nanaCompany

Paperie Blog Tour kick off | the week in pics

Very excited today is the start of the Paperie Blog Tour!  Twenty-one old and new friends sewing with my first fabric collection to inspire you (and me!)

And we're kicking off with the very talented Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt, author of the book, Sew Organized For the Busy Girl.  Go see what she stitched up and enter for your chance to win a Paperie love letter!

 

January 25 ~ Heidi Staples of fabricmutt.blogspot.com

January 26 ~ Kerry Goulder of kidgiddy.com

January 27 ~ Cheri Lehnow of tinkerwiththis.blogspot.com

January 28 ~ Sharon Holland of SharonHollandDesigns.com

January 29 ~ Jemima Flendt of tiedwitharibbon.com

January 30 ~ Michelle Curtis of chellesquilts.com

February 1 ~ Christina Egner of onelittlepooh.net

February 2 ~ Ali Brorsen of BecauseofBrennaClothing.com

February 3 ~ Kristine Lempriere of townmouse.typepad.com

February 4 ~ Nicole Young of lillyella.com

February 5 ~ Lori Landenburger of sewpsyched.blogspot.com

February 6 ~ Jennifer Chon of sunnyincal.com

February 8 ~ Melissa LeRay of ohhowsweet.com

February 9 ~ Megan Jimanez of quiltstory.blogspot.com

February 10 ~ Faith Essenburg of saranaave.wordpress.com

February 11 ~ Renee Lange of sewnwithgrace.com

February 12 ~ Sedef Imer of downgrapevinelane.com

February 13 ~ Kristyne Czepuryk of prettybyhand.com

February 15 ~ Heather Andrus of quiltstory.blogspot.com

February 16 ~ Stacy Olson of stacyolsondesign.com

February 17 ~ Erin Cox of whynotsew.blogspot.com

February 18 ~ Amy Sinibaldi of nanaCompany.typepad.com

 

{ the cutest handmade mouse quilt and buttons and lovely things sent to me by Alisha Orlando.  If you love the buttons as much as I do, contact Alisha at Instagram: ministryoffabric }

{ "Love is All Around Coaster" sent to me by the lovely Anorina, who graciously offers the pattern free on her blog: Samelia's Mum }

{ gifts from Chiara including pretty buttons on button cards I designed for eHow.  You can find the button card printable here. }

{ beautiful new AGF fabrics arriving just in time, as I write my second book. }

{ Paperie Log Cabin Mini inspired by this one: made by Christopher, the Tattooed Quilter }

{ my desk, after being tidied up }

{ inspiration pic for a project just wrapping up }

{ when you've only got 5 minutes to sew... take it. }

xo amy

Paperie dresses by The Freckled Pear

Patchwork is fun but garments make me nervous.  Sooo this year I've decided to tackle garment making head-on.  I mean, yes, I've made a few dresses for the girls in the past ~ but this year I want to try sewing sleeves, shorts, more complex frocks, and even something for myself.  (eek!)  How serendipitous that I recently "met" Dana of The Freckled Pear on etsy ~ she creates beautiful PDF sewing patterns for kids.  The dresses in this post were sewn by Dana and what a treat it was for me to see the quality of her craftsmanship ~ beautiful garments straight from the designer's hands.  (Something to aspire to!)

She used my "Cosette" print from #PaperieFabrics and this dress (which was actually a prototype) came out simply beautiful.

Those pin tucks add just the right amount of detail and charm.  There's even a little tuck at the hemline as well.

The Penelope Pin Tuck Dress pattern is available for sale now. 

 

One of the most popular dresses at Dana's shop is the Emma Rose Dress.  Here is one sewn up by Dana using my "Eponine" print from #PaperieFabrics in voile.   

This was Livi's favorite.  She couldn't stop twirling!

Don't you just love that ruffle collar?  Psst.  Want to see the dress I'm going to try making?  It's called the Vintage Kate Dress ~ it has sleeves and a peter pan collar.  Go check out The Freckled Pear to see what you like best!

If you're interested, I hope you'll join me this year in conquering that fear of sewing garments.  And if garments don't make you nervous ~ what is the sewing skill you want to tackle this year?  I'd love to hear!

xo amy

Paperie Blog Tour!

