HELLO my name is Heather

  • Long Live Long Legs

    ByHeather Bailey


    MariePirateShip

    I have some fun, old sewing
    books I like to flip through on occasion — sometimes for laughs.  Take
    for instance the following discussion about the absurdity of various
    fashion trends, from Fabrics and Dress by Rathbone and Tarple,
    1937.  Hang in there with me.  There's a good laugh coming.

    First up is the fabulous
    headdress above, a la Marie Antoinette
    — Watch out madame, you're tipping starboard!

    "Regardless of
    how reasonable or sane the inspiration for a fashion may be, the style
    sometimes is carried to extreme, with grotesque and absurd results. We
    can glance through books on historic costume and pick out many "follies"
    which have grown out of sensible fashions.  Outstanding among the
    freaks of fashion has been the headdress made popular by Marie
    Antoinette, Queen of France and Royal Dictator of Fashion…"     
    And the book goes on to discuss the fabulous hair-do above. (I say go
    for it, Bjork. I liked your cheeky swan dress.)


    Figure4OldShoe     The next folly of fashion on the table are poulaines,
    medieval shoes with liripipe
    toes. (This seriously takes me back to my History of Costume class my
    Freshman year in college. How in the world did I recall the term,
    poulaines?)

    "Shoes with long toes were another
    absurdity of fashion to which we often point with ridicule… richer and
    more eminent personages wore shoes with tips a foot long and princes
    two feet (Fig. 4)"     And so forth.


    Figure7ShortSkirt     Now here's where it gets good.

    "Another recent fashion, which will probably seem as absurd
    as many of these when it becomes long out-of-date, is the very short
    skirt of 1928-1929, which was about three inches above the knee (Fig. 7)
    When worn with extremely high heels, it made the expanse of the legs
    much longer than the length of the skirt…"

    Wait.  What?.

    Innocent
    eyes, look away. 

    The scandal!

    What
    woman would want her legs to look longer by wearing a short not-that-short
    skirt?  Just the most absurd idea in fashion ever — the extremely
    short     skirt of 1928-1929 — clearly as absurd as the pirate hat and
    the carrot shoe.  It will never last.

    I do love my old books.

    -o-o-o-o-o-

    Regarding poulaines: "Such shoes
    proved a hazard among the French Crusaders at the Battle
    of Nicopolis     (1396) when they had to cut off the tips in order to
    run away."     Isaac Asimov, Isaac
    Asimov's Book of Facts    , 1979.

    Some fashions
    don't repeat themselves — for good reason.

  • Let There Be Green

    ByHeather Bailey


    RetroVase

    Bless you, Goodwill, not only
    for the regular entertainment, but also for the occasional thrill. 

    -o-o-o-o-o-

    We're
    landscaping our backyard this week — finally!  I won't confess how
    long we've lived here with no yard (hm-hmm – years).  We installed a
    patio and raised garden beds last year, but then the summer overtook us.
    Outside is the last place you want to be in the Arizona summertime. 
    Now we have the sprinklers set and the garden beds filled with dirt. 
    Two pallets of sod arrived this morning and we're in the final sprint.

    Gardeners
    here enjoy two growing seasons each year.  (Yeah, I know, isn't that
    awesome. For the most part, the weather here is gorgeous.)  Though it's
    late for planting a summer garden, I'm not giving up.  I'm going to see
    about adopting some larger plants from the nursery.  Even if all I can
    do is tomatoes.  Then tomatoes it will be.

    In fact, I'm going to
    call the nursery right now. 

    -o-o-o-o-o-

    Here's the
    scoop.  I guess it's the tomatoes that are the bigger concern.  I'm told
    the blooms need to "set" before the weather reaches 100 degrees.  If I
    can pull that off, then I'm home free.  So, it'll be Early Girl tomatoes
    or Celebrity.  Then, I'm still in the clear for peppers, eggplant,
    squash, zucchini, etc.  And herbs.  Basil goes nuts here.  Last time I
    had a garden, basil was my favorite luxury.  Homemade pizza with basil,
    yum. 

