What's new at Kid Giddy HQ

I planned on having this post up before leaving for quilt market - but that just didn't happen since I was still sewing details until the wee hours of the night and mornings even once arriving in Houston. Since being home - I've caught up a little on all that missed sleep. I probably could use more.

I'm so excited to announce my Fall 2015 Kid Giddy dies with Sizzix. I know I shouldn't pick favorites because I love them all - but I can't help be excited for my little Fox. This Party Fox is ready with some balloons, a party hat and even a little star, for any birthday party or celebration. I have a little secret about this one...which is why I'm so excited about it...you can mix and match the Fox parts with the Kid Giddy Doll die. So if you want a doll with a bigger belly for a Santa...use the body of the fox and all the other doll pieces. If you want to sew with kids, the Fox arms & legs are easier for kids, because they have less curves to sew and are easier to stuff. I wanted to give you more bang for your buck and give you tons of options to really make your own unique doll.

I've also introduced a little tufted Bird die that comes with a little panel to make tiny eggs. The Bird can be made to sit in a nest or on a shelf, or add a ribbon to hang as an ornament or in a fun mobile. It's great for any holiday, and for any occasion or no occasion at all.

Last but not least is the Bear die that works perfectly with most fabric choices including Wool Felt blends, Quilters cotton, cuddle fabrics and many others. The Bear comes with a variety of little extras for personalizing, including a heart, bow (for a bow tie or hair bow), baby rattle and a star. If you use a crazy awesome fuzzy fur fabric, you can get a little fella that resembles a baby wookie or ewok.

I have been working for weeks and weeks on some special Little House on the Prairie Dolls using Andovers Little House on the Prairie fabrics for their Quilt Market Schoolhouse Premiere. It was quite a special weekend for me and I'll be photographing each doll and sharing the whole experience soon. Here's a sneak peek...but if you can't wait...hop on over to my Instagram feed for more pics. 

I was also very excited (and busy) sewing with some of the Mendocino fabric from Heather Ross that Windham Fabric is reprinting. I made this sweet Mermaid, some little seahorse friends, as well as an octopus, all which hung at market in her booth. Her belly button probably got the most attention. lol. I'll be sharing more about how I made her soon.
Well that's my quick recap for now - again I'll have more info for everyone soon regarding all the Mermaid tail piecing, the Octopus and Little House Dolls.

Have a great week.

To Market to Market I Go

It's that time of year again. Giddy up!

I'm heading to Quilt Market for the 4th time. Seeing the red carpet, the colorful and amazing booths, scoping out all the new fabrics and tools I want to add to my stash, seeing friends, and meeting new ones, never gets old.

Last year I was fortunate to work with Dritz to do a demo and book signing. We had so much fun in their booth, they invited me to come back. So this market I am excited to be working with the awesomely fun folks at Dritz, doing two Make and Takes on Sunday and demoing Monday morning.

On Sunday, from 1pm-2pm, I'll be in the Dritz booth 844, making this fun bracelet with Dritz Fold Over Elastic (FOE), Hex Nuts, and the Dritz Parachute Buckles.

Later Sunday afternoon from 4pm-5pm, I'll be showing how easy it is to make these fun Swivel Hook Wristlets, and using the Dritz Snap pliers. I just might have to put snaps on everything now.

On Monday from 10-11am, I'll be doing some demos with my favorite dritz tools. I am also giving away 3 copies of my book and Dritz is generously giving away some of my favorite Dritz notions.

If I'm not in the Dritz booth, I'll be walking around on the show floor...if you see me - stop me so we can chat. See you soon.

Sewing Tales at Fall 2013 Quilt Market: Recap and Recovery

Hello hello hello. I've been home from the rush and thrill of Quilt Market, for two days now and am finally feeling my energy level increase ever so slightly. Oh wait, maybe that's just all the halloween candy and the massive sugar rush? At this point who knows for sure. I'm certainly not going to fight it anymore, bring it on.

This was my second Quilt Market and first in Houston, Texas (my first was in May 2011). It was so exciting to be back in my home state, yet bittersweet to not have my family here with me to celebrate all the happenings. I toted a copy of my book around QM like the baby that it is, and took pics of it with as many of the fabric designers I could find (whose fabrics I used in the book). Of course I had to get a pic with Heather, since she also wrote the foreword for my book. Sorry to be covering up the amazing paper pieced butterfly in her booth, but you can see it on her blog soon, I'm sure. She even won the best booth award.

Some of you may have seen these pics on my Instagram feed, so I'm only reposting a few of them. If you didn't see them yet, and want to see more, head on over to my kidgiddy IG feed for all the others.

These two guys are from Andover Fabrics. My mom emails me (urgently) that I need to get her one of the bags they were handing out on the first day of schoolhouse, and I got the email too late. Then she says further down the email, that sample spree is tonight - and I HAVE to get her some of the Downton Abbey fabric because she LOVES LOVES LOVES that show. She's one lucky lady - with an amazing daughter that hooked her up. I paid just like everyone else - but walked out of there a proud daughter....thinking, man, my mom is going to love me! And she does. Now I have to ship it to her!

I spent much of the show demo'ing in the Sizzix booth, showing everyone how you can make some really cool things with your triangle, strips, and other basic geometric dies! (Like the Buoys & Hot-Air Balloon basket from my Sewing Tales book)

I met Amanda Herring from the Quilted Fish. She's such a sweetheart and when I met her earlier in the Sizzix booth, I didn't put her first name and her face together with the awesome fabric I used on the Row Boat project in my book!

