monaluna

taali in action

2012-01-24T16:12:00.000-08:00

I love the weeks after we release a new collection, because I often will get emails from customers sharing what they've made with the fabric. Over the last couple of weeks I've gotten some amazingly cute photos of Taali items, and I thought I'd share some with you. First up are some adorable short sets from Owl and Hedgehog, of Tauranga, New Zealand:

Jo from Monkeys in my Pocket emailed me with photos of her Taali quilt, and I just love it. I'm amazed at how many crafty Australians I've met in this business! Must be something in the water there - I'll have to visit.

My first real design job was as a toy designer for Manhattan Toy in Minneapolis, so I always think that someday I'll make some cute soft toys with Monaluna fabrics. Well, I got an email from teddy bear artist Jenny Smith, and she's been doing just that! She sent me this photo of her new creation Lowry, using Taali trees:

Finally, I got a really nice New Year's message from Katerina of Modern Patchwork in Slovakia, the winner of our Taali fat quarter giveaway in December. In (what I consider to be) record time, she used the fat quarter bundle to whip up this baby quilt for her son:

Thanks, guys, for sharing the photos with me, and for your creativity and inspiration!

taali giveaway!

2012-01-12T06:30:00.000-08:00

There's a Taali fat quarter bundle giveaway going on at favequilts.com! Check out their post here to enter to win one fat quarter of each of the 9 Taali quilts. Good luck!

new sewing project - the marin quilt

2012-01-09T11:54:00.000-08:00

Over the last few months I've been doing a lot of wistful thinking about the old days when I had more time to do sewing projects and little tutorials for the blog. That sure was fun. Right before I went home for Christmas, I got all inspired by a quilting post on Posie Gets Cozy and decided to start a quilt for my mom using some of her favorite Marin prints. Of course, when I started it, I actually thought I might finish it in time for Christmas, but that was just silly. I forget how much slower quilting goes when you have a toddler. So here it is, early January, and one of my New Years resolutions is to finish it before March. Here's a photo of some of the first blocks, and I'll post more photos as I make progress. Once I'm done, I'll post the full project and pattern. Wish me luck!

we're bringing foxy back!

2012-01-05T14:52:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, and happy New Year! I'm getting organized and up to speed this week, and it's feeling really good to be starting a fresh page, even if only symbolically. I'm cleaning out my office, giving myself a new organizational system, and working on a new collection, all very reinvigorating. But with all this new, I'm carrying over something old, too. The demand for Foxy from Anika has been so great, that I decided to reintroduce the print in our new collection, Fox Hollow. He's (she's?) got a spiffy new color, to compliment the new group, and should be back this spring. I'll share a sneak peek of the whole collection soon, but for now, here's Foxy Too!

happy holidays!

2011-12-23T15:24:00.000-08:00

I've been all caught up in the bustle and hum of the holidays this year. I've had lots of things I've wanted to post about - the makings of a new Marin quilt (not yet done), Anabelle's first Christmas cookie making experience, and lots of thoughts about making and the holidays and new beginnings. It's been exciting to tackle the holidays with a toddler this year (though "exciting" isn't the word I would have chosen the other afternoon when I was trying to wrap gifts and the ribbons were suddenly unrolled and everywhere, the tape had been used to resurface the floors, and the scissors, *gasp*, were nowhere to be found ... until they turned up much later hidden in a box inside another box). It puts the holidays in a new perspective in all kinds of ways. I'm embracing it all, but also looking forward to the new year and a fresh slate, some new goals and a thorough housecleaning. We celebrated the solstice on Wednesday with some good friends and a (small) bonfire, and as I looked out over our brown winter garden I felt real joy at the thought of the days lengthening and the sun returning. I'm excited for this new year and the new growth it will bring. Happy holidays, everyone!

taali giveaway winner!

2011-12-13T11:55:00.000-08:00

Thank you to everybody who entered our fat quarter giveaway! I really love reading your comments and project ideas. I wish I could send you all a bundle, but I had to pick just one, so I used the random number generator and came up with... Katarina! Congratulations! I'll email you to get your mailing information.

funky little dresses and giveaway closing

2011-12-12T15:30:00.000-08:00

Oh, but wait! There's more Etsy adorableness to be had! Kirsty from Wild Things Dresses emailed me last week with some of the creations she's made using Monaluna fabrics. These dresses are almost too cute to be believed! I'm seriously thinking of commisioning her to make one in my size, regardless of how silly I'd probably look. Or suppose I could just get one for Anabelle - she'd look much better in it. AND she's offered a 20% discount to our blog readers - just use the code FUNKY20!

little fox dress

fox dress

fox print pinafore


owl baby dress

And another thing. I came across the lovey that Nathalie from Dolce Dreams made for Anabelle when she was just wee, and I was reminded of how ridiculously cute they are. See??

