Design

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    Re-Entry

    ByHeather Bailey

    I'm back from Market and restoring sanity at home — and
    cleanliness. My kids kissed me awake yesterday like two little pecking
    chicks. It was a contest.

    Market photos are still on the road
    with Isaac, so I'll save the reporting till he rolls in later today.
    I'm excited to be home and thrilled that my long-awaited
    bicycle-weather has arrived in AZ at last. It's gorgeous out today.
    We're packing a picnic to the park, for sure.

    DooHicky

    Also, here are a couple of discount codes for you, to shake things up and keep it interesting at The Heather Bailey Store.

    • 20% off of all Trash Ties™ with code "TwitTies" (posted on twitter first)
    • 25% off of Freshcut™ fabric with code "FreshOut" (Freshcut is no longer in production, so get it while you can.)

    Discounts available through Monday, October 19th. Both codes can be used on the same order.

    It has been a wild few weeks — since Creative Escape,
    really. I'm ready to move forward, with lots of design work up next (my
    favorite!) — after filling these kids up with love and attention,
    picnics and parks, movies and popcorn, haircuts, and a few home-cooked
    meals.

    Now to resolve my hopelessly-clogged kitchen sink. Next
    time I'm tossing the old spaghetti in the trash and not down the
    garbage disposal.

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    Swoon

    ByHeather Bailey

    NiceyJanePicnic
    I'm
    off to Houston for Quilt Market.  The stars have aligned.  As such, I
    am thrilled to debut a new feature fabric collection, a palette of
    cotton solids and an assortment of delicious, laminated prints (my
    samples arrived at the studio just yesterday).  I also have several
    fun, new sewing patterns to share (Henrietta is one of six new patterns).

    If you're heading to Market
    this weekend, stop on by booth #s 1957,59 for a hello — and a first
    peek at my upcoming collection, Nicey Jane™.

    Bring smelling salts.  These fabrics may cause fainting — they're stinkin' gorgeous.

  • I am…

    ByHeather Bailey

    Couch2

    … admiring my new old couch, purchased yesterday.  I'm
    looking for the perfect color combo.  Gray fabric, I think.

    … moving along on photoshoot prep for our
    next brochure.  My adorable model has been measured & it's time to
    make a fitting muslin.

    … replenishing the felt selection at the HB store — now all of the pretty colors are visible again.

    … playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey with all of these overlapping sewing and building projects.  My head is spinning.

    … justifying a break to say 'Hello' on the blog.  Hello!

  • Marching, Marching

    ByHeather Bailey

    EdnaAndFriendsBlue2

    Such great feedback on the turtles! 
    It sounds like a lot of these names are making their way back into
    fashion:  Henrietta, Matilda, Penelope, Harriet, Eloise.  How awesome
    is that?!

    Here in the studio, I have
    a quilt in the works, several aprons, handbags, blankets,
    basket-liners.  It's like bathing in ice cream.  Wait till you see what
    I mean. 

    And let me just say that my
    mother is a SAINT.  She's doing more sewing than I am this week. I'm
    juggling contracts left and right, interviews, booth plans, model
    chasing (see yesterday's tweets), pattern covers, sample design — that kind of stuff.  All fun, but a juggle nonetheless. Thank heaven for mom!

  • Have you Herd?

    ByHeather Bailey

    Make a new friend in Henrietta turtle (or skip the flower corsage and
    make a Henry turtle). Henrietta will gladly house your pins &
    needles or entertain your baby or pet — but not at the same time. She's funny that way.

    HenriettaCvr

    You may have glimpsed my pokey new sewing buddy in my recent interview
    on NBC. This sewing pattern is hot off the press and ready to ship. I'm
    in love. Sitting by my sewing machine, Henrietta reminds me to take my
    time and enjoy the process.

    Fresh from Bingo night, come Edna, Matilda, Eloise, Harriet, Penelope and Gladys. "Shush, dearie. Did that nice young man call B-15?" Six different materials kits available here — pattern sold separately.

    A herd of turtles. Or as my dad likes to say, "A terd of hurtles."

    TurtleKits

  • Announcing Heather Bailey Felt

    ByHeather Bailey

    FeltFlowers

    FeltTile

    FeltRolled
    This photo could seriously be a poster.  I may have to print it out
    onto canvas and hang it over my couch. Oh the many uses of felt.

    If you haven't stopped by my shop for a while, you may want to take a look through the all-new Designer Felt section.
    I know how hard it can be to find high-quality felt in good colors. 
    Most chains only carry the nasty, polyester variety or a handful of
    muddy colors in wool-blend. I needed a source for great felt and
    figured you must need a source as well.

    Packaged2

    I'll be stocking a custom palette of over 3 dozen wool-blend and
    bamboo felts at the Heather Bailey Store.  I love to embellish projects
    with felt flowers or use felt to make pincushions and ornaments. These
    are the felts I use for the leaves & stems in my Fresh Picked
    Pincushions    , in La Fleur Debris scrap flowers and in
    several upcoming patterns (getting so close now!).

    I
    recommend stocking up on a variety of colors & neutrals to have on
    hand — like a box of crayons.  You'll be surprised how many flowers,
    leaves, stems & whatnots you can make from a small stack of felt.

    RollHoriz2
    We'll be changing out the colors occasionally, so check back often to
    see if there is anything new.  Did I mention how excited I am about
    this felt?  No more hunting.  And they're nice to look at.

    FeltTile

  • Suture-Free Future

    ByHeather Bailey

    Here it is, my live interview on NBC's Studio 5 in Salt Lake City. Catch a glimpse of my next mini pattern. Try not to glimpse the ribbon dangling from my shirt sleeve though.

