarding a pattern of mine. She too is a designer in the industry. She was under the mistaken impression that she could copyright an idea. It was interesting because her interpretation of said idea and mine could not have been more different and the best part of the whole thing is that I had never even seen her pattern before! If she or her lawyer had performed due diligence with a proper investigation, I would never have known what I know in-depth now, so you can call me a tad more knowledgeable.

If you think that someone has copied your pattern, the burden of proof is upon you. The best thing to do in a situation like this is to see for yourself if there is anything to it before going any further. You end up saving yourself and others the hassle if you find there is nothing to it. On the other hand, you are prepared if you do find proof that your work has been compromised and you have made it easier for your legal counsel to investigate. In my opinion, any reputable lawyer understands that their reputation is at stake as well and will not work on your behalf regarding this type of allegation if they know there is no colorable claim.

Thankfully, this situation ended in my favor as we were able to secure a release agreement from this person who acknowledged there was no infringement. What I want to impart to you is that we are all vulnerable (even our retailers) to people like this, and unfortunately, if you are put in this situation you may have to defend yourself.

So here is the knowledge you can take from all of this:
1. Copyright law does not protect your idea.
2. Copyright does protect your published work as an "expression".
3. If you think that someone has infringed upon your work, do your homework and investigate!
4. Take action with legal counsel if you have proof that your work has been compromised.
5. Defend yourself, your work, and your reputation if you have to....it is worth it!

Ironing Ecstasy!

2009-03-02T09:38:00.006-06:00

Hey Everyone! Today I thought I would post about more of my favorite sewing tools, but first things first. You will notice an icon in the right hand column called "March of the Tools". This was ingeniously started by Heather Bailey last year when she blogged about some of her favorite tools, cleverly in the month of March! This year, she decided to design a great icon and ramp up this discussion so that lots of bloggers could participate. Be sure to click on the icon, as it will take you to her site where she will be linking to several of us who will be talking about our favorite tools this month.

This week's post is about Irons....I know, it doesn't exactly make you want to jump for joy, does it? It never did for me, and I iron A LOT! I have been using Rowenta irons for a number of years and love them, but hated having to fill the water reservoir all the time. I think just about every time I was ready to iron, that thing was empty! Finally, I decided to investigate my options. Rowenta makes a steam generator iron (probably not new to a lot of you out there). I decided to give this contraption a try last fall. I admit, the whole "water under pressure" thing sort of freaked me out a little when I first got it, but now I can't imagine life without this wonderful tool. If you iron a lot, it is worth every penny and then some, and here's why....read on!

The main difference is this: the water tank holds 4 cups of water at one time and gives you 1 1/2 hours of CONSTANT steam....this means you can sew like a maniac all day and never fill it with water! The biggest benefit is that your iron makes the best, most penetrating steam on the planet! It makes for practically effortless ironing, plus your iron is lighter weight because the water is in the tank, not in the actual iron. You press the button just under the handle to get steam, but that means that you only get steam when and where you want it, which is great also. The heat settings are the same as a regular iron, but one of the best features is that you can turn down the heat and the steam settings separately, so you can use a gentle amount of steam on delicate or even synthetic fabrics (like polar fleece) without damaging anything. This differs from a regular iron in that most of them depend on a high heat setting to generate steam, thus no steam at a low heat setting. I just can't say enough great things about this tool!

Of course, once I purchased this iron, I realized that my 16 year old rickety ironing board had to go. The steam generator really needs a stable place to sit, and not just on the end of the ironing board where it may take up valuable space. So I splurged and bought the professional Rowenta ironing board as well. It is extra wide with a shelf out to the side, perfect for holding the water tank/ironing apparatus without being in the way or risking it taking a trip to the floor. There is also a handy shelf below for storing stuff if you need to. I put my extra water and a measuring cup there so that when I need to refill the tank, I have everything I need at my fingertips. The added feature of this board is that it is composed of a steel mesh under the pad so that the steam can fully penetrate the items you are ironing. This helps you to get the most of that steam, with no moisture buildup on the board itself. I bought mine at Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% off coupon.

Lastly, my most recent purchase was for a sleeve board. It is a miniature ironing board, really. It is made for ironing shoulder seams, cuffs, sleeve bands, etc. It may sound like a silly thing to have, but it is wonderful also. What I like best is that I can get small things slipped onto it without creating a crease where I don't want it and I can dictate the direction a seam is pressed very easily. If you don't have one of these, it is worth thinking about, especially if you iron small things. I picked mine up for about $15 at a local JoAnn's, but I am sure there are a lot of other stores and online shops that sell them.

Sewing Madness and a Helpful Sewing Tool

2009-02-20T09:25:00.016-06:00

Hello again! It has truly been design/sewing madness around here over the past month. I am knee deep in preparations for the book as well as spring market in Pittsburgh. How does time slip away so quickly? I have a LOT to do between now and May, but somehow, it will magically get done...amazing how that happens!

