Bari J.

News, freebies & Give-Aways, Oh my!

News, freebies & Give-Aways, Oh my!

Happy Monday!

I have a few fun things for you today. First, the lovely folks at Nuvango sent me 4 $25 gift certificates to giveaway to you! Nuvango was previously Gelaskins, but they've now reinvented themselves as a purveyor of art with products ranging from device covers to cards and canvas art. My pieces are available on their site mainly for device covers.

To win one of the four gift certificates, please sign up for the Bari J. mailing list at the bottom of this post.  If you already are signed up, you are already entered to win. A winner will be chosen at random on Wednesday, September 24 at 12PM Pacific time. AS A BONUS for signing up... you will receive a monthly Bari J. designer desktop wallpaper. Each month there will be a different design sent in an array of sizes for your desktop like the one pictured below. Free desktop wallpapers will only be available to subscribers.

 

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Unveiling My Brand New Website!

Unveiling My Brand New Website!

I finally made the jump to a new platform for my website hosting and with it, a brand new design, tons of inspiration, free projects and visuals galore! And of course there's still my sewing and embroidery patterns in my shop and a NEW section of original paintings and prints!

I invite you to visit and take a look around the new barijdesigns.com!

Strike-offs. What are they? And what do designers do with them?

Strike-offs. What are they? And what do designers do with them?

You may have heard the term "strike-offs" before from people in the fabric industry. Have you ever wondered what they are and what the heck we do with them? My next line "strike-offs" arrived today. These are basically just samples of your designs. They are printed on a very short run just so you can take a look and make final approvals.

So, what does the process of "correcting" samples look like? I imagine every designer looks for different things, but this is what I do... First I go through all of the colors I chose and make sure they are correct. I use Pantone colors. Some designers and companies just ask designers to send a paint chip or other sort of sample for the fabric mill to match to. But Pantone is the universal color language that designers in all areas use, so I find that this is the most accurate way to get the colors I want. I also look to make sure the screens were straight and no details were lost. Strike-offs also give me a last minute chance to see if colors and scale work the way I thought they would on the screen and on paper. 

All in all, it's a tedious but exciting process. And it's always such a joy to see art that I created on an actual piece of fabric or product.

Feel free to ask any questions if I left anything out... I'd be happy to answer in the comments below. 

Now, I think I shall go cut these babies up! 

PS... These will be in the hands of sales people next month and I will update you on the name of the line and show more samples at that time! I hope you enjoyed this little preview! 

Surtex Countdown

Countdown to Surtex

As you may have read in a previous blog post, I'm getting ready for a surface design trade show. So right now, it's all Surtex prep, all the time here in my crazy world. And my hub is making sure of it as our family has made a huge investment in this endeavor (no pressure, right?).  

Did I mention that quilt market happens to fall at the same time, so I'll be sewing for that as well and sending all my samples to the wonderful people of Art Gallery Fabrics for that show? I have great and incredibly talented friends who will be helping me so I'm not going to panic just yet.

In the meantime, I'm painting painting painting and creating collections to cover every surface under the sun. I hope you'll hang out with me while I get ready!

 

 

2013: The Year of the Paintbrush and The Running Shoe

 2013: The Year of the Paintbrush and The Running Shoe

As we come nearer to the close of 2013, I'm beginning to reflect on how much my life has changed over the past 12 months. It's been a year filled with huge growth for me.

January 4 of this year, I started exercising. Not a new resolution, it was just that this time? I was truly resolved. I was going to get fit once and for all. I was feeling like crap. I was overweight, and I'd injured my shoulder, both of which were keeping me feeling really unhappy. I started first with the elliptical, but quickly moved on to Zumba, Tabata, Spinning and then finally in March, I started running. Something I said I would never ever ever do. But oddly, I was finding I loved it.

By May, I was signed up for the Tinkerbell half marathon which happens January 19, 2014. My daughter and I will be running it together. I've been training all year. And, I now happily call myself a runner.

Sometime around February I started painting. With actual paint and paper and then later on canvas... as opposed to painting in Photoshop which is how I created 7 lines of fabric. So, though it totally works for me, photoshop, I needed for myself to brave the actual medium of paint. And frankly, it's as addicting as running has proved itself to be. 

In 2013, I became a runner. And a painter too.

At the beginning of the year, I was asked if I would sell my watercolors. At the time, my answer was a resounding, "I'm not ready. I'm just practicing.". I practiced and practiced and practiced. Those of you who follow me on social media probably know how much.

Now, after all these months, I've finally become ready to sell some prints of my work. So, I started uploading my designs (including those from my fabrics) to Society6. If you haven't checked Society6 out already, it's a must. There's so much great art on there. You can buy everything from prints and stretched canvases to phone covers and pillows.

I hope you will go check out my shop. I'd love to hear what you think. 

Thank you for being with me on this journey this year. I've appreciated all of your support, kind words and encouragement. It really keeps me going.

 

Holiday in London Sew-Along Part Seven!

Well, this is it!!! I'm loving it in my Bijoux fabric.

All that's left to do is sew the lining closed and make a removable hard bottom for the bag!

Then I think I need a weekend get-away and so do you! London, anyone?

 The Holiday in London Pattern is available here.

 

Holiday in London Duffle Bag part 6!

Hi there. Sorry it took so long to post this week, quite honestly, the patchwork portion took way longer than I expected. I do think the results are well worth it however! 

Today I show you how to sew the outside and lining panels to the zipper placket/side panels. I'm so excited about how glue basting this worked. So much better than pins!!!

 

 

PS I should mention again that fabric is from my Bijoux line available in stores now. I'm now sold out of paper patterns, but I do have the PDF available in my shop.

 

PPS Yes, I REALLY need a manicure. Like really. 

Day three of the Bijoux Launch party... and dimensional flying geese!

Today it's Melissa's turn to give away a 10 piece fat quarter stack of Bijoux! I'm so excited to see what she's made too!!! Go stop at her place and give her some love.

But before you head to the party, I know you want to know how I made these dimensional flying geese. I am CRAZY over flying geese to begin with, but when I found out that you can make them with just one seam and like little pieces of origami, I about flipped my lid. This quilt was made using Ricky Tim's tutorial below. It's so simple, you won't believe it. 

 

Happy sewing! And go get yourself some Bijoux!!! Please post your creations to the Flickr Group.

Get ready! It's almost here!

Bijoux will start shipping to stores on May 1... Be looking for giveaways, blog hops and more in the coming weeks. Enjoy these little sneak peeks.

 

Are you ready to stencil??? Get 15% off!

Are you ready to stencil??? Get 15% off!

Yay! You can get 15% off my stencils for Royal Design Studio until the 27th of January! Use code VERYBARI at checkout! 

Also be sure to check out the blog post at Royal Design Studio for more info, photos and fun ideas!

 

 

Splendor 1920 Video!

Splendor 1920 Video!

Now that I'm spoiled and all by Art Gallery Fabrics (they have the best team in the world), I've been waiting with baited breath for the Splendor 1920 video to be released. And I'm not in the slightest disappointed! Without further adieu... Splendor 1920 is in stores NOW!

