Sew Red!

Welcome to my blog, everyone! As you all know, February is National Heart Health month, with an emphasis on its impact to the health of women. I am so proud to share with you my contribution to a wonderful new book, Sew Red, which furthers this wonderful cause. This book is the dreamchild of Laura Zander, the creative genious behind Jimmy Beans Wool in Reno, Nevada, and of course online!

I had the priviledge to meet Laura in person at Spring Quilt Market in 2012 at Kansas City. She is a creative ball of energy and so fun to talk to! She published a book of knitting designs last year called Knit Red, which is a collection of projects from well known knit designers in the industry. She wanted to follow up with another book, this time centered around sewing, and asked if I would like to contribute a project. I enthusiastically jumped on board and designed this great new skirt for the book. Imagine my surprise and thrill when I saw the final cover and discovered that my skirt is featured there!

Laura and I share a passion about heart health awareness. The wonderful thing about the books that Laura publishes is that the proceeds go to the American Heart Association to raise awareness and improve the treatment for people with heart disease through research. Inside the book, each designer talks about heart health and what they do to stay healthy. Heart disease runs in my family, so I work hard to do what is best for my heart. I want to be around for a long time!

Both Knit Red and Sew Red are available through Jimmy Beans Wool. Just click on the book titles or the shop name to navigate to Laura's site to see more. We anticipate that the stock for the book will arrive soon, so your wait should be very short! These are lovely hardback books packed with designs from some of the best known designers in the industry. There is plenty of beautiful photography as well as easy to follow, well written instructions that are illustrated.

In Sew Red, you will find a variety of projects, everything from quilts to tablerunners, bags, clothing, and other accessories. I feel very honored to be a part of such a fabulous group of designers!

Here is the skirt I designed for Sew Red. It is called the Sweet Sixteen Skirt. It is made by cutting panels with a rotary cutter, ruler, and mat based on your hip size. It got its name because it is constructed of 16 main panels, with contrasting godets of alternating height at the hemline and a sweet bias trim. I chose the wonderful Moda line of fabric called Marmalade and love the way it came out! This makes for a lovely swingy skirt, but keeps the bulk of fabric to a minimum at the waistline. There are two rows of narrow elastic at the waist, so the fit is super easy to achieve. This also allows you to decide if you want to wear the skirt at your natural waist or lower on the torso.

I hope that you will decide to get a copy of this wonderful book! Not only is it packed with great designs, it is for a great cause.

Credits:

Sweet Sixteen Skirt from Sew Red by Laura Zander, published by Sixth&Spring Books. Photos by Rose Callahan copyright © 2012 by Sixth&Spring Books/Soho Publishing. Used by permission.

 

Happy Sewing!!

Getting the Perfect Fit

I am finally back! I have been knee deep in book writing, project sewing, and illustrating. I sent a big box off to my editor on Monday, so I am feeling good about meeting a deadline a whole month early! I had to though, since I really needed to get on top of the spring collection. Market will be here before I know it! It has this nasty little habit of creeping up on me!!

I thought I would post today about a resource that is just the best. I have been working on a new dress design this week and tweaking the fit here and there. I often refer to a book called Fit for Real People. This is an EXCELLENT resource for getting the best fit from a tissue pattern. You can literally become your own master tailor for your clothing.

I know what you are thinking.....why don't patterns just FIT? Well, it is because you can take two people who wear the same size and they won't be able to wear each other's clothes necessarily. As humans, all bodies are certainly not created equal, and I bet you know where you have trouble.....long or short arms/legs? large waist, bust, or hips? maybe a sway back, forward shoulders, or a flat rear end? The list goes on and on and it is the essence of why it can be a challenge to get the right fit straight out of a pattern envelope.

A lot of people think that altering is a big deal....IT ISN'T, as long as you have good resources and are willing to spend a little time working through the kinks. Fit for Real People is a great guide because they break down adjustments to a tissue pattern step by step. You can literally use any tissue pattern and make it work for your body....so what are you waiting for??

