The Star Wars Craft Book

A few months ago when I first laid eyes on The Star Wars Craft Book by Bonnie Burton, I knew immediately that I would be buying it for my boys. Between our Halloween costumes and the gifts we make each other, it's quite obvious that we are Star Wars fans that like to make stuff!

The first project we made was the General Grievous finger puppet with 4 detachable pipe cleaner light sabers. There are also instructions for making basic finger puppet shapes so you can create pretty much any character you want.*

Chewbacca Tissue Box Cover

(*Kit Fisto, puppet on left, is not in the book. My son created him using the basic finger puppet pattern)

The book has about 40 projects ranging from small items like puppets and stuffed toys to larger items for home decor, holiday and a few wearable accessories. Five of the projects are made by repurposing Star Wars T-shirts into new items such as a tote, pillow and throw.

One of the cutest projects in the book has to be this Cuddly Bantha. We'll be making this little fella as soon as I get my hands on some fake fur. And that reminds me, with the exception of fake fur, most of the projects are made with commonly used craft materials, such as felt, pipe cleaners, newspaper, popsicle sticks, etc.

My guys LOVE this book! At ages 9 and 11, they are able to make some of the projects about 80% independently. This is not a book just for kids...I think crafty Star Wars fans of all ages will appreciate it. The projects are fun and focused on the pop-culture kitsch side of Star Wars. For more detailed info, visit starwars.com.

Next on my book list: Wookiee Cookies: A Star Wars Cook Book. Has anyone tried this? One little Jedi around here is learning to cook and I think this just might encourage him.

right now

Hot and humid
Strawberries growing in the garden
Painted toenails (and shoes to show them off)
A gazillion end-of-the-school-year events before it all
comes to a screeching halt
and
it's
summer.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Make a Creative Connection...with me!

Registration is now open for the Event of the Year! The Creative Connection Event is September 15-17 in St. Paul, Minnesota. This year is planned to be bigger and better than before. And that's saying a lot because last year was unbelievably fantastic!

There will be BlogHer Social Media Panels, Mary Janes Farm Day, the Marketplace, Vogue Knitting Day and best of all...60 (!) Handmade Workshops! Two of those will be taught by yours truly!

This year I will be teaching two of my most popular projects. First up: the Woodland Sewing Set! For this class I'll be providing everything you'll need to make the Tree Stump Pincushion, Toadstool Tape Measure and Owl Scissor case.


The other must-take class is my Reversible Bucket Hat with Felt Flower. You bring the fabric that suits your style and I'll show you how to make it. Plus I'll provide materials and instruction for my new felt flower accent.

Feel free to ask me any question you might have about the class or pop on over to the Creative Connection Event site for more details about the weekend. There will be keynote speakers, dinners, and parties galore! Hope you can join me!

To SLC and back!

Hey! I'm back from Salt Lake City and Quilt Market! Actually, I've been back for a few days but I'm just now getting into the swing of things. I was so lucky to have my parents come into town to watch the boys so that my husband, Dave, could come along with me this time! He's responsible for these photos, which is great, because I always forget to take pictures.

We got in late Thursday night and hit the ground running both Friday and Saturday mornings with demos, or "Make 'n Takes", at the Brewer Booth. Brewer is one of the sewing supply distributors that sells my sewing pattern line to retailers.

Here's me moments before market opened with all of my Felted Bird Nest supplies ready to go! I was seated at a table and a reeaally high chair right on the aisle opposite of Brewer's main booth.

One of my first "customers" was the president of Brewer. The marketing girls cajoled him into making a nest brooch before things got busy. Do I look nervous? I think he was nervous, so I was too. But he did a good job! Yay!

On Saturday we made Felted Flower Brooches in the morning and my pal Patty Young stopped by to make one for her mom. Later I was back to sign copies of the Country Living: The Mom's Guide to Running a Business book that I was featured in. My signing was at 4pm and I knew Heather Bailey was there signing before me at 3pm. When I arrived at 3:55, there was a huge line. So I hung back waiting for what I thought was Heather finishing up her signing. Finally my husband said, "I think that line is for you." For some reason I could not understand what he was talking about. (Keep in mind that this was the end of 3 very long days of travel, appointments, walking the show and social events!)

D'oh! The line of people was for ME. For MY book signing. Silly me!

Next to me was the author and TV personality, Mark Montano doing a stenciling Make 'N Take project. He's talking to Lisa Lam of U-Handbag. I met both of them for the first time during this trip.

I also got to meet with my new "family" at Robert Kaufman. That's the company that is producing my licensed line of organic fabric for the fall that I am SO excited about! We chatted about the release, sneak peeks, upcoming project ideas, and about booth concepts for next fall! That's right, I'll be having my own booth in Houston next October. Yippee!

photo taken with my phone out of the airplane window

Sunday morning my hubby and I said farewell to Salt Lake City, the breathtaking mountains and all of the wonderful people we met and got to know at Quilt Market. Until next time!