Say Hi to Meaghan Finnerty - the best Digital Marketing Manager at F+W Media! I feel like I've known her forever. She's been so great to work with and wish she stayed in Texas longer! Next time I'm in NY - guess who's getting a visit?!

These little gnome girls, their mice friends, and the mushrooms got lots of attention in the Sizzix booth while I was there!

This was the scene of my Dritz demo and book signing. Look at all those excited folks - waiting so patiently for the fun to begin. Thank you for all the love everyone!

Had a little chat time with Amy before the show and during. She's so sweet. They all are. I love the community that exists in the 'fabric' community. It's just so down to earth and refreshing.

Tula Pink is in the house (and so was her brother, who is to thank for taking the awesome up high angled pic). I was trying really hard to keep my blinders on in everyones' booths, so I wouldn't get all giddy about their new fabric lines, but that didn't work so well. I love them all, and my Christmas wish list just got longer.

I could not go to Quilt Market or CHA and not get a pic of me with Anna Griffin. While in her booth I saw the dog bone pillow I designed for her in some adorable new doggy fabric. I love that my patterns live on.

I got to go out to dinner with this lovely lady and her sweet baby. I can't imagine going to quilt market way back when my girls were tiny babies and bringing one with me. It's exhausting as it is, but she pulled it off and looked beautiful doing it. Love her kindred spirit, and Heather's for that matter. I also had fun with Heather and her husband at the Goode Co. for a BBQ dinner and had a blast. 

Even after the weekend was over, the Sizzix folks still liked me! LOL! No matter where we were and what we were doing, it was all fun and laughter. They are seriously such a great group of people to work with.

Promptly at 4pm, the announcer came on and said "All good things must come to an end". Seconds later, the echos of paper, boxes and crates filled the air. The shoes came off and everyone else but me changed into "comfy clothes". If you look closely,  you can play ispy and find Heather Bailey and her husband Isaac. I had just said goodbye to them, but couldn't see them in the pic until I saw it on my large computer screen.

As sad as I was to leave Quilt Market, coming home to my awesome husband and amazing daughters was a much happier moment for me. Now I sit at home and contemplate a booth for Spring 2014. Should I do it? I'd have to have some new patterns to release. I'd have to get a UPC code account. Register and all that other stuff. It scares the daylights out of me, but we are meant to learn and grow when we leap in faith, right?!

Until then, I will go day by day, and week by week. I'm so excited for next week and hope you will join me and all of the 20 bloggers for the Sewing Tales Book Blog Hop (Nov 4th - 8th). I will be sharing some fun little extra projects on my blog each day of the hop, and hosting an awesome giveaway for the week. The response to my book at quilt market was amazing! If you haven't gotten your copy yet...get it now on Amazon: Sewing Tales to Stitch and Love (no they don't give me an extra cut of profits), and get your sewing done early for the holidays.

Thanks for stopping by. If you haven't already, please click that link below and sign up to receive my newsletters, which I hope to start in Jan next year, maybe sooner?! Have a great, happy weekend.

My HUGE News....Anna Griffin Sewing Patterns...by ME!

So It's Tuesday, two days after a very amazing and very long Spring Quilt Market weekend. I slept much of yesterday after dropping my girls off at school, yet it didn't seem like enough when it was time to pick them up. I'm still very sleep & family deprived after many months of working my tail off since attending the Craft & Hobby Convention in LA. I still haven't finished recapping that weekend - since I started working immediately for Anna Griffin, Inc.! But I will soon...really!

Did you read that?...that I worked with Anna Griffin? So here's the big news. I approached her booth at the CHA convention and spoke to her Communications Manager (love Lindsey!) and explained what I do and that I would love to work with Anna. I asked that she come to visit my Designer showcase table the next day if she had time and much to my surprise, found Anna approaching my table that very next day. She loved my work and we immediately began talking about some opportunities for the Spring Quilt Market.

Without providing all of the details - I made my proposal, and it was accepted and we went from there. I received loads of fabric and began whipping up samples and patterns as we discussed, writing all of the instructions and digitally drawing all of the illustrations for each of the patterns. So for all of you fine folks out there desperately waiting for your thumb covers while my shop was closed and then open but not shipping...this is what I was working on all those months! (thank you for your patience!)

It was a very intense and very rewarding opportunity to work with Anna Griffin and all of her wonderful people (like Lindsey and Holley)! This is just the beginning. I have more great stuff to tell you in the future - but again...it's all under wraps for now. You'll be there first to know (aside from my close family) when the cat is out of the next bag!

So here are some Anna Griffin, Inc Sewing Patterns that will be available in a quilt shop near you (designed by me) come mid to late June....The Scotty Dog with his cute little cape, The Bone Pillow, The Peony Pillow, the Sunflower Pillow and the Butterfly Pillow!

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What's even more awesome than all of this...is that when they come out - you can come back here for a chance to win a pattern for yourself! Anna has given me permission to give some to my readers! And I just might have to throw in some of her gorgeous fabric that I have remaining! So what do you think? Do you have a favorite? Please do tell! Thanks for stopping by - thanks for reading Kid Giddy and sharing in my joy and accomplishments!

Have a splendid day!