7 Layer Studio

Modern Yardage

Some of you may recognize the beautiful Emilie Daly as one of my heaven-sent helpers the time I had a booth at the International Quilt Market a few years ago.  We met through my blog, and since she lives in the Salt Lake City area she offered to help me when I was in town for the show.  What a wonderful, inspiring, and totally hard-working helper she was, and we are friends to this day.

We took a trip to Utah and Idaho this past summer (still haven't finished the post on that one) and we got to visit Emilie and her awesome family.  Look, our kids even got along!  Hyrum (head in shirt) was not feeling very photogenic at the moment.

Anyway, I'm posting this to let you know that Emilie has signed on with an exciting, up-and-coming fabric company called Modern Yardage that prints fabric on demand right here in the USA rather than going overseas and spending a fortune printing huge volumes of fabric that may or may not sell.  Their company has made it as a finalist in a Martha Stewart contest, and you can vote for Modern Yardage here.  Voting is open until September 30th, and you can vote up to 6 times daily, so please click on over and support Emilie Daly and Modern Yardage!

Creepy Crawly Shark Attack Piano Guys

I have a soft spot for Halloween.  And design contests.  So when I discovered that Spoonflower was having a design contest with a Creepy Crawly theme, I just couldn't resist.  Really, it was beyond my control.

Nevermind that I still haven't finished the dining room wainscoting, or that the weeds are taking over my yard, or that I still haven't finished installing the trim and painting everything from our last renovation project, or that things like laundry and dishes don't just go away when I'm busy with something else. 

The Creepy Crawlies were calling my name....

 

 

The contest isn't for an entire line, it's for one print.  But by the time I finished drawing all the different bugs and built the main print (the one with all the bugs in little frames), I couldn't help but keep going and use the bug images in different ways.  Plus I was determined to conquer, at long last, my inability to put things into repeat (kind-of important for a fabric designer).  I had never taken the time to really sit down and research/figure it out, so this was the perfect opportunity.  (I didn't have to do anything but choose colors with my first line for Benartex, they scanned my original artwork images and handled everything else).

I emailed some friends for help when I got stuck, which helped a lot - thanks so much Laura Whitton and Emilie Daly, for all the technical advice!  Illustrator is really a pain unless you know what you're doing.  I still know hardly anything about this uber-powerful tool, but I'm getting there bit by bit.  I think I've tapped into about .05% of Illustrator's capabilities by now. Whoohoo!

Anyway, after I finished the main print I played around for a few more days and pulled the rest together just for fun.  Please bear in mind that this isn't a fully thought out, perfect fabric collection - I was just playing around and  came up with some extra designs relatively quickly...so any of you professional designers out there, please judge accordingly.  :-)

If you'd like to go to Spoonflower and vote for my entry, please do!  The nice thing is that, although you can only vote once, you can vote for as many as you like - you just click on whichever prints appeal to you and at the end of the week Spoonflower tallies up all the votes and whichever one gets the most, wins.  There are some really awesome entries, I encourage you to click on over and check it out!  Voting for the Creepy Crawly contest is from October 11th to October18th.

In other news, Hyrum almost got eaten by a shark last week.

 

It was a close call, but he was able to fend off the attack

and, by the end of the day, the two were even friends.

He even got a sharkie ride!

But alas, they have to go their separate ways becase Mr. Sharkie is actually intended for my nephew.  My sister and mom came for a visit this past month to be here for Hyrum's 8th birthday and baptism (hence the family pics below) and I made skirts for my nieces.  Since my nephew likes sharks a lot more than skirts, I designed and made him this mega shark, which is probably bigger than he is!  Yes, I think he'll like it...now if I can figure out how to ship the thing....

Awwww...

Hyrum was so excited about his big day.  In our church we regard little children as innocent and, as such, they don't need baptism until they can really grasp the difference between right and wrong.  The minimum age for baptism is 8 years old, so turning 8 is a big milestone year!

Hyrum was especially thrilled to have Grandma and Auntie here to help him celebrate.

 

Okay, I know this post is going all over the place (that's to be expected when I don't post for a month - again - right?) but I wanted to share one more thing...

 

I am in love with the Piano Guys!!!

 

Words cannot express how incredibly awesome these guys are.  Their technical prowess is matched by their creativity and enthusiasm for their art, AND....they have an incredible sense of humor.

 

How wonderful that, despite their obviously massive talent, they don't take themselves too seriously ... you can tell that they are just having so much FUN!  Such an inspiration on so many levels.

They have tons of videos, these are some of my favorites.  To see them all, go to their website but beware!  They're addictive!  I've spent way too many nights watching their videos instead of going to bed at a reasonable hour - it's just such an incredible blend of gorgeous sound and awesome cinemetography that I can't stop....

