Design On A Whim

Creating Color

2012-02-04T10:23:00.000-08:00

What fun I had this winter. A dear friend of mine invited me to spend the day...OK...it turned into THREE days...dying fabrics with her. It's something I'd wanted to do forever but it all seemed so complicated. What a treat to see how very easy it is to create your own colorful assortment of fabrics. One of us was the "messy" girl and one of us was the "clean" girl as we mixed dyes, dipped and dried our fabrics. We talked, we laughed and we shared ideas of what wonderful things these fabrics would create. Find a friend and spend a day together in a wonderful world of COLOR!!!

Sulky's Newest Certification Graduates!!!

2011-08-27T18:37:00.000-07:00

Studios magazine Summer 2011

2011-05-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I received my issue of

Studios magazine Summer 2011.

Here are some pictures of my studio which you can see in the magazine.

My very creative friend, Julie McCullough is also featured in the same issue. I thought you'd enjoy seeing a sneak preview of my studio. The magazine should appear in book stores somewhere around May 20th. Let me know what you think! I love this room which is a good thing considering the hours I spend here! There was one little error in my two page spread. Under the section "Why my space works for me" somehow someone else's answer landed on my page. No, I do not live in a 120-year-old farmhouse. Rather I live in a contemporary home built and designed by my husband...Which is about as far as you can get from an old farmhouse! We love this house. It's five different levels, very open, sparsely furnished, and a house that begs to host parties. We love it here! But my FAVORITE room in the house is my sewing studio. I absolutely adore this space!

Pennsylvania - Spring 2011

2011-04-05T09:25:00.001-07:00

Stop 2 of the Spring Sulky Season brought me to Pennsylvania where Nancy Sapin and I worked at the AQS Show in Amish Country in charming Lancaster PA. The wonderful part about Lancaster is the food where our first stop of the day was the market. Locals set up stands where you can purchase from an array of cheeses, homemade breads, and scrumptious desserts. Following the Lancaster Show I had a few days between shows where I got to know Philadelphia. I saw an absolutely breathtaking collection of couture clothing by Capucci at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The gift shops at the Museum had adorable clothes and I added a few pieces to my wardrobe. I loved the Mosaic Garden in the heart of Philadelphia where even the bathroom was converted into art!

On The Road in Atlanta - Spring 2011

2011-04-05T08:54:00.001-07:00

We started out our Spring 2011 travels at the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo in Atlanta. Here's Ellen teaching the Thread Necklace, our "Make & Take" project. It involves yards and yards of thread...and teamwork. Cross your fingers but hopefully at the end of it all, you have a beautiful necklace made of thread. The girl in the middle with the cute skirt is Hannah Skalleberg (MadeByHannahsHands) on Etsy. She makes these adorable skirts and sells them. I don't know about you but at age 15, I wasn't nearly as industrious as this amazing young lady! And then for a little fun. "Work Hard-Play Hard" is my mantra. One evening Ellen & I got tickets to hear Bethenny Frankel ("Housewives of NYC). She shared her wisdom on life, love, looking good, losing weight, and living life. And we had to try her Skinny

Margarita which got our vote of approval!

Sewing Room Photoshoot

2011-02-17T09:33:00.000-08:00

I've spent the past week making a few changes and additions to my sewing studio and readying it for a photo shoot in the next week. What a good feeling it is to have my fabrics organized. I added some new, colorful additions to the room. I painted the cartoon on the back of the sewing chair and love this whimsical touch! It's a wonderful feeling to know where everything is again. I can hardly wait to get started on my next project! I'll be submitting the photos to Studios magazine for possible publication.

Oh, The People You'll Meet!

2011-02-17T08:56:00.000-08:00

My husband and I were headed to our winter vacation in the Bahamas. In the Miami Airport, I was drawn to the most colorfully dressed gentleman. He had hair to his waist and half of his silver locks were dyed bright blue...the other half was his natural silver color. He wore wild printed harmen pants and a bright yellow shirt with little dogs over it. I knew he didn't look like the guys I know in Nebraska and I debated whether to ignore my curiosity or walk up and find out who this guy was. You can see from the picture, I elected to lose my inhibitions and discovered this was Patch Adams. Remember the Robin Williams movie a few years ago with the clown nosed doctor who treated very sick children? Patch was headed to Ecuador to do some work in a hospital there along with many other volunteers wearing their clown noses. How many times do we miss the opportunity to meet fabulous people because of those silly inhibitions we carry around with us? So the next time you see me in an airport and I come up and introduce myself to you, share your story with me. I'm dying to know about the intriguing person I see in front of me!

