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    The Hub of Hubbub

    ByHeather Bailey

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    What a week! Evan has chickenpox; my trusty little car is in the shop getting fit with a new harness; my Trash Ties patent needs some paperwork-love, I have a new fabric collection to deliver and another one to review. Oh! And another one to announce—shipping this week. And a big inventory-reduction sale to orchestrate. My store manager is out of town on vacation and Isaac is working a construction gig for our friend's new photo studio all week. So, he's not around either.

    I'm at the hub of hubbub. It's enough to make a gal appreciate some good, old-fashioned, downtempo embroidery. Slow it down, think things through, meditate, devise a plan….then pow! Make it all happen.

    Somehow.

    My meditation is your win. Because what I came up with when taking things slowly for a day is – so – much – fun. And I'm working out a way for you to get your stitchy fingers on it for free. Just give me one or two more days to sort out the details and I promise to tell all. Consider the photo a sneak peek. And start planning your summer projects, because we are putting together a Big Ol' Summer Sale* for next week as well — making space for more good things to come. 

    *Sign up for the Heather Bailey newsletter for full details.

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    Housekeeping

    ByHeather Bailey

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    We have been busy prepping samples for my next quilting fabric collection—coming in June. My fashion-fabric collection is almost here as well. If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you will have seen a number of sneak peeks last weekend during Quilt Market, the industry's trade show. Now that the business-to-business side of things is kicked off, we can start putting together some full reveals to share what I've been up to in the design department.

    Before moving onto new releases, I have a little house-keeping to do. First, let me congratulate Ricky Tims and Tula Pink for winning the Bernina sewing machine face-off. And Brenda P. from Pensacola FL won the sewing machine—what a great prize—so fun!

    BookWinnerRandomOrg200SMI also have a book-giveaway winner to announce. Lisa McGriff, lucky #7, email me your address and I will have your copy of My Rag Doll sent posthaste.

    Lisa McGriff said…

    "I had a Raggedy Ann doll as well, to this day I still love Raggedy Ann dolls. I would love to win this book so much!!"

    – – – – – – –

    Finally, watch for a MIGHTY Inventory Reduction Sale at HeatherBaileyStore.com in the next week or two. All discontinued fabrics—collector's take note—will be on sale. Start planning your summer projects now. It's time we make space for new collections on their way.

  • Run for Travis

    ByHeather Bailey

    You know you want it…and you can have it too. Remember to vote EVERY DAY in the Bernina USA Faceplate Face-Off to increase your chance of winning this luxury machine. Voting ends 4-14-14, so set a reminder.

    RunforTravis300bAlso, if you are in Arizona this weekend, please consider joining me at the Run for Travis fundraiser in Gilbert. Travis Williams, the father of one of Charlotte’s very best friends, passed away this week from a battle with cancer. Travis leaves behind a wife and four young children. He was only age 40. Proceeds go toward helping the family with medical expenses. There will be a 5k walk/run, a silent auction, food trucks. I’m excited to go help in this way.

    Becky Higgins, who I worked with on a Heather Bailey Project Life kit last year, is good friends with the Williams family. She wrote a beautiful post about their longstanding relationship earlier this month, if you’d like to take a look.

    Also, if you would like to help, but you’re not in Gilbert, there is info on the Run for Travis facebook page on how to donate.

    What a week for our community, for our family, for our Charlotte—though nothing compared with what these incredible families are facing. She and I leave for Travis’ funeral after this post goes live.

  • WIN a $1900 Bernina Sewing Machine

    ByHeather Bailey

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    I had the privilege to design a sewing machine for Bernina's Faceplate Face-off, along with 9 other designers. From March 17th through April 14th, votes will be collected on Bernina's facebook page and the TWO machines with the most votes will be sent to production and available for purchase.

    One lucky voter will WIN a BERNINA SEWING MACHINE valued at $1899. Every time you vote, you are entered into the drawing again. So, set a reminder on your calendar to chime every day for the next few weeks.

    HeatherBailey_Bernina_315HBConsidering the tragedy we are grappling with at this time, it is going to be a challenge for me to spread the word about this contest on my own. I ask you to please help me share this design. I will sort out another fabulous giveaway for the voters should my design win, so there's a double incentive, a shopping spree perhaps. I wanted to have this all worked out before the Face-Off went live, but here we are. If you have an idea for me, please share it.

    It is my understanding that you will want to access Bernina's facebook page from an actual computer, and not from a phone or ipad. To see the designs and vote, click the "Like" button the face-off page, then a "Click Here to Register" button will appear. Enter your info (so they can contact you if you win!), then you will see the various designs.

    Please note that Bernina's mock-up of my design on their facebook isn't quite accurate yet. My design is red and white/cream, not red and silver. And I believe we would be indicating the model number "B350" with an emboss in the lower lefthand corner of the vertical plate, not with large black text across the artwork. My images here are closer to accurate. Feel free to post these images (links below) anywhere and everywhere, along with the contest info. I would sure appreciate it. And hopefully your sewing room will appreciate it too—when you WIN!

    • Sewing Machine Image 115k (612px wide x 72dpi)
    • Mod Daisy Artwork 192k (612px wide x 72dpi)
    • Heather Bailey Logo 10k (612 px wide x 72dpi)

    Remember to set your daily calendar reminders through 4-14-14.

    PS: I think this contest is open to U.S. residents only, but I don't think that prohibits non-US residents from voting. I will ask. And I'll put together a giveaway that includes everyone—from everywhere—should my design win.

  • Tuileries

    ByHeather Bailey

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    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. 

    TrueColors_StitcheryDickoryDock470g

    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.

