Bari J.

Introducing... LillyBelle!

My first line with Art Gallery Fabrics will be released soon... for now I'm so excited to tell you a little about it and share a bit of the world of LillyBelle with you! Please watch the video below. Also, please join Pat Bravo and me for a live twitter chat tomorrow at 1PM EST ... details here.

 

Today I'm drawing feet. And sofas. And drinking cups. And whatever is in front of me. And there's a reason for this.

I've never gone to art school. Since I started down the road of designing fabric it's been something I haven't liked to say. But I'm saying it today because despite that, I can finally and profoundly recognize that I do in fact have talent. (And don't write me hate mail about being stuck up, it almost hurts to say I have talent.)

Here's why I can finally say this. This weekend, rooming with Tula, I had an epiphany. I had expressed to her that there are certain elements of drawing I've struggled with due to not being trained. And because of that, when I have a moment of brilliance, it seems like it was magic... Like what I've come up with happened accidentally. There is something innately painful about that feeling. And quite frankly, that makes me feel fraudulent. Almost like it wasn't me who created what I did.

After describing what I had been experiencing in a late night chat, Tula offered an impromptu lesson on a couple skills I might had learned had I gone to art school. After just a couple minutes, bells went off in my head.

I have in fact been doing what she was showing me. Intuitively and without words to describe what I do, I manage to eek out art.

In Tula's words, art school gives you a language to describe what you do. And with that knowledge and tons of practice you are able to pull from that base to create on demand without the struggle and trial and error I sometimes go through. While I know how to do my work and do it well, I want more. I want to know more.

Of course, right now I don't have the time or money to actually go to art school. I've got two girls to send to college shortly after all.

But what I do have is absolute resolve, infinite persistence and books. Lots of books.

And so I have enrolled in the Bari J school of art. It involves tons of reading and lots of drawing. And today I started with a drawing of one of my feet.

No laughing at how chunky it looks allowed. Feet are hard to draw.

More art for your kitchen... My fourth Spring pattern release is a sweet little apron. It has two rounded pockets and features a double skirt with a collaged border plus a heart shaped waistband. Instructions for free motion quilting and fabric collage are included.

A ways back I posted about a project I was working on for Making Memories Slice Fabrique Digital Cutting Machine... custom applique designs that can be cut out automatically. I don't know if maybe you remember?

Well, I'm so excited about it now, I could pee! Yesterday I received a sample digital card with my very own designs on it. You guys, it is SO flipping cool. I love this thing. It is so easy. You just iron fusible web on your fabric back, set it on the Slice cutting board and press a button. So totally addicting.

I've been dying to show you. My card, like my upcoming fabric line is called, Paris Apartment, and the designs will coordinate. I'll be designing quilts and projects to go with both that will debut at Quilt Market. This is a small sneak peek a just a few of the projects. There are 18 layered designs on the card altogether.

Above is the chandelier design (yes, there's a chair too!). It can be cut to assemble to an amazing finished size of 17 1/2". This one will go on a 24" pillow. It took me less than an hour to cut all the pieces (there are 22 in all). I machine appliqued them on and did little French knots for the drippy crystals. It's made from the Lecien Flower Sugar line.

This cake stand design is 5.2" wide. I'm making this piece into a tea towel. I used my light box to trace the words "let them eat cake" on it and then I used a backstitch with Cosmo Multi-work Embroidery Floss to embroider it. The fabric is Paris Apartment and a touch of Flower Sugar.

Below is the cameo design. I'll be doing a bit of embroidery around it then leaving it in the hoop to display. I've again mixed Paris Apartment and Flower Sugar. The cameo itself is a dark grey shot cotton.

Fun, right? Well, back to work... and making dinner and cleaning up this joint. I'm teaching tomorrow (see sidebar) and my mom is coming to visit for a week! I'm so looking forward to all our misbehavin! I'm taking her to my favorite tea room, Crown and Crumpet! I'll take pictures to share, no worries. 

 

 

 

In my real life, I've never been to Paris, let alone lived there. But like many Americans, it's something I dream of.

My upcoming fabric line from Lecien, Paris Apartment, is how I imagine I'd live my life there. 

The names of the prints (all translated to French) express rooms that would be in my apartment, designs you'd see in it and the people who would be with me. There's a sewing room for Anna (le salle du couture d'Anna), my 15 year old daughter...

and a salon (le salon d'Emily) for Emily who is 13.

I imagine Super Husband and I would enjoy relaxing in our lovely sun room (le salle du soleil) and I'd fill the place with chintz prints (le chintz moderne) and vintage linen (le linge d'epoque). And of course, it would be overflowing with flowers from our little garden (le jardin).

Of course, I'd love for you to visit me in Paris. I'll save a guest room just for you.

 

PS. These are fabric "strike-offs". They are the first prints that the mill in Japan does to show the fabric company and designer what it will look like and so color etc can be approved. What you are seeing here is the first I'm seeing on fabric. Some of these colors may not end up in the finished line. 

This line begins to show to distributors and stores in March and it sounds like they will end up in US stores in June.

 

This was going to be another zippy pouch. But then I spent an inordinate amount of time on the embroidery.

Cause I love hand stitchery.

The purple and red are all hand done and the stitching on the seams is by machine. Maybe now it wants to be a pillow?

Or add blocks and make a big quilt? Maybe a bigger handbag. What do you think?

BTW, it occurs to me... if you are interested in these stitches, I'll be teaching them in a free online class... You can check my sidebar for details. I promise it to be lots of fun. 

For those of you who are curious, the roses on the roofline are bullion stitch mixed with some french knots and lazy daisy stitches.

On the side of the house lavender is growing. Also made with bullion stitches. And on the ballerina's dress I added a little yellow rose made from bullion stitches.

And this is the piece prior to hand embroidery.

Any ideas? What should this be?

I find the process of creating endlessly fascinating. I never know where ideas will come from or where the smallest of ideas will take me. The only thing that is for sure is that I will wake up in the middle of the night thinking I've stumbled upon some sort of brilliance in my sleep. Often I wake in the morning to find that what I thought was brilliance at 3:14 am is nothing short of insanity. And then there's times that something just clicks. 

I had one of the clicking moments last weekend, and I haven't been able to get my mind off it since. 

I had been doodling Friday night and Saturday morning. Paper dolls. What I considered a complete waste of time, but oh, so enjoyable. 

Here's what I came up with:

   

And here's the WIP that I dreamt up at 3:14 am on Saturday morning...