Birdhouse Challenge Gone Wonky!

2011-02-17T08:46:00.000-08:00

The Sulky National Educators were recently presented with an interesting challenge. We were each given a pattern for a birdhouse which will appear in the next Sulky book. It's made of clothesline...that's right...clothesline. So I took that sweet little house and threw in my own twisted version and created a wonky birdhouse. Mine is made entirely of silks...because that's what I sew with. Look forward to the new book sometime in 2011!

Quilting Arts Television

2011-02-17T08:29:00.000-08:00

I had a fun, unique experience this fall when I was invited to tape a segment for Quilting Arts television - Season 7. I have wanted to have the chance to work with television and the opportunity finally presented itself. Watch for my Waterfall Scarf, a unique and easy to do project. It's stitched on Sulky's wash away stabilizer called Ultra Solvy and utilizes raw edge silk dupioni squares. Here I am on the set with Pokey Bolton. Woo Hoo!!!

Project Runway Season 8

2010-07-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

It's another season of Project Runway. Count me in for a faithful viewer who has watched every single episode of every single season! In fact, I've watched most of the episodes so many times, I have them memorized! So, it's only natural that I would invite a small group of my most fashionable fashionista friends for a fabulous night of good food, good friends, and well....good wine! This season they're treating us to a full 1-1/2 hours...30 ADDITIONAL minutes of heaven! I am in awe of these gutsy contestants who expose themselves to harsh critiques of garments created in ONE day. ONE DAY! Can you imagine creating a garment that is runway worthy in ONE DAY?!!! My premiere party guests included Pia from Germany (3rd from the left in the picture) who talks just like Heidi Klum! Tim Gunn didn't show up and I'm really devastated about that but perhaps he'll fly in for next week's party!

Creative Women Creating

2010-06-28T10:10:00.001-07:00

Summer is a time when I usually don't travel a lot with my Sulky job. One of my favorite things to do is meet with my creative friends and spend an afternoon getting a little dirty as we try something new. When warm weather arrives, I really look forward to the chance to go outdoors and spend some time playing with messy paints and dyes. Find a group of women who you love and set aside some playtime! Last month the four of us played with oilsticks. As you can see, this month we painted with fabric dyes. And next month, we're going to learn some new ideas to create fabric by stitching on water soluble stabilizers. As you can see, Carla, Chris, Darlene and myself had a lot of fun creating our fabulous fabric! It's easier than you would think and goes fast! I've already gone to the art store to buy more dyes. I purchased several colors of Jacquard silk dyes. I'm anxious to paint some of my silks and then incorporate them into some new wearable art pieces. Send me photos of what you're doing with your creative friends!

Albany NY Certification

2010-06-28T09:25:00.001-07:00

Twenty one wonderful women worked through a wide array of projects to complete this year's Certification training. It hardly seems possible to have this much fun and learn so much at the same time. In three short days these women went from being complete strangers to building friendships with other creative women. Many plan to get together in the future. And that's one of the great things about our certification classes. As a teacher, I find great joy in watching the friendships blossom. I'm hoping to return again next year to see old friends. Because it's not just the students who have newfound friends. I've established so many new friendships around the country as I teach the Certification trainings! And I'll look forward to seeing those friends again in future Certification trainings.

Certification Training

2010-05-24T16:57:00.001-07:00

I recently had the privilege of teaching two incredibly gifted groups of women who are now Sulky Certified to teach the projects we covered in class. Nineteen women in Austin, TX and 14 women in Lincoln, NE joined me for three intense but fun-filled days. We laughed, we shared and we supported one another as we worked our way through the many projects. Certification classes are held in various locations throughout the U.S. Students learn many different techniques and develop proficiency in working with a variety of threads, stabilizers and creative ideas. Learn more by going to the Sulky website: www.sulky.com
Every single one of these women gave the Sulky Certification Training a "thumbs up" and hope to join us for future Certification classes!

