Cicada Daydream

Textile Turn Ons | Jenean Morrison's In My Room

2012-11-09T11:55:00.000-05:00

Loving these new prints from one of the sweetest people one is ever likely to meet... Jenean Morrison. Jenean typically rocks the surface design house, but I can't help but single these out - particularly the Sunday Paper print top right.

Cheese making with Caputo Brothers

2012-09-09T17:07:00.001-04:00

There's this really amazing restaurant near us (and just a few blocks from my office) named A Toute Heure. They serve locally grown and raised foods and do it impeccably. Every now and then Andrew and I treat ourselves to lunch there - dinner reservations are rather elusive. A few months back I learned on Facebook that they offered a cheese making class and that there was sudden cancellation. I immediately jumped on it (completely blind to the specifics, but enraptured with the idea of making ANY cheese) but I was too late - someone had nabbed the seats before me.

Me getting a lesson from Rynn Caputo on how to stretch the cheese curds together in a bath of hot water.

But then, not too long ago, they announced another class, and not to be left out, I booked a spot for both Andrew and me within seconds of learning about it. Today was the class!

Rynn Caputo, of Caputo Brothers Creamery was a delight! I mean that in every sense: personable, informative, entertaining, talented, passionate and inspiring. As words flowed effortlessly she told us all about her cheese making adventures in Italy and informed us posthaste that most American mozzarella is not even cheese {not even the "good stuff" from Hoboken} as it's made with an introduced acid (like lemon juice or vinegar) and not fermented- and went on to say how it's technically illegal to call any cheese "mozzarella" if it in not made in a certain region of Italy from water buffalo milk. The elitist in me was thrilled with this knowledge! :)

She also spoke of her, along her husband David's, personal journey from business professionals to artisanal cheese makers, now residing in a 190 year old farm in Spring Grove PA. The story was inspiring to say the least. In a few short years, with some bold decisions and determination and a smidge of good fortune, essentially, they have become cheese makers to the stars: they teach chefs (including renowned top chefs) how to make cheese from their curd. Yet they are deeply rooted in their craft and their locality and offer farm house meals at their farm and classes to any enthusiast (like us!).

Recently their notoriety has exploded since a New York Times article featured thier business and more specifically, their fresh stracciatella, which we had the good fortune to learn how to make in this class. Honestly, we felt like this was a true privilege to take this class and have suddenly become dreamy about going on one of their tours, where they take you along on their cheese making activities around southern Italy.

Let me tell you. There is a WORLD of difference in the taste of true fermented cheese mozzarella (technically called fior di latte because it's made with milk from other than a water buffalo- and in this case, cow's milk from a farm hand chosen by them in a neighboring town in PA.) Another thing we learned is the shelf life, according to the Italian artisans who make this cheese and send it to us in the US (knowingly), is actually 4 hours. So, yeah, even the best of the "real cheese" mozzarella from Italy, is old by the standards of connoisseurs. And you know what? It's true! We've never had anything so fresh and so cheesy in all our lives.

You can bet we have placed our order for cheese curds and shall be having a few couples over for a soiree of cheese making and wine. Once thawed, it takes no longer than 15 minutes to pull beautiful little tufts of creamy fresh cheese. It's fun, magical, illuminating and delicious.

Fior de latte (mozzarella). Pure and simple. And delicious.

Andrew puling stracciatella- mozzarella cheese strings soaked in cream and salt. Yes, CREAM.

Rynn is about to cut into buratta.

Ta da! Buratta - fresh stracciatella wrapped in a pocket of mozzarella.

Andrew breaks pieces of curd in preparation for sfoglia.

Sfoglia - a thinly rolled cheese smeared with a spread (in this case broccoli rabe pesto from the A Toute Heure kitchen) and rolled and then sliced into pinwheels. Rynn called this "cheese sushi". And it was AMAZING.

A little bonus to the day: I happened to be sitting behind an old school mate who pointed out her friend who was another old school mate and we had a little reunion! Nice!

