A Rainy Day At Last!

It is a delightfully dark and rainy day as I do the countdown for the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, England next week. The forecast predicts that it may be raining there, too. If so, I will be prepared because my wonderful Susan has whipped up this fabulous raincoat!

It is made, of course, with the Early Birds laminated plum Curlicues fabric and lined inside and under the collar with refreshing plum Prairie Poppies. The pattern, McCall's 7204, is another that has been in my collection for years.

Sewing with laminated fabrics can be tricky because the plastic laminate can stick to itself and to your sewing machine. To overcome this dilemma you can purchase a Teflon coated sewing foot or try using painters tape on the bottom of your existing foot.

Susan even made the perfect hat for an exhilarating ensemble from Vogue Accessories pattern V8405. The hat band repeats the Prairie Poppies and is finished with a rosette topped with a felt bead.

I love this photograph! Susan looks very mysterious... like a character in a Miss Marple story! It started to rain just as we finished shooting.

Don't forget to stop by the Lady Sew and Sew Booth, attend the Designer's Dinner or drop in for my Fabric Design lecture if you are at the Festival of Quilts.

New Dress & Birmingham Exclusive!!

It seems as if the deadlines are a constant dilemma here in the Sassaman studio! But I love to design and stitch, so any excuse to spend quality time in the studio works for me.

Happily the new fabric designs are beginning to gel and I hope to have them submitted before I leave for my first visit to the Festival of Quilts in Birmingham, England.

I am so excited about this adventure and I am especially pleased that my fabrics will be sold for the first time in the UK. Lady Sew and Sew will be the exclusive vendor for the Early Birds fabric which will be featured in their festival booth. They also carry it in their stores and on their website.

I get letters from fabric fondles from aboard looking for Sassaman fabrics, so I am hoping that the introduction of Early Birds will open the door to a further exchange of creativity with my European fabric friends.

I will also be doing book signings at Lady Sew and Sew and a lecture about designing fabric at 4 pm on Thursday, Aug 18. If you have European quilting buddies attending the festival, please encourage them to come to the lecture. They can pre-book lecture tickets at the Twisted Thread site.

Hope to see you there!

My super helper, Susan, has been busy, too! I'm a fan of the fashion designer Claire McCardell, so this wonderful pattern adapted from a McCardell halter dress has been patiently waiting in my collection for several years. It is Folkwear pattern #258. Susan is a skilled dress maker and she did a beautiful job.

This design features a gathered skirt, a beautiful fitted bodice with tucks at the neckline and topped with a sassy white collar. It has pearl buttons, side pockets and a zipper under the arm. Doesn't the poka dotted bow and white belt finish it off perfectly? White pumps or red?

Such a beautiful fit! The perfect summer dress. The fabric is, of course, from the Early Birds fabric line. The dress is made with the Strawberry Serenade design in the blueberry colorway. The classic poka dots are from the Strawberry group.

The coordinating bag is one of Melissa Peda's timeless designs. The wooden handles and green ball fringe place it in the same romantic fashion era as it's counterpart.