 

I love it when that happens. And yes, I'm fool enough to fill in that whole ruffle on her dress with French knots... which will probably take me the better half of my life... but it will be worth every second!
 

 

 Way back when I first started sewing I am sorry to admit, I was afraid of the sewing machine. 

But with a penchant for fabric and thread, I did what any good color addict does, I started stitching by hand. I had picked up The Embroidery Stitch Bible at B&N, and away I went. It is truly what brought me to sewing.

I've gotten away from it for some time now... just busy with all the other stuff. 

Then prior to quilt market I got into it again with the idea of freely stitching embroidery and mixing it with collage and applique. The result of which was this pillow:  

The yellow border is turned under, hand stitched applique and then the center is collage using free motion quilting.

I then added bits of embroidery on top.
 

 

 

Over the past few months I've become more and more interested in this mix it up concept. Then in July I was introduced to the work of Judith Baker Montano... She was teaching at Sisters and I bought two of her books there... Floral Stitches and Elegant Stitches. You saw her crazy quilts in one of my posts below about Sisters. Seeing her work sort of brought me to a full circle of where I've been going in sewing for the past several years, and definitely reminded me how much I love to hand stitch.

These days I just can't get enough. I've started a new quilt pattern that I can't wait to get out to you. 
At the top of this post and below are a few bits and pieces of what I've been doing using Country Lane (which is now in stores, btw. Visit Fat Quarter Shop to get yourself some!)

 

  
 Anyways, lots of fun is being had here in my studio... and elsewhere as this is one portable sewing art! I am really looking forward to introducing this pattern... I think you all are just going to fall in love with embroidery as much as I have.

Now where were we? Tuesday I think. On Tuesday and Wednesday I taught the Garden Tea Party Quilt that you see in my sidebar. Four of the ladies went on scavenger hunts to find the exact Full Bloom fabrics from my line, and apparently it was an adventure as most are near the bottom of their inventory of it. But alas, they prevailed and came up with the goods. 

The first job in making this quilt is obviously piecing the center. If I teach this class again, I will definitely have people at the very least cut all their blocks before coming to class. And the other thing will be to cut motifs out of their fabrics for the border ahead of time. Here are some of the centers in progress:

This is Susan from Michael Miller Fabrics pin basting her center to get ready for quilting. 

 

And here these two are quilting the centers of their Full Bloom quilts.

 

 

And here is a beautiful quilt done in greens.

 

And one done in Kaffe prints and some from her stash.

And then it's time to start adding the border motifs. Here she has already started the free motion quilting. 

And in these photos the motifs are being laid out in a composition. It takes a lot of moving stuff around to get it just right.

   

All in all, everyone got at least to practice their free-motion quilting skills and all of the centers of the quilts were finished. It was very fun to watch people coming out of their box and mixing fabrics they usually wouldn't think would work together. But I can't emphasis enough that it is possible to mix and match ... even... gasp ... fabrics from different lines and even... gasp... from different designers! What's important in Fabric Mix•ology (my trademark term ;) ) is that if you use a particular fabric or motif, you need to repeat that color or shape somewhere else in the quilt to bring it all together. Sometimes they do not all play nice together but it's worth it to try to mix it up a bit. There is always the option of un-sewing. 
 
 

  

 
 
 
 

Sisters is a great place to teach. Not only do the students enjoy learning, but as I mentioned in a previous post, the whole community seems to get in on the action. When you arrive at the high school, where the classes are, you are greeted by a contingency of high school students who help you bring your supplies and machines inside in grocery carts. The kids are around all day helping with various and sundry things. You get the feeling that everyone wants to be a part of Quilter's Affair. 

And, I love teaching. There's nothing like sharing what you enjoy most with others. One thing I enjoy most is cutting big old motifs out of the center of a piece of fabric and then creating a collage to make something new. I do this with free-motion quilting. That's exactly what we did with my first project, The Container Garden Pillow. The original is a 24" x 24" pillow which I'm not going to show you because it's in my upcoming book, and I need to leave a little to the imagination, you know what I mean? But here are some pillows in progress and almost finished pillow fronts made by my students. My goal here was to make collage addicts of all of the ladies, get them comfortable with free-motion quilting, and so that, like me, they have big pieces of fabric with holes in the middle because there was a Had-to-be-Had Motif there. I have tons of pieces like this. It's a sign of a true love for fabric. 

The first four are in the process of creating compositions...
 
 

 

In this photo she is ready to start free-motion quilting... 

And here she has started her quilting... notice the quilters gloves? They make free-motion much much easier.
   

Here her motifs are all pinned on and she's ready to start her quilting.

 

And this lady decided that rather than cut out motifs she would just cut the fabric in the shape of flowers. I loved this idea.
 

I try to give students the freedom to make their projects into what they want them to be, and this next one is a great example of someone who did just that. She based this one on a vase she had in her home.

And this is the back of a finished pillow front... the white is the bobbin thread. Don't you love how you can see what was on the front? Sorry for the blur... but you get the idea. We were all very excited over this one.

 

And here is a fully quilted front. I just Looooove all that Kaffe fabric!  

In the end most of the ladies (there were 16, I think) got their pillow fronts quilted. I then sent them all home with instructions on how to finish their pillows. I'm dying to see how they all end up! So, if you are reading this... be sure to send me your photos!

 
  
  
  

 

 
There will be an overload of fresh quilter's and sewers at Sisters next year if I have anything at all to do with it. Because even if I'm not teaching there (which I hope to be), I'm going to start a movement to get all of you there! Ladies and gentlemen, Sisters is Mecca for sewing and the needle arts. 

Led by Jean Wells-Keenan and her daughter Valori Wells, The Stitchin' Post has been around for 35 years, as has the festival which was founded by Jean. Jean is about to be the 40th person inducted in the Quilter's Hall of Fame. A huge honor for her and her family! The Stitchin' Post itself is a dream of a place with pretty much everything you can imagine you'd ever need to do what we do. Patterns, books, fabric, notions, yarn... and the best of it all. 

 

 The Quilter's Affair is a five-day program (M-F) before the start of the festival which is always the second Saturday in July. It was a huge honor for me to teach there. As I quickly found out, the teaching staff is world class. I would gladly take a class from any of them. And the students are so excited to be there, it's just a pure pleasure to teach. I taught two projects from my upcoming book (Inspired to Sew; to be released January 2011), an apron and a pillow, plus I also taught a two day class on my Garden Tea Party Quilt (see sidebar) and a handbag class. That was five days of teaching, and each day I learned something new and felt blessed to be sharing what I love.

I am overflowing with creativity and inspiration from my trip to Sisters. I met so many wonderful, talented people. And words can't describe how Sisters and the spirit of community there filled me with joy. This is going to take like a month to re-cap! I have so many photos, and so much to say. So, I'll begin at the beginning and wind my way through the trip. 

Due to lack of direct flights, I arrived in Sister's pretty early in the day on the 4th of July. Kind of a crazy day to land as everyone in Sisters it seems was in Bend for fireworks that night. After checking into the hotel... which has llamas, the first order of business was finding a shoe store where I purchased a seriously Oregonian, but surprisingly cute, pair of Keens... a necessary evil I found out. BTW, llamas spit, did you know this? I did know, but I was reminded the hard way. I know! That guy looks really nice, doesn't he? But truly, he needs to learn some manners!

After recovering from the spitting incident, I was then able to walk around before all became quiet and still. And I found my dream home. It was for sale too! Sigh.

I also stopped at Sisters Bakery. Don't be judgmental again. I was instructed by my brother, a U of O Duck, that I was to stop there and eat a chocolate covered, chocolate donut. I was just being compliant. Ask my brother. I do anything he says... ummm... yeah... and so... where was I?

 

So I ate my chocolate donut and then walked and walked and walked because I was sure I'd done some serious damage with that donut. By time I was done walking it was time for dinner, of course. But it was the 4th of July, so almost everything was closed by time I remembered that it was a holiday. Therefore, I was forced to eat at a BBQ. And they forced me to eat Danish Babyback ribs. It was all that was left, I swear. And I did have to walk back to the hotel and all. I needed to be nourished for the trip.

 

Ok. So. Tomorrow I will start in with some sewing photos for you! You are going to love what my students did in their pillow class. They were so cool! 
 

 

 

 Years ago, when I first started making handbags, I tried every interfacing known to sewing-kind. I ended up throwing in the towel on regular sewing interfacing when I started getting the bags made by an industrial seamstress, and I won't even get into that. It involves rolls of fabrics and heavy machinery. The most important thing is that when you sew a bag at home you end up with a bag that feels industrially sewn. Or at least as close as you can get. 

On my first go-round, I just used a woven cotton fusible interfacing. Clearly not enough. I like a bag that stands up. I had no idea what I was getting into at first. 

Going from the sublime to the ridiculous, next I tried Timtex. I used that for a long time, but I hated every minute of it. Timtex is a thick interfacing that is fusible. It almost feels like a thin layer of foam. It makes for a very thick bag that stands on it's own, but good grief it's a pain in the neck. It tends to crunch the fabric and cause bubbles when you bend it after fusing it on. I tried putting a layer of thin interfacing under it to remedy that. It worked. A little. But sewing through Timtex alone is a pain in the keester. Try adding another layer.

Then I tried fusible fleece... which I still use a lot of. I like it because it adds body to the fabric. But... it only makes the bag stand up a little bit. Not completely. I have been known to double the layers of it though, and I often add a layer of woven cotton fusible interfacing underneath. That works quite well.

About six months into this process of trying different things, I found heavy crinoline. It works very nicely. But it's cousin, Buckram, is even better. While still thin like the crinoline, it has just a tad more stiffness. However, it is not fusible. And I don't like that it's a loose layer. So, to remedy this, I put it on top of a layer of fusible fleece, and add small, thin dots of fabric glue here and there to hold it in place. I don't recommend adding glue unless you have a layer of something in-between the fabric and the buckram or you'll see the dots of glue on the fabric and have little stiff spots.

 And, I'll add another little caveat... you've got to be aware that buckram is used for millinery, purses, corsets and more. It does a big job. It makes the bag stand up, but I'm not going to tell you it's heaven to sew with. It's definitely doable, but you will need to be patient. The hardest part will be the topstitching when finishing a bag. I do have some suggestions to help there though. Here goes:

1. Make sure your bulky seams are trimmed pretty well. You can't trim too close because you don't want the seams to open, but you can get pretty close and trim some of it out. 

2. When you get to the seams where it gets bulky, stop, keep your needle down and rotate the wheel by hand a couple of stitches. 

3. I also suggest slightly increasing your stitch length for the top stitching.

4. If you have one, use a walking foot. 

5. Needle down position. For a long time, I didn't realize that my machine had a needle down position. Meaning, when you stop sewing, the needle stays in the fabric. If your machine has that feature it is really helpful when doing that last topstitch to finish the bag. That way you can sew nice and slow, stop to make sure you are sewing straight, that the lining isn't rolling up into the way etc. Call me a goober, but when I figured that out, I thought I'd won the sewing lottery.

The bottom line on interfacing for bags: Layer it. I now use a combination of Form Flex, Fusible Fleece and Buckram.

So there you go... Oh. Did I say something about a give-away?

 I did. My Art Journal line of fabric is shipping to stores 4/25... If you want to win a fat quarter stack of the whole group, I'll pick a winner on that day. 

Just leave a comment and tell me what you'd like to do with it. You can have an additional entry, if you tweet about the give-away. Just make sure you tweet @barij so I see it.

Happy sewing!

I've never been able to get enough of the whole bird theme. I think it's because of all the little creatures, they really are just the sweetest ... as a design element, I mean. Not for instance, the ... ahem ... pigeons... who have invited themselves to a party on my roof. (Sorry PETA, don't come after me.) 

You can see that my bird obsession runs a little wild in my fabric designs. I just received a small bundle of Art Journal the other day and started sewing up a messenger bag...It was funny how the birds lined up so perfectly with my pattern piece on the right side of the bag, wasn't it? It was like I designed the fabric to fit the bag. I don't have that kind of foresight, but I really was pleased none the less.

 

There was also a bird in my Full Bloom fabric line, and yes, I did just contribute to a book called "Little Birds". When picking items for my OpenSky Shop the bird theme obsession has gone unchecked. You saw the print in one of my previous posts. But there's also decor eggs in a nest, a ceramic bowl, and I especially like this vase with the bird sitting on it's side. I'm thinking right next to the stove for kitchen utensils. But I also see pussy willows or cherry blossom stems in it. And the blue works with my new(ish) curtains and canisters. 

 

I've got to wondering... how long have I been using the whole bird theme? So I rifled through some old files. And I have to laugh. 

Some of you may know that one of my first handbag designs involved a little birdy...

 

But I even found it in some collage art and jewelry I created almost 10 years ago...

 
 

 

What I'm showing you here? The tip of the iceberg. 