Omaha Fashion Week Premier

2010-04-02T10:13:00.001-07:00

This week, my friend, Terri Huss and I had a Girlfriend's Night Out at the Premier of Omaha Fashion Week's Designers. What a fun night as these 11 talented area designers gave us a taste of what we can expect at the upcoming event of Omaha Fashion Week in September! Megan Hunt's (Princess Lasertron) models teased us with a hint of bigger things to come as she sent her models down the catwalk in their crinolined pastel skirts carrying those fabulous felt bouquets that have made her so well known. And I loved this bustier peplum made from newspaper...how imaginative and wonderful. Emma Erickson's well executed garments demonstrated her advanced skill with draping and surface design. This hair style with little bits of straw artfully woven in perfectly complimented the clothing designs. From Ellene McClay's ethereal vintage dresses to Sabrina Jones Stapp's sultry, seductive pieces, it's clear that Nebraska has plenty of fashion excitement to look forward to at the big show in September!

The Mad Hatter

2010-03-30T08:11:00.000-07:00

I waited impatiently for months for Alice in Wonderland to arrive in the theatres. This is my version of the Alice-inspired Mad Tea Party. I haven't decided exactly what to do with the applique...perhaps it will end up on the back of a wearable art jacket. I love the wacky, whimsical look. I have developed an obsession for illustrated books of this crazy storybook that have been showing up in the bookstores. I've personally purchased three different Alice in Wonderland books in just the past month! If you haven't seen the movie yet, it's a must see! The costume designer for this movie created the most magical dresses for Alice!

Easter Dinner at Our House

2010-03-30T08:03:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Easter dinner early this year since I'll be in New York City with daughter Dawn on Easter. I thought you'd enjoy seeing my cheeky, chicky table! My mom, brother, sister and their families joined us for a fun day of eating good food and lots and lots of chocolate!

A Birthday Gift

2010-03-30T07:52:00.001-07:00

Upon finding a shoebox full of letters sent to me in junior high by my dear friend, Gail I was inspired to create this memory wallhanging as a surprise for her birthday.
I printed excerpts from the letters on silk organza and then cartooned our sweetly dressed bodies and copied childhood images of our faces.

NYC Christmas Windows

2009-12-24T09:07:00.001-08:00

A Thanksgiving tradition for our family includes meeting in NYC for Thanksgiving weekend. Our daughter Dawn is an actress, so since she needs to stay in the city for her performances, our family joins her for a funfilled time in the city. I always enjoy the imaginative store windows. Enjoy!

Christmas Tree Pillow

2009-12-24T08:56:00.001-08:00

I have several silk pillows casually thrown on our living room sofa. Here's my latest. I love the look of the split Christmas tree. Sulky's 12 wt. black cotton thread really stands out on the colored silks. The Christmas tree is made with silk dupioni and shadowed with sparkle organza.

A Whimsical Gift

2009-12-24T08:24:00.001-08:00

My friend Susan, a real estate agent, received this colorful collage that I created for her. The sign in front of the house reads "Sold by Susan". I love the multi-colored striped piping around the outside of the picture.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T19:24:00.001-07:00

I celebrated Halloween today by creating this Pumpkin pillow in silk dupioni. It's always fun to have new decorations to add to the collection!

Halloween Quilt

2009-10-29T12:15:00.001-07:00

My sister has made some pretty amazing quilts but this is one of my all time favorites. The costumes appliqued on her quilt are costumes that her own children have worn. And the haunted house shown in the quilt is the one they live in. She's considering making a second Halloween quilt since she recognizes both of her daughters are going to want this one someday.

Halloween Decor

2009-10-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

My favorite interior designer is Jan Sittler, who by the way just happens to be my sister. I was at her house yesterday and absolutely loved her latest Halloween decor ideas. I know you will too! Don't you love the masks over her ancestor's photographs that grace their living room? The leaf quilt is made by my sister as well.

Project Creativ Catwalk

2009-10-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

At the Creativ Festival in Toronto, a comptetion between the design schools of the city provided fascinating entertainment. On opening day of the festival, the design challenge was revealed. Challenge: Design a little black dress with a jacket that takes you from day into evening.

Each student team of three was assigned a booth where the garments took shape and show attendees could gather to watch the progress. All materials for the designs had to be purchased onsite from show vendors. And the garments had to be completed by Sunday, the final day of the show. A cameraman filmed the students in action and Sunday, the garments premiered on the catwalk. The $10,000 worth of prizes including Sulky threads, sewing machines, embellishment machines and sergers went to the winning design team from Academy of Design at RCC Institute of Technology. Every single design was stunning and this was one of the most fun events I've seen at a consumer show!

