Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Just a quick post to say that I hope everybody had a wonderful holiday and is looking forward to a great new year. Looking forward to 2009 I already have so much to look forward to. With my recent success at BazBiz I am looking forward to a few more craft shows this year. I have a few weddings for friends and family that I know of, a new niece who just joined the family and a new second cousin on the way. I have a lot to be thankful for from the last year and a lot to look forward to in the year to come. I wish the same to all of you and I will be spending the next week thinking of my new years resolutions and goals for the new year, personally and professionally. More to come on those subjects soon...

Book Review - Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter

My first book review is on Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter. I bought this book right after it came out. I love Lotta's design, they are often very simple but her colors and patterns are always fun. This book has 24 projects broken down into 4 chapters: Cook, Go, Nest and Organize.

Of course I am drawn to the "Go" chapter that has a few tote projects. My favorite is the all-day tote. It is a pretty simple bag with great pockets and easy to make.

Some of my other favorite projects include the picnic placemat and the magazine holder. I have seen placemats and organizers before but her designs are a little unique and when she makes the items in her own fabric it makes me want it even more.

I love Lotta's style, from the small pencil drawings throughout the book to the font she uses for her title. I enjoyed looking through the book almost as much as I enjoyed making the projects. The book includes step-by-step instruction for each project, pattern templates, a fun list of resources and some general sewing tips, and it is spiral bound so it lays flat when you have it open to make a project, a big plus in my book.

Overall I enjoyed this book and it has some great ideas. I would say 3.5 out of 4 stars.

*photographs by Meiko Arquillos*

Success at Baz Biz!

I have been way overdue on a post but I have been super busy getting ready for and attending Bazaar Bizarre. I have been working into all hours of the night for the past few weeks getting ready for the show. I got a lot done and I must say I am a little proud of myself for getting so much accomplished. The show was this past Saturday and Sunday up in Cleveland, OH at an old studio. The building was great and we got there early on Friday so we got a great table by one of the windows so we had good light and a little ventilation when the room got too hot.

Overall the show was a success. We sold lots of the little items which were good for stocking stuffers and little holiday gifts. I sold some of my bigger items and purses, not all of them but I did sell a few which made me very happy. Some articles that I have read say that a good show is when you make ten times your booth fee and a great show is when you make 20 times your booth fee. We didn't quite make the 20 times our table but we were in the middle so I am very happy for my first show.

I met some great people, including Shanon from Stitch Cleveland who put the whole show together, and some of the other crafters around me. I learned a lot and had a great time. The show was a success on all sides so I am happy to say we will be looking into more shows next year. Here are a few pictures of my table, we changed it around a little as the show went on to see what items would sell better.

My favorite part of the show was hearing the compliments from people looking at my stuff. Even if they didn't buy something many people still took the time to say that the bags were pretty or some of my items were great ideas. Many people even asked if I was "the artist" I never really look at myself in that way but it is nice to find people who appreciate what I do and understand what it takes to get one of these shows together. All of this made me very proud of my little craft show table and made me want to continue with shows and this little business of mine.

If you are visiting my site because you saw me at the show please let me know how the show was for you and any feedback is always appreciated. We are working on updating the etsy shop so check back in soon for updates.

Obsession Confession: Craft Books

Here we go with confession number two. I am addicted to craft books. I love books in general but I have about 65 books that are just crafting books. They cover various topics from sewing to crochet, from purse projects to print making and of course a few general craft books. There are tons of books out there on knitting and crochet or scrapbooking and paper crafts but I find it can be hard to find new sewing craft books (maybe that's just because I already have them all).

I love looking through the books to get inspiration or try a pattern. I love using the basic idea of a project and then transforming it into something of my own creation. You can often find me in a book store or library (I can't get enough of the smell of a book store, you know what I'm talking about and you probably love it too, don't try to deny it). I love heading out to Barnes and Noble, picking up a stack of craft books and finding a chair or a corner to look through them all. Half the time I don't buy anything but I have an ongoing wish list on amazon of some of my favorites that I have seen.