And it's not over people. Although I can assure you my third fabric line contains no birds, I will make no promises. I like 'em, and until I'm sick of them, well, they're here to stay. 

Tweet.

 
 

I totally fell in love with these mailing labels and packaging tape and cannot wait to get my hands on some. I think they are the perfect expression of what my business is all about... the details. If you have an online business or you are a crafty sort, I think you're going to like them too. Now available in my OpenSky shop! 

  

Packaging Tape

  
Mailing Labels 
 

A month ago, I said I was determined to get my sewing patterns to market. And I set a goal to have them ready for pre-sale by February 9. It's February 11... about time, huh?  

I'm proud to introduce my four debut sewing patterns, Izzy Pin Cushion and Toy, Kitchen Art Accessories, The State Street Tote, and the Green Living Market Bag. Each one has a little something extra in the directions. The Izzy Pincushion has directions for the blanket stitch for applique and a nifty rolled rose in felt, the Kitchen Art Accessories have directions for fabric collage using free-motion quilting plus embroidery stitch directions for the leaf of the pear pot holder, the State Street Tote features either a magnetic closure or my signature spring closure (which will be available wholesale), and the Green Living Market bag features instructions for French seams and a really neat way to do a double sided cuff.

All of the patterns are now available for wholesale only pre-order. Approximate shipping is March 15, 2010. If you are a store owner and would like to carry my patterns please contact me and I'll send you an account number and password for my wholesale shopping page on my website. I'll need your state resale number to set up your account. They will also be available through several distributors. Enjoy!

 

 

 

 
 
 

 

I finally made it back to my sewing drop in at The Quilter's Inn. Forgive the iPhone photos. I forgot the memory card for my camera in the printer. **Sigh**

Here are just a few of the projects the ladies were working on or sharing the finished results of today:

Several of the ladies were working on this pattern in different colors...

 

 

 

Here's a finished beauty that was being shown off...

 

And another... how much do I love that she mixed my fabric with Kaffe!!!???
 

And this is probably one of the most amazing pieces I've ever seen. It took her YEARS to collect all those striped fabrics!
 

And look what she did with the scraps! Amazing, huh?
 

And lastly, an adorable snowball design for a child's quilt.
 

Yes. My friends are amazing.

I on the other hand did nothing but cut squares all day. I never made it to the sewing part. Figures.
     
 
 
 

WARNING... BEEP BEEP ... WARNING... 

The following message is delivered by a bragging mother and it might make you feel like vomiting or otherwise becoming ill. You have been forewarned. I take no responsibility for any negative response you might have.

So... back to that jabber about my kids being talented and all: 

The girls and I were back at painting class this evening. And as you can see... they are clearly gifted. Anna can free hand just about anything. I have no sense when it comes to being able to look at a picture and then draw it. She can do it in her sleep. (As a side note: she's been doing it since Kindergarten. I noticed she would place her hand with her pencil in it above a drawing she wanted to do, move her hand in as if tracing it, and then place the pencil on her paper and draw... she's a genius, I know!) And I simply can't get over Emily's painting. I know I'm her mom, but I think it looks downright professional. 

This is Anna's work in progress based on a Japanese cartoon:

 

And here is Emily's finished Cabin in Winter painting.

 

I know, right? They are incredible!

I on the other hand, required much attention from our teacher. She may have been the tiniest bit frustrated by my lack of following directions. I'm just saying. 

This is my rose in progress. A bit cartoony. It needs several more layers of paint including a glaze plus I totally think it requires a stem because it totally looks like a floating rose here. **sigh**

 

BTW, we have a fantabulous teacher, Kathy McCartney. If you are in the SF Bay Area you might want to take a class...check out her work here.
 
 
 

I love Stampington Publications. I really, really do. Hope you get a chance to pick up the Winter 2010 issue of Sew Somerset. And not just because my Sew Scrappy Cuffs and easy buttonhole tutorial are in there... it's really a great magazine! There's info this time on bobbin stitching which I'm dying to learn. So, if my 13 year old doesn't steal it first (she found a minimum of four projects she wants to do), I'll be working on that this weekend.  

  

There's nothing like a beautiful package to brighten up your day. This package from Norway was just what I needed yesterday. I've been in love with Emily's (of Ravenhill fame) work forever. So these dolls in my Full Bloom fabric (mixed with some Heather Bailey fabric, I think) are gifts I will treasure always! Thank you so much, Emily.

 

(Go ahead, admit it, you're jealous!)
 

 

This is big to me. I took an oil painting class tonight with my kids (who have been painting for the past year and are fantabulous). I do my design work in photoshop. They are my own drawings, but I don't paint. So, I was literally shaking when we started. I was so nervous I'd make a mistake and it would be permanent, but as I got started going, I really started enjoying myself. I might very well be hooked. I can't wait to take another class. This was my first attempt with real actual oil paint. The photo on the top is the inspiration. Tomorrow in the good light, I'll take some pics of my kids work. They are the bomb! I also need to post about our teacher, Kathy McCartney who just started her own blog... she's sending me the link via email. I can't wait to see it! 

So, when I heard Flip was letting you Design Your Own Flip Camera, I HAD TO HAVE ONE. I wanted one for a long time, but when I heard that, well, I FLIPPED! Then I find out, I can list my design on Cafe Press, so you can buy one too, and I was totally sold. And now you can get your own Bari J. designed Flip Cam here... LOL.

But then my little brain started whirling, and I thought "Oooh, what else can I design?". So, I went and designed some of these... for all of my favorite Fabric Junkies... and now, you can get one here.

I'm so excited. I can hardly stand it. What should I do next? I'm just itching to design... Book and fabric lines be damned  But I think I'll get back to work... on my book.

Murphy's law. I call it "Magical Thinking". And as a rule, I'm against magical thinking. What I mean by that is that I think that things don't just happen. I think that we make them happen. Just sayin'.

But over the past week, a series of unfortunate events (really just a couple) have caused me to look at that Magical Murphy's Law. {{{BTW, an aside and another reason not to like it... It's a negative law. So in the way of magical thinking, I think it's a bummer. If I'm going to think magically, it should be good things. Not: "if anything can go wrong it will.". Seriously, that's ugly.}}} But none-the-less here's how things went down:

1. I'd been rushing like a demon to meet a deadline, sewing and writing away when ... POOF! The circuit board on my sewing machine decides it's time to call it quits. 

I looked over my shoulder. Murphy, are you there? 

No. No. No. No magical thinking. At least not the negative sort. 