  • Saturday Market Bag

    ByHeather Bailey

    Introducing another of my new sewing patterns, the Saturday Market Bag.  It's a fun and easy sew —
    and perfect for toting spring things, like a
    picnic blanket and a good book. The pattern includes three options,
    including two simpler looks, one of which is reversible. And the sides
    of the bag unsnap for additional carrying space, so you can really go to
    town.  Or to church.  Or to market.

    SaturdayMarketBagW

    May Flowers!  Did you glimpse the new May Flowers discount link in the sidebar? Save
    some $$ and get free stuff — follow the link for codes and freebies
    good through May 31,2010.

  • Beautiful-Busy

    ByHeather Bailey

    On my way to the studio today, I stopped by the gas station for a soda. 
    When I returned to my car, Every Rose has its Thorn by Poison belted out of the
    radio.  In a psychedelic whirl, I was transported to my cabin bunk at
    summer camp, my woolly socks tucked deeply inside my inadequate sleeping
    bag.  I was thirteen again, and listening to this song on my walkman,
    missing my boyfriend (who, though he carried my books to class for me
    and held my hand on occasion, was really my best friend — you can
    breath, Mom).  That was our song! 

    I love how music can transport
    you.  And scents can do that too.  If you had asked me yesterday, I
    couldn't have told you what 'our song' was.  It was the first song we
    danced to, but I wouldn't have recalled the name.

    I got a little
    choked up, I admit it.

    Isn't life a blur?  A fast, fabulous,
    when-will-I-ever-get-enough-sleep-again blur? Nothing slows down the
    clock but boredom; ask any fourth-grader at the end of a long summer. 
    It's been a long time since I've enjoyed the misery of boredom. 

    Regardless
    of the whirlwind, I'd rather be 70 in a fleeting week, than perpetually
    bored.  Life is a beautiful-busy.

  • Wee, Wee, Wee!

    ByHeather Bailey

    Vintage velveteen pig doll sewing pattern by Heather Bailey. Including instructions to sew a boy and a girl piggy.
    I love this pattern! Can
    I just say that first?

    Perhaps it’s because my own little
    Charlotte has loved piggy toys since
    she was a toddler, or maybe it’s the doll’s bulbous pot belly and
    apple-bum. Or that dart under her snout that looks just like a smile —
    gah!

    BoyPiggyAll of the above.

    I designed
    the original doll for my daughter in conjunction with a cover-story
    for Mary Engelbreit’s Home Companion magazine. (Read more about the
    article here.) I hadn’t planned on producing a sewing
    pattern for the design, but the response to this little piggy has been
    remarkable.

    So, here it is!  The Claira & Clancy Pig Dolls pattern comes back
    from the printer today and will be shipped out to distributors and shops
    this week.

    Clothing for a boy piggy is included in the pattern as
    well.  (Our boys need fun, hand-made toys just as much as our girls
    do.)  I love his little-old-man shirt & worker-man pants.  And, can I
    add that I’m super proud of the fit on that shirt?  He has such a funny
    little body.

    Detail image of boy pig doll shirt pattern.

    Claira and Clancy are the
    first of four new sewing patterns I’m introducing.  Four – New – Patterns! 

    I’m
    excited to share my other new designs this week as well.  If you must
    sneak a peek, you can see all four patterns here, including new pincushions, a fabulous bag,
    totes that fold into wallets, and more.

    SP006_ClairaNClancyPigDollsSo, big news today!  Ask your
    local quilt shop for these new HB patterns — they may not know yet that
    the new patterns are ready to ship.

    –
    – – – –

    Beyond the hubbubery of pattern-development, I’m also working on my
    first several housewares collections, including aprons, dishtowels,
    place mats, napkins, tablecloths, etc. — all finished goods, not
    patterns.  At the studio, we’re putting together more pincushion kits too.  And there’s
    new stationery to share!

