Monday, August 30, 2010

Sew In the Know Tuesday: Jenean Morrison's Wild World

Wooo Hooo! Jenean Morrison has a new line coming our with Free Spirit called Wild World. This is just beautiful. Can't wait to see more of this.

Check it out:



You can see it on her blog right HERE.

And here is what Jenean has to say about it all:

California Dreamin' has been my most successful line to date, so a part of me wanted to do something very similar -- you know, the "if it isn't broken, don't fix it" mentality. But then I decided to challenge myself and branch out. This collection contains a mixture of organic florals and geometric prints. While I think my style is recognizable here, it is a departure from the last collection. California Dreamin' was completely computer generated and featured bold, bright colors. This time I wanted a nice combination of hand-drawn and computer-generated pieces. I experimented with brights, but the softer colors ended up working better and felt like they belonged in these designs.

My inspiration for this collection came from the modern movement of creative people living a nomadic, pared-down lifestyle, perhaps closer to nature, but still glamorous, colorful and artistic. Freedom and creativity are two words that best convey this theme for me. Some of the names for the prints are Wanderlust, Surf, Day Trip, On the Road, Flower Child and Departure. My husband came up with the name for the collection, and as soon as he suggested it I fell in love! We live in a "Wild World," full of diverse and fascinating people and places, and I believe this collection embraces and celebrates this.

The other thing that I thought about a lot while designing this collection was how far-reaching these fabrics are. They travel to places I'll never see and they connect me to people I may never meet (face-to-face, that is). I love being a part of and contributing to this wonderful creative world!

I hope you guys like this new line as much as I do. Look for the photos next week!


I am looking forward to next week's pictures!

Inspire Me Monday: Better After

I'm sure many of you know about the website, Better After, but I wanted to share with those of you who don't.

This site is dedicated to all those before/after pictures that we all love! That's pretty much it! Lovely before/after shots.

They featured my secretary makeover. And here is another sample, too. Check out this sunroom makeover!

BEFORE

Post after post of ugly things turned beautiful. And they have giveaways, too, which are fun.

So, if you are wanting some inspiration, head on over and enjoy Better After.

AFTER

Friday, August 27, 2010

Giveaway Alert!

I found TWO fun giveaways and thought I'd share.

First off, Lola Pink Fabrics has this stack of fat quarters from Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane Collection. I just love these fabrics!!



Second, we have Kate Spain giving away a HUGE stack of Fandango fabric. I've been looking forward to this fabric for a long time, and now you can sign up to win some! Even better!!!


So go sign up to win and good luck!!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Free Pattern: Pleated Skirt at Moda Bake Shop

I love the Moda Bake Shop! They have so many great ideas and patterns added all the time. I spotted THIS one and had to share. It's desighed by Sarah Meyer and this is her first Moda Bakeshop pattern. Congrats Sarah!!

Enjoy!!

via Moda Bakeshop

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Sew In the Know Tuesday: Innocent Crush

I ran into this Sneak Peek over at Anna Maria Horner's Blog. Just the name, Innocent Crush, has a draw to it. I can't wait to see more!! I always love her designs and I'm sure this will be no exception!

Monday, August 23, 2010

Free Pattern! Cute Chair Cushions!

Over at Riley Blake Designs, they have this wonderful place called Cutting Corners. It has several free patterns and tutorials. You have got to take a look!

They have a recent addition that I thought was worth sharing. It's called Cute Cushion Redos. Check out these nice cushions!

Riley Blake Designs

They have a great step by step tutorial with all the info you need. You can check it out right HERE.

Enjoy!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Inspire Me Thursday: Pillows and Sewing Rooms

In my daily wanderings on the internet, I often find another creative soul willing to share their talents. Here are a few favorites I spotted this week:


Caroline over at Atlier Caroline has a tutorial for the cutest Honeycomb Tucks. So beautiful! Just imagine the pillows you could make with these!




Or how about this sewing room makeover over at Sew Chic and Unique?! Let's hear a "Yippy!" for having a sewing room in the first place, let alone a beautiful one. I have a sewing corner, but it does have one cool feature I'll share in the next paragraph.



Ana over at Knock Off Wood offers FREE woodworking plans that she designs. They are awesome! I have a garage full of power tools so I actually took on this project and I LOVE it! Only mine is covered with sewing goodies ALL THE TIME! Maybe one day I'll take some pictures to post for you. Or maybe you can just imagine that mine looks like this one.



And finally, I love this Cathedral Windows tutorial over at A La Mode Fabric. There is a part one and part two and you can find them both in the left sidebar. That Heather is one amazing crafter!
I'm still collecting the perfect fabrics for mine. Wherefore art thou Arcadia fabric???

So there you go. Happy inspirations!

We Sew Wednesday: Gussy Time!

I'm sure some of you already know all about this gal, but I wanted to share her with the rest of you. Her name is Maggie Whitley and her blog is Gussy Has a lot to Say... and Sew.

She tells the story of taking her hobby for sewing and turning it into her full-time job. She is funny and talented and funny. (Yeah, I know I said funny twice.)

Plus, she has a shop where she sells her lovely creations. Like these:




So, go check it out. You'll be inspired. Look around, read her story, enjoy!!!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Sew In the Know Tuesday: Fandango, Etc

I am so excited to share this weeks sewing news. There is always something happening in this industry and here are a few tidbits.

Riley Blake has two lines that are shipping really soon, so start to watch for these in your favorite shops. Hooty Hoot and Domestic Diva. These are fun lines, for sure!



Next, Fandango by Moda is also going to be hitting shops anytime now. Kate Spain is the designer here and I am thrilled with this fabric. She did such an amazing job!


Also by Moda, Spirit by Lila Tueller is going to be available any day, if it isn't already. This is a pretty line as well and I do like Lila's style.


And... just for fun, here is a new image of Art Gallery's Dreaming in French. I just love these! I might just end up buying 30 bolts of this on accident.

Also, here's a new sneak peek from Michal Miller. This line is going to be introduced at the October Quilt Market and is called Bonne Amis. Pretty, no??


And there you go. What are you most looking forward to?

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Yards and Yards Original: Secretary Insert How-To

Do you remember THIS great secretary makeover?


Well, I've had a few emails about it and I thought I'd go ahead and answer the question, "How did I make the secretary fabric inserts?" It was really difficult, let me tell ya.

So, here you go:

Supplies:

1 Secretary, hutch, bookshelf, etc.
Foam board (I got mine at Dollar Tree)
Fabric
Tape

Step 1. Measure the openings in the shelves you want to cover. Here's a before shot so you can see why it was so much fun to cover this baby.

Step 2: Cut your foam board to fit your measured openings. Try them out to see if they fit.

Step 3: Cut your fabric leaving about an inch extra on each side.

Step 4: Wrap the foam board with your fabric and tape it in place. Highly technical... I know.



Step 5: Now you have your covered foam boards. Go ahead and stick them in the openings.



Step 6: Enjoy! And you can change it any time you want to!



PS. Linking up to some awesome parties!!!

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