I called The Sewing Machine Shop in Walnut Creek, and happened to get the owner when he came to pick up the mail. He was just stopping in as he just had knee surgery. Anyways, I explained my situation, and he graciously lent me a machine until he can fix mine. 

The result of which is... this infinitesimally small peek (you are looking at about two inches of it) at this project... See that pretty Laura Gunn fabric?! To die for.

2. I lost the pen to my graphics tablet which is my life line to drawing. Of course, I really needed it right then. I had to think quick in order to save one of my favorite designs in fabric line number two from the cutting room floor... which is a cute story in and of itself and I'll tell you about that when I can show you the whole line in a finished form... which I think is really really soon. But I digress... Murph's law had me loosing a pen just when I needed it. Was I actually going to let him get to me again?

First of all, dear Murphy, I'd drawn my little hand off about a week ago, and found the perfect element I'd already drawn and finished to add to a pattern. (I'm sticking my tongue out and blowing razzes here.) Ha. I saved the "fabric pattern from having it's little head chopped off. 

(a peek at somethin' or another in the works, but it's not the one that almost got chopped.)

Then even though I knew it was a trick, I decided to use this so-called law in my favor. I figured this was the best way to find my old pen. I was already on the magical thinking tear so what the heck, I'll give in... I ordered a new pen that afternoon, and wouldn't you know... found the old one the next day. I'm keeping the new one as a back-up.

3. After Murphy had wrecked havoc twice in a week, I got a letter from my child at overnight camp that started "As I write this I am crying...". So of course this causes a flood of tears from me. (I don't know where my daughter gets her dramatic streak.) I wanted to rush right up there and get her. But. I think. And I realize that this note is written the first night of camp, she's tired, she's in new surroundings. And Murphy's law would tell me that by the time I got up there, she'd be having a grand old time and wondering what all the fuss is about. I'll wait a day. And I was right. Today's letter from her had a really happy tone. She's canoeing, hiking, and told me not to worry because she is drinking enough water and eating the food.

Ha. Magical thinking, Murphy's Law ... You've got nothin' on me.

PS... Just so you know, if that letter hadn't come today, I'd be in the car right now, feeling guilty that I left her there for an extra day. Murphy's law be damned.

 

This is the Garden Tea Party Quilt shown in my sidebar. Before it gets shipped off to hither and to yon (apparently there is some taking turns going on), we decided to take some pics. 

This first photo was Emily's idea. She said, "Hey, let's take one of those Pottery Barn photos and I can be in it!". Sounded like a plan to me. Sweet thing called dibbies on this quilt upon the first stitch. That's a kid after my own heart.

I am definitely having a super exciting start to my Summer. I mean, what could be better (ok, close to better) than a trip to Pixar Studios? Oh, I don't know... maybe a box full of surprise fabric from Moda?

Shhhh... don't tell anyone, but I have a super-secret project I'm working on. That's why they sent it to me. Sheesh! I am a lucky ducky girl. 

 I couldn't be more giddy. Thank you Moda! You totally made my day. I've already started cutting into it. I can't help myself.

I've got other goodies laying around here too. Don't ask my why, but I love how these paint chips look all coordinated up in the cello bags. I've been getting ready to introduce my next fabric line (not just yet, but you know...). The printouts from my computer were kind of faded looking so, paint chips do the trick to let Windham know what color I want. But what do you think the peeps at home depot thought when I went in with a notebook and stood in the paint aisle for over an hour leaving with all of these? And no paint. 

The only problem with so many colors is... it's SO many colors. I couldn't make up my mind. 

At one point, I had my fabric printouts and cut up little pieces of paint chips all over the room. And glue stick in my hair. It's all part of the crazy process. And the good news is, I did finally decide. Color choices are on their way to Windham tomorrow. Yay-hoo! On to the next project. The super secret one.

(Photo disclaimer: my camera is in the shop, so I've been taking pics with my iPhone. Not terrible, but...)

I gave up and stopped categorizing these pictures. They're all crazy mixed up, and that's the way they're going to stay. (Man, I have an uncanny way of creating more work for myself... I'm trying to give that up, but it's vuuuuurrrry difficult for me.).

Below is my new friend, Genevieve. She's also a new designer at Windham with her beautiful Collection, Flower Bucket. Genevieve also makes the most adorable jewelry. You can see some of it here. Wood, leather, total cute.

Next is Joanna Figueroa's booth, Fig Tree Quilts. Joanna is a local gal, and also a friend. She was so much part of my inspiration to get started. Her booth, btw, won best merchandising. You can see why.

Here is a shot of Jenean Morrison's marketing piece for her newest line for Free Spirit called Picnic Parade.

And here, a piece I nearly fell over when I saw by Paula Prass. It's in her new line, Summer Soiree for Michael Miller. I roomed with Paula, her daughter Jennifer AND Sandi Henderson. Four gals. One room. Tons of fun. And Miss Sandi... had a flip cam. She's in big trouble if she ever shows her recordings though. Makeup free and in pajamas. Hmmppff.

And, last (for today) but not least, Maw Bell Designs GORGEOUS quilt pattern. To die for, huh? And there's more more more to come. I didn't even show my very own space yet, did I?

Oh, you guys! Did I ever have fun. I Tweeted and photographed and socialized my way through quilt market. And I have so much to report back to you! It's going to take me days to report it all. Day one: just a few of the WONDERFUL sewing patterns that were at this market! You are going to loooove it! Links to all the websites are below.

LINKS:

Favorite Things

Sue Spargo

Indygo Junction

If you'd have asked me five years ago what I would be doing today, I would never have answered, I'll be designing fabric. No way. I was a stay at home mom, and prior to that a graphic designer and copy writer. I didn't have much confidence in myself, let alone know what I was capable of doing. 

I couldn't possibly have guessed. But, life leads you in the most unexpected directions. Doors open and you walk through, or you don't is what I've always said. How different life would be today if I hadn't watched Alicia Paulson on HGTV that day about five years ago, and thought, "Gee, I think I'll make myself a handbag.". How different it would be today if I didn't go to the Country Living event last year and be told to speak what you want aloud. I would never have said that I wanted to design fabric aloud because I was afraid that people would think, "Oh, yeah, another one that wants to design fabric, yada, yada.".

So, today, when I got this Hancocks of Paducah catalog, I was pretty bowled over. "My fabric" is on the cover. Something I drew, something I created. And then to open it and be on a page next to my hero, Kaffe Fassett, oh, come on! You've got to be kidding me! 

