Summer Vacation

I think it's fair to say that I've taken a summer vacation from my blog. It's been a busy summer - much of which was spent in the car driving my oldest child (7) from one sports camp to the next. We took a family trip to Portland, Oregon then I had my 20 year high school reunion just days after we returned. We've had family visiting, etcetera, etcetera. No doubt you know how it goes. Besides having little time to sew, let alone blog, it's been quite hot this summer. While we have a few window air conditioners in this 102 year old house, my sewing space stays unconditioned and can get quite hot.  Sweat and sew or take the summer off. What would you do?

Here's a photo I took the other day of my sewing room. It was a hot day - in the 90's and ridiculously humid. The afternoon light was so lovely, though. The room looks inviting but don't be fooled!

That's a mini quilt/doll quilt in the foreground. The fabric is by Robert Kaufman. On the last day of Quilt Market I made one final purchase at their booth and they gave me a huge stack of 3" squares. Most of the fabrics were absolutely not my style, but there were a few goodies. I've scoured the RK web site looking for photos and the name of this line, but with no luck. Let me know if you recognize it. I'll post a better photo of the finished product soon. Mini quilts could be addictive.

Speaking of small things, what I have been working on lately is cloth napkins. Dinner napkins, hors d'oeuvres napkins, kids' napkins in various sizes. What fun to pair fabrics and to get a finished product in a short amount of time. I'm slowly but surely getting my Minimushroom Etsy shop stocked, but I have a feeling a little back to school trunk show would be more fun and more successful.  Here are some photos of napkin mania.

 

Photography is always a struggle for me. Seems crazy given that I loved the class in college, but photographing your work is different from just trying to get the occasional "artsy" shot. I need to capture the item AND try to convince you that you need to buy it. I have a profound respect for sellers on Etsy with great photography, and certainly professional photogs who bring us adverts, billboards, etc. It's not just about aperture and f-stop. You need a good eye, good lighting, a good angle, and of course styling/props. Practice makes perfect - I hope. If you're in a similar conundrum, check out this post on the Etsy forums about taking great photos. Good stuff!

School starts here on August 30th. While I'm going to miss my little boys while they're at school, I'm excited to have some time to finish the millions of things I have in progress - like several quilts of my own designs. And then there are more skirts. So much to sew, so little time. On that note, here's my most recent skirt - finished just one hour before my friend wore it to a wedding. There's nothing like working in heat and under pressure.

What's new?

I haven't been posting much since the start of summer vacation.  I have three kids at home with me all day every day. My life is basically about driving from one sports lesson to another (tennis, golf, tumbling, baseball) and making endless meals. I've managed to squeeze a little sewing in, though.

Last year I used the instructions from Sew What! Skirts to make myself a simple A-line skirt with an elastic waist. I was just a few weeks postpartum and it seemed like a comfortable transition piece (you know what I mean - when you're too small for maternity but still too big for your old clothes). But the skirt turned out way too big. Perhaps my measurements were wrong or I simply had too much ease. Anyway, I recently dug out that old pattern and hacked away at it until I finally got a decent fit.

Here's the result. I used a print from Paula Prass' Woodland Delight line.

I just finished two more skirts for a friend. We thankfully wear the same size. The first skirt features an older Joel Dewberry print with black ricrac sewn into the hem.

and this one is made from an Alexander Henry home dec fabric called Sofia.

I love that the skirts are lined so there's no need for wearing a slip or alternatively giving a free show. And guess what, they have a knit waistband! It's a guilty pleasure - like wearing maternity clothes when you're not pregnant. But it's also nice to have a slim silhouette without the need for a zipper.

Here's a photo with the waistband:

My plan is ultimately to do skirt parties. That seems like a great way to conquer my out of control fabric stash. After sizing down the pattern, though, I discovered that the measurements need a little tweaking in order to fit the masses. Once I get the kinks worked out I'll be on my way.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about my latest quilt. Here's a little teaser -

Thanks for stopping :)

Annik

Sewing Room Shots

My life has been pretty crazy lately. Preschool ended the last week of May, then my 1st grader finished school on June 8th. Now that I'm back to parenting three children all day every day I'm positively worn out! Who has time for blogging? Here are some of my sewing room I shot on a whim the other day to tide you over until I start blogging again in earnest.

Happy sewing!
-Annik

Tools of the trade needed for a pattern grading class I took recently.

Just some of my Japanese fabrics. My shelves could use a little organizing...

A rainbow of thread.

More Eye Candy from Quilt Market

Books, books, books. I love sewing and crafting books! And let me tell you, there were lots of enticements at Quilt Market. I missed book signing on Friday because I was home with my kids. I missed out on Joel Dewberry's new book called Sewn Spaces and Kay Whitt's book Sew Serendipity, but I was utterly delighted to get a signed copy of Anna Maria Horner's book,  Handmade Beginnings. The projects in this book are so lovely and varied. Even if you don't have a new baby you are sure to find something you'd like to make in this book.

Case in point, here are some close up shots of baby booties and dresses and jackets.

For the moment I would like to return to Kay Whitt's book before I delve into the other sewing books featured at Quilt Market.  If you like to make jackets, skirts or dresses, this is the book for you. Here are some photos of Miss Whitt herself sporting her fabulous creations. I can't wait to get this book because sewing clothes is so much fun.

Here's Kay during her Schoolhouse presentation. The dress she's wearing is made from the new line by Pillow & Maxfield (for Michael Miller) called Pretty Bird (I love the orange and brown color way).

A rack full of loveliness. 

Drum roll, please... look at this long coat. Isn't it divine? The fabric is the new line by Japanese designer Momo for Moda called It's a Hoot (these are twills).

