Stop staring and start sewing!

It's beginning to look a lot like...a cute house!

Thank you all so much for the sweet congratulations on my last post!  I just found out my skirts (except the one on the cover) are coming back to me on Friday so my wardrobe will be having a party (and I have to be here to sign for it so no Black Friday shopping, yay!).  Some of you actually pre-ordered the book and that totally freaked me out and humbled me.  Thank you!

In the meantime we are keeping very very busy here with some spruce ups that should've happened a long time ago but we've recently been motivated to get the ball rolling.  Our floors have been bare concrete for over a year and we finally decided that, rather than go through all the work of staining them, we're covering them with laminate.  But first, the paint!

It's been over 7 years since I painted the tan color on the left.  It was intended to be a neutral "place holder" so I didn't have to look at white walls (which don't stay white with kids).  Life got busy and the tan color just stayed.  Safe but boring.  I'd seen a room with Sherwin Williams Comfort Grey on this gorgeous blog and ran down to get a paint chip. 

 

Because I'm unwilling to spend over 50.00 a gallon (especially when buying 5 gallons) I took it to Home Depot.  The more Joey and I looked at it the more we realized we really needed to go a shade lighter since we don't have great natural lighting in our downstairs.  So we picked SW 6204 Sea Salt and we LOVE it!  Here it is after drying.



Here's the label info if you like it.  We like the Behr Ultra (with primer).  It was around 159.00 for 5 gallons and I really like it.  I always add a little water to the second coat to make it go on easier and fill in all the little spaces I may have missed on our textured wall.

And we've been tackling the floors one room at a time (2 down, one to go).  This entry way was the nasty part and it was made nastier because, for some reason, we thought it would be easy.  These tiles popped up okay but the concrete underneath them was a real bear to remove.  You can see where the contractor left notes on the concrete which was another reason we decided against the stain.  The builders had a bit of a graffiti fest under the carpet and it was not coming up.

 

This scraping part took us 3 days to finish.  It was only a 4' x 4' spot but dang, that stuff was serious.  Our poor backs.  We would bang it really hard with a hammer and then scrape whatever the hammer didn't loosen.  This left quite a few gouges, which was another confirmation that we had chosen right when we finally decided against concrete stain.

So here is the entry way now.  The laminate is the Tundra Antique Effect from IKEA (at 1.15 sq ft plus the under layer) and we are really in love with it.  We are covering 780 square feet and spending around 1200.00 total.  We'll finish the last room this week and be ready for Christmas entertaining.  Thrilled!  A fresh coat of white semi-gloss on the doors and trims really gets everything cleaned up and sharp looking too.

I'll have more pictures soon.  I need to get my pictures back on the walls and some other fun things (I think I'm going to tackle slipcovers again, argh!).  Have a wonderful, gratitude filled Thanksgiving Day!!  Here's my favorite cheesecake recipe (I'd show it to you but we already sent it out to Grandmas house).  Keep it in your recipe file and impress everyone at Christmas (trust me, it's the best!).

So I got that going for me... (the BIG reveal...finally))

So I wrote a book.  Yes, I did.  All by myself (with a lot of help and hand holding from the fine folks at Stash Books).  It was a lot more challenging than I thought it would be but I've learned a lot and I couldn't be one iota happier with the finished results.

Here it is:  The Essential A-Line, Make 17 Flirty Skirts from 1 Basic Pattern.  128 pages (pattern included).  By Jona Giammalva (eek!). 

The release date is officially March 18, 2013 on Stash (get it early!).  It's already on Amazon and Barnes & Noble for pre-orders.  The release date is set for April 16, 2013 on those sites though (something to cheer yourself up with after you send your taxes in I guess).

Here is the cover.  Gosh.  The gals at Stash Books refer to this as the "Hot Book Cover".  You can see why (I designed and made that skirt!!!!  Oh my heck!!!).

 

The reason I proposed this book is because of all the blog traffic that came to my blog from my Essential A-Line tutorials here, here and here.   Susanne Woods (the former acquisitions editor for Stash Books but now at the amazing Craftsy.com) had been asking me to consider writing a book for quite some time but I honestly thought should couldn't be serious.  Me?  Write a book?  Then she told me about a popular blogger who had turned down the idea of writing a book and I thought "What sort of dummy says no to something like that??"  Um....yeah, I was that kind of dummy.  But not any more folks!

Here are a few of the many skirts in the book.  The photography literally took my breath away the first time I saw it.  And I love this skirt.  I'm buying some boots to wear with it as soon as it comes back to me.  You can see one of my other skirts peeking out from the basket.

Seriously?  How cute did this turn out!  So cute, so hip (I can't wait to get my skirts back from the publisher!).  Peety gets this one since I made it in her size (mini skirts are not my thing now, I know when to stop).  The pattern is made for sizes 0 - 20 (do you ever wonder what is a size 0??  I guess we're about to find out).  It goes from a maxi length up to a mini length and can be plain, layered, pleated, lots of things!

 

One of my absolute favorites!  If you buy this book you will feel like you're walking in a field of flowers on a sunny California day (or something like that).  The way the pattern is designed you can actually do 5 layers of ruffles if you like (or just one, or two....whatever).