If you ask me now what I'll be doing in five years, I'll tell you that I haven't the faintest idea. Who knows what doors will open, which ones I'll choose to walk through and which ones I'll just pass by.

When it takes you all day to make one placemat, does that count as "getting stuff done"? Why, yes.

Because I did get some panels for a sample bag for quilt market done last night too... I'm counting last night as part of today. It's all running together anyways.

I'll try not to go into the gory details... As you all with kids know, as soon as they go back to school they come home with all sorts of disgusting boogers. Literally. I don't know about you, but I think my immune system must be compromised because while they are just out for a day or so, when their little boogers infect me, I am down for the count. ie: I spent Sunday through Tuesday and even part of Wednesday on the couch.

Every once in a while I'd wander in here and decide I could take it. But dizziness bowled me over and back to the couch I went. I decided it was probably not worth cutting a finger off with a rotary blade.

And this was how half of the week evaporated before my eyes.

Then yesterday, Ms. iMac decided (or it may have been iMail) that it was not necessary for recipients to be able to actually view the attachments I was sending them. Hence, I spent the day, writing back and forth to various clients, "Can you see it now?". By about five pm I realized it must be the mail app, and went directly online to my server to send the pieces... and wowee... it worked. Aargh. If I only thought of that at 9am.

Another day... gone. Not sure where they go.

None the less, there was still one day left, I was sure I could get the entire list done today. There was hope yet.

Not so fast, Missy!

Today was a "Teacher Work Day". Excuse me, but how many of these do they need anyways?

Kids at home, a mattress delivery, a long back up of laundry, several other various and sundry people through the house, rush a slew of cuts up to a seamstress, and Blammo! Day gone.

What's the deal with that?

The deal is that certain people were forced to eat their choice of grilled cheese sandwiches or a corn dog for dinner or starve because I couldn't take it anymore. Suck it up, folks. I made some broccoli to go with it. What more do you want?

"Am I done whining yet?" Yes, fine. I did manage to get a little tiny bit up on the website (there are about 20 belts, a bijillion keyfobs and several more bags waiting their turn)...

Here are the two lovelies I managed to extract from their background and make shiny and pretty enough for all to see...

It's amazing how long this all takes. Is it ok to pay a 12 year old to take pictures, and spend hours upon hours photoshopping them? No? Hmmm...

Maybe I can teach Super Husband. I wonder if he'll go for that. I better wait until he's over the boogers. He seems to have just caught it. If you think I was whining, just wait. You'll probably be able to hear it from there. He's already asked for homemade chicken soup and announced he's going to bed at 8:30. Ugh. It's going to be a long night.

As you might know from my previous post, my family has been in need of a little of this. Thank goodness it comes in many kinds... we could use all the therapeutic treatments we could find... My sister and I found some of it when I visited her this weekend in Arizona. One of which was getting some blond highlights in her hair by a super fantastic hair "therapist". I have to say, Lara looked amazing, as did our mom. She needed a little treatment too.

I am relatively scared of hair color and thank goodness, I unbelievably haven't but a few stray grays. Plus, I actually like my hair color (hmmm... now that's unusual. I said aloud that I liked my hair.) Which makes me think... why didn't I go get the alternative and much-needed nail therapy? I shall indulge later this week, me-thinks.

In addition to beautification therapy, we also spent time getting some of our most favorite therapy of all... retail therapy as it is commonly known.

Amazingly enough, we didn't indulge in food therapy because we figured that would have been therapy that eventually would have made us feel worse. Plus, of course, the thought of weighing in at WW and weighing more is enough to scare me straight any day... Good girls...

The retail therapy was as expected very, very satisfying.

Below... a goodie from that part of our adventure... at Paris Envy, a shop in Phoenix that carries my bags... and btw, is undeniably "Wow.". I'm not just sayin' so because my bags are there either, it really really is. And the prices are reasonable too which I'm finding unusual (someone remind me later to show you the little spread about it that was in the Arizona Republic a couple weeks ago... it looked incredible).

There is also Puppy Therapy ... Lara has much of this... Roxy, our girl, will not leave her side and barks at anyone who comes near Lara these days. Amazing how animals know when we are vulnerable, isn't it? I threatened to take this cute potato home with me... She's the most amazing rescue dog ever. We think she had been abandoned... who in the world could abandon this???

Then all said and done I came home tonight finding the squeezing of my little peeps and Super Husband quite therapeutic as well... Then, unexpectedly... an added bonus... my own personal form of therapy... my Very Own Fabric Therapy... it arrived while I was away. I did really cry too. Very, very good therapy.

My most favorite therapy of all however... My Family. Seeing my Lara, hugging her and knowing that everything will be alright. There really is something to be said about the connections that siblings have. The shared experiences, all the ups and downs. I'll never know anyone like I know my sisters and brother. They are undeniably the best friends I'll ever have.

We have our mother to thank for that. She has always said, "I always wanted four kids, because I wanted you all to always have each other." And we do (she said through happy sad, sad happy tears.). Thanks, Mom.

Awww... darn. That was a sort of emotional post. Off to hug the squeezy girls some more!
Thanks for listening... Hmmmm... blog therapy too! Good stuff!
XO,

I'm having one of those days when I love what I do. I can't believe I get to play with fabric and goodies all day. Don't anyone tell Super Husband I am enjoying myself so much. Tell him I'm working my butt off please.

And truthfully, not every day feels like this. A lot of days are spent doing the dreaded accounting and paperwork. That's what you should tell Super Husband. Tell him I'm doing math all day. It's horrifying.

But on the sly I'm going to tell you that today I am in heaven. Fabric fabric pattern pattern color color. I love it.

Today, I mixed and matched and matched and mixed. It had my little pea brain all in a tizzy. "Ooooh, pretty! Oh... I know, not that fabric! This fabric! Move this here! Do that!" I was all a-whirl with thought.

As I was going along it occurred to me to wonder why it works out. What makes these seemingly random patterns and colors come together?

When I'm designing I find it curious that sometimes I have no idea where it's going. I'm simply taking various items, mixing them up and trying to make sense of them. It may look pretty random when I'm done, but really I think that as I'm mixing and adding my brain is tying it all together.

Sometimes as I am doing this, I have a hovering sense of doubt about what it will all look like in the end, but so often it has managed to come out "right" that I have taught myself to keep going even if it's not making sense at the moment.

I was having that sense of dread and doubt as I was lining up my piles of rectangles for this quilt for Jennifer. The blue wasn't doing it for me. Then the yellow made no sense. But as I mixed and placed and replaced the rectangles it started to meld, as it always seems to with pattern and colors.

