Taking off

When's it gonna go?



Whoa! What was that?



Weeeeeee!



Don't be scared Bunny.



This is so cool.

It was like a dream. For both of us.
Home safe now. talk soon, xo, AM

Packing pin cushions

I'm off tomorrow to join up with friends in my patchwork circle to see what's shakin' in the Quilting world. I feel a bit like I'm playing hooky this time around as my next line of fabric won't be out till January, its only like a pre-release kinda thing with this market, so not too much pressure. I could use more engagements with that sort of mood attached to them. Speaking of engagements, I'll have some good dinners with good friends to attend to, so yes there is work to do! Chew, swallow, gab, chew, swallow, gulp, gab. Exhausting!!



I'm packing these little blossoms as gifts for my friends Jennifer and Joelle, who I can't wait to have a little pal time with. I honestly can not think of two girls who need pin cushions less than they must. Oh well. They have been so wonderful and generous to me, giving me whatever I need as I sew up the projects for my book. All the fabrics in the book will be from their gorgeous selection, so no, the book won't be only my fabric. It's not about my fabric, silly. Why are pin cushions so much fun to take pictures of?? Hmm.



Jeff made the most delicious chocolate chip cookies last night (again). I think he's trying to make sure that I'll come back home. Either that or he's trying to be the most perfect wonderful husband-dad-person ever. Yea. That has to be it. I actually will have a little travel companion this time. While I'm marketing, little Eleni will spend 3 days with her Godparents soaking up tons of affection and feeling right at home with their five kids who live just outside Houston. Such a big girl going on an airplane!! She can't stop asking about it. She gets this little glow in her eyes when we talk about it and I know there must be little butterflies in her tummy even though I can't see those. Ooo, I am so happy to take her along.

If you'll be at market do come and say hello! xoxo,Anna

Background

A weekend full of figuring out this new thing has been just intriguing. That's the best word I can come up with. I'm intrigued. I've had the apparently unfortunate situation for years of knowing fully how to use what I have. And now, well that's just not how it is, ever since Friday when I almost kissed the DHL guy. There are so many new variables, that I don't know what to play with first all the while trying to recommit certain photo knowledge to memory. I have a few magazine deadlines coming up for spring and summer features next year, so Juliana and I were feeling brave enough to try out the new camera for the headshots. This is my favorite one. Which pretty much sums up how that went. I honestly have never wanted to be in the background more than I did today. I felt much more like being the brain and not the face. I wanted to be the one behind the camera pushing buttons, adjusting white balance and changing Fstops. Every now and then I made Juliana jump in my spot just so I could see the set up and fidget with a few things then we'd switch again. She was incredibly patient with me switching shirts 4 times. When she got annoyed she'd just focus on something else. Obviously. More soon. I was very close to switching back to the ole point and shoot. But didn't give in. Lots to do this week as I'll be headed to Quilt Market on Thursday for a few days, but I'll try to stick my nose in here one more time before I go.
Hope you had a sunny weekend or at least a welcome rain. xoxoAM

Fall firmly planted

All they really want is something to do. That is really it. It is so simple, if I can just remind myself of that every now and then. Something, anything. The real trick seems to be that it be something with me. Or with dad. They don't come right out and ask for it these days, but thats what they want. Us. Hmmm. How long do you think that will last?



If there is one time saving life-improver I've learned, it's share the homeload with the kids. Whether its sorting socks or digging holes, if I can combine quality time with my kids and quality time with my home then we are all better for it. We both learn so much, and things get taken care of in the process. I get a lot of emails asking how I do it all....as if I do. I don't. Trust me. You saw the laundry (or half of it as my husband was clear to point out in the comments). I think what I do is respond to high-priority needs and combine them if I can. Laundry-clearly not a high priority here. Clean is enough. Folded and put away? Not generally.



Anyway the simple answers don't work everyday. We lost only a few blossoms fighting over who's turn it was to separate the pansy six-packs. Then I said "GUYS, you're fighting over pansies....." (Pause. Slow forming grins.) We all had a good laugh.



Nicolas took this picture by himself and we talked about how many different shades of pink and purple there were between the spent blossoms and the ones still hanging on until the first frost. He wants my camera. We've settled on privileges with the camera. He's been bugging me because I have a special delivery coming tomorrow. Can't wait to play. I'll share a weekend's worth of figuring that thing out with you next week. All that information is stored somewhere in the back of my brain from college photo classes. Just need to find the key to that brain door. xoAM

40 sq ft

Just in case you have any grand ideas about life here, thought I should keep it real. 40 sq ft?? Yes thats how we measure laundry here, not by loads, but in square footage. Nuff said. Back to my corn pops and Silk milk. Looks like I need to replace some light bulbs. Oh its all so glamorous.
xoA

Behind the Seams

Is it time to talk more about the book? Yes. I think so. Whew. Okay. As visual reference today, let me take you on a little tour of my friend Tracy's farm. Eleven acres of beauty that, in my opinion, is touched just enough, left alone just enough. I love it. It'll be the backdrop for many of the photos in my book. Tracy is a dear friend of mine and always open to an adventure. She and Juliana are two of the only people who I always look to for feedback on various design choices. Her world is so light filled and relaxed it makes me sleepy and happy.