New Sofa!

2012-08-28T14:56:00.002-04:00

More updates. Slowly but surely. The new sofa arrived and WE LOVE IT!

This is the Dane sofa by True Modern and though I had to take a leap of faith to order something so substantial online, working directly with designer Edgar Blazona was very reassuring, as were the good reviews.

We (more me, than Andrew) labored over the color of this perfectly-sized sofa for quite some time. The rug was a given, so the color had to work with it. My inclination was to go with a warm gray they offered, but the color just didn't feel "us" and so I couldn't bring myself to commit to it. Finally, even though Andrew originally said this was the color, I had to listen to my mom tell me that chartreuse was "my color" and point out how often I use it everywhere in my home.

Sometimes you just need a slap in the head. Even really certain, really fast decision-makers like me!

Now for some window treatments and art on the walls.

Living room reno update

2012-07-07T13:07:00.001-04:00

We're getting there! We are more jazzed up than ever about getting a new sofa now we've seen this transformation. Amazing what paint can do. I've sourced a maker who can do the curtains - just need to get the final pricing (gulp). The radiator will definitely need to be painted now. It's something I've avoided over the years because I was told once that it makes them less efficient, however my mind's logic has always been skeptical of this.

As with most updates, the line of the finished project can begin to blur and we've decided to not only paint the wall leading up the stairs white (you can't see it from these pictures but it's vast and goes to the upper floor balcony), we've also decided to paint the stair railings, rungs and get this... the treads! Yep. Black. We're going for it. But not right away.

I really did love the orange color but the white is so new and crisp it just gives the whole room a completely different feel. It took about 5 minutes to get used to and love it just as much!

Out with the old, in with the new

2012-06-28T14:26:00.001-04:00

First of all, a big THANK YOU to anyone who voted for Cloud9 Fabrics yesterday - we've met our goal and are on to the next level of the process!

Today we started a renovation! Thought I would share some before pictures of our living room. I had the room painted this beautiful terra cotta color about 7 years ago. I truly love the warmth and coziness of this color, but I am (and my husband is) ready for a change. We decided to go in a completely different direction: white! Yep. Sounds crazy I know. Especially with two boys in the house. But we wanted change, we're going to get change.

The unexpected thing we're going to do is to paint the woodwork black - but only around the windows- the floor trim will be white. This trend caught my eye on Pinterest and I must say I have high hopes for the effect in my little Cape Cod styled home. Regardless of the outcome, I'm just thrilled about the change. The old 1950's windows are sporting their deepened shellac tone with nasty scratches and splintery edges and I absolutely hate it. What saved them from a paintbrush up until this point has been pure laziness, but those days are behind us now. Eventually, I hope to hang pretty white pleated voile curtains and the whole room should really open up with brightness and airiness.

Most of the furniture will stay - so will the rug - so will most of the artwork (but hopefully the basketball and wire hanger I spy under the chair will be removed- at least for a time). The Skinny laMinx tea towels hanging on the wall will now be used in the kitchen. I'm finally ready to put them in use and replace a bunch of my old ones. So a little spruce up for the kitchen is a bonus. We're hoping to get a new sofa, but one thing at a time.

Mission: Small Business

2012-06-27T16:39:00.001-04:00

Hi there! I know I've been pretty silent on these pages - mainly because I'm so entrenched with business.. which brings me to today's post. If you would, please take a moment to give Cloud9 Fabrics a little push to qualify for a Chase Small Business grant. It takes only a moment and there's no commitment or spam or anything like this. All your votes do is get our proposal to the next level to be reviewed by their panel. It's a great opportunity for any small business and I encourage you to vote for as many small businesses that have applied as you can vote for as many as you like.

Thanks so much!

Here's the details.

Cloud9 Fabrics is asking for your support.

Thanks to a program sponsored by Chase and LivingSocial called Mission: Small Business℠, your support could translate into a $250,000 grant. But we need at least 250 votes to qualify for consideration.

You can vote for as many small business as you like, so please consider us as among your favorites.