Berserk for Peach Berserk Fabrics

2009-10-27T14:52:00.000-07:00

Love the fabrics I bought at Peach Berserk? You can have them too! Kingi and her staff will screenprint especially for you. Tell them the color, chose your favorite print and specify silk, cotton or knit. Here's the website. www.peachberserk.com

Peach Berserk

2009-10-27T13:58:00.000-07:00

My all time favorite store in Toronto was Peach Beserk, owned by the charming, beautiful, creative, fashionable, funloving, fabulous Kingi Carpenter. If you're a girly girl like I am, this store will be a favorite of yours as well. Think Betsy Johnson charm and you've got Peach
Beserk but with it's own unique flavor! They silkscreen right here in the store and then transform these whimsical fabrics in silk, cotton and knit into the cutest clothes you've ever seen. Most customers buy the clothes but I wanted the silkscreened fabric...and did I ever have a good time looking through their leftover fabrics! And if you want to learn how to make your own silkscreened masterpieces, they will teach you on Sundays! 507 Queen St. West - Toronto

Ribbon & Ribbons & Trims...Oh My!

2009-10-27T11:30:00.001-07:00

Imagine an entire store filled with ribbons in every color imaginable and then pleated and twisted and painted and dyed! Welcome to Mokuba, a store jampack full of sherbert colored ribbons and lovelies beyond your wildest imagination! The trims are all produced in Japan.

Don't expect the prices to be bargain basement but some things are just worth the splurge.
575 Queen St. West - Toronto

Lunch On Queen St. West

2009-10-27T11:21:00.000-07:00

I found this charming eatery called The Raging Spoon where I would eat every lunch of my life if only this great restaurant was in Lincoln, NE. Sweet potato soup with brown sugar is just about as good as chocolate! 761 Queen St. West - Toronto

The Paper Place - Toronto

2009-10-27T07:30:00.000-07:00

After leaving my hotel I headed to Queen St. West where some of Toronto's most talented young designers have set up shop. At the Paper Place, I found this incredible dress crafted entirely out of paper! 887 Queen St. West - Toronto

More NYC Fabric Favorites

2009-10-08T12:23:00.001-07:00

Hatccessory is worth a stop even if you

have no intention of ever dabbling in millinary! It's loaded with gorgeous trims, hat forms, ribbons, flowers, etc.

And then there's LouLou Button. A treasure for those who wish to design their own buttons and have them manufactured. This store also dyes buttons to perfectly match. Or get broken buttons repaired. You'll love the fascinating inventory of one of a kind buttons. I just loved the Picasso button on the left!

And what would a visit to New York City be without a visit to Mood Fabrics? You've seen their beautiful fabrics in designs on Project Runway!

And there's something so exciting about shopping next to students studying fashion design at Parsons or FIT. Perhaps they'll be the next Louis Vuitton or McQueen. I've overheard conversations from designers working on costumes for the next big Broadway production or NY Met Opera...Ohhh...what fun!

And then I strolled over to the fabric stores on West 38th between 7th & 8th Avenue where merchants from all over the world offer incredible prices. I picked up several pieces of silk dupioni for $8/yard

Right down the street from Hatccessory is Trims de Carnival. This is where you'll find lots of sparkle and bling. Trims loaded with sequins, rhinestones and embellishments that scream "Look at me!"

NYC Shopping

2009-10-08T11:39:00.000-07:00

I just got home from the Chantilly VA Original Sewing & Quilt Expo. I stopped on the way and spent a few days with my daughter that lives in NYC. And of course, while in New York, I just had to make my way to the garment district...home to the best fabric resources in the world!

My first stop was City Quilter. This is a fabulous store that holds exciting treasures including some of the most gorgeous quilting fabrics in existence, the latest and best books on the market and an amazing array of "city" fabrics and patterns featuring the glorious Big Apple!

Take a look at the wonderful quilted postage stamp on the left! Want fabrics featuring taxis? Or maybe the Statue of Liberty...or how about the Chrysler Building? They have it here along with such fun patterns to create your next City quilt!

My favorite resource for fashion publications is Around the World on West 40th, a store filled with fashion books and magazines from all over the world. You'll find closeups of couture creations and their unique details. What a fun stop to inspire those of us who love to create fashions to fill our own closets!

