Confessions of a Craft Addict

Miss L has been rather insistent that she’s going to be a princess for Halloween. I have tried over and over again to convince her to be something else (namely, Little Red Riding Hood since I still have the Kinsale Cloak I made her last Halloween) but there’s been no swaying her. Princess, she’d insist. A pink princess.

She really liked the princess from Happily N’Ever After, so I sketched this dress, which I thought was a little more appropriate for a four year old. The foundation of the costume is Burda 9702 but mostly I just used the bodice and drafted the skirts myself. (The underskirt is very similar in construction to the inset ruffled panel tutorial I have here on my blog, although I did not turn under the top edge since they are obscured by the ruffle on top of each.)

Of course, in the middle of constructing this taffeta masterpiece, Liesl came home from preschool and announced that she was going to be a pumpkin for Halloween. That daughter of mine can be such a comedienne! As you can see, she didn’t get her way — not that she seems too put out by having to be a princess.

I added a beautiful lace trim to the sleeves, as well as a contrasting panel of fabric edge with pearly ribbon to the bodice. I do wish that I’d cut the contrast panel a little wider at the top; I miscalculated when making allowances for the seam at the neckline.

Those who follow my Twitter feed know that I had a small construction disaster yesterday: I attached the bodice with the right side facing in. Lucky me discovered this after completely finishing the waist seam, too, serging and all. Perhaps you heard the cussing? I have no idea why I deviated from my usual routine, which is to check that I’ve put the pieces together after I’ve pinned but before I sew; however, I can guarantee I won’t make that mistake again. The taffeta is so fine and I don’t think it would have held up to having the seam ripped open, so I just got out my scissors and literally cut the bodice from the skirt. I lost about a half an inch in length and it made for a bulkier seam at the waist, but I don’t think it’s too noticeable.

Her highness certainly isn’t complaining.

Just a quick peek at the Halloween costume I made Miss L. It’s finally finished. Woohooo!

It’s that time again!

I need to move some of these scraps outta here, so I’m doing another Scrapapalooza giveaway — but I’m going to shake it up just a bit.

Two lucky winners will receive a Flat-Rate Envelope stuffed with scraps. Most are pre-washed; some are not. I’ll try to stick with all wovens but I make no guarantees about sizes — just know that anything 1/2 yard or smaller ends up in my scrap bag. Amy Butler, Sis Boom, imported European and Japanese fabrics. You name it; there’s probably a scrap there.

The third winner will receive an FRE of scraps but also will get a Michael Miller charm square pack of Fairy Frost fabrics that I picked up at the International Quilt Market in Houston last weekend!

All you have to do is comment below and you’re entered. I’ll draw three names from my lucky Junior League ballcap on Wednesday, Nov. 5.

What are you waiting for? Good luck!

Just a few things I brought home from Market. I still have a bag full of promotional stuff — mostly brochures and fliers — but these were some of the things I thought I’d share.

