Indigo Red color story and giveaway

Congratulations!
Elaineridley
you're the winner
in last week's color story 
Aqua Red
please email your name and street address to: info@michaelmillerfabrics.com

Now for today's 
color story:
Indigo Red

for inspiration credits and links visit us on pinterest 

Here's the question:

When do you know a color trend is starting?

For me there's always an "aha" moment that makes me chuckle.  It happened early last spring. I started getting calls from our designers discussing future collections and one after another everyone brought up the concept of Navy with Red (various kinds of red)
They had no idea I was working along the same line or that the other designers were too.
I really do believe we're a lot more connected to each other in matters of color trends than we realize.  It happens on such a subconscious level we barely notice. 

sometimes the simplest things just stop you in your tracks.

We'd just  parked the car and in that instant of stepping out of the car and looking up, there it was the perfect picture:
Photographer and designer Trenna Travis and I were on an impromptu weekend photo shoot last summer around Northern California with a lot of ground to cover to get it all done. 
Hog Island Oyster Farm was worth the drive and perfect for the
Indigo Red color story.

 maybe it's the color story, 
maybe it's the destination
or
maybe it's these prints that put you in that 
"get up and get away" kinda mood.

 Whatever the case, 1 yard each of these 
from our Indigo Red story could be yours;
just share your "aha moment" when you realized that color story you're attracted to is part of a trend. 
winner to be announced next Wednesday

Designer Spotlight Sunday: Emily Herrick

We're kicking off today with

Emily Herrick of Crazy old Ladies fame.

By the way, she's neither crazy nor old.  I'd call her delightful in an upbeat-down- to- earth way that makes her a joy to work with

Her latest collection:
Hall of Fame  
which follows her debut smash hit collection Going Coastal.

join us as she shares her design process

from a Quilter's point of view...

Hey all!  I am so thrilled to be here on 'Making it Fun' telling you about my latest fabric collection 

'Hall of Fame' 
and what better day to do it than 
SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!!!
I wanted to do something fun to celebrate today but I'm not into watching sports so much. 

So I did something that comes a little more naturally to me- I sewed. Well actually, I fused. 

Check out these cuties:

Who can pick a winner when Cooper and Jake are both SO CUTE!!!

 While the guys are in the other room yelling at the TV and drooling into their bean dip over the cheerleaders you can enjoy the world of quilting and fabric and hear how 'Hall of Fame' was born.

I have a son that eats, sleeps and breathes basketball. A couple of years ago I had to make a run to the quilt shop and take him with me. Of course he wasn't thrilled with that idea until he asked if I would make him a sports quilt. When I said "Yes" he was in and we started scouting the walls of fabric. The problem was that the selection was slim. There were fabrics for little boys, and cutesy prints with basketballs and baseballs all over- but nothing that really fit this 8 year old of mine. Fast forward to last year when I decided that my next fabric collection would be a sports line for big boys.

Most of my fabric design inspiration comes from decor. 

I love to decorate and coordinate colors, prints and fabrics for a space and that love has carried over to quilting. So naturally when I started to design fabric I went back to my roots and thought about decor.

My initial inspirations came from prints hanging in my boys room.

These prints are some of my favorites for boys.  I took my color cue from these Norman Rockwell prints. Although I knew that I wanted my collection to 'feel' like these prints, I also knew it had to be current. Mixing the vintage and modern feel was easy once I had my basic color palette however, 

when it came to the individual designs there had to be continuity but also versatility.

The collection actually started with the coordinates. 

I knew I was leaning towards a sports theme but I didn't want to get sucked in. 

I started with the ticking and the turf prints- minimal.

From there I designed the plaid because I LOVE plaid.

I also have an obsession with typeface so I knew the Jersey number print was a must.

At this point I had several cool coordinates but they were all so separate from each other.

I knew I needed a design that had more than one color in it.

That's when Sport Spot was born. 

When I'm at a quilt shop looking for fabrics I definitely gravitate towards dots- many quilters do. 

But there are lots of dots out there and I wanted to make sure mine were different. 

As soon as I made the spots into rings I was in LOVE! The Game Stripe print was an afterthought. I already had the ticking stripes so I wasn't sure about adding another stripe. 

Once it was done however, there was no turning back.


