Fall 2013 Collection: Meet Ramona!

 Ramona Wrap Dress: ModKid Fabrics (available at JoAnn Fabrics)

 

Hey All!

It has been busy, busy here at Casa Serendipity. In addition to creating the new fall line, I went to Denver last week to tape with Ellen March for a spring 2014 show of Sew it All. This is a great sewing show that airs on PBS. I was asked to write an article about working with lace and specialty fabrics for Sew News, so I designed a great party dress using these fabrics and we show the construction and discuss helpful tips on the show. As we get closer to air date, I'll be sure to keep you all updated.

In addition to that, I'll be at the Original Sewing Expo show in Fort Worth this weekend, starting on Thursday. There will be two fashion shows highlighting my designs, one on Thursday at 2:30, and another on Saturday at 1:45. This is the WEEKEND BEFORE MARKET, people! I guess no one really looked at that part of the calendar of events...this is the craziest time of the year for me and lots of other designers! Having said that, I will be at the show ONLY on Thursday to emcee the fashion show, then I'll be in my friend Lorene's booth (Sew it Up Studio) to sign books and talk to folks. Please stop by if you will be at the show and say hello. I would love to see you!

The last weekend of the month will be market in Houston, as it always is. I think we are nearing our 20th market. It is hard to believe we have been doing these shows for so long. I still get so excited and energized at these shows! There is so much to see and so many good friends to visit with...lots to look forward to. Then, the holidays will be just around the corner. Where did the year go? I am sure many of you are asking the same question.

Well, enough of my nonsense, you came to see the new stuff, right? Well, there will be 4 new designs revealed, so this is part one. The new inventory is expected TODAY, so we'll be busy getting these listed on the website this week so you can get those orders rolling in. I am excited about this new collection and hope you will be as well.

We did the photos mid-September at my brother-in-law's lovely home in Southlake. He is quite the landscaper and does all the work himself. It is beautifu1! We feel very lucky that they gave us free run of the place to do the photography. We felt like we were at a resort! Now if we just hadn't had to work so darn hard!

The first design I want to share with you is the Ramona Wrap Dress. This is a super quick design to stitch up. There are only 5 pattern pieces and NO facings, zippers, or buttons! Can you believe it? The edge of the dress is finished off with a bias binding. I have also given you some options with the length of the skirt and sleeves as well as ideas for adding a contrasting fabric to the front of the skirt. I love this dress! It came out just as I intended. It is perfect for any time of year and I really love wearing my fall dresses with riding boots...the HOT fashion item of the season. I think the real reason I love those boots so much is that they are not high heeled! My feet have gotten so used to being bare that they simply refuse much of a heel.

Here are some images of the new dress....and the details on the fabrics I used.

Moda Half Moon Modern ZigZags

 

Westminster Philip Jacobs floral

 

Cloud 9 Organic Cotton, Dem Bones

 

Westminster Martha Negley floral

 

Free Spirit Anna Maria Horner Hand Drawn Garden

 

So there you have it! The first design for Fall 2013. The rest of the reveals will be coming this week. We will have these available for sale later on this week. Stay tuned!

 

Happy Sewing!

 

 

 

 

Market Recap, Purse Palooza, AND a Giveaway!

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

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

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

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

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

Here's me and Heidi at market:

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

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

ONE LUCKY WINNER,

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

And as always....Happy Sewing!

New Year, Fresh Start, and a Giveaway!

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!!

Spring Market Recap and a Giveaway!

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!

Market Review and a GIVEAWAY!!

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!