Author Archives: Phyllis

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Behind the Scenes – Martha Pullen’s Sewing Room for PBS

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I taped two segments for the Martha Pullen’s Sewing Room yesterday for the Warm Company ( they make the fabulous batting and fusible web that I use in all my quilting and applique projects).  The taping was exciting and Martha is such a warm and nice person.  Well, not just her, everyone who works for her is the same way, so it was a very enjoyable day.  Of course, I carried my camera and took photos during the day.   The project featured on one segment was a quilt, which I made using the fabrics that I designed, “Its a Dog’s Life” for Quilting Treasures on which I demonstrated a stipple quilting technique. Martha’s assistants, who are great at setting up the sets, are arranging the quilt.

For the second segment, I designed this apron shown here with Martha. It also is made with “Its a Dog’s Life” fabrics and features applique. The fuchsia fabric used for the main part of the apron features dog bones, so I appliqued dog bones around the bottom.  Since the block and yellow fabric also feature birds, I appliqued a bird at the top above the pocket. I know I’m short, but standing next to the apron which was raised for viewing by the camera, I look even shorter. 

The segments will be shown this fall and winter (2009-2010), so please watch for it on your local stations.  I am working up instructions for the quilt and apron and will post the free patterns here shortly.

Thanks for visiting!

Phyllis

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Aprons!

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OK all you apron lovers – check out this book “The Best Apron Book Ever“. !  I  received a copy which has an apron that I designed featured in it.  In fact, it made the cover!  The book, filled with 12 wonderful apron patterns, is published by The House of White Birches.  Aprons are so fashionable and so easy and fun to make!  Check back as I have a free apron pattern coming up that I think you will love!


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Guest Blog on ThinkCrafts.com

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I was invited to write a guest blog on ThinkCrafts.com by Create for Less.  I enjoyed writing about crafting and how it inspired and influenced a creative career for me.  I learned crafts early, taught by my mother and aunt.  As I see all the emphasis on various retro periods, I think of the crafts I was doing during each period.

ThinkCrafts.com is hosted by a craft expert and professional of many years, Maria Nerius and is a fabulous site for anyone who loves art, crafts, creative design and working with their hands.

I invite you to read my post and would love to receive comments from you.

Phyllis

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Live chats still available.

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If you missed my live chat on the Fiber Arts/Mixed Media forum, you can still read the chat.  I duscuss Art Marketing and Licensing and had a lot of quesitons asked from attendees all around the world.  In addition, if you have any questions, you can ask them on the Fiber Arts/Mixed Media forum and I will answer to the best of my ability.

Also if you missed my interview on BlogTalkRadio, Inspired at Home with Tiffany Windsor, you can also listen to it.  I am interviewed on trendspotting – how to find trends and using trends in crafting, designing and decor.

I would love to hear what you have so say, so please post any comment or questions that you may have.

Phyllis

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Quilt Market and Sewing Machine Decision Time

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The International Quilt Market in Pittsburgh this month was wonderful as usual.  Color was everywhere as new fabrics were displayed (including mine – Its a Dog’s Life with Quiting Treasures).  The mood was upbeat throughout the show and buyers were doing just that – buying.  I took loads of pictures of great vendors as well as my friends   But, if you read my last post, you know that my photo files were corrupted on the disk (the file names are all goofy symbols and Windows doesn’t know what file types they are- so if anyone can tell me what happened, I would love to know).

I am really excited about something that I purchased at the show (actually its being purchased through my local dealer).  I bought Bernina’s digitizing software, “DesignerPlus Version 5” so that I can turn my art images into machine embroidery.

Bernina Desginer Plus Software

I plan to start with the motifs from my fabric collections. I also want to create designs to put on some of my projects featured in magazines and books.

Call me a nut, but I actually love learning new software, until I get to a frustration point!  The good thing about this software is that my local shop (Robin’s Sewing Shoppe) will give me lessons on using it, in addition to the demo I received at Quilt Market.  So, any frustration points can be resolved locally!

But the next step is that after getting home, I have decided that I want to upgrade my sewing machine.  That actually means starting new since my machine can’t be “upgraded”.  I’ve been visiting the websites of ALL the sewing machine companies to see which one has the features I want. Boy, now that’s frustration!  Some of the websites have much more information than others and its frustrating looking at one that has very little information on the features of their machines.  Then when I find a feature of one machine that I really like, I look back at all the sites again to see which ones have that feature.  And I love features! Unfortunately, the $$’s go up with each feature so I am going to have to tone it down.

