Quilting

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    Nicey Jane is Back!

    ByHeather Bailey

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    NiceyJaneLogo_325I have exciting news to share! The beloved Nicey Jane collection has bee re-issued by Free Spirit Fabric in response to your begging and pleading. So, good work, everyone!

    The re-issue includes twenty of the original fabrics and is available now by the yard, or in fat quarter stacks, design rolls, 10" charm packs and 5" charm packs—while supples last.

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    Please note that in addition to the re-issued collection, we also have a limited supply of ten Nicey Jane prints from the original release which we have been holding onto for dear life till now. These ten fabrics are stocked in the store and available while supplies last. That makes thirty Nicey Jane fabrics in total—as of today.

     

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    NEW Pattern! Prize Bloom Quilt

    ByHeather Bailey

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    I have two new sewing patterns to announce this week, starting with the Prize Bloom Quilt. This three-dimensional floral design is a rewarding project. It gives you the opportunity to practice a variety of techniques (curved piecing, inset corners, appliqué), yet it is quick to sew. You complete one, large flower and a simple, pieced foundation, then put them together and you're done. Practically. There is quilting and binding as well, but those go quickly too.

    QP001PB_PrizeBloomQuilt_470w3The large, dahlia-like flower is gathered at the center and a round of three-dimensional petals is added. These details draw you into the design and add depth. The cover quilt is sewn entirely from my Up Parasol fabric collection. However, there are a number of sneak peeks of my upcoming Clementine collection all through the background of the image—hint, hint. 

    Use your quilt as a wall-hanging, a small lap quilt, or as a baby blanket. (I use mine for church. Our building is ALWAYS freezing cold. During the week, it decorates our wall on a petite curtain rod.)

    The pattern includes a full-color booklet of instructions, along with a cutable pattern sheet. This is our first pattern with full-color instructions. With the petal pieces in the quilt appearing similar in contour, I felt that color illustrations would be the best way to help everyone see which pieces are which. I'm thrilled with the results. 

    I hope you are too.

    Prize Bloom is shipping now. Ask for this new pattern at your local sewing shop. Or order a copy online today at HeatherBaileyStore.com. A full Materials List is posted on the product page.

  • Wednesday Quilt Inspiration

    ByHeather Bailey

    TrueColors_HeatherBailey_Craftbuds_410b

    At the studio, we are busy prepping for the quilt industry's fall tradeshow. We have a few new patterns coming out, as well as new fabric collection. I cannot wait to share more! With quilts and soft goods on my mind, I am sharing some quilt inspiration today. TrueColors_HeatherBailey_Craftbuds_410a

    This charming clamshell quilt was put together by Craftbuds.com for the True Colors blog hop a while back. I love how the simple, repeating design allows for playful eclecticism with the print combination. And the finished quilt looks great with rounded corners. Shown is a mix of Lottie Da and True Colors prints, along with three solid fabrics. Craftbuds' post lists some tips for assembling a clamshell quilt of your own, including links to an 8" shell pattern and a 12" shell pattern.

    I've been quite sick for the last few weeks. Feeling much better today, the first thing on my list is to visit here for a hello. I have big plans for this fall, with lots to share, including new fabrics, patterns, tutorials and tips. Expect to hear from me more regularly.

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    Up Parasol

    ByHeather Bailey

    UpParasol_HeatherBailey

    Up Parasol projects are starting to show up all over the web. I'm excited to share many of them with you with links out to their makers. Before doing so, let's have a closer look at this new collection which is available now at independent quilt shops and online at HeatherBaileyStore.com.

    Up Parasol is centered around two prints from my previous Garden District home-decor collection—Cakewalk and Mockingbird. These two designs were repeatedly requested on quilting-weight cotton, so I heeded the pleading and pinned swatches of these two on my design board to let them seep into my subconscious. 

    UpParasol470A

    What was born of this pairing is the new Up Parasol collection. I added many all-new prints of various scales and themes, including an extremely useful pinwheel blender named Devon Check, a vintage-flavored mum print named Mum Toss, a modern little flower repeat that looks a bit like a tiny umbrella named Stella, a fresh and trendy lattice print named Trellis, an inviting Summer Plaid and another super-useful two-tone print named Lulu. Among these is my favorite new print which shows a wood-cut style bird with flowers on his wings alighting from a branch, Meadowlark.

    UpParasol310BI'm not sure if it's my favorite new print because of the finished look or because I had such a happy time creating this particular design. Again, of course, there's the mother-hen in me who believes it's just not right for me to pick any favorites. 

    I do really love how these prints work together. They are cheerful and buoyant while also sophisticated and chic.

    I had the pleasure of creating a couple of Up Parasol quilts for the industry trade show, Quilt Market. One quilt will be out soon as a new pattern—so I'll wait just a few more days to share the details of that design. And the other is a large crazy-quilt-style design where I mixed Up Parasol with my basics collection, True Colors, as well as a couple of hand-selected solid colors for punch. This freely-pieced quilt is shown in the photo above on the turquoise quilt rack.