I was really excited about my Tall Tall Trees bed runner ~ made exclusively with Paperie fabrics and Pure Elements.  I added the borders and a few extra shots of color.  But after several minutes of quilting I immediately began to feel uneasy.  I was pretty sure I should rip out my stitches and start over, but it was already too much.  Too dense, too swirly, too... I don't know.  I wish I'd straight lined quilted it but it was too late, so I carried on ~ falling completely out of love.  (Don't you hate that?  When you ruin a perfectly wonderful quilt top with the wrong quilting?!)  I decided to give it a wash and see if I would like it better then? 

I do!  (I also didn't look at it for a couple of days.)  I still wish I'd straight line quilted it, but heck, I like it.  It's crinkly, it's soft, and I like the pops of color it adds to the end of my bed.  Also, it'll only be hanging out with us during the winter.  (Now I'm thinking a "half-hearted" runner will be great for February! ;)

 

Pretty excited about all the things to come in this shiny new year...  One of these is a blog tour of talented sewists who are joining me to show you so many wonderful ways to use Paperie fabrics ~ in beautiful, practical, and inspiring projects.  I hope you'll follow along!

January 25 ~ Heidi Staples of fabricmutt.blogspot.com

January 26 ~ Kerry Goulder of kidgiddy.com

January 27 ~ Cheri Lehnow of tinkerwiththis.blogspot.com

January 28 ~ Sharon Holland of SharonHollandDesigns.com

January 29 ~ Jemima Flendt of tiedwitharibbon.com

January 30 ~ Michelle Curtis of chellesquilts.com

February 1 ~ Christina Egner of onelittlepooh.net

February 2 ~ Ali Brorsen of BecauseofBrennaClothing.com

February 3 ~ Kristine Lempriere of townmouse.typepad.com

February 4 ~ Nicole Young of lillyella.com

February 5 ~ Lori Landenburger of sewpsyched.blogspot.com

February 6 ~ Jennifer Chon of sunnyincal.com

February 8 ~ Melissa LeRay of ohhowsweet.com

February 9 ~ Megan Jimanez of quiltstory.blogspot.com

February 10 ~ Faith Essenburg of saranaave.wordpress.com

February 11 ~ Renee Lange of sewnwithgrace.com

February 12 ~ Sedef Imer of downgrapevinelane.com

February 13 ~ Kristyne Czepuryk of prettybyhand.com

February 15 ~ Heather Andrus of quiltstory.blogspot.com

February 16 ~ Stacy Olson of stacyolsondesign.com

February 17 ~ Erin Cox of whynotsew.blogspot.com

February 18 ~ Amy Sinibaldi of nanaCompany.typepad.com

Get inspired by the projects, meet the makers, and enter cute giveaways.  It's going to be a big Paperie party!

xo amy

farewell 2015 | hello 2016!

{ my free holiday gift tags in action.  find the printable here. }

{ yummiest homemade sugar cookies from Alissa of MySweetViolette }

{ sweet Paperie fabrics gifts from Jenni of @zjsquiltymomma }

{ paperie charms made by Melissa of OhHowSweet.com }

{ Paperie ornament made by Renee of SewnWithGrace.com }

Anne came home from college for Christmas (we ate lots of soup, saw the new Star Wars, went to the Nutcracker, and then I got sick, boo) ~ and with a blink of the eye she was gone.  I made these two pillow shams for her using Emmy Grace fabric by Bari J Ackerman, with yellow and grey AGF "round elements" as accents.  And then I finished sewing the trees for the winter bed runner I've been slowly putting together for weeks.  It's going to look great at the foot of our bed, against the soft grey gingham quilt we keep on all year long.  I'm hoping to get this runner quilted asap and I can't wait to show you.  