Some of the skirts are very fun and casual and some are a little more formal like this one.  I used black lace because it reminded me of the bridesmaids dress I wore in my cousins wedding (a dress I actually did wear again and again!) and I can envision this being in a wedding or just for a nice dinner party.  Plus you can use any sheer fabric as the top layer and have a completely different look.

I took care to include versions that match the skirts in my Edith and Evelyn patterns.  I didn't want to make mommy patterns that matched the style perfectly because how many of us want oodles of gathered fabric around our hips?  The a-line was the perfect answer to that dilemma.  I lost track of how many women said "the a-line is the only skirt that looks good on me" throughout this process.  It really is a flattering style that draws the attention away from our hips and downs to the flared out hem.  So if you already have my patterns for your little one you can now match without looking silly (add the 18" doll version and you can be a complete matched set!).

 

Here is the final editing version on my table.  Done!  Including the sweetest forward ever by my friend Heather Bailey (made me cry).

 

So those are a few of the many skirts in the book (there are actually 18 if you include the basic, no frills added, version of the a-line, which is actually a nice look on it's own) plus I've included a maternity/post-partum version of the a-line (no zipper, yay!) which goes together quickly and looks darn cute!

I have a lot more to share about the journey and the process involved (I've learned so much!).  But I wanted to let this cat out of the bag so you could see what I was doing in some of my quieter times this past, crazy, crazy year.  Thank you!  It was all the readers who come to my blog who pointed me in the right direction with this book and I couldn't be more appreciative (I even mentioned you in the acknowledgement section!). XOXO!

Booths, booths, and more booths (another Quilt Market post)

This is my last Quilt Market post so I'm just loading it with pictures of booths.

 This darling booth belongs to Mary Jane Butters.  Her new collection is called Glamping and this booth exemplified that from the martini shaker to the cushy cot.

 Sweet!

 Cloud 9 fabrics.  Great stuff there!  Organic too!

 Zen Chic....love this quilt.

Seven Island Fabrics...so cute....always.

 And their always cute softies.

 Folkloric Blooms at Kaufman.

 Newcomer Carolyn Friedlander (and her sister).  Keep an eye on this girl.  Such a new, fresh style.

 More of Carolyn's designs....check out that floor.

 Melody Miller's incredible booth.

 Always cute.  Always retro.  Always hip.  And now in great quilting weights too.

 Lila Tueller had a fantastic booth and her new collection is just in shades of black and white.  Stunning!

 Sarah Watson with Art Gallery.  Smart, creative, beautiful!

Trenna Travis with Kathy Miller.  Great stripes and geometrics.

 Craftsy has it going on...go over and check out all of their amazing classes (including cake decorating, hello!)

 Jeni Baker with Art Gallery....so cute and such bright, fun fabric designs.

 Jan DiCintio from Daisy Janie....organic, bright, fun!

 

Amy Butler....rayons, organics, and voiles...oh my!

 

David Butler fabrics....strong enough for a man but made for a woman.  Love this stuff!

That's all for now....whew!  Back soon!

People...people who need fabric...are the luckiest people...

I wasn't even planning on going to Quilt Market this year but my friend Bari J. Ackerman asked if I would be her co-pilot and, after much thought, I realized it was time to get out of my funk and get back in the game.  So we drove all the way to Houston from Phoenix (making 1000 miles to San Antonio the first day!).  As soon as we arrived we started setting up her booth.  It was a lot of physical labor and it felt good after these long months sitting behind my sewing machine.

She had one of the prettiest booths there and her ruffled duvet was a huge hit.  People were coming from all over the place just to look at it and touch it (tutorial coming soon on Bari's blog).  Her new duffle bag pattern is the perfect size and shape for a great travel bag.

She has some gorgeous clothing patterns designed with the skill and talent of Suzy-Homemaker.  That darling coat pattern has me missing having little girls to sew for.

Simply gorgeous.  Be looking for Bari's Splendor 1920 fabric to be hitting the stores soon.

 

Two of my very favorite people, Carla Crim and Jennifer Paganelli.  Such a team they make with Jennifer's fabric and Carla's sewing patterns!  And you couldn't find two nicer people!  I snagged a copy of Jennifer's new Happy Home book....swoon.

The beautiful and talented Dena Fishbein.  I've been a huge fan for years and I finally got to shake her hand and gush about how much I love her (I'm sure she was enchanted).

 

Two of my favoritest people ever, Keith and Kay Whitt.  Always fun to chat with and always up to something new and amazing.

 

The Australians were out in full force at market and they are the best!  One of my very favorite quilt market new friends was Jane Davidson of Quilt Jane fame (I also snagged a copy of Sweet Celebrations, one of the newest collaborative books from Stash Books, which has Jane's work in it.  Fun!).  Jane is from Brisbane, and everyone knows the BeeGees grew up in Brisbane so that makes it a wonderful place.  I had to steal this picture from Jane's blog because every time we were together I was sitting right next to her.  Meeting her was truly one of the best parts of being at market.  And I was so excited to finally meet Linda Lum DeBono (pictured on the right) whom I chat with a lot on facebook but finally got to hug in real life.  She is so witty and talented and I wish we could've spent more time together.

