designer

  • 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.

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    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

  • |

    Introducing Lottie Da

    ByHeather Bailey

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    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.

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  • Giveaway Day 31 – I Aim to Tease

    ByHeather Bailey

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    What
    a month! And what a marathon of frenzied fun. I'm exhilirated to have
    made it to the finish line. Today is the last day of my month of giveaways—every
    day this August. I had an impulse to shower you all with presents as a
    big Thank You Party for your love and support. And I ran with it.

    I'm honored that so many great companies and good friends contributed
    prizes. I was especially touched to read all of the sweet comments made
    by Mary Engelbreit's fans on Day 24.
    I hope that twenty or thirty years from now I will have maintained as
    meaningful of a relationship with my fans as Mary has. That was
    inspiring. Thank you for that.

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    There is one more proper August prize to hand out. But, truthfully, I have more prizes to give away than I have days in August.
    In fact, there are some gorgeous prizes associated with my new fabric
    collection that will be offered up next week when I officially introduce
    the line.

    So, though we've completed this month of daily giveaways, the giveaways will keep on coming
    at a steady pace, mixed together with new designs, inspiration and
    behind-the-scenes peeks at artwork and new products in development.

    I know you are all anxious to see the new fabric collection—only a
    couple more days to go! As such, I've decided to tease you with my Day
    31 prize. The image above is proof positive that a new line awaits, but
    it sure doesn't reveal much of the artwork or even the color palette
    involved—considering that you're only glimpsing a portion of the line.
    Here is an appetizer. I am wildly excited to share more.

    Today's winner will receive a thirty-piece design roll from my new Lottie Da fabric collection—to
    be revealed this coming week. Each piece is 2.5" x the full width of
    the fabric. Great for a variety of projects—and for project-planning.
    Comment to
    enter. One entry per household. Be sure to include your email
    address
    in the comment form so we can contact you if you win.

    Giveaway closes at 11:59pm PST on Monday 9/2/13. Watch for the winner to
    be announced within the week at the bottom
    of the post. For more info on my August giveaway party, click here.

    Watch for more exciting giveaways next week.

    Good luck!

    xo—Heather

    Read More “Giveaway Day 31 – I Aim to Tease”

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    Giveaway Day 28 — There Will Be Fabric

    ByHeather Bailey

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    There are strike-offs everywhere at the studio today, looking better
    than ever. They tend to show up with only a moment's notice and require a
    fast turn around. Reviewing fabric samples takes daylight though—and
    therefore a reshuffling of the day's top projects. If it can be done in
    the dark, it gets bumped.

    Over my years designing fabric, I've learned that the sooner I hand in
    my color notes, the sooner I get finished fabric in hand. When
    strike-offs arrive, our little ant hill stirs into a frenzy to get the
    job done and set the world straight again.

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    All stirred up and settled back down again. Daylight has faded, but
    the job is done. Even better, we don't have to wait till this collection
    is ready for production before… there… will… be… fabric.

    In fact, we don't have to wait long at all. There is a tower of boxes a
    few feet behind me—just delivered today—that house a brand-new fabric
    collection. The only thing holding me back from tearing into the
    shipment is getting today's giveaway posted while it's still the 28th!

    ZZ-GFT03_050-2_300So,
    let's hop to it. You enter the giveaway, I'll open the boxes. And as
    soon as daylight rolls back in, we'll take some pictures, sew up a few
    little ditties and set the pretties before you within the week.

    With a new fabric collection close at hand, I figure a $50 gift certificate to the HeatherBaileyStore.com would make someone's day.

    Comment to enter. One entry per household. Be sure to include your email
    address
    in the comment form so we can contact you if you win.

    Today's giveaway will close at 11:59pm PST on Thursday 8/29/13. Watch for the winner to
    be announced within the week at the bottom
    of the post. For more info on my August giveaway party, click here. Please
    share the word. Check back every day.

    Good luck!

    xo—Heather 

    Read More “Giveaway Day 28 — There Will Be Fabric”

  • Giveaway Day 27

    ByHeather Bailey

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    Who is ready for more retail therapy?