And when it does all come together, it usually leaves me wondering why. Why does that look right? One color answers another and one pattern answers another even if the colors seem totally unrelated when you look at them separately.

Sometimes I do that I purpose. I take things I know have no business being together just to see if I can make it work. That's what I did with this particular quilt. And somehow or another, that blue does look right.

That's what gave me this sense of satisfaction today. For no reason at all... that blue does look like it belongs. It just brings me joy.

Of course, I better not let Super Husband know. Not that he begrudges me my happiness. He'll think I was having far too much fun, and might want me to (I can't bear to think it) get "a real job".

Next time he walks in, I'm going to have to switch over to Quickbooks on the screen and furrow my brow. That throws him off every time.

Impatience is a Virtue.

OK, this was not part of the plan, but I'm giving up some of the goods. I've been hinting and hinting at this and "duh" I know you knew what I was hinting at but ok so, I can't keep a secret. Never have been able to... Telegraph, Telephone, Tele-Bari. I can't shut up.

Actually, if you tell me a secret, I am like a vault unless you are endangering yourself or you are my sister. I can keep the secrets of others, but not my very own. It's ugly.

So... Oui. I am on my way to my goal of having licensed designs as a lot of you know I am DYING to do. You would not believe the single track mind I have. It's good and bad and all that stuff. No one ever said I wasn't totally type A. The good news is that progress is really being made (as S.L.O.W. as that process is).

However... I wanted to see what it would look like on fabric. It was driving me nuts. What would these designs on this little screen look like on real actual fabric? Honestly, I couldn't take it.

And, how cool would it be to be able to show fabric companies my designs on F.A.B.R.I.C.??? Seriously, is that cool or what?

So, I decided to take the matter into my own hands and print some of my own darn fabric. And, VOILA! These pieces showed up in my mailbox today (more on how later). I can tell you I really did almost pee myself.

I even used my fabric scissors to open the envelope. That's the kind of desperation we're talking about here.

And now look, I'm not even showing you the whole enchilada.

Seriously, I think I might lay down on the floor and cry.

EDIT: I just want to clarify that this is not a licensed line yet. It has not been picked up although I am making in-roads on that. This is my dream. This line in whatever form it takes will be licensed at some point ... because I am not going to let it not be. The getting to that point is a really, really long road. I feel sharing the process with you along the way will show that it can be done. Whatever that "it" is for you. Thank you so much for your encouragement. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!

I won! I won! I won a giveaway from none other than the fabulous Vanessa Valencia of A Fanciful Twist. Aren't you jealous!!!???
I know two little girls who were WAY JEALOUS. Older Daughter and Younger Daughter Naughty Bugs said they were "just going to trace them, Mom. We loooooove them.... Pleeeeeeeease." Fine. Just make sure you give them back to me when you are done.

And. So. For the past five days... I have been hunting for my package. There were like ten I think. And, ah hem... this was all I could find when I went to take the picture of them.

Two little girls who love art are in big trouble. You know I'll find 'em... it's just a matter of figuring out which kid. Or under which pile in which kid's room.

Super Tuesday:

I feel obliged to say get your rears out there and vote if you are in a Super Tuesday state of the U.S.! I did my civic duty right after kid duty (morning drop off). I left with a big smile on my face, and am wearing my, "I Voted" sticker proudly. For some reason, this election seems really exciting to me... more than in the past.

The Biggest Mess Ever:

That done, I got myself right to work and made this mess... with-in about 30 minutes.

There is another picture of what is on the floor that I was too embarrassed to show you. So, I'll let you imagine.

A Must-Have Tool:

As I was sewing up the creation that was made in this hurricane, I was delighted to use my new Purple Thang (yes, that's really what it's called). I lost the other one so I bought a new one. And when I bought it I said, "I just know I'm going to find that Purple Thang when I get home.". And guess what? I did. Now I have two Purple Thangs which makes me happy because there is one ready and available for backup when I drop the first one behind the desk again.

As a good citizen, I also feel obliged to tell you that Purple Thang is the most wonderful tool ever. It has prevented me from sewing straight through my finger on many occasions. Purple is a most perfect tool for these collage type sewing projects where I have a million little scrappies sticking up all over the place and the free-motion quilting foot does not make a good barrier. Trust me, I know... thank goodness it was only the plastic that came down on my finger becaue that sucker hurt!

You can get a Purple Thang here... I have no affiliation with this website... just sharing. It seems to be a good resource for all sorts of goodies.

I'm a list person. Not that I get much checked off. I just make lists. This is all part of my futile quest to become organized.

When I make the lists (and this is all the time), I believe I'm going to get through them. I think that this time, once and for all I'll become an organized, efficient person.

The problem is, I have no concept of how long it takes to do stuff. So the lists go on and on. Today is Friday. I am on Wednesday's list. Remember Monday I bought Quickbooks? Thought that little set up would take an hour. It took six. This threw off the whole week. That's what I'm blaming it on anyways.

So today after an hour or so off trying to check off little items from the whole week, I decided I was going to tear up the list. I sat for a minute just staring at it (wasting more time) ... I couldn't do it. So, I buried it in a drawer and did something I actually wanted to do.

This is the beginning of what will go on my "art bag" page. It will be a Zoey Carry All with a patent leather bottom and handles. It was still work, and I think somewhere on The List is "Make Art Bags", but marked with a "C" priority. And there were plenty of "A" priority items that I didn't do yet. None-the-less, it made me very happy.

But I could practically hear that list calling my name from the bottom of the drawer like a big bag of Oreos. And blogging is not on it.

Ebay, it's a wonderful place. A place I spend far too much time... but when you do, look what happens: You find really cool stuff.

Check out this cute painting that I won in auction from Leticia. There's more for auction too.

Oddly/Ironically or something like that, it turns out she lives just a town over! Hmmm. The world works in mysterious ways. I mean, let's face it, ebay is a gianormous place. You never know who you'll meet.

P.S. I have my eye on this one too... Something about the shapes of the faces and the colors really appeal to me. I also really like the mixed media aspect of the work. Definitely something for all ya all to check out, don't-cha think? BTW, Leticia does have a new blog too, and unfortunately I can't find the link back to it. So, Leticia, if you are reading this, please send it along and I'll post it.

 

Still scrappin'...

