Showing posts with label Opal Owl. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Opal Owl. Show all posts

Jun 17, 2010

Quilt Market Opal Owl 1

I promised some pics of the booth at Quilt market in Minneapolis, so here we go. More to come just wanted to give you a few to get started!

I enjoyed cluttering up the shelves with all sort of thing including my favorite little glittered birds. We used the 'book panel' fabric to make little sachet cushions... too darling. They were all over the display! We simply cut up the pages and created little rectangle cushions featuring the words and characters on the front side. I had three appliqued canvases on display, the green bunny here is TULA. She's super! I show you how to do this technique in my upcoming book, SEW TINA!

I loved decorating this booth! It was a much smaller space than we usually do so we ate up every inch! It was like my little shop! The carpeted checkerboard makes for great impact.... The yellow tall table bar you see on the right is a 'chunky bar' from West Elm and we paint it each show we do. This time it's yellow.... With the chocolate walls and ivory shelves I wanted to break the monotony and whalah, yellow it was! On that back wall you see the big new GAME DAY TOTE, and matching cushions! I don't know about you but my little butt needs some cush when I am watching soccer, gymnastics, baseball or really any time of day!!!! The ottomon sitting in front of the little closet is perfect for any room in the house. So easy to make.... foam, batting, fabric and your nimble sewing fingers....
The little closet housed samples of the patterns made up.... These all went off to Australia for a show there....


Again, clutter! My clutter though. There's Ella Pearl the dolly sitting ever so prim. I love fedoras and made this little one for my 8 year old Amelia. She loves it.... even though she's Ms Sporty, she wears it sans feather. The dolly shoes were cute ~ we added pompoms. I love that tray too! Oh and the 'A', Amelia painted that when she was 3, added glitter and all.

Everyone has an old ottomon sitting around I know it. So recover with a slip cover. It's so easy! I have had this little square ottomon for ever, and it's seen many covers. Simple measure, add your seam allowance, use a welting (I covered this with the same fabric) it makes a big difference, measure the sides, add top seam allowance and hem allowance, I pleated at each corner and you see the pleat at the front... well that's where I sort of had too much fabric and so made an arbitrary pleat - it works ey? I love this! It now sits in my home under a white table and Lolita, my fat cat has claimed the orange ottomon as her own!
I usually hate the hallway carpet the shows choose but this time I kind of liked that royal blue against all my color...

A nice little corner pic looking into the booth. Again the cubbies along the left there are from West Elm, and painted ivory this time. This was a fun little wall because we were on a corner. So making it open with a window, but closed off so we didn't feel like we were floating and gave me more shelving to clutter up with goodies....
Covered lamp shade added some warmth too!

Oh, that's me wondering around. This looks like first day and I am already exhausted. Looking at something I wanted to change or move or something.... ah, my work is never done. A little more planning went into this one because of the size difference, but usually we just made a whole bunch of stuff in the fabrics and when Kevin is done with the walls and shelving I go for it. Patterns did well and we f

May 10, 2010

Show Prep


I am knee deep in creating pieces for the upcoming International Quilt Market in Minnesota. You know all the pieces we created for the Paris show? Well, those were out of the last collection, Olivia's Holiday, so here we go again creating all new samples, quilts and fun stuff around the new fabric collection, Opal Owl! But get this, I didn't get the fabrics until Friday of last week... the show is May 21st.... the booth gets filled with finished pieces out of the new collection. Imagine 60 different fabrics within the collection ( 6 cottons in 5 different colorways, flannels and a project panel - more on the panel later)... and we want to show it off.
So, then I start creating - well it's no surprise I love to sew for children... so I have a whole selection of goodies for kids.... then I have bags, adult pieces and of course quilts.... So because the fabrics were delayed in production, many of my seamstresses pulled out, or went on scheduled trips or something or other... so we have a skeleton crew including myself. I am very hands on in the development of the shows. Again, we start with the whole list of items... but of course, when I get my hands on the fabrics... well a whole new world opens up... it's amazing to me that as I design, paint, create the collection, select each and every color.... review each approval stage of the development of the fabric you'd think I'd be close enough to it that I can say, yip... this is what we are making for the show. Well, only half true! I get it, and my whole world explodes....
The list gets ticked off but I start throwing new items into the mix.... have a good giggle, change all the paint colors for the booth... change the logo color, request new shelving... a new pattern spinner for the sewing patterns.... and revise all the decor from earthy bird cages and tree branches. Instead, for Opal Owl... it seems that the story for the show is now this sparkling but magical rock and roll glam for kids..... here's a few items... my new toddler jacket is now the Rock n' rolla jacket, fedoras for small people, cool bags for kids, magical wands, rhinestone chic, a superb silver owl money-bank, berets and goodies galore to inspire the retail buyers.... in fabulous rich color of Opal Owl! The tricky part is to be loud without losing the sophistication.... a fine line let me tell you.
Let's see if I pull it off... I promise pictures and more pictures... you tell me!

See Opal Owl on the site here!