  • True, True

    ByHeather Bailey

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    It's party month at the Bailey's. With two birthday parties to throw for my children in January and my younger brother's wedding coming up next week, my personal creative time is fully spoken for. This hasn't kept me from dreaming about what I'll work on next, once the storm of confetti has blown west. I have new fabrics to work with—stacks of True Colors and Lottie Da are sending out a pulsing beacon from just about three feet behind me to my left. Boop, boop, boop, boop.

    TrueColors_DesignRollI guess it's a little odd to segregate my personal creative time from my professional creative time. I create for a living, so I should be satisfied with the dozens of hours I'm spending on new print designs and other products during the week. Really, what's the difference? Perhaps it's the element of play. Or maybe it's throwing obligation to the wind and just creatively goofing off for few hours here and there. I'm aching to 'play' with these new fabrics some more. There just isn't time this month. Hm. I guess I could show up to my brother's wedding with an odd assortment of experiments and call them "decorations." Here you go, Ryan, some quilt-block tests for your hors d'oeuvres table. So glad I could be such a help to you this week!" Or perhaps not—something about throwing them the wedding that they want.

    Till February, I'll get my fix through you guys. I love watching what pops up on your blogs, on Instagram, on Flickr, etc. If you post a project with my fabrics or my new embroidery patterns, let me know. And send me links to others' projects you come across.

    TrueColorsStack

    In fact…in fact! There is a sweeping True Colors blog tour going on this week and next, all over the web. You'll want to check this out.

    The amazing bloggers below are working with Free Spirit's new True Colors collections, adding their personal flair. There will be inspiration galore and a bunch of giveaways. The fabulous bloggers that will feature my own collection are highlighted in 'radiant orchid.' The other wonderful blogs will be working with Anna's, Joel's and Jenean's True Colors prints. Should be a serious shindig. Don't miss the first two who have already posted.

    1/20 Sew4Home (Blog-Tour Kick-Off)
    1/21 Stitchery Dickory Dock 
    1/22 I'm a Ginger Monkey
    1/23 The Sewing Loft 
    1/24 Ellison Lane 
    1/27 Diary of a Quilter 
    1/28 Material Obsession 
    1/29 Craftsanity 
    1/30 Stitched in Color 
    1/31 Craft Buds 
    2/1 Jaybird Quilts

    And! I nearly forgot. Here is video of the four of us discussing color and these new True Colors collections. I'm a little shy to share this as **I have never been so sleep deprived** as I was the day we filmed this video. I had something like six hours of sleep over a four-day period. And it shows. Thank goodness for CreativeBug's fantastic filming skills. I only wish they had included my little soapbox moment on the importance of "UGLY COLORS" Maybe my bleary-eyed, tongue-tied self did not communicate the idea as eloquently as I remember. Anyhow, Anna has similar thoughts on "muted" colors. I ditto what she says. 

     

     

    If you're stopping by from the blog tour and new to my blog, be sure to sign up for the Heather Bailey newsletter. And I'm a big fan of Instagram and Twitter, so come say hello there too. I'm @HeatherBailey on Instagram and @_HeatherBailey on Twitter.

  • Online Event in Two Weeks

    ByHeather Bailey

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    Are you interested in creating a pocket-page scrapbook? Like the one I designed for Project Life? 

    There is an online, full-day event coming up on January 25th that you might be interested in. It's called "True Scrap Pocket Pages" and the classes will be live and interactive, discussing the basics of pocket scrapbooking and beyond. All of the live classes will be recorded as well, so you can re-watch them as needed. 

    TrueScraps_250Project Life is one of the sponsors for this event. They asked if you guys might be interested in hearing about it and I said, "Of course. Why not." I'm not affiliated with True Scraps, but I do love the simplicity of pocket-page scrapbooking. I already organize many of my creative projects on index cards for easy filing. It wasn't hard to convince me to keep family stories, kid quotes, and doodles on pretty little cards—such a fun and easy way to keep a family record!

     

    Here's the list of classes —each one is an hour long:

    • Hybrid Hints for Paper People (Traci Reed)

    • Pocket Scrapping 101: Back to Basics (Layle Koncar)

    • Do You Hear What I Hear? Including Your Family’s Perspectives in Your
    Pocket Spreads (Marcy Penner)

    • KISS: Keep It Simple, Scrappy! Simplifying the Pocket Page Process
    from Monica McNeil

    • Playing Big: Adding 12×12 photos and layouts to your Pocket Pages
    Albums (Lilith Eeckels)

    • Outside the Lines: Creative Approaches to Adding Journaling to Your
    Pocket Pages (Stephanie Bryan)

     

    Anyhow. If you are interested, visit truescrap.com/pocket for more info. (Lain Ehmann even posted a welcome video.) There is a ridiculous discount if you book the class today (January 10th)—hence my hurry to get this information posted! The code is "99OFF". You save a wild 66% or something, making the total cost only $50.

    What is pocket-page scrapbooking? Here are my thoughts.

  • Christmas Interview Goes Live Today

    ByHeather Bailey

    SweetSimpleSweet and Simple Magazine (SweetandSimpleMag.com) is doing a 25 Days of Christmas marathon with interviews, tutorials, recipes,  party ideas and other Christmas-related fun. My interview went live today, along with details on my family's ornament-party tradition.

    I'm working behind the scenes to finish up the new embroidery patterns so we can get those back from the printer with plenty of time to ship them out before Christmas. I plan to scent up my home with cinnamon and nutmeg—baking or candles, whatever it takes—then snuggle up with my kids and a soft quilt to embroider while we watch The Sound of Music or Gone with the Wind.

    Doesn't that sound fabulous? It's the picture in my head that's getting me through the last leg of this race. I should have some embroidery-pattern news here very, very soon.

    Happy Holidays!