 

 

2015 was a very big year around here.  A year of firsts.  A year of dreams coming true.  A year of hard work coming to fruition.  There is so much I could say about the changes in my "work", about the path I never expected to take, and how that's affected myself and my family ~ but I'm not still enough at the moment to talk about it.  There is a heap of work on my plate for the month of January.  I've been joking with friends that I'll be able to rest in spring 2016, but I'm completely serious.  Nobody told me how to shift gears between the stay-at-home mom who was sewing and crafting and blogging for fun, to the professional who is quite suddenly having to think like a 'business person.'  To be blunt, I am the worst business person.  I'm more of an artist, which is almost the polar opposite of a business person.  I'm trying to wear both caps lately, and that has been the biggest transition for me.  But I love the growth.  I love the challenge.  And I love the quote I found this year (said by the most unlikely of persons, Naomi Campbell) ~ "I am never overconfident about anything. I know I'm a work in progress."  I am, and will be, a work-in-progress for the rest of my life.  And I'm happy about that.

I keep these tiny jars of "sprinkle" beads on my desk ~ they're kind of dusty and ignored mostly ~ but I have them there to remind me of the start of this creative journey.  I made so many "playtime" felt sugar cookies in the beginning, it was crazy.  And I still think those cookies are cute, but I love the growth that has happened since then.  I'm more than excited about the growth in my future.  And it is never lost on me that I depended on your support, encouragement, and inspiration ~ every step of the way.  I thank you so so much!

Here's a quick look back at the past year.  I can never cram all my makes into one of these mosaics, so this year I've taken the liberty of doing two ~ to look back at a most amazing 2015. 

{ nanaCompany makes of 2015 }

 All of the pics can be seen in full at the main 'photos' link above.    

 

 

"Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire!"

xo amy

Paperie Holiday Gift Tags | free printable!

It's Christmas Eve Eve!  I've poured myself a glass of wine and I'm ready to wrap presents.  If you're still wrapping gifts like me, I've designed a free downloadable sheet of gift tags to make your presents extra pretty!

For best results, print on smooth card stock or sticker paper and trim directly along the lines ~ or, leave a thin white border around the tags.  Paper punches with decorative edges are also a fun option.

Cheers, friends!

xo amy

Not even a Mouse! | Where to buy: Paperie

There's a new mouse in the house.

This one's got a polka dot cap and his coverlet made from Paperie fabrics + Art Gallery Pure Elements (solids).  I even added a jingle bell to the bottom of his quilt as a finishing touch.  Gotta love him.  This mouse loves his teddy bear and has such a sweet tooth he sleeps with his candy cane! 

I stitched this one up using Aurifil 12 wt. in black and various Aurifloss for the colored details.  See previous posts about my "Not Even a Mouse" pattern here and here (find the pattern available for purchase at my etsy shop).

 

For those inquiring, here is a list of online shops I've discovered selling Paperie:

Westwood Acres

Fat Quarter Shop

Hawthorne Threads

Southern Fabric

Pink Castle Fabrics

Stash Fabrics

The Quilted Castle

The Intrepid Thread

Sew Modern

Tillalili

Janum 

Kiwi Fabric

Lady Belle Fabric

Llama Fabrics

Fabric Worm

Thimbleanna

OlieandEvie

SimplyLoveFabrics

Oklahoma Quiltworks

Fabric Shack

Fabric Bubb

Punkin Head Threads

Winter Creek Cloth

Fiberworks

Quilted Thimble Cottage

Janie Lou

The Homemakery (U.K. coming soon!)

Pretty Fabrics and Trims (U.K. coming soon!)

Muddy Ruffles (Australia)

Web Fabrics

Tula Fabrics

 

Happy Friday, everyone!  I leave you with some random shots I've taken during the last several weeks...

{ Paperie yardage! }

{ My fancy new desk chair from Ikea }

{ birthday flowers }

{ My very first nanaCompany holiday postcard: designed, printed and mailed this year! }

{ heart strings garland I ordered from Faith Essenburg on Instagram }

{ Paperie mini quilt }

{ Olivia, age 7, lost her front tooth ;) }

{ the tree in the girls' room, spectacularly decorated by them }

xo amy

winter sewing | Minted giveaway winner!

I have been planning and scheming with a spool of thread...

It's my new favorite: Aurifil variegated thread 4654 in 28 wt.  And I gave it a first try the other night, on a patchwork of AGF Pure Elements set against my "Stamped" print from Paperie.  