You will not be committing to anything and you won't be spammed. The process is quite fast and easy.

To vote, click on this link,

At bottom right click "Log in and Support"
Log in (via Facebook)Search for Cloud9 Fabrics, Inc in the fields (we're located in NJ).
Click to SUPPORT!

We appreciate your taking the time to help us in this endeavor by reaching the 250 votes to qualify. Every vote is needed and there are only a few more days left to do so: voting ends June 30th.

Thanks so much!
- Michelle and Gina

5 | 8 | 12

2012-05-08T18:15:00.000-04:00

Thought I would share images from the beautiful book Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Charlotte Zolotow and illustrated by the dear Maurice Sendak today. My treasured childhood copy is an affordable stapled paperback import from 1968. I can only imagine how lush the original must be.

These are the kind of illustrations that take you deep inside the story.

What little girl wouldn't be enchanted at the notion of a kind, chivalrous Mr. Rabbit to help her find the perfect gift for her mother. And what a clever and considerate Mr. Rabbit he is, too. He considers the colors her mother likes and together they go and seek them out in the lovely countryside. It's an adventure of a lifetime!

Just dreamy.

As one of my online friends tweeted today, "Maurice Sendak did it best". Yes, he certainly did.

4 | 11 | 12

2012-04-11T14:38:00.000-04:00

Fabric :: Bouquet from Alegria by Geninne D Zlatkis for Cloud9 Fabrics

Hooray for sewing! I now have a new bag to tote around. You can make one too.

Made from the Half Tote Bag tutorial that I created a while back ... only with some modifications: for this I cut the panels at 11" h instead of only 9" for a deeper tote. Also, for the handles I created a casing out of fabric and pulled cotton webbing through, then stitched it down. Inside I added a pocket, too.

I still need to add a pretty button. Should do that now, actually.

Introducing GeoCentric

2012-04-04T09:21:00.002-04:00

Hello! I have news!

If you've been with me for a while you might remember a group of patterns I called Mod Quad. They were quite popular in their way and I still get lots of request for them today. Happy to announce that Cloud9 Fabrics will finally make them (or at least similar).

Before Cloud9 existed, I struggled to get my fabrics made affordably. The original Mod Quad was digitally printed on a a lovely cotton/linen blend fabric. It was crazy expensive, though, and I barely made any profit on the project. Attempting to print these exact patterns is what led me to talk to my friend Gina who used to be the production manager at the company we both used to work at. But when we finally got together, we quickly formulated another idea entirely and Cloud9 Fabrics was born. Not complaining, though! I've never lost sight of this collection and I know many of you found me because of it.

Finally, at the start of our 4th year in business, we're back on the track that led us to this point and we're happy to introduce 100% cotton (GOTS certified organic) canvas prints in these fabulous bold designs- and what's even more new is I've even added more color ways! More details on the site.

3 | 12 | 12

2012-03-12T10:30:00.000-04:00

Gina and I took a whirlwind trip to Boston this weekend to visit two wonderful fabric shops- JP Knit & Stitch and Gather Here. The experience of meeting the amazing women behind these shops- these dedicated and creative entrepreneurs- was really uplifting. A bonus of the trip was to see fabric (made by others) up close and personal and it really inspired both Gina and myself.

I finally found the fabric I will use to make my first Wiksten Tova top- something I've been meaning to do for months since I purchased it. I haven't really sewn a garment for myself in so long. Very excited. Wish me luck on the momentum I'll need to complete it!

This is a beautiful lawn/voile (I can never tell which is which!) is from Memoires a Paris from Lecien. Scrumptious.

simpatico

2012-02-21T15:45:00.002-05:00

Hey there! I have been ultra-lax on updating this page. So much so, that I can't even come up with a good excuse. *hands up in the air*

But here I am to show off some new fabric designs I created and will be producing with Cloud9 Fabrics. A lot of you are fans of my Mod Quad (more on this in near future!)- so this group, simpatico, may interest you.

