Design

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    Breathe

    ByHeather Bailey

    I so need to pop my head in here. Hello. Hello. Hi. I’m still kickin’, still alive.

    Freshcutrolls_hb
    I’m making about 75 kits for my hands-on class in Florida, hence the plump
    fabric rolls.  I’m putting the finishing touches on the sewing pattern
    for the kits as well (getting closer to publishing).  Then there’s the
    style guides for Trash Ties and their cute little pink boxes, Trash
    Ties booth design, brochure, order forms, press release, press kits,
    etc.  Are you spinning with me yet?

    Once those things are taken care of, it’s back to outlining my 3
    other lecture/classes for Florida and putting together all necessary
    visuals, handouts and fun surprises for those classes.  All of this by
    Monday morning when my plane takes off.  I’ll be back at the end of
    next week for one day before heading out to Vegas to introduce Trash
    Ties to the beauty industry.    

    Come July 18th, I can jump off the treadmill for a couple of weeks –
    squeeze my kids extra, make real food for dinner and paint a room or
    something — shake things up.  I have a gaggle of family (including Laura – yay!) coming to town
    at the beginning of August and I couldn’t be more excited to play,
    play, play!

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    Moving Right Along… doogadoon, doogadoon…

    ByHeather Bailey

    Tt_shirtshb

    It’s official.  Trash Ties is moving forward.  Afterall, we now have shirts.*  What’s more official than that? 

    Tuesday was a big day.  Big day!  I shipped out my fabric designs
    (see that mysterious tube down there) and we finished up the design of
    our Trash Ties boxes (which required a big two-day photoshoot last week
    — a different one — things were just too hectic to blog).  It was an all-nighter
    for me on Monday toReliefbd_a get both
    projects out the door on time.  I really need to cut that out!  It’s
    been absolutely crazy around here.  I did go to bed at 8pm last night
    though — oh so nice. 

    Today was several hours of forgiveness cleaning, followed by
    booth design & some shopping with a friend.  It was nice to get out of the studio for a
    bit.  It’s been a long, hard push these last few weeks.  I’ll take
    cleaning and more work (but different work) as my break for now.  I’m
    tough.  And I did pick up some more straws — you know how I feel about straws : )

    We should have the beginnings of a Trash Ties website up soon? and I promise to reveal all.  It’ll be good for me to record
    some of my experiences there.  It’s been an interesting and colorful
    adventure — and likely to get even more so.

    I think I just might sneak out to a movie one of these nights though — shhh.

    *to wear at the launch

  • The Soap Trick

    ByHeather Bailey

    Soaptrickhb
    Don’t struggle with obnoxiously-thin slivers of soap in the shower ever again!  You know, the dwindling remains of a bar, when the soap finally gives up the ghost and snaps in two?  Set them aside with your sewing supplies.

    Readymade_junejuly07Waifish
    soap bars can be the perfect marking tool in many instances.  In fact,
    I find myself using soap far more often than chalk.  And there’s no longer any
    guilt in instating a fresh bar of soap in the shower when the old one
    gets cumbersome.  Handy and resourceful.  Yes, there should be
    some sort of disclaimer here — test it on your fabric first, etc, etc.
    — but it works for me. 

    My favorite little soap trick made its way into ReadyMade this
    month, along with a groovy illustration.  Like my favorite knot,
    "the soap trick" is one of those little things that makes sewing more
    fun.  And showering more pleasant.   

    My next collection of fabric gets turned in this week.  And, yes,
    that’s where I’ve been — tending my two-dimensional garden.  As soon
    as the designs* are shipped out, it’ll be a mad-dash to prepare three
    lectures and one hands-on class for these guys (attendees — note the
    supply list in the sidebar) for early July, followed by the launch of
    Trash Ties in mid-July. Then I think I will fall over sideways for a
    couple of weeks before committing to anything new.

    Thanks Kim, for your kind take — this sort of thing helps keep a girl peppy and at-it — at least for a few more weeks.

    *It’ll be months before we see the resulting fabric.  It’s still Freshcut season 🙂

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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

  • 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 : )

  • 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

  • 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 ; )

  • Market

    ByHeather Bailey

    Favoritebouquethb2

    This is my favorite bouquet of all time — peonies with those yellow ball- thingies mixed in.  When I left town, the peonies were electric pink.  Now they’re a romantic white.  I hope I age as gracefully.

    Anna_and_heather I had a blast at Quilt Market.  I met up with my new Westminster family and was charmed by their vision for Free Spirit.  Days were packed with new friends and big discussions.  Evenings were busy with fancy dinners, even bigger discussions and a peppering of giggles. 

    Ms. Purl, Joelle Hoverson, has a book on the way – watch out!  Amy‘s having bags made.  Anna‘s in the rug business.  Sandi‘s getting fabric going.  Lots of energy.  And, thank heaven for that, as I slept a total of 10 hours over three nights.  Yikes. 

    Thoroughly Modern Millie had me in tears — twice.  And it’s not a sad story.  Darn that frantic jazzy dancing.  My feet tapped all the way through dinner with Holly and company. 

    Thoroughlymodern4
    I’m glad to be home, on the other side of a long string of commitments, de-mucking from the photoshoot and gathering strength for a final push on my next fabric line.  I am amazed and honored by the enthusiasm I received from sales reps, quilt shops and sewers this weekend.  I guess there were a few months there where Freshcut was hard to get.  The transition to Westminster threw a few kinks in the system and a majority of shops who ordered Freshcut months ago are just now receiving the line.  So much newness and excitement.

    In fact, in one wave of gittiness, wrapping quilts around ourselves and posing for snapshots, we knocked over a heavy wooden pillar which clocked me in the foot.  How does a quarter-inch wound yield a 5" bruise?  Ah, the mysteries of life.