 

Fun was had by all... and then... sleep.

Fun was had by all... and then... sleep.

Hi there. Long time no see. I feel like I'm "just" back from quilt market, when really, it's been more than a week. The truth is, I'm only now recovering from it. I totally did myself in this time.  As fun and exciting as the process is, it is exhausting and stressful too. I was pretty hard on myself getting ready, and didn't get much sleep. I was inevitable... I got sick. And it was of my own doing because I wouldn't relax. Thank goodness for my friend Jona who did much of the job of driving home while I spent much of the time whining. I slept for two days when I got back.

At any rate, you don't want to hear all the poo poo about how tired I am... it was really very fun and super exciting to see how people reacted to the new fabric and patterns... And I met tons of wonderful people.

You may have seen much of this already if you follow me on Twitter or Facebook... but I did manage to take a few pictures of the booth with my good camera as opposed to the phone. So here goes...

Yes, I did drag a bed to quilt market... but if you sat on it you'd have ended up on the floor... air mattresses did the trick. No box spring.

Here's a closer look a the ruffle duvet cover ... yes. there will be a tutorial. But be forewarned, this is not a complicated project... but it's a dosey. I think it's like 12 yards of fabric. I estimated about 3000" of hem and ruffling to do. Yikes. However, IMHO, totally worth it in the end. 

I'm a stitckler for always having flowers in my booth... funny story. This time I forgot to order in advance. I hopped in a cab and asked them to take me to the nearest one on the map in my phone... Yeah, ummm... that was a UPS store. The real store was on the other side of town. WHY they put the address of the UPS store on their website, I'll never know. They actually posted store hours. Long story short? The driver took me to another shop which was actually closed for wedding prep, but the really really nice lady opened the door for me anyways (crying works, people) and sold me two bouquets AND had her delivery guy take me back to the convention center. Greenworks in Houston if you are interested.

Here is what I ended up putting the cross stitch into... I think it gives the pillow some oomph. 

And here is another view of the pillows... dresden is a classic 1920s pattern. It had to be done.

That's all the photo editing I've gotten through for now. My intent is to to go through each project in the booth over the next couple months and show ya' how I did it. Hold me to that, k?

Happy stitching!

 

14 Days of LillyBelle... Day 9. Zakka Embroidery Organizer Wall Pockets

14 Days of LillyBelle... Day 9. Zakka Embroidery Organizer Wall Pockets

Today's project is a nifty little wall organizer for your embroidery supplies...

Here's how you make it...

Download pocket pattern pieces:  Download Zakkapockets

Supplies needed:

2 - 12 1/2" x 12 1/2" pieces of fabric

Scraps in varying contrasting fabrics sized larger than 8".

1 - 1/2 yard fusible fleece

1/4 yard for binding

 

Cutting:

For front and back cut 1 each 12 1/2" x 12 1/2"

Cut pockets as indicated on pattern sheet

1 - 12 1/2" x 12 1/2" fusible fleece

 

Step by step:

Edit: In hindsight... had this not been a project a day challenge, I may have thought to quilt the piece first, THEN put the pockets on... I would highly recommend that. So, instead of making and attaching the pockets, first fuse the fleece to the wrong side of the front panel, baste the backing on, and quilt as you wish. I think I'm going to take the pockets off of this one, do straight line quilting, then put the pockets back on. You can sew the pockets on through the 3 layers. Bind when it's all finished.

Pocket 1 (ruler/pen):

1. Fold your piece of fabric in half with the right sides together (the fold is 3 1/2" across).

2. Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew the long sides together and leave the bottom open.

3. Trim the corners, turn and press.

4. Edge stitch along the top 3 1/2" fold.

5. Place the pocket with the raw edge toward the top onto the fabric panel. The left hand corner should be 2 1/4" from the left side of the fabric and 5 3/4" from the bottom of the fabric panel. See below for placement.

6. Stitch onto the panel using a scant 1/4" seam allowance.

7. Flip the pocket up, press and sew a 1/4" seam allowance at the bottom of the pocket, enclosing the raw edge. Then top/edge stitch the sides in place. 

 

Pockets 2a/b: 

1. Follow steps 1 through 4 above, except use the 5 1/2" width as the fold.

2. Place the smaller pocket in front of the larger pocket with the raw edges aligned.

3. Place the pockets with the raw edge toward the top onto the fabric panel. The smaller pocket should be facing the right side of the fabric panel (i.e. down). The right hand corner should be 1 1/4" from the right side of the fabric and 6 1/4" from the bottom of the fabric panel. See below for placement.

Pocket 3 (rounded hoop pocket):

1. Fold the pocket in half along the fold you cut on with the right sides together.

2. Using a 1/4" seam allowance, sew the two sides together. Leave a 2" to 3" opening in the bottom to turn (I usually baste through my openings and then open them up to turn... this way I have a stitch line to make it easier to turn the fabric in later).

3. Turn and press.

4. Edge stitch along the fold.

5. Center the pocket below pocket 1, about 1 1/4" from the bottom of the fabric, and edge stitch in place.

Pocket 4 (scissors):

1. Place the two pieces right side together and sew together using a 1/4" seam allowance and leaving an opening in the top.

2. Turn and press.

3. Center the pocket below pocket 2, about 1 1/4" from the bottom and edge stitch in place.

Tabs:

For top tabs, I created extra binding.

1. Cut off 2 - 4" pieces, folded the edges in 1/4" then fold in half. Edge stitch along the open edge.

2. Mark 2" from each side of the top center for tab placement. Align the raw edges of the tabs on the back side of your organizer, and as you sew your binding onto the front of your piece, sew the tabs in with it.

3. When you flip the binding over the top to the back and hand stitch, flip the tabs up and stitch them in place as well.

 

 

14 Days of LillyBelle... Day 8. Doggie Bed.

14 Days of LillyBelle... Day 8. Doggie Bed.

This is Izzy. On her new bed. We had to bribe her with lots of cookies to sit still. Also, I photoshopped out her drool off the dog bed...

Several weeks ago I went to great lengths getting foam for dog beds at the local big box sewing store. Let's suffice to say, thanks to a coupon ta do, I made two stops back there for the same item only to have a coupon argument at the cutting table when I finally did get the foam. Sheesh.

But I digress... for weeks now, I've had two ugly pieces of foam sitting around, and I hadn't gotten around to sewing covers for them. Lucky me. I commited to sewing with LillyBelle every day for 14 days... so now I had an excuse. I HAD to make the dog beds. And at least I did get one done today. I did this one with the zipper in the side... It's hidden under fabric flaps, and this is my favorite way of doing zipper on pillows of any sort.

How to make your own doggie bed...