Pattern Preview: the Cadet Cap

Today I am excited to introduce you to my latest hat design, the Cadet Cap! This is a great alternative to a baseball hat but is still casual and appropriate with all sorts of outfits. I'm always looking for a ways to keep the sun off of my face and I'll probably be wearing this hat all summer!

Like my popular Reversible Bucket Hat pattern, the Cadet Cap is sized from Baby to XL Adult. I made a few caps for my boys out of old cargo pants and they love them. This style is really versatile for guys and girls.

The Cadet Cap, Alice Book Bag and Sidekick Sling are all available now in my etsy shop as PDF patterns.

This concludes my Spring 2011 pattern reveal and my blog posts for the week! I'll be spending the rest of the day packing and prepping for my trip to Salt Lake City for Quilt Market...I leave tomorrow! Have a great rest-of-the-week and I'll check in with you next week after market.

Toodles!

Pattern Preview: the Sidekick Sling Bag

My next new sewing pattern to share with you is the Sidekick Sling Bag! This may look a little familiar if you recall my early prototype blog post.

I'm so happy with how this bag turned out. The top has a fun asymmetrical opening with two over-sized grommets for the straps to attach. (BTW, the grommets are super easy to put on! No tools needed. They are made by Dritz and can be found at Joann's) There's an interior pocket, a magnetic snap closure and two exterior pockets. You can have a lot of fun choosing a pop color for the lining that really shows off the bag's unique shape. The bag above is made with my Mod Max™ Leaf print on hemp/organic cotton canvas lined with Robert Kaufman Essex Linen in orange.

Like the Alice Book Bag, this pattern will be available to retailers next month but the PDF version is now available in my shop! Come back tomorrow to see my third and final Spring '11 pattern. (hint: it's not a bag!)

Pattern Preview: the Alice Book Bag

I just want to take a moment to thank you all for your response to my big news from last week! I'm very excited about it and it makes it even more special to be able to share it here with you. Speaking of sharing...I've got sewing pattern peeks! With just 3 days until I head to Salt Lake City for International Quilt Market, I thought I'd let you in on what I'll be showing there.

The first of my new Make New or Make Do™ sewing patterns for Spring 2011 is the Alice Book Bag! The Alice Book Bag is a vertical style messenger bag with plenty of room for a journal, magazines and water bottle with interior pockets for smaller items. The construction of the bag allows you to convert the strap from cross-body to shoulder, simply by pulling the strap through the grommets at the top of the bag. I love this feature! I'm always wanting a bag to do dual duty and often want to change how I'm carrying it throughout the day. I see myself using this bag for all-day outings and travel days. (Regarding the grommets used on this bag...they are super easy to use and simply snap together with your fingers. No special tools are required!)

The bag shown is made up in my hemp/organic cotton canvas in the Mod Max | Pine Cone print. You might like to try a vintage look by making it out of retro dish towels, table cloths or curtains. This bag would also look great in a solid color made from repurposed denim or canvas from jeans or cargos.

This pattern will be available to retailers next month. If you can't wait and like your patterns electronic-style, the PDF version is now available in my shop! Stay tuned for another pattern preview tomorrow!

Spilling the beans!

I just got done doing a live interview with Pat Sloan for Fave Crafts Radio where I let loose a big secret I've been hanging on to for a few months! (if you missed it you can listen to the recording!)

My Big News is (drumroll please.......)

I've signed on with Robert Kaufman Fabrics to license my print designs on organic cotton as part of their GreenStyle collection! I am over the moon about this and I've been dying to share the news.

random flower photo that has nothing to do with this post

If you know me, you know that it has been a multi-year goal of mine to get my print designs onto organic fabric and out into the world! My first line for Robert Kaufman will be released in July 2011 and in stores in Fall 2011! Yippee! And since that is still a little while off, you're not going to get any sneak peeks just yet. But hopefully soon.

The Backstory:
About 3 years ago when I was writing my second book, Sewing Green, I had the vision of having my own fabric designs produced. I was doing research on sustainable and organic fabrics for the book and became determined that any prints of mine had to be on organic fabric. When Sewing Green came out in 2009, I pitched myself and my artwork to a few fabric companies with the hopes that their passion for organics matched mine. Well...let's just say they weren't quite ready yet. So, I pulled a Little Red Hen and "did it myself" with digital printing. You might remember when I launched my first self produced collection, Family Cottage. The collection (and subsequent ones) have been very well received, much to my happiness. Because I've chosen to print small quantities, digitally on demand, I have been unable to offer them wholesale. But that was my choice and I was willing to wait for the tide to turn. Then, last spring when I attended the International Quilt Market to pitch my new sewing pattern line, I hit pay-dirt! The Robert Kaufman Fabric company launched their first Green Style organic cotton print collection by Nancy Mims of Mod Green Pod. After checking it out (so soft!) and doing some research (GOTS certified!) I began to plan the pitch that, last fall, landed me a licensing contract!

