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So the girls have their handmades complete and ready for festivities. I would show you the dress without the sweater but its really cold out on the patio. It was Isabela's bright idea to turn the buttons to the front because it wouldn't be comfortable to sit in church with the buttons at their backs. The fabrics are two colorways of the "Small Gathering" print from Good Folks, which should be available next month. Can't wait to show the rest, but for now I have some large gatherings to prepare for! I wish for you everything your heart needs to have peace of soul and happiness this Christmas. And whether your Holidays are handmade or storebought or the same as last year and the year before, the blessings of the Nativity are unchanging! So celebrate, rest and enjoy! With love and hugs from Tennessee, be back after a while, xoxo, Anna & family

...where I might find another sweet little chirper like this? I bought 5 of them last year, thinking of our little flock, and now, well, you can imagine I would be so glad if I could find another. The shop where I got them had them displayed with all the pretty glittery snow villages and such, but this year, no birdies. Sigh. It's glittery and sweet and has little wire feet to hold a branch nice and snug. And it's big brothers and sisters are waiting for it here. So if you should know...? I would be so grateful. (Oh and that artwork in back, in case anyone asks, is from one of my favorite modern artists, Brian Kershisnik . Its called "father and son dancing" and I love it so much.) Didn't Juliana do a beautiful job with these pictures? Think I might make it my wintry banner. Hope you're warm, xo,Anna

What? Don't you eat peanut butter and pineapple sandwiches? Never mind that, look at this cute plowl (kind plate / kinda bowl thing which I can no longer find a link for, guess they're gone)! I was here shopping about for anything that would fit, which mostly were rugs and dishes. Didn't need any rugs, and all my soup/cereal bowls are chipped up ( kids and microwaves , kids and anything, really) so I decided to take advantage of the sale. I'm also hosting lots of family for soup and salad for Christmas Eve lunch, and I thought these would be pretty under a green salad sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. So I took 12 to the counter, then remembered the kids+anything thing, and went back for the remaining 4. A'course, I passed a few other things on the way, hang on let me get 'em....... (takes sandwich and walks off) (the cupboard is a full 8 feet away, and she might get hungry on the way) (continues with mouth full) ...look! First, how darling are the new

~in my sketchbook~ Eleni and I recently shared some pencil time, and I was given strict orders to not cross the middle line. I wouldn't dream of disturbing the beauty on her side. She quickly looked away and got busy coloring again every time I caught her gazing at what I was doing. So sweet. She already has a little artistic pride. ~on my sewing shelves~ All along the back of my long sewing table, I have this 1"x6" plank of wood held up off the table by a few fabric-covered bricks. Works out great. Know what else works out great? These gallon-size clear jars for thread and such. Much better than bags spilling on the floor and getting dusty. Not that I would know anything about that. ~recently unhooked~ This sweater for Eleni that will go over her Christmas dress (which will be made from that fabric there which is part of Good Folks , which I will show you completely very soon. I'm going to make a dress length version of the Prairie Blouse pattern from m

...a holiday story was playing itself out on the living room floor in which a very bossy, glittery angel was encouraging the others to gather snowflakes much faster to save..... something . Not sure what. I missed that part. Prolly cause 2 strands of lights stopped working once they were each 95% strung. I'm so glad Juliana is still in the newly licensed driver I'll-drive-anywhere-for-you stage. good monday. xoxo. Anna

Well, it appears that very often here, I'm sharing what I am only momentarily working on, or that thing which I relished in only for a bit, but not what really is taking up the most time. So I thought I would share what is taking ALL my time these days. Technical drawings. I know. It's glamorous. And easy to put off here in the studio. There are services that I can hire to do this. But. Well. Part of me really enjoys it once I get going. Of course, I had to stop in the middle of my work this morning because, I really wanted to make a cute little layout of them. I don't know why, I just really started enjoying looking at them. Something about technical drawings of almost anything somehow is really satisfying. Maybe this will be our family Christmas card this year, since its the only thing I've been doing. (Actually that gives me lots of ideas....) Anyway, the above drawings are some excerpts from the Socialite Dress sewing pattern which is one of four that