Here's a smattering- the whole collection can be viewed here. It will be available in June.

on point | pinkish

on point | bluish

straws | golden

straws | bluish

chevrons | golden

chevrons | peachy

Happy {Busy} New Year!

2012-01-16T11:00:00.004-05:00

Tea towel calendars are ~~priced to move at 45% off~~. SOLD OUT! Quantities limited!

So much happening these days can't get my head above it all. The Cloud9 Fabrics headquarters is officially underway and we are in the decorating phase. See that glowing room? That's my office! Yay! I'll try to do a more thorough post on the plans in future. It's been very exciting to see it go from big empty cinderblock box to this.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T12:41:00.001-05:00

The time grows near! It is a special time of year when my son, who is 4, can miraculously do subtraction as we count down the number of sleeps until Santa comes! I leave you with this calming image. We won't likely see snow, but it is a quiet sentiment.

Georgia O'Keeffe - Black Door with Snow, 1955

May you have a special holiday season with the joys of the season!

xo Michelle

Giveaway Day | 2012 Tea Towel Calendar

2011-12-12T06:00:00.000-05:00

My winner has been chosen- Congratulations to Mary Beth!

I'm happy to be participating in Sew Mama Sew's annual Giveaway Day! Today I'm giving away one of my popular tea towel calendars.

Product description: After 3 years of great success, I am happy to introduce my 4th annual tea towel calendar!

Hang it on your wall and enjoy its pristine state for the year. Made of 55% linen/45% cotton, this towel will serve you years of purpose past 2012. With each washing, it gets more supple and soft and makes an excellent drying towel, though you should expect fading and shrinkage.

Dimensions are 16x20 inches. Comes with wooden hanging rod and strung with baker's twine. Each is rolled carefully in tissue and brown paper to ensure minimal wrinkling, is sealed with a logo sticker and is mailed in a sturdy cardboard tube, nice enough for gift giving.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

To enter, please leave a comment with your favorite New Years tradition.

Regrettably, this contest is only open to US and Canadian residents.
Comments close on December 16, 5pm PST.
Winner will be chosen from random number generator.
I will email winner- please respond within 2 days or I will pick another winner.
PLEASE LEAVE CONTACT INFO

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

If you're hopping to the next giveaway, head on over to Cloud9's site where we are giving away 3yds of Maman and Nursery Basics fabrics.

Comments are now closed.

Giveaway Day | December 12

2011-12-10T09:26:00.001-05:00

Check in next week to see what I'll be giving away as part of Sew Mama Sew's annual Giveaway Day!

I. Am. A. QUILTER!

2011-12-08T17:14:00.001-05:00

When I started this gig- the one where I entered the quilt market as a surface designer 3 years ago- I felt I had to apologize for not being a quilter. It was sort of embarrassing, because I really didn't know much about this world. I felt it best to be up front about these things rather than to be called out on it, right?

I often was told, sure, you're a quilter! And I wouldn't buy it. I just didn't feel comfortable with that title.

As the years progressed and I became more familiar with what other people do and through sheer experience on my part, I feel like now, at the end of this lovely 2011, I can voice with assurance that I am no longer a wannabe, but an actual Quilter.

Today I posted this tutorial for this rad Monsterz-Sized Hexagon Quilt. So happy with the way it turned out... and the fact that I could make it in entirety just adds to my pride.

Knitting | Hat & Mittens

2011-12-07T16:19:00.001-05:00

After the fingerless gloves I felt {nearly} invincible, so I went right to it on these cute Paint Pail Mittens and this Watch Cap. Judging from this face, I'd say my work was much appreciated!

Next up: Jacques Cousteau Hat for my honey.

Done! My First Knitting Pattern

2011-11-27T09:21:00.001-05:00

Pattern: Churchmouse Classics- Welted Fingerless Gloves. Yarn: Manos Silk Blend in Olivewood.

Last weekend I took my first knitting class- one to learn how to do a project from a pattern. Up until now I've only done scarves and blankets- basically rectangles. I have been nervous about tackling an actual pattern without some support and the idea of socializing with new faces appealed to me on many levels.