    Today's prize is a $50 gift certificate to ShopRuche.com, a gorgeous and varied online retailer, carrying everything from women's apparel, shoes and accessories to children's clothing, home decor and books. Ruche even has a bridal section. And you can shop a selection of stylish 'curvy plus' items as well. Explore their online store for luscious photos and fantastic finds.

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    Founded in 2008 by husband and wife team, Mai and Josh Olivo,
    Ruche is a vintage-inspired boutique with a modern perspective. In
    short, they describe Ruche's aesthetic as "feminine, flirty, clever and
    cute, yet subtly sophisticated "

    Like any happening company these days, Ruche can be found all over the social media world. Follow Ruche on facebook, twitter, tumblr, pinterest and instagram. And don't miss their gorgeous videos on you tube.

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    Comment to enter today's giveaway. One entry per household. Be sure to include your email
    address
    so we can contact you if you win. You don't have to type your email
    address into the body of the comment if you entered it in the email-address
    field on the comment form.

    ShopRucheImage300LToday's
    giveaway will close at 11:59pm PST on Weds 8/28/13    —which means it
    will overlap with Day 26's giveaway
    which ends tonight and Day 28's giveaway which will go up tomorrow, so
    don't miss those. We want you to have plenty of time to enter. Watch for
    the winner to
    be announced within the week at the bottom
    of the post. For more info on my August giveaway party, click here. Please
    share the word. Check back every day.

    Good luck!

    xo—Heather


    Read More “Giveaway Day 27”

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    Giveaway Day 26

    ByHeather Bailey

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    I'm am all about art supplies. I love nothing more than to sit at my
    drafting table with a fiesta of colorful paints, markers and tools
    within reach. It's also handy to have a few supplies that are easy to
    pack up and take with me for long family functions, for travel, or even
    for a trip to the park with the kids.

    Day26_WatercolorA_300bOne of my all-time-favorite, easy-to-pack art supplies is my compact set of Winsor Newton watercolor
    half-pans (the official name for these little dried cubes of paint). I
    love to work with pan paints on the go. And each half-pan can be replaced
    as it is used—without having to get a whole new set of colors. In fact,
    you can swap the colors around, add new ones, remove a few, and make
    your own custom palette to paint with.

    The teensy-tiny box opens up to reveal plenty of palette surface for mixing colors. There is even a little water tray for plein-air
    painting. (I don't use the water tray myself. I'm happy to bring a
    larger cup along.) Also included is a small, round paintbrush which is
    stored inside the compact.

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    These pan paints don't offer the same pigment depth as top-of-the-line
    tube paint, but they are a good quality for a traveling set. And this
    little box of watercolors has remained one of my favorite art supplies
    over many years. You might recall my March of the Tools post on these from a few years back.

    WinsorNewtonWatercolorSetTraveller300Today's lucky winner will receive a new Winsor Newton compact watercolor set to call her own, the same traveling kit that I use. A $38 value.

    Comment to enter today's giveaway. One entry per household. Be sure to include your email
    address
    so we can contact you if you win. You don't have to type your email
    address into the body of the comment if you entered it in the email-address
    field on the comment form.

    Today's giveaway will close at 11:59pm PST on Tuesday 8/27/13—which means it will overlap with Day 25's giveaway and Day 27th's giveaway, so don't miss those. Watch for the winner to
    be announced within the week at the bottom
    of the post. For more info on my August giveaway party, click here. Please
    share the word. Check back every day.

    Good luck!

    xo—Heather

    Read More “Giveaway Day 26”

  • Giveaway Day 25

    ByHeather Bailey

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    In honor of Evan's birthday on the 25th, our Day 25 HELLO Giveaway is one of our favorite children's toys, Theo the cat, an 18" knit doll. A $56 value. Theo is chartreuse for heaven's sake. It doesn't get better than chartreuse.

    A brand-new Theo made his way to our studio from LaylaGrayce.com, an incredibly diverse and inspirational online store, carrying everything from chandeliers and designer sofas to apparel, gifts and toys.
    I urge you to go take a look. Their taste is impeccable. Whether you're
    redecorating or just picking out a few gifts here and there, you will
    find so many great options on their site.

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    Thank you, LaylaGrayce.com for generously donating today's prize and for offering such a wide variety of these adorable Blabla Kids knit dolls,
    including raccoons, foxes, bunnies, bears, wolves, mermaids, monkeys
    and elephants, to name a few. They are soft and squishy and alltogether
    cool.

