Finding inspiration~Back to basics!

Every once in a while I sit down to a fresh piece of white paper and my mind goes blank. I feel like there  are no original ideas left! It has all been done before.

At times like these when my  rosy outlook takes a little detour I usually come back to basics – simple geometric shapes and marks. No color.. just black and white.

It is my hope that the wonderful combination of all these shapes will eventually come together and find their place somewhere in my surface pattern design.

The days have been busy here. The ski season is slowly coming to an end, but the competitions are still on. Travel to other mountains, school trips and spring break have left me with little time to sit uninterrupted to create. I have been trying to change my ways and create in clumps of time, but I still find that my best time is when I have nothing pressing or beckoning me away from my work.

There really is nothing better than a long stretch of uninterrupted time to sit and create. I think most of us can agree on that!

I am (slowly) working  on my next collection for Modern Yardage – MeadowBlush. Taking inspiration from my geometrics, I enjoyed combining different geometric shapes to make up the flowers and other elements involved in this design.

I can imagine them on outdoor pillows, children’s bedding, a sweet little summer dress…

I think some ladybugs are also in order for spring. I may  also throw in some butterflies and I don’t doubt that some seeds and pods will also end up in the collection. They seen to end up in all my work.

My MeadowBlush fabric collection will be coming to Modern Yardage month end, right in time for spring.

Have you had a look at my 101 projects to make with one yard of fabric pinboard? You can find it on Pinterest here
If you are like me and finding it hard to find long hours of uninterrupted time then this might be the answer to your sewing and crafting creations.

I am heading off today to one of my favorite places – the Big Island of Hawaii. Time to feed the soul and the senses. Pop back next week for some visual inspiration, or if you just need a hit of sunshine!

xox

Advertisement

“Seasons” Fabric Collection for Modern Yardage now available!

Snowdrifts and cold, blustery weather starting to add a chill to your life?

In search of a little leafy love this winter season?

My new Seasons Collection for Modern Yardage Fabric is now available and it is all about trees, leaves, seedlings and pods.

It is inspired by life here in Whistler.

Seasons comes in three different colorways – Fall Harvest, Spring Showers and Soft Blossom.

(I don’t know if I have more fun naming them or designing them!)

Fall Harvest– warm and cozy colors. Perfect for some nice throw pillows by the fire or maybe a duvet cover.

Spring Showers – crisp and cool greens and blues. I would love to see these patterns outdoors. Perhaps patio cushion or napkins for the picnic table?

Soft Blossom – lots of playful, soft pastels in the in this collection. When designing this colorway I had babies on my mind. Thoughts of fabric lampshades, curtains and bumper pads were floating around my head.I would love to see these patterns in the nursery.

All fabric is available  in 2 different scales – small and large! People are loving the different scale that Modern Yardage is offering its customers. It is so versatile for your crafting projects.

I have started planning for a bit of sewing time in my future. I am excited about all the beautiful designs available on Modern Yardage, but for now I can only dream and plan….the Pinterest way.

I have been busily pinning away to my new Pinterest board 101 sewing/ crafting projects to make with one yard of fabric  for when that time arrives!

Lots of very cool crafts that do not require much time or material and some don’t even require sewing. (Many would make great last-minute Christmas gifts!)

I hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season. I love this time of year. It is super busy, but there is an excited energy and happiness in the air. The snow is  (finally) starting to fall and the village is filled with happy visitors.

Enjoy the season!

PaperDaisy fabric at Modern Yardage!

One more day to go! Voting ends tonight for Martha Stewarts AmericanMade Contest. Modern Yardage is in the final 6 and really hoping for a win. I can’t even begin to describe how fantastic that would be.

Thank you all so much for your support during this process. It’s difficult to constantly ask and remind everyone  to vote and support you. Thank you to all those who have retweeted , shared our facebook page and voted. Lots of good karma is coming your way!

(If you want one more chance, here is the link to vote:)

My second fabric collection was just released a few weeks ago. September is crazy around here with the start of school and work so I never really had a chance to blog about it. It’s fun, fresh and perfect for the girly teen crowd!

The PaperDaisy collection ~ available in lots of different sizes and colors. Sewists and crafters are loving the versatility of all the different sizes and colorways.

I can envision this design on many things. Dresses, duvets, summer place mats and napkins or perhaps some fun cushion covers.  I am going to cover my daughters corkboard/inspiration board with it. It’s no fun looking at cork so I thought this would be a fun way to dress her board up to match her room.