I ordered their newest CD, can't wait until it arrives!

Okay, back to planet earth...time to clean the house and take care of all the mundane nitty gritties that I've been neglecting...sure hope that CD arrives soon so I can at least engage my eardrums during the joyful tasks of folding clothes and cleaning toilets!

 

 

Attempting Applique

My fabric line, The Garden Club, is FULL of images perfect for applique.

My trouble is, however, that

1) I don't have tons of experience with applique and

2) I don't have a sewing machine that can do a blanket stitch or even a good satin stitch, believe it or not.  It's a high-horsepower, light industrial workhorse with very little, um, finesse.

So when I set out to make this quilt for Benartex's display at Bernina University, I had issues.  I didn't have enough time to hand-applique all the shapes within the white squares plus all of the little flower blossoms scattered about.

My machine couldn't/wouldn't do any standard applique stitches.  So I ended up using the raw-edge technique that is growing increasingly popular, but to be perfectly honest I'm not a raw-edge kind of girl.  Life goes on, though, and at least it was much faster than doing everything by hand!

I used embroidery floss to do a simple running stitch around all of the applique shapes plus some of the details within the birdhouses, which is an effect that I really like.

My friend Sharon came to the rescue once again on the quilting and binding = I did her son's senior portraits, she did a beautiful job on the quilt.  Bartering is great, isn't it?  I sure think so.

And, despite puncturing my leg on a rock (hit an artery = an amazing amount of blood!) which necessitated an ER visit, stitches, and a tetanus shot, I was able to get the quilt sent off in time.  Fortunately my neighbor was able to wrap my leg well so that the bleeding stopped and I was able to do more work on the quilt and get it sent off to Texas before going in to the ER.  Just 4 or 5 hours after the accident....no biggie, right?  My husband, who came home from work after hearing about my injury, thinks I'm crazy.  I hate to admit it, but he's probably right.  :-)

Trunk Show, Anyone?

 It's time for some trunk shows!  I've divided up all the samples from my booth at Quilt Market into 3 groups, which can be loaned to quilt shops around the country for use in shop displays and to demo my fabrics and patterns.  If you own a quilt shop in the US or if you'd like to see my samples at your favorite quilt shop, please email me and I'll send you details!

Shown above is Trunk Show A.  Everything you see in the photo will be included.

This is Trunk Show B, and again all that you see will be sent off...except the furniture, of course!

This is a detail of the things in the B trunk show.

...and here we have Trunk Show C.  This one won't be available until late July because Benartex will be using these at Bernina University in Texas.

I'll miss seeing all my projects (and those clothespins!) for awhile, but that's okay.  I'll be happy knowing they'll be brightening up people's quilt shops all over the USA.

I've been working on several projects with my fabric, some of which are headed for quilting magazines and, as such, can't be published yet.

But here's a cute little butterfly I was experimenting with!  Hazel giggled with delight when she saw it, and couldn't wait until I finished it.

All you professional quilters out there, please don't laugh at my clumsy attempt at free-quilting around little shapes...my humble machine is not set up to do such things with ease, and I was just fooling around with this initial prototype.  At 1:00 in the morning, which probably explains a lot in itself....but Hazel doesn't mind if the stitching is all crazy.

 

Right, Hazel ol' girl?

Patterns To Go

At long last I finally have all 7 patterns ready to sell!

As can be expected, there was a huge learning curve with these, and of course it took much more work and time than I had anticipated, but it feels great to finally have them in hand and ready to go.

There are 4 quilt patterns to start with, as you can see.  Each one has full-color yardage, cutting, and assembly instructions and charts.

 

 

 

 

Here's a peek at the inside:

They all have very detailed cutting instructions with charts depicting time-saving strips that can be sewn and pre-cut to save time in block construction/assembly.

These quilt patterns are designed for the beginning to intermediate quilter; although as you might have guessed, a beginner would do well to start with one of the more basic quilts rather than the Argyle - that one is solidly in the intermediate category.  If you have made a few quilts before, though, you could handle it.  The Argyle just takes more time and precision than some of the others.

I also have these 3 non-quilt patterns, which are kind-of hard to see in these pictures.

 

Here's a better picture of the Eliza Skirt.  It's made up of 4 different fabrics, but they're strip-pieced like a quilt so it's not as time-consuming as it may look.

 

 

 

 

 

...and here we have the Hazel Skirt.  Boy, was it fun trying to take a picture of this one!  Hazel was leaping off rocks, bouncing around, and generally having a great time...as all 3-year-olds should be doing, right? 

Just not when I'm trying to take a good picture of her skirt!