I've got bigger plans in store, but this was a great practice run with the thread and doubled as a quick hostess gift (potholder. stuffed with three layers of insulated batting!)   Did I show you the Tall Tall Trees cushion I made a few weeks back?  

(The Tall Tall Trees pattern is in my etsy shop, btw.)  But for this cushion I widened the sashing so the pillow measures 20" x 12".  Love it!

Here's another little pattern from my etsy shop that I'm revisiting:

A mouse doll quilt in Paperie is finished ~ now I just need a mouse! 

Big congratulations to the winner of the Minted giveaway... and thank you to all who entered.  If you haven't visited Minted lately I think you'll be surprised at the gorgeous range of products they sell all year long.  So much more than stationery.

All my Christmas cards have been sent on their way, our tree is up, and as shocking as it may seem, there's only 10 days 'til Christmas!  One more thing before I go.  The dress Mia wore in our holiday photo pics was made by my friend Heather Hales Designs and was gifted to me totally by surprise.  It's such a gorgeous dress ~ I just had to show you the hand-embroidered tag Heather stitched inside.  Such an amazing detail.

xo amy

Half-Hearted | free PDF pattern

One of my favorite prints from Paperie is the heart print, "happily ever after".

And while preparing for Fall Quilt Market 2015 I stitched up this mini as a re-creation of that print:

{ photo credit: AGF Studio }

I'd like to make a bigger quilt using my "half-hearted" block and thought you might like to try it, too.  Please find the free PDF pattern here: Pattern No. 31 Half-Hearted

And let me know if you sew one up, too ~ I'd love to see!  (#HalfHeartedPattern)

xo amy 

our Christmas card 2015 | $200 giveaway from Minted

{ Some of the outtakes from our first photo session }

Every year I look forward to this.  ha ha.  The Christmas card frenzy.

And every year, we survive.  Honestly, I have Minted to thank.  They make such fabulous printed products it motivates me and keeps me interested because every year they up the ante ~ creating gorgeous new designs.

This year we went with gold foil, and I ain't lying, it's super luxe.  These are our best cards.  Ever.  

We went with a printed message and printed envelopes, making it also the most hassle-free card season to date.  As usual, I'd ordered all my stamps online way early from USPS.com, nabbing a bunch of pretty styles including the Peanuts stamps, of course.

One year, I wrote an entire post on tricks and tips for a successful holiday card giving season ~ see it here.  This year, I've got a fun new tip for you:

And I say this not just because I couldn't find my sponge-tipped envelope moisteners this year.  I say it because I felt like there was more control here.  Less mess.  And a paintbrush is something I keep in the house anyway, so that's definitely a win.  ;)

Seriously, guys, you'll want to enter this giveaway. Minted is generously offering $200 to spend on their gorgeous products to one lucky winner.  To enter, please leave a comment below telling me what you're itching to get (psst, they've got fun New Year's cards to choose from that will really set you apart from the pack.)  I'll pick a random winner on Saturday, December 12th.  

good luck!

xo amy

LookBook

One of the things I've loved about Art Gallery Fabrics all these years is the LookBooks they create for all new collections.  The LookBooks showcase all the new prints displayed in fun projects and offer project details where possible.  The Paperie LookBook came out today and I hope you'll go take a peek. 

Of course, I made many of the items in the Paperie LookBook but the ones I'm most proud of are two dresses I stitched up most recently using Paperie yardage.  I made one for Olivia and one for Mia using their favorite prints, Manuscript and Eponine.  Here are a few shots from our photo session...

Here's a closer look at Mia's pocket(s):

p.s. I've got countless, countless pics of Mia sticking her hands into these pockets lifting that dress up to her chin.  ha ha!  Mia.  I kept having to yell, "Mia, put your dress down!"

xo amy

merry and bright cushion cover | free PDF pattern

Now we're going way back to this cushion I made in 2012, for my Olivia.  It's simple, it's easy, and I've finally written up a pattern for you.  Make one for Christmas, make one for Valentines Day, make one for every holiday of the year (you know, with different wording in the sash)!  It's the perfect accent pillow and with easy instructions, you could stitch one up this afternoon.  Download the free "Merry and Bright" cushion cover PDF pattern here.  