You can purchase the book here on Amazon for a very reasonable price, and I am sure it is available other places as well. Every time I mention it, someone I know says that they have the book and that they use it to alter the fit of a pattern. It really works. The best part is that you can take bits from it here and there and alter as you want, or you can go all in and draw an outline of your body to do a whole body custom fit by making various muslins, all with expert guidance.

Best of all, you will be learning about pattern alteration as you go and will gain confidence to make changes whenever you need to. I can't recommend this book enough! Be sure to check it out!

I would love to know if some of you out there have used it and what kind of results you had, so feel free to leave a comment.

Happy Craft Month and Happy Sewing!

New Year, Fresh Start, and a Giveaway!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS TO ALL OF YOU WHO PARTICIPATED!

Hey Everyone!

It has been exactly 3 months to the day that I have posted here at the blog. I am sorry for my absence. I really didn't mean to be away for so long! It has been eventful around here, to say the least. Since the last time I have written, another market has come and gone, as well as the whole holiday season.
I can't believe that it is 2012 already...where did 2011 go? It is also hard to believe that this is the start of our 11th year with Serendipity. I feel so grateful for all the blessings in my life, especially for the opportunity to do something I dearly love for a living...I highly recommend it!

2011 brought many changes here at Casa de Whitt...we did some work on the house starting in September after we got a new front door put into the house. Of course, that happened during the HOTTEST week of the summer, and if you live anywhere in the southern US, you know how hot it was. Here's a photo of the new front door. It really changes the look of our home and we love it!

Once that work was finished, we had already decided that we would get rid of carpet in most of the house and add hardwood floors. BUT before that could happen, it was best to get walls painted and get rid of some older furniture for a fresh new look in the house. I spent most of the late summer and into the fall designing and writing the fall patterns, looking for new furniture and ordering sewing new pillows and window treatments, and generally overseeing the work on the house. To say that it was hectic is an understatement!

The work finally finished up mid-October and then market was upon us. The new furniture arrived and basically sat in the house without much else being done decoration-wise. For those of you who know me well, this is just the sort of thing that makes me nuts! I just didn't have the time to devote to decorating that I wanted so I put it on hold until we had market behind us. Once November was here, I was able to slow down a little and get everything back in its place. In hindsight, it was the best way to go but in October it seemed like it would never get here. Here are a few shots from market:

The "girls" got a change of clothes for each day of market again!

On Halloween, just two spidery girls!

My interview for Pat Sloan's radio show!

The rest of the year flew in the blink of an eye! Once I thought I was finished decorating, it was time to ramp up the Christmas decorating. I am a Christmas decorating fiend so I have to start before Thanksgiving. 8 trees and various decorations throughout the house makes for a big mess, but it is glorious when finished! I bought an artificial flocked tree this year. I have ALWAYS wanted one...and I love it!

During the Day

During the Evening

We had a restful Christmas with our family and rang in the New Year with cherished friends....now it is time for that FRESH START!!

I will be working on the Spring collection shortly (coming in May) as well as my THIRD BOOK! I know...it sounds hectic, but I think I am ready to take it on and I do love to keep my hands busy. As I get a little further along, I will give you a few hints about the new book...we are hopeful that it will be available by the close of 2012. That seems like a long time from now, but I know the time will fly as it always does.
I am not much for new year resolutions, but I will say that I will try not to be absent from the blog for 3 months again! It seems like when I have a lot to do, the blog is last on the list. It isn't that the writing is a problem, it is getting all the photos ready that seems to drag me down and I talk myself out of posting because I think I don't have enough time. I promise to try and do better this year!

NOW, if you are still with me here, it is time for that giveaway! Sew Serendipity Bags came out in late September so I know a lot of you already have had an opportunity to get a copy, but if you haven't, here's your chance! I will be giving away ONE copy to a lucky winner starting right now and going until 11:59 CST on Monday evening. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, January 10th. PLEASE leave ONLY ONE comment to enter. That makes it fair for everyone. Thanks so much!