Ahhh, yes, the book. I am so excited. The official title (provided I don't suddenly do a Tennessee scenery book as it seems I have been lately) is Seams To Me. While its a sewing project book with about 2 dozen projects, including several fold out patterns, its also about sewing. About my sewing. About how I do it. What I feel like are important things to know so that you can more quickly get to making beautiful things. And also so that you can enjoy the process and appreciate the process as a wonderful thing in itself. The overwhelming feeling that I've encountered and re-encountered over and over again as I write this book is that I want people to love sewing. I really really want you to love it as much as I do. I think sewing is such a gift.



The projects will range from accessories for you and your home to patchwork and clothing. I'm including several basic tutorials like installing a zipper and working with elastic along with an in depth look at understanding color and pattern to help you choose and combine fabrics.
I spent some time with Tracy this morning planning some of the shots and checking colors against backdrops etc. Making lots and lots of notes and figuring out the schedule of photographing several children, a donkey, a horse and a few dogs. And some other stuff too. Writing this book just has so many many layers to it. I find myself completely consumed some days working away at the technical aspects then other days I am overjoyed an giddy that I have such a rich a lustrous medium to play out my ideas about what I think is beautiful. I am learning a great deal about my own design work and what I'm capable of. My editor and Microsoft could also tell you what I'm not capable of (=I hate templates)



When I was first approached and asked to write a book it was for a completely different sewing title. It was much more manual style sewing and much less lifestyle sewing. It required a lot of research for me to write it as comprehensively as I could. I did it though. I wrote half the manuscript for it and the editors were extremely pleased. So pleased, in fact, that they decided I should do a different book. My own, Really my own. Something more personal. So I got to start over. Now doesn't that sound like so much fun?



But by the time I had worked my way through half the original title I discovered that I had clear ideas about what I wanted a sewing book to be. I didn't start out that way. I started out wondering if I would do a good job of this and feeling really humbled by the whole thing. So when they asked me to take the reins I knew just where I wanted to steer that pony.



More than anything this has been such a path, and every step of it has mattered a great deal and has helped turn this project into something that I hope to be very proud of and something that I really hope people love. I am at a place where I can imagine doing this again. I've heard that you either hate the process or you love it. I don't hate it. I'll get back to you on love, once I'm holding it in hand.



Oh and when will that be? Weeelll. Gosh things take a long time. The book will hit shelves in October of 2008. All the changes that it went through pushed the date back about 6 months. So there it is. I am sure I'll be showing and telling in the spring, and honestly about to bust (at the seams, as it were) to show you now!



So much exciting stuff ahead to share with you, so stay tuned. Thanks as always for your support, emails, encouragement and for stopping in to see me as much as you do. Sharing with you is my breathing time and a chance to reflect outwardly. Anyway, its a big big sky over all of us, and I love how small it feels here.
Talk to ya soon peeps. xoxoxAM

I Heart Tennessee

Embarking


Strolling Shoes


Passing Over, Passing Under


Mouthy Tour Guides


Shoe Meet Mallard


Uphill Encouragement


Gorgeous Tangle


Taking Control


Dark Path, Light Path


Luscious Remnants

Moral of the story: A 45 minute walk produces a three hour nap.

Go outside, xo,AM

In lieu of a regular weekend

Ooooohhhh the messes that didn't get picked up, the laundry that didn't get folded, the dust bunnies that didn't get sucked, the dog that didn't get a bath, the weeds that didn't get pulled. Oh well. Since when did spending hours with tiny squares of fabric rank the highest on a person's list of indulgences? Since this weekend. I drafted a pattern for my little lovelies with the hope of doing something not too squarish. I like the simplicity of a square, but wanted something spin-y and antique-y feeling.



So this is the block I came up with after a few drafts, angle configurations and geometry consulting. Can you call it a block when its not a square? Wouldn't it be fun to live in a neighborhood with 6 sided blocks. It'd be so easy to pick out from an airplane. Anyway. Not pristine points yet, but still mastering the perfect piecing order, and I think after about 6 of them I have it figured out. Humble is good for these though. The plates aren't pieced perfectly either which has really freed my mind from worry and made all this so relaxing. Everything but the outer border is vintage. Which is nice I think. New fabrics with yesterday's at the heart of them. They are small. The squares are only 1.75" so you can imagine how small the other pieces are.



