Design

  • Welcome Home Companion Readers!

    ByHeather Bailey

    It is such an honor to be featured in the current issue of Mary Engelbreit’s inspirational magazine.  I don’t have many magazine subscriptions & Home Companion
    is right there at the top of my personal favorites.  If you haven’t
    thumbed through this magazine before, go get yourself a copy!  Exciting
    artists & designers, beautiful homes, nifty projects… the works.

    Mehc_cvr

    Of course, if you’ve clicked on over to this page, you probably have
    a copy of the magazine already clutched in your arms & are looking
    for more info about the projects and materials featured in the cover
    story of the April/May 2008 issue.

    Twotopes3
    First off, there are two free patterns from the article available for
    download.  Both are paper craft projects.  The first is my Paper Globe pattern, with instructions for creating topiaries from these easy paper balls.  They make great ornaments too.  For the pattern, click on the "Paper Globe" Link in the sidebar of my blog under "Free Patterns."

    Then there’s the Party Chicks
    pattern, which can be used to make placecard holders for your next
    Spring party.  Or use the pattern for a present tag or notecard.  The
    Party Chicks in the article were made with a combination of craft
    papers & soda-can tin.  No trick there, just cut the side off a
    soda can with junk scissors (not the good ones!), flatten it out &
    use in place of paper.  A glue stick did the trick for me.  Tin
    sheeting can make a mean paper cut though, so use paper if you’re
    crafting with young kids, use common sense, etc.  Find the Party Chicks
    pattern link in my sidebar as well, under "Free Patterns."

    Paperchick

    Heatherbaileymehc2
    Then there’s all of the sewing fun! 

    All of the projects featured in the article are made from my Freshcut™ fabric collection, available wholesale through Westminster/Free Spirit
    and retail through hundreds of independent fabric shops worldwide.
    This article is the first official preview of my upcoming sewing
    pattern collection set to launch this Spring/Summer 2008!  Of course,
    there are some upcoming patterns not shown in the article (aprons,
    quilts, purses, etc.), but most of the sewn designs from the article
    will be available for purchase as sewing patterns in the near future.
    One of the first patterns will feature my pear pincushion,
    as well as the strawberry pattern at right (used as a tablecloth weight
    in the article) & a couple of other pincushion designs.  The
    bookbag design, and the pig & chick dolls will be published as
    patterns as well.  As it’s made, I’ll announce news about the patterns
    on my weblog, HELLOmynameisHeather.com, so stop back by.

    And we’re moving right along on those patterns! Now that my scrapbook & paper craft collection
    is designed and onto production, we’re busy behind-the-scenes finishing
    up the first wave of sewing patterns, my next collection of fabric, two
    or three other "secret" projects, and we’re wrapping up the design of
    my new site at www.HeatherBailey.com.

    Tablechicks

    Speaking of Isaac (the
    other half of "we"), I owe my husband a big thank you!  He did all of
    the beautiful photography for this article and is a great help in so
    many ways.  Thanks, hon.  And big hugs to my friends and their lovely
    daughters: Mimi, Katie, Kaitlyn & Abby.  For sewing help (I
    couldn’t have pulled this off without you), a huge thank you to my
    friend, Jona, & to my mom, both amazing seamstresses!

    Heatherbaileymehc1

    Finally, to the editorial staff (especially Kathy & Barbara!), thank you for this opportunity.  I absolutely adore Home Companion. It’s a complete honor to have worked with you.  Keep the inspiration coming!

    Thanks for stopping by, everyone. Send me an email if you have any further questions!

    xo–Heather

    ∆   ∆   ∆ 

    Ttboxes_3
    Oh yes, and Abby and I are wearing Trash Ties™, my hair accessory invention thingie.  To learn more about Trash Ties & what they can do, visit TrashTies.com!   Here’s my blog post explaining the whole sh-bang.