    UpParasol470C

    Crazy-Quilt How-To

    Each block was started with a five-sided semi-pentagonal shape that was free-style cut with a ruler, but without set dimensions or proportions. I then pieced wedge-like strips around this center piece the way you would with a log-cabin block, trimming excess fabric from each newly-attached strip to keep the edges straight and ready for the next strip to be added.

    As each block became bigger, I used a 12.5" square ruler as a guide to keep my piecing on track. Once the whole stack of blocks were made and I had arranged them into a layout, I used the same ruler to trim all blocks to a tidy 12.5" square before piecing them together. 

     

    If you can make sense of that, then you can make a crazy quilt too! Let me know if you have any questions about how to put it together and I will be sure to answer those here, or in a follow-up post. 

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    Meanwhile, visit your local quilt or sewing shop to get your hands on these delicious Up Parasol fabrics. Or visit HeatherBaileyStore.com if you don't have a sewing hub nearby. Remember to include some True Colors and Lottie Da fabrics for an expanded variety of compatible designs, perfect for your modern quilting and crafting projects.

    Pick up a copy of my Blooming Borders embroidery pattern while your at it. There is a border print included that features the same two birds shown in the Up Parasol Mockingbird print. Just imagine pairing your beautiful embroidery work with coordinated fabric in your next project—yum. 

     

    RELATED POSTS:

    BirdEmbroidery150

    NEW Embroidery Patterns 

    		   GardenDistrict150

    Garden District

    		   TrueColors150

    Introducing True Colors

     

  • Tuileries

    ByHeather Bailey

    TrueColors_StitcheryDickoryDock470i

    We did it. We made it through the party grinder and survived to tell the tale. Nothing like a streak of over-abundance, coupled with a steady drip of sugar to make you crave a detox.

    My back has been on the fritz for months and finally started to show improvement this weekend, so I went right out and re-enrolled at my favorite gym—the one with indoor and outdoor lap pools—as soon as Charlotte's party was over on Saturday. I can't wait to get moving. 

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    True, I run, and that's definitely a form of moving. But, I've been on a workout freeze the last few weeks while trying to heal. I'm going to try some less-jostly activities for a while and see what happens. I'll get back to running once my butt butts out and stops pulling my back out of place. Yes, this is what appears to be happening.

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    Enough about me and my back. How about this amazing quilt!?

    Amy Gibson of Stitchery Dickory Dock put this Tuileries quilt together as part of the True Colors blog tour this January. She mixed True Colors with Lottie Da and wrote about her process here—with many more photos. Amy is an avid quilter, a mama to four kids, a teacher, and more. She teaches a Block of the Month class on Craftsy (it's free), so check that out while you read through her beautiful blog.

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    Pause. Wait. Go. Go Fast!

    ByHeather Bailey

    Are you in Utah? I will be at The Material Girls quilt shop in South Jordan THIS Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm. Stop by and let's meet.

    – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

    I had such a quaint little weekend. I pieced a lap quilt, made cherry
    muffins, did the laundry, went to a movie. I even slept at night.
    Nothing nearly reflective of my high-energy obligations this week and
    next. (High-energy is code for compressed and quickly becoming
    stressful.) My True Colors fabric hadn't arrived yet for next week's Creative Bug shoot, so I made lemonade of the situation and relaxed. I meditated on this week's keynote and did some prep for next month's needs. And I completed an entire quilt top.

    ProductTesting_LottieDaQuilt

    My quiet activities took place in a stir of remodeling. Isaac and
    Elijah shuffled furniture out of our family room to make way for
    wainscoting and new flooring. I have a number of great vintage pieces
    that will need reupholstering or rebuilding in some way, but we'll deal
    with the furniture and trimmings later. Certainly no sooner than
    November.

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    My True Colors fabric was delivered this afternoon. The race is now on. I leave for The Sewing Summit
    in Utah in two days and must resolve the Creative Bug project before I
    go, get my kids squared away, and keep a number of other projects moving
    forward.

    Some of you have asked for an update on my upcoming embroidery
    patterns. They will be ready soon. A few of these other obligations
    pushed their way forward in line. The work is 98% complete on the
    embroidery patterns, so my hope is to complete them once we've wrapped
    up the Creative Bug shoot. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know
    we're making progress on that despite my hectic schedule. We had planned
    to keep the embroidery patterns quiet till this Fall, but went ahead
    with previews earlier this year when my Lottie Da fabric collection was
    delayed for Spring Quilt Market. We had arranged a booth, but we weren't
    going to have fabrics. So, embroidery!

    Okay. Time for me to go, go go.

    If you missed the announcement at the top of this post, I will be at The Material Girls quilt shop in South Jordan, UT this Wednesday night from 6pm to 8pm. Come by for a hello. And see Lottie Da in person.

  • Getting Going on Sewing

    ByHeather Bailey

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    It's a sewing week for me. For the last two years, I've spent most of
    my creative time at the drafting table and behind a computer, catching
    up on print and product design after having a baby. It's been great to
    get reacquainted with my sewing machine and start playing with these
    sunny new fabrics.