Supplies:

1 yard of 5" x 24 1/2" foam

1 1/2 yards of main fabric

3/4 yard of contrast fabric

24" upholstery zipper

2 yards fusible fleece (optional)

 

Cutting:

Main fabric, fusible fleece  – 2 each- 37" x 25 1/2" pieces

Contrast fabric, fusible fleece – 2 each - 3 1/2" x 37" pieces, 1 each - 6" x 37" piece, 2 each - 6" x 25 1/2" pieces

 

Step by Step:

Install zipper in the side:

1. Place the two 3 1/2" x 37" pieces right sides together. 

2. Using a 1/2" seam allowance, BASTE the two pieces together along a long raw edge.

3. Press the seam open and place your zipper on top of the wrong side of the seam, right side of zipper down, centered on top of the seam.

4. Pin the zipper in place alternating the direction from which you put the pin in (see above).

5. From the right side of the basted panel, and with your zipper foot on, top stitch along the side of the seam about 1/4" away from the zipper. The trick here is to feel with your fingers as you sew down next to the seam, and reach under the fabric pulling pins out of the way as you go.

Zipper tip: you'll want to pull the zipper pull open as you start so it's away from the presser foot, then when you get to it, put the presser foot in the up position and wiggle the pull up again past it.

6. Sew back up the other side of the seam, again keeping 1/4" away from the zipper.

7. Use a seam ripper to open the basted seam exposing your zipper.

Note: if you have cut your zipper to length, you'll want to do a tight zig zag stitch in place to work as a tab at the bottom of the zipper so that you can't open the zipper past it (see below).

Sew the contrast fabric sides to the main fabric panels:

Note: For all of the seams, start and stop at the 1/2" point. You might want to mark 1/2" from the ends on all of the pieces.

1. Place the zipper panel on top of one of the large panels (main fabric) along a long side, right sides together. Using a 1/2" seam allowance, and starting/stopping 1/2" inch from each end, sew the two pieces together.

2. Sew the other three contrast pieces of fabric on in the same manner.

4. Repeat for the other side of the dog bed.

5. Starting and stopping at the 1/2" points, and using a 1/2" seam allowance, sew the four corners together... NOTE: Before you sew the last corner, open the zipper so you can  turn through it.

6. Serge or zig zag stitch all seams, turn and press.

7. Slip on the piece of foam (read: wrangle onto the piece of foam)

8. Force your dog to pose on her new bed for a photo.

9. Post to Facebook and tell all your friends you made a dog bed all by yourself.

 

14 Days of LillyBelle... Day 7. Sweet Dreams Sleep Mask.

14 Days of LillyBelle... Day 7. Sweet Dreams Sleep Mask.

For some time now, I've taken to sleeping with a sleep mask, and I sleep much better when I do. It's a really pretty picture... me jumping into bed, putting the ritual lotion and sweat socks on, wearing my bite guard and then pulling a mask over my face. It's cute, I'm sure. Aherm. . . Well, at least now I'll be a little cuter, you'll have to agree. Last night the elastic on my old sleep mask busted, so I this became today's project. It makes a great gift too! 

Download the pattern here:

Download Sleepmask

 

14 Days of LillyBelle... Day 6. String Block quilted coasters.

14 Days of LillyBelle... Day 6. String Block quilted coasters.

I have a party to go to later this week. So, I thought I'd make a hostess gift today. At this point, I have a ton of scraps, so I thought a string block would be perfect. Together, four coasters make one string block and I think they look fantastic on a coffee table layed out like this... Make a whole bunch and you can mix and match. 

Here's how you make them...

You will need:

a fat quarter of muslin

a fat quarter of batting or fusible fleece (I used the fleece)

Scraps

A fat quarter for the back of the coasters

Coordinating Thread (I used four Aurifil colors from the Pat Bravo Quilter's Heart box set: 2132, 2420, 5006 and 2311)

 

Cut:

4 each backing, batting/fusible fleece and muslin at 4 1/2" x 4 1/2"

Cut strips of varying sizes at least 7" long

 

Assemble:

1. Lay a strip, right side up on top of a muslin square on the diagonal.

2. Lay a second strip on top of the first piece raw edges matching and right sides together.

3. Sew a 1/4" seam along the raw edge.

4. Flip the top piece over and press in place.

5. Continue piecing in this manner until the entire square is covered.

6. Turn your finished square over on top of your cutting mat so you can see the muslin, and use your rotary cutter and ruler to trim to the size of the square.

7. Fuse the fleece to the wrong side of each of your finished squares.

8. Place the backing and front of the square right sides together and sew around three sides.

9. For the fourth side, baste the seam. 

10. Trim the corners.

11. Press all seams open.

12. With a seam ripper, open a small portion of the basted edge. (note: I had you close it and open it so that you would have a nice line to turn the edge under.) 

13. Turn the coaster through the opening.

14. Press the open edge in 1/4" toward the wrong side.

15. Edge stitch around the four sides of the coaster closing the open side.

16. Quilt as desired. I simply quilted straight lines 1/4" apart until I got to the center... That way, I didn't have to lift the needle or cut thread. i.e.: It was fast.

Happy sewing!

14 Days of LillyBelle... Day 4. Paper Pieced Lily Mug Rug.

 14 Days of LillyBelle

Day 4.

Paper pieced Lily Mug Rug.

Apparently my boss (me) is a tyrant. First she told me that we could just do simple easy projects that would take an hour to develop. And then she told me I was just being lazy, and that I had to step it up a bit... "give people something interesting", she said. So yesterday she decided a little paper piecing project was in order. Nevermind, we don't do that very often around here so we had to brush up our paper piecing skills in order to do it... SHE decided it wouldn't be a problem. Hrrmmppff... she didn't have to execute her evil plan. Oh, wait. Yes she did. And SO, she (I) stayed up past midnight because apparently she can't resist throwing out challenges and I apparently take the bait every time... I can't resist a challenge. Yeah, that's right. Just TRY to tell me I can't do something. Sigh.

Now all that said, and despite the challenge I had in developing this pattern... it is really quite easy to actually make! My loss, your gain, you see. Ok, plus also my gain... I love how it turned out and I might officially be addicted to paper piecing. Too fun.

For this project you will need some scraps, batting and backing that is 10 x 13 plus 1/4 yard for binding. I used LillyBelle in both colorways...  to show you how nicely the colorways can be mixed and matched, don't ya' know. For piecing and quilting I used Aurifil threads from Pat Bravo's set, Quilting Heart. The blue is 4182, and I used it on the dark pieces. The pink is 2420 and I used it on the lighter pieces plus the bobbing for the quilting.

The mug rug finishes at 8 x 10 1/2" Print it out by using the link below...

Download Paperpiecedlily

 

14 days of LillyBelle... Day Three. Skill Builder Fat Quarter Tote.

14 days of LillyBelle... Day Three. Skill Builder Fat Quarter Tote. (making darts)

lily bouquet fabric and vintage fence from LillyBelle... warm sunset palette.

If you haven't done much clothing sewing then you may not have ever sewn a dart before. Darts are really useful in clothing to add shape... around the hips and the bust are some of the most common places you'll see darts. In this project I added darts to a very simple tote to give it shape around the bottom edges. It gave it a bit more fullness where otherwise the bag would have just been flat. The other nice thing about this bag is that it took all of 1 fat quarter, half yard of interfacing (22" wide) and an eighth of a  yard for handles. It finishes at approximately 10 x 10

Here's how you make it:

1. True up the edges of your fat quarter. (i.e.: The top should be the same measurement as the bottom, the sides should be equal and each corner should be 90 degrees.)