    **Click here to go back to the main page of my blog**

    Heatherbaileymehc

  • Teensy Tiny Watercolor Set

    ByHeather Bailey

    Watercolors1
    This
    little box of watercolors is no bigger than 5" x 6" and is extremely
    handy if you’re a must-make-something-at-all-times kind of person like
    I am. (My soda should give you some idea how small it is – I threw
    that in there for scale). This tool is easy to grab & ready to go,
    whether to Granny’s house, on a family vacation, or on a business
    trip.  And I really enjoy painting from watercolor pans (those
    rectangular cubes of color).

    Sometimes I just want to get to it & paint, without having to fuss with lids every time I need a new color.

    Watercolors2
    It’s
    been a while since I’ve done much with watercolors or shown you any of
    my watercolor work, but this is still one of my favorite little things
    to have around.

    This set is by Windsor Newton and is called "Cotman WaterColours:
    The Compact Set."  I think they’re available at Michael’s.  And here
    are a couple of online stores that sell them as well:  CheapJoes, FineArtStore, & KenBromley(UK).

  • The Wacom

    ByHeather Bailey

    I’m jumping price brackets from my last March of the Tools post.
    But, whatever the expense, here’s a tool I absolutely couldn’t do
    without:  the Wacom tablet.

    Lapwac
    This
    tool allows you to forego your computer mouse for a stylus (penlike
    tool below).  Some artists will use the stylus & pad to draw or
    paint images right into the computer and for such an approach the Wacom
    is invaluable.  I, however, do all of my initial artwork outside of the
    computer, so the Wacom’s obvious benefit of more authentic art isn’t my
    main reason for affection here.  In fact, it is really my right hand
    that’s in love with the Wacom.  Intense work on the computer with a
    mouse can make your hand cramp & throb after endless hours of
    clicking & dragging & clicking & dragging.  Working with a
    stylus is just a lot more comfortable. A lot more!

    Stylus

    And there are some pretty cool secondary features too.  The graphics
    tablet is pressure sensitive. So, if you have an art program that’s
    compatible with this feature, you’ll find that with some paint brush
    tools a stylus will create a varied stroke in response to the pressure
    you apply.  This is the case with Painter, Illustrator, etc.  No
    settings to change.  A normal computer mouse will just produce an even
    line. 

    Wacom

    The buttons in the corners can be programmed to do whatever
    functions you regularly use.  And the longer rectangle (see top photo)
    allows you to zoom or scroll if you stroke your finger across it.  I
    have my buttons disabled as I’m all about key commands.  But I still
    think they’re cool.

    So that’s the Wacom.  I have one huge tablet, as wide as my
    keyboard, and a smaller one to take with my laptop.  As I said before,
    I couldn’t do without it, so I had to have a second one for travel.

  • March of the Tools

    ByHeather Bailey

    I love tools.  Tools that make life better, work easier, and fun
    funner.  I get a lot of questions about which sewing machines I have,
    what camera equipment I use, etc.  And seeing as I haven’t put together
    my FAQs page just yet, I thought I’d embark on a new theme for the
    month of March… March of the Tools.  Work tools, food tools, sewing
    tools, whatever tools come to mind, but all tools that I love &
    use. 

    Thepitter

    To
    kick things off, here’s one of my favorite doo-hickies – only the best
    cherry pitter ever.  My sister picked this up for me at Williams Sonoma
    (I think) a number of years ago.  No other cherry pitter will do.  You
    just place a cherry on top of that "O" and squeeze.  The pit comes
    shooting out the hole.  Just make sure you wear an apron and do your
    pitting over the sink into a bowl.  (Oh look, here’s one with a splash guard.)  Nothing’s more indulgent or
    delicious than sitting down to a bowl full of pitted cherries, washed
    and ready to eat.  I swear, cherries are ambrosia & nectar in one –
    food of the gods.

    Thepits_w_2And
    with cherry season well behind us, I resorted to the
    crocheted-cherry detailing on one of my dolls to set the proper fruity
    mood here.  Not quite so photogenic as real cherries, but I saved
    myself from a serious cherry hunt, so humor me.

    The parading tools
    will likely include some things silly, some serious and some
    expensive.  No bragging intended, just some dang good tools you might
    want to know about.

