Finding Good Homes For My Goodies

Sometimes I wonder what kind of home my goodies find once I mail them off to customers. So nothing makes me happier than receiving a photo from customers with one

of my items displayed in their home (or elsewhere). So I thought I'd share a few with you all. Doesn't that first photo look like something you'd see in Pottery Barn? And

that pillow in the window of a NYC apartment makes me giddy because I dream of living an urban life.

Summer Dresses

I love to make my girls one-hour dresses. That seems to be all the time (and attention span) I have these days. So I look for patterns with only three pieces--a front, a back and a sleeve. This pattern by New Look was a winner. I whipped 'em up this afternoon while the girls played computer games. They look so cool you'd hardly know it's 90 degrees today!

The Touch, The Feel of Cotton

There is nothing I love to sew more than a cute cotton blouse out of awesome fabrics. I go to quilt shops and look at all the gorgeous designer cottons, but I'm not really tempted to buy them for quilts. Nope, my weakness is buying the 2 yards necessary to make myself a cotton blouse with a cute mandarin or rounded collar. And I've timed myself--2 1/2 hours to make this blouse from cut to finish. Not bad for something I'll wear for years. This pattern by Simplicity has been my favorite over the last year. I've made it three times now--as seen in these three photos. (Zoom in) I love the gathered sleeve--it's feminine and it gives enough room in my shoulder area so that I can twist myself into a pretzel position while buckling Hallie in the car. I'm trying to cure myself of my addiction to all things stretchy and wear more woven cottons. Ah cotton, the fabric of our lives.

Fabrics top to bottom: , yellow fabric is from Katie Jump Rope by Denyse Schmidt, Pink Coriander by Amy Butler, polka dot by Michael Miller (I think)

Batik Quilted Purse

I've been meaning to make myself a colorful purse for summer. Well, you know the phrase, the cobbler's children have no shoes? It's taken me forever to make something for myself and not for my store. I bought a few of these hand-dyed batiks from a fellow etsy member's shop--A Stitch in Dye--good grief her stuff is gorgeous! I've used some of the pieces for an overly-ambitious queen size quilt I'm working on (stay tuned) and the rest for this gorgeous bag. (The other two Batiks I bought from that horrible chain store that shall remain nameless.)

Last night after dinner I had had it with my kids--their messes, their fighting, and arguing. So I retreated to my studio to make myself a new bag. I quilted this assymetrical bag with feather stitches, a modified zig-zag, and plain ol' straight stitches. I finished it off with a canvas lining with plenty o' pockets and a magnetic snap. Two hours later I emerged with this bag and a smile on my face. Hello, summer!

Meringue Designs Goes Global (Sort Of)

I was interviewed for an article in Utah Valley Magazine called "Work it, Mom". It's about mom business owners, or mompreneurs. Yup, that's me on page 38 of the July/August 2008 issue. You can read both pages about me here and here. Or you can buy a copy, you know, so I can autograph it, or so that you can make a decopauged pencil holder from the glossy pages and see my lovely face everyday.