And if the free pattern isn't cool enough, Pink Door Fabrics has put together some woodland themed kits just for you, using their adorable new Christmas fabrics ~ check 'em out here.  (Check back later today if you don't see them yet).

I made this one up using current faves from my stash and I kinda love it!

happy sewing!  xo amy

Faith, love, and gifts that keep on giving...

Sometimes you get a gift and you love it so much, you get out your scissors and cut it to pieces..

See that gorgeous Liberty heart garland?  It was handmade by my friend Faith.  She makes and sells them at her Instagram account @faithessenberg.  She sweetly sent me one completely out of the blue, along with some pretty things from Anthropologie, because that's just something Faith does (insert heart emojis here.)  So you see that gorgeous tea towel?  Think you could use it to wipe up spilled juice and chocolate sauce?  Me neither.  I love it too much for that.  So I hope Faith's not offended but I cut it up and turned that towel into something that will add beauty to my every day.  Something I really needed ~ have been wanting for years.  

A cushion.  For my bum.  At my desk chair.  Yes!  So despite the fact that I'll be sitting on it daily, and you might think that's kind of a weird way of showing your love for something, I'd say there's no question about whether this is the better use ~ better than using it to mop up kiddie spills.  Look how gorgeous it is!

I quilted it with 28 wt grey Aurifil thread and used one of my favorite Bari J. prints as binding (Panache Profundo from Petal and Plume collection).

At the moment, this is what my desk looks like.  A pretty mess.  I unceremoniously strung up Faith's heart garland the day I received it, but I'm going to find a proper place for it at my next desk clean-up.  (#thehonestdesk )

And then of course, in true "depression-era mentality" (where I feel compelled to sew with every last scrap), I used up the sides of the towel that I'd trimmed off...

I didn't even sew those strips together, I simply arranged them onto a piece of fusible Pellon interfacing (808 or 809) so there were no raw edges.  Then I backed it with batting and quilted like crazy.  There is also a piece of Insult-Bright and another piece of batting in there, so this hot pad is thick and ready for action.  I made it as a gift for someone ;)

But that wasn't enough.  (I told you Faith's gift was the gift that kept on giving.)  After I'd quilted my chair cushion there were trimmings and I couldn't bear to throw even those away.  So now I have bookmarks to share...

And now you truly know how nutty I can be about using every last scrap (but you get it right?   When it's a gorgeous Anthropologie tea towel that was a gift, you would do the same thing, RIGHT?!!!???).  I fear when I get older I'm going to be one of those ladies that saves salt packets and walks out of restaurants with wads of napkins in her purse.  ha ha!  I laugh now.  ha ha... oh no. 

{ Thank you Faith!  Hope you need a hotpad.  xo }

xo amy

Paperie at Fall Quilt Market 2015 | Recap

In the days leading up to Quilt Market while preparing for my very first booth for Paperie, I spent little snippets of time working on non-market projects just to keep myself sane.  I found these sweet paper gift boxes at JoAnn's and think they're too pretty not to share.  Don't they remind you of the gorgeous favor boxes at Laduree? 

I filled these up with favorite fabrics and sent some off as thank you gifts to the girls who hosted the Sweetly Stitched Sew Along.  I can't wait to fill some boxes with Paperie fabrics, soon!  (p.s. Paperie fabric ships to shops this month!)

And in the spirit of lovely boxes, one of my very first makes using my strike-offs were these awesome boxes using Amber Crawley's square box pattern.  If you enjoy English Paper Piecing, you'll enjoy making these boxes as the technique is quite similar.  (Find all of Amber's patterns here.)  Love love love.

It wasn't easy, but little by little I began to cut deeper into my strike-offs to make samples for my Paperie booth.  Above was a sneak peek at a doll quilt I made.

A "Little Granny" quilt made using Stacy Olson's pattern: (get it at her Etsy shop).

I made a little zakka holder (I will be writing the pattern) to make sure my booth had a whimsical piece in it.

As I was dwindling down to the last bits of my fabric, I enjoyed making little things like this tray á la A Spoonful of Sugar.

I fell madly in love with this drawstring bag made with my "happily ever after" print.  (Pellon "shape flex" gave the bag such great structure.)

