Holly Blog

My Favorite Things...200...The Big Two Oh-Oh!

Day 15 of 16

 

The ric rac & ribbon is from my buddy Adam...(quilt shop owners take note!) The Forget-Me-Not millinery flowers are from my personal stash...but I have seen something very similar recently at Michaels.

Well Ladies, it's my day today, and a bit of a coincidence, actually...It's my 200th blog post. I have to laugh, when I think of what my webmaster said about blogging a couple of years ago, when I wanted to add a blog onto my website.  Something to the effect of "be careful with that and make sure you really want to do it and that you won't run out of things to say".  LOL...

Actually, I only run out of time, not things to show & tell.  I have pictures from trips and projects and things that inspire me waiting in files to show you...

Anyhoo, I designed the panel to expand the "circle of friends"...that is, people who liked the Dolly Dresses quilt from last fall & who would like to work with the Dolly Dresses fabrics, but like me, don't have the time to do all of the applique'.  Tick-tock, I say.

So before I even was finished with the dolly dresses panel fabric, I called the Beth "the Beauty Queen" Hayes (it's the cheekbones) at McCall's Quilting.  What I love about working with Beth is that she has even less time to waste than I do.  I send her a picture, she loves it, she hates it...I get instant feed back...Tick Tock.

So the embellished Dolly Dress Up panel quilt that was shown in the LakeHouse booth at Fall Quilt market, (which I showed in a previous blog back in October)...Is going to be in the McCall's Quilting April 2010 issue that hits the newsstands in February.  The timing is perfect, because the Dolly Dresses 2 fabrics will be getting to the stores in early April...For those of you with scraps left over from Doll Dresses 1, I used a lot of scraps from that collection in my quilt...Not to worry though, DD 1, 2 & 3...they all go together, it's a mix & match thing...like Garanimals...LOL

Meantime, it's time for you to give it your best shot...Remember the scene in the movie "Notting Hill"...Hugh Grant's character is sitting around the dinner table with friends?  Each of them had to tell a story about why they deserved the last brownie...Well now's the time...Give it your best shot & tell me why you deserve to win the Dolly Dress Up panels (months earlier than anyone else) from our secret stash here at the studio. 

Leave your story below and I'll announce the winners of the Dolly Dress Up panels tomorrow.

Make Me Laugh!...Back in a Flash,

H2

My Favorite Things...186...A "Little Deb" will do Ya!

Day 1 of 16

It all started with the idea for the "Dolly Dress Up" panels, at the end of last year.  It took a lot of patience, doing 12 different dresses that went together and yet different enough...(thought bubble)...frankly, it was not as easy as I thought it would be!

So after several weeks of working on this, and many strike-offs later...

We are READY TO RUMBLE ladies!

Without further ado, I give you the adorable...drum roll please...Debbie Taylor...she's "the retro recipe lady" (and quilter extraordinaire) at Fat Quarter Shop.

Here's a sneak peek at one of the blocks on her delicious new quilt...

Rumor has it that Debbie is going to do a tutorial for y'all on the Jolly Jabber blog, to help us all celebrate the beginning of "the Season of Giving"...Click here for more with Debbie.

See you bright & shiny tomorrow...

;º)

H2

My Favorite Things...180...When My "Dogs" are on the Coffee Table

Don't freak out, I don't let my dogs on the coffee table, that's just an expression for when I put my feet up on the furniture.  Yes, I have that kind of house.  It's been shabby and not-so-chic since before I'd ever even heard of Rachel Ashwell.

Right now though, I'm in CA, with the intent of working on several fun projects here (as soon as I get my brain back)...so I'm sitting cross legged on my friend Ric's sofa with my laptop on a pillow.  It's the most comfortable way I know to work.

We had an AMAZING market.  With the economy the way it is, I set my sights low (to avoid disappointment), but this market I was in the booth meeting new customers and writing up multi paged orders -- pretty much the entire time.  I did not get out to see Brenda Riddle (but she did drop by to say hello), Anne Sutton, or the "Moda Mob" (I must admit, I am a reduced to a syrupy mess around a lot of my design faves).  I did have some visitors come by though (a couple that I actually remembered to have a picture taken with). 

Pam Kitty & Elizabeth came by (all bright eyed and bushy tailed), and took this shot with me (looking "rode hard and put away wet") and Penny (the photogenic one on my left). We had a fun "chicken-fried-chicken" dinner that night with them and Penny's daughter Darci at the House of Blues.