Happy Sewing!!

It's Here!

Just wanted to check in really quick and let you all know that the new book, Sew Serendipity Bags just arrived here yesterday. It is up for sale on the website and signed copies are ready to ship! Go here and order yours right now!!

The book is beautiful and completely packed with great designs and techniques. It is the perfect companion to Sew Serendipity and I just couldn't be prouder!

I can't wait for some of you to get some projects made and posted to the Facebook page. It is always so fun to see what all of you come up with. I am so grateful to all of you for purchasing my designs and making them your very own. This book is even dedicated to all of you as a token of my appreciation!

Here are a couple of shots from the new book to whet your appetite:

The Socialite Handbag



The Laptop Messenger Bag

The new book has projects to suit everyone's skill level as they are divided into sections: Simple, Intermediate, and Challenging. I have built in skills and the use of lots of great tools to make your experience an enjoyable and successful one.

I will be introducing the new fall designs in the coming days that will be available starting mid-October, so stay tuned!

Happy Sewing!!

Craft Buds

Just a quick note to tell you all about a great blog called Craft Buds: Growing Your Handmade Business! Lindsay has some really informative posts about lots of topics to help you be successful with a homemade business. If you haven't stumbled upon her site before, you should go check it out.

For the month of September, she is going to be hosting Craft Book Month, an event to celebrate all things craft books! She's got excellent guests lined up (publishers & authors, including me to talk about my upcoming book, Sew Serendipity Bags at the end of September), weekly giveaways, book reviews, and more.

As part of the month-long celebration, she is also hosting a linky party with additional giveaways. This event will answer some questions for aspiring craft book authors---and inspire everyone to use those pretty books sitting on their shelves to make projects.

I'll be back soon to give you a sneak peek of the fall collection. Gotta get into the studio and finish up some sewing...photography session is this weekend! Then on to finalizing pattern pieces and writing instructions....fun!!

Don't forget to leave a comment for the giveaway of Nancy Zieman's new book on the last post if you have not already done so. You have until Sept. 9th at midnight (CDT) to enter!

Happy Sewing!

Back to School and Sneak Peek!

OK....I admit, it has been a while! We have had such a busy summer around here! A bit of this and a bit of that have kept me from blogging much. It has been unbelievably hot here in Texas and we have worked hard to keep everything alive and ourselves cool. I know that many of you can relate!

I am working on new fall stuff for market (stuff you are going to LOVE)....the Sew Fresh group over at Cabbage Rose got to see a little bit, but I have been a busy girl since then and have yet another design worked out. There will be a new Fashion Formula Skirts booklet (part 2), a new dress, and a new jacket, finally. They are great and I can't wait to get the photography done so that I can share with all of you!

I do want to let you know about a great "Back to School" series over at Sew Sweetness. Sara graciously asked if I would like to contribute and I agreed to do one of the posts. Mine will be up on the 25th (that's this Thursday) and I will be talking about the importance of adding facings to your clothing projects. I hope you will hop on over and read all about it. There are many other great posts going on, as the series started a week ago. I have a button on the right hand column here for you to go straight to the series, or you can click on the hyperlink above too. I hope you all find valuable information and inspiration there!

Now for the sneak peek.....my advance copies of Sew Serendipity Bags got here today!! Yipee!! It will be another month before the book will be in your hot little hands, as they are all on a literal slow boat from China at the moment (no kidding)! We expect the books to be in-house at the end of September and will be adding a pre-sale option around the first to middle of September. We will send out a little note as soon as we have that available for you. I am just so thrilled with the book. It is a perfect "sister" book to Sew Serendipity. You can expect great techniques that I personally use, invaluable resources, the same wonderful hand drawn illustrations and lots of fun bag designs to play with.
Here is just a taste of the book to come....