So fun to piece though. I did a few by hand while watching seasons 1 and 2 of this with Juliana and Jeff. So some of those stitches were made through tears of laughter. I also pieced some by machine, but with such itty bits its a little harder. Faster, yes. But trickier, so I'll just do some of both I guess. I do the love the lap stuff.
Other indulgences involved having a whole day with the daughter and the husband to kick around some other blocks in town while the littler sort were occupied with their grandparents. Our house was in such disarray we just decided to leave. We don't normally do that. Best decision ever. Guided mostly by the girls, we managed a little of this, some of that, a new one of these, and just a smidgen of a visit to here. (Wow. I'm feeling link-y.) Man it was great. Now to cope with the reality of mess. Nothing new.
Hope you are in a happy chaos yourself :) AM

Spinning Plates

Well, out with the new and in with the old, er uh, something like that. I just really get so lucky sometimes. Last weekend was one of those times. I've been on the hunt for vintage quilt materials, either untouched, cut or pieced and I found all three. I paid about 15$ for a big ziploc full of what looked like mostly scraps and a few sewn things.



Then I found more bright shiny bags that I couldn't resist and bought about 5 of them. All full of I didn't know what exactly at the time. Just knew it was just really pretty on the outside and didn't even open them till I got home. Inside the largest one was 18 Dresden plates already pieced except for the circular centers and their square foundation. Hand pieced. I don't have a lot of favorite quilt motifs except I have always really loved the Dresden plate, so I was thrilled. 9 of the plates are about 18" wide and the other 9 of them are about 15" wide. There are also lots of stacks of already cut "blades" for more plates. Juliana has her eye on them for her bed. Not that she wants to make it (the quilt or her bed). Ahem. Wonder who'll get to do that. Is it weird to feel guilty for planning to machine piece the rest? Seems like I should be hand piecing in order to realize its original intention. Although, I imagine I'll hand applique all the plates down. There, guilt covered. Makes me wonder who started it. I wonder why it was abandoned.



In a smaller bag there was just tons and tons and tons of tiny squares. I keep going through them to find a new favorite. They're all so ridiculously happy and optimistic its hard not to be affected by it. Charming, so charming, all of them! Ack.



What a happy stack of stuff. What a metaphor. I find my tasks piling up kinda like this. Filled with good things, but for now, a lot of unfinished edges, all begging with an equally loud voice "write me", "draw me", "schedule me", design me", "sew me", "clean me", "read me", "cook me" and so on. All sweet familiar voices, though. They all belong here. xoAM

Because I can't choose just one

I'm not good with the number one. I couldn't stop at one kid. And it seems that one kid (shown above an here) couldn't stop at one vintage dress while we were thrifting through the racks this weekend. She got two. After over 800 commenters hoping for some fabric stopped in to say hello, there is no way I could giveaway only one stack!

SO (drum roll please............) the grand prize winner that will receive the Chocolate Lollipop Cake and a stack of assorted Bohemian and Chocolate Lollipop fabrics is:
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TiffanyKapri who said:
happy blogiversary!
at 1:05pm
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Yay Tiffany! Email me with your mailing address, you little random winner you!



I also chose four more names who will each get a ten layered stack of goodness to devour. Here are the 4 winning comments and times:
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Chara Michelle

Oh, oh pick me!! :) Hmm, with 221 comments already I don't think my odds are very good:)

Happy 1 year of blogging!

12:57 PM

Jude

Wow, what a fan club you have! I've been reading your blog from the beginning, and, although I subscribe and unsubscribe to many craft blogs, yours is one of the few I always read for both the beautiful crafts and the love for your family that comes shining through.

7:42 AM

Anonymous

CONGRATULATIONS on reaching your ONE YEAR Blogiversity!

I love seeing what you do with all your beeutiful fabrics.

~elaine~

roz_etta@yahoo.com

Giabella Designs

Congrats! Since I am 1 of 600 looks like someone else will be enjoying a fabric cake!

Looks good enough to eat!
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Yay for you all!! Don't forget to email me privately with your mailing address.



I had fun going through and reading all those comments and thanking you outloud or in my head here in the studio. I've been so busy with my book and other design work that doing that plus my trip to the flea market over the weekend yielded some serious happiness!! I scored some terrific quilty-love items that I can't wait to share with you. Thanks for being the icing on my party cake guys, and here's to another year. with love and thanks, AM

The Cut Off

Weeeell, I had to draw the cutoff line somewhere, so here it is. I'll be back later today with the randomly chosen fabric lover. I am overWHELMED at what looks like a total of 809 comments. How fun! I read all of them, some twice cause I lost my place. Have a good morning, see ya in a bit! xoAM