    Written instructions for the Pop Garden scrap flowers featured on the video can be found here. I had an incredible time in Utah this weekend. I met many fun entrepreneurs & was showered with some amazing presents — necklaces, notecards, homemade games, tee-shirts, chocolate. The Sweet Tooth Fairy's Double Fudge Cake Bites made my night on Thursday. Imagine oreo-cookie-flavored cake with a truffle-chocolate shell. Yeah. Holy happiness, Batman.

  • Pretty Maids All in a Row

    ByHeather Bailey

    FeatureFriBanner
    Ravenhill1a

    Like
    so many others, I'm charmed by the bright colors and folky art of
    Russian dolls or matryoshka.  Over the last couple of years, demure
    little matryoshka have become a fierce trend in crafting and design. 
    Russian-doll jewelry, ornaments, beads, fabric, embroidery, and home
    decor can be spotted all over the internet and in stores.  (Fun links at the bottom of this post.)

    RussianDoll250brt Amidst the Russian bunch, the whimsical dolls of Emily Moss of
    Ravenhill stand out — playful stuffed matryoshka made with a variety
    of prints & details.

    Emily’s inspiration for creating these unique dolls was her “growing stack of
    beautiful fabrics and pretty ribbon," combined with her new-found
    enjoyment of embroidery.  As a result, each doll has her own personality. 

    I first spotted
    Emily's dolls in my Pop Garden & Bijoux Flickr group where she has
    uploaded a several cheery, floral ladies.  See a wide variety of fabric
    combinations in her Babushka Softies Flickr set as well.

    Ravenhillsze Emily’s
    dolls were not always exactly what she envisioned. Though the overall
    doll design appears simple, fine-tuning the shape & structure took time.  Emily went through several drafts to develop
    the dolls she makes today.

        “It took a lot of practice and experimentation
    with various tool and mediums… I have learned so much from this process
    and would encourage others not to give up when the first prototype is far from what was planned.
    Plow ahead and persevere.”

    Emily offers Matryoshka dolls in her Etsy store.  Or stop by her blog to see what’s new.

    More Russian doll links:

    *For more information about Feature Friday & the artists spotlighted, click here*

    Photography in this post courtesy of Emily Moss

  • Is it Monday again?

    ByHeather Bailey

    LanternBloom1
    I'm
    wrapping up an assortment of projects to clear my plate for August's
    design marathon.  I hope time slows down a bit for the next two weeks. 
    Elijah is starting junior high school and I'm – just – not – ready.  

    LanternPillowA Perhaps waiting for my new to
    birthday bike
    arrive will do the trick.  I haven't been this excited about a
    birthday present since I-can't-remember-when.  She's vanilla with pink
    rims, a rattan basket & a wooden rack — my creamcycle cruiser. 
    With a drink cup and bell — vrrink-vrrink.

    LanternBasketT And guess whose birthday was just yesterday? Laura. Laura of Lantern Bloom. I am mesmerized by her new fabrics. The mill did such a fabulous job
    recreating the moody depth of Laura's paintings;  it's hard to believe
    these are flat, smooth fabrics. Stretch one print across a canvas and
    it's instant wall art.

    I'm so proud of her. Laura has developed
    a unique painting style over the years. One of the last things we did
    together before she moved away 4 years ago was experiment with textured
    canvasses. Now she's a master of texture. Laura has a collection of art prints heading to Crate & Barrel and a rich, new collection of fabrics as well.

    Wish
    Laura a Happy Birthday, will you?  At a mere 2 weeks older, she paves
    the birthday way for me each year.  I hear birthday sirens sound long
    about July 26th, when it's time for Laura's slice of cake.  "Brace
    yourself, Heather, here it comes."  I ordered my bike today, so bring
    it on.

    Watch for Laura's Lantern Bloom fabrics too — definitely
    a collection to see in person.  You can even make out bits of canvas in
    some of the prints.

  • Personalized Pillows

    ByHeather Bailey

    FeatureFriBanner
    Imagine coordinating all of your child’s bedroom pillows — with some personalization to boot.  With Bella Marie's personalized pillows, you can.

    MarleyBaby

    Seamstress and Etsy shop-owner, Marie Villa,
    loves personalized items, as do her children.  To Marie, her name
    pillows are "the perfect projects to make that not only coordinate with
    a room's colors, but also personalize it at the same time.”

    Marie used an assortment of Heather Bailey Freshcut fabrics for
    the “Emme Pillow” below. Other materials include a background fabric
    (Marie used a solid, pre-quilted fabric) Heat n' Bond™ Lite, stuffing,
    and lots of thread.

    Emme

    According
    to Marie, this is a simple design to make.  Each pillow takes about 2
    hours to complete. "The letters are the only thing that can get tricky
    – but with practice you can get them just right."

    MarleyBaby2Marie's pattern is from one of her favorite websites, www.youcanmakethis.com,
    for $6.95. However, if you don't have the skills nor the time to make
    your own customized pillows — but you love homemade, you’re in luck. 
    Marie will make a custom one for you.  Contact Marie through her Etsy
    shop, Bella Marie Designs, to place your custom order.  Keep in mind, longer names such as Savannah can be fit onto a slightly longer pillow.

    If you don’t have a little guy or girl in mind, Marie suggests a “Mom” pillow for mother’s day or a special “Grandma” pillow
    with grandchildren’s names hand-embroidered around the pillow's front. 
    For pillow inspiration, comb through Marie’s Flickr set here.

    Savannah

    *For more information about Feature Friday & the artists spotlighted, click here*

    Photography courtesy of Marie Villa.