HELLO my name is Heather

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    Back Again

    ByHeather Bailey

    Airportdaisyhb
    Across
    the country and back again in one day plus.  I had just enough time
    outdoors to snap a photo of this dancing flower outside the
    Philadelphia airport.  It’s got some serious moves — the same sort of
    joyfulness I was going for with the mum print below.  I was happy to
    see that flowers break-dance in nature the way they do in my
    imagination. 

    Atqvc_200
    I had the limo driver take this other picture.  Look at that lush green
    grass and those trees.  Those trees!  I should have packed a picnic and
    a good book. 

    I had a great time, though.  Pennsylvania was green and friendly.
    The historical buildings and countryside farms on the East — they
    drive me batty — love the details and the stories.  I did, however,
    make it safely past the rental car booths and onto my engagement.

    I’ll save the Cranberry caper for another trip.

    Mums_heatherbailey

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    Happy Discoveries

    ByHeather Bailey

    Here’s a true find.  Who starts their own shoe
    company?  Amazing. 

    Puddlejumpers

    These polkadotties are all Carrie Miner’s doing.
    They’re called Puddle Jumpers.  Carrie is a single mom of two adopted
    daughters from China.  She runs her shoe business out of Utah and has
    an incredible story.  We spoke on the phone a few weeks back and I was
    so impressed.  If your daughter/niece/ grandaughter isn’t sporting
    polkadot mary janes yet, then it’s about time, don’t you think?  Wow.

    Adorn_summer07
    And Adorn.  Boy am I late on this one.  You guys have been telling
    me for weeks to go check out the Summer 07 issue of Adorn for a happy
    Freshcut™ surprise.  You were right.  They did an article where four
    designers interpretted the same bag pattern, all using my fabrics.  And
    look, designer No. 4 was none other than the fabulous Ms.
    Congdon    .  Lisa, is this the project you emailed me
    about a while back?  Wow, so look at all those fabrics there and I
    didn’t even do the sewing.  Yes, this issue’s still on newstands — great magazine, by the way.

    Adorn_sum07_p1

    Adorn_sum07_p2

  • Pennsylvania

    ByHeather Bailey

    Is it the first week of June already?  Whoa.

    I’m leaving town again tomorrow.  I’m heading to Pennsylvania for a day.

    Heatherbailey_twoyearsAnd,
    I’m being zapped by the nostalgia fairy.  She gets me good every now
    and then.  I was born in Pittsburgh and spent the first few years of my
    life in town called Cranberry (was that the name, Dad?).  We lived in a
    big yellow house with a stream running through the backyard.  I rode
    Spin-outs (a type of Big Wheel?)
    in the basement with my brothers, ate fresh snap-peas in the garden,
    hunted for turtles in the front yard, kept a glass hotel for fireflies,
    walked to my tap-dance class down the street and only caught rare
    glimpses of my pet cat, Zeek. 

    I had a photographic memory as a child — they called me "Finder Girl," because I could find any misplaced thing
    by "flipping through the pictures in my mind," as I described it.  I
    could tell my parents exactly where to go.  That memory situation left
    me with unusually clear recollections of a time that most folks don’t
    remember, including many memories of being in my crib.  We moved away
    from Pennsylvania when I was only four years old and that state’s had a
    golden glow in my mind ever since. 

    Birthday_2
    It’s been a life dream to make my way back there to cross-reference my
    memories with reality.  The whole "someday I’ll take a trip to
    Pennsylvania" thing.  And here I am, finally setting foot in
    Pennsylvania, but with no time set aside for exploring.  I’m a bit
    weirded out.  Does this make any sense?  I’m feeling a tad oh-my- I’m-going-to-Pennsylvania and a bit dang-I’m-skipping-the-dream-part — all at once.

    Worthy of a post?  Hmmm.  Maybe not.  I do think I’ll be heading
    there again.  Exploring my childhood haunts is on my short list of life
    goals.  But, I can’t deny I’ll be eyeing the rental car booth at the
    airport and calculating the added expense of extending my stay.