In order to identify this collection as a sports collection I definitely needed some sporty prints, right? Back to my passion for decor I immediately thought of vintage tin advertising signs. I started playing with the idea of a sign for each sport. Basketball, Football, Baseball, and Soccer are the main sports that people think of so those were obvious choices. But again, I wanted this collection to be different. I have a few brothers that love Hockey so I added that. Wanting to aim for a more mature male as well as the young ones I opted to add golf in there too. Lastly I chose Rugby. 

Most people see a football there, but it's actually for Rugby.

The pennant print and the main print "All Stars" were the last that I designed. I needed a print to tie it all together. I love collections, especially vintage ones. Old sports cards with a modern twist developed as I played around with ideas and the pennants naturally followed.


When the collection was finished it was like a Grand Slam. I knew that any big boy out there was going to want this fabric in their quilts and I knew of one in particular. 

Because I was a quilter first, I always think about quilt patterns during the process of designing a fabric collection. Pep Rally, On Target, and Full Court are new patterns that I designed to go along with this collection. Double Bubble, Rock Star, and Out of Time were patterns I had released previously that looked as if they'd been made for this collection. 

All of the patterns can be seen on my blog

crazyoldladiesquilts.blogpot.com  
I hope you enjoyed the back story on Hall of Fame. I can't wait to come back and share my next collection with you!

Aqua & Red / Happy hearts

congratulations!

Myra Gutzwiler

you're the winner in last week's  color story
It's a girl thing
please email your name and street address to:
info@michaelmillerfabrics.com
 
Now for today's 
color story:

Aqua Red

for Aqua Red source credits please visit us on 
pinterest

It's the first day of February

and Valentines day's around the corner.

Time for 

tokens of affection

hand wrapped

and 

heartfelt 

 

 something special

for

someone special 

that someone could be you!

just leave a comment 

and

share your favorite Valentines day project

and 1 yard each of these 4 AQUA RED prints 

could be coming to you!

winner announced next Wednesday

Designer Spotlight Sunday: Patty Young

Special treat today:

Patty Young of MODKID 

shares her creative process behind her latest collection:

Hello, everyone! I am thrilled to be participating in today's Designer Spotlight and since more than half of our country is frozen right now, I am here to bring a little color and sunshine into your day! My 7th collection for Michael Miller Fabrics, titled Lush, has begun shipping to fabric stores worldwide, so I thought this would be a great time to tell you a little bit about my inspiration for the line and share some images with you.

Lush came about in my head after a day trip to the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St. Louis. The flowers were so colorful and aromatic and the gardens were so green and, well, lush. I just knew I had to do something with the 152 photos I took that day! I came home and started drawing my very first print, which later on became Zinnia Garden.

Next I drew the Stargazer print, based on several different photos I took in their Lily gardens. These were a lot of fun to draw...



And sometimes, you can use a photo as your basic inspiration then just go rogue from there and add your own touches. That's the beautiful thing about art... you can make it however you want and you will never be wrong!



From these three prints sprouted the whole collection. Then it was just a matter of coming up with different colorways and creative names.





Now that you know the story behind Lush, I want to share with you some amazing sewn pieces my testers have made to showcase Lush in our new Spring 2012 patterns, which will be in stock on our site in early February.


This is Gretchen, which, for the longest time we affectionately referred to as The German Barmaid Dress, haha. It was originally inspired by a classic dirndl design, but of course, I changed a few things here and there to give it that MODKID look. Gretchen comes in 4 views with different sleeve and hem options. Below are View A (left) and View C (right), but you can see the other two views on the pattern cover in my blog.


Left photo courtesy of Nathalie Bearden (nathaliebearden.com) and right photo courtesy of Kirsten of Oli*beli.


Next is the Chloé pattern, a pull-on smock-style dress or tunic which features a rounded-square neckline with a contrasting ruffled yoke, a pair of oversized rounded pockets and a contrast fabric hem band. There are no set-in sleeves to sew, so it goes together in a snap. A wide drawstring cinches the dress tight at the waist for a sweet, girly look.


Left photo courtesy of Sam Provenzano (www.puddlejumpersphotography.net). Sewn sample by Andrea Thomas-Lambe. Right photo and sewn sample courtesy of Liz Mouse (www.mommysaidsew.com).

Next is Paige, an adorable and fully-reversible Spring jacket that can also double as a rain slicker if sewn with laminated fabrics. Sew it with a hood for those rainy days or a drawstring collar for a fun and modern look. Have fun mixing and matching designer fabric prints!