So now, I’m off to visit local dealers to make a decision on which machine I want and to see if I can find one in my budget.

Oh well, wish me luck!

Phyllis

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Invitation to join me Sunday night for a live chat!

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I am very fortunate to have two events Sunday night (May 24).  At 4:00 p.m. EST, I am going to be the guest for the live chat on the Fiber Arts/Mixed Media Forum with Susan Sorrell.  My topic will be Art Marketing and Licensing.

At 7:15 p.m. EST, I will be on Inspired at Home with Tiffany Windsor on BlogTalkRadio. My topic will be Trending and using trends in designing, home decor, and crafts.

I would love to have you join me as you will be able to ask questions.  If you are unable to join in, you can still listen to to the interviews later by visiting the above links.

I had some wonderful pictures that I took at Quilt Market.  However, something happened to my disk with the photos and all the files were corrupted with strange file names.  I have been unable to open them to post the pictures.  What a bummer!  If any of you know how this could have happened, please let me know.

Quilt Market was wonderful, upbeat and exciting!  I will write more about it in the next couple of days and hopefully, I can get some pictures that my friends took to show you.

I hope to visit with you tomorrow night!

Phyllis

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Off to Pittsburgh for Quilt Market

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My bags are packed, my Quilt Market projects are finished, my Schoolhouse talk is ready and my boarding passes are printed.  Flying is my period of rest, thinking and reading as things are always so hectic getting ready to leave.  I picked a James Patterson book to read in my flying and airport time.  And I’m looking forward to meeting up with friends who are also going to Market – dinners, lunches and just walking the show together.

I will return energized, inspired and ready to hop back to work on new designs and art.  I will post Quilt Market happenings and celebrity sightings when I return as well as the projects and patterns that I created for market.

If you are attending Quilt Market, I want to invite you to attend my Schoolhouse session “Using Trends to Boost Sales”, Thursday 3:35 in room 325.  And of course, I would love for you to visit the Quilting Treasures booth to see my new fabric “Its a Dog’s Life”.

Until I return,

Phyllis

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At work in my Studio

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I have been busy preparing for International Quilt Market next week.  The Spring Quilt Market is open to the trade only and is being held in Pittsburgh – a city I love to visit.  And, my new fabric collection  is debuting there.  After designing fabrics for kitties and cats, I had to show the love that I feel for dogs as well and designed Its a Dog’s Life for Quilting Treasures.  My cutting table is piled with the fabrics for the projects that I’m sewing for Quilt Market.

I will have a free pattern or two to post after Quilt Market.  I’m sewing an apron and a quilted tote bag as well as a badge holder.

If you are attending Quilt Market, I want to invite you to attend my Schoolhouse session, “Using Trends to Boost your Sales”. on Thursday, May 14 at 3:35 pm.  I would love to meet you.

OK, back to sewing – I have to get these finished!

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It’s A Dog’s Life – new fabrics debuting at Quilt Market

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I’m excited that my next fabric collection, It’s a Dog’s Life for Quilting Treasures is debuting at Spring Quilt Market in Pittsburgh starting May 14.  A quilt that I designed with these fabrics will be in the Quilting Treasures booth and the pattern will be posted to their website for downloading after Market.

It’s A Dog’s Life features dog bone, dog lingo, paw prints, and activity dogs fabrics.  Also, as friends of the dogs,  two bird fabrics are featured.  The blocks feature 10 dogs in various activities – cooking, exercising, shopping, gardening, and many more.

The collection can be viewed on Quilting Treasures website or on my website.

Woof, woof! (And if you are attending Quilt Market, I invite you to attend my Schoolhouse session “Using Trends to Boost Your Sales” on Thursday, May 14, the day before the show opens – I would love to meet you).

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New Quilting and Sewing patterns

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I can’t believe that May is just about here.  I’ve had my design hat on the past several months and I think being totally focused on work makes time fly by even faster.  I’ve read that when you are in your “right brain” mode, you are unaware of practical things like time.

I just received a copy ot the May/June issue of Today’s Creataive Home Arts magazine which contained some of the fruits of my labor.  A collection of kitchen sewing and quilting items are featured in the magazine using the Meow Meow cat fabrics that I designed for Quilting Treasures.

The projects are an apron, quilted potholder, quilted placemat, quilted chairback and cafe curtains with full instructions for each. Also, a cat carrier is featured as a bonus design that can be downloaded from the Home Arts website – kitty not included.  Ok, I know I have focused on this fabric lately, but I’m going to the dogs shortly with my newest fabric collection.