Houston, we have a problem

Houston, we have a problem. No, not really. We're just in lock-down mode getting ready for Quilt Market in 10 days!

I'll share a very special sneak peek tomorrow.

But for now, I thought I'd share some real life, behind the scenes shots of life here in the west coast studio. Inspired by J. Caroline's blog posting of real life in the studio. I'm ready to come clean (not to be confused with "cleaning"). It doesn't get more "real" than right before Quilt Market. Actually, this picture is pretty organized, being you can still see the floor. Trust me, that will disappear in the next few days, as things get down to the wire. Since I'm a "visual" person I like to have everything out where I can see it. "Out of sight, out of mind" Everything at my fingertips.

Here's my prized possession, the Featherweight 221 passed on to me from my Mom. She became a Home Ec. teacher with this and passed it on to me when I started sewing. I have a fancy schmancy machine (needs servicing) and an expandable sewing table (no room to open it up at the moment), but as you can see, this fits well on the only uncluttered space left.

Let it Rain

Today's adorable project was made by "MeMa" (aka our talented Northwest Sales Rep; Susan) for her little "Beanie". Using J for Jump in Cotton Laminate and trimmed with red Garden Pindot, a big red zipper and the perfect touch of red ric rac, (love that ric rac) this is just too cute!

Susan used a Butterick pattern as the starting point. Other than trimming the seems to cut the bulk and a few pins in the seam allowance, no special treatment was really necessary. (no special needles or thread either).

What a cutie!

Splat Mat

Got a kid? Got a mess? You need Splat Mat!

Heck, we all need this!

Not too long ago we introduced Laminated Cotton to our line. It's been a big success for totebags, rain coats and now ... splat mats!

Joanna of Stardust Shoes has done it again with a great idea and some really ingenious sewing tips.

A Tote Bag

Here's a great tote bag pattern from Craft Apple Creations. It's designed to schlep all the baby essentials a mom on the go needs.

But since I spend A LOT of time on planes, which I love for the reading and thinking time, this is a great carry-on tote bag to carry my files, books, notebooks, magazines and even bottled water purchased after going through security.


Speaking of files, how about these nifty files on procrastinating from Sesame Letterpress . Who can't relate to that!?
The file headings read: Urgent, Ignore, Later, Much Later, Never, Really never!

Quilting with the Artists

I'm here to share a few pictures of the fabulous time I just had at the Quilting with the Artists event in Historic St. Charles.

Mark Lipinski of Quilter's Home magazine regaled us with hilariously heartwarming stories of his beginning quilting days. He also gave us a sneak peek of his stunning embellishments and his new print line Katmandu for Troy fabrics.
Author and Kansas City Star Editor, Edie McGinnis, shared her knowledge and fascinating history of feedsacks. Check out this amazing quilt she made entirely of different feedsacks! (Shown front and back).
Ann Hazelwood wowed us with her incredible red and white vintage apron collection. She has more than 200 of them! If you're in the vicinity of St. Charles, you'll have to check out her store Patches.

It's Gotta Go Somewhere!

Let's face it. Diapers are one of the handiest things around. They're the ultimate catch-all. Long after the kids are functioning on their own, these are still the perfect thing to grab for all kinds of reasons. Now, the ever-so-humble diaper can hang out with all the other classy hip baby accessories!

This Burp Cloth tutorial from Stardust Shoes shows us once again, how easy it is to make something ordinary, fun!

For the Chuckles!

For those of you not familiar with our warped sense of humor here at Michael Miller Fabrics, we've got a couple of new print groups to share. (Knitmare on Elm Street and That's Sew Wrong). My experience is that quilters/crafters and knitters can have a wicked sense of humor and we love to indulge and oblige! These are from Jennifer Shugars. She's a designer with a knack for design with a punch line!

Yo Yo Flip Flops

Who says summer's over? I enjoy the changing of the seasons as much as the next person. But the one thing I drag my feet on (love those puns) is cramming my tootsies into proper shoes when the rain or snow finally demands it! Love to feel the air between my toes!

Well, here's another reason to drag it out as long as possible: Susan I. Jones, fiber artist with a flair for making all things fun, has used two great new artist tools in an ingenious project: Clover's Yoyo Making Tool and Beacon's Flip Flop Glue. You can download the tutorial here.

Where it's Happening!

You can read about it here. This happens on the day before The Round Bobbin Sewing Expo starts.

I'll be one of the four speakers. Besides giving a sneak peak of what we'll be debuting at the upcoming International Quilt Market, I'll also speak of the latest trends in quilting, fashion and home decor. There'll also be in the trenches stories from the start-up days of Michael Miller Fabrics.

I'm hoping I'll be the first to speak.
Two reasons:
A. The raucously funny Mark Lipinski is a tough act to follow.
B. I can sit back and enjoy the show.
Quite frankly, I can't wait to hear the other three speakers.

Just to give you an idea of what you'll hear from these fascinating folks:

Mark Lipinski: Editor of the newest, funnest quilting magazine out there. I have no idea what he's going to say but am sure it will be irreverently candid and humorous! I've read the magazine cover to cover from it's inception.

Ann Hazelwood: She'll be showing her huge collection of aprons (who doesn't love aprons?) and sharing fun tidbits.

Edie McGinnis: We'll get to see an amazing collection of "feedsacks" from the 1930-50s and hear their wonderful stories from this Kansas City Star journalist and author.

Oh Baby!

Chances are if you're reading this, you found your way here because you either clicked on the cute baby face on Michael Miller Fabrics' website or you spotted our ad in Mary Englebreit's Home Companion (Oct/Nov) magazine. Either way, we're glad you came!

We're still in the setting-up phase. Just like moving into a new home that's not quite ready for company. So, please bear with us while we find our way around the neighborhood.

Now, back to that cute baby. He's wearing the latest trend in hip baby couture! Appliqued Onesies! Here's another great tutorial from Stardust Shoes.

These are so cute! They transform plain onesies into designer duds on a dime!