Happy Sewing!

Where are the books?

I have good news and bad news. The good news is Sew Serendipity has gone to a 2nd printing! And now the bad news...the publisher is completely sold out and will not have the 2nd issue available until late January. Amazon is now out of stock and most of the large retailers are out too. If you need a copy for Christmas, I still have a few available on my web site.

I can also direct you to two great online stores that have copies left. Please visit Quilt Home and Cabbage Rose Quilting & Gifts. They can hook you up with a signed copy of Sew Serendipity and lots of other great stuff too. Now get that Christmas shopping finished up!

As an added note, join me in the Fiskateer chatroom Thursday night (December 9) at 9pm eastern. We will be talking about the Media Frenzy book and other fun stuff. As always there will be some great giveaways. Visit the Fiskateers blog for all of the details. Hope to see you on Thursday.

Sewing Challenge!

Fiskars is doing a sewing challenge for this month, which is National Sewing Month. You can read all about the rules here on their official Facebook page (so you have to belong to FB to participate!). You have all month and you could possibly win a new pair of scissors or a $50 gift card to Walmart!

Be sure to read all about Rebecca's jacket, pictured below. She made the Mod Jacket from my book as one of the inspiration projects for the challenge. She actually stayed under budget to make the jacket and I think the fabric is fabulous!

That's about it for now. My sewing machine has been REALLY BUSY since my last post. My fingers have been also, as I have been busy writing instructions for new stuff on the computer. I am hopeful that I will have more to share with you soon...maybe some teaser photos of the new designs.

I hope you have had a bit of time to yourself to do what you enjoy (hopefully a stitch here or there....)

Happy Sewing!

Sewing Challenge

I just wanted to give everyone an update on the sewing challenge that has been going on over at the Muse of the Day and Possibilities blogs. Carolina and Alicia decided to sew the tunic dress from Sew Serendipity and post their findings as they went along. I am thrilled to say that they have both finished their dresses AND they fit! They are both very pleased with the results. Both are new sewers, so I am even happier that the tips and instruction I gave in the book helped them to be so successful. This is just what I wanted the book to be able to do....provide excellent instruction for people new to sewing and still satisfy the needs of the more experienced too!

Be sure to visit both blogs for more information on just how it all went with Carolina and Alicia on their respective blogs. I was especially moved by Carolina's post, as she does a comparison between making a muslin and traveling to a downtown area that is unfamiliar, but how with careful planning it can become a wonderful means of discovery. I certainly could not say it better myself, and coming from a happy customer makes it all the more special! Thanks to these two special ladies who decided to take this sewing journey!

On another note, be sure to check out our fan page on Facebook if you haven't already. Lots of happy customers are posting their projects and I try to add photos from various happenings around here pretty often. Don't miss out on all the fun!

Happy Sewing!!

BOOK SIGNING BULLETIN!

Hey Everyone!

Just a quick reminder about the wonderful book signing event at Cabbage Rose in Fort Worth, TX tomorrow from 10-2. Yours truly will be there wearing one of the dresses from the book (well, not technically, but one I made using the pattern from the book!) If you live in the area, please come by and say hello and have some fun...heck, you might find something you can't live without! There will be door prizes, drawings, and goodies galore....so don't miss out!! I would love to see you.....

I will post some photos here and on my Facebook page, so if you attend....you might get your photo posted!

Oh, and that tutorial I keep talking about?? It is coming.....SOON (hopefully before the end of the weekend....) I promise!!

Happy Sewing.....

The Book Winner and a Special Offer for the "Losers"

THE BLOG DEAL OFFER HAS NOW EXPIRED!