I bought a few props and made a few tags with the smallest of scraps just for fun.  I did some paper crafting...

I didn't have time to take pics of all the things I made for Market ~ it was like a tornado at my house.  But it all came together for my booth...

The adorable knit baby clothes were made by friend Melissa of Oh How Sweet.

And every person who walked by my corner went straight to this wall to touch this dress.  So soft.

The awesome book stack "Paperie" quilt was made by my dear friend Jenn of Sunnyincal.  It received the most compliments out of everything at my booth ~ because, yeah, Jenn rocks.  Everything else was made by me, but I'd like to say a big thanks to Norma of Petit Design Co. ~ she had the frantic and delightful task of quilting my pink quilt and doing the binding for me as well, and then shipping it to me in Houston as I was running that late.  Of course.

As for the experience of Quilt Market?  Well.  Do you have a bottle of wine and a chocolate cake and a few hours to spare?  Because not only was it my first booth, but it was my very first time experiencing Quilt Market at all and I think I felt every emotion possible during the process.  I love this pic of me and the girls below (you know, Maureen Cracknell, Pat Bravo, and Sharon Holland) ~ because I couldn't have done it without them.  And my husband.  I have so much love for these people.  

It was most definitely a whirlwind with a concentration of experience that I've been trying to absorb and dissect ever since.  I suppose I've never before felt like I was on stage and yet my booth sort of was... a stage, which was exhilarating and nerve-wracking at the same time.  Of course everyone I met was so nice.  And I knew that those five days would have quite an impact on me.  I'd been told it's an emotional rollercoaster ride and "they" weren't kidding.  I think what's most important is that I've come home from Market with a very clear idea of where I'd like to go on this creative journey... and that I know I'm surrounded by exactly the people I'd like to journey with.  And that is a very good feeling.  Indeed.   

Then I got home and before I could blink it was Halloween.  

At the age of three, I finally got Mia in a costume and that made this Halloween especially fun.  (Get this "Trick or Treat" art and other adorable printables at Ink and Bobbin on Etsy.)

We had a Pirate Mia, Mad Hatter Olivia, our friend Olivia as Alice, and Nicholas the Headless Horseman...

Ever the little nut, here's Mia cracking us up with her favorite Pirate poses (???).  And the truly headless horseman, ewww.  Hope you had a spooky fun Halloween!

Goodbye October.  Hello November!  My favorite month of the year :)

xo amy

hello October

It's still hot here.  And humid.  Hot and sticky humid.  So have I mentioned I'm really excited about the month of October coming and bringing with it some cool weather for boots and sweaters and scarves?  Also, hello October!  This year ~ for the first time ever ~ it means Quilt Market in Houston.  I'll be there at my booth for Paperie with Art Gallery Fabrics and I'm so excited!!! (nervous, panicky, and thrilled... all at the same time!)

 

  

A few of my projects are in Make It Yourself magazine right now... have you seen?

I made this pillow using scraps from different lines of fabric.  The black dots are from Hello Bear by AGF.  Both the red stripes are Bonnie and Camille.  The colored dots are from Robyn Pandolph for RJR, and the postal stamp fabric is a remnant and sadly I don't have the info for it.  I love how they styled this pic.  Find the pattern for this "Patchwork Pine" in the magazine!

This oven mitt was made using Little Joys fabric by Elea Lutz for Penny Rose Fabrics.  Elea's fabric designs just kill me.  They are so classically sweet ~ just like her.  And p.s. my friend Kristyne has a project in the mag, too ;)

{ The three images above were used with permission from Make it Yourself™ magazine. ©2015 Meredith Corporation. All rights reserved. }

Make It Yourself (Fall/Winter 2015 issue) is at newsstands now!  Or you can download it here.

 

 

Wilmington, North Carolina is such a charming town.  Renovated brick factories, quaint shops, on the water...  (If you go there, be sure to check out the crepe place in town.  You're welcome.)  I flew there last weekend to teach at the Swapaholics retreat and had a blast with a fun group of truly sweet, talented, and giving women.  I didn't bring my camera and I wish I did, but as it was my first experience at a sewing retreat I'm sure I won't forget it.  (If you'd like to take a peek, check out #swapaholics on Instagram.)  And, although I only participated in one swap, I got some handmade goodness from several women that I heart and admire ~ so each of these things are special to me.  Thank you Jennie, Renee, Jamie, Gina, Nicole, Linda, Katmama and Cheri ~ so excited to have something from each of you! 

