Sunday, April 8, 2012

Potty Talk

I just returned from a trip to Asia
and 
this is the kind of picture you'd expect to see:
not this, right?
I'm sure a therapist would have concerns about me-
but I'm fascinated with  modern Japanese toilets.
Specifically the TOTO brand
The one above had English labels (unfortunately it was at the end of the trip).
There's a lot of detailed instruction to read, 
luckily some of it's illustrated.
below
The problem:
In public bathrooms with multiple stalls, polite Japanese women were discretely flushing while taking care of business if other stalls were occupied.
 Big waste of water:  
Thus this solution:
the etiquette button
A hand activated motion sensor plays a recorded water flushing sound.
note: instructions also in braille.
I'm told this does not exist in the men's bathrooms.
My hotel room control panel:
it does EVERYTHING!
heated seat, exhaust, air freshener
yes I pushed all the buttons

And if you're shopping in Japan with children
you're in luck
Is this genius or what?
a flip down kid seat
of course a kid holder and changing table 
with instructions 
of course
 But if after all this you still prefer the old way,
it's still available.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Quilts with a Punch

Subtle: no
graphic : yes
in your face: yes
packs a punch?
you betcha!
perfect for kid's rooms
We liked those so much we couldn't resist this
 Kiss Me Quilt 
just released prints: Kiss me and Zap
all quilts designed by Marinda Stewart

Monday, March 12, 2012

AM Northwest Design Challenge

As a designer 
I feel that getting out and meeting people
 that share my passion 
for fabric, color and design, 
seeing it  through their eyes, 
expressed in their unique way 
is enriching and creatively invigorating. 
My visit to Portland, Oregon was exactly that.

I was a guest judge for the AM Northwest Design Challenge 
Four finalists from the Art Institute of Portland took part in the 5 week contest. 
They were assigned a new challenge each week
 with a budget and fabric company to select from at Fabric Depot.

 Week 4 assignment:
create a cocktail dress 
using Michael Miller fabrics and a Vogue pattern. 
Cocktail dress - Michael Miller? 
Not what usually comes to mind for our fabric, 
but then again - why not? 
to view the show and winner click here

fyi the winner used Vintage vogue pattern V1084
and fabric  CM822 gold tiles

 on set with the judges
click on their pictures here for their impressive profiles.
I got to meet Patti Palmer (in pink on left) 
and drop in on her custom jeans sewing class (very impressive).
 It's now on my wanna-find-time-to-do list.
backstage before the show

That's me the rookie in turquoise trying to read fast
 and catch up with the other judges 
(they'd all been doing this for 3 weeks!)
Backstage after the show, 
recapping with the designers.
relaxed and relieved.
 All smiles.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Cream puff color story

for source credits please visit us on pinterest
 
Welcome
 to my personal favorite color story:
Cream, Ivory and White can be 
Spring and Summer or 
comfort on a cold winter day

 
I find after working with color all day
 this pallet clears my head as it calms and  rejuvenates.
My bedroom's my sanctuary and 
sets the mood for  peaceful dreams.
Click here for feng shui tips  and tips from Dr. OZ  
for a good night's sleep.
by designer Phoebe Howard
for more visit the enchanted home

 
I've been collecting white linens for years. Some treasured family handwork, some picked up at yard sales and thrift stores.  I love the history and  tactile variety.  Mix and match, easy cleaning with a little bleach or lemon juice.
 To totally transport you to a dreamy state of mind;
check out the Chanel 2011/12  Paris-Bombay themed fashion show!
Magnifique!

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Designer spotlight Sunday: Mark Hordyszynski

ALOHA ALL!
So now it's my turn to be the guest blogger on
The Michael Miller Fabrics' Making It Fun blog!

I suppose the question that I am asked the most is,
"Where do you get your ideas from?"

Sometimes things come to me as specific requests
from Kathy Miller, Design Director of Michael Miller Fabrics, who is always out there interfacing with people to learn what's needed in the market; from the sales reps who converse with their accounts to understand what is needed for their customers; from friends, family and colleagues; and from people like you!

But most of the times, it is what I am inspired to do - how I perceive and process the world around me. Sometimes it is a literal translation of a photograph or image; sometimes it's just something whacky that I come up with; and occasionally it is something that I think I see and yet it isn't what I had thought it to be - and that's great because then I have come up with a completely original idea!

And last but certainly not least is HUMOR. I try when it is appropriate, to infuse my designs with humor, laughter, comedic irony and tongue-in-cheek juxtaposition. It makes my heart sing when someone looks at my fabric and falls in love with it because it is just… so… darn… cute… and it makes them laugh! Who doesn't like to laugh?

APOTHESCARY is an example of a specific request for prints that are needed in the market: for little boys…

 A few of the sales reps posed they needed 
flamingos and palm trees  (see below)…

When I asked fellow Michael Miller Fabrics licensee, Patty Young,
 what her girls were recently into, she replied, "Dolphins!"

