Eye Candy

I am always filled with a mixture of excitement and trepidation when I send sewing pattern files to print. Part of me is relieved that the weeks and weeks of hard work and sleepless nights has finally come to fruition and looking forward to seeing the printed pieces, and part of me can't help but worry that something could go terribly wrong. Luckily my print vendor understands my fear and has agreed to a rigorous proofing procedure. This might add extra days to the process but in my book it is something I cannot do without. I am extremely happy to report that my first 4 patterns are so far error-free and I intend to keep this streak going! :)

OK, so, since my next 2 patterns, the Sophie 3-Way Pants and the Sydney Euro Hoodie, finally went off to the printer this morning, how about some eye candy for you guys? These are the gorgeous photos I received from my pattern testers this week. I just couldn't keep them to myself!

First off, Meli of Jam Clothing Co. tested the Sydney Euro Hoodie, View B with short sleeves and pointed hood. Isn't her daughter Ava absolutely adorable? I am a sucker for great photography so these pictures just grabbed me!





Meli also sewed up a tunic version of Sydney (with long sleeves and pointed hood) using my ModBlooms corduroy and paired it up with the Sophie 3-Way Pants (View B). AHHHH... love these!





Next, Anna Garner, of Sweet Dreams Designs, tested both the Sydney and Sophie patterns. She used a professional modeling/photography service for her pictures, and it shows! Check out this adorable little girl, Tamar, in her Sydney Hoodie Dress (View B with a rounded hood).





Her little twin sister, Yael, looks like she's having a blast in her hoodie! Photos of Tamar and Yael appear courtesy of Teresa Maureen Photography in Austin, TX.



The Sweetest Thing Photography supplied these amazing photos of the Sophie 3-Way Pants, also sewn up by Anna of Sweet Dreams Designs. I just love these!!





And last, but certainly NOT least, are these super fun photos from Mandy Graham of AbbyChase Designs. You may recognize these sweet little girls from the inside pages of my Kyoko pattern. Yep, I asked Mandy if she'd want to do this again and was so glad she said yes because I just adore these girls' funky poses... so much attitude!



Mandy tested all 3 views of the Sophie 3-Way Pants in 3 different sizes!!!





Hope you all enjoyed the fashion show and a million thanks again to all my pattern testers for all your hard work and amazing photos!!! For those of you waiting on these patterns, they are scheduled to be delivered on July 15th, so we will box & ship the following week. Retailers can place their pre-orders on our website right now (log in to the WHOLESALE page with your password to see the new patterns).

Here's a sneak peek of the pattern covers:

More show & tell... and a great GIVEAWAY!

Thank you all for your wonderful comments about my new corduroy. I am giddy beyond words! It's been a great few days... certainly can't complain! I finished and sent off artwork for my next line of fabrics last week. I completed both of my new patterns, the Sophie 3-way Pants and the Sydney Euro Hoodie, and sent them off to my testers. I managed a great photoshoot on Saturday morning and then spent the remainder of the weekend lounging on the couch. I must've needed the rest because I think I slept like 20 hours this weekend! (that's unheard of around here, by the way)

I spent the first part of my week visiting local quilt shops to show Mezzanine and the new corduroy, then received the great news that Mezzanine is SOLD OUT and going into the 2nd printing! WOOHOO! Thanks to all who pre-ordered! I'm floored by the support. :)

So, since I'm feeling great right about now I think it is time for a fun giveaway! But first I'm gonna make you sit through a sampling of this weekend's photoshoot... mwahahaha!

First is Sydney modeling a new ensemble that showcases ModBlooms Earth in 21-wale corduroy paired up with Tiny Dots in quilting-weight cotton. This ensemble is made up of the Sydney Hoodie (View B with short solid skirt) and the Sophie 3-Way Pants (View B).





Then here she is in the Sydney Hoodie Dress (View B with full stripwork skirt) done up in Mezzanine fabrics. I truly adore these photos of her! I MUST get these blown up & framed for my studio:





OK, thanks for being so patient through my little show & tell. Now on to the GIVEAWAY! I will pick 2 winners from the comments left on this post.

1. Winner #1 will receive a 6-piece fat quarter set of my new Mezzanine line for Michael Miller Fabrics.
2. Winner #2 will receive a 6-piece fat quarter set of my Andalucia line for Michael Miller Fabrics, and to sweeten the deal I will throw in some ModBlooms Corduroy! :)

Disclaimer: these photos are for illustration purposes only. Prize packages will be assembled after winners are chosen!

So, I thought long and hard about what kind of contest I could have for this giveaway. Something sewing-related? Been there, done that! A fun rhyme? Jona already stole that idea! A joke? A recipe? Definitely been done! ;) So, since I couldn't come up with anything clever and I was just DYING to get this up today, I thought I'd just make it super easy on you and let you just leave any ol' comment. Say anything! Feel free to say something funny or clever just for the heck of it. I could use the laugh! Oh, and if you feel so inclined you can tell me how much you love my fabric or patterns... haha... it won't get you any extra points since I'll be choosing a winner with the help of the trusty ol' randomizer, but it'll sure make me smile! ;)

So go on... comment away! I'll choose the winners one week from today (Tuesday, June 30th, 2009).

P.S. Don't forget to leave some sort of contact info in case you win... or just make your name a clickable link so I can find ya!

**THE CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED at 448 comments!
Thank you all for your wonderful comments.
I will announce the winners tomorrow.**

Babywale!

Nooooo, not baby whale (although isn't this baby Beluga whale from the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago adorable?)



I'm actually excited about a bolt of luscious, scrumptious, incredibly soft ModBlooms Earth in 21-wale corduroy that arrived at my doorstep last week:



Let's take closer look...



Gorgeous, isn't it? Wish you could feel the velvety softness. I immediately had to cut into it and make a version of the Sophie 3-Way Pants in it. These pictures will appear in the pattern instruction booklets, since I took very detailed pics of every step of construction as I was making these.



I love pairing up corduroy with other fabrics, like quilting cottons for example. The contrast in textures is so interesting! Check out how cool it looks with the Kiwi Tiny Dots!



Oh, and for all of you who have been emailing me about the Sophie 3-Way Pants pattern, I'm happy to report that it is off to the testers as I write this, which means it is near completion. As soon as I get those notes from my dear testers, I will put it into editing mode and send to print.



OK, so since this post has such a random feel to it already, I'll tell you about our weekend. I thought it was such a coincidence that when I Googled "baby whale" for the image on top of this post, the first photo I found was of that adorable baby beluga from the Shedd Aquarium because we just spent an entire day there on Saturday! Yup! We met up with my cousin Olga and her hubby Jorge, who were here all the way from Puerto Rico to attend the Neocon conference in Chicago. It was a lovely day (a little cool for June, but we were indoors most of the day so it didn't matter.)

We saw a 4-D movie called "Planet Earth"...



Hung out and gossiped about family (of course!)



Played in "underwater caves"...



Posed for photos outside the Beluga exhibit...



I was mesmerized by the beautiful jellyfish...



and all those creepy spiky things that live at the bottom of the ocean...



But what really got my attention were these amazing octopus-wrapped Art Deco lamps we spotted in the lobby. Jeez, how can I get one of these for my studio?!?



Have I ever mentioned my obsession with octopi? One of these days I'll have to scan in some of the dozens & dozens of octopus drawings I've done that I hope will someday find a home in some kind of printed medium, whether it is textiles or paper...

Alrighty... stay tuned for a wickedly cool giveaway I'm putting together! Coming up soon!!! :)