2. Fold the fat quarter in quarters... in half the long way and then again the short way. Press it so that you will clearly see the press lines when you unfold it.

3. Unfold and cut into four pieces along the pressed lines... 2 pieces will be the outside of the bag and 2 pieces will be the lining.

4. Cut interfacing to the size of each of the four pieces and press on the wrong side of the fabric.

5. Make darts in each of the bottom corners... for each bottom corner of each of the four pieces of fabric do the following:

    • Fold the top corner down so that the side raw edge matches the bottom raw edge, right sides together.

    • Mark 1/2" in from the corner and 3" up. See the photo below.

    • Stitch from the 3" mark down to the 1/2" mark... do not back stitch at the top (3" mark) because it will cause puckers. Rather, leave a long thread tail and tie a knot to keep the thread from coming loose.

    • Press each dart to one side. 

6. Make the handles:

    • Cut 1 - 4" strip x  Width of the Fabric, and cut the strip in two pieces for the two handles.

    • Cut 2 pieces of interfacing the same size of the handles and press onto the wrong side of the fabric.

    • Fold each handle piece in half lengthwise, right sides together and sew along the raw edge using a 1/4" seam allowance.

    • Turn each handle tube using a safety pin or tube turner.

    • Press flat with the seam centered down the back of the handle.

    • Fold each handle in half lengthwise and mark three inches from each end.

    • Along the edge that is open, and starting and finishing at the 3" marks, edge stitch the folded handle together. (Each end will be open.)

7. Sew the bag panels together:

    • Place the out side of the bag right sides together and match the darts on each side. Pin in place.

    • Using a 1/4" seam allowance start at the top right corner, sew down to the bottom right corner, pivot, sew across the bottom and up the other side, leaving the top of the bag open.

    • Repeat the first two steps for the lining pieces except leave a 4" opening on the bottom of the bag to turn through later.

8. Attach the handles (see illustration below):

    • On the outside of the bag, mark the top center of each side (you can find it by folding in half with the seams together. 

    • Mark 2" to each side of center on each side of the bag.

    • For each handle on opposite sides of the bag: With the seam side up place a raw edge of a handle end aligned to the outside of the 2" line. Without twisting the handle, place the other edge on the other 2" line. Use a scant 1/4" seam allowance to stitch each end of the handle in place.

 

9. Turn the outside of the lining so it is wrong side out. Place the outside of the bag into the lining so that the right sides are facing together.

10. At the top opening, pin the side seams together, then pin along the rest of the top.

11. Sew all the way around the top of the bag opening using a 1/4" seam allowance.

12. Turn the bag through the opening in the lining and press well.

13. Top/edge stitch around the entire top edge of the bag.

14. Press the opening in the lining toward the wrong side of the fabric, then edge stitch the opening closed. 

 

14 Days of LillyBelle... Day two. Double sided napkins.

14 Days of LillyBelle... Day two. Double sided napkins

Edit: 

A new photo showing the mitered corners a bit clearer...

I have to laugh at myself. This morning I decided I'd do an easy project. And oh, it WAS easy. Until I decided to video it. And edit it. And add music. And make what could have taken 2 hours take... all. day. long. Anyways, I hope you enjoy. And if you don't, please just say you do anyways. XO, b

 

A girl can dream, right?

A girl can dream, right?

For me, designing fabric is all about dreaming. I dream I'm in other places and of the life I'd life... In my fabric designing dreams, this is who I think I am... (watch video)

LillyBelle by Bari J. from Art Gallery Fabrics on Vimeo.

 

 

Should I burst your bubble?

Here's my real life: Today, I am in my PJs making color corrections on Splendor 1920. It's noon. I haven't showered. And, yesterday, for instance...

7am: Laying in bed thinking, I better get up and finish up the changes on the patterns and get them out the door. There were just a few details left, and I want them to the printer by noon.

7:30am: Still laying in bed thinking the same thing when the phone rings. My poor sister sounds like she's been hit by a Mack truck. Turns out she and her husband had eaten something very very not good and were, well, quite sick. Meanwhile their 9 month old and 2 1/2 year old boys were apparently at the ship's helm. Deciding that was probably a bad plan of action, she called me to come steer the ship out of the muck. I quickly brushed my teeth, washed my face and threw on what resembled clothing and ran over there. It can be noted that I did not brush my hair, and I in no way looked like the woman above. This didn't matter much because about 30 minutes later I found myself covered in what can be described as baby-goo and no longer judging my sister for her well-worn yoga pants.

And, in the end, none of it mattered... because at the same time...

somewhere in UPS-land men in brown uniforms started delivering packages of LillyBelle to quilt shops all over the country...

...so that we all can dream the LillyBelle dream. So, go ahead... despite the spit-up in your hair or the coffee stain on your shirt... dream you are LillyBelle.

Now available in quilt shops online and your favorite brick and mortar stores.

 

Edit: Heavens, a buzz over the shoes on the social media ... I'm told that they were purchased here, some time back. But you can still get similar styles.

 

Bari J. + Suzy-Homemaker = Kid Pattern Yumminess!

Bari J. + Suzy-Homemaker = Kid Pattern Yumminess!

About a year ago I mentioned to my friend Suzy of Suzy-Homemaker if she'd like to do a project with me. I adore Suzy. She's not only an incredible designer, she's also one of the best friends a girl could ask for.

It's been a long time coming... please welcome Suzy as the first licensed pattern designer for Bari J.! I love what she's done with the first two girls clothing patterns. Both are available this June. Retailers, please contact me for ordering information at Bari at BariJonline dot com.

 

Also coming in June... two bag patterns by yours truly...

All of the fabrics featured are from my LillyBelle line for Art Gallery Fabrics.

 

Good heavens, I think I just gave birth to an 15 pound baby! (fabric line reveal)

Good heavens, I think I just gave birth to an 15 pound baby!

(A fabric line reveal!)

For whatever reason, this line was incredibly difficult to bring to life. It was in my head, but I couldn't get it out. I kept telling Pat, "I'm stuck. I'm stuck.". And then suddenly, I was unstuck... and out she came! It was like giving birth, no kidding. And, dang the kid had a big head.

Giggle.

Here is just a little sneak peek ... She's inspired by my latest obsession, Downton Abbey. I have my sister-in-law, Mary (my brother's wife... we have a couple Marys), to thank for getting me hooked. Thank you, Mary! 

 

Making your projects look professional... pillow details and a zipper how-to.

Making projects look professional... pillow details and a zipper how-to.

Today was the start of pillow making for my quilt market booth. If there's anything I've come to really understand in the past few years, it's the details that really count in making projects look professional. For pillows in particular there are a couple details that I think make things really have polish.

On this pillow, you'll note several things. First, the corners are rounded. After I cut, I always take a bowl from the kitchen and draw rounded lines at the corners. This way, I don't have those dog-eared corners where there's no fluff.