Project Runway Babes

2009-09-21T09:54:00.001-07:00

Oh, the fun you'll have at a sewing expo. These three gals are out to prove that "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" as they strut their stuff through the aisles of the Quilt Expo in Madison with their own version of Project Runway.

Sewing With Nancy Quilt Expo - Madison

2009-09-21T09:42:00.000-07:00

I just returned from the Quilt Expo in Madison, WI where my fellow Sulky teammate, Eric Drexler and I worked at the Sulky booth. We had a great time meeting all of the sewing enthusiasts who stopped by our booth to visit with us. See you at the Original Sewing & Quilt Expo in Chantilly, VA next week!

Award Winning Sister

2009-09-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

Here's my talented sister, Jan Sittler with two of her award winning quilts. The top quilt was chosen to be shown at the 2008 Houston Quilt Show. Most recently, these quilts won awards at the Nebraska State Fair. She inspires me with her artistic creations!

Slice & Dice

2009-07-30T13:09:00.001-07:00

Here's my latest wall hanging that I created for our home. It's about 5 feet in height and is hung at the top of our stairway. I hope to turn this into a future class. It's got such potential and ideas are popping out of my head with where I can proceed with this!

Ann Arbor Art Fair

2009-07-30T12:49:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is to find a great art fair. It's so inspiring to see the work of other artists. And the art fair of all art fairs is in Ann Arbor MI. Four art fairs occur over a four day period and 1000 juied artists sell their creations. It took us four hours just to walk from one end of the four fairs to the other. If you're looking for a fun summer getaway, I highly recommend finding your way to the Ann Arbor event!

A New Project Runway Season

2009-07-30T08:54:00.000-07:00

Project Runway is my very favorite show. When I was in NYC in June, I ran into Tim Gunn who was filming a commercial to promote a new season of Project Runway. It begins on August 20 and I will be celebrating with a "Girl's Only" night as we drink "little Black Dress" wine! Tim was so gracious and saw me standing off to the side. I happened to be wearing a jacket I had designed and made and he said I looked "fabulous". If Tim Gunn likes it...that's good enough for me!

A Scarf of Many Colors

2009-07-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

I've had my summer off from traveling. There's just something quite glorious about having days free to create. This is one of the scarves I made with a water soluble stabilizer and silk. Don't you love it? I'll be teaching this scarf in future classes so watch for it!

A New Seminar

2009-01-26T11:55:00.000-08:00

Monday, January 26, 2009

I had a great day Saturday. After working really hard on the newest Sulky seminar, I finally presented it for the first time. It's always a little nerveracking the first time around. No matter how prepared I am, it's just really hard to assess my timing until I'm up in front of a group actually doing it. But it all came together so well. This seminar is based on Sulky's newest book called Supplement to Sulky's Successful Guide to Stabilizing. It takes a look at using stabilizers in really creative ways. In other words, thinking outside of the box. I explore painting stabilizers and incorporating them as art into my creations, felting, printing photos onto fabric and then cutting apart the photos to create impressive woven masterpieces, to name only a few. This event was held at Sew Creative here in Lincoln and we had 67 in attendance. Considering there was a snow storm the night before, this was a great turnout. If you see this seminar offered in your area, I highly recommend it!

"Pugcasso" for Pug Lovin' Neighbors

2008-12-23T15:54:00.000-08:00

We live next door to the best neighbors ever. Our families eat meals together at least once or twice a week because we enjoy being together so much! The Carpenter's have two pugs that are the sweetest dogs ever and we aren't even dog lovers. So when I saw this appliqued wall hanging I just had to make it for them. Here's the finished "Pugcasso" wallhanging that I finished for our dear friends.

christmas is coming

2008-12-23T14:44:00.000-08:00

I'm waiting for phone calls from both of my girls to hear if their planes will make it to Nebraska. Ginger had trouble getting out of Seattle and Dawn had trouble getting from NYC to Chicago. I love the time we spend together so I hope they get here soon!

Houston - A Grand Week!