Having moved to Maui 3 years ago, I am inspired by all the lush tropical surroundings and by the highly saturated colors that seem to jump out at me in the warm Hawai'ian sunshine. Thus we have…
HULA DOLLS
and the new
Something that is just whacky: What would Mark do 
for a cat print that hasn't already been done?
The iconic GONE CATTIN' was the answer!
And misperceiving something was what resulted in 
CAMO SHARK… 
I was walking down the street in Pa'ia town and 
saw a man wearing a pair of camo boardshorts. 
From the distance I was following behind, 
I could have sworn some of the shapes of the camo were actually shark silhouettes. 
So I hastened my pace to get closer and saw! 
Wow! It's just a pair of camo shorts… 
no sharks there 
(and then I knew I had come up with an original idea which I could embrace without being influenced by an already existing idea).
(coming in July)  
WHEW! Did I write this much? I bet you're sorry you asked what makes me tick, LOL!
If you have any ideas, please let me know - hey you never know - 
I just might be able to work your idea into a design for a new group I'm creating…

Mahalo! Mark

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Citron Gray colorstory update

for credits and links please visit us on pinterest

As color trends go,
Citron and Gray has now gone mainstream.
Over the past few years we've seen variations on the theme from Black and Canary yellow
to Gray and all  shades of yellow and citron.
There was a time when it was on the outer fringes of acceptance.
(fun clip from The Devil Wears Prada too)

how's this for a smooth transition from Dior- Devil wears Prada - Atomic Kitchen?
if the color story fits, why not?
which of course goes with Backyard BBQ
not your cup o' tea?
you're bound to find something to take a spin in
toodles till next time!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Designer spotlight Sunday: Sarah Jane

Hi folks! 
So fun to be here on Kathy's blog. What a treat!
 I've been here for about a year,
 and man I love the Michael Miller Family.
 I'm sure you can just imagine how much fun it is...
well, I'm here to say it's been an awesome ride 
since launching my first fabric line with them last spring!
(Last spring? Where does time go!)
It's been a few months since its release but you are still coming up with
Since launching Children at Play, I've been just amazed at the response, and I have LOVED seeing all your amazing creations on the FLICKR group which is growing daily! 
My, you guys are unbelievable. 
I get so inspired! Keep it coming! 
 This past fall, I launched some necklace designs, art prints for the kid's rooms and other products that coordinate with Children at Play as well! It's been so fun to see your amazing spaces come together.


I've even signed on with Making Memories with a really sweet Children at Play paper line that will be coming out next month!!! I'm photographing it all right now...but here's a little sneak peek.
Stop on over at my blog for updates very very soon! 
I have a lot more up my sleeve (new fabric soon, new books, etc) and you can come over and peek into the studio window over on my  blog or facebook.

But what I really wanted to share with you today, is a fun project that I've been asked to help you out with. At market, I designed this quilt and so many of you wanted to get a hold of a template and pattern.
Well, here it is! Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy. I designed it days before quilt market, and Amy Smart (the adorable genius behind Dairy of a Quilter) offered to sew this up for me!

It's been a really fresh addition to the house...
and nice wall quilt, lap quilt, or baby quilt. 
And the OVER THE FENCE colorway 
from CHILDREN AT PLAY works great.

Ok! Let's go! This is a really rough and loose tutorial. There really are so many ways to do this project...this is just how Amy and I did it. So, forgive the "kind of's and sort of's" here. That's how I roll.
Let's start! 
And then sew it down with your machine!

I've got a downloadable template for the airplane here. It's designed to fit a 41x41 inch quilt.

This one was put together by making a strip of horizontal pieces (that could be any size you want, but this strip is 6 inches wide)

After sewing the pieces together, you can applique, and then embroider the swirly tail by first drawing a swirly line with an erasable pencil. 
(I just winged it, and you might want to practice on a paper first.)

The best way to embroider the swirl, is by using a full skein of floss, and using a split stitch for a nice solid dash.


And Voila!

Download the template HERE.

And...just for fun...I'm including a little gift of 15% off any orders made today or Monday for all you lovely Michael Miller fans! Come on over and stop by, and enjoy a discount with the code: MMF15

Enjoy! And Happy sewing!!

xo
sarah jane

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Urban Grit update

Congratulations!
Heidi Meinicke-Smith
you're the winner in last week's
Princess
giveaway
please email your name and street address to: info@michaelmillerfabrics.com
 
Now for today's
 color story:
Urban Grit
for inspiration credits and links please visit us on Pinterest

Back in September 2011 I blogged about this color story. 
Everyone was  looking for a safe bet in an unsteady economy.  
In the Black 
colors:  
Rock steady grays,
Strong coffee
 with a dash of cream
and a touch of cinnamon
Familiar colors in our wardrobe and world.

 Now we're looking for the steadiness of things we can touch,
 that don't disappear into digital air.
We're not total luddites
Just finding balance in our techno world. 
Maybe that explains my attraction to 
typewriters
and I'm not alone in this attraction 
 
My attraction's more like 
this Underwood beauty I found at a garage sale years ago
and prints like this 
and fonts!
typewriters, fonts, old script
looks like a trend to me!