What does that mean? It means that Robert Kaufman Fabrics will be producing my collection, selling it wholesale and distributing it to stores worldwide! Yippee! Beautiful organic fabric for everyone! :)

since I can't show fabrics, how 'bout some more flowers?

The Back-Backstory:
My love of print design began years ago in college and on into my corporate design career. For a few years I was the lead designer for the Girls apparel at the Carter's childrenswear and then later for Lands' End. The artists and I worked together to design original prints for my clothing designs. I was even able to go to the mills for my own strikes offs (print approvals) and see the production process first hand. Although I enjoyed and learned from those experiences, I wanted to find my own design voice. In 2005, I left the corporate world and continued to design prints that sold to the apparel industry through a studio in New York. Doing so was one step closer to "doing my own thing" and it did satisfy me for a while! But selling my work through a middleman felt a little anonymous. I knew that I would eventually want to license my work so that it had my name attached to it. And now that time has come!

last flower pic...a blog post's gotta have pics!

It all kind of goes back to my 5 year blogiversary post from earlier this week. Part of me is in disbelief and thanking my lucky stars for this opportunity and another part of me is is like, "Phew! I finally did it! I knew I could!". And you know what else I feel?

So, what's next? Bring it on! :)

Tune in May 4th at 3pm

I'll be on Fave Crafts Radio LIVE with Pat Sloan!
Listen in May 4th at 3pm EST.

So I started a blog...

...FIVE years ago! May 1st, 2006.



And it has been a crazy, amazing blur ever since! (it helps to keep a hula-hoop in your studio)

When I started my blog, I barely knew what blogs were. I already had a simple website that my husband had designed back in 2005 when I first started posting my work online in shops and doing craft fairs. One day I sent my sister-in-law some photos of the steps I took to make a shibori felted scarf (basically my first tutorial). She replied, "you should have a blog". I started reading blogs like Wee Wonderfuls and Posie Gets Cozy then decided to give it a try.

It's amazing to think about all the work that I have done and all the opportunities that have come my way since first starting my blog. Interest in my work, etsy sales, magazine features, book deals, Martha appearance, etc. I consider myself very fortunate and feel incredibly grateful. But I don't completely subscribe to the phrase, "If you build it they will come." I refer to it as working hard at being lucky. Sure some amazing opportunities have come my way but I don't believe they would've if I hadn't put myself out there and taken some risks. I don't do everything right, I fail, sometimes I don't get "picked for the team", etc. I've felt my share of stings. And when I compare what I do now vs. my former corporate design job, I see that the highs are higher and the lows are lower. There's no one to blame or to pat on the back but me.

Things have changed so much over the last five years in the blogosphere...although some things not so much. (I desperately want to do a blog make-over but I've been too busy with other things!) For example, I have resisted putting advertising on my blog. Compared to others, my blog may even look a little sparse without it. While I would absolutely benefit financially from advertising, I feel in my heart that it is not right for me (my friend Marisa I know feels similarly). I may change my mind about that someday, but for now I'd rather focus on growing my business vs. growing a sponsorship. (BTW, I do participate in the Amazon Affiliate program, however, and get a small % from book sales through my "bookshop" in the sidebar.)

While this is a fabulous community to be a part of, it's easy to look at what others are doing and feel like we are substandard or that we should be doing things differently. I think it's ok to compare and contrast, but I try to do so with a big fat grain of salt. Just like spying that fancy car in the parking lot. Sure, the owner of it is "lucky" to have it, but maybe she is horribly in debt, or maybe she stole it, or maybe she worked really hard and earned it. I heard a phrase once, "Don't judge your inside based on somebody else's outside." I love that and need to remind myself of it on occasion. As much as we may get to know someone from their blog, there is a limit to that knowledge and it's best to stay away from assumptions. There is room for everyone.

And you...my blog readers, my friends. What would the last 5 years have been without you? I would've never imagined the community of which we have become a part...together. I love the connections that have grown over time.

I started my blog and my business from the heart and for what I've given to the blog I have received back in friendship, community and support. What will the next 5 years bring? Will there even be blogs in 5 years? Who can say. But I hope that you'll keep coming by, saying hi, entertaining me with your comments and sharing this space with me.

Thanks for an awesome 5 years!