Also from Australia, Sarah Fielke, of Material Obsession fame.  She's so much fun and such a hoot.  Sarah is so talented and she has a design look that is completely her own.  You can spot her work a mile away because it's so unique and vibrant.  And she plays a pretty mean game of Word With Friends on facebook.  Here she is with Amy Lobsiger (not from Australia but equally delightful) of Mrs. Schmenkman Quilts.  She is so nice and her outfits are seriously cute.

Another friend I've known for years online is Louise Stuart of iSewAcademy.  She's a doll and brought the best candy from Australia (I spent a lot of time around her booth).  The boys from Timeless Treasures seemed to like her too.  :)  Those Australian gals are great fun and I hope they all make it to the upcoming Quilt Market in Portland.

 

 

Rashida Coleman-Hale, Emily Herrick, and Jemellia Hilfiger.  I've known Jemellia for years online and this was our first time meeting in real life.  I always liked her before and now I just love her....as much as I like online friendships there's just something about sitting down and talking with a person that you can't get from your computer.  Chatting about kids, and hair, and husbands, and fabric....it's really the best part of Quilt Market.

Cristy Fincher standing near the booth she shares with her mom Sharon Schamber.  Cristy lives here in the Phoenix area and is part of our Phoenix Modern Quilt Guild but it was SO much fun to really get to know her and spend time chatting over the crazy-ness of Quilt Market.

 

Amy Butler and Joel Dewberry giggling near Joel's uber-cool booth.

The lovely Long Ladies from Marie-Madeline Studio.  I love these girls.  They are so much fun and such a sweet bunch!

I'll try to fit the rest of my pictures in one more Quilt Market post (I've got work to do here so I need to wrap things up!).  I hope you're loving everything.  Be sure to visit all the blogs I've linked to and get to know these wonderful, creative people!  It's Monday....let's make it a GREAT week!

An Australian, A Canadian, and an American walk into a bar....(Quilt Market pt. 1)

I LOVE Quilt Market! I'm so glad Bari asked me to go because in spite of the amazing new fabrics, patterns, and books you get to see, the people are the best part.  People fly in from all over the planet and come together to gush over thread.  If extraterrestrials are watching us they must be taking interesting notes..."These quilted vest wearing beings stand in large groups playing with colored strings while smiling and hugging one another....no threat here.  Next planet..."

This is the Aurifil booth.  An incredibly popular area.

People swoon over this stuff.  Why wouldn't they?  Look at those colors.

 

Here are some of the personalities whom have their own collection of Aurifil threads (here with product manager Alex Veronelli are Pat Sloan, Pat Bravo, Jeni Baker, and I need to get the names of the other gals, sorry).  See?  Thread has a cult following.  And they're nutty.  Too much fun.

 

 

I was thrilled to see Laura Gunn and her new collection Cosmos. 

Gorgeous everything.

One of the funnest booths to look at in the whole place.

 

The folks at Birch fabrics have some amazing fabrics and they use 100% organic fabric.  To be honest, when it comes to fabric I don't care if it's organic or non-organic but when it's amazing you've got my attention.  Their fabric is amazing.  The colors are rich, the feel is great (for quilts and garments alike) and the knits are out of this world.  They have the best knits I have felt.  It reminds me of the Hanna Anderssen knits I used to buy for my girls.  Gorgeous colors, perfect drape, and oh so soft.  And organic to boot (consider me sold)!

 

 

 

Anna Griffin's booth was bright and stunning.  I've always loved her fabrics and it's fun to see her expand her line to include more designers.

 

Josephing Kimberling.  I'm a huge fan and am definitely keeping an eye on her.

 

Creations from Josephine's new Global Bazaar collection on the top shelf there.  Stunning.

Charlotte Lyons.  I've loved her ever since I started purchasing the Mary Engelbreit Home Companion books (before the magazine even).  Great fabric collection there.

 

Anna Maria Horner once again had a lovely booth and a wonderful new book.  It's a must have (so I got it!).

 

One of the best things about this market was the number of designers now coming out with RAYON!  My heart seriously leapt when I started touching all of these amazing, drapy fabrics.  Dresses, pajamas, blouses....the things I will make!  While I enjoy quilting my heart really loves to sew clothes and it was nice to see some attention focused on us gals who think "garments" when we see great fabrcis.  Yay!

 

Anna's going to love this picture.  I just know it.

 

Again with the rayon!  Valori Wells knocked it WAY out of the ball park this time with her beautiful booth and gorgeous patterns.

 

Check out this dress.  Yep, rayon.

 

Tula Pink, once again, wowed everyone with her artistry and colors in her new collection Salt Water (if you loved Neptune, you'll need this).

 

I love this picture of Tula on her amazing couch snuggling Brandon Mably.  Two incredibly gifted and fun people

 

That's all for today....more to come!  I'll be drawing the winner from my last post over at my new facebook page really soon.  And I have a huge announcement next week.  Stay tuned.