    Look at how many of these dolls work for boys as well as girls. I love that.

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    For decorating inspiration and first news on new products, follow Layla Grayce on twitter, facebook, instagram, pinterest, and on their inspirational blog.

    Read More “Giveaway Day 25”

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    Giveaway Day 21

    ByHeather Bailey

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    For today's prize, how about a little Christmas in the summertime?
    This way, at least one of us will be prepared when December comes along
    sooner than we expect it!

    Winner receives a party pack of Heather Bailey holiday supplies, including dinner plates, dessert plates, napkins, party cups—and lo! matching invitations. Everything you need to be polished and prepared for some holiday fun this year. A $54 value.

    We loaded our holiday invitations, photo cards and picnicware into
    the shop today. Please note that we're limited to supply on hand though,
    so snatch up these holiday items
    while they last. There's a part of me that wants to hoard the entire
    timeless supply for my own future use, but I'm talking myself through
    it. I'll design more. I'll design more. I can share.

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    Speaking of sharing…

    Comment to enter. One entry per household. Be sure to include your email
    address
    so we can contact you if you win. You don't have to type your email
    address into the body of the comment if you entered it in the email-address
    field on the comment form; I can access it from behind the scenes.

    Today's giveaway will close at 11:59pm PST on Wednesday 8/21/13. Watch for the winner to
    be announced within the week at the bottom
    of the post. For more info on my August giveaway party, click here. Please
    share the word. Check back every day.

    Good luck!

    xo—Heather

    Read More “Giveaway Day 21”

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    Giveaway Day 20

    ByHeather Bailey

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    My day has gone to school meetings. Elijah switched high schools this
    year and we're working to get him established at a school one mile from
    our home. We were driving him 25 minutes away each day, back and forth
    for the last two years, often several times a day and this really put a
    pinch on our time at home as a family.

    This year, Elijah volunteered to change schools. He and his dad both
    seem okay with it. I'm still resolving my own feelings. He not only has
    no friends there yet, but the school is in a different school district
    and runs quite differently from what he is used to. And he had to leave
    behind one of the state's top marching band programs (the reason he had
    insisted on that school in the first place).

    Day20_Pig-Doll_300I
    hate that he's switching halfway through high school. Ug. I wish I
    would have pushed more strongly for this close-by school two years ago.
    I'm working to feel at peace with the mid-stream change. Today's
    meetings helped with that quite a bit. We brought in a list of things we
    felt would help Elijah transition well and the response was, "This is
    what we, here, call good teaching. This will be no problem at all." Just
    what we needed to hear! I liked his last school a lot, but the
    administration at the new school made a great first impression today.
    I'm one step closer to parental peace.

    Additionally, with the high school only one mile away now, I can get
    more involved and still keep my other two children on track. I'm
    hopeful, but I'm still holding my breath nonetheless.

    Day20_apronNeedless
    to say, my giveaway to-do list hasn't shed any pounds today while I've
    been out parenting. It's approaching evening time and I still have this
    giveaway to post and a number of winners to select. So, on with the
    show!

    With a $35 value, today's prize
    is a set of THREE Heather Bailey sewing patterns—Claira & Clancy Pig Dolls, Full Bloom Roses and the Daily Spice Apron—a variety of projects you can make for yourself or as gifts. Get an early start on the holidays. Or give the patterns as gifts.

    For more information on my piggie doll pattern (my personal favorite of the patterns we've published), click here. For my first preview of the Daily Spice apron pattern, head back seven years to this post. (It sounds like driving Elijah around was a part-time job even back then. Boy, how long have I been blogging now?) As for Full Bloom Roses, we may have only announced that pattern by newsletter originally, so get the details here.

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    Comment to enter today's contest. Be sure to include your email
    address
    so we can contact you if you win. You don't have to type your email
    address into the body of the comment if you entered it in the email-address
    field on the comment form. One entry per household.

    Today's giveaway will close at noon PST on Wednesday 8/21/13. Watch for the winner to
    be announced within the week at the bottom
    of the post. For more info on my big ol' August giveaway party, click here. Please
    share the word. Check back every day.

    Good luck!

    xo—Heather


    Read More “Giveaway Day 20”