    There’s just a lot going on.

    So,
    here’s what I’m thinking — but it makes
    me a little nervous.  I’m debating doing my own personal version of
    NaBloPoMo
    in May. (I’m yet to be free enough in
    November to participate in the group-NaBloPoMo event.)  Every Day for
    the Month of May     could be too much, so how about Lotsa Days in
    the Month of May    ?  What could I call it, LottaDayMoMay?  We
    have so much catching up to do, you and I : )  Once I get these new
    collections into production, I just may be able to pull it off.  Anyone
    ever done this?

  • Three Parties and a Pop-In

    ByHeather Bailey

    So, I'm logging into Typepad to post a hello just now, before heading out
    to my brother's surprise birthday party (with my sister's birthday party last night & Easter
    tomorrow, this weekend is just plain crazy), and look what greets me:

    100403_Typepad

    Gulp — goodness.

    So, hello!

    Last night my sisters-in-law, mom, & I
    whipped up a surprise party for Julia. Julia is just stubborn enough to
    not happily go-with-the-flow, especially on her birthday.  She fought
    the fake plan each step of the way, but never caught on.  Miracle! 
    There was even a mild tug-of-war over the newspaper movie-listings. Her
    body language growled, "It's my birthday and I want to see
    something else."

    We had dinner at a great Italian restaurant (she
    didn't know her friends would be there), then after presents and fake
    goodbyes, we all met back up at my studio for an All-Night Craft-Bash
    (big "Surprise!" there). We feasted like a swarm of piranhas on a buffet
    of fabric, beads, yarn, felt, and more.  It was awesome.  And here,
    Julia thought no one gave a hoot that she was facing the big 4-0.  We've
    got your back, Juju.

    Now for the next surprise party, Rock Band
    for Rybee. Ryan's turning 33. I've got 30 minutes to get there. Should I
    shred up a tee shirt, get out the black eyeliner, and rat my hair out
    like crazy?  I think so.

  • Happy Spring!

    ByHeather Bailey

    I have a serious crush on vintage Springtime decorations.  At the
    turn of the 19th century, there was decoration after decoration and
    postcard after postcard of a fluffy bunny pulling a cart of flowers or
    candies. By the 1920's and 30's, illustrations became more graphic in
    style and less painterly, but the cart concept stayed put.

    Bunnycard_470b

    In homage to these early depictions of the Easter Bunny, I designed
    my first-in-series Springtime Paper Craft Freebie. Sage, here is 2"
    tall, and together with his wagon, he measures 6" long.

    Have one for free. 
    We're putting one card in every package that goes out
    this Spring from www.HeatherBaileyStore.com, while supplies last.  To
    craft up your own little bunny, all you will need is a pair of
    scissors, a glue stick, and a tool for scoring fold lines;  I like to
    use the rounded tip of a crochet hook or an embossing tool.

    HippityHop470

    There's no promo code to
    enter.  One white bunny will
    mysteriously hop his way into every package.  Happy Spring, everyone!

    If you would like to have more than one bunny — for table decorations,
    teacher gifts, kids' Easter baskets, etc., you can add more kits to your
    cart.  They are available in packs of 3 for only $4.95.

    – – – – – – – – – –

    Oh Yes.  Check out this crafty, new web-show, DIYdish.  To celebrate Kris & Kim's first episode, I've donated 10 sewing-pattern-and-pincushion-kit goody bags as prizes.  And you know what that means — good odds.  Leave a comment here to enter.  The drawing takes place March 31, 2010.  Go check out their fun, new show.  The first episode is about
    pincushions    .