Oh man. What a great weekend. I am in complete and utter denial that its all over, as sitting, eating, crocheting, playing, talking, laughing, watching and reading seem to be just exactly my pace right now. If I had to narrow the long weekend down into 3 best things, they'd be this: * Toughest decision made : Do I crochet some more or let Juliana give me a manicure? * Most thankful moments : Those spent watching my husband build the world's greatest treehouse for a mess of excited children. Particularly the morning we both awoke at 5am, unable to sleep so we got up, had quiet coffee and drew up more detailed plans for the treehouse and headed to Home Depot before anyone was awake. * Most blissful interlude : Getting back in my warm bed in the middle of a cold night after (yet another) bathroom trip, only to snuggle into some seriously flippy and motorboat like motions dancing around in my belly. "Oh, hi ", I said. Now here's 3 for you: *I finally have the

I have finally managed to put together this little treat for you and for yours (and for me!). With all the wonderful soup recipes that I've been gathering, and all those that I'm sure you'll come across in these most yummiful weeks of the year, I think we should store them in a lovely way. And even more, I think these would make fabulous gifts. So here is a simple little recipe card holder that I whipped up. I chose to first embroider some simple cream linen after I composed the design on the computer. You can click on the little graphic there to bring up the jpg, download it, print one out for yourself, then trace in a window and embroider. Obviously you don't have to embroider this project if you're short on time, just use a favorite fabric. Oh, and big news, this can be accomplished with just 2 fat quarters. I don't know why, but knowing a project can be accomplished in a matter of fat quarters makes me giddy. So here is a brief synopsis of how the p

The number 6 must be on the mind as everything I patchwork or crochet these days only seems interesting to me if a hexagon is involved. I think it started with the Patchwork Ball in my book, and then was only driven further home when I came across these Granny-style crocheted hexagons . Well I have started some crocheted hexagons that are slipknotting right along on the couch nearly every night. And now this. My winter bag. Hello winter bag, I love you. This is the Taxi Tote pattern, also from my book, but with a patchwork variation on the front side. I should say that with such a simple pattern shape, it is the perfect opportunity to get creative with variations. The hexagon is also the exact hexagon pattern borrowed from the Patchwork Ball pattern, and I think I cut around 4 dozen of them. I fussy cut all the hexagons, somewhat centered on florals from the Drawing Room and Garden Party collections. I wanted the centralized positions to sort of emulate the radiating concentr

At the risk of my cravings and your generous outpouring of soup recipes deeming this a food blog, I shall point you to a new favorite breakfast. Mint tea, with honey. Toast with butter and honey. Pretty much anything with honey. But particularly this bread which is the Organic Seduction (really?) Bread from Whole Foods. I did not name that bread. And I did not eat said bread prior to arriving in my current condition. But I do think that with my fav owl mugs and the clover honey that we could aptly name this sweet meal the Birds & Bees Breakfast, no? Yes, lets. And don't let this shot of one slice fool you into thinking you know what goes on over here. And those soup recipes! I need a keyboard wet-vac to clean off all the salivating that I've done for the past week. And Jeff (and anyone within a 6 mile radius) needs ear plugs to manage my constant rambling on over this or that soup recipe. Man. Not allowed to say soup again. Ever. Though I shall be annou

All I ever really wanted was to spend my days making homemade soup. Definitely one of my favorite things to make because it is so improvisational, and is a slow simmer all day kinda thing. Not too much pressure. Unfortunately today's lunch was simply one of these , improved by a local bakery's rustic sourdough and some fresh grated parmesan. I need homemade soup, stat! I've been hoarding ingredients in the pantry for some of my favorites, waiting for a good day. Everyday for a few days has been perfect weather-wise, but today with freezing feet in the studio, I can't take it anymore! Soup time. However. I really want some new recipes....and was thinking that maybe you and your wonderfulness wouldn't mind sharing yours. Now typically when I have a new product launch I try to think of clever ways to do a giveaway that has an appropriate theme. Yet, really this time I am just crafting a clever way to get YOU to give something to ME. I want your soup! And I

So above was my special little booknook where I sat happily on my duff for 3 days welcoming book buyers with a chat and a signature. Not one poor soul got away from me without a serious amount of giddy chatter risking overzealousness, I am quite certain. You may recognize the chair from my dining room, which literally had me feeling very at home. The dressform is wearing a dress length version of the Smashing Smock pattern from my book. The fabrics are from an upcoming quilt cotton collection, Good Folks, expected to deliver in January. More on that soon, naturally. Here's a zoom out from that end of the booth (except without the flowers, dang). My pictures are somewhat stinky, and these are the best of them + some of them (the good ones) are courtesy of my pal Eva from my publisher. I have a really hard time concentrating on getting good photos once the whole shebang is put together. The final putogether always seems like seconds before the incessant chatter ensues. And t

