heather bailey

  • Happy Holidays!

    ByHeather Bailey

    I
    had a great Christmas week — plenty of time off, plenty of fun. Next
    week I'm wrapping up several business projects and doing some winter
    cleaning at home. I should be ready for the new year around January
    3rd, which is far better than my normal acceptance of the new year in
    February or March.

    Doesn't this holiday pin make a great bow?  Next year I'll post a tutorial & put together some kits or something.

    HollyTag470
    While it's still holiday season, it's time to announce giveaway winners from the Meet Nicey Jane post a couple of weeks ago — $100 in gift certificates to the Heather Bailey Store. (Read the comments when you need a spot of sunshine. They are like reading a copy of Chicken Soup for the Soul.) Thank you, everyone, for taking the time to share your stories, weird information, insights, etc. I enjoyed every comment!  (Did I mention, you really should read those comments?)

    Here goes:

    One $25 gift certificate goes to… JENNE

        My husband had a terrible work accident close to 3 years ago. He has yet to
    return to work, but did have his last hip surgery this past Spring. A friend
    at church noticed our bald tires. This past Sunday we left church to find
    new tires–and a repaired tie-rod–on our van.     They had sneaked the keys out
    of my purse, sneaked the car away to the shop and returned it to the spot
    right beside our original one. We didn't notice until they all stood around
    giggling as we packed the kids in the car. A whole group of lovely friends
    was involved, and none of them has much more to spare than ourselves. I
    bawled with joy over how loved I felt. They were just delighted they
    surprised us so.
        Posted by: Jenne | December 08, 2009 at 11:06 PM

    Another $25 gift certificate goes to… MELISSA

        You did say you wanted weird, right? I was at Swiss Days (a huge outdoor
    craft fair) and my mom and I were sitting at a table eating lunch. It was
    crowded and two men and two women asked if they could sit with us. We
    scooted over to make room, and one of the women remarked to me, "Oh, no. If
    you are sitting by my husband, you better guard your food."     We all laughed
    and continued eating, although the man sitting next to me WAS uncomfortably
    close. Table space was at a premium, and he kept scooting closer to me.
    After each scoot, he would say, "Are you okay?", probably in response to me
    leaning away from him. I finished eating, and laid my fork down, and he
    leaned over and said, "Are you going to eat those cherries?" I glanced at my
    pie plate and said that I was finished. He proceeded to grab a potato chip
    from his plate, reach across and scoop up and eat a cherry from my plate.
    Then another, and another, until even the cherry juice had been scooped and
    gobbled. Just as I was thinking, enough's enough, and we were getting ready
    to go, he leaned across me, looked at my mom and said, "Aren't you going to
    eat your cookie?" We handed it over and scooted away post haste. So bizarre.
    I love Nicey Jane, by the way. Jane would know how to handle some random
    stranger eating food off her plate. Me? Not so much!
        Posted by: Melissa | December 08, 2009 at 05:32 AM

    And a plump ol' $50 gift certificate goes to… ASHLEY

        On Saturday, my Mom gave birth to my first little sister! Her name is
    Hadley. She is such a sweetie. 🙂 After 16 years and four sons after me, Mom
    is sure excited!
        Posted by: Ashley | December 09, 2009 at 09:07 AM 

    Now
    Ashley can go to town spoiling her new baby sister with handmade
    clothes, toys, blankets and more. In fact, Ashley's mom commented on Meet Nicey Jane later on, revealing that 16-year-old Ashley was in the other room sewing a baby blanket when her sister was born:

        One of the kindest things someone has done for me lately happened last
    Saturday about 4 a.m.     I was in labor with my sixth child (only our second
    girl) when I thought I heard the whir-whir-whir of the sewing machine.     I
    asked my husband what my daughter (our oldest, 16) was doing and he said,
    "sewing a blanket for the baby". Of course she was! That's just how she is.
    Thoughtful and crafty! Our baby girl was welcomed into the world with a
    beautiful new blanket and lots of love from her sister and brothers. My
    daughter loves your blog by the way!
        Posted by: Angela | December 10, 2009 at 05:44 PM

    Merry
    Christmas & Happy New Year's Week, everyone! Thank you for being a
    part of my life this year.  I love reading your comments and
    interacting with you all in this virtual world of blogging.

