Sara's Blog

Hello NowSewers! 

I hope you are all having a great week.  My head is spinning from the week in Paducah!  Fabrics and notions and QUILTS, oh my!  Luckily, I was invited to attend the awards ceremony, what an experience!  To see the award winning quilts and feel the enthusiasm in the room was the perfect way to kick off the show.  If you weren't able to attend the show, check out this site and see all of the award winning quilts: http://www.americanquilter.com/shows_contests/paducah/2008/quilt_contest/

You are sure to find inspiration for you next project here!  Congratulations to all of the contestants!

Once again, I was able to meet some of you at the show!  What a pleasure.  That reminded me that I have a picture from Seattle of one of our community members:


What a lovely woman, originally from Europe, now living in the Seattle area. 

While at the show, I was on the prowl for the latest and greatest and booked a couple of very exciting guests for the show.  We'll be heading back to the studio in July to tape 12 more webisodes.  We always try to find what you, the community, are looking for.  If you have any great suggestions, let me know!

I had a few extra minutes one night before dinner so I stopped by Caryl Bryer Fallert's srudio.  If you aren't familiar with Caryl, she is an award winning artist.  She has won the AQS Best in Show 3 times, but what I didn't know is that she has also won many awards for her garments.  I heard one person in the studio comment that she didn't know Caryl made garments and Caryl responded, "Funny, in the 80's, people didn't know I made quilts!"  Oh how I wish I would have gotten a picture with her and had her sign one of the kits I bought!  What was I thinking!  Here are a couple of examples of her work, the quilt is "Birds of a Different Color":


Check out her site for more: www.bryerpatch.com

Caryl is a master of color, using bold colors in such a fascinating and dynamic manner.  She is also an incredible machine quilter.  Not your traditional stippling and feather quilting, some of that with an artful adaptation but incredible free forms that mirror each individual piece.  I got a few kits to learn and practice her techniques.  Oh, and the fabrics!!  She has incredible bold collections where the fabric starts one color and blends into several others, with coordinates to match, of course!  I had no idea where to begin - I loved all of the colors and could have easily spent thousands!  Alas, I bought a couple of instructional kits and promised myself I would return once I complete them.  Oh my, did I just give myself a quilting rule??  Must amend immediately...

Enough rambling for now... Check back again soon, I have an idea for a contest, of sorts, rolling around in my head.

Sara

This week we launched a fun home dec webisode with Donna Babylon of "More Splash Than Cash" designs!

Donna has loads of great tips for home dec sewing that are fast and fun!  As the title of her company suggests, she comes up with patterns and designs that can quickly be made by any sewer at a fraction of the cost of designer home dec.  I'm sure you all know how much custom drapes can cost...try making your own!

Also, Donna has declared April "National Home Dec Month."  In celebration, why not give a room in your home a new face lift!  With the pillow tips she shows in her webisode, you're sure to feel inspired and confident about creating your own.  We've also given you instructions with the show for a curtain and welted pillow.  We'd love to see how yours turn out, send us pictures! 

I'm still waiting for spring here in the mid-west, we get a little teaser of warmth, then it gets cold again!  Hopefully, soon spring will have sprung and motivated all of us to create a new look in one of our favorite rooms!

Best Wishes!

Sara

It has been quite a week around here!  This weekend I decided to begin redecorating my sewing room, which I'm sure many of you know can be quite the task.  I am so excited, it will all be worth it in the end.  I will be sharing pictures as soon as it is lookin' good!!

All this decorating comes at a perfect time, really. This week, Donna Babylon's webisode will be uploading where she'll share decorating tips with more splash than cash. It should inspire us all for a little spring touch up.

Also, this week I am on my way to Paducah, KY for the AQS Quilt Show. I hope to see some of you there and to bring back a report of anything exciting that I find.

Sara

Hello Again!

I'm getting back into the swing of things and have some photos to share from my recent vacation in Hawaii!  What an amazing island, filled with energy, color, love and inspiration.  First, a picture of my husband (a serious Red Sox fan) and I, windblown and enjoying a whale watching dinner cruise on a Catamaran.



We were there at the tail end of whale season on Maui, but were still able to spot 10-15 whales enjoying the warm Maui waters.  It is amazing to me how such a large mammal can fly out of the water, breech and dive back in with such grace!  How free that must feel!

Next, a little inspiration...  My husband loves to take photos of flowers and other pieces of nature and then oil paint them.  His eye for color and texture is second to none, so he is always my #1 quilt fabric consultant!  I am fortunate to share my life with someone so creative who understands (most of the time ;) ) my need to buy be surrounded by gorgeous fabrics!!



I would love to find the perfect fabrics and create a wall hanging using this Bird of Paradise as my inspiration.  I'll have to dig out my Tsukinko Inks for this project to add dimension and texture to the fabrics.  After this trip, I can see how where Linda Visnaw's inspiration came for her "Hawaiian Surprise" quilt art projects!  She is a fabulous at combining free - motion sewing and Tsukineko Inks to create beautiful quilts, this quilt features many of the luscious flowers and colors of Hawaii!  I can't seem to get on her website, so I found her pattern at Golden Threads, check out this link:  http://www.goldenthreads.com/c-138-quilt-art.aspx 

Finally, a room with a view!  We stayed at the Sheraton on Ka'anapali beach and were able to listen to the birds singing and waves crashing and relax each day with a view like this:


We also spent a little time snorkeling, seeing the vibrant colored fish that live around the giant crater Molokini.  We also saw an eel and even a shark!  Maybe i'll post a picture or two once we get some of our under water pictures back....

If you've never been to Hawaii, I sincerely hope that you will be able to go one day.  It was such a long flight, but as soon as we could see the island, I realized how worth it the trip would be.  If you have been, I'd love to hear some of your favorite Hawaii memories and see how your photos and inspiration translated into other mediums and creative outlets!

Most importantly "Mahalo!" from the entire Behind the Seams team for being a part of the community and sharing your passion for sewing with us!

Aloha!
Sara

Hello everyone!

It has been a little hard for me to get back into the swing of writing my blog because I have a little bit of jet lag. I have recently returned from the beautiful island of Maui in Hawaii. Talk about inspiration!

Imagine with me beautiful sunsets, tropical flowers, bright colored fish, warm sand, lapping waves, and all the pineapple you could want. :-) I think that this trip has inspired a few new project ideas. Off to my stash and then a definite visit to my fabric store. A perfect way to capture some of these memories before I get into the swing of things and forget some of it. Plus, I was amazed at finding some of the handmade Hawaiian quilts at some local stores. They were all beautifully done, some even by hand. If only I had brought another suitcase, but now I can create my own.

I know not everyone gets a chance like this, but I bet your vacations, trips, or even your own hometown inpire you in some way. Feel free to share your inspiration and stories. I love to hear it. Plus, don't forget to post your projects here on NowSewing so we all can enjoy them. Inspiration comes from every corner.

Til Next Time.

Aloha!