The winner of the BOOK GIVEAWAY is:

#105: STACEY, who said:

"This would definitely change my life! I could make all kinds of cute dresses... I'm thinking in a suit or linen material, then I can wear them to teach in! :)" on June 25, 2010 10:26 PM

And now for those of you who did not win. Anyone that participated in this giveaway can get a special deal on a signed copy of Sew Serendipity. I am offering a $5 discount off of the current price on my web site. This offer is valid only through Wednesday, June 30 and ONLY for those who "registered" for the book giveaway. This is my little "thank you" for all of the great support you have provided me and the book. To take advantage of this deal, simply complete a purchase including the book at http://www.sewserendipity.com/. In the Comments section of your order, write "Blog Deal" and your blog username. You can also include any special signing instructions in the Comments field. Once I verify your participation in the book giveaway, I will apply the $5 discount. If you pay with credit card, I will adjust your total before processing. If you pay with PayPal, I will issue a refund. Your total at the time of purchase will not reflect this special offer, but I will hook you up with the "blog discount".

I really appreciate everyone that pre-ordered the book from me as well. If any of the pre-order customers feel left out, I have a deal for you too. If you order $30 or more from the website between now and June 30, I will give you a $5 discount too. This offer is only for those that pre-ordered the book from me (I know who you are!). Complete your order and write in the Comments section "Pre-order customer". Once confirmed, I will issue a $5 discount or PayPal refund as appropriate.

Thanks again for the kind words, support, and encouragement. You keep me inspired. And as always....

Happy Sewing!

Big News!!

Hey Everyone!
Just wanted to let you know that the new designs are NOW available for sale on our website here in the New Products section at the bottom of our homepage....AND the book is available for pre-order too! We are offering it at a special promotional price of $25.99 until it is in house next month. When you place your order, it will not be processed until we receive our stock. We will notify you when it ships. Please also remember that you can request to have your autographed copy personalized. Just leave your instructions in the comments section when you place your order.

I got my promotional copies on Monday afternoon....the book is just beautiful! My publisher did such a wonderful job with the layout and photographs...I know you are going to LOVE it! Go on over and take a peek....there are some more shots of the projects as well as some points of interest about the book, too. Below is another project from Sew Serendipity. This is the Ruffled Skirt.

Time is drawing close for market now. We will be leaving in a week and there isn't a ton left to do, but I still have a few things I want to sew before we fly out. If anyone is attending the show in Minneapolis, please come by and say hello! We would love to visit with you and show off all the new goodies. We will be in booth #1835. I am also going to do a presentation at Schoolhouse the day before market opens, showing the projects from the book and discussing the layout. If you will be in attendance, be sure to check it out!

Until next time.....Happy Sewing!

Sew Serendipity Book, Part I

Hey Everyone! The time has finally come to begin sharing bits of my first book with you. I should be receiving a couple of promotional copies in the next few days, and I can tell you, it still doesn't seem real yet. I guess until that darling is in my hot little hands, this still all seems like a dream!

At the top of this post is the cover. This is one of the many skirt projects in the book. Doesn't the model have great legs? I wish those were mine! (so, no, that is NOT me!) For those of you familiar with how I approach designs in my patterns, you will be pleased to know that I have followed a similar format for the book. There are skirt, tunic/dress, and jacket designs in the book to total 18 projects (so, that is 6 each). Just some technical stuff, the book is a hardback with a concealed spiral binding so it will lay open when you sew (a great feature, I think). The pattern pieces are full-size and printed on tissue that you will find in a pocket on the inside cover....no enlarging at the copier for these pattern pieces!

I loved playing around with the different projects so much that you will find many of them can go together. So, not only are these great projects, but you can actually build a wardrobe from these designs. Here is another beauty shot of a jacket and skirt that you will find in the book (this is one of my personal favorites):

In writing the manuscript, I thought about all the things that I would love to include in a pattern, but just don't have the space. Therefore, there are chapters that tell all about how to measure yourself and how to apply it to different parts of the pattern pieces to get a great custom fit. Sewing is only part of the magic that happens when you are making clothing for yourself. If you don't feel like a million bucks wearing something you made yourself, then a part of the process was not fully utilized. I aim to help in all aspects through the book with tips for choosing fabrics and making the design your own in addition to fitting tips and fully photographed step by step sewing techniques (yes, those are my actual hands!) that are some of my favorites to use.