  • Smatterday

    ByHeather Bailey

    NiceyJane

    I've
    had the best couple of days.  I got a ton done, which has made it more
    fun to have fun, if you know what I mean.  Of course, my list of to-dos
    is still longer than my leg, but such is life.

    SwirlW I purchased a little table at Goodwill
    two weeks ago, but forgot to go pick it up.  Today, I'm going to go see
    if it's still waiting for me — and if there's any other junk I must
    have on half-price day.  Perhaps I'll put on some make up & have my
    kids lose the pajamas.  Perhaps not.  I love you, Saturday.

    The blanket bling above is from Jamie of Sweet Baby Jamie.  To help me feather my booth at Quilt Market, Jamie made several Nicey Jane
    quilts from my sample yardage.  I'm amazed by her free-motion quilting
    skills.  I don't know how she does it so evenly, without getting stuck
    in a corner as she meanders.  Wow.

    ChurchFlowerCropT Jamie patiently kept these blankets under wraps till Nicey Jane's public debut last week. Now they are all available at her Etsy store. She has a design-your-own-Nicey-Jane-quilt listing too, and her pricing is a little ridiculous, if you ask me — ridiculously low. 

    Well,
    Happy Saturday.  Treat yourself to something fun — a new scarf, a
    candybar, a random, weird find from the thrift store, some time to
    read, a quilt from Jamie.  I might hunt down a new pair of flip-flops. 
    My last pair broke yesterday and I'm not willing to switch to winter
    shoes.

    Basket

  • |

    Re-Entry

    ByHeather Bailey

    I'm back from Market and restoring sanity at home — and
    cleanliness. My kids kissed me awake yesterday like two little pecking
    chicks. It was a contest.

    Market photos are still on the road
    with Isaac, so I'll save the reporting till he rolls in later today.
    I'm excited to be home and thrilled that my long-awaited
    bicycle-weather has arrived in AZ at last. It's gorgeous out today.
    We're packing a picnic to the park, for sure.

    DooHicky

    Also, here are a couple of discount codes for you, to shake things up and keep it interesting at The Heather Bailey Store.

    • 20% off of all Trash Ties™ with code "TwitTies" (posted on twitter first)
    • 25% off of Freshcut™ fabric with code "FreshOut" (Freshcut is no longer in production, so get it while you can.)

    Discounts available through Monday, October 19th. Both codes can be used on the same order.

    It has been a wild few weeks — since Creative Escape,
    really. I'm ready to move forward, with lots of design work up next (my
    favorite!) — after filling these kids up with love and attention,
    picnics and parks, movies and popcorn, haircuts, and a few home-cooked
    meals.

    Now to resolve my hopelessly-clogged kitchen sink. Next
    time I'm tossing the old spaghetti in the trash and not down the
    garbage disposal.

  • Marching, Marching

    ByHeather Bailey

    EdnaAndFriendsBlue2

    Such great feedback on the turtles! 
    It sounds like a lot of these names are making their way back into
    fashion:  Henrietta, Matilda, Penelope, Harriet, Eloise.  How awesome
    is that?!

    Here in the studio, I have
    a quilt in the works, several aprons, handbags, blankets,
    basket-liners.  It's like bathing in ice cream.  Wait till you see what
    I mean. 

    And let me just say that my
    mother is a SAINT.  She's doing more sewing than I am this week. I'm
    juggling contracts left and right, interviews, booth plans, model
    chasing (see yesterday's tweets), pattern covers, sample design — that kind of stuff.  All fun, but a juggle nonetheless. Thank heaven for mom!

  • Suture-Free Future

    ByHeather Bailey

    Here it is, my live interview on NBC's Studio 5 in Salt Lake City. Catch a glimpse of my next mini pattern. Try not to glimpse the ribbon dangling from my shirt sleeve though.

    Written instructions for the Pop Garden scrap flowers featured on the video can be found here. I had an incredible time in Utah this weekend. I met many fun entrepreneurs & was showered with some amazing presents — necklaces, notecards, homemade games, tee-shirts, chocolate. The Sweet Tooth Fairy's Double Fudge Cake Bites made my night on Thursday. Imagine oreo-cookie-flavored cake with a truffle-chocolate shell. Yeah. Holy happiness, Batman.