My favorites, of course, are sewing crafts and purse pattern books, but I also enjoy the books written about the craft culture and individual crafters. A little peak inside their worlds always interests me, especially if there are pictures of their studios! I love hearing their stories about how they got started, what niche they found to work with and how they balance their artistic, work lives with their families and sometimes their "day job." Hearing these stories is always an inspiration and makes me think that it all could really work out someday.

Since I have this addiction and as long as there are new craft books coming out I don't think I will stop buying them anytime soon, I figured I can use it as a benefit. I am going to start doing reviews of all the books I have, I will try to do at least one or two a month. If you have any specifics you have seen out there and you want to know about them please let me know and I will check my personal library to see if I can give you my thoughts on it.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wanted to take a moment out of every one's busy day to say Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone is having a wonderful day spent with friends and family. I am excited to eat and celebrate with my husband's family today and then head up to Cleveland tomorrow to spend some time with my family for the weekend. I love being so close to our families.When we used to live out in LA we could only afford to come home once during the holiday season so we are happy to be back with our families so we can spend time with everybody during this time of year. I hope everyone takes a moment to remember what this day is all about and give thanks for everything around you. I am thankful for my family and friends, my job and my prospects of my new career that are in front of me. I am thankful to everyone who stops by my blog to see what I have to say, I would love to hear how all of you spend your day today!

The Traveling Crafter: Charlotte, NC

Last weekend I was down in Charlotte, NC visiting my sister and her family. We had a great time hanging out, talking and not doing anything else. It was a great weekend. One thing I love to do when I am in new cities is to check out one or two quilt shops. They are never the same and they never have exactly the same fabric. I love walking through them and looking at all the fabric, I have been to dozens of shops and quilt market many times but every time I walk into a new quilt store I see some new fabrics that I have never seen before. I might only buy a fat quarter or, like this past weekend, I might buy 15 yards of fabric.

This past weekend outside of Charlotte we stopped at Mary Jo's Cloth Shop in Gastonia, NC. This is a HUGE store filled with any type of fabric you could imagine. Half the store is regular weight cotton fabrics for quilting and crafting. Another area of the store is all heavyweight and upholstery weight fabrics. There is also a huge section for just trims, ric rac and ribbon and anything else you could want.

The possibilities are endless and I think I spent the first half hour just walking around and looking at everything. The fabric was broken down into sections in some areas, batiks, polka dots, stripes, animals, and tons of other categories. It was a lot of fun just looking at everything and touching everything, then I came back to reality and noticed that my sister and her 8 and 9 year old kids were getting a little bored.

So I had to get a mission in my mind so I could concentrate on picking a few things out of the massive selection of fabrics. I concentrated on picking out a few fabrics that I could make some purses with for Bazaar Bizarre. The show is getting closer and closer. So I picked out a few fabrics and got a few remnant pieces as well and headed for check out. It was an amazing store and I had a great time walking the aisles. If you are ever in that area of the country you should make it your first stop. Where are your favorite quilt shops?

Obsession Confession: Fat Quarters

I have a confession to make... I am obsessed with fat quarters. I can't stop buying them, every time I walk into a quilt store. They are usually organized by color all by themselves on a shelf folded neatly in a row. They are addictive, I can never have enough and there are endless amounts of projects that can be made with just one fat quarter or a combination of a few.

So, what is a fat quarter? A fat quarter is a quarter yard piece of fabric approximately 18" x 22". A normal quarter yard cut from the bolt at a fabric store would be 44" x 9", a long skinny piece. The fat quarter is a half yard of fabric cut in half so you have a more versatile piece of fabric for a variety of projects. This picture shows the difference between a regular "skinny" quarter yard (at the bottom) of fabric and the top picture shows a fat quarter and a fat eighth.

I have a few fat quarters of my own in my studio at home...I counted them before I wrote this post and I have about 370 fat quarters. This may seem like a lot to some people but I bet there are people out there with many more (I doubt my mom could even put a number to her stash). These are my fat quarter shelves:

Along with the obsession with fat quarters comes the obsession with fat quarter bundles. These are sets of fat quarters in coordinating colors or a line of fabric from a specific designer. I have a few of these in my collection as well. The only problem with these bundles is that I never want to use them, they are just too pretty to break up. I just can't get myself to cut those strings and cut into those wonderfully coordinated bundles. I got the large Moda bundle last year at the sample spree at Quilt Market and it hasn't been broken up yet, maybe someday...ok, probably not.