These past few weeks I have been so conscious of the time that things take, to the point of wanting time to go away a little, or just retreat. I've been wanting it to not have any bearing on reality for a bit so that I can absorb what I feel needs to be absorbed and leave the rest. Even the extra hour this weekend didn't give me enough, as I'm still holding a grudge from Springing forward. Alas, it passes anyway, without permission. There were many many hours spent preparing for market, obviously, which accounts for most of my absence from here. And sorry about that. But Fall Quilt Market could not have gone better. I am so thankful. Jeff and I drove all the way to Houston and back (28 hours round trip) with the only hitch being the one pulling a trailer containing my booth display. A booth display, in fact, that won first place ( again! ) in the double booth category. I couldn't tell you what the award criteria is, but I am very honored, of course, to be recog

The BIG DEBATE~ Do I go with a magenta Sharpie or a black Sharpie to sign all the books that'll be flying outta here any day? Oh, the agony. The books are getting here sooner than anticipated, and some people are already getting theirs from Amazon and Barnes & Noble ahead of the official publication date. And not that I'm a poll watcher or anything (that would be my husband) but Seams To Me has been the #1 seller on Amazon in the sewing category for several days now. I can't believe it! Wowwee. N'kay, nuff book bragging, let me brag about something else.... The BIG VOTE~ A group from my Garden Party Home Goods collection has been nominated for Best New Color Story by Textiles Today TiA Awards . So power to the people! You can go vote for my collection here (or one of the other nominees if you so chose...but, come on). So what debates, polls & votes did you think I was talking about? (although, doesn't watching those other debates make you want to

It's here. At least a few advanced copies. It's just exactly what I thought it would be, and then its a surprise all over again. I wrote all this? Seriously? Actually no, I wrote WAY more than this, and this is to represent the best of all I wrote. And drew. And photographed. And designed. And dreamed. And cried. And lived. For days on end, and nights alone in the dark in the studio with a quilt on my lap, a plate of something encouraging, and very often a beer, or two, keeping me company until 3 or 4 in the morning, until I started the countdown of hours till the feet would be stomping all over the house, and called it a night. Or a morning. The two or three hours of sleep left to me after a night of writing and rewriting, were never enough to warm my icy right hand that had to stay out of the warmth of the blanket, extended out on the desk and clicking on the mouse. My computer table is against an outer wall and above the garage which is not particularly well in

Lots of photo shoots to wrap up this week in prep for market, then on to lots more sewing etc. While the pace doesn't look just like above all the time, it certainly feels just like this. I always snap a few of my models entering and leaving the scene, and I always love how those shots end up. This here is letting one little kitten out of the bag. I'll be introducing four new sewing patterns at market, and its been an awful lot of work getting everything just so. But in a lot of ways, after the book, one sewing pattern doesn't seem quite the work it once did, its just a different format altogether-one that allows a bit more space and explanation for a given project, so it feels luxurious as I write and illustrate. Speaking of the book, I am overwhelmed at the amount of people who have pre-purchased a signed book from my shop. Thank you soooo much! You have no idea how much that means to me, especially when me and my small business can't offer the same price brea

The newest instalment of my Quilt Market furniture is in progress! I'm sure you remember the fancy chairs from Spring Market , which I hope are still being enjoyed by their owner (hi, Rhiannon). It was so fun to connect with a fabric lover to achieve those chairs that I've decided to make it a market tradition. This fall, however, as Houston is our market-hosting city, and with all that city and that part of the country has been through ....it felt only a little odd to blog a title such as "Hey Houston I know you don't have power or anything but who wants to upholster a couch for me?" Yea, see, not so good or thoughtful, really. BUT , it never feels wrong to bother a friend or a family member, so in that annoying spirit I called on my friend Caroline , a Houston native and the proprietor of JCarolineCreative.com . And might I say she rocks upholstery, and she does it herself !! Anyway, she scored this lovely traditional sofa (digital mock-up above) for