She has them available on her etsy shop here.

Happy handmade shopping!

And finally, don't forget to enter to win the Taali fat quarter giveaway! I'll close the drawing at midnight, and will announce the winner tomorrow.

monaluna on etsy shopping guide

2011-12-09T16:15:00.000-08:00

For those of us not completely finished with the holiday shopping (or, ahem, not quite started), I thought I'd post some links to adorable gift ideas! I always love checking out the amazing handmade products on etsy.com, and it's especially fun to see what people have made with Monaluna fabrics. Here are a few great ones.

iknowlesnothing - sailor dresses

the organic quilt company - essential organic baby blanket in peony

the organic quilt company - organic baby blanket in soar

yellow plum blossoms - organic patchwork blanket in anika

crayon caddy by crzybaglady

organic burp clothes by yellow plum blossoms

stork and me - organic changing pad and diaper clutch

organic heirloom spindrift quilt by gypsy forest

little owl with blossoms by le petit reve

little fox with blossoms by le petit reve

pink scooter onsie by crzybaglady

starburst tote bag by moodyandsanguine

onesie, bib and burp cloth set by turquoisealligator

monaco cloth ball by littlefreeradical


myfrecklesshop - organic hooded towel

taali fat quarter giveaway!

2011-12-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

The dust has finally settled here after the arrival of our new collection, and I've got the first wave of Taali pre-orders out. Time for a giveaway! I'll be giving away a fat quarter of each of the 9 Taali prints. Just leave a comment letting me know what you'd like to make with the fabric by Monday, December 12th, and I'll enter you in the drawing. Good luck!

more fun press

2011-12-07T10:44:00.000-08:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend, Dave and I ventured into our local Barnes and Nobles to do a little shopping. As usual, I took some time to check out the magazine section, and was amazed and excited to make several Monaluna sightings. First, I found the new (well, November, but it takes a while to get to our store) issue of Handmade Living, and saw that they had featured a quilt using Anika on their cover! It looks so great, and I only wish I wasn't out of 3 of the prints.

Then I spotted Anika Blossoms on the cover of the December issue of Making magazine. I had never seen that magazine before, and it's absolutely gorgeous, full of great images and projects.

Finally, as I was flipping through one of my favorite sewing magazines, Stitch, I saw this crafty use of Soar and Starburst on page 17:

Needless to say, I felt that justified my buying all three, and since two were imports I ended up leaving most of my shopping money at the bookstore. Well spent, though, and now I have all kinds of good ideas for holiday projects!

it's here! taali in the house

2011-11-30T14:11:00.000-08:00

The shipment of our new Taali collection finally arrived this morning! You'd think I'd be used to it by now, but it's always such a thrill when the truck pulls up and unloads all the boxes. So exciting! And then there's the sinking realization that we have to actually carry them all inside and put them away. Less exciting. We lucked out with the weather today, though - last time it was raining, and we had to fiddle around with tarps and all sorts of nonsense. I can't wait to start shipping out orders!

i "heart" my taali quilt

2011-11-15T15:06:00.000-08:00

I am absolutely loving the Taali quilt that Melissa Lunden made for our Quilt Market booth! I had planned to have Anabelle use it, but she's still in a crib, and the quilt felt like overkill for such a small space, so Dave and I have been using it on our bed. I love the weight, and the fabric feels so good! Melissa made it with lots of white space, so the pops of print look so cheery and fresh. Thanks again, Melissa! Here are a few more photos:

soaring fashion

2011-11-10T10:13:00.000-08:00

Selby from Sweet Tooth Fabrics recently sent me these photos of the adorable blouse she made using the Soar print from Marin. I love it! Selby is a pattern maker who specializes in organic and sustainable fabrics, and she's currently working on a line of sew-at-home clothing patterns (when she's not at her day job as an osteologist on an archeological dig, that is... which makes me feel a bit lazy). You can read more about the new patterns here.

home from market!

2011-11-07T11:31:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting back into the swing of things after our adventures at Quilt Market in Houston. What a blast! Market ended on Monday, but Dave's parents live just outside of Houston so we spent a few much-needed days of vacation with them before heading home. The show went really well, but I always wish I had more time to see all the other booths as well. It's very hard to stay in the our little 10x10' space when there are hundreds and hundreds of fabric designers and quilters and pