Design

  • Fire-Breathing Fancy

    ByHeather Bailey

    DragonCostume_HeatherBailey_1

    What do you do when your five-year-old's imagination is on fire?  On Fi-yah!

    You fan the flame.

    This year for Halloween, Charlotte ordered up a frightening feat; that is, a costume I had no hope of purchasing — and it was the week before Quilt Market.  Last year she dreamed up a Bat Fairy.  This year, she was intent on a fierce, fire-breathing Dragon. 

    DragonCostume_HeatherBailey_2 The day after Charlotte was born, my sister, Julia came to visit us in the hospital.  While holding Charlotte for the first time, Julia leaned over to me and whispered, "The baby just told me something.  She said, 'I am my own self.'" 

    I was puzzled and dismissive at first, "Yeah, whatever."  Then a tetch concerned (knowing Julia and her knack for such things).  "If that's the vibe my sweet little baby is putting off already, then I'm in for it," I thought, "especially once she's a teenager."

    So, how much stock can you put in the proclamations of a one-day-old baby?

    Perhaps, some.  Julia, with her freaky, awesome sixth sense, was right again. Charlotte could have been named Scarlet for all her fiesty, charming individuality.  She is her own self: uniquely creative, thoughtful, sweet, sassy, and notably interesting.  I was looking forward to what she would come up with this year.  A dragon, though a tall order, was no surprise.

    One bat of her eyelashes and a quick, sincere squeeze was all it took.  And I was off on her quest.

    DragonCostume_HeatherBailey_3

    At TJ Maxx, I found an oddly dragon-like mermaid dress to build upon — a huge blessing.  With this running start, I gathered up a smorgasbord of fabrics with the same flavor and set about designing the beast's head — no headdress, no dragon.

    The foam alligator hats I grabbed from Dollar Tree were a great help.  (Before photos here.)  I would have otherwise structured the headdress with Timtex, but that might have zapped me for time.  (I only had two days to complete the costume, wrap up some work, and pack for a 9-day trip.)  I stacked two or three hats & quickly stitched them together for strength, then extended the gumline by covering the foam teeth with bias tape.  I built the dragon you see here on top of this frankensteinian monkey business. 

    DragonCostume_HeatherBailey_4

    And it worked.  Thank heaven.  Furthermore, the hood turned out light-weight and comfortable, so Charlotte actually kept it on.  Bonus, right?

    As it turns out, Charlotte's I-am-my-own-self singularity is a complete delight.  Worthy of celebration, not dread.  Her obvious enchantment is worth every stitch, and then some.

  • Fierce Determination

    ByHeather Bailey

    DragonInProgress72dpi

    DragonISubStructure72dpi A work in progress.  Here's where I'm at on Charlotte's dragon headress for Halloween — a 3D sketch. So far I've built, in effect, a dragon dressform from a foam alligator hat, a pumpkin head and a metal jug.  Now to create a pattern and sew, sew, sew.

    Fun to see the process, huh?  Let's hope the finished result measures up.  Of course, now that I've let you in on it, there's no backing down.

    Little time, big ambition. I'm heading off for Houston in less than two days and there's no shortage of other work I have to squeeze in as well.  Aaah!

  • Bat Couture

    ByHeather Bailey

    CorneliusBatDoll_1

    Meet Cornelius. "Do NOT call me Corny," he insists.

    BatDollCapeCostume_HeatherBailey2 Charlotte is obsessed with bats.  Last year she was a bat for Halloween.  This year she turned the hollow at the back of one of my dress forms into a bat cave.  There's a street nearby where the bats cluster under the street lights for a bug smorgasbord.  As such, it's our preferred route between Heather Bailey headquarters and home.  Bats are a thing around here.

    Looking for some Halloween fun?  Download my FREE Betty Boo Sock Doll pattern — link posted in the sidebar under Free Patterns.  This year I've added a new companion pattern, the Bat Couture Cape. It's FREE as well — link in sidebar.

     CorneliusBatDoll_3

    All you need is a Halloween sock, some great felt, and a few bits & bobs.  We have a bunch of bat kits put together if you're looking for ideas.  Move the bow from any Betty's ear to the top of her buttons and she changes gender;  voila, Candy becomes Cornelius.  Simple as that.

    CorneliusBatDoll_4

    The cape is quick and easy to sew, but oh so formidable.  For my next cape, I'm going for colorful felt, then embroidering the back with a web and a spider.

    Cornelius and his sister, Candy, are available as kits.  Get a bat kit for free till 10-31-10 at midnight MST,. Details here.

  • Jaunty Frolic

    ByHeather Bailey

    Majorette

    It's official.  My first collection of home decor fabrics is in the works.  I mailed out the artwork earlier this week.  I'm so excited.  And relieved.  That last part of the design process is pretty grueling.