What the class mainly entailed for me though was learning to work two items on two sets of circular needles- the theory being that you can complete the two gloves at the same time. This seemed very smart because I could easily see me finishing one glove and then have it sit there and mock me because I was not motivated to complete the second.

Details on Ravelry

Well it took the entire class for me to cast on the yarn properly. Something that frustrated me but interestingly got my fire up enough to make me want to tackle it. My determination paid off and I was happy to say by the time I left I actually had a few rows completed and I was well on my way. Despite a few errors here and there, I managed to read the pattern all by myself, along with some subliminal instructions by our teacher that I must've heard. Very happy with the results and I will definitely make another pair.

Next on my needles using my newfound skills will be these delightful Paint Pail Mittens for my little one. And if I can accomplish them quickly, I'll make a matching pair for older one, too.

Day of Thanks

2011-11-23T13:19:00.001-05:00

About a week ago I received a note from my son's teacher. To be clear, the note was dated Nov 1st but he did not dig it out of his backpack and give it to me until last week. It says that the students are asked to write poems about someone they are thankful for and in return, that person is asked to write a poem about them. And then invites us all to read them. Out loud. In the class room. With all the other kids and parents watching. *gulp*

I like to write, but I have to be self motivated. I'm definitely no poet. I don't even understand poetry most of the time. Plus, I'm not fond of speaking in front of a large crowd. So, give me an assignment like this and I'm likely to choke. When the teacher asked the poems be returned on the 15th, that just wasn't going to happen. Nor the day after or the day after that. My son was being hounded by his teacher to get my poem in... which honestly just brought back all sorts of school-anxieties and I finally had to write a note that I would bring it with me on Monday. The other little caveat: we were not to show each other what we wrote. So, all the while, Karl was apprehensive about what I might write. "What are you going to write? Don't embarrass me. What are you going to write?" This was getting to be a lot of pressure for a simple nice gesture of gratitude!

My son, meanwhile, whips up his little Ode to Mom in bed, the night before his is due. It took him 3 minutes and he was completely satisfied. Was no surprise when teacher asked him to write another stanza (which he didn't).

I finally got to my end of the deal on Sunday night. Yep, pretty much the equivalent to what my son did... obviously I've trained him in the art of procrastination very well. Next morning, the day of the reading, both he and I sweated it out, but for different reasons: me because of my stage fright and insecurities in poetry writing and he because he thought I wrote something that would leave him writhing in embarrassment publicly. He tried with all his might to entice me to show him... as if that would gain him WHAT exactly... but I didn't. And when I came into the classroom (the first parent present, at that!) All the kids looked happy to see me except for my son who was channelling the aloofness of Jordan Catalano.

Eventually the room filled with parents and the anticipation grew. Some kids looked pale with nervousness, others were beaming with excitement, others completely silly (as 5th graders tend to be). Parents and children started to present their poems. Tears ensued. Lots of tissues were passed. Some boys were even more weepy than the girls, which just made everyone cry even more.

And then we went. And my son clamored over the girls to get our poems from the teacher exhibiting all the nervousness I was feeling inside. And then he read- bless him, he hasn't an ounce of stage fright. And I listened. And it was sweet. Just what Karl would write. And then I read. And he smiled. And looked very relieved. And we paused looking at each other before we hugged - a moment of communication that said "we did it and it was OK" .

We took our seats and he went back into Jordan Catalano mode while I took the first deep breath of my day. It was fine. Everything turned out OK. Better than OK really, because now that I was rational, I could appreciate the poems we wrote to each other. Then I had a pang of regret that I could not handle this better. That I let "me" get in my way of enjoying the simple pleasure of doing something nice. By making a bigger deal about something in my head, I was filled with all the emotions that were quite inappropriate to the assignment itself. That in many ways the spontaneous nature of the children at our feet were more in tune with the spirit of the project and I envied them.

