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    Giveaway Day 11

    Day11_HELLOgiveawayBanner

    Day11_MarloBloom_HeatherBailey

    All three of my kids are at home sick today and I'm having a very
    difficult time sneaking away to write a giveaway post, so I'm going to
    get right to it before there's more medicine to dose out or 'messes' to
    clean up.

    With a $35 value, today's prize
    is THREE Heather Bailey sewing patterns—Flutterby Pincushions, Boho Cloche Hat and Marlo
    Bloom Handbag
    —enough variety to keep you busy well into the fall and perhaps cover you on some holiday-gift sewing as well.

    Day11_ThreePatterns

    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; I can access that info from behind the scenes.

    Today's giveaway will close at NOON PST on Monday 8/12/13. (I'm
    extending the deadline whenever a post goes up later in the day.
    Sundays will likely be tricky for me all month.) Watch for the winner to
    be announced within a day or
    two at the bottom
    of the post. For more info on my August giveaway madness, click here. Please
    share the word. Check back every day.

    My actual birthday is tomorrow, so watch for a big prize in the morning. And some even bigger ones later in the week.

    Good luck!

    xo—Heather


    Read More “Giveaway Day 11”

  • The Tuxedo Clutch & Fresh Style Magazine

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    There’s a fantastic new magazine out this summer called Fresh Style. The debut issue oozes with luscious color, decorating inspiration, fashionable crafts, and more, including interviews with me, Amy Butler, and Ashley Ann Campbell of Under the Sycamore.

    To celebrate the magazine’s launch, I designed a pattern to include with the article: The Tuxedo Clutch. Instructions for this fast and fun purse are found in the Summer 2011 issue — available at newstands through the end of July. Other projects featured in this issue include an apron made from men’s dress shirts, a chic ribbon headband, custom-bleached shirts,and a super-cool pallet bed. (I love the ceiling decor above the bed too (p.75). Ooo, and I just spotted a Happy Stacker in the basket next to the bed — Ashley Ann, is this your house?)

    TuxedoClutch_1T

    The Tuxedo Clutch packs a big punch of style, yet it is simple to make. My design is inspired by the ruffled front of a funky men’s dress shirt. Think 70s prom. (Whoa, not exactly 70s, but check out this ruffled shirt.)

    The blue brooch? I picked that up at a vintage hoo-hahs booth at Quilt Market a year or two ago. I couldn’t resist. It’s old and a bit skee-wumpus, which has me loving it even more.

    FreshStyle_Summer2011_D

    For more info about Fresh Style, visit their blog at freshstylemag.com. And here’s a handy link if you wish to place an order through Hoffman Media. I think they carry back-issues too, in case you miss the July deadline.


  • Saturday Market Bag

    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.

  • When I’m Sixty-Four

    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.)

  • Smarty Girl

    MEHC_SmartyGirl

    While I'm busy finishing up a jazzy slideshow for Nicey Jane, I thought I'd pop in and share another bit of news.  Who recognizes this photo above? It's from the cover of Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion back in May 2008. 

    SmartyGirl
    I hadn't originally planned to publish a pattern for this book bag. 
    However, after hundreds of requests for it, I finally got a clue and
    did the work. The Smarty Girl book bag mini pattern arrives at the studio on Monday and will start shipping out on Tuesday. 

    I
    use my Smarty Girl to carry a sketchbook and pencils. Charlotte has a
    Smarty Girl for her coloring and activity books. It's a simple sew,
    perfect for holiday gifts and birthday presents. You could make one for
    your child for Christmas and fill it with activity books.  With a
    coordinating baby quilt folded up inside, it makes a great shower gift.
    Then, of course, you could do a sketchbook & pencils — my personal
    favorite.

    (Pattern cover features my new collection, Nicey Jane!)

  • Packing Flowers

    FlowerProject2

    Today I'm heading over to the NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City for a live interview & some crafty kibitzing on KSL's Studio 5 with hosts, Brooke & Darin. We're making fast, fabulous, fabric flowers. Fashionable too — and friendly.

    The
    spicy flower above turned out perfectly for the red & olive reverse
    of my red Marlo Bloom bag (shown on the cover of the Marlo Bloom sewing pattern). It takes my handbag right into Fall, all wooly & frayed, with felted houndstooth leaves and raw silk at the center.

    FlowerProject1

    I
    also played around with some of my favorite vintage buttons &
    millinery supplies, such as these green ceramic flower stamen. On the
    show, we're making medium-sized flowers, but as I couldn't stick to one
    size for the samples, I'm listing measurements for the large purse
    flower and the small, blue headband flower as well. Of course, make
    whatever size flower you wish & stitch it where you like.

    I say everywhere.

    FlowerProject4a

    Pop Garden Scrap Flower Tutorial

    Medium Flower

    1.  Tear a strip of printed cotton fabric 3" high by 20" wide. Pop Garden works.

    FlowerTute1

    2. 
    With wrong sides together, fold fabric strip in half, as shown. Stitch
    long, gathering stitch along matched torn edges, through both layers.
    (For a torn-edge flower, stitch along folded edge, through both layers.)

    FlowerTute2

    3. 
    Gently pull stitches as you sew, to gather fabric into a circle. Fasten
    fabric circle at center with a couple of stitches. Secure & trim
    thread.

    FlowerTute3a

    4. 
    Of felt, cut three tiered circles — 2" wide, 1.75" wide, and 1.5"
    wide. Notch edges of large & small circles. Remove all 'hanging
    chads' of felt — we'll have none of that. Stack felt circles as shown.

    FlowerTute4

    5. 
    Onto gathered fabric flower, layer stacked felt circles and a
    decorative button or brooch. Stitch layers together at center several
    times through button to secure. Conceal gathered edges at back of
    flower by whip-stitching a circle of scrap felt to the back of the
    flower. Then, attach a sew-on pin-back, hair clip, ponytail elastic, TT
    headband
    , bobbypin or barrette. And that's it. Easy-peasy.

    FlowerTute5

    For
    your reference, the following chart shows the measurements used for the
    other flowers featured in the photos above. The large flower is made by
    stacking a folded piece of silk on top of the folded cotton print with
    folds aligned. Gathering stitches are sewn through all layers, near the
    fold. And the large flower spirals into several layers, unlike the
    other two shown.

    FlowerTute6a

    I'm looking forward to meeting many of you at Friday's Start-up Princess event. If you're interested in last-minute registration, I've got a present for you — use code STUDIO5 for $10 off the registration fee. Or tune in to the show today, as two viewers will receive free tickets on air, valued at $99 each.

    Also, there is an all-new category at The Heather Bailey Store.
    See if you can spot it. I'm eager to post more, but need to rush off to
    the station. Let's just say the new category ties in perfectly with
    this tutorial and with more projects to come. I'll spill the beans in
    my next post.