The back of the coat is cut from a single piece so it's perfect for large prints.

Another sassy outfit:

And speaking of It's a Hoot - here's one of Moda's design inspiration quilts featuring this line.

Tune in tomorrow for a gushing review of Cherri House's book, City Quilts. Until then, happy sewing!

Mini Post

It's very hot here tonight. It's probably lovely outside but my sewing room is steamy! So, I'm keeping it short and sweet tonight. Here are a few Robert Kaufman sneak peaks from Quilt Market.

TUFTED TWEETS!
My Quilt Market friends and I scored a giant stack of 3" square freebies from the Robert Kaufman booth on the last day of Market (well, free with purchase anyway). When I got home I ripped the thing open to see what was in it.  Lots and lots of metallic Asian-inspired prints which are totally not my style. But lurking deep within were just a few teeny tiny bits of Tufted Tweets! Here's a little teaser, although you'll notice I'm missing 2 out of 3 of the red prints and the dining room chair print all together.

Here's a shot of one of two awesome Tufted Tweets quilts hanging in the RK booth. Can't wait to get my hands on this yumminess.

Robert Kaufman also has a line of organic cotton coming out called Free to Grow. I believe they use low impact dyes, too. I have enough of these little squares in my stack to actually make something. Maybe a baby quilt? I haven't decided yet.

This is before:

This is after:

See you tomorrow.

Ta Da!

Slight change in plans today. I promised I would post more photos from Quilt Market, however, something big happened today and I need to share.

I finished my very first quilt! And it only took me 14 months...

The pattern is called the Mod Sampler and I believe it was the very first Oh! Fransson quilt-along. I used Amy Butler Belle and Lotus prints for the blocks (mainly from my stash) and part of the backing. The sashing is Robert Kaufman's Essex Linen (cotton linen blend) in white. The bottom half of the back is straight up rust colored linen that I purchased at Treadle Yard Goods (just a little shout out to my favorite local fabric store!).

Here's my sweet girl checking out the finished quilt. Don't get that corn chip too close, though, please.

My next quilt is already in the works. I'm doing a modified version of this square in a square pattern from the Moda Bake Shop using a Hello Betty Retro layer cake. My blocks are done. Now I just need to decide on sashing and start sewing.

By the way, I see that Elizabeth Hartman (Miss Oh! Fransson herself) has a quilting book called The Practical Guide to Patchwork: New Basics for the Modern Quiltmaker coming out later this year. I assure you I will be first in line when it's released!

Fabric Idol

Warning: I'm a bit wordy tonight. Tomorrow I'll keep it simple with some of my favorite Quilt Market photos and short captions. Saturday I plan to tackle all the new sewing books coming out or that are currently out that were featured at QM. Sunday will be all about the Kokka booth with loads of photos. On Monday I'll focus on clothing pattern designers and then that's it! We'll all be sick of Quilt Market gossip by then, right??

So last Thursday (a mere week ago!) was Schoolhouse day at Quilt Market. All sorts of classes and presentations were offered throughout the day on a million different subjects related to all things quilting and fabric. Attendees each received a booklet upon arrival with the what, when, and where information. I sat down on the floor in a private little spot for about 20 minutes and poured over the schedule and circled absolutely every session featuring a fabric designer. Over the course of the next few hours I was sitting in the same room with many of my favorite fabric idols. Frankly, I was so excited and overwhelmed that I hardly got any decent photos. I have about 5 of Anna Maria Horner from the side or the back. Needless to say, I will not be posting any of those.

My heart jumped when I saw Amy Butler's name in the catalog. I got in line early, and good thing because her presentation was packed to the rafters. All of us in that room were a bit giddy about the canvas tote bags sitting on our chairs filled with lovely brochures about all the wonderful things Amy currently has in production. Organic bedding! Wall art! Yarn! Thread! Wallpaper! A new bag patterns book called Amy Butler's Style Stitches (out in October)! New sewing patterns! Stationary! Rugs! And of course her new and very colorful line of fabric called Soul Blossoms (inspired by a recent trip to India). Do check out Amy's web site for all of the details and whatever you do, don't miss the rugs. I'm drooling. I think my dining room may soon be covered in wallpaper, too.

Amy's presentation was great - a sneak peek at all these various product lines. It was sort of like being at Textile Disney World. There was music, photos, even video which you can see here. Plus beautiful examples of her work. I was so absorbed in the moment that I didn't take any photos of the Schoolhouse, but I did get some shots of her booth. Here goes:

Isn't it delicious? Don't you want to move in?

Isn't her assistant so cute? She's wearing the new reversible Sandalwood Jacket (I can't find a link for the pattern so maybe it's not out yet0.

This is a new pattern called Honey Bun Poufs.

Raincoats made with her laminate fabrics. Sorry about the glare.

Here's me doing my groupie thing with Amy Butler.  I'm 5'7" to give you some perspective. And no, I'll never wear that ridiculous outfit again.

Here's her new line of organic cotton/wool yarns through Rowan. A 20 project brochure/book will also be available. These shots and the pillows are a few of the patterns included.  Don't you love those pillows?

These are bags from her new book, Amy Butler's "Style Stitches - 12 easy ways to 26 wonderful bags!" I wish I had gotten a better photo, but my batteries were dying and I was a bit of a basket case. I was in complete groupie mode, exclaiming how her Sunbloom fabrics changed my life. Hello, a bit on the dramatic side! Her assistants looked like they were about ready to call security to have me escorted out. Amy was incredibly gracious, though.

Aren't we lucky to have Amy Butler? Seriously, imagine what fabric would look like without her influence!

Click here for a link to Amy Butler's free patterns in pdf. format. Sheesh, maybe I should be put on the payroll ;)

See you tomorrow!