The day ended with snacks and chatting among the parents- to find that similar situations as ours were happening on many home fronts. And that now it was behind us we could see the beauty in the moment. I think we all felt a little like we were taught something important that day.

Mom

Loving and kind

Happy and helpful

What would I

do without her

The greatest mom ever

caring for me

I love you Mom.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

When you were born

it was quite eventful.

My world made sunny.

Happiness plentiful.

Your smile warming.

Your nature calming.

Your personality charming.

Always caring.

Always sharing.

A perfect pairing.

How fortunate

that you are my son.

Life is rich with you

my First Little One.

I'm actually thankful to Mrs. H for the project.
I am thankful for the experience to break out of my comfort zone.
I'm thankful for the education to not let trepidation hamper my ability to enjoy the moments leading up to the experience itself and to live more in the moment itself.
I'm thankful for the reminder that I need to instill this in my children as well.
I'm thankful for all the other parents who were there and supportive and enthusiastic and for being good role models.
Thankful for the children who love their parents dearly and could so easily put it into words.
And thankful for my son who is just so much like me at times it reminds me what an amazing thing it is to be a parent. Especially to a good kid like Karl.

Thankful for my everything.

I wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all my family, friends and readers. May your day be warm and fulfilling. xo

Rumpus Room - 1 Year Later

2011-11-20T12:52:00.001-05:00

Has it really been nearly a year? I realized I never posted the "after" pics of my boys' playroom makeover. In all honesty, it's rarely photo-worthy. But this weekend I found myself with an empty house for a time and I went to town discarding anything and everything that was broken, unused and unloved. Many things I donated (as I held a little Buzz Lightyear in my hands I thought about Toy Story - wonder how many other parents paused similarly before either tossing him in trash or the donate pile). But I was ruthless! RUTHLESS I tell you.

And now I have some pictures to share. Here are the befores (click to view larger)

Here was my story board (which we adhered to pretty well)

And voila! After.

Still needs curtains- the fabric I wanted sold out in record time!

And after 5 minutes when my little one returned home. *sigh*

New Bedding for Bruno

2011-11-14T09:44:00.001-05:00

I have been promising myself to tackle bedding for Bruno's toddler bed since I started Cloud9 Fabrics. It took nearly 3years and my grandmother's beautiful fabric range, Maman, to make it happen. Also, we completely tore up and cleaned every. single. square. inch. of the bedrooms yesterday, so I was even more motivated to start fresh. Battle worn yet energized, I took to the sewing room and cranked these out (however, I finished the fitted sheet today).

This set took almost no time at all. I followed the tute for the sheet and pillowcase on Sew4Home. I don't know why, but toddler bed sheets are a rarity. Kids this age can handle blankets, why not top sheets? So I made one myself. It was a piece of cake. I cut fabric 2yds*, used the full width with selvedges trimmed off (~41"w), finished the top edge like the pillowcase directions and then sewed a neat hem all the way around the other 3 edges.

Bruno not only loves his new sheets, but he's enjoying his "new bed" as well. It's really not new, but we changed the layout a little and he's actually giddy about it. I like this about him (both boys really).

LIke I said, this project was really so simple I spent more time changing bobbins and threading elastic through the casing than sewing! Now I did one set, I've set my eyes on another in the blues. However, I won't beat myself up if it doesn't happen right away. Trying to let go of some of that "someday" mentality.... something that was brought up again today in this blog post.

What I've Been Doing for the Last Few Months

2011-11-09T16:27:00.002-05:00

Our booth at the International Quilt Market in Houston.

Seems like it took an eternity to prepare for the International Quilt Market. For those who don't follow our Cloud9 Fabrics blog, I still want to share how it all turned out.

Two terrific turtles in Across the Pond

Read more here for in depth details.

Also, I put together a flickr set of many of the gorgeous samples we had made.