This is the Infinity Tote pattern that I also sell as a PDF file on Etsy, except that for the hard copy version I made all the bags in my own fabrics and completely revamped the design layout of the pattern.  So it's the same information, but a different format and all-new photos throughout.

...and we mustn't forget our dear garden friends, the Huggable Slug and Sir Snake!

The slug is my favorite, although I have to say I think my kids prefer their snakes = all the better to whack eachother with!

Okay, time for details about where you can get these patterns, if your heart so desires...

After much thought and deliberation, I have decided NOT to sell these individually through Etsy or by creating my own website.  They are only available wholesale.  Let me repeat that in big letters in case any of you are breezing through without reading the text...

I'M NOT SELLING MY PATTERNS AT RETAIL PRICES TO INDIVIDUAL CONSUMERS.  I AM ONLY SELLING WHOLESALE TO QUILT SHOPS AND DISTRIBUTORS.

The reason?  I do not want to spend the bulk of my (already small amount of creative) time shipping out small orders and making umpteen trips to the rather inconveniently located Post Office.  I'm a one-woman show at this point, with no plans or resources to hire an office slave anytime soon, so I need to be very careful how I budget my time between my family, this business, my church and social life, and the never-ending list of house projects.  Not to mention household chores (ugh).

This obviously means less money for me, but more free time and less stress = totally worth it.

IF YOU ARE NOT QUALIFIED TO BUY WHOLESALE, PLEASE ASK YOUR LOCAL QUILT SHOP OR ONLINE FABRIC STORE TO CARRY MY PATTERNS.  THANKS!

I know that the Fat Quarter Shop will be carrying all of my patterns, I'm not sure about anyone else yet.  If you are a shop and would like to carry my patterns, please email me via the button at the top of my sidebar and I'll send you the details!

Okay, moving right along...

I experimented with the whole floating flower thing in my wide-mouthed vase the other day.

It was actually supposed to be an underwater flower thing, but those hydrangea blossoms were just too persistently bouyant.  And my vase was too short.

 

I suppose I could have tried harder to weigh down the blossom clusters, but I kind-of like the way they hover at the top of the vase. 

The leaves, however, stayed put nicely due to all the glass beads. 

Stay, leaves, stay!  Good boys.

I was tired of my Christmasy picture on FB, so I tried to get some springy shots a few weeks ago...but of course since I was using a tripod+timer most of them turned out blurry because the camera didn't have my face to focus on when I pushed the button.  (Gotta get a remote!) I got lucky on this one.  Never mind that I'm all hunched over with my shoulder in the bushes in an attempt to get the greenery BEHIND me rather than BESIDE me.  My eyes are in focus! So that's the one I kept.

 

I kept this one, too, even though my eyes are not in focus.  But hey, the flower is!

 

 

This was also the day that I tried photographing my new spring skirt (yes, that's my fabric...I must say that I REALLY love this skirt because of the colors).  The rocks are very sharply focused, but not much else is!  Ah, well.  It gets the point across.

Please disregard all the wrinkles in the skirt....it had already been through an entire Sunday of Hazel and Hyrum taking turns squirming on my lap at church!

Did I ever post about this?  Just a little baby dress for a friend.

Okay, for my friend's BABY.  It would be a tad too small for my friend.  This fabric is from my stash, it's an older version of Joel Dewberry's Aviary line.  Love it.

Well, I think that officially ends tonight's Show-and Tell session.  Next on the docket is a big update on the Sewing For Orphans project, which (thanks to a LOT of wonderful people) is just about ready to ship to Bulgaria!  The first box, that is...there are thousands more orphans to sew for, so don't put away that sewing machine yet!  I'll share all the details, photos, and thank-you's in the next post.  TTFN!  (for those of you who don't speak Tigger, that's TaTa For Now)

 

Look Ma! I'm on TV!

While at Quilt Market, I was totally honored by an interview with the wonderful Sharon Pederson of The Quilt Show!  She is so much fun, and didn't even chuckle when I totally got stuck and stumbled through my sentences in the middle of the interview.  Thanks Sharon, for keeping a straight face through my (obviously) novice appearance in front of the camera - you're a great sport and I really enjoyed your visit to my booth!

 

 

I also feel like I need to make a disclaimer about my description of One Heart Bulgaria...I mentioned how they meet the orphan's physical needs, but failed to mention all that they do to enrich the emotional well-being of the children as well.  Among other things, OHB provides music lessons, hires "grandmothers" to come love and and play with the orphans, teaches Bulgarian folk dancing, and provides vocational training so that when they turn 18 the kids will have skills to live on their own.  I can't say enough good things about OHB.