Second, I always cut my fabric an inch shorter than the pillow size. If I have a 24" pillow, I cut at 23". When I pop the pillow form in the cover, it really fills it up nice and fluffy. Love that.

Another thing that I'm really loving these days in the way of detail is adding things like piping and ruffles... and fringe. And pom poms. Here, there's piping outlining the mid-section of this pillow. I think adding a detail like this gives added punch and definition. For the ruffle I used a solid from Art Gallery Pure Elements to frame the pillow very nicely. The Pure Elements colors are uber-rich. If you are interested in an easy way to do piping, I love using Nancy's Zieman's Wrap and Fuse piping which made by Clover. It makes piping super easy. It is cording covered with fusible web, so you simply cut your fabric, wrap it around and fuse it together, saving you a sewing step... and pins. I adore it. Also, it comes in several sizes. 

I additionally think that a pillow should be fluffy. I always use fusible fleece as interfacing to give it some added oompf. 

One last thing... it's easy to make a pillow back where you overlap two pieces, insert the pillow between and use ribbon or trim to tie it, but I think a zipper makes it have a professional polish you really can't get with the overlapping method. A couple years ago, I learned an extra easy way to do this... here's how...

1. Divide the width of your pillow in two, and add 1 1/4" to the width to get the measurement for the piece you should cut. So, if your front is cut at 23" X 23", your back will be cut at 24 1/4" x 23". Cut the piece in half so you have two pieces measuring 12 1/8" x 23".
2. Place the two pieces right sides together, and BASTE a 5/8" seam allowance along the raw edge of the 23" side.
3. Press your seam open.
4. Place a zipper the length of the seam on the wrong side of the fabric so it is centered on the seam and pin it in place. The pins should go in horizontally. Do not trim the zipper at the top. The bit of fabric on the zipper above the pull should be aligned with the top of the seam. Trim the bottom to the length of the fabric if it is longer than your pillow.
5. Turn the panel over so your zipper is underneath. With your zipper foot on, feel for where the zipper teeth are, and top stitch the length of the zipper about a scant 1/4 from the zipper teeth, removing the pins from underneath as you go along. Do the same on the other side of the zipper teeth.
6. Open your basted stitches, and voila! Your zipper can now go up and down... but remember, if you cut the zipper, don't open it all the way or you won't get it back together. You can now sew your pillow as ususal, but do so with the zipper partly open so you can turn it when you are done. Also, again if you cut the zipper, be very careful as you get to the teeth at the bottom. I lengthen the stitch there so it will go over and test by turning manually that I won't be hitting the teeth. Also, I then go back and forth over that area several times to reinforce it.

I hope that helps, and if you want, on the next pillow I'll videotape as I go along... I have at least two more to go before market!

Details on the fabric here: The maing fabrics are LillyBelle, of course... the center is Lily Bouquet and the sides are Flower Pop. The piping is Art Gallery's lace elements, and like I said before, the ruffle is an Art Gallery Pure Elements.

i love zippers, why you must buy this pattern, and please don't sew your fingers.

i love zippers, why you must buy this pattern, and please don't sew your fingers.

Sometimes we suffer for our art. But we probably shouldn't sew our fingers for it. However, that's exactly what I did in the making of this pattern. I should say before I start that the actual injury didn't turn out nearly as bad as it looked and is healing well. It just hurt like hell at the time.

Earlier this week, I was installing a very simple zipper for this new pattern. However, I made the hole for the zipper just a tiny bit too short. The metal part of the zipper was in the way. So... I decided to cheat. I made the stitch slightly longer and was going to push past the metal part. Which is something you shouldn't do. I should have made the hole slightly bigger and avoided the metal. And if I really didn't want to do that I could have made the stitch slightly longer and manually turned the needle past the metal. And if I really HAD to use the petal to sew through, I could have used a "Purple Thang" to push the fabric through instead of my hands.

But no. Never you mind that I knew all the various ways to cheat without sewing my hand, I went ahead and did it anyways. 

The noise of the machine hitting my finger was ... unusual. I didn't know what had happened for a second. Except that there was searing pain for some reason. I must have looked away. And then I looked down. The needle had broken. It was in my finger nail and I could see a tiny bit of it sticking out the other fleshy side of my finger. 

Blurg. 

Very quickly, I pulled the needle out. This happened in a matter of seconds after the collision. 

And then, my brain apparently started to digest what just happened. I wandered into the bathroom to wash my hand (hub came in after me), when suddenly I thought I was going to vomit. My head started spinning, I started sweating, the blood rushed out of my face and blammo. I passed out. 

Talk about a drama queen. Jeezy pa-leesy! I'm telling you. While the nail is cracked, what this injury looks like is that I had a tiny shot in my nail. It feels at the most, bruised. But in my defense, I swear, there was really a tip of a sewing machine needle in my nail. 

All this said. I believe this may have happened for a reason. You see, the good news its, you will benefit greatly for my suffering. I now know that if the zipper is 7" I should write the pattern to say the hole should be 7 1/4" which will put the metal pieces out of the way of any cantankorous needles. Go ahead. Thank me for saving your fingers.

The other good news: I totally adore this bag. (Warning: Here comes the sales pitch sounding stuff... but really I'm just excited! Ok. I also believe that this pattern better darn well sell to make the finger sewing episode worth it. You know what I'm sayin'.)

I think it feels part sporty and part sweet. It has pockets out the ying yang for convenience and ruffles for the girly me. The vertical zipper pocket is a great spot for my phone. Plus, inside there are two other pockets: A divided patch pocket and another (horizontal) zippered pocket. This kind of zipper, while it looks complicated is shockingly easy to install. I would say, even easier than a little zipper pouch. Really. I'm not kidding. I've been a fan of zippers for a long time, but I've fallen in love with this installation, and I'm putting them everywhere. Love love.

The other feature I'm crazy over is the strap. It actually can be used as both a hand strap, and be worn longer to go cross body or over the shoulder. You'll see in the photo at the top the strap is doubled. Below is the long strap. I think the hardware makes it look super professional too. And it's all hardware and zippers that you can get at the big box store... you know the one. 

Below you can see how the strap hooks onto itself to make a shorter handle.

For the magnet, I did something extra special. I have long had a battle with magnetic closures because after much use on fabric they wear and eventually tear your bag. Here I've created a reinforcement that adds detail and a punch of color. I've noticed this on some of my store bought bags, and I love the feature.

Here are the details:

The fabric, of course, is from my LillyBelle line from Art Gallery... Henna and Garden Rocket on the front and the strap is flower pop. The lining is a staple from Art Gallery Floral Elements group.

This pattern and LillyBelle will be available in early June.

Your Local Quilt Shop (Referral Rewards) + New Pattern of the Month Program

Your Local Quilt Shop (Referral Rewards) + New Pattern of the Month Program

I have several people tell me, "I've been looking for your patterns, but my local quilt store doesn't carry them.". I know that there are many online stores that carry them (including my own). But sometimes people just want to take a good look inside the pattern booklet before they buy. This makes sense to me.