Critique Day

2011-11-06T17:59:00.000-05:00

Chris Spaterella, me and my sweetie, Andrew

My husband, Andrew, teaches Graphic Art at the High School of Art & Design in NYC. And 'cause he's married to me, he was heavily influenced to teach his last three senior classes a bit of textile design. He bases the project on a theme: year 1- inspired by Serizawa (from an exhibit), year 2- neighborhoods of NY/art nouveau and this year is notable NYC architecture/art deco. In the past, he'd bring the student's work home and I hang out over his shoulder and critique them and he'd pass on as much info as he could remember. This year he asked if I would come in and do the critique directly with the students because not only would be a good opportunity to hear a different "professional" opinion but it would cut right to the chase for so many of the students- giving them each a moment of true focus. It would also get me out of the house!

This year, there is also another teacher in the mix, Chris Spaterella, and almost double the students. Both my husband and Chris not being fluent in textile and repeat design, were happy for my perspective as well. Here's some snaps of me working with the kids (and OMG, do I look intense - almost mad- when I work on the computer! I've edited some of the more severe of those images out. Sheesh!). They've only been working on patterns for about 2 weeks, starting first by going to a landmark building somewhere in the city and finding architectural or thematic elements that could be translated into motifs and then a print that signified that building. From there, they'd scan the images in, retrace in Illustrator and then begin to make patterns. They are given a limited color palette from which to work. They have to do two prints each - one for the interior, one for the exterior. Most kids were already onto the pattern development so it was a perfect time for me to get in there to give them tips and suggestions on how to possibly improve the overall look of their repeated patterns- in particular, for fabric.

I definitely opened their eyes to notions that they may not have considered. Often times, the suggestions revolved around deleting stroke lines around shapes (or making them thicker), other times it was about filling negative space, or maybe to rotate motifs in different ways than they had them (or to undo rotations) or to add additional color positions as well as suggesting to play more with color and try various light/dark backgrounds and see how that affects the overall look of the print, and pulling back from the repeat to see if any unwanted patterns arise- like stripe-ing or odd imbalances. My style of explaining myself is better suited to "showing" than "telling" so I brought my trusty Wacom tablet in and actually got busy on their patterns (not creating perfection as it's important they do it themselves). I loved the way so many "got it" once they saw it in just a slightly different light. I know many of them would be tinkering away with new ideas fresh in their minds. I can't wait to see the finished pieces.

Me, using the brilliant new release "A Field Guide to Fabric Design" by Kim Kight
as a reference tool. TOTALLY INVALUABLE.

The experience just served to remind me how much I miss the studio atmosphere where sharing one's work is done almost daily. How other people's perspectives can really enlighten me - and I them - to a bright new idea... (or contrarily, solidify one's own). It's not always necessary, per se, but I do enjoy a good bouncing off of others at times and I hope that in the future of Cloud9 I will see these days again.

2012 Tea Towel Calendar | Update

2011-10-21T12:26:00.000-04:00

Just found out that my corrected panels won't be shipped until November 1st and I fear I'm pushing the date out further than I'm comfortable with as it is. So, in order to expedite things and get an idea of the amount I'll need to make, I'm posting the image here for you to see. However, please note the colors will match those in my previous post.

Confused? Yes, I know it's a bit muddled this year, but I'm confident things will work out once I return from Quilt Market at the end of the month to hopefully return home to a nice fresh roll of calendar panels just waiting to be cut, sewn and shipped. If you get your orders in now, you're sure to be on the first wave. You can place your order here.

So sorry for the inconvenience! I hope to be more streamlined by mid-November. Thanks to all who have put yourselves on the pre-pre-order list- made me feel extra good about this design.

2012 Tea Towel Calendar {prototype}

2011-10-15T13:48:00.000-04:00

2012 Tea Towel Calendar {prototype}

It's here! It's here! I received my strike-off and it's nearly perfect, so I whipped up a prototype for you to see. The calendars will be available for pre-order soon and will start shipping November 7th. If you'd like to reserve a spot up front for the first wave of deliveries, please email me - you can find the addy in my profile over the right. I'll let you know when the listing goes live and you can place your actual order then.