So anyway, those of you who have never met me in person can now hear my goofy voice and see me tilt my head to the side WAY too much!  :-)  And all these years I thought it was just something I instinctively did while saying cheese for a still camera....but now I know it's just what I do ALL the time!  My hair is thicker on that side of my head....yeah, that's it....

ps.  I have all 4 quilt patterns printed, the skirt one is ready to print, and the bag and slug patterns are on the way....thanks for your patience, it won't be long now!

To Market, To Market...

What a whirlwind week it has been!

I had such a great time at Spring Market in Salt Lake City.  Not only did I get to create the booth you see here, but I got to reconnect with old friends, make some new ones, and meet so many wonderful quilters!  It was a fantastic experience.

I had been dreaming of this moment for years, and planning this booth for nearly a year, so it was great to finally see it in tangible form.  I could not have accomplished all you see here without the help of so many people!  First I want to thank Karen and Sharon for dropping many of their other activities once my fabric finally arrived (11 days prior to leaving for Market) to help me with the quilts.  Actually the only thing I did on the quilts was piece the Argyle (the big blue and green one on the wall) and the Ascension (the whirling one on the bench); they did all the rest!  Karen pieced 3 quilts and quilted 4 of them, and Sharon quilted the Argyle and did the hand binding on 4 of them.  A HUGE THANK YOU to both of you!  There is no way I could have done 5 quilts plus all the other stuff by myself - you totally saved my bacon.

I made 3 skirts denoting the 3 colorways...

...and I made a flower box to display the 7 patterns that I am selling.

Some local friends helped with the backdrop curtains and some pillows (thanks, Whitney and Murray!)

 

Once I got to Utah, a bunch of us (thanks Edith, Emilie, and Star!) worked on these cute and easy flowers made with yo-yo's and fabric-covered buttons, which were scattered in the flower box and the "bushes".   Edith and Emilie also worked with me for the day and a half it took to set up the booth.

I had hurriedly made this appliqued sign before I left, but as you can see it has issues.  All you professional quilters out there, don't look too closely!  I spent my flying and airport layover time working on the hand-stitching on it, but didn't ever finish it.  Ah, well.  It got the point across, anyway.

Here's my favorite li'l critter, the Huggable Slug - isn't he just, well, huggable?  The pattern for the slug and his pal Sir Snake is coming soon!  And all net proceeds from this pattern will go to One Heart Bulgaria.

Speaking of One Heart Bulgaria, my Sewing For Orphans project was enthusiastically received by a lot of women who were excited to bring the project back to their hometowns to work on.  This makes me SO happy!  Hopefully the project will really start to snowball from here.  If you are unfamiliar with OHB and/or SFO, please click on the icons in my sidebar for more information.

Here's a closer look at the bags for my Infinity Tote pattern.   Isn't that the cutest wagon ever?  My friend Emilie borrowed it from a neighbor, cleaned it all up and sanded the rust off, then when I got into town we painted it together.  Love it.  She also painted her garden bench red just for the booth.  And she found the white stool that I recovered with my fabric so I could have a place to perch during the show.  Not to mention helping me set up and take down the booth, printing more business cards at her house after I ran out the first day, and driving me everywhere for several days.  Thanks for everything!

Here's Emilie Daly, in all her stylish splendor.  She's a prospective designer and her impressive portfolio attracted a lot of attention from several fabric companies, so keep a lookout for her name in the upcoming year!

 

 The little birdies and flowers in my prints are perfect for applique, as you can see on my Eliza-sized mannequin.  I made both mannequins to be the sizes of my girls, for obvious reasons. 

 

 

Now Hazel, whenever she sees the blonde one, shouts, "That's me!  That's me!"

I had Mod-Podged fabric to fit underneath the "stepping stone" spaces I cut in the fake grass, but made the mistake of cutting the fabric before decoupaging it = shrinkage!  Some pieces didn't even quite fill the gaps, but with a lot of carpet tape Edith and I made it work.

Here I am in another matchy-matchy outfit.  I inadvertantly scared so many people when I was sitting calmly in my chair - when I moved around they totally jumped because they thought I was a mannequin too!  Nearly gave one lady a heart attack. 

For any of you who are awaiting the release of my patterns (I didn't have time to get them printed before I left, despite spending all day last Monday trying to do so), please look for the pattern images to appear in my sidebar.  I've still got to get a lot of ducks in a row before I'm ready to fill orders, but it should happen in the next week or so.  Thanks for your patience, and to all of you who helped me this month (including my Mom, who came about 2 weeks before I left to help entertain the kids so I could sew, and of course my husband Steve, who took a week off of work to play Mr. Mom in my absence), thank you, thank you, thank you!