  • Blue Eggs on Monday

    ByHeather Bailey

    I had myself a nice break from the computer to visit the far away land
    of Outside.  My friend, Katy, brought over some fresh eggs from her
    backyard hen, pretty blue eggs worthy of photographing with a sprig of
    lantana.

    Blueeggs4

    Blueeggs1

    Blueeggs2

    Blueeggs3_2

    And I must have needed a serious break, because I was paparazzi-ing
    those eggs like they were Lindsay Lohan.  A great excuse to enjoy a bit
    of sun and a rest on our increasingly green grass (we hired a yard
    guy).  One thing I can say about the desert is watch out for those flowers — you’ve never seen such intense colors.

  • BU Supply List

    ByHeather Bailey

    BERNINA UNIVERSITY
    Wednesday, July 11

    Make the Connection
    W311 Hands-on Workshop
    artista 730’s and fabric kit provided

    Kit Fee:  $15.00 to be paid in CASH upon arrival to class.

    Supplies List:

    Presser feet:

    ·      #1C – Standard foot

    ·      #10C – Edge Stitch foot

    ·      #20C – Open Toe Embroidery foot (9mm)

    Machine Accessories:

    ·      3 rotary bobbins

    ·      Small and medium spool caps

    ·      1 new style foam pad – (those that come with the artista 730 — hard “cupped” base)

    ·      Stylus – optional

    Thread:

    ·      Coats Dual Duty Plus thread in the following colors (or an equivalent thread in the same colors):
        — "Art.210  L 6   58B"  –  pale turquoise
        — "Art.210  A 7  116"   – cream

    Other Supplies to Bring:

    ·      1 1/4 yard — 22" wide heavyweight interfacing (Timtex, Peltex or the like)

    ·      2/3 yard medium weight non-woven fusible interfacing 18" or wider

    ·      Polyfil stuffing or equivalent – enough for one 4’ round pincushion

    ·      Doll-maker’s needle – long needle for tufting pincushion

    ·      Hand-sewing needle – for basting and sewing openings closed

    ·      Stuffing fork or other stuffing tool

    ·      Sewing scissors

    ·      Small embroidery scissors or thread snips

    ·      Seam ripper

    ·      Fabric marker – water soluble or air fading

    ·      Pins

    ·      Seam sealant (Fray Block or Fray Stoppa)

    ·      Ruler – 12”

    ·      Sharp machine needles size 80/12 – 1 pack

    ·      Rotary cutter — optional

    ·      Medium rotary cutting mat — optional

    Save yourself from waiting for an iron:

    ·      Mini Iron tool with pressing mat — optional  (small handheld ironing tool)

    ·      Liquid fabric adhesive — optional

    I’ll post photos of the project soon : )

  • Redintegrated Fluff

    ByHeather Bailey

    Wow, thank you for the well-wishes.  I would be glad to put together a pattern for that quilt if I could find a snippit of time to spare.  It might be far more immediate to just mimic it this time.

    Flowerbasket_hbr_sh
    So, guess who found me last week — a woman who interviewed me for Trash Ties years ago for a now-defunct web magazine.  We met at the Fairfax High Flea Market — the very first day I ever sold Trash Ties.  It wasn’t a craft-fair- type Flea Market either; it was a true junker.  I was completely out of place. I had a booth full of all sorts of fancy, hand-made things — hats, baby clothes, jewelry, etc.  At the very corner of one of my tables sat a bowl full of Trash Ties, each set wrapped with a cheap, photocopied label.  One small bowl. 

    Flowerpath_hbr
    That bowl had to be replenished many times throughout the day.  And well before the day was through, I sold out of the Trash Ties completely.  I hardly sold anything else.  Hundreds of dollars in hair thingies, I knew I had struck gold.  Those Trash Ties were then hidden-up until the provisional patent paperwork was submitted.  That was the same day I met Scott Williams, the Head Hairdresser for Dharma & Greg at the time, who later helped me on many occasions – for free.  Such a godsend.  Oh, and Kathy Najimy bought some Trash Ties that day — one of those "odd, somewhat-meaningless celebrity encounters" I’ve alluded to.  Do you guys even know who she is? 