    Hb_marchoftools_150_2Want to join me on this March of the Tools?  I’d sure love the company.  And
    the tool recommendations.  If so, here’s a badge you can
    post in your sidebar.  Link back to this post, so your readers will
    know what’s up.  (If there’s some trickier/better way to do badges,
    certainly let me know.)  This one is 150 dpi, or you can use the 250
    dpi one here, or snag the clovered-up version from my sidebar.  Add your link in the comments below so we all know who’s playing
    along.  Then we can all click over to your blog throughout the month to see what sort of tools we’re missing out on.  And join the March of the Tools Flickr Group (great resource for next year’s Christmas list, I’m thinking).

    That’s my 76 trombones. Cornets or not, I’m marching.

  • Sugar Love

    ByHeather Bailey

    Jonacookieshb
    Aah
    yes, look what came to our door in time for a late breakfast (love
    that holiday excuse).  Each layer offers a different selection, all
    separated with parchment paper and chilled.  So fancy!  Thank you, dear Jona : )

    Mmm, mmm. 

    Well, a Crazy Christmas it’s been.  We’ve decorated the tree,
    amassed the presents, poisoned ourselves with sugar and revolutionized
    our dance moves     on my mom’s new Wii.  A few more presents to wrap and
    we’ll be all set for a calm reflection on the meaning of it all. 

    Merry Christmas everyone!
    xo–Heather

  • Free Download!

    ByHeather Bailey

    Pincushionsverthb
    So, look what I found!, a download of the pincushion pattern I wrote for Better Homes & Gardens’ Quilts & More.
    I’ve probably had over four dozen requests for this pattern in my
    inbox, but am under contract to not release it for a few months.  I had
    no idea it was up on their site and available all of this time.

    I’m not sure how much longer they’ll have it posted, so go get a copy.

    Fun little stocking stuffer!

  • Twelve Days

    ByHeather Bailey

    12daysbadge2large
    It’s official.  The holidays are here, and so are the fattening foods and daily desserts.  To keep a handle on my health through all of the holiday fun, I’m committing to exercise at least 12 times before Christmas hits.  Nothing outrageous.  No weight-loss goals.  Just 20+ minutes of earnest exercise on 12 different occasions, hence the "Reasonably" part.  Why wait till January when the miserable guilties set in? 

    So that’s it.  If you’ve got a similar bee in your bonnet, join me!  Make it official with a badge so you’ll feel obligated : )  Sometimes that’s the best way to get off the couch (or computer).  Choose one of these sidebar badges and link it to this page for the explanation. 

    And add a comment below;  strength in numbers!12daysbadge2_2

    12daysbadge3

    12daysbadge1

  • Re-FRESH-ed

    ByHeather Bailey

    Freshcut
    Enough
    about TV and movies, right?  Can anyone tell I’ve had buttoned lips
    (for forever it seems)?  At last, here’s something I can show, my new
    Freshcut logo. 

    And you’ll notice, there’s the official HB logo up there too.  That
    was a long time in the works.  Or I should say that I was effectively
    putting off that task for a long time.  Defining yourself in type is
    surprisingly tricky. 

    Are you an all-caps kind of girl or scrolly & silly?  Modern? 
    Vintage?  Modern & vintage?  Romantic?  Floofy?  Straight-forward?
    And when you’ve answered these sorts of questions, then you have to
    figure out how to translate that personality into type.

    Kinda fun too.  Fun enough to do again.

    So, what’s the new Freshcut logo for?  Hmmm.  Well, that I’m hoping to announce next week. 

  • |

    The Aftermath

    ByHeather Bailey

    Candy
    There are lots of ways of dealing with the aftermath of Halloween
    — the candy.  Isaac and I let our kids have at it for a couple of days
    and then get rid of what’s left.  I have some friends who stage it out,
    dishing one candy per day Muckymuck2
    for who-knows-how-long.  Then there’s the pick-out- your-favorite-insert # here–
    pieces method.  Makes for a good alternate discussion topic amongst
    mommies when you’ve already memorized everyone’s birth stories! 