So I had a thought. Maybe my friends can pass the good word about "Keeping it Real Sewing Patterns by Bari J." on for me... and I can give them free stuff for doing it. 

So here's the dealio... If you'd like Bari J. patterns in your LQS, send me an email at bari at barijonline dot com with the name of the shop and your address (so I can mail you your rewards). I'll email you a PDF brochure that you can print out and bring on over there. If the shop orders, I'll send you two free patterns for every ten they buy. You can pick from any patterns in my line including the PDFs. 

What do you think? Let's get Bari J. patterns in shops around the world! You in? I'd love your wisdom and thoughts on this too... is this a good incentive? Do you have any other ideas? I'd love to hear.

On another note... I've decided to offer 20% off a pattern every month. This month's pattern is the la Boulangerie Apron pattern.

It features a free-motion quilted edge (find out how easy it is here!), deep pockets and an adorable styled waist band.

Just use code "febpattern" to receive the discount at check out. The offer is good until Feb 28, 2012.

Introducing... LillyBelle!

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.

 

First Bari J. how-to video... Fabric Collage How To!

First Bari J. how-to video... Fabric Collage How-to plus a free collage pattern at Gen Q!

I can't tell you the number of times I've been asked for a how-to video on fabric collage. This technique, which I use for many of my sewing patterns and in Inspired to Sew, is among my favorites. It involves free motion quilting raw edged fabric motifs to create a lovely shabby design. Here are a couple extra helpful hints: A question I get asked a lot is "do you turn your edges under?". The answer is no. Another question I get is "should I glue the motifs down?". The answer to this is also no. First off, it tends to gunk up the needle. Second, when you use glue or iron on materials such as fusible web the collage doesn't get the frayed edge and scrunchy look we are going for. Enjoy the video and let me know if you have any questions!

 

For a brand new, FREE, project that uses fabric collage head to today's post on Gen Q. I've created a zipper wristlet pattern that will get you started. For other fun projects, please see my book, Inspired to Sew, as well as my sewing patterns which you can find here. Kitchen Art is among my most popular patterns.

Beachside Holiday... New pattern and giveaway!

I've just posted the Beachside Holiday PDF sewing pattern! It's right in time for the weather to get cooler... you'll be wanting to take a beachside holiday very soon.

To kick off this pattern, I'm giving away two PDF copies.

Comment anytime today or tomorrow before 8PM PST and you can win.

Available on my website OR  patternspot.com AND will soon be at fatquartershop.com as well! 

The winners have been picked. Comments are now closed. Please see the next post.

Intentions

Last night on Twitter Oprah wrote "Intention defines outcome. Don't believe me? Look at your own life.". She says this a lot. But last night, after a somewhat emotional weekend, it got me looking at my own life more than usual. 

What are my intentions? Overall, I intend to be a good person, to contribute to the lives of my kids, family and others in a positive way, to live a happy and meaningful life. But does what I say and do match my larger intentions? What are the intentions of all of the little actions I take and do they match up with my overall intention?

When I was in acting school, we'd dissect a script this way. We'd look at each and every word and ask what the intention of the character was in saying what they were saying. For the truth is, with each word we say, with every action, there is an intended outcome.

For instance, what is my intention in writing about intention?

For myself, I intend to become clearer on what my intentions are. But what do I want you to think, say or feel? I want you to know that my intentions are good. I want to be upfront about my intentions and make them clear to everyone who reads what I write over the internet, whether it be here or on social media. And I want you to know what my intentions are for my business as well.

So in black and white...

My intentions in my business:

1. To create pretty, unique, fun and useful products for the sewing, gift, home and paper (etc) industries.

2. To offer inspiration about creating and sewing and motivate people to create.

3. To make a living doing what I love... and send my kids to college with money made doing what I love.

My intentions on my blog and social media (twitter et al):

1. To let you know about new products at Bari J.

2. To build brand awareness.

3. To let you in on tidbits of my personal life and behind the scenes at Bari J.

4. To build connections and friendships.

5. To be social.

6. To generate business for Bari J. in order to make a living doing what I love.

 

Ah. There it is. That feels good. Thanks, Oprah.

Lastly, I want to say, I intend to think about what my intentions are with each action and each word.

I intend to be intentional.

Sister Friend Pattern Now Available!

I told ya' I'd get it done! For your stitching pleasure, the PDF pattern for "Sister Friend" embroidery is now available in my shop!

My Favorite Floss and a crazy idea I had today...

How long have I been threatening to put embroidery floss on my website? 

Good news for all who have been asking about it... I finally pulled my head outa' you know where and did it!

Cosmo Multiwork will be here tomorrow in my nine favorite colors!

I gotta tell you, this stuff is the bomb. As you can see, it comes on a spool. And it's 2 strands already... no separating! It's the highest quality floss from Japan and sews like butter... butter, I tell you. (Think I'm excited about it?)

You can order them individually for $4.50 each or get 9 for the price of 8 at $36 when you order the all of them together. Make sure you choose the packaged version at the bottom of the page for the discounted price. 

In other news, I thought of a really sweet idea today that I'm not sure I can execute, but I'm gonna try like heck. Can't tell yet... but it will be for all of us who love embroidery. I'll let you know when I pull it off.

Happy Stitching!

Reviewed.

 
It's a hard bit to swallow, being reviewed is. Truth told? I don't have exactly the thickest skin ever so I'd been putting off reading reviews of my book, Inspired to Sew. You know, when you send your baby out into the world, the last thing you want to see is her criticized. 

Admittedly, I'd glanced to make sure nothing totally evil had been said, but today I got brave and ventured over to Amazon to take a deeper look. And turns out I was worried over nothing. Isn't that always the way it is? Nine reviewers said really really nice things and there are even a couple great editorial reviews. 

At any rate, I'm not saying all this to get you all to say "aren't you wonderful" blah blah... But just to say that it's so nice to see my work be appreciated. I'm honored beyond words that you like what I do. To all who have purchased Inspired to Sew and to the sweet people who left reviews of it... Thank you. You make my days.

 

pdf pattern lovers... this one's for you (a giveaway, anyone?)!

I've been asked over and over for pdf sewing patterns. I've debated, I've hemmed, I've hawed, but I've finally made the leap into the "wave of the future" with a few downloadables! I'm looking forward to hearing what you think.  So... how about I do a little PDF pattern giveaway? Comment here, letting me know what you think of PDF patterns... Do you use them? Do you prefer them over paper? What do you like about them? What would you like to see from me?

Tomorrow at 5PM(ish) I'll pick a random winner to receive one of the two pdf patterns below for free. Pleeeeaaase don't forget to leave me your email address so I can send it to you, k?

There are two PDF patterns available and you can check them out on my website (scroll to bottom for pdf's) and at PatternSpot.com.

New, and not available on paper:

A long time favorite:

And the winner is, #12, Mary Grace! 

Comments are now closed

A new product for your home!

