I started a post yesterday wanting to express something life realizing or communicate the importance of being thankful in the tradition of Thanksgiving, and what the holiday means to an American, but as you may have noticed, I fell quite short. In my rambling I realized that perhaps writing about being thankful when I am already so emotional from pregnancy hormones, missing my family and the simple things of the life that I once knew, not to mention the soup catastrophe that had brought me to tears earlier (brings the phrase to mind, "don't cry over spilled milk"), that maybe I should just leave the post in the drafts section. Sometimes there is a bittersweet thankfulness that one finds in the middle of embracing something new and totally foreign, while letting go of that part of you that makes you who you are... something that has been a struggle for me recently. Talk about a redefinition of self!
Diana put it so beautifully in her Thanksgiving post yesterday and I can identify with where she was, where she is, and the emotions that she is feeling. In my head I know that I have been blessed beyond anything that I can ever imagine, now it is working on those missing places so it can sink and settle deeper in my heart.
Wheh!... we made it! We just got back from our weekend show in Verden, which is why I am a little late with this week's post. Hauling displays and shelving, tables, and boxes filled with purses and jewelry is lots of work, but somehow seems doubled when one is "under the weather" with a cold and pregnant at the same time. I was excited to see a lady walking around in a skirt made with Jane Sassaman fabric, and immediately figured out that she was a customer of ours... it looked so great!It's nice to be home to recover and I am ready to settle in for a few holiday projects before Christmas is here... that's right folks, we only have a month to go! So if you are planning to get creative for the holidays, you better get cracking! I have a few fabrics that could inspire you... especially for creative presents for kids. O.K., O.K., I know, my brain might be slightly one-sided right now with baby ideas floating through my head, but don't you think that this week's sale fabrics would make just the most adorable things for little girls?
For me Heather Bailey's Pop Garden collection, it was love at first sight. Oh the possiblities...
Light aquas and lime greens, from the Flights of Fancy collection from Paula Prass... fresh and fun for that springtime feeling...
Darker tones mixed with reds from Patty Young's Andalucia collection. I can envision a sweet Christmas jumper dress for the holidays. (ribbons not included in sale)
So one show down, one more to go. My last show for the season will be a combined effort with Anja (you may remember me talking about her here) December 4th, focusing on handcrafted items with fabric. If you are in the Hamburg area, put it on your calendar to come by and be inspired.
There must have been several of you that had your fingers crossed since this post. In case you may have missed it, or have just started popping in, we are expecting our first child in March. Wanting to sew many things for the baby's room, I feel like it is kind of important to know what we are having. But since we don't know that, for me it makes no sense to decorate the baby's room in yellow or green, only to trade it in a year or so later for blues and tractors or pinks and flowers... what is the point? That is why we are waiting until the "baby cookie" (our nickname) is here and then add the "personality" to the room. We'll have the crib and the changing table and everything else that one needs for baby's first days, but all the frills and doilies will just have to wait.
BUT... how could I let our little one come into the world with nothing from Mommy?
This is actually my very first quilt... my aunt Cathy would be proud, I think. She has been quilting for years and has talent beyond belief... I plan to share with you one of these days. But can't you just imagine snuggling up with brand new baby in this? I made the quilt just heavy enough to provide a little warmth, but light enough to be just the right weight for the upcoming spring and summer weather... and neutral so I can, as Alli suggests, find entertainment as people "stumble around" because they don't know if you have a boy or girl.
I decided to use fabrics from Tula Pink's Hushabye collection (just happens to be on sale until Saturday) because I instantly feel in love with the colorways and designs. I don't want to make too many promises about future quilting projects, but this was quite enjoyable, especially considering who I was making it for.
I had mentioned the shop from Simone some time back, but am finding that every time I visit her site that I am totally impressed with all the new creations that she has whipped up. Based in Düsseldorf, Germany, the trained tailor and manufacturing director for a fashion company, finds that she needs an outlet for her creativity. Simone offers a wide range of accessories in her Dawanda shop from sweet change purses, cosmetic bags, makeup bags, to self made cards and even camera straps.For all you photographers out there that are tired of the boring black camera straps that accompany your top quality camera, why not spice it up a bit?
Simone uses several fabrics from Tula Pink's Neptune collection, this week's featured sale designer.
... from mussels to hidden turtles and other sea creatures, the Neptune collection is the perfect fabric for any nautical fan or those eager for warmer weather to come. Are you dreaming of the beach already?
