Friday, March 4, 2016

Friday Feature :: Paola Phillips of Sweet Julia!

Today's Friday Feature is all about Paola!
* Me, photographed by my 3 year old, she asked me to pose just the same I ask of her when I take her photos
A brief introduction:
PP: I’m a stay at home mom to two beautiful children ages 3 and 5. I am hyper by nature and love creating things, from candles, painting and bows all the way to sewing. I was born in Lima, Peru and moved here 15 years ago. I am married to an all Texan man (think love of steaks and the outdoors) who lets me dream and create without complaining much. The main reason I blog is because my husband is tired of hearing me talk about sewing, so I had to find a place to express myself.
* My children
Q: Do you have a favorite project that you've created?
PP: The Allie Oop dress I created for the great pattern hack. First, because I worked in a different way this time: I had the fabric first, so I created my project around the fabric instead of having a pattern in mind and then going to find the fabric. It was also the first time I changed a pattern other than by length. It changed the way I create!
* Allie Oop dress - hacked
(Featuring Swan Lake Collection)
-         Q:  What are you working on at the moment?
PP: Top secret! Lol! Actually, spring/summer dresses and bags.
* My sewing Space. I kicked my children out of the game room and took it over. They have toys all over the house, so I thought It'd only be fair I had my own sewing space. They will survive. 
Q: What are your goals for the future, both work wise and life?
PP: My main goal is to be able to make an income doing what I love most, which is creating/sewing so I have the flexibility I need to spend time with my family.

-         Q: What are you doing when you’re not creating or at work? What hobbies do you have?
PP: I love spending time with the kiddos! I have memberships to the zoo and museums so I love to take them out on little excursions.

-       Q: What would people be surprised to learn about you?
PP: That I wanted to be a lawyer! I actually went to law school back in my native Peru and dropped out after three semesters, now I am pursuing a degree in Art.

-        Q: Do you have any favorite blogs, magazines that you read?
PP: I love Hailey Crouse’s Welcome to the MouseHouse, actually her Norah dress was the first PDF pattern I ever bought and made. I also get magazines that my sister sends from Europe, I guess it never hurts to see what the rest of the world is sewing right?

-         Q: What else should we know about you and your work?
PP: Well, I am a perfectionist at heart, so anytime I make anything, I give it my best. Even when I make clothes for sale, I make them as if they were for my own daughter (and sometimes I make things I don’t have the heart to sell so we keep them.)

-        Q: Do you have any tips or inspiring words for others?
PP: Sure, I remember feeling like my work wasn’t good enough, or didn’t look professional enough, then one day I looked at one of my daughter’s store bought clothes and got a confidence boost: The stitching was not perfect, some seams were a little uneven, and I paid money for those clothes. After that, I was never as hard on myself.

-        Q: Do you admire any artists, photographers, and people?
PP: Of course! The list is too long but I sure am constantly inspired by all the women that are able to make an income creating. I am most inspired by my mother, who at the age of 55 decided to finally go to college and earned her degree at age 60.

-        Q: Favorite?
   Color: Red
   Animal: Dog
   Season: Fall
   Movie: Gone with the Wind
   Book: To Kill a Mockingbird
   Vacation Spot: Paris
   Food: Peruvian!
-        
      Q: Where else can we find you?
PP: I’m on my blog: Sweet Julia Boutique, on Instagram @sweetjuliaboutique and facebook as Sweet Julia Boutique

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Thanks for sharing, Paola! We're inspired by your creativity!

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Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Fox Woods Fabric & Sweet Julia Boutique!

Hello!

My name is Paola and I am a blogger at sweetjuliaboutique, my little space for creative talk. 

I just recently received the new Fox Woods Collection and I was beyond amazed! 

Since I am in the good ol' south, I always like to sew pieces that can vary as much as the weather here in the Lone Star State (While the East is enjoying a blizzard, we are at 70 degrees, crazy uh?).

I chose the Cottage Mama's patterns for this line as they are usually spot on for size and versatility.

I made very few modifications to fit the style I was going for and the results were amazing! 

I started with the Savannah Dress for the border print...
**Added Sash/Button Closure 

I continued on with the Charlotte Apron Dress (minus the apron)
                
I finished up with a modified Masie Skirt 

I added Layers, inspired by the ruffle dress from the Cottage Mama Book. 

I wanted to make sure to display many of the prints from this line, and they all go together effortlessly. All that is needed to switch temperatures for these outfits is a long sleeve shirt or turtle neck underneath and that's it, you have a wonderful wardrobe that can take you from warm to cold in a snap.

Thanks for letting me share the possibilities of the Fox Woods Collection!

~Paola


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To view the entire Fox Woods Collection, please visit 

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Tuesday, February 23, 2016

Sommer Easter Dress Challenge!