I'm so excited to be able to finally tell you this. I have a really fun new product coming out. I am working with Melanie Royals of Royal Design Studio on a new venture... stencils. The kind you paint on your walls. Melanie is expert extraordinaire in this field. I've loved her work for a long while and I'm so thrilled to be working with her.

The Bari J. Collection is coming soon! Here's a little tiny taste of what's in store:

copyright Bari J. 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

To market to market...

I'm exhausted. I shouldn't be writing this because I should go to sleep, but I felt compelled to tell you that I'm exhausted. I've finally got my patterns about ready to go to print (thank heavens), I've been sewing like a mad woman and everyone in my house is ticked off at me for ignoring them. And that includes the dogs.

People in this house are not used to me throwing frozen lasagna at them and saying "see ya". And heavens to Betsy, they've had leftovers too. People are not happy with me. They're socks don't match, their clothes are not clean and more than once a teenager has called from school to say, "Hey, my lunch account is not full." That's life in this household right now. That's life in this household the month before quilt market.

Ah well, whatever and whatever. I have my patterns almost ready, I've ordered postcards (above), the booth is being built (thanks to one INCREDIBLE Super Husband who has more fabulous ideas than you can imagine), and samples are being made. Oh, and I ordered "I'm Inspired to Sew" pins for 100 lucky people. I'll pass them out at my book signing (Saturday the 14th at quilt market, C&T booth) and then the rest will get given away at my booth. And "oh" again! I have a surprise, non-fabric related product that will most likely debut in my booth. It's pretty stinking cool, if I say so myself. 

Maybe someday I'll send my kids to college with $ from this business and they'll thank me for not matching their socks.

La Boulangerie... Spring Pattern Reveal #4!

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.

Sewing Pattern Reveal!

Based on the original Millie Fleur from my handbag line, this new sewing pattern is updated a bit. Now it's fully reversible. It's also easy to sew with a drawstring closure. This pattern will be available early May. Featured here in my Paris Apartment fabric line from Lecien.

Edit (7:20PM): My sister just pointed out that it was the day of my grandma Millie's birthday. This bag is named for her. I knew it was her birthday when I wrote a check this morning, but it didn't occur to me until my sister said something on about it on Facebook. Oddly, I felt driven to post this today. I finished the sample late last night and spent the day photographing. Happy birthday, Grandma. You must be watching down from above.

It even has a pretty back side with a sweet pleated pocket:

And you get two bags for one with it's reverse side.

Happiness is a Color

After a somewhat painful emergency root canal and a itchy all-over allergic reaction to the ensuing anti-biotics (I'll spare you the gross details), I needed this to arrive today. The large floral is the second strike off for this particular Paris Apartment print. And the orange is the exact shade of happy I was looking for. The whole line is now off to production in Japan.

Projects and Press

 

My mommy is in town for a visit. And she found the unfinished version of this pillow which I made in July for a class sample. It's a project in Inspired to Sew and this one is an UFO I'd entirely forgotten about. Mom wanted it and that was just the excuse I needed to divert my attention from what I was doing and make it into a pillow for her. Glad it's finished and has a new owner.

I did manage to finished up two of the Slice Fabrique projects and sent them off to Utah for photographs before I got distracted. Of course I took a few of my own before they left.

And in other news, my studio appears in the newest edition of Studios magazine with the one an only Ty Pennington on the cover!

And look! We're BFF's in the table of contents... Yup. That's my studio pictured right beneath his. 

Ty Pennington. Bari J. Ackerman. BFFs. 

I'll be getting a few copies in stock soon if anyone wants one. 

 

 

Slice Fabrique . . . Paris Apartment design!

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. 

 

 

 

Welcome to my... Paris Apartment

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.

 

What I was inspired to sew today and a Zombie-licious Winner

 

Did you sew today? After the gym, errands and a large round of procrastination via Twitter, I ended up with an ounce of afternoon sewing time. I've been wanting to make a spider web quilt even though probably everyone else is totally done with them, so I started that quest. Now, however, I'm thinking of making just this little star portion into a zippy pouch because I don't really have time to finish it and I loathe UFOs sitting around. The Ladies in Waiting (projects I have fabric and ideas for already) own a large enough portion of this studio. So this may be as far as I ever get on a spiderweb quilt. I guess I just wanted to know how to do it, then once I knew, I didn't care anymore. I'm like that sometimes.

Were you inspired to sew today? What'd you make?

In other news...

My good friend Monica asked me to pick the winner for her Inspired to Sew Giveaway...

So here goes... 

Out of 193 (wow!) entries the winner is #19! Nancy, claim your copy of Inspired to Sew!

 

 

 

Excuses, excuses.

 
Excuses for sewing these little bags when I'm totally supposed to be focused on creating new sewing patterns:

1. I'm clearing scraps out of my studio to make room for more creative thought.

2. During the process of creating these bags I might just come up with that one incredible idea that I wouldn't have thought of otherwise.

3. My mom has requested a bag like this but with pockets for her knitting needles. So now I have to make at least one more.

4. It relaxes me. If I'm relaxed I'm more likely to come up with some fab sewing pattern designs.

5. I need more bags. No. Really. I need more bags.

6. I'm using up my supply of leather handles which is taking space in this studio.

7. They are starting to fill the website. Sort of.

8. Creativity breeds more creativity? 

9. I can't help myself.

10.  I can't help myself.

 

 

Find out why these 9 bloggers are Inspired to Sew... blog tour and giveaways!

Have you ever wondered why one of your favorite bloggers was Inspired to Sew in the first place? What got them started? Who taught them to sew? Why do they love it so much? The Inspired to Sew blog tour will include answers to these questions and ...

each will Give Away a copy of Inspired to Sew as well!

Mark your calendars and remember to stop by for a chance to win. And be sure to tell us why YOU are inspired to sew!

January 31 Mary Abrue: Confessions of a Craft Addict

February 1, Jennifer Paganelli: Sis Boom!

February 2, Jona Giammalava: Stop Staring and Start Sewing

Feb 3, Rashida Coleman Hale: I Heart Linen

Feb 4, Sarah Fielke: The Last Piece

Feb 5, Jenny Doh: Crescendoh

Feb 6, Cara Wilson: Cara Quilts

Feb 7, Deborah Moebes: Whipstitch Fabrics

Feb 8, Monica Solorio-Snow: Happy Zombie

And... (edit) Susanne Woods will be giving away a stack of my Full Bloom fabric (which is no longer in print) at the end of the tour on the Stash Books Blog on February 9! 

handmade goodness

Long ago in a land far far away I started sewing handbags. My initial idea was to create one of a kind pieces. But before I knew it the business expanded into offering design your own handbags, and really what were production handbags. I was using a local seamstress and then a sewing contractor. What I loved, sewing, had gone off to someone else to do.

Over the years I came to realize that what I really connected with was sharing my love of sewing. By creating sewing patterns, focusing on writing a sewing book and doing surface/textile design I was back to my true passion. I couldn't be happier. 

I made the decision to make this the focus of my business a year ago, but I missed my little one-off projects that were so special you can't really make them into a pattern. And I hadn't really changed my website to reflect my change in focus either. So this past week I finally made the switch. 