I was also thrilled to see Tula Pink and her mom come by, (the two of them are so much fun), Rosalie from Melly & Me, (who is also a delight), Lynda Milligan of the Great American Quilt Factory, Cyndi Walker of Stitch Studios, Tricia Cribbs of Friend Folks, Gina Halladay & her quilting sidekick Kay, and Sheri Bignell of Freckleberry Farm...forgive me if I have left anyone out...I think it was the new Dolly Dresses 2 "Dolly Dress Up quilt" that made a lot of people who like bright fabric stop by. (Then I swooped in like a spider in her web to meet people who I am a fan of.)

Here's a picture of the "bright side of the booth"...

 

The red bordered "Dolly Dress Up" quilt will be in McCall's Quilting magazine in the April 2010 issue (newsstand February).  It's a panel that is made to look like it's all applique'd.  People seemed to really like it. All of the dresses are in place, so it's the perfect on it's own or with lots of fun embellishments, I designed the panel and the applique' embellishments and our quilting maven Cheryl Winslow of Starshine Quilting whipped up for the booth a few days before market, (and those are her hugley popular & adorable little dresses all over our booth).

I'm planning another Dolly Dresses holiday event in December with some quilting buddies...more on this very soon. 

Lots more to show and tell tomorrow ladies...

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...179...A Little Birdie Told Me

Without further ado, here are some close up shots of "me little birdies"...

Here's a shot of the tree, and the little goody basket we had the little bird-stickered-favors in...

I got all of the little German gold foil die cuts (even the crown on the back shelf) at a wonderful place in Berkeley, during my last trip to CA...More on this shop soon, when I get back over there.

Here's a little close up of the marvelous garlands that I bought in the flower district (28th & 7th Ave) in Manhattan...I also got the little eggs and many of the birds that I used in our booth at Bill's Flower Market which has been there as long as I have lived in New York. 

I'll be back again tomorrow for more show & tell.

X;º)   H2

My Favorite Things...178...When the Day is Done

I have had so many things to show & tell between my trip to California in early September and now.  But I have had to keep my nose to the grindstone in preparation for Fall Quilt Market.  We ran into a lot of snags along the way.  It was like a comedy of errors a lot of the time...(things just kept running amok!) Big thanks to Martha Hall for making the 3 new quilts shown below.

We featured our new Teatime Floral III grouping "front & center" in our booth at market.  A new panel fabric that I designed featuring North American Song Birds prompted our decorations...We had great fun with all of the little "do dahs" -- eggs, nests, lots of little birdies, some old fashioned feather trees...

 

The urns in the center are from the Clignancourt flea market in Paris.  I bought them almost twenty years ago for my own studio (w-ayyy before French General), when I was there working on an interior design project.  (So I really have to laugh when I hear back from sales reps that "this collection doesn't look like something Holly would do"--when in reality what I have done in the last year is actually inspired by some of my most treasured things). 

Believe it or not, the peeling paint and rust on these antique urns is practically the same color palette as the blues and browns in TTF 3...click here for a closer comparison!  The LOVE pillow is by pal Penny Sturges of Quilts Illustrated.  My new Whirlwind quilt in the background features the "Song Bird I" panel fabric LH 09024.  I'll be making inspiration sheets for this quilt available on line very soon.

Here's a close up of my peeling, rusty, iron garden urns...I know, I know, one person's trash is another's treasure!

 

Lots more soon after a little R&R. 

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...176...Teatime Floral 3 & More Cupakes Dear?

I have a new favorite color, it's just a soft whisper of blue.  We'll be calling it "Cloud".  It's used a lot in our new Teatime Floral Three collection, and it's being shown in our new sales booklet format to independent quilt shop owners all over the world as I write.

Here's the cover from the sales booklet...

Imagine my delight, with the new TTF 3 sales booklet just out the door, when I walked into one of my favorite new neighborhood places "Magnolia Bakery", and noticed the same "Cloud" blue in the subway tiles used as a back splash in their kitchen.  Is it just me or do you love this color too?

The cupcakes are what put Magnolia Bakery on the map...rumor has it that the tiny original store in Greenwich Village sells 2500 of them a day.  The Columbus Avenue store is 3 times as big, so I wonder how many cupcakes they sell...?

I love their Chocolate Layer Cake with Vanilla Butter Cream Icing, too...