    Anyhow, Jennifer — that’s her name —  found me through someone else’s blog, read the words,"Trash Ties," and ding! (a light in her mind and a new email in my inbox).  She reminded me of our Flea Market meet-up and a lunchtime interview at a floral shop cafe on La Brea.  Gosh, she even remembered where I’m from. 

    Flowers_hbrWhoa!  Have you ever heard the word, redintegration?  This is one of Isaac’s favorite big-shot words.  In layman’s terms, I’d say it’s when one memory opens doors to many more. That email brought on some serious redintegration.  The floral shop, The La Brea bakery a few doors down, the nearby fabric store, the bomb-scare at the grocery store, Scott Williams’ stories of being a straight, fat, curly-haired British guy (now very much thin, bald, American and gay) and so on.  Oh, it goes on. 

    I love emails like that.  Just another glimpse at the inter-connectedness of it all, and moreover, the reach of the internet.   

    I was also contacted by one of Isaac’s old work buddies this week, Mike.  I don’t think I ever met Mike, but I sure heard his name a lot.  (Yes, this brought on a bit more redintegration, but nothing monumental or even very interesting.)  So, why do I tell you about Mike?  Well, Mike found the URL for that live video of me from a couple of posts ago.  So, if you hurry, maybe you can still watch the segment before its cleared off ABC’s server.  Thanks, Mike!

    Oh, and thank you, Typepad for featuring my blog this week.  Whoever writes those features makes every blog sound amazine.  Oops, amazing.  But, Amazine would be a great zine name, wouldn’t it?

    The flower photos?  Just something pretty I had kickin’ around.  Flowers go great with memories.

  • One Apple Down

    ByHeather Bailey

    Guess what today is — my blogiversary.  Yay!  And no standard cupcake photo will do.  Why not an apple?  That makes sense.  A party apple.  Sure. 

    Hbblogiversary

    Now just watch me make sense of it with this next photo.  See that bitten apple? — one year down.  And those other apples ?– more years to come.  Now that sounds poetic.  Nevermind I took the party apple photo today and the quilt photo months ago.  I got the urge to carve a "1" in an apple and I went with it.

    Freshcutquilthb
    Do you remember when I sent this quilt top off to be quilted?  Here’s the result.  One tease fulfilled, how many more to go? 

    I designed this quilt as my first go at the Freshcut free quilt pattern for Free Spirit’s site.  I love the large fields of fabric, with little pops of red mixed in.  I didn’t think a photo of this quilt would translate too well at low res on the internet, so I folded it up and designed a different one for Free Spirit.  Thank heaven too, because the flat photo of the quilt (below) doesn’t do it justice.  The colors are all wonky.  This apple photo is much more kind to the fabrics.

    Oh, and look up.  Way up.  I’m watching you now.  Dare I be so bold as to put my own face in the banner?  How many ways can one say, "HELLO, my name is Heather," with a photo?  Well, that’s one sure way to say it.  Hello, it’s me.

    Flatquilthb

    Now for the requisite profundity that accompanies all blogiversaries… just a dash…

    Wow, what fun!  The blog.  A conversation with the world.  A great escape.  A meeting place for destined friends.  A window in…

    I have yet to hang curtains in the main living area of my home.  There are no blinds there either.  Almost every time my mother visits, she wonders at my ability to live with "the world watching."  I assure her that if my neighbors are bored enough to watch me make dinner, then I’m happy to be their entertainment.  I guess a blog can be similar.  I show up fully-dressed and respectably-behaved and if folks want to see what I’m up to, then I’m happy to share.

    Far better, I’ve made some amazing friends and been granted some incredible opportunities.  It’s true, you never know who’s reading. 

