Sewing

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    A Fetching Pail

    ByHeather Bailey

    LunchBagPattern1

    With Charlotte in Kindergarten this year, and half of my own week days spent at our new business location, my family's need for a fantastic lunch bag pattern has increased in urgency.  So I have hunkered right down and put together a new mini pattern — meeting my need, and hopefully yours as well.

    LunchBagPatternCover Introducing Jack & Jill, a fresh take on the classic lunch bag.  I've got the girls covered, and the boys too.  I worked the design into my mini pattern format to keep the price low, jamming some serious value into one little package.  Whether you have one lunch bag to supply or several, Jack & Jill bags go together quickly, so you're in good shape.

    This is also my first pattern highlighting my yummy Nicey Jane laminated cottons.  The laminates are light and supple and easy to work with.  For specifics on the care and make-up of these fabrics, click here;  I understand the laminate is about as food-safe JackandJillLunchBag as plastic can be.  Of course, you can make lunch bags from non-laminated cottons as well, or decorator fabric, light corduroy, denim, and so forth, like the green floral bag shown at right.

    Fun-fun!  Great for holiday presents too — a nice bag for a nice girl or boy — filled with a naughty amount of candy.

    While you're at it, whip up a coordinating napkin or two to boot (tutorial).

  • Dab, Dab

    ByHeather Bailey

    ClothNapkins

    Whether you are prepping for the holidays, or getting ready for a birthday or baby shower, cloth napkins are a great way to personalize your table decor.  Expand your decorating options by sewing the napkins yourself — from your favorite fabrics.

    They are super easy to make, so why not?

    Deck the halls!  Deck the tables!  Get started with this simple, illustrated tutorial.  Fancy-up and save some dollars at the same time.  Happy Holidays, everyone!


    Read More “Dab, Dab”

  • 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!

  • 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?

  • When I’m Sixty-Four

    ByHeather Bailey

    Look what Laura made for me.  This is such a great idea.  She took a
    silk purse from The Limited — found on sale at TJMaxx or Marshall's(?)
    and heatherized it with handmade silk flowers and vintage buttons. I
    love it!

    BloomingT
     
    There
    are two dupioni flowers, plus two little buds from a Kaffe Fasset
    print. The leaves are made from lace and a vintage kimono print.

    PurseonWhite On
    the home front, my 13-year-old is now nearly my height — about 1/2" to
    go. So bizarre. On our way to my parents' house yesterday, Elijah was
    telling me how awesome it is to have a mom so close to him in age. (I
    was 21 when we had him.)

    "When I'm 60, you'll be 81," he said.

    "And we can play shuffleboard together, " I replied.

    "We can have a walker race to the country club!" he concluded.

    An
    image that will stay with me for oh, at least 47 more years, if I'm
    fortunate enough to make it to that race. Now, of course, no
    60-year-olds I know have a walker, but at 13, anyone over 40 is a
    candidate for a walker, right?

    I love that kid.

    -o-o-o-o-o-

    (McCartney wrote When I'm Sixty-Four when he was only sixteen years old! Although it wasn't released till he was 25 or so.)

  • Elephantastico

    ByHeather Bailey
    Lolliphant470Sh Henrietta and I have a new friend at the studio. Meet Effie,
    keeper of pink pins and patron of happy thoughts. Doing tricks and back
    flips is Effie's younger brother, Ollie, the circus star.  

    Several religions
    claim that the world rests on the back of an elephant, standing on a
    tortoise. Though neither is ready to carry the weight of the world, Effie & Henrietta are happy to hold some pins for you. Kudos to them for knowing their limits.

    These sweet little elephants make fun baby toys too — great for girls and for boys. I dream of a turtle & elephant mobile.

    MP004-EO_EffieOllieElephantBlog

    Check out the perfect, sloping elephant bums and cute little tails.  Ah, elephants, my newest mini pattern, hot off the press.

    Through 1-31-10, receive 25% off mini patterns — details here.