Speaking of cupcakes, our LakeHouse pink cupcake fabric (LH 08010 Pink) that so many of you have been clamoring for is back in stock in our NJ warehouse.  We actually printed it 3 more times in the last 6 months thanks to all of your enthusiasm for that print...I hope to do more fabrics "in a similar style & taste" in the near future.

That's part two of my "Midsummer Days Tales".

Back again in a few...

slurp

H2

My Favorite Things...174...Back in the Saddle Again

I remember writing a couple of essays when I was a kid at the beginning of a new school year that described what I did for my summer vacation. 

For the record, I haven't actually had an official summer vacation yet, but I have taken some time off for designing, and "re-charging my battery".  Here's a few photos of what I've been up to...

A little sneak peek of a quilt that I designed for American Patchwork & Quilting that uses our new Teatime Floral Two collection.  The fabric is due out in the stores in late September /early October.  It was made by Cheryl Winslow of Starshine Quilting.

I'll let you know what issue of APQ this quilt is in as soon as I get a confirmation on the exact publication date. 

Here's a tasty-design-tidbit from pictures that I took in Central Park while walking "the Mrs." aka Mrs Riley...

I spotted the most sensational lanterns hanging over the terrace at Tavern On the Green. From a distance, I could swear that the fabrics were Asian-inspired prints.

Up close the lanterns were actually made of decorator upholstery fabrics.

Aren't they fabulous?  They'd be pretty easy to re-create at home I think...

More later this week from the Big Apple.

It's great to be back...in the saddle again.

LOL  {:º)X  H2

My Favorite Things...165...Another Sneak Peek!

We have several delicious (if I do say so myself) quilts going out to magazines right about now...This one's going to Jill Meade over at Quilts & More...it is due out sometime this summer...(Will keep you posted.)

This one is a lap size...I hope that you will be pleasantly surprised when you see the article, as you can't quite make out the overall effect from this little snapshot, or can you?  The ric rac is  fabulous new color made especially to coordinate with our new Teatime Floral fabrics (and this quilt in particular) by my buddy Adam over at cheeptrims.com  Our "fabric mistress" Mrs. Winslow devised a great way to apply the ric rac without any muss or fuss!  (Hint: fusible thread, more later!)

I've got more pics to of another magazine quilt that has just been sent out, but I have to find them first...I've taken so many pictures lately that I am having a difficult time keeping them all straight...

Back in two shakes...H2

My Favorite Things...164...New Years Presents!

To start the new year off right, what could be better that a free pattern, or two?
Just click on the H on the right sidebar of this blog, and you can link to our Teatime Floral Projects page that has two of my new FREE click & print patterns. 

Many of you know by now that my mantra is "Let the Fabric do the Work"...These two new patterns are really a variation on the same basic layout, and yet they have two distinct looks...

"Step Lively" is an easy-to-make layout that shows you how to use a selection of colorful fabrics from our new Teatime collection to create a joyful quilt that has several "layers" of interlocking patterns.

"Step Softly" uses my favorite little Rose Ticking stripe, and a few others fabrics from the Teatime Floral  collection, to create a subtle plaid effect.  It's got sort of a "Rose Cottage" feeling to it...I can't wait to make one for myself.

Let's make this year the best year ever, shall we?

X;º)  H2

My Favorite Things...159...New Fabrics, New Quilts

It's been a while, my how time flies, but we have been busy little bees here at the studio.  So I have many new things to show and tell...

I decided that we needed a new way to present our quilt patterns.  Our distributors can only stock one pattern front for each pattern, but we like to explore many fabric variations for every quilt top we do. So that means your local quilt shop owners haven't been able to show you all of the different variations on a quilt top that we do.

Until now, there has been no way for us to be able to show quilters worldwide the different fabric combinations for quilt top designs that we show in our sales support booklet.  To that end, we have come up with a slightly different way to make our pattern fronts available to you via our website...starting today, we will have downloadable click & print pattern fronts for your personal use, for all of the new projects that we presented at Fall Quilt Market. 

We will have 8 new projects for the Doll Dresses fabrics...

We also have 14 new projects for the Teatime Floral fabrics...

Here's the link for our New Projects Page, it will tell you everything you need to know about our new project patterns.

I've got lots of other yummy things for you to look at coming up before the end of the year, so come back soon.

Back in two shakes...

X;º)  H2