I thought I would post today about one of my favorite tools for the sewing room. It is called pattern tracing cloth. Ever heard of it? I could kick myself that this stuff has apparently been around for some time and I was stupidly using tissue paper instead! Pattern tracing cloth is a nylon product that is 36" wide. It is nearly transparent, making it a perfect tool for tracing patterns. It is especially helpful for me during my design process. I use pattern drafting software for my skirts, tunics, and the newest jacket designs. Basically, these drafts are printed on large roll paper for me to test and tweak. The paper itself is a bit thick and terrible if you want to pin through it onto fabric, so I started tracing specific sizes onto tissue. You can just imagine how the tissue pieces were always too small, resulting in my having to tape several together just to get one piece traced...it was a ridiculous process and one that I hated! Not only is tissue (and we're talking gift tissue here) hard to handle, it tears easily too. You should have a really good mental image of the mess I had going!

Well, not too long ago, I stumbled across this pattern tracing cloth. It is in one word, WONDERFUL! Because of its width, it is easy to trace big pieces, and it does not tear! The brand I use (Staple Sewing Aids) also has convenient red dots that are spaced 1" apart for easy expansion/contraction of pieces. I usually use a pencil or ballpoint pen to trace the pieces, cut them out, and use them multiple times. I know what you are thinking....how does this impact you if you are not a designer? Well, it is a great way to alter commercial pattern pieces for yourself. You can make the desired alterations to a piece and then lay the tracing cloth over the top and trace the altered piece. Label it, and you have a piece you can use for years to come. This tracing cloth is also wonderful for those patterns that come on regular paper that you have to trace to use anyway.

If you can't find this product locally, you can purchase online many places. Sew Thankful, a nice online shop, has it in convenient 5 yard packages for a reasonable price. There are other websites as well where you can purchase it by the yard. If you do much garment sewing, this product is a godsend, so check it out.

On the design front, it looks like there will be three new designs for spring market. I will be posting sneak peeks of those soon, as the sewing progresses. Today, I have rather cryptic photos of some things I am working on for the book...can't say a lot about them, but thought you might enjoy the fabric combinations....truly yummy!

Also, check out The Late Bloomer's blog. Elizabeth FINALLY finished her Sabrina tunic and it looks great. I secretly hope she wears it to market with a cute cardigan or something (hint, hint) so I can see it in the flesh, so to speak!

Oh, and one more thing, my new favorite place to shop online is Fabric.com.....they have a fabulous selection of all kinds of fabrics, including Dupioni silk (yum!), decorator fabrics, notions, patterns, and more. I have gotten into serious trouble over there, so consider yourself warned....

Have a wonderful weekend...hope you have time to get some sewing in!

Fab New Pillow for a Fab New Mag!

2009-01-23T13:30:00.010-06:00

Hey All! Just thought I would check in for a little while this Friday afternoon and give you a sneak peek of a fabulous new pillow design. I was contacted by the editor of a new sewing magazine by Interweave called Stitch to propose a project design for one of their upcoming issues. Have you seen this magazine yet? It has a really neat fresh vibe and it is loaded with lots of cool ideas and inspiration. Be sure to check it out! Here are a couple of photos of the design I came up with. It is a large floor pillow, perfect for flopping around and doing something divinely leisurely. It showcases Paula Prass's new fabric line from Michael Miller called Flights of Fancy. I used the summer colorway, since the mag wanted vibrant colors. I really love the way the stripe sets off the whole design.

The pillow project will be in an upcoming issue, so I will be sure to let you know which one, once I find out more info.

Guess that is about it for now....got to get busy on those book designs!

New Year, Fresh Start

2009-01-08T14:02:00.016-06:00

It has been a WHILE, I know. I never meant to be away for so long! It seems since my last post that only a few days has passed....the holidays and post market blitz were on! If I wasn't filling orders, I was decorating, and if I wasn't decorating, I was Christmas shopping, and if I was doing all of that, I was entertaining and cooking! It is time for things to get back into a routine now that 2009 has arrived.

My goal is to get back on the "regular posting" routine. It just seems difficult to find time to get it crammed in somewhere, but if I can commit to once a week, I hope that it will eventually become a habit (fingers crossed!). There is a lot I would like to share with you this year, mainly techniques and tips that I have picked up along the way that makes my sewing life easier, and I would love to make yours easier as well. Of course, as I create new designs, I will let you in on the occasional sneak peek.

I am getting ready to plunge into book writing. I talk with my editor tomorrow to iron out some details, then I will be busy at the computer and sewing machine creating all the goodies that you will get to enjoy in 2010! It will be exciting to see it all come together over the coming months and my hope is that I will be able to give you a glimpse into that process as well as a peek at those designs as well.

Let's see, I left off last time showing you how the booth at fall market in Houston went together. I never did show you the outfits I wore on each day, nor did I show you some close-ups of other stuff that I had in the booth. Below are some photos from the show.....gosh, it seems like a long time ago now!

I have already put in my paperwork for the next show, which is in Pittsburgh, May 15-17. I have the designs that I will do dancing in my brain, soon to be into the computer and hopefully in fabric before too long.