In the next several posts, I will be sharing more photos of the book as well as how the book is laid out and the special way I decided to approach the design work. Stay tuned and let me know what you think so far!

The book goes on sale in June. We will post an official way to order through our website at that time and you can order your own personal SIGNED copy if you wish! For those of you attending market, I will have the projects from the book on display along with the promotional copy for you to take a closer look. We will be in booth #1835, so come by and say hey!

Happy, happy sewing!!

A Big Day and a Lot Accomplished

Hey Everyone....

It has been over a month and I am sorry about that! I am a bad blogger!! At any rate, a lot has been going on around here in the past month. I have been working like a demon and I am happy to announce that I have officially finished the book manuscript as of yesterday....Yay! It has been a lot of work, but I have really enjoyed the process. I still have some illustrations to finish and other small things to finalize, but the bulk of the work is now done.

Just in time for another big day....my birthday! Today is the big day and when I say big, I mean it....can you believe I hit the 40 year mark today? I can't. Another thing I can't figure out is how the time went by so fast. I honestly have to say that I am so happy with my life. I have been so blessed to get to to what I love for a living. Coming up with designs and sharing them with you is my greatest passion. Thanks for all of your support in making that possible.

Now that most of the book work is finished, I will be turning my attention to fall market designs, of which I already have a few floating around in my head. I hope to have some photos to share by the end of the month if all goes well.

I have some celebrating to do, so this post is short and sweet, but I did want to share some more cryptic photos of the projects from the book. Sorry I can't be more forthcoming with them, but you will just have to wait until next summer and all will be revealed!! Don't worry, it sounds like a long time from now, but it will be here before we know it!

Happy Sewing!

Sewing Madness and a Helpful Sewing Tool

Hello again! It has truly been design/sewing madness around here over the past month. I am knee deep in preparations for the book as well as spring market in Pittsburgh. How does time slip away so quickly? I have a LOT to do between now and May, but somehow, it will magically get done...amazing how that happens!

I thought I would post today about one of my favorite tools for the sewing room. It is called pattern tracing cloth. Ever heard of it? I could kick myself that this stuff has apparently been around for some time and I was stupidly using tissue paper instead! Pattern tracing cloth is a nylon product that is 36" wide. It is nearly transparent, making it a perfect tool for tracing patterns. It is especially helpful for me during my design process. I use pattern drafting software for my skirts, tunics, and the newest jacket designs. Basically, these drafts are printed on large roll paper for me to test and tweak. The paper itself is a bit thick and terrible if you want to pin through it onto fabric, so I started tracing specific sizes onto tissue. You can just imagine how the tissue pieces were always too small, resulting in my having to tape several together just to get one piece traced...it was a ridiculous process and one that I hated! Not only is tissue (and we're talking gift tissue here) hard to handle, it tears easily too. You should have a really good mental image of the mess I had going!

Well, not too long ago, I stumbled across this pattern tracing cloth. It is in one word, WONDERFUL! Because of its width, it is easy to trace big pieces, and it does not tear! The brand I use (Staple Sewing Aids) also has convenient red dots that are spaced 1" apart for easy expansion/contraction of pieces. I usually use a pencil or ballpoint pen to trace the pieces, cut them out, and use them multiple times. I know what you are thinking....how does this impact you if you are not a designer? Well, it is a great way to alter commercial pattern pieces for yourself. You can make the desired alterations to a piece and then lay the tracing cloth over the top and trace the altered piece. Label it, and you have a piece you can use for years to come. This tracing cloth is also wonderful for those patterns that come on regular paper that you have to trace to use anyway.