    To all of you, announced or lurking, thank you for stopping by.  Thank you for your encouragement and support.  Thank you for peeking in my little window while I make marshmallows, knot thread and blow bubbles.  Even the simplest things are more fun when shared with friends — this includes carved apples.

    xo–Heather

  • Taped & Bound

    ByHeather Bailey

    Ooo, scandalous!  Maybe too scandalous-sounding.  Hmmm. 

    But, nothing fishy’s happening — just a behind-the-scenes peek at yesterday’s Trash Ties photoshoot.  Yes, I still need to tell you all about my hair accessory invention.  I won’t forget.  I’m launching them at CosmoProf in two months and I’ll do a tell-all post or three.  The plan is to put together a Trash Ties website with tons of photos and videos to explain them fully. 

    Ttwrapcollage

    True, there’s not much hair-accessorizing to see in these photos.  That was on purpose : )  I don’t want you to know what Trash Ties can do until I’ve nailed Makeupdown the manufacturing.  (Cuz once you see them in action, you’re going to go NUTS.  And I can’t handle that just yet.  July, hopefully.)  Do any of you have amazing manufacturing contacts – US, Mexico, anywhere?  We have a couple of manufacturing guys sourcing things, but boy is it a slow process.  Yawn. 

    Tapedhb Isaac took a beautiful photo for a full-page ad in the CosmoProf guidebook.  And, the wrapped ribbon comes across perfectly friendly-like in the finished shot.  Think conceptually — getting caught up in Trash Ties.  It’s more of a tangle.  I’ll show you the final picture this summer — it’s powerful and dramatic.

    I know, I keep doing that.  Teasing.  It’s not on purpose.  I just want to post about what’ s going on.  At some point, the dam will break and there’ll be a deluge of new fabrics, sewing patterns, hair accessories and more.

    And about that video clip…

    I don’t have a specific book in the works.  Patterns first.  The book thing is just on my list for the coming year.

  • Sonoran Living

    ByHeather Bailey

    Phoneshota_2Yay!  I did it.  Live TV.  Of course, I forgot to bring a camera, so all I have is this goofball shot from my cell phone.  But, hey, it works.  They already have the segment up on the internet.  Now you guys can see how tired I look from many near-all-nighters this week (fabrics, fabrics, fabrics). 

    I was their featured "mom-preneur."  The set was surprisingly mellow and everything was easy-peasy.  I’ve always loved the hubbub of film and tv.  I wanted to get in there and start wheeling cameras around, then have my shot at that teleprompter.  How do those things work, anyhow?  Fun, fun.

    So here’s what to do.  Follow this link and then look for the scroll-box on the right.  Select the clip called, "5/15 Sonoran Living Segment 5."  And there I am.  Then, come back and shout, "Huzzah!"

    Go easy on me.
    xo–Heather

    5/19 Update:  It looks like the video is now offline.  I’ll contact the station and see if there’s any way to post it directly on my blog.  I’ll let you know if I hear anything.

    5/25 Update:  Oh, look, it’s still on ABC’s server.  Here’s the link.

  • Playing with Pins

    ByHeather Bailey

    Pincushionsverthb

    Quiltsandmorecover07flatLooking for a sewing pick-me-up?  How about a new pincushion.  The new Summer 2007 issue of Quilts and More sports a pincushion pattern written by moi.  Aren’t they cute?  And so simple.

    They also did a feature on me.  Blush, blush. They asked fun questions, like "What’s on your iPod?" and "What’s your ideal day?"  A very comfortable interview.

    Quiltsandmorepincushion07flat_2
    Yes, there have been all sorts of ‘secret’ projects I haven’t been able to share.  So, I’ve got to make a big splash of them once they come out of hiding, like this pattern.  Hence, the parade of photos.  See, I’ve been doing stuff.

    So, go get my little pattern and cover the world in pincushions.  They make great presents too.

    Ha!

    Pincushionshorizhb

    Oh ya:  Local folks (Arizona), I’m going to be on TV tomorrow — Sonoran Living.  I think it’s on ABC — sometime in the morning.  It’ll be live ; )