1. Ten-piece fat quarter bundle of Citronella by Sandra Banava for Robert Kaufman, purchased at Sample Spree on Friday night. I couldn’t resist!
2. Batik luggage tags from Hoffman California Fabrics.
3. Sandi Henderson’s brochure for her beautiful line of patterns. Have you bought yours yet? (I have!)
4. Flower Fairies flier from the Michael Miller SchoolHouse, introducing the line of fabrics featuring the work of Cicely Mary Barker.
5. Tina Givens‘ new lines of fabrics for FreeSpirit. She also had her new patterns at Market and I have to say they are some of the neatest, most unique things I’ve seen for kids and women. Sarah ordered all of the existing patterns for the shop and Tina has some more on the way. You’re going to want to check them out. Really.
6. Apron from Island Batiks.
7. Super cool purse handles from Hobby & Land. Sheree and I were drawn to this booth and bumped into Jonah there. I swear, I could have spent tons of money if I’d been inclined. As it was, I managed to limit myself to just the one purse frame/handle and just need to pick out the perfect fabrics for it.
8. Fat quarter stack from Paris Bebe that I picked up at Sample Spree. I’d seen some of the fabrics online and never bought them but there was no leaving them when I found them Friday night. “Buy me, Mary!” they cried.
9. Trust me when I say you’re going to want this book. Cassie Barden’s The New Handmade is going to be hot, hot, HOT. Lots of cute patterns: bags, things for the home, cute gifty things. Oh, and Cassie is just about the sweetest thing ever! (She comes by it naturally; her mom is just as great!). The little blue thing on top of the book is a fabric cuff Cassie handed out at her SchoolHouse. (It’s also one of the projects in the book.)
10. Elinor Peace Bailey’s SchoolHouse was such fun. I can’t even convey how entertaining it was. She is so cool and I have to tell you, she was so willing to give advice and share her expertise related to the business. I was just in awe that someone would do that. This is her new line of fairy fabric for P&B Textiles. I also won a cute little fairy — made by Elinor — but it was appropriated by Miss L. Elinor also showed off a great block of the month quilt that I really liked, made with her new fabric.
11. Charlotte charm square pack (by Debbie Beaves for RJR Fabrics) with Charlotte’s Applique Blocks pattern.
12. Heather Bailey debuted her new line of patterns. I went to her SchoolHouse and got to see the finished products in person. These are going to be really popular, I’m sure. I especially liked the reversible purse pattern (and the magnets in the handle are super cool).
13. Jay McCarroll is my new best friend. Seriously. When I told him my oldest child was almost 18, he told me that he couldn’t believe it because I only looked 25 years old. He gave out a free “Cute Tote Bag” pattern with grommets at his SchoolHouse, and gave out the coolest pins at his booth (in addition to autographing photos of himself). You’re going to see his new lines of fabric for FreeSpirit everywhere after it comes out. It’s just that cute. Kind of Japanese whimsy that will appeal to kids, teens and kids at heart.
14. My super cool Fabric Addict pin, courtesy of Myrinda at Fabrichound.com.
15. Brochure featuring Flights of Fancy by Paula Prass for Michael Miller. I will be playing with this fabric for a long, long time. You might recognize the outfit in the bottom right corner of the right page of the brochure. I was so excited that I turned to the complete stranger next to me and squealed, “I made that!” I think she changed seats shortly after.
16. Patty Young’s Andalucia brochure and bookmark. Patty is so much fun! Although I think I freaked her out when I tried to sneak off with one of the samples for her booth (Traci has photographic evidence of this, BTW). It was all in good fun, but then Myrinda and I had to duke it out over the outfit and I lost quite pitifully.
17. Tote bag from the Seven Islands booth after Sarah placed her order for the most gorgeous Japanese fabric. I can’t wait until it comes in!
18. Robyn Pandolph’s new Sumptuous Living fabrics for RJR Fabrics. They are really lovely and have the most amazing hand. Some of the blue colorway reminds me of Jottum’s Rembrandt line. And there are solids to match!
19. New Fairy Frost charm squares from Michael Miller, from the SchoolHouse goodie bag.
20. Magazines from the CK Media booth. I actually went to Mark Lipinski’s SchoolHouse and he told the most riotous story about buying and wearing a girdle. I was in tears! I had him autograph a magazine for Taffy; he wrote “Quilt naked, Cupcake!’
21. The new Mary Englebreit’s Home Companion featuring Amy Butler’s house on the cover. Nabbed in the Amy Butler booth. I was too chicken to actually go meet Amy Butler but I have a magazine. Yep, I’m lame.
22. Postcard promoting Heather Ross’s upcoming book, Weekend Sewing. I actually did go introduce myself to her (at the urging of Sarah’s Westminster rep) and had a nice little chat with her. The book is simply gorgeous and full of projects that can be completed in a weekend (or a little less). It doesn’t come out until March, so make note of it now because it’s going to be “the” book to add to your sewing shelf come spring.
23. Not Your Grandmother’s Log Cabin looks like a fun book and I really like the Q Tools Sewing Edge the author demonstrated. It’s like using a Post-it note or masking tape as a guide on your sewing machine except it’s taller and creates a firmer edge for guiding your fabric under the presser foot evenly without pins.
24. Cute little Flower Fairy fabric bag the folks at Michael Miller filled with chocolate-covered espresso beans for their SchoolHouse. It was the last one of the day and the caffeine was greatly welcomed.
25. Layer cake of fabrics from Timeless Treasures.
26. Sample spool of thread from the Provencia booth. I’m looking forward to giving it a try!
27. Fat quarters of Melissa Averinos’s Sugar Snap line of fabrics for FreeSpirit, along with a bracelet for the company’s new line of home goods. I have been reading Melissa’s blog for a while an have corresponded with her a little by email and I have to tell you that she is exactly like that in real life. Funny and sweet and very, very real — even admitting in her SchoolHouse how nervous she was about talking in front of a room full of strangers. (She did fabulously, though.) Her line is even more beautiful in person and I can’t wait to start sewing with it. (We actually have a Trendy Textiles launch coming up with it in a couple of weeks.) Melissa was also kind enough to talk with me about my own aspirations and how I should go about making that happen, and I’m incredibly grateful for her advice.
28. My “I Remember” block of the month quilt set from Rosalie Quinlan Designs. I have had my eye on that pattern ever since Rosie debuted it and I was so excited she had the set at the Melly & Me booth. I also have Melly’s new fairytale-inspired block of the month pattern on the way and can’t wait to make it.
29. Indygo Junction’s new Teatime Dress & Coat pattern, which I grabbed at Sample Spree. I really like the IJ patterns. The size range is broad, the instructions are easy to follow and the results are perfect, every time. I love how this pattern looks (they had samples up at their booth) and that the instructions include how to repurpose an old pair of jeans to make the jacket.