If you can't find this product locally, you can purchase online many places. Sew Thankful, a nice online shop, has it in convenient 5 yard packages for a reasonable price. There are other websites as well where you can purchase it by the yard. If you do much garment sewing, this product is a godsend, so check it out.

On the design front, it looks like there will be three new designs for spring market. I will be posting sneak peeks of those soon, as the sewing progresses. Today, I have rather cryptic photos of some things I am working on for the book...can't say a lot about them, but thought you might enjoy the fabric combinations....truly yummy!

Also, check out The Late Bloomer's blog. Elizabeth FINALLY finished her Sabrina tunic and it looks great. I secretly hope she wears it to market with a cute cardigan or something (hint, hint) so I can see it in the flesh, so to speak!

Oh, and one more thing, my new favorite place to shop online is Fabric.com.....they have a fabulous selection of all kinds of fabrics, including Dupioni silk (yum!), decorator fabrics, notions, patterns, and more. I have gotten into serious trouble over there, so consider yourself warned....

Have a wonderful weekend...hope you have time to get some sewing in!

New Year, Fresh Start

It has been a WHILE, I know. I never meant to be away for so long! It seems since my last post that only a few days has passed....the holidays and post market blitz were on! If I wasn't filling orders, I was decorating, and if I wasn't decorating, I was Christmas shopping, and if I was doing all of that, I was entertaining and cooking! It is time for things to get back into a routine now that 2009 has arrived.

My goal is to get back on the "regular posting" routine. It just seems difficult to find time to get it crammed in somewhere, but if I can commit to once a week, I hope that it will eventually become a habit (fingers crossed!). There is a lot I would like to share with you this year, mainly techniques and tips that I have picked up along the way that makes my sewing life easier, and I would love to make yours easier as well. Of course, as I create new designs, I will let you in on the occasional sneak peek.

I am getting ready to plunge into book writing. I talk with my editor tomorrow to iron out some details, then I will be busy at the computer and sewing machine creating all the goodies that you will get to enjoy in 2010! It will be exciting to see it all come together over the coming months and my hope is that I will be able to give you a glimpse into that process as well as a peek at those designs as well.

Let's see, I left off last time showing you how the booth at fall market in Houston went together. I never did show you the outfits I wore on each day, nor did I show you some close-ups of other stuff that I had in the booth. Below are some photos from the show.....gosh, it seems like a long time ago now!

I have already put in my paperwork for the next show, which is in Pittsburgh, May 15-17. I have the designs that I will do dancing in my brain, soon to be into the computer and hopefully in fabric before too long.

I do want to post that there is a great set of photos for the new Sophia Trench Coat over at A Joyful Soul Fabrics' blog. Joy has sewn this coat and there are pictures of her modeling it....thanks, Joy for your kind words and may I say that you look smashing!

So, here is to a New Year, and many more posts about the wonderful world of sewing.......

To Market, To Market and other Exciting News!

Hello Everyone!

We are off to Quilt Market in Houston tomorrow morning, bright (or should I say dark) and early in the morning! We will be slaving all day to get the booth put together with all the new designs displayed "just so". We are looking forward to a wonderful market and all the inspiration it brings. It never fails to amaze me how I can come home so exhausted, yet so energized. There's just something about having so many people together with the same type of enthusiasm...those of you who have attended know exactly what I mean! We will be taking lots of photos so you can share in the excitement as well after we return.

Thanks to the tireless work of my wonderful husband, the new designs will be available for purchase on our website as of Saturday, but orders will not start going out until Tuesday of next week, since we will be attending market.

And what is the exciting news?? Well, it looks like I am going to be writing a book!!! I can't believe it either! It will be a sewing book with many wonderful designs and is scheduled at this point to be out in the summer of 2010. It looks like 2009 is going to be a busy year! I will be sure to keep you posted on the progress and maybe a sneak peek here and there as the book comes along. I want to thank all of you who have purchased my designs over the years....your support has made it possible for this dream to come true!