I do want to post that there is a great set of photos for the new Sophia Trench Coat over at A Joyful Soul Fabrics' blog. Joy has sewn this coat and there are pictures of her modeling it....thanks, Joy for your kind words and may I say that you look smashing!

So, here is to a New Year, and many more posts about the wonderful world of sewing.......

Market: Anatomy of a Booth

2008-11-04T10:16:00.011-06:00

This is my first post following International Quilt Market after the flurry of business and finishing up all the orders to ship as of late last week. It was a wonderful show and we were blessed to be busy the whole time showing off all of the new stuff! I think I will spread out the events of market over several posts, starting with the set-up. It is interesting to see the whole process, as we vendors run around like chickens with our heads cut off trying to get everything organized and displayed just so for all of the attendees to see. It never seems like it will all come together in time! Really, if you could see the amount of trash and such in the aisles before the carpet is rolled out, you would be horrified!

We always arrive in Houston for the fall show on the day before, about mid-morning. We have this luxury as we live only 4 hours from there here in the DFW area. That is great because it minimizes the number of nights spent in the hotel room...there is nothing like your own bed! Anyway, we bring an array of dollies and ladders and such to get things moved in and around in the booth. As I begin hanging drapes and lighting, Keith gets the clothing stands put together. Here I am in the middle of that lovely process!

Things always go pretty quickly at this point and we somehow think that "this time" we will be finished early.....but it never happens! It seems that once the suitcase that holds the samples gets opened and the iron comes out, things grind to a screeching halt!! Of course, I have already laid out the booth at home and know where each sample will go, but it usually changes just a tiny bit when you see it mocked up for real....plus all that ironing keeps things at a snail's pace!

All in all, it takes about 6 hours to get it all together and boy are we ready for food when that is done! Really, the booth set-up isn't so bad if you stay organized. I usually spend the entire week before a show getting everything together that I can think of we would possibly ever need....better to be safe than sorry! After 10 market shows now, I think I have it down....at least I hope I do! As a result, we experience a smooth interaction with customers and appear to be well informed, mostly!

Here is the booth all finished up. I will post more photos of close-ups on different samples in the next post. Hope you are having a wonderful start to November....Thanksgiving is just around the corner!

To Market, To Market and other Exciting News!

2008-10-23T16:29:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone!

We are off to Quilt Market in Houston tomorrow morning, bright (or should I say dark) and early in the morning! We will be slaving all day to get the booth put together with all the new designs displayed "just so". We are looking forward to a wonderful market and all the inspiration it brings. It never fails to amaze me how I can come home so exhausted, yet so energized. There's just something about having so many people together with the same type of enthusiasm...those of you who have attended know exactly what I mean! We will be taking lots of photos so you can share in the excitement as well after we return.

Thanks to the tireless work of my wonderful husband, the new designs will be available for purchase on our website as of Saturday, but orders will not start going out until Tuesday of next week, since we will be attending market.

And what is the exciting news?? Well, it looks like I am going to be writing a book!!! I can't believe it either! It will be a sewing book with many wonderful designs and is scheduled at this point to be out in the summer of 2010. It looks like 2009 is going to be a busy year! I will be sure to keep you posted on the progress and maybe a sneak peek here and there as the book comes along. I want to thank all of you who have purchased my designs over the years....your support has made it possible for this dream to come true!

The Final Two

2008-10-07T07:52:00.006-05:00

Hey Everyone! How did it get to be October so soon? This year has simply flown by. The temps are finally beginning to cool here in Texas, so I know that sometime soon the weather will really be changing around here. See, here in Texas, our leaves usually go from green to brown and then promptly fall right off....none of that "Autumn Color"....so we will probably go from mild summer temps right into mild winter. The fall is a great time though, even if we don't have the beauty of other parts of the country....hey, you take what you can get around here!

In today's post, I will show the final photos for the last two designs, of which you have seen to some degree in older posts, which is why I saved these for last. The Juliet Tunic is the next installment in the tunic line of patterns. It has what I like to call a "bust enhancing" bodice with an Empire waist and A-line skirt, so it will look great on everyone! This one is wonderful on its own or you can wear a shorter version with jeans. The shortest version is great under a jacket with some nice pants. The important thing is it is super fast to sew and gives you a lot of opportunities with fabric choices.

The last design is the Francesca Skirt. This one is based off our other yoked skirts, only this time, I split up the skirt portion into panels and gathered them. Then I added some great little details like an optional belt, ruffles, fabric flowers, and last but certainly not least, little fabric inserts between the panels. We all have Jona from Fabritopia to thank for that! You can hop on over to her GREAT blog and fabric website over there on the right hand side where I have her blog (Stop Staring and Start Sewing) and website (Fabritopia) listed. There will be a little surprise for her in that pattern! Hey Jona, if you are reading this, you will know very soon what that little surprise is (you probably can already guess anyway)! This is an easy skirt and again lets you play with lots of fabrics!

If you would like to see photos that give you a little more detail, check out the post when I first introduced these two designs on July 15th. Well, I have some more sewing to do today....then I should be finished by the end of the week....I think my machines will enjoy a small vacation. I know my hands will! Happy sewing and we'll talk again next week!