  • Gilding my Sneakers

    ByHeather Bailey

    CEclass72

    I've just returned from Creative Escape,
    a several-day craft-a-thon with hundreds of enthusiastic and kind women
    from all over the world: Japan, Canada, France, Australia, the U.S.
    Though I taught all day a couple of days in a row, I'm surprisingly
    refreshed. I blame it on the touching & funny keynote addresses
    presented by Heidi Swapp & Melanie Wellman — and my decision to wear tennis shoes instead of heels. 

    CEclassA72

    The CE students went out of their way to express their excitement
    for my class, bring gifts (chocolate, jewelry, handmade cards, hair
    clips, etc.), and make the experience fulfilling for us teachers as
    well. (Thank you, ladies!)

    All 700 or so in attendance were deeply moved by the response to
    CE's designer lamp fundraiser for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
    the final evening. All of the teachers at the event, and from past
    years, donated a hand-built, one-of-a-kind lamp to be sold in silent
    auction — all $ going straight through to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

    72CE2009

    To
    add excitement to the final evening, two of the lamps were sold at live
    auction. One bidder forked out $29,000 for charity to get her hands on
    Tim Holtz' lamp (neat girl too), and Heidi's lamp raised over $8000.
    Without gushing on, I'll just say I was seriously moved. I think we all
    were. It was a great time. Thank you, Heidi & the Bazzill team for
    including me in this year's event.

    CEstudents72

    So…Now
    that the cat's out of the bag on the fundraiser, I can finally show
    photos of my lamp design — think tweet, tweet, chirp, chirp. I'll
    gather up some photos to post.

    It's great to be back. I'm wrapping up several big projects (hallelujah!) this week before heading out to Utah to deliver a keynote address at the Start-Up Princess event
    on September 11th. If you're anywhere near South Jordan, Utah next
    weekend, sign up for Friday's event and come say 'hi'. Or visit me at Material Girls
    quilt shop on Saturday the 12th — around 1ish (till 3ish?), I think. 
    I'll post a sure time as soon as it's confirmed. I'll also be on t.v.
    on Thursday, the 10th at Studio 5 in Salt Lake City. As for the rest of the trip — I'll probably be sleeping, huh?

  • Laura No Peeky

    ByHeather Bailey

    LauraNecklaceA

    I love to collect funky jewelry — the more colorful the
    better.  And I have gathered some beautiful and weird pieces over the
    years.  My friend and sister-in-law, Laura, has similar taste.  We often make or buy each
    other quirky jewelry for birthday presents — a tradition of
    sorts.  (17 years now!?!)


    BaggieW Amidst my bold tangle of jewelry, I don't have very many basics
    though.  I often wish I had an all-black necklace to wear with a black
    dress or a bright blouse.

    Assuming Laura runs into the same
    predicament, I made her a simple, black necklace for her birthday this
    year.  Hopefully, the blackbird carved into the pendant adds just
    enough chirp. 

    Charlotte then hopped-to & made a necklace for her cousin Lily — C's specialty 'candy-wrapper' design. Both trinkets are wrapped up and on their way to Laura's. Shh.

    Now to make the same one for me.  We'll be necklace twins.

  • Bead It, Kid

    ByHeather Bailey

    Necklace1new3
    Beadingnew So, guess who made these necklaces?

    Four-year-old Charlotte did this all by herself.  I thought I was
    embracing disaster by allowing her free access to several bins of beads
    while I worked on the computer today.  I was entirely wrong.

    Not
    only did Miss C patiently string together all of these designs without
    my oversight, but she made them all symmetrical.  Even her most
    eclectic necklace doesn't miss a beat
    bead.  Hours and hours of necklace-making.  All I did was add the
    clasps.  And I bent a loop at the top of her one pendant.  That's it.

    Necklace3new2

    Necklace4new2
    When I was four years old, my bottom dresser drawer was stocked with
    white paper, a stapler and staples.  I made all sorts of wild
    inventions with white paper that year.  And here I thought I had been
    tricky-stuff at four, with my paper robots and elephants.  Looks like
    Charlotte has 4-year-old me mightily whooped.