And I have to shout out that I was especially touched by the bunny that Renee made just for me.  It literally brought tears to my eyes... just look at the Paperie heart (talk about creative and thoughtful)! #bigloveforthatgirl

p.s. now that the retreat is over, I'll be releasing my pattern for the "Well Traveled" sewing book soon!

 

 

Congratulations Wendy!!!  (Wendy who wrote: "Looks like a cute book with cute idea's. Something I really would enjoy. Thanks!")  You've won a free digital copy of Erin Cox's new book, Sweet Tweets!  We'll be in touch to get you your prize :)  

 

 

When I returned from Swapaholics, I came home to a box of fabric containing strike-offs for my Limited Edition line Paperie.  Wow.  My name on the selvedge?  A dream come true.  And this isn't even the final product.  Little tweaks and fixes happen once strike-offs are examined and then the designs are printed onto AGF's luxurious pima cotton. 

And I now have the ability to tell you that cutting into and sewing with your own fabric is pretty sureal.  Pairing it up with linen in your first project?  Of course!  Gah.  This is fun.  

xo amy

these days | crafty planner episode 29

These days... I keep reminding myself, "work smarter, not harder" but I am so easily distracted.

In a few days I'm leaving for North Carolina where I'll be teaching a class at the Swapaholics retreat with a group of amazing sewists.  Preparations for that have pretty much consumed me (along with prepping for Fall Quilt Market, a major magazine job, and husband's birthday!) sooo ~ when I start to feel out of control and overwhelmed I invariably find something useless to do.  Something useless and repetitive.  Helps me think.

Decorating my postcards with tiny glassine envelopes filled with strips of fabric tape seemed like a good idea at the moment.  Such a pretty diversion, right?  Yep, then it was right back to tackling that to-do list ;)

Ordering info:

• Find the 2 1/8" glassine envelopes at Mind the Wrap on Etsy.
•  Find the Francoise stamp stickers at Chickydoddle on Etsy.
•  I order my postcards from Vistaprint. 

 

 

Sandi Sawa Hazlewood, the Crafty Planner, has had such an amazing line-up of guests on her podcast (just recently Denyse Schmidt and Jen Kingwell) ~ I'm more than honored to be featured on today's episode: "Crafty Planner" podcast: Episode 29.  If you'd like to hear the chatter of someone sweet, intelligent, and personable ~ that's Sandi.  I always make such a fool of myself.  Go listen in!

 

 

Ya know, I totally forgot to pick a winner for the miniature hoop necklace kit giveaway, so here goes...

Yay Heather (grace.is.mine.)!!  Please send me your mailing address and I'll ship it right out.  And for the rest of you, see all the awesome Dandelyne hoops available for purchase at Stitch Craft.

 

 

Meanwhile, I'm waiting on some very important fabrics to arrive so I've dusted off my stash of holiday prints + basics.  I'll leave you with a little glimpse of some secret sewing I've been doing for friends...

Not much to see here,  I know.  That's because it's supposed to be secret ;)

p.s. Pick up destash packs of Christmas/holiday prints + basics at my nanaCompany shop on Etsy now!

xo amy

Paperie ~ see the full collection!

No more sneaky peeking, no more teasing... it's all out there, girls!

Get a good look at Paperie, my Limited Edition collection (yes, all ten prints!) with Art Gallery Fabrics in their new Fall 2015 LookBook... click here to see.  Seriously, go check out every print!  And so many other gorgeous designs coming your way from the AGF family.  I'm truly in love.  

After you've checked out the LookBook lemme know what you think?  I've been so excited and nervous about this, I'd love to hear what's your favorite print?

xo amy

Sweet Tweets | Early Bird sewing

Some things are just a pleasure to make...

And this Early Bird Place Mat designed by Erin Cox of Why Not Sew? was definitely one of them.  I adapted it ever so slightly, but I loved working with Erin's pattern.  