Saturday and Sunday at Market were full of appointments with vendors, as well as some time meeting people and just chatting. I can’t tell you how cool and intimidating it was to meet some of the people whose blogs I read, patterns I buy and/or fabric I’ve adored.

Lucy, me, Lila and Chelsea at the Pink Fig Patterns booth. What a fun and talented group to hang out with! And, seriously, what a talented family, too. (Lucy and Lila are sisters; Chelsea is their niece!)

I was so excited to get to meet Melly and Rosie from Melly & Me. We’ve been bloggy pals for a bit and they have always been so encouraging and supportive. I’m a huge, HUGE fan of their work and getting to meet them was just amazing beyond words. They are beautiful inside and out. Plus? Way cool accents! LOL! I could listen to those Aussie’s all day long. Every time I went by their booth (which was simply gorgeous), it was absolutely packed with people, snapping up their patterns.

(Above left) Me with Paula Prass in her beautiful booth; I still can’t get over how sweet she and her daughter Jennifer were. Maybe you recognize the jacket. Or maybe not, since you’ve only seen the inside of it. It was so cool to see her wearing the jacket I made, as well as the sample outfit I sewed hanging in her booth alongside the creations of some incredibly talented designers. I also was quite tickled to see a picture of it in her brochure (you can see a small bit of it in the center photo on the row above our heads; the full enchilada is here). In fact — and this is embarrassing to admit — I was sitting in her schoolhouse Friday night, opened to brochure, turned to the complete stranger sitting next to me and squealed, “I made that!” Yes, I am a complete dork!

(Above right) Daria and her sister-in-law Elizabeth were such a blast to hang out with. Daria has the most mellifluous voice I think I’ve ever heard. It was so fun to see her in action, too, interviewing designers on the floor and during her live podcast from the press room. And Elizabeth! Man, that woman is an amazing quilter and a photographer, to boot. Seeing her quilt in Patty’s stunning booth just left me awestruck.

On Wednesday: More namedropping plus cool things you’re going to want. For real.

I’m home and slowly recovering from the whirlwind of a weekend that was my trip to Houston and the International Quilt Market. For those who aren’t familiar with it, Market is the twice-a-year trade show where manufacturers, vendors and distributors pitch their wares to shop owners. It’s a trade-only event and I was fortunate to be able to attend the event with Sarah (the owner) and Taffy (teacher and quilter extraordinaire) of Intown Quilters, where I teach. (Photo thanks to Sarah: Patty, Melissa, me and Jenn)

The show is spread out over four days but the first day is an event called Schoolhouse, with back-to-back sessions about different products and marketing strategies store owners might find useful. My flight was set to arrive in Houston shortly before 9 a.m. Friday, which got me in town just in time for Schoolhouse. From the time I hit the ground, I was on the go nonstop until about 10 p.m. — a grueling day for someone who’d had only four hours of sleep the night before.