 

I changed my "about" page to reflect the change, I fluffed up my home page, and I took down all the "old" finished products and replaced them with new one of kind pieces. I'll be offering my sewing patterns, my book, some fabric, and one of a kind handmade goodies made just by me. I simply listed three items yesterday. One sold within 20 minutes which made me realize that my instinct is probably the right one.

Today I've started making simple fun little items to continue to list on the website. The unfinished piece at the top of this post will be listed soon. It features my some of my favorite techniques: collage, patchwork and a little bit of embroidery. 

I hope you'll keep watching for more of these little bits of happiness. And of course new sewing patterns, fabric and more are on the way as well. 

Happy sewing!

I'm Inspired to Sew. Are you?

 

From the first stitch I ever took, I was hooked. I was hooked on fabric, on thread, on color, on pattern and especially on the act of creating something out of nothing. It truly brings me happiness unlike anything else. That's why the name of my book is Inspired to Sew. Every project came about from this unending love of creating something sewn. I hope that the projects in it will inspire you to sew as well. 

Because I'm hoping you are, I've put an "I'm Inspired to Sew" blog button in my sidebar... feel free to "steal" the code for your blog! And if you are interested in a signed copy, they are now available to pre-order on my website. I expect them to ship next week. Use code, iminspiredtosew, for 10% off, and be sure to choose USPS for the least expensive shipping cost.

If you are local, there will also be a book signing at Wooden Gate Quilts in Danville, CA on January 22. I'd love to meet you there! Please check their class schedule as well, I will be teaching the Tea Party Accessories from the book on January 20 from 6 to 9 PM. 

Additionally, be on the look out for an upcoming blog tour! 

 

 

 

Secret revealed... Who wrote the foreword for "Inspired to Sew"?

A long time ago in a land far far away (in my mind at least) I was pondering who I'd like to have write the foreword to my book.

One person came to mind. Jenny Doh. 

 

I met Jenny some time soon after I started making handbags. We were introduced by a common friend. Lucky for me, she happened to be up in the San Francisco area, and stopped by for a visit. Jenny is the kind of person who you instantly like. 

Through the years Jenny has been incredibly supportive of my work. I was featured  many of the Stampington publications when she was the Editor in Chief there (several pictured below). And I have since been featured on her brain-child website, CrescenDoh. I will also appear in her upcoming book, Signature Styles. 

I'm generally surprised by the warm reception my work has received. I'm especially grateful that Jenny took an interest in it. And tickled that she "gets it". 

As with most of my work, I created the projects in "Inspired to Sew" with a desire to have items in my life that are unique, have a artistic feel and yet are fashion-forward. I knew that Jenny would not only understand what I was trying to do, but also be able to put into words a meaningful Foreword that hopefully will Inspire YOU to Sew as much as the book itself does. I believe she did just that.

Jenny, I can't thank you enough!

 

 

(Photo of Jenny Doh from CresenDoh)

Sewing with Minkee or Cuddle Fabric

Knowing how much my girls love the softness of Minkee or Cuddle (they are brand names for those fluffy, soft wonderous fabrics), I grabbed a couple kits full of fat quarters several months ago to make some blankets for them for Hannukah. Of course, I procrastinated so long that they got them the day after Hannukah ended, but you're not counting, right? Day nine works for me.  I don't *love* the colors and prints of these, but they are workable, I think. Next time I plan on finding some of the Moda brand as I hear they have great colors to work with.

I had it in my head that this was going to be relatively easy, that I'd just whip them up and be on to the next thing. And I would have been if I knew then what I know now about working with these fabrics. So I thought I'd let you in on what I learned along the way. Some of these hints came from friends on Twitter where I vented my frustration.

1. Apparently a serger would do a fantastic job with Cuddle/Minkee. But I don't own one, so I was stuck with the sewing machine. But if you have one, Mary from Confessions of a Craft Addict says use it. 

2. Next I heard it would have helped a lot if I fused a woven cotton interfacing such as form flex to the back of it according to Debra Lynn from Fat Quarter Shop. I use that on everything, so I have no idea why I didn't think of that myself. But it was too late for the first blanket, and I was too lazy on the second one. But my bet is that this works like a charm.

3. I was smart enough to use a ton of pins, which really helped. In fact, I used 5 for every 8" square. I highly recommend taking the time to do this.

4. A walking foot is a great help if you have one.

5. For long stretches of rows, I started in the middle and sewed to one end, then the middle to the other end. This helped avoid much of the stretching along the way.

6. As I sewed blocks together I did end up cutting any corners that stretched a bit to square them up.

7. I pinned seams before I started a row, but if, as I approached, a seam wasn't matching, I did do a little stretching and tugging in the appropriate direction to "make" it match.

8. You can see I did the two quilts differently. I started with the fun Log Cabin block on the quilt below and used a ton of little squares around it. However, I quickly found this was going to cause me lots of pain with seams not matching etc, so the next one, I cut all 8 1/2" squares. Much better.

9. I did not bind these as if they were quilts, I simply placed the back and front of the blanket right sides together and then sewed them together leaving an opening to turn as if it was a pillow.

10. I also did not quilt these. I put in over 100 pins in one and tried to quilt by stitching in the ditch and made an immediate mess of the thing and ended up pulling out stitches (not an easy feat with this fabric). So my plan is that if the girls are finding the edges are turning funny as they use them, I'll go back and yarn tie them.

That's all folks... I think in the end these turned out really great. And I would totally work with this fabric again even though half way through I swore I'd never ever ever do so. I guess it's like having a baby. You forget all about the pain once you have the fruits of your labor in your arms. Well, sort of.

 

Around the web: a tutorial, a podcast, holiday traditions... and a giveaway!

This has been a whirlwind week. I did a radio interview plus a tutorial and a giveaway were posted today!

If you missed my interview on Pat Sloan's Creative Talk Radio you can download the podcast here.  My interview was the one on December 6, 2010.

Check out Sew4home for the how-to on this project and a bit of the conversation I had with Editor, Liz Johnson.

And for a giveaway of my latest four patterns and my "Holiday Traditions" story, visit Where Women Create... There you'll find a giveaway a day and holiday traditions from many designers for their Twelve days of Christmas! They are already on day 9! Run on over there and sign up!

 

 

Something Super Exciting! (that 2nd secret I mentioned last week)

I'm leaving first thing tomorrow morning for Quilt Market, but I thought you might want to know what my next fun secret was. Here's the low down: Making Memories is launching a new product for fabric cutting at Quilt Market in Houston called Slice Fabrique. And I am creating Bari J. co-branded custom shapes for it! Slice Fabrique is a digital fabric cutter. i.e.: No more cutting by hand! And because the designs are stored on a special SD card, you’ll save loads of money (and space) versus the manual die cutters. My designs will be based on my fabric and sewing pattern designs! This is what the little portable machine looks like (I actually have a PINK one):

 

(photo courtesy of Making Memories)

If you'll be at market don't forget to visit Making Memories at booths 2236-2239.

And I will be in booth 1261! See you soon!