I'm 'a havin' fun in the studio tonight. The husband is at a poker game, so there's no one to answer to and somehow or another I have quiet kids. It's a good thing too, because I actually have a lot of work... fun work, but work none-the-less. This is part of a handbag I was messing with tonight. I hope you can see the layering in the photo. It actually has a lot of depth in person. I started with a floral print & began cutting flowers out of another print and layering one on top of the other. There is also a lot of bunged up thread bits... I'm thinking of throwing in a word or two (maybe from a selvage?) somewhere secretly to see if anyone notices. There are also two vintage brooches hanging out in this little garden. I hope to have a lot of pieces similar to this one for a show I am doing in September. Stockpiling now for Fall and Winter. Loads of fun, but my husband has started to call my studio "The Cave". And he asks when the "bear" (ha ha, never heard that one before) is coming out.

Lisa Kaus has contributed to the little cake problem I've been having. (See here... and here) Do you love this as much as I do? I know! You do! My favorite part is that doll head on the top... and the vintage beaded button... or maybe it's an earring. Also... the color is just yum-dilly-ishous!

BTW, I happen to know that you can get one of these cakes at Daphne's Cottage. (I know, I know! I'm plugging my faves again. But I know that you want to know where to get it so you can have it. Now! Now! Now! Varuka (Ms. Salt of Willy Wonka fame), calm yourself!) Wow... parenthesis between parenthesis! Not sure that's legal. In fact, I'm pretty sure that my 3rd grade teacher is rolling over in her grave at the way I've been writing of late. Forgive me.

Tonight I was able to work on some things that have been haunting me as I fall asleep at night... that's what the pad of paper next to my bed is for. Except that when I read it in the morning the "creative genius" that I have in the middle of the night is not nearly as genius. Usually it's just ramblings and often my writing is completely indiscernible. This is one of the non-sequiturs that has come up over and over again. It's what I do instead of counting sheep.

A deep breath...A whole slew of handbags went marching out the door late this afternoon. I had meant to have them out by 9am, but, stupid me, I stayed up until 2am last night. This means that the girl who never oversleeps (at least not in my life with children unless I am super sick) overslept. I didn't wake up until my 9 year old jumped on the bed at 10am scaring me half to death. 10am! I don't think I've slept that late in 11 years, since my Anna was born.

This episode had me off kilter for the rest of the day, flying around in my nightgown getting things done. But that group is gone (I bid them a fond farewell, tears and all.) and on to the next group which is due next week. Can't complain. It's all good. BTW, if you just have to have one of these handbags, you'll need to check in with Elizabeth at Daphne's Cottage. She holds claim to them. I don't know if you'll be able to pry them from her, but you can try.

That said, I'm sick of talking about me and want to mention an artist I "bumped into" on the web. Shannon from Miss Fickle Media wrote a comment on this blog. So of course I linked over to her Etsy shop and I must tell you I was blown away. I love what she does and put in an order right away. And honestly, I'm sort of a browser on Etsy. So this is saying something. I ordered one of these with a "B" of course. And another that I can't remember because I had a really hard time choosing. The one below I really like too though!

In other super fun news... you may remember the post I wrote about "needing" espadrilles. I did end up buying an unimpressive pair later that week. However, to my great surprise the owner of espadrillesetc.com whom I mentioned in the post came across what I wrote. She is actually from San Francisco... such a small world. AND, she offered to send me a pair of espadrilles as a gift. Really, I can't get over the kindness I have found with the network of women on the internet. It made me think of this post from Anna Maria Horner about kindness which brought me to really unexpected tears.  I haven't told you how much I love Anna Maria's work. I know most of you know of her, but if not, I hope you will get to know her work. Also, you HAVE to look at the photos of her home on Flickr. OH MY GOODNESS. You'll just die when you see the colors. IN-CRED-IBLE! Anyways, I am trying to get to a great big THANK YOU to Laura from espadrillesetc.com. Gracias.

That's enough gushing for now, I suppose. Except it is late and my internal clock is way off so I could probably go on for hours.  Nothing a dose of benedryl can't cure, I suppose.

Holy Moly! I just picked up a slew of handbags & am now quite overwhelmed. I'll be posting some of them on my website in the coming week. The rest, sadly, are sold. I hate saying goodbye. Here are just a few.

 

I think I might be happiest when I am working...

Chirp.

This beautiful vase arrived today. It is a gift from Junk2Jewels. Doesn't it look great in my studio?

Thank you Tracy! You certainly didn't need to send anything, but I do love it!

Vintage Scrap Packs have been loaded on the etsy store. Enjoy!

Maybe this will be a regular feature on this blog. The prints, I mean. Hmmm. Thinking about it.

This first print came from a line drawing I did and some other stuff I threw in. I love cameos, and will soon be doing an applique for a handbag.  The second one is copyright free art that I altered. I so need to learn to do another kind of print beside this staggered thing I'm doing. At least the second one is a two-way. I have dragged out a ton of books and have been pouring over them. Something is a-brewin', I think. Who knows?

Leslie Saito of the Paper Princess has it down. Her original designs are scrum-dilly-uptious! I bought a couple of items several weeks ago, and I'm due for some more...

Here's what I have my eye on:

Birdy notecards...

More Twine... Comes in a buncha' colors...

And, though I'm taken care of in the calling card department, I think I need these personalized calling cards...

Sunday evenings when the kids are winding down and going to bed I usually end up coming in here and playing around for an hour or so. Recently, I've been goofing around with Photoshop. I'm loving making various patterns. I have what I think is the very first version of Photoshop which really stinks, though. I know there are much more sophisticated ways of doing this, but here's my pattern attempt for tonight. Not to be huffy and puffy, but I might decide to do something with this image someday, so please don't use it without my permission. Thanks so much. Now I'm off to be tortured watching the Sopranos with my husband who needs some company.

Since my studio was so neat and clean, I had to mess it up. I was actually painting a wall in the kitchen when it occured do me that a teacup applique would be very cute. Of course this thought would not have left my head if I didn't get in here and act upon it... I'm so compulsive. Then after I was finished creating a little cut-out, I thought, "now, where am I going to put this?" I quickly scanned the room to find something that would make a good canvas, and when I couldn't find one, I made a dash up to my closet where I found this skirt that was just screaming to be cut up. Isn't that fabric delicious? I just got it yesterday... which only added to the necessity to sew today. I wore this cutie out to dinner tonight already. BTW, when I did the whole "look what I made!" thing to my husband (which is a regular occurence around here), I got a "Oh honey, you're so cute." I of course took this as a demeaning comment and insisted on an explanation to which he responded, "Aren't skirts supposed to have a slit? I think you took out the slit." Aaargh! I guess I should just be glad he didn't ask me about that wall in the kitchen.