    130911_LottieDaQuilt1hb

    Angela Pingel of Cut to Pieces
    kindly offered to put together the quilt top for my upcoming free
    Lottie Da quilt pattern. She got right to it and had the top pieced in
    no time—which means the pattern will be ready soon—once the quilt is
    finished and photographed. Thank you, Angela!

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    With no corners to match up, the Lottie Da free quilt pattern is a
    perfect beginner quilt. I'll get into that more once the pattern is
    complete in the next couple of weeks.

    For now, enjoy this sneaky peek courtesy of Angela. And stop by Cut to
    Pieces for Angela's post and a bigger peek at the quilt top.

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    And don't forget to
    enter the Lottie Da giveaway that closes Sunday night at 11:59pm PST (9-15-13) for a fat quarter stack of the entire collection—over a $100
    value.

    If you missed our Heather Bailey Store newsletter earlier this week announcing the Lottie Da collection… Enter promo code LOTTIEDA917 for a FREE full-size sewing pattern
    with any purchase of $50 or more through 9/17/13 11:59pm PST. Add your
    selected items to your cart to meet the order minimum, then add your
    selected pattern, followed by the promo code at checkout.

    Happy Weekend!
    xo—Heather

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    Introducing Lottie Da

    ByHeather Bailey

    LottieDaFatQuarterStack_T

    Let's see some fabrics! My new collection, Lottie Da, started shipping
    this week. I'm over the moon. And I'm thrilled to share the line with you
    today.

    LottieDa_305With
    a playful, 60's-mod vibe, Lottie Da combines dancing pop florals with
    groovy go-withs—butterflies included. With strategic contrast
    planned into the collection (value, hue, scale, and so forth), Lottie Da
    is versatile and fun. Combine like-palette prints for a quiet,
    sophisticated look, or incorporate contrasting colors and values for
    greater pop. You can take this collection in so many different
    directions.

    Tweaks to my production process allowed me to experiment with colors I
    haven't focused on in the past—violet, aqua and charcoal to be specific.

    LottieDa_Bookshelf_K_Short

    I started sewing with Lottie Da this week and I'm having a blast with
    this zingy palette. I designed a foundation-paper-pieced project I'll
    be sharing soon, along with a new free Lottie Da quilt pattern. I'll
    show you how the prints can be combined for different effects. I'll also
    post peeks at some original Lottie Da artwork and previews of projects
    to come.

    LottieBolt470_HB1_VertTo celebrate the launch of Lottie Da, let's have a giveaway—giveaways are the best. I have a lovely Lottie Da fat quarter
    stack     for one lucky winner, including all thirty-two prints
    in the
    collection. Enter by Sunday, September 15th at 11:59pm PST by leaving a
    comment on this post. Make sure you enter your email address in the
    comment form so we have a way to contact the winner. One entry per
    household.

    But! Don't wait for news on the giveaway before stocking up on Lottie
    Da. The first print-run of a Heather Bailey cotton collection tends to
    sell
    out quickly, so stock up fast and soon or risk having to wait a month or
    two for the next shipment.

    To see the full line of prints, click here.

    For first news on upcoming products, sales, freebies and more, make sure to sign up for the Heather Bailey newsletter.

    Watch for those upcoming Lottie Da project posts. And, send in pretty
    pictures of your own Lottie Da projects. We love to see what you're
    making—and to show you off.

    JellyRollA_470

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    “Car. Beep-Beep.”

    ByHeather Bailey

    OldDeliveryTruck2_Hellomynameisheather
    It's
    Quilt Market season at the studio. We're in a bi-annual bustle to prep
    for the show. Today, I met with another local stitcher who will be
    helping out with samples. I'm skirting around that misleading 'sewer'
    word. I think we just need to come up with a new spelling. Same word,
    new spelling: sewwer, sewur, sew-er, sew-erer, sewurr, seweur
    (french-ish)…

    What a fun afternoon. Fun I have no business having. Fun I have no business without.

    I was up with the baby till 4am last night, nursing him through a
    105º fever. I finally climbed into the tub and poured water over his
    back while he slept against my shoulder. It was so sweet. But, man am I
    tired!

    It's 7pm now on Friday night and it feels like my day is just getting
    going. I don't think date night is gonna happen unless Isaac wants to
    help refine pattern covers, book flights, schedule meetings, or sew.

    ** I let the baby pick a photo and title this post for me. **

  • Quilt-Store Dreaming

    ByHeather Bailey

    FabricNosherieSign2

    Have you ever dreamed about being on the front lines of the sewing movement? Talk about jumping in with guns blazing. Fabric Nosherie, one of the coolest quilt stores around — is for sale.

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    If you have a hankering to live in the friendly midwest and you have
    what it takes to command and inspire a growing community of modern
    stitchers, have a closer look at this rare opportunity. Classes are in
    progress, fabric is on order, customers are bustling in. The business
    has grown beyond what Shannon can manage while also raising four very
    young boys. She's decided to auction the store so it can continue to
    grow while she re-focusses on her family.

    FabricNosherie3

    For more background on the store and its founder, Shannon Robinson, click here. For details on the auction in progress—ending March 25th—click here.