    – – – – – – – – – –

    Hello, btw!  It's been a nutzy couple of months. Fortunately, several big design projects are moving from Hide-N-Hush status to Show-N-Tell status.  For starters, my new stationery collection started shipping to stores this week, including invitations, note cards, paper plates, napkins, notepads.  Wait till you see.  They are so cool.  Of course, new Hide-N-Hush projects are in the works.  This drives my blabbity-share-everything self crazy.  Thus, the bunny-wagon design — dreamed up, designed, printed & posted in a matter of days.  Love that.

  • Silent Studio : Noisy Blog

    ByHeather Bailey

    HelloPillow470
    I'm sitting at my new desk with my toes nestled in a cream shag rug.
    It's my first full day working from the new studio.  We still have a
    lot of painting and decorating to do before this place feels like home,
    but the shag rug is a cozy start — along with my green, crocheted,
    doily coaster.  

    — Which reminds me that I need to park a camera up here if my photos are to match up with my chit-chat now and again. Here are a few Nicey Jane pillows and a full-size Nicey Jane quilt. Recognize the settee, updated & reupholstered in a french-gray velveteen? —


    FullCouch

    The hardest thing to get used to is the glorious quiet.  Who knew quiet could be so distracting.

    My studio at home is smack-dab in the middle of the house, with two
    wide, arched entrances and no doors.  I'm used to Isaac's music and
    loud-talk from the other room, dogs barking at the front door, Dora the
    Explorer calling out from the family room and Charlotte playing at my
    elbows. Oh, and four phones and a fax machine ringing intermittently.

    Charlotte will still play at my elbows here, as she should.  She has
    discovered a 'cave' at the back of my display dress form.  She rounds
    up my three sock-doll bats and lets her imagination trot along.  The beefy warehouse shelving makes for fabulous bunk beds too, I'm told.  For turtles, elephants, bats, and little children. 

    The rest of the happy rackity-clackity will stay put at home.  I'll still be there most of the time to enjoy it.

    Gotta run.  My mom is on her way over for a lunch date.

  • Pedal by Pedal

    ByHeather Bailey

    BikeLesson1

    My
    group of girls is coming over again this afternoon.  We're going to
    work on developing their sewing kits further.  I haven't decided
    whether to make sewing baskets or or to make slip-sleeves and necklaces
    for the rainbow-handled embroidery scissors I'm giving them. Hm.

    At our last activity, we learned all about bike care.  Girl power!

    We
    learned how to make sure our tires have the proper air pressure, how to
    fix a flat, replace a tube, adjust the chain, and so on.  Isaac was our
    guest expert.  He was big into cycling when I met him and has built
    bikes from the ground up.

    BikeLesson3

    If you're looking for something to do with/teach a gaggle of girls, try bike care lessons. The girls were totally into it.

  • When I’m Sixty-Four

    ByHeather Bailey

    Look what Laura made for me.  This is such a great idea.  She took a
    silk purse from The Limited — found on sale at TJMaxx or Marshall's(?)
    and heatherized it with handmade silk flowers and vintage buttons. I
    love it!

    BloomingT
     
    There
    are two dupioni flowers, plus two little buds from a Kaffe Fasset
    print. The leaves are made from lace and a vintage kimono print.

    PurseonWhite On
    the home front, my 13-year-old is now nearly my height — about 1/2" to
    go. So bizarre. On our way to my parents' house yesterday, Elijah was
    telling me how awesome it is to have a mom so close to him in age. (I
    was 21 when we had him.)

    "When I'm 60, you'll be 81," he said.

    "And we can play shuffleboard together, " I replied.

    "We can have a walker race to the country club!" he concluded.

    An
    image that will stay with me for oh, at least 47 more years, if I'm
    fortunate enough to make it to that race. Now, of course, no
    60-year-olds I know have a walker, but at 13, anyone over 40 is a
    candidate for a walker, right?

    I love that kid.

    -o-o-o-o-o-

    (McCartney wrote When I'm Sixty-Four when he was only sixteen years old! Although it wasn't released till he was 25 or so.)