So I have confessed, I love fat quarters and I can't get enough of them. I don't think this will change any time soon and I'm ok with that. There are more hidden confessions in my life that will come out sooner or later, keep in touch to hear about the rest of them and please feel free to share your own.

Projects and Presents

I have been busy getting ready for Bazaar Bizarre. Trying to get myself organized and get a list together of what projects I need to make and which items I want at the show (easier said than done since this is my first craft show). With Thanksgiving coming up as well as my vacation to Charlotte, to visit my sister and her family, I don't have much time to work so I will have to use every spare moment I have. Which also means I should probably take a break from the Twilight series. I am almost done with the third book and I can't put them down. Everyone told me I would get sucked in and I definitely have. I think I will finish the third book this weekend and then only allow myself to read at night, after my sewing is finished. We will see how well that works out. I have a list of what I want done but I am also thinking about putting together a few little gift sets with two or three items together. Since people will be shopping for the holidays I figure this is a great way to sell more items.

On to the presents portion of the post! When I arrived home from Quilt Market last week (read my recap and see the pictures here and here) I was surprised by a wonderful gift from my amazing husband. He got me a beautiful Rowenta iron and a great new ironing board. It is so wonderful to work with. Now, there is a little story that goes along with these presents. I had a basic iron before I left for market but about a week before I left I ended up needing a new ironing board because in my rush to finish up a project I may have accidentally fused some interfacing to my ironing board instead of the fabric it was supposed to attach to. Not paying attention, the interfacing was upside down so then there was glue all over my ironing board and I had no time to go get a new cover. But, in the end it worked out very well for me. New ironing board and new iron! Husbands are great!
I have lots of work to do in the next few weeks and not too much time to get it all done but hopefully it will all come together in the end and I will have a great show. I hope to see lots of you there!

Bazaar Bizarre

So I am back to the "real world" now after quilt market is all over. It was nice to be lost in the fabric and design industry even if it was only for a few days. Every time I come home from market or any other show I realize how much I really do miss the industry and how excited I am to try to make my own mark in this world.

On that note I have a very exciting announcement...I have been accepted into Bazaar Bizarre! It is an alternative craft show that I will be showing at in Cleveland December 13th and 14th. They have shows in a few different cities throughout the year. I went to the show in Cleveland last year and there was a great mix of crafters and I found some great Christmas presents for many people on my list. Here is the vendor list, it looks like there are lots of great people that will be there.

This will be my first craft show so I am trying to not get too excited about tons of sales and just consider it a learning experience no matter what happens, of course selling out would be nice too. It will be a great chance to meet some other crafters in my area and the get the feel of a craft show to see if it is something I want to continue doing. So I have TONS of work to do to figure out what I want to have at my table and then, of course, make it all. I will be very busy for the next month but I am very excited about the show.

Anyone else going to the show?

Quilt Market Part II

Well, it’s all over. A bit sad but I had a great time. I tried to write earlier when I was at the airport but the Internet would not connect. I don’t really know where to start because I saw so much and talked to so many great people. The booth at AH was great, I had a great time with everybody there and loved catching up with all of them, hopefully I will see them again soon in
Pittsburgh for Spring Market.

I guess I will start by just going through some of my pictures and let you know what I saw. I stopped by Anna Maria Horner’s booth. It was so cute, I talked to her for a bit and bought her new book Seams To Me and had her sign it. She is really nice and easy to talk to. She let us know that she is expecting her 6th child this Spring. Congrats to Anna! I don’t know how she does it but she does and the new book is great, lots of inspiring projects and pictures. She also won an award for her booth!

I stopped by Amy Butler’s booth and it looked great, as usual. She was at lunch when I stopped by so I didn’t get to say hi but I saw her later on at the hotel and then we were on the same flight home. She is always great to talk to and super nice. She had great, inspiring projects all over her booth and some great photos.

