and the winners are....

Wow! thank you all for the wonderful response and kind words.

and now for the good part:  the winners are:

Dotty jane

Theresa B

Barbara G

(to all the rest of you: there's more to come)

Surfacing

I'm Back!!! yes it's me! What better way to resurface than to come back the same way I started when I took the plunge on my first posting in 07 !
Yes, yes, I know people have started to question and speculate about my absence, so here's an abbreviated account of my whereabouts since the end of October:

"LIFE"

My daughter and I took a  "trip of a lifetime" to India.  It wasn't going to be a "work trip" but how could it not be?  It's true when you see the ads for "Incredible India" and I've got a 1000 pictures to prove it! (look for this in future collections and postings)

My Dad passed away - what can I say? My Mom and Dad will always be my source of strength and inspiration. I was blessed to be their daughter. 

Took some time to be with loved ones and welcome new family members throughout the holidays.

and now I'm back
recharged, reconnected, reinvigorated and ready to do a bit of re-inventing!

so....... to kick things off and since it's
VALENTINES DAY!
here's a gift from me to you:  I'll pick three names to receive this bundle of fabrics from my stash here in the studio:

 

Designer Row: Before & After

As promised:
here we are on the classy side of the street across from Camp Michael Miller
(for a better look- check out their blogs- waaay better photos)

Patty Young
before:

after:
bright happy fun colors and great sewing patterns
on top of all that she's a great photographer too!
Pillow and Maxfield
before
after:
Valerie Pillow & Anne Maxfield
wow! 1st time booth- born pros- gorgeous

Sandi Henderson
before:

after:
warm, yummy inviting - it all just works together so well-
well deserved ribbon there: merchandising award!

Paula Prass (and husband Tim alias McGuyver)
before:

after:
modern,sophisticated always "just right"
"once an interior designer always an interior designer"

Houston Quilt Market

Creativity Booth Award
this is how it ended
But this is where it started:
with a theme and a challenge: pull together gnomes - vintage trailers- and a classy group of independent designers together in one cohesive group of booths.
first the trailer:

Before

During
(held together with starch)
After
Ta Da!!
doesn't that look like we twitched our noses and voila! booth done?

but of course - here's the real story
(someday I'm gonna do this time-lapse photography style)
If they bring it WE will build it
Trees to be assembled limb by limb

and here's the talent behind the talent.
Tom builder of dreams
Becky
invent and sew
Jean
aka
"THE GNOME"

Deb
head down stitching fast

note the corner sign post:
Paula Prass, Sandi Henderson, Pillow & Maxfield and Patty Young on the classy side of the street.

next post we'll cross the road for a visit

The Luck of the Gnome

Click on image to view larger

It's Michael Miller Fabrics' 10th anniversary and we're celebrating at Quilt Market
with some-all-out-fun-times in the booth!!

In addition we'll be hosting 4 schoolhouses
(15 - 30 min. free seminars previewing new items, trends and techniques-held the day before market starts )
all on Fri. Oct. 9th - room #372D

10:40 - 11:10am Kathy Miller (me)- 10 years of making it fun!

11:15-11:45am Rob Appell- going wild with Michael Miller Fabrics

11:50-12:20pm Sandi Henderson & Paula Prass- creating fresh shop displays

12:25-12:55pm Swirly Girls : subject-risk free Block of the Month

as Sandi said in her blog: settle in and get comfy- these'll be jam packed with all the new designs we've been knocking ourselves out to share, not to mention the goody bags and door prizes!

Northwest Fabric and Notions Show

For those of you wholesale buyers in the northwest please stop by and visit us. For directions and other frequently asked questions click here.
And once again another cute skirt above in our beautifully rendered Charlotte trimmed with Ta Dot. Made using once again Serendipity Studio's upcoming pattern Emaline!

L.A. Int'l Textile Show

It's showtime folks! We're in a fabric flurry here at Michael Miller as we plan, prep and hit the road all over the country for the many different wholesale shows this fall. For those wholesale customers in the L.A. area c'mon by! The cute skirt above (on my cute niece) is from Serendipity Studio using our latest Plain Jane prints - due in stores end Sept/early Oct. (To any of you retailers selling this group: feel free to post your info in the comment section of this post)

International Textile Expo in Vegas

It's been a busy summer behind the scenes here at Michael Miller. Lot's to share and preview in the days and weeks ahead! For those of you that are wholesale customers : we'll be at the upcoming Las Vegas International Textile Expo Sept. 15 - 17th.
You're getting a SNEAK PEEK of a fabulous new sewing pattern: Emaline from Serendipity Studio made up in our newest girly floral Savannah and trimmed in Patty Young's clover dot along with Paula Prass's garden trellis. floralicious!

Dress up in the forest

Seems like I've been here, there and everywhere this summer, but my favorite was the blissful time spent with my grandchildren at the family cabin in the forest near Yosemite.

and yes, I used that time for some shameless fabric promoting photos!

I talked Samantha into a little dress up time with these adorable skirts from one of
Cindy Taylor Oates' Patterns
don't ya love the touch of tulle!

But now onto the fun stuff: collecting the pine cone babies

that go to bed in their bark beds with moss tufts for pillows.

what looks like a twig to the untrained eye is really a "toy" to help them fall asleep.

.........these are the good times........

Paula Prass giveaway!

Still submerged but hoping to surface soon- till then, get on over to Paula Prass's oh-so-fun summer soire giveaway!! Really , I can't wait to read the winner's story - Paula's too!