I am slowly putting together a Pinterest board of fabric crafts and projects that only require ONE yard of fabric. Here it is here!  There is so much beautiful fabric out there that inspires me. I still find big sewing projects daunting so thought this would be a great way to start~ small.  This is my way of keeping it simple.

I am often asked where my inspiration for my pattern designs comes from. This one was easy – doodling and papercutting.

Paperdaisy Inspiration~ it all began with a simple sketch and an exacto knife. No digits were harmed in the process.

 I scanned the papercut art into my computer, separated and cleaned up the motifs and then started the patterning process. I still have lots more motifs to play with.

For more info on this and many other beautiful, modern fabrics have a visit with us at Modern Yardage. All of my fabrics can be found here.

Once again, thanks for your support. Please keep your fingers crossed for us Tuesday October 1st!

Martha Stewart meets Modern Yardage

I would like to give a little shout out for the fabric company Modern Yardage . Modern Yardage has been nominated for Martha Stewarts American Made Contest for its innovative approach to selling print on demand  fabric online.  I loved their concept so much, I applied to work with them! I love Martha too so that’s a good thing.

Modern Yardage is trying to change the way people think about fabric. It sells beautifully designed, print on demand, fabric to crafters and sewists all over the world. It comes in 3 sizes/scale and lots of different colorways. It’s modern, it’s fresh and it’s environmentally friendly!

We are three weeks into the contest and the public response to our product has been fantastic! Voting is open until September 22nd, 2013. The winners in each category are announced September 23rd. The grand prize winner is then chosen from a final week of voting from September 23-30th. As you can see a lot of voting is required…

This is where we need your help!

It is often difficult hounding friends and family to vote for you day in and day out. They have been great, but I thought I would reach out to you,  my readers , as you have always been a supportive bunch!  I would love and appreciate your support right about now… by voting for us daily. Whenever you think about it – vote! Trust me, I would bring you homemade cakes and cookies if I could!  Since that is not possible how about some free fabric of your choice?

To vote simply click on any of the photos,  or from  here. You will be directed to vote, but please keep in mind that you will have to sign up for Martha’s site (she is a very smart cookie!). I promise you her site is well worth it. Very full of useful information and “good things”.

If you are interested in some fabric ,made with love, by Modern Yardage then have a visit here on our facebook page. We are giving away one yard of your choice/day to one lucky voter! Oh, and while I have you there please do not hesitate to LIKE us.

Ok, I promise I will not ask for anything more. (but if you have already come this far, you might as well check out our website )

Thank you so much for your support. Every effort on your part is very appreciated!

Modern Yardage ~ fresh & contemporary fabric!

I am very happy to officially announce that I have been invited to join the Modern Yardage fabric team!

A new digital textile fabric manufacturer, Modern Yardage is dedicated to bringing fresh, contemporary, fun fabrics to the modern sewist. Created to help solve the problems that the fabric industry faces by taking away the speculation on trends, popular print shortages and scarcity, and limited color and scale offerings, Modern Yardage is rethinking the traditional fabric manufacturing process and offering something new to the industry.

I have done the happy dance many times about this, but it still never grows old for me. I am very excited!

I was hesitant to announce it until I had the goods in hand. The Pantone chart was not enough.I needed to see it to believe it.

I wanted swatches with my designs…

My first strike-offs for the Willow Wisp collection

I almost drove my poor mailman mad waiting for this. He actually waited for me to open it, which was only slightly unnerving. I had visions of user error – crazy colors and no-peats – Instead, I was greeted by super soft fabric and rich, saturated color all in perfect repeat.I may have had a moment:)

Without further ado – My first collection.

The Willow Wisp Collection

Willow Wisp comes to you in three colorways.  It also comes in 3 sizes! Big and bold or smaller scale ~ you make the choice on how you would like to customize your fabric project.

Lots of inspiration for your sewing and crafting needs!

The colors are bright and saturated! I will add real,live shots later to give you a better understanding of the color. Sometimes the computer screen can be a little off!

I can’t wait to see what others create with this design. There is something quite special about seeing your design beautifully crafted or sewn into something special. I am hoping that I get the opportunity to collaborate on some sewing projects.If you are interested, please connect with me!

For more Modern Yardage fabric and inspiration, please visit our Pinterest page!

Connect with us here!
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram

Pop on over, meet the other designers and discover what’s so special about Modern Yardage!