It dawned on me as I was getting ready to announce this week's sale fabrics, that I have not officially done a proper introduction of one of the collections that is on sale this week. You may remember me metioning designer Tula Pink a while back with her fabulous Neptune collection. With her current collection, Hushabye, the designer presents another equally delicious eye candy. I read in an interview a while back that the designer found it difficult to find fabrics to make things for all of her friends that were having babies, feeling like the whole teddy bear theme was not what was inspiring her for such sweet, tiny projects. So she created her own collection that did. How fabulous is that?!?... when you can't find fabric you like, just make your own.
Found in three fabulous color collections... boy, girl, or still waiting to see, Hushabye mixes and matches so beautifully.
What I really like about the Hushabye collection is while it is designed with baby projects in mind, it is still elegant enough for a variety of projects. In her usual signature style, one can find animals and creatures hidden so well in the design that one really has to look close to see it. Any ideas on "whoooo" decided to hide themselves in the second picture?... brilliant!
Tula Pink's Hushabye and Neptune collections are featured in this week's Quilt Market sale... plus one other surprise designer.
Do you ever wake up in the middle of the night with an idea that you can't wait to wake up and start working on? I guess I do... sometimes more often than I like. Sure, it's great to have have ideas constantly swirling through your head, but after some time, the not so fun part of loosing sleep can catch up.
After doing several shows and getting to meet with customers first hand, many of them communicated to me how important they find it to have a zipper in their purse, for a feeling of security. I have never sewn zippers in my purses, and only recently started adding them as an inside pocket. (tutorial here) For anyone who has ever sewn before, you know that a zipper can be the undoing of a seamstress... the kind of frustrating thing that can make one loose their religion and say things that would make even sailors blush. But nevertheless, I decided to step out and try to accomplish a satisfying result without committing either of the former offenses... here is the result.
So now I have to decided to put this new purse style into my production line (this sounds great, but in reality it is only one person in the production line... me) to see if customers like the feeling of being all zipped up.
I used Valori Wells fabric for this project, one of this week's sale fabrics... sale only lasts through Saturday.
This week's featured Quilt Market sale fabrics include fabrics from Jane Sassaman, not only a talented fabric designer, but also fantastic quilt designer. She redefines the traditional quilt and reinvents it into breathtaking art quilts using her colorful and strong designs in the most unusual ways. For inspiration, I included a few of my previous projects using Jane Sassaman fabrics, which you may recognize...
... a baby "teething blanket", which is on my list for making again in the future, but I think we have a while before teeth come along, and a fabric covered box (tutorial here)
From the more subdued and muted color way...
... a wallet and matching key chain, and "Thank You" cards that I use to add that extra little something to customer orders.
...and don't forget, jewelry is also on sale this week... did you know, just 7 weeks until Christmas!
Since I am essentially a "one-woman-show", with the exception of my husband helping here and there with German translations and other administrative tasks, all the work that I do with Still Water Designs is left up to me. Which means I get to do the fun part of creating, but I also have the not so glamorous tasks of taking product photos, cropping them, writing up descriptions for items, listing them on TWO sites, not to mention packing and mailing orders... sigh, too much to do and not enough time. Right now I am stuck behind the scenes preparing for next weeks sale on jewelry, but I still thought I would share what has been inspiring me these days.
I've only recently started working with Rose Quartz, and I love it! It is such a soft and understated stone, but makes me think of femininity through and through. Quartz is the second most abundant mineral on earth and includes stones such as Aventurine, Agate, Jasper, Amethyst, Onyx, and Carnelian, interestingly enough all stones that I love to work with.What do you do behind the scenes that many may not see or recognizes immediately on the surface?
Inspired by the Tuscan countryside, chestnut branches and architectural details dominate the soft palette of the Chestnut Hill collection. 
The latest collection, Deer Valley, combines rustic prints and nature elements to create a fabric line that has both a feminine and masculine side.
But if fabric is not your thing... we decided to include purses in our sale this week, in addition to jewelry that is already on sale... isn't tomorrow the 1st of December? Which leaves how many days until Christmas?
Inspired by the Tuscan countryside, chestnut branches and architectural details dominate the soft palette of the Chestnut Hill collection. 
The latest collection, Deer Valley, combines rustic prints and nature elements to create a fabric line that has both a feminine and masculine side.
But if fabric is not your thing... we decided to include purses in our sale this week, in addition to jewelry that is already on sale... isn't tomorrow the 1st of December? Which leaves how many days until Christmas?