Oh, and did I mention that I had laryngitis?

Of course, it wasn’t all work. Patty was kind enough to add me to the list for the Fabric 2.0 party hosted by J. Caroline Creative and Michael Miller Fabrics, so Sarah, Taffy and I headed over there at the final Schoolhouse session for some food, drinks and lots of chatting. I was really looking forward to going because it was a chance for me to meet some of people I’ve met through blogging — and I wasn’t disappointed in the slightest (although I was bummed that my friend Amy was not able to make it — but we’ll catch up at the next one, for sure!). Sheree had some trouble getting there (all those crazy one-way streets in downtown Houston) but once she did, she and I had a blast. She is just as amazing and sweet in person as when we’ve emailed and chatted on the phone. I wish I had even 10 percent of her confidence! I’d share a picture but for some reason, I don’t have one! I swear we took a picture together! (I took Honey’s camera, so I’m blaming that little piece o’ nothing.) Jenn has some great pics up, though, including some with Sheree and what may be some of the better pictures ever taken of me.

Myrinda (far left) is exactly what Lisa told me she’d be like! Funny, sassy and so much personality. She gave me a super cool “Fabric Addict” pin (can’t wait for the T-shirt!) that got lots of comments on the floor over the weekend.

Thanks to Myrinda, I also met Jona G., Jonah, Traci, Jami (eep! Can’t find Jami’s card and site!), Angela and Jenn (plus Jenn’s husband on Saturday night), all of whom were so sweet and friendly, and made me feel just right at home even though I was the new kid.

Tuesday: Part II aka on the floor at Market aka Mary’s namedropping post! LOL!

I’m in Houston and having an amazing – if exhausting – time at Quilt Maeket. I’ve met some really cool people and can’t wait to share all the pics and stories when I get back.

xoxo,
Mary

I leave for Houston in a little more than a day and finally feel like I’m closer to being ready to go. I had all these elaborate plans for clothes I was going to make for myself and I’ve mostly followed through, although it’s meant spending every spare minute at my sewing machine this week. Still, it’s worth it because I now have three cool new skirts and a pair of pants, to boot. I’ll try to add some photos tomorrow but they may not be modeled shots since there’s lots on the agenda before I head on out to Texas.

Sarah called me today to touch base about the trip, since she’s leaving tomorrow (my flight is Friday morning) and it really started to sink in that I’m actually going to Quilt Market. For reals! She also reminded me that I have a cute skirt on display up at the shop, so she’s supposed to be sticking it in her suitcase — which saves me a trip over there — so I can have that to wear this weekend, too. (Note to self: pack slip and a matching shirt.) That makes four cute skirts and one pair of pants for Friday-Sunday, which means I need brown shoes AND black shoes, and they’d better be comfortable because I’m going to be doing a lot of walking during those three days. Whe!w!

My mini sewing marathon is not quite done, since I still need to make a dress to take to someone I’m meeting there, as well as a little purse for carrying around my essential items while I’m wandering the show floor with my mouth open, awestruck. I did pause tonight to sew a little something for   — but you’ll have to wait until tomorrow for the details.

Well, my first croquembouche may rate a  “3″ in the looks department but it definitely scored a “10″ for taste.

I don’t know why I got it in my head that this thing needed to be my birthday cake this year, but I was bound and determined to make it happen.

The cream puffs and custard were easy; I’ve been making those since I was a teenager. The caramel blond? Not so much.

I ruined the first two batches. As in, wasn’t-sure-if-my-pots-were-going-to-recover ruined. Really just an ugly mess. And frustrating. I gave up on the Gale Gand recipe and pulled my trusty Mastering the Art of French Pastry from the bookshelf for a different recipe. Much better that time although still not perfect. Although I did have an unfortunate incident that involved burning the tips of two fingers when I tried to retrieve a dropped cream puff with my bare hand. Brilliant move, if I do say so myself. I’m hoping the blisters will be gone by Thursday because I want to get a mani before I leave for Houston.

The croquembouche is supposed to be a bit more vertical than this. I’m blaming the poor shaping on my burnt fingers, since I’m right handed and was hampered by the discomfort. The guests at my little surprise shindig did not mind and proclaimed it quite tasty. I’d have to agree.