Kim from True up was at the AH booth and I got to talk to her. She writes a blog that is all about fabric. I haven’t had a chance to really check it out yet but from what I have seen so far it looks pretty cool, I can’t wait to sit down and look through all the pictures. She has some great pics from Quilt Market too.

If you have never seen the patterns and stuffed animals from Melly & Me you need to head over to their website right now because they are some of the cutest things I have ever seen. They are an Australian company and have some really fun stuff. I bought two purse patterns from them and I have a few more patterns that I bought last year.

Another company with tons of great patterns is Indygo Junction. Their booth was really cute with lots of their projects made up. I talked to one of the designers later at AH and helped her pick out some fabrics that they might use in some of their future samples. They have a lot of great stuff, some cute accessories too like this necklace made out of buttons.

I walked around a lot, collected some business cards and saw a lot of great quilts, patterns and project ideas. If nothing else I always leave quilt market very inspired. You see so many people who have followed their dreams and worked their way to Quilt Market. All the people there with their little booths that they have been planning for months to get it just right. It makes me feel like it is not too far away, that maybe within the next five years I could be there with my own booth and my own patterns getting sold to the quilt stores around the country.

This is the aftermath of Quilt Market, after everyone has left for the day. It was a little after 8 when we were all done packing up our booth. It was a great weekend and I hope I can do it again in May!

Live from Quilt Market

Well, it has been a busy day but, of course, I have been having lots of fun. I got into Houston yesterday evening and went to dinner with everyone from the Alexander Henry Studio. It was fun to be able to catch up with them.


The show opened at 9:30 this morning. I was over at the AH booth around 9 to get all the information on their newest line and the sneak peak of next seasons line. It all looks amazing, did anyone really doubt them? I have several new favorites from their line a few of which I want a just to hang on my walls because they are so wonderful. They did a "White Autumn" scene in the wondershop this season and it looks great. This is a fun tree with fabric leaves at the Blank Quilting booth:
At my lunch hour I grabbed a quick snack and walked around for the rest of the time just admiring the booths and picking up brochures and magazines along the way. I talked to a few people here and there but mostly I just walked and looked at booths. I plan to try to talk to everyone tomorrow. I have seen a few people that I recognize from the blogging world walking around which is fun. I think it's funny how some of the fabric designers become kinda like celebrities at these events.

I did discover something very exciting....Timtex is back! A few months back the company announced that they were no longer making the heavyweight interfacing that is great for lots of purses and other crafts. But I was walking by the C&T Publishing booth and noticed a few little samples of it and talked to one of the employees. They have their own blog and you can get the whole Timtex story here.

Cool booth with lots of buttons an trims:

One of my favorite pattern designers, Indygo Junction:
A booth with cool vintage fabric and buttons:

Those are just a few pictures from some of the booths I saw. I will take more pictures tomorrow, I will try to post all my pictures on my picassa site tomorrow so you can see a little bit of Quilt Market for yourself. Let me know if you have any questions or booths you want to see pictures of. Talk to you soon!

It's Here!

It just arrived yesterday! All four books in the series in a nice little box from Amazon.

I got the twilight saga in the mail yesterday and I can't wait to start the first book. I have heard so much good feedback about these books. I must admit I am a bit skeptical because this is not really the type of book I usually read but I am going to give it a try. I figured it would give me something to do while traveling to market this weekend and in the hotel at night. From what I have heard I won't be able to put it down so it should make for a short flight. Don't tell me what happens!

Cupcakes

So besides sewing another one of my favorite activities is making cupcakes. I don't cook, I wouldn't really even say I bake. But I love to make and decorate cupcakes. I have a few books with different recipes and flavors but for know I usually just use the cake mixes from a box (that's why I say that I don't really bake). I decided a few months ago that I needed something to be "my thing" that I can bring to potlucks or parties. So I decided on cupcakes.

