Vote TODAY for the Heather Bailey sewing machine in Bernina USA's Faceplate Faceoff on facebook. Vote every day through 4-14-14 and you can win this rockin' $1900 luxury sewing machine. Pretty awesome giveaway. Set a reminder.
Let's make this retro-modern machine happen.
xo—Heather
My son is 13 today. Thirteen! What in the world? I was such a little grown-up at thirteen. At least, I thought I was.
have been extra busy this month. Isaac has built a wall to divide the
main floor of my new office, allowing pattern storage to be neatly
hidden away — and allowing the main work area to be cute-ified. I
don't know when I'll get around to that cute-ification, but it now has
the potential, which is a start.
I have successfully ignored the
move in order to wrap up some pressing projects. A serious feat. It
looks like I have one more week to go. Next time I make my way up
there, I'll snap a photo of the new wall. It was a lot of work and is
just about finished. There is a lot more work to do, but it will have
to be gradual. With Nicey Jane new on the market and several new
patterns popping, we're extra busy behind the scenes.
On a
personal note, I purchased some cool, mid-century modern chairs today.
They need refinishing and new upholstery, but I can do that. If it
weren't for birthday dinner & birthday baking, I'd be out sanding
them this evening. Perhaps tomorrow.
which means more blogging. I can't seem to get comfortable posting
without including photos. Case in point, the photos in this post. They
don't relate to what I'm saying at all, but isn't this a fun vintage
box? I gave it to Lindsay for Christmas, along with some other fun bits
& baubs. It's probably a stationery box from the 60s or 70s. All
it needed was a good cleaning and a refreshed interior. I used one of
Amy Butler's scrapbook papers from a while back. Don't they say that the best
presents are those you have a hard time giving away?
Something like that. I love funky kitsch like this.
She's gussied up and ready for her big debut. Meet Nicey Jane™, my
new fabric collection for Free Spirit. Nicey is sassy, sweet, and ready
to sew. In other words, check your local fabric store, as Nicey Jane
arrived this week.
These new prints are available in two color palettes. We'll call the pink/olive/tangerine palette Kissing Booth and the blue/gray/gold palette Porch Swing. Along with florals, geometrics, and stripes, there are also a handful of Nicey Jane cotton solids — which are batting their threads at me now, calling, "Sew with me, Heather. Forget that computer and run away with me."
In a couple of weeks, there will also be eight 58" wide laminated
cottons (similar to oil cloth, but light-weight and super-duper supple
— must touch). I'm excited that the finish is light-weight enough to
be gathered. Once I finish up my stationery design work this month,
I'm going to sew up a Smarty Girl book bag with the laminated cotton and give a full report. I also have some raincoat plans and a kid's booster seat to make.
did I? Nicey is doing the job for me now. Yep, that's my
pinkity-pink-ol bike there. I never would have guessed I'd go for a
pink bike. Would have guessed orange. Or khaki. Or bright yellow. I
love it though. Wait till you see the bicycle saddlebags I'm planning
to make out of this print — but in laminate. Oh yah.)
Back to the fabric, shall we?
The collection tells the story of small-town girl, Nicey Jane. Nicey
heads to the city on Friday nights to swing dance with her beau — but
not before hanging the laundry to dry & enjoying an afternoon
picnic on the farm. The prints are named for Nicey's story: Hello
Roses, Hop Dot, Swing Toss, Wash-Day Ticking, Welcome Road, Picnic
Bouquet, Slim Dandy, Dream Dot, Church Flowers, Pocketbook, and Lindy
Leaf.
(The Lindy Hop is my mom's favorite dance. She tried to teach me some moves on the family room rug when I was little. Tried. The Lindy is dang-tricky.)
Now for dessert, a little Nicey Jane video. Be patient with the resolution; I uploaded this piece to YouTube instead of hosting it on my own site so it can be shared, embedded in other blogs, watched a gazillion times, etc. I have Isaac to thank for the wink — you'll see.
For second dessert (what would a Hobbit
call a second dessert?), I believe I'm in the mood for a celebratory
giveaway. New fabric has arrrived — and it's Christmas time — a dangerous combination. So, three prizes! One $50 gift certificate and two $25 gift certificates to The Heather Bailey Store.
To enter, leave a comment. Tell us something fun, or interesting, or weird, or clever, or
something kind someone has done for you. Something like that. I do read all of the
comments. I'll go first (see comments).
Happy holidays, my friends. I'm off to stir some hot cocoa with a
candy cane and find myself a pair of slippers. It's cold outside.
Score. One groovy, vintage needlepoint on it's way. If this is indeed as fun
as it seems, then it will be cleaned, matted and framed for my
grass-green loft. If not, well then, I still had fun buying it.
Thanks, eBay.