Find this design and 10 others in Erin's debut book, Sweet Tweets: Simple Stitches, Whimsical Birds ~ published by Martingale.

{ The adorable pin cushion above was made by my friend, Minki of Sewing Illustration. }

So why was it such a pleasure?   Well, first of all, Erin is a friend of mine and I'm so happy to be sewing at last with her charming first book.  Secondly, and much more practical ~ it's nice sometimes not to have to do the math.  Or draw that perfect shape.  That's precisely why I buy patterns and books.  I like when someone else does the work for me and makes my life that much easier.

Erin's book is full of clear instructions, pretty pics, helpful illustrations, and the appliqué + patchwork projects are just so sweet.  It's the kind of sewing that you can accomplish in a day and gives you all the satisfaction.  The best kind of sewing ;)

Get a taste for the variety of Erin's fun sewing patterns during the Sweet Tweets Blog Hop ~ see the schedule below.  Bonus?  I'm giving away a free digital copy of the book to one lucky winner.  Leave a comment at the end of this post and I'll pick a winner next Monday, September 21st.  Enjoy the blog hop and good luck!

xo amy 

 Sweet Tweets Blog Hop

 

Tuesday, Sept.8 - Erin (Intro Post) Why Not Sew?  

Wednesday, Sept.9 - Heidi Fabric Mutt

Thursday, Sept.10 - Debbie A Quilter's Table

Saturday, Sept.12 - Jacque Brown Dog Prims

Monday, Sept.14 - Amy nanaCompany

Tuesday, Sept.15 - Svetlana s.o.t.a.k handmade

Wednesday, Sept.16 - Renee Sewn With Grace

Thursday, Sept.17 - Martingale Stitch This! The Martingale Blog

Friday, Sept.18 - Heather Vintage Grey Handmade

Saturday, Sept.19 - Clara and Jennie Clover & Violet

Monday, Sept.21 - Amanda Jean Crazy Mom Quilts

Tuesday, Sept.22 - Cindy Live a Colorful Life

Wednesday, Sept.23 - Carla Grace and Favour

Thursday, Sept.24 - Mary Molly Flanders

Saturday, Sept.26 - Erin, Big Giveaway Post!!! Why Not Sew?

 

Sneak Peek: Paperie

Ready for a tease...

Here's a taste of what you can expect from Paperie, my Limited Edition collection with Art Gallery Fabrics coming out this fall!  So excited!  Are you ready for more?

xo amy

one last bit of summer sewing: Mendocino!

Here's a pic that only we can appreciate, I realize.  How many times do you look at your trimmings and think, 'gosh they're so pretty!  I know!  So this one's for us.

Over the summer I had a little secret sewing project and now I can finally reveal it!   Windham Fabrics is reissuing Heather Ross' gorgeous line Mendocino next spring, and they sent some over my way to play with.  I made a quilt!

A simple quilt, made of 20 nine-patch blocks with sashing.  Instead of white, I used Windham 1930's Ivory solid for the sashing and I love how warm it looks.  (The nine-patches are made of half-square triangles, and each HST unit measures 3".) 

Basically this quilt is a study in color.  And it's a cozy 43" x 53" ~ so the perfect lap quilt.  If I were to do it again, I would make the HST units larger, maybe 5" each, in order to see more of Heather's fun prints and make the quilt larger.  But I love this little cutie.  Gotta love Mendocino ~ look for it in shops March 2016! 

xo amy

p.s. Make sure and come by tomorrow for a fun sneak peek at my new fabric collection with Art Gallery Fabrics:  Paperie!

The secret's out xx

You guys!!  I'm so excited!

Today I am a fabric designer.  Happy day!  It's better than a happy day, it's ~ oh, I can't even tell you ~ it's just a dream come true.  This morning,  Art Gallery Fabrics announced me as a new Limited Edition designer~ joining a dream team of artists doing the most wonderful things with fabric.

If you'd like to get more of the juicy details and see a teensy SNEAK PEEK AT MY COLLECTION, head over to Art Gallery Fabrics: The Creative Blog.

I'm off to celebrate!  (insert confetti, fireworks, and bursting heart emojis here)  

xo amy!!!