    I can't show any sneak peeks till the copyright process is completed.  I can let it slip that one of the prints is called Cakewalk.  A great name with an even-better history.  (There are no cake illustrations involved though.)  I love learning about weird stuff.

    Here's the skinny.

    The cakewalk is a dance from the civil-war era.  It was a tradition begun by slaves which developed into a parody of high society ballroom dancing and dandy mannerisms.  Instead of taking offense, plantation owners encouraged the comedic dance.  Many would host Sunday cakewalk contests to determine who could high-kick, saunter, curtsy, and tip his hat to best effect. The prize was usually a cake wrapped in cabbage (I'm guessing early Saran Wrap here).  It is from this tradition comes the saying, "That takes the cake!"

    The dance hit the mainstream around 1890 or so — Victorian society was due for some silliness.

    The high-stepping march of a band majorette stems from the cakewalk as well. 

    After discovering old-timey cakewalk footage on You Tube yesterday, Isaac and I took a stab at the dance ourselves.  Right here in my office.  Flag that one for the next church talent show, right?  If you need a stress relief, I highly recommend it.  Odds are you'll win a good belly laugh and burn off some cake while you're at it.  Then again, you might need to be punch-drunk with exhaustion to fully understand.

  • The Squeak Heard Around the World

    ByHeather Bailey

    Yes!  Thanks for humoring me.  Literally.

    Perhaps most of us find a giant-mouse maxi to be a fashion turn-off.  However, Thomas of WayCoolKid was inspired.  Yep.  Within a day of the post, Thomas hopped right-to and whipped up this adorable mouse jumper for his daughter.  He describes the jumper as a fusion of "Little House on the Prairie & Swiss Modernism."

    It goes to show, you can find inspiration just about anywhere.  At least, Thomas sure can!  I'm impressed.

    Waycoolkid_mousejumper

    As for the giveaway… I've had a difficult enough time narrowing the comments down to five, let alone one.  So, more giveaways it is.

    You guys are a hoot.  In no particular order, a goody goes to each of the following:

    1. "Said in a deadpan voice… "Is this skirt cheesy?"" Hizzeather
    2. "I'd have to cut holes where the eyes are so my knees peeked through! Maybe then you could draw various kinds of eyes on your kneecaps…"  Ange Moore
    3. "Ain't nothin' "Minnie" about me!"  Angela H.
    4. "…you thought my hair was mousy." Leslie Plank
    5. "You're all so last season."  Helen

    Funny folk, email me your contact info & I'll send you a little something for your waggery. (info@heatherbailey.com)

  • Specters & Sparkles

    ByHeather Bailey

    My feet!  They are trotting along beneath me now, where they belong. 
    What a feat it has been to catch up on things after a couple of months
    of scattered-ant-hill syndrome.  I'm nearly there.  Just a few more
    photos for a book contribution, and one more design for my next fabric
    collection (of course, it's the most complicated of the prints and might
    take a week or two to finish).  Then it's back on schedule.  Glorious.

    MarloBloomBag_HeatherBailey_1
    Perhaps
    even ahead of schedule soon, as we now have an on-staff seamstress to
    help bring my designs to life, moving pattern-development and
    sample-making along.  I tell you what, it sure takes a mighty amount of
    focus to do some of my less-fun work (accounting, payroll, etc.) when
    there's a flurry of sewing going on in the other room.  But great!  I'll
    introduce you to Tamara in my next newsletter.  And Nica too, my new
    Studio Assistant.

    MarloBloomBag_HeatherBailey_2b

    So, isn't my new Marlo Bloom handbag adorable in Nicey Jane?  I feel sparkly
    when I'm toting a tangerine handbag around — even when wearing pjs to
    the grocery store, as I tested out last night.  I'm loving the vintage,
    khaki button on the flower too.  Nothing like a touch of ugly to pretty
    up a project. 

    The school year is hovering.  It floats over my
    shoulder, just beyond sight, and teases me, "Just a few weeks more and
    your little girl will be grown."  Now, of course, this isn't true.  But I
    am taunted nevertheless. 

    MarloBloomBag_HeatherBailey_4a I'm still deciding
    which school to send Charlotte to.  We're down to three choices — and there
    are just about three weeks to decide.  There's the school close to our
    home — the easy option.  The highly-recommended charter school — C is
    near the top on the waiting list.  And then a good, solid school in
    Elijah's same school district — great district, but that's about all I
    know on this one. 

    It's going to have to be a last-minute
    decision, as I still have my fingers crossed on the charter school. 
    Perhaps my school specter will go whisper a message to the
    school's administration, "Red rover, red rover, let Charlotte come
    over."

  • 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.

  • 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?

  • 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.