Left photo courtesy of Sam Provenzano (www.puddlejumpersphotography.net). Sewn sample by Andrea Thomas-Lambe. Right photo and sewn sample courtesy of Liz Mouse (www.mommysaidsew.com).

Last, but certainly not least, is our foray into baby and boy patterns, with Natalie and Nate! We've given the classic baby romper a MODKID touch and updated it with some fun details for both boys and girls. Our fully-lined romper means there are no itchy and scratchy exposed seams, plus it looks super cute when the inside fabric peeks out. The romper hits mid-thigh and three snaps in the crotch area make for quick and easy diaper changing. You will want to make this easy project again and again since it comes in infant to toddler sizes to grow with your growing child.


Test samples and photos by Nathalie Bearden (nathaliebearden.com).


Left photo courtesy of Angela Marino Photography (amarinophoto.com). Sewn samples by Anna Garner. Right photo and sewn sample courtesy of Kirsten of Oli*beli.

As I mentioned, all patterns will be in stock in just a few days and lots of retailers have already placed their pre-orders, so go ahead and ask your favorite retailer if they've ordered the new MODKID patterns.


Lush is already in stock at numerous fabric shops worldwide.


Thank you all for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed this little creative tour. Leave us a comment and let us know which is your favorite Lush design or your favorite new MODKID pattern. 
 Then, hop on over to Patty's blog for your chance to win a HUGE fabric bundle and a new pattern bundle. Best of luck!!

It's a girl thing color story giveaway

drum roll please....

Barbara
you're the winner!
of last week's
Retro comeback color story  
please email your name (along with your blog name if different) and street address to:
info@michaelmillerfabrics.com
 

now for 
today's color story:
It's a Girl Thing

 For all you girly-girls out there;

 the young and young at heart,

lovers of all things pink,

I know you're out there,

this one's for you...

sweets for the sweet

apron and chef hat tutorials on sidebar 

by Joanna of stardust shoes

hmmmm.. is that a cocktail mommy apron?

CX5002 pink elephants

Apron pattern by: Vanilla House designs

to check out our latest inspiration/fascination obsession
and source credits for the lusciousness above: 
visit us on:
pinterest.com/mmillerfabrics/

warning:do this when you've got time, guaranteed you'll be bookmarking all kinds of new blogs to keep up with!

so now's the time to leave a comment 
and let me know your favorite inspiration sources.
one random winner will be chosen to win 
a yard each of these party favorites:
CM4604 quaint cupcakes
CX4605 doily dance

and in a fit of whimsy
we'll throw in these:
CX5002 pink elephants/charcoal 
CX3136 play dot/bloom  

winner announced next Wednesday
CHEERS!

Designer Spotlight Sunday: Patty Sloniger

The story behind Backyard Baby and Bella Butterfly

started last May when thousands voted 
Patty Sloniger

  the Project Selvage winner
  ( a  Michael Miller Fabrics and Spoonflower collaboration)

Becoming our newest Licensed designer
meant non stop work from May till 
her October debut in Houston at the 
International Quilt Market .

It's a long process bringing fabric to fruition and inevitably the sample fabric arrives at the last minute.  Trust me what you see packed into that small space represents a lot of late sewing nights. 

Simplicity Pattern#4243 

Pattern/ New Look 6067 

 free pattern & tutorial 

Patty and her Mom 
Patty passed along some tidbits about herself saying, "it's probably way more than I'd want to include." But I love to know as many details as possible and I figured you would too. It's amazing how much we find we have in common.
enjoy! 

Basics: I grew up in Maryland, spent my high school and college years in both ends of Tennessee and ended up moving to Houston after graduating with a BFA in Graphic Design from ETSU. I met my husband here and we live in a cute little house with two cats, Puddy and Mama. I grew up in a creative family and really can't remember a time when I wasn't drawing. In high school I had this amazing art teacher, and although at the time it seemed like all we ever did was draw, draw, draw, looking back I can see it was an incredible foundation for where I am today.

Inspirations: I love to look through magazines, I have stacks and stacks of them. I tear out pages that inspire me and either file them for future use or add them to current inspiration boards for whatever I'm working on. I also take a ton of photos when I'm out and about, especially on vacation in a new place with new sights. When we get back and start going through the pictures, more than half of them are random things like close ups of peeling tree bark or 10 shots of the same flower.