This challenge is brought to you by Sarah Jane!! 
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With Sommer fabric hitting stores, and Easter just around the corner, I thought it would be so fun to have an Easter Dress Challenge! SOMMER is perfect for spring dresses, with all the florals, bunnies, birds and checks. And with us all sharing our creations, it will be even more fun! And of course, we must have a bit of friendly competition...3 lucky winners will win some amazing prizes! 
Dress Challenge Guidelines: 
1) Each dress needs to be made of exclusively SOMMER fabric and/or SOMMER gauze (swaddle fabric) and can (but doens't need to) incorporate Cotton Couture Solids (Michael Miller Solid Fabrics)
2) Deadline for submission is Thursday March 31st at 10 pm EST
3) Dress must be photographed in a way that we can see the whole dress. Multiple photos are just fine. (Hint: Good lighting and good, clean photography will show off your dress the best:) Dresses can be worn or on a hanger, but we must see the whole dress)
4) You must tag your dress with #sommerdresschallenge and post to instagram or facebook and also tag me at @sarahjanestudios and/or @sarahjanefabric to make sure that I receive it. If you don't have a social media account, you can email me at sarah@sarahjanestudios.com and I can upload your dress for you. If you have already posted dresses to social media and want them to be included, you must go back and tag them with these. 
5) These do NOT have to be easter Dresses! I'm just calling it that, because well, girls love new dresses at easter:) 
6) Judging will be based on dress design, use of fabric (you can use one print or more...it doesn't matter) clear presentation and overall quality. 
7) Multiple submissions are just fine.
WINNERS
Winners will be judged and announced on Friday April 1st. 
1) FIRST PLACE: An assortment of 5 yards of SOMMER fabrics, double gauze and a $75 gift card to Sarah Jane Studios Shop. It will also be featured on the Michael Miller Fabrics Blog.
2) SECOND PLACE: An assortment of 3 yards of SOMMER fabrics, double gauze and $50 to the Sarah Jane Studios Shop. 
3) THIRD PLACE: An assortment of 2 yards of SOMMER fabrics, double gauze and $25 to the Sarah Jane Shop. 
And for ALL other submissions: I will do my very best to feature your dress on my Instagram at @sarahjanefabric for all to see! 
Ok! Let's get going! Spread the word, and share the love. I can't wait to see your amazing creations! 

~Sarah Jane
(image from Nicole Hill Gerulat)
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Friday, February 12, 2016

Into the Deep :: A Guest Post from Patty Sloniger!

Hello, everyone! I’m Patty Sloniger and I’m going to be guest posting about my new fabric collection “Into theDeep” today here on Making it Fun.

I’ll also be sharing a free pattern and instructions for making this Starboard mini quilt that was in my booth at FallQuilt Market.

So what’s the inspiration behind my new collection? Well, I grew up on the east coast with many fond memories of trips to the seashore, so I’ve been itching to create an ocean-themed collection. I’ve been contemplating ideas and sketches for a few years and it finally seemed to be the right time to put those ideas on paper, so to speak.

As a child, I vividly remember the bobbing heads of people far out in the waves and imagining what mysteries lie beneath the surface, possibly swimming right past their feet and they didn’t even know it. As I got older, I too was allowed to swim further out and it was the excitement of being in the ocean balanced against the fear of the unknown... and of jellyfish! Which were both awe-inspiring and frightening at the same time.

In this collection you’ll find graceful jellyfish, dapper seahorses, sea plants, the occasional baby squid and lots of waves! There are Japanese inspired linearwaves, scalloped polka dot waves and fractured, stylized waves... you can never have enough waves in the ocean! Mariner Dot is a great variation on a staple (and vaguely reminiscent of octopus suckers.) And of course, starfish and bubbles in the large-scale anchor print, perfect for big projects like clothing or tote bags.

Into the Deep is available in two colorways, Laguna and Tropical.
Laguna is full of the traditional deep blues, periwinkles and aquas associated with those early memories of the east coast.
While the Tropical colorway is full of bright, sun soaked colors you might associate with a summer vacation in the Bahamas or Key West.
Here are all the prints from both colorways, from Laguna to Tropical. Mix and match from both, it all works. 

I love the pink mixed in with the navy and blue. And that little pop of green is perfect. (Sewn and quilted by Debbie Grosskopf)

The peachy-orange also mixes well with the blues from both colorways, and the SurfSide pattern in Pearl makes a fabulous low volume background. I made this little mini quilt using the mini quick curve ruler. 

Combine all the navies, aquas and periwinkles from both colorways for a stunning range of ocean-y blues. As you can see, I found myself pulling these tones together quite frequently when I was sewing samples for Market. :)
*Pillow cover using the Fractal Quilt Block

If you’re going to QuiltCon this year, be on the lookout for my Under Currents quilt in the exhibit! It’s the dark blue quilt behind the gown with the diagonal waves. Oh, and the mermaid gown... isn’t it fabulous? I want to be able to wear it so bad! Designed by Alyssa Holub, and it’s the real deal, boned corset and all.
The fussy cutting! Lots of opportunities for fussy-cutting with these prints.

Remember that bit about a free mini quilt pattern at the beginning of my post? Well, here it is. You can find the free download here. Michael Miller is also giving away a bundle of fabric from Into the Deep along with some coordinating Cotton Couture solids, everything you’ll need to make your own Starboard quilt! 


Comments are now closed!! 
And the winner is....
Teresa Stanulis who said...
"The colors are so rich and beautiful! I think I would make some quilted pillow shams for my master bedroom. Those hues would match the watercolor pints of Bermuda I have on the walls there!"


Well, I hope you’ve enjoyed this little glimpse into my new collection and that you’re inspired to make some amazing things with it!

For more inspiration, check out my instagram feed. And please, please tag me if you post your projects, I absolutely love seeing what you make. :)

Happy Sewing! 


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