STUDIOS Magazine!
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STUDIOS Magazine!

Hoot! I am featured in the Winter 2011 issue of STUDIOS Magazine. As usual, the McNamara‘s took amazing pictures of the studio. My mom and husband helped me organize my studio and I made a new friend—the incredible new editor of STUDIOS, Linda Blinn. She is a wonderful, caring woman with a keen eye for the artful and we enjoyed our dialogue so much that neither of us wanted it to end. Her vision for the magazine is strong and clear and distinctly new for STUDIOS. You won’t believe the incredible spaces featured in this issue—a chocolate factory, a former church, a tiny Parisian attic, a contemporary Mexican loft rising from a hillside, and then my little studio—which is just fine for me and my family but not anything fancy. Anna Maria Horner’s sweet new studio is featured on the cover. You can get your hands on a copy anywhere—Barnes & Noble, quilt shops, or any crafty place or bookstore. Pretty neato. read more

November 11, 2011
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Hurrah for Quilt Market
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Hurrah for Quilt Market

A little puppet show in the booth.
Well, Quilt Market was loads of fun. I am feeling rather grateful and very joyful about the warm welcome we received at Quilt Market 2011. The whole thing was crazy humbling. I mean, there I was surrounded by all the designers, fabric houses, writers, bloggers, and shop owners who have been inspiring me along my journey–and they were telling me they liked my work!!! (omg.) So, we have new friends from all over the world. Thanks to my newest and favorite friend, Shea, the booth was set up quickly. And it looked super cute. Shea designs fabulous sewing patterns for her company, Empty Bobbin Sewing. And I was happy to have her calm, steady energy and friendship. See her adorable stuff here.  I can’t wait to share all the new things I found in the few moments that I could steal away from the booth. By far the award for nicest rock star couple goes to Amy and David Butler. I started sewing (for real) when I was pregnant with my little girl and the first thing I made was Amy’s Nappy Bag to use as my diaper bag. So really, her patterns were my beginning. She is so talented and lovely and truly kind. Her fabrics are eternally gorgeous and timeless, yet modern. And her funny rocker husband has just debuted his first line of fabrics, Parson Gray–I can’t wait to sew stuff for my husband with his new line. Check out that palette–muy, muy manly! I must say, I didn’t realize how much the quilting industry needed a big dose of testosterone until I saw it. Yay for Y chromosomes.
David Butler in his man cave.
Parson Gray fabrics by David Butler



New Lark fabrics from Amy Butler



Amy’s beautiful booth



My favorite single thing at the whole show was this incredible bag made with the Nakaniwa line at the Kiyohara booth. Ya’ll know I am a total Japanophile–but look at the scale of this print–huge apples and tiny trees!   
Nakaniwa by Yusuke Yonezu



And I had the chance to meet Marcia Derse. She is as lovely as her painterly fabrics. I used all her fabrics in my two new yoga mat patterns, so it was nice to meet her and show her the mats. I very much relate to her palette and use of tonal marks. 
Marcia Derse for Troy. Look at this lovely Rothko-esque display!
There is so much to share but I will have to do it later…time for a massage!

November 1, 2011
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The Patterns are here!
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The Patterns are here!

Oh, I just love it when a plan comes together. Besides being a ton of work, this pattern business is absolutely so much fun. Even the hard work is fun. But there are exciting moments when months of effort, thought, and coordination come to fruition in one long-awaited PDF. It was all for this. All the designing, sewing, talking, quilting, photographing, more designing, much editing, and then here they are!   read more

October 27, 2011
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Oh, Boy!
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Oh, Boy!

We are debuting my entire line at the 2011 Fall International Quilt Market and Festival in just one week in Houston. (gulp.) (!!!) (hurrah!) I have been crazy busy for months designing and finalizing and preparing…

I just can’t wait any longer to reveal my newest puppet pattern—the Oh, Boy!™ Finger Puppet pattern. It was completely inspired by the interests and passions of my son. Five year old boys are just so cool. And the thing is, every time he picks up my other puppets, he makes them clobber each other. Aah, the lovely inherent violence of boys. I am the non-violent sort—more of the peace-loving-hippie type, really. So it has been quite a lesson in gender differences for me to see how boys are so innately warring and keenly interested in all things that can launch, hurl, shoot, or fling. Not to mention their love of heavy machinery, espionage, gadgets, and Star Wars (even if they haven’t actually seen the movie). read more

October 22, 2011
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Eulogy for Nanu
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Eulogy for Nanu

My grandmother, Nanu, died this week at the age of 94. Read about her in an earlier post here. I had the honor of eulogizing her. I have missed her for so long. Here is what I said:

To be adored. To be adored is a rare gift we are given in this life—a gift we are given by the few people who actually care enough to do so—to adore us. To be adored sets a person up for success. We can feel comfortable enough to take risks when someone on this earth believes in us. You know I am going to say that Nanu adored me. And she did—as she adored her children, her husband, her grandchildren, the Epsman’s, and her dear friends. But, oh how I adored her back. Every single little thing about her. read more

October 22, 2011
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Hitchcock pillow!
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Hitchcock pillow!

In a birds-of-a-feather Crafting meet-up at BlogHer ’11 called Modern Marthas (as in Stewart), I had the pleasure of making the acquaintance of the adorable Kate from PeepThread. She is a fellow blogger, mama, and sewist. Her blog is gorgeously photographed and bright. I am happy to say that we are now blog friends. (Hi Kate!) Take a look at the hilarious and creative way she used my Wonky Little Houses™ Pillow pattern—a Hitchcockian throw pillow. Great storytelling in this pillow. I have this same Echino bird print, but never thought to use it in such a clever and illustrative way. See more on her blog here. read more

October 5, 2011
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Lego Chess game
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Lego Chess game

Lotso vs Yeti in a game of speed chess! I couldn’t help myself. It is rather tricky to make a tiny chess board from Legos and I hope to make a more elaborate version one day. The bishops have antennas…or is it antennae? The knights look rather horsey, so that is good. But the pawns are too short.

September 2, 2011
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