Process: My designs usually start with sketches and drawings, which I scan in and move around in Photoshop to see how they fit together before creating the final illustration. Then, using my trusty light table, I draw and redraw, each draft on top of the previous, refining each step until I'm happy with the result. Then it's back to the computer to add color, texture and layering.

Other art-related jobs I've had: I worked in an antique store in college, painting custom artwork on furniture, and also as a one-man design room for a local screen-printing company. After graduating, my first job out of the gate was for a stationery and gifts manufacturer here in Houston where I quickly realized it actually was possible to make a living as an artist. I spent 5 years illustrating, designing and absorbing as much as I could, attending trade shows and markets in New York and and Dallas. After choosing to stay in Houston when the company relocated up north, I continued working towards my goal of becoming a licensed illustrator. Enter Spoonflower and Michael Miller... Spoonflower provided the creative environment to hone my surface design skills while interacting with and learning from other amazing artists and Michael Miller provided the incredible opportunity to go pro.

Most rewarding thing so far about becoming a licensed fabric designer: Two things actually, seeing my name on the selvage, and getting to sew stuff out of my own fabric. I'm also pretty darn excited to see what other people will make with them.

Random facts about myself:  I like to sew in my slippers, I enjoy ironing freshly washed fabric (not to be confused with laundry), I like old movies and musicals especially anything with Spencer Tracy and Katherine Hepburn in them, I love a good game of ping pong, I took piano lessons for 10 years, french for 6 and played soccer in college. My favorite art medium is a pencil and paper, but I enjoy making things in general, whether it's a piece of art, a piece of furniture or a piece of clothing. If I could convert my garage into a workshop the first things I'd add would be a kiln and a potter's wheel. 

Favorite Meal: Breakfast, at any time of the day or night

Favorite Season: Fall (it was summer until I moved to Houston)

Least Favorite Household Chore: Toss up between making the bed and unloading the dishwasher

Country I Most Want to Visit: Australia

3 things I wish I was better at: time management, talking about myself, knitting

What would I want to do if I wasn't doing this? Decorating cakes in my own bake shop!

Skill I'd most like to learn if I had more time: Calligraphy

Favorite Vacation: Christmas in Lyon, France

Favorite Fast Food Restaurant: Whataburger

Design Tools I Can't Live Without: Light Table and my TUL pens 

Pudy

Retro comeback

I don't think we'll ever tire of "retro" inspiration.  

Show someone a toy, a book, anything from their childhood 
and a smile spreads across their face. 

That's why we couldn't resist these
vintage picnic fabrics

Of course retro is different to everyone
and everyone's got a favorite era;

40's? 50s? 60s? 70's? 80's?

please don't say 90's yet

and everything has a comeback.

Mom jeans are back

 7 for all mankind/ citizens of humanity / photos courtesy of  Goldsign

James Jeans/ Diesel/  photos courtesy of J Brand

But there's a saying when it comes to retro fashion:

If you wore it once, don't do it again.

the logic of the past was: 

 high waistband and bell bottom flare 

Made your legs look 

l-o-n-g-e-r 
did I mention we wore them extra long covering those platform shoes? 

but when we carried it over 
from high school and college

 to our child rearing years..

 this happened

thanks to Saturday night Live

I think the lesson is :
don't get stuck in a trend 

so have a cool one
and share your thoughts on Mom jeans

one lucky winner will receive a yard each of these 

vintage picnic fabrics

winner to be announced next Wed.

(and don't pick on mom-to-be Jessica Simpson )

got a question?

I kick started the new year over at

Sew Mama Sew's blog.

answering their thought provoking questions and you can too!
 (you'll also have the chance to win a $20 gift certificate)

Sewing Industry Reflections and Predictions Series
doing all this reflecting got me thinking.. 

What Questions Do You Have?

Not only for me but for the 

Designer Spotlight Series 

we'll be starting soon

(every week we'll shine the spotlight on one of our designers)  

Now's the time to ask ...

Holiday wishes

To all of you from all of us
 best wishes

Sweet Holiday Owlie Softie

WHOOO, WHOOO'S
the most adorable little owl??
Why this guy of course!

compliments of 
Patty Sloniger's
Sweet Owlie Softie - Tutorial
 made up in HO HO Hoot CX4982

......stay tuned ...

as Patty  starts our

Designer Spotlight Series 

in January!