    Ok, being a bit sarcastic, yes.  We have plenty of other things to
    talk about than birth and candy!  In fact, we didn’t discuss birth or
    candy at all last weekend in Houston.  Oh wait, I did hear how Anna‘s fourth baby was her most difficult delivery.  But beyond that brief interlude, it was all art and schoolmarms.
    I probably had too much fun at Market.  My next fabric line didn’t
    quite make it in time to be released this Market, so I was free to hang
    out as I pleased.

    I met some new friends and some old ones too.  If you haven’t seen Liesl’s new company,
    go take a peek!  My gush over her paper dolls was a bit embarrassing in
    hindsight.  I even ran to get my sketchbook to show her all the paper
    dolls I’ve been sketching.  Just to prove, "You see, I’m not just
    saying that I’m excited about your paper dolls!  I really am."  Ridiculous.  Liesl, forgive me.  And what a sweetheart and smart.  She’s really got things together.

    Thebite_2

    Hmmm.  I don’t know that I’m up for listing everyone
    this time.  The list keeps getting longer.  I’d rather just report my
    embarrassing moments : )  I was a bit sleep deprived and shouldn’t have
    been in a professional setting that last day.  Nothing horrible… I
    just get a little too excited about things like thread and Japanese
    fabric, you see.  I’ve got to chill. 

    I figure I now have six months to rest up for before Portland (yah, right).  My eyes and my stomach are set on this chocolate palace for an evening escape.

    Had the best time showing Laura around too!  So fun.

    And yes, there were plenty of perfectly polite, well-mannered, calm
    conversations as well.  I’ve just got to get more sleep next time!

    Want some candy??   

    Here

  • |

    The Mermaid

    ByHeather Bailey

    Thecrowningmoment_nhb

    Pure elation!  Do you see it?  And I thought I’d have a little
    pirate girl, or a piggy, or a little cardboard robot girl with a
    polka-dot bow.  No, Charlotte was very clear that she wanted to be a mermaid.  And
    somehow the timing worked out well this year, so I went all out!

    Plop2

    I created the tail texture by running gathering stitches in a fanned-out pattern.  Huge relief that it worked as planned!  The
    skirt is supposed to be the ocean, but I didn’t quite get to the
    seaweed and fish I had in mind.  I love the color variegation there
    though – makes for great interpretive water.

    GleeI
    made a removable plastic sleeve for the fin so Charlotte could enjoy
    her Halloween without being barked at about dragging her tail.  It
    worked out swimmingly — though the tail stayed off the ground anyhow
    as she pranced around in just about the same pose as you see in this
    photo. Crazy cute!

    I drafted the pattern for the bodice and went a bit nuts with
    ruffles and trim.  At one place in the sleeve seam there’s something
    like 12 layers (a couple sets of doubled ruffles & piping, trim,
    & the usual stuff).  I had to outfit Charlotte with a sleeved dance
    leotard underneath to keep her little arms comfortable.  And dance she
    has, in full regalia, on Halloween and every day since.

    MermaidcrownflipIsaac’s contribution was the crown.  I handed him the materials and said, "Go for it!" 

    He responsed, "What’s wrong with this one?" (The original plastic crown underneath all of the goop). 

    "Nothing’s wrong with it, but it could be so much more mermaid-y."

    "Ya, I guess," he said, but then proceeded to spend the next thirty
    or forty minutes deeply enthralled, improving in every way my original
    plan.  He even got out the drill so the button shanks on the back of
    the crown jewels would nest into the plastic just so.  I mean he really
    got into it.  He’s proud of that crown.

    He went a bit crazy with the wand too.  Got burned in the process : (

    Thewand

    Besides the hot-glue burns, we had extra-fun this year.  It was
    Charlotte’s first Halloween where she understood what was up – costume,
    candy, costume.  What a joy to see the magic in her eyes!  She’s really pretty caught up in her underwater fantasy.

    And obviously, Elijah’s still got the magic.  Thank heaven Jedis
    lead a simpler, less-layered, unglittered existence or I might not have
    made the deadline.  Love my twirly, big-eyed dreamers.
    Tada