    The moral: 
    Moms, Grandmas, Aunts and Alligators, let your kids have access to some
    of your precious supplies.  They may surprise you with tidiness and
    ingenuity!  I can only imagine what I would have done with real art
    supplies at that age.

    Of course, they may surprise you with a royal disaster instead.  I've been there too — many times.

  • Be-Spangled

    ByHeather Bailey

    There's been a lot of corn on the cob and swimming this weekend —
    dental floss and sunscreen.  (Somehow, in there, I completed the
    illustrations for another sewing pattern too.)

    America

    Happy Fourth to the U.S. Let's hold tight to our freedoms.  Educate
    yourself (real, balanced, self-directed education — not spoon-fed.) 
    Speak up when needed and don't just wait for election time.  That's not
    loud enough.  Fit it in.

    And God bless the troops.  I don't know how they do it — super powers? 

    Fourth of July 2009

    I'm grateful for the principles upon which this country was founded.  A favorite book of Isaac's, John Adams, was mentioned at election-time last year.  I've decided it will be my next read.  I know right where it is.

    And, check out that sparkler of a hairdo Isaac did for Charlotte.  A daddy 'do.  I don't think I've ever wrapped three different colors in one motion.  Impressive.  Yep, I wasn't even in the room.

    Next
    up, pattern testing/editing.  Today I'm taking 20 nickels to the
    nearest wishing well to wish for a skilled seamstress/writer to move in
    next door.  I hear there's a magic fountain at the mall, right below
    the escalator. 

  • Frozen Bozo

    ByHeather Bailey

    This photo cracks me up.  Can anyone guess what my concept was here? 
    That’s right, it’s a dessert interpretation of a 70s clown.  You’re not
    afraid of clowns are you?

    BananaSplit470
    My new ice cream recipe
    from Father’s Day this year is Double-Chocolate Banana Split ice cream,
    newly coined “Frozen Bozo,” presented with a waffle cone hat, a cherry
    nose and a doily ruff.  It’s interpretative.

    The ice cream isn’t just chocolate either.  It has bananas, cherries and brownies in it.  A fool-proof mix <3:o)

    Also, I’ve drawn up a list of tutorials I’m eager to post. Without
    revealing the specifics, where would you like me to start:  jewelry,
    paper craft, sewing project, home decor?  Lots of plans.  What are you
    in the mood for first?

    Ingredients470a

    Frozen Bozo – Chocolate Banana Split ice cream

    Chocolate Ice Cream Base
    6 C. heavy cream
    2.25 C. sugar
    3 T. pure vanilla extract
    3 C. milk or half ‘n’ half
    16 OZ. bittersweet chocolate

    Mix Ins
    1 C. sliced bananas
    1 C. maraschino cherries
    2 C. chocolate chip brownies (prepare in advance, then
           cut into bite-size pieces and chill)

    Prepare Ice Cream Base

    Icecream308
    Heat cream, sugar, vanilla, and half ‘n’ half mixture to near boiling.
    Meanwhile, heat bittersweet chocolate in microwave-safe bowl at 50%
    power for approx. 3-4 minutes, or until the chocolate is mostly melted.
    Remove chocolate from microwave and stir till all chocolate is melted.
    Next, remove cream mixture from heat and fold in melted chocolate. Stir
    until combined. Refrigerate mixture until thoroughly chilled.  Transfer
    chilled mixture to an ice cream maker and process following
    manufacturer’s instructions.

    After ice cream has reached soft-serve consistency, place ice cream
    cylinder in freezer, or leave in ice cream maker (if there is still
    sufficient ice) to harden for about an hour. Meanwhile, prepare mix-in ingredients as directed below.

    Mix-in the Good Stuff

    Chill
    a large bowl by placing it in an ice bath, or in freezer. When ice
    cream has chilled for about an hour, scoop it into chilled bowl.
    Immediately add all mix-in ingredients and stir till just combined.
    Return ice cream to cylinder or a prepared container of your choice*.
    Place ice cream back in freezer to harden overnight.

    *Try a new, food-safe paint can from your home improvement store, cleaned with bleach-water.

    Enjoy!