One of my new favorite cupcake ideas is the cupcake cake. I know this is nothing new but I made one for a fourth of July party:

And I just made one for a potluck at work:

Cupcakes are just so much fun! I think I will need one of these next so I can make all sorts of fun cakes. I found these Pink Lemonade Cupcakes on this really cute blog and I may just have to try those next, they look delicious.

Only three days until market!

Countdown!

I have started my countdown to Quilt Market. One week from today I will be on my way to Houston. Unfortunately I will not have my own booth at market but I will be working for Alexander Henry Fabrics, my favorite fabric company. I have been lucky enough to work these shows with them since I worked in the studio a few years ago. I love going to market each year, I always look forward to it. Like many crafters trying to make it in this industry I have a "day job" to make money until my crafting job can become my full time work. Working as hard as we do can sometimes make it hard to keep up the enthusiasm for my work and the creativity to keep going. Each time I go to market or any other industry show it renews my enthusiasm for what I do. There are so many great people that you meet, not to mention all the most amazing, new fabrics.

I think one of my favorite parts about Quilt Market is the booths. There are over 500 vendors and no two booths are the same. The big companies always do a great job and have beautiful booths but I love to see the small ones the most. You know when you walk by these booths that the owners/designers are there working the whole show to get their patterns and work out there for everybody to see. I can only imagine the work they put into each and every detail of their display to make sure it looks just right. I hope to one day have a booth at market so I love walking around to get inspiration for what my booth will look like.

This is my first market since I have become more serious about my design business so I hope to take LOTS of pictures and meet as many people as I can. I know I still have a lot of work to do before I get to that point but it can't hurt to get started now. I have printed off the list of all the exhibitors and I plan to narrow down the list to all the booths that I want to hit while I am there. This can be tricky since I am technically working while I am there. I have to fit my wandering around into my lunch hour and the little bit of time before and after the show is open. So I am working on a plan to get as much accomplished in the short time that I can.

Here is a pretty dorky picture of me in the Alexander Henry booth two years ago at market, with my cute skirt that I made out of Mocca by AH. Are you going to market? Have you ever been in the past? Let me know!

My new "store"

This week I opened my own "store." Ok, it's not really a store but I have my own booth at a local craft mall. I have my own little spot that is about 5 feet high, 4 feet wide and about 3 feet deep. I pay a monthly rent and then they take care of all the rest. It's open 7 days a week and all I have to do is keep it stocked. Each night their sales are downloaded to a website so I can track my sales and see what I need to add to the booth. I signed a six month lease so we will see how it goes over the holiday season. I haven't done any craft shows yet so I think this is a good way to see what sells and what doesn't. Here are a few pictures of my booth, let me know what you think about my setup, any advice is always welcome.

I am thinking about moving the light to a lower shelf so that it actually lights up the booth rather than just sits at the top. Its only been a few days so I will just have to see how it goes.

I am off to watch the season finale of "Project Runway." I am so excited, I like all three of the finalists so it's hard for me to decide who I want to win it all, but I'm excited to see all the lines. I know everyone thinks Kenly is rude but I really like her. I spent the last two weeks getting inventory together for this little booth, and that gave me stress. I can't imagine designing a whole line to show at Bryant Park, I don't think I will ever need that kind of stress in my life. I think my goals of having my own booth at Quilt Market will give me enough stress.

Just getting started

I have been reading blogs for a while now and I keep telling myself that I should start my own. After waiting and procrastinating for months now I decided to just start one. I don't know all the ins and outs of blogging yet but I guess I will learn along the way.

I am living in Columbus, Ohio and starting my own business. I love to sew and create beautiful things from the fabric I have collected over the years. I hope to use this blog as a way to showcase what I have made and what I am working on. I will also be talking about what I am doing to start my business. I am at the very beginning stages of this adventure so hopefully you will come along for the ride. I look forward to talking with lots of you out there and learning from what you can teach me about this new area of my adventures!

And since my favorite part of blogs is the pictures I have given you another picture of my "glamorous ella phants"

I can't wait to hear from all of you, please leave comments to let me know any advice you may have for me!

Welcome to Mallory Hill Designs

Welcome to Mallory Hill Designs!

Please take a look around the site, and don't forget to check out what's for sale in our Etsy shop!