2008-11-17T09:08:00.000-08:00

I’m still riding high on a fluffy cloud, pumped full of euphoria after a week at Houston Quilt Market. It has been my dream for years and years to someday be a designer in the Bernina Fashion Show. But as I said, it was a “dream” which pretty much sums it all up. So often our dreams remain just that…something we can only imagine but this time the dream was a reality. After years of thinking about submitting a portfolio, I finally did it.
This wasn’t something I decided spur of the moment. I set a goal about five years ago after finishing a jacket in a wearable art class taught by Vince Quevedo at the University of Nebraska. I was determined to sew one or two really great creations a year that could someday be a part of the portfolio that would hopefully get me into the show. Last fall I realized that my portfolio was now pretty sizeable and decided it was now or never. I nearly missed the deadline but managed to complete my portfolio in the “11th” hour and then overnighted it to Houston. I was beside myself with excitement to find out that I had been chosen to design for the 2008 show Rendezvous.
To say that this garment became an obsession of mine is an understatement. From the time I first found out I had gotten into the show, I thought about that creation every waking hour and even some of my sleeping ones. I had all but memorized every Fairfield and Bernina Fashion Show tape in my possession since 1992 when I first began ordering the fashion show tapes. Go to my website (http://www.designonawhim.com/) and read about the process of designing my garment. It was quite a process.
So to finally be sitting in the audience with eight of the favorite women in my life who had flown in from all over the country to join me for the week was a high I won’t come down from for awhile. Sunday night I watched the show with my 87 year old mom, sister Jan Sittler and Seattle daughter Ginger. I was so nervous until my garment came out. It was the biggest rush to see it parade down the runway with my name in lights on the screens on the side of the stage. The garments in the show were simply spectacular

and to have my design shown in the company of such quality work was the highlight of my sewing career! My friends from Sulky were appropriately rowdy and it was such fun to savor this incredible moment. Thursday night I watched the show with four of my closest Nebraska girlfriends, my sis, mom and New York City daughter, Dawn. As I watched the show for the second time I was able to relax and enjoy every single garment as it came out. After the show I went to a reception honoring the designers and it was such fun to meet some of the other women whose creations I admired. Then we were off to join my girlfriends who were waiting in the Hilton lounge for further celebration. My friend summed it up perfectly in her toast as she said, “Tonight I saw my friend realize a dream”. As we headed back to our room for the night, we met a crazy group of pajama clad women from Quilting Arts magazine who were partying the night away. They shared their laughs as well as their glow in the dark bracelets with us which was the perfect end to a perfect evening.
I took three incredibly inspiring classes in Houston. “Enriching the Surface” taught by Ginny Eckley was a fun filled day of dying an array of silks in various dye baths with the simplest technique imaginable. “Sheer Bliss” taught by Maggie Weiss was an ingenious use of layered, collaged sheers. And finally, Halloween was spent with Starr Hagenbring who treated us with “adult grapejuice” and her endless energy as we painted on fabric and learned some of the techniques that made her the hands down winner of last year’s Bernina Fashion Show.
Other show highlights included meeting my idol, Jay McCarroll (winner of Season One Project Runway), who remembered my garment from the Sunday night fashion show and gave me his autographed postcard which now hangs in my sewing studio.

My sister is an incredible quilter and earned the honor to have her quilt on display in the AQA pictoral quilt division. So we had the fun of celebrating her honor as well and I proudly gave personal commentary on her quilt with admirers any time I was in the area. And to have our mom with us who taught both my sister and I to sew was truly the highlight of the week for all of us! She was so proud of her two daughters.

Saturday was yet another fun day as I watched the informal modeling of my garment and had the chance to talk about the creation process in a “meet the designer” session. I got more great pictures for my already bulging scrapbook.

Special thanks to Mom (Tena Luebbe), Sister Jan Sittler, Daughters Ginger Gloystein and Dawn Luebbe), and friends Susan Ferris, Terri Huss, Kathy Schulz and Gail Miller who made the week so special by joining me in Houston for one of the best weeks of my life! And I couldn’t have accomplished this project without Lori Hampton, my sewing expert extraordinaire who helped me see this garment to completion and got me unstuck along the way!

Birth of a Blog!

2008-11-11T08:33:00.000-08:00

I'm just back from Houston Quilt Market & Festival where I had a garment in the Bernina 2008 Rendezvous Fashion Show. What a thrill! I put my heart and soul into creating a garment of a lifetime. Enjoy my pictures of my creation. The entire coat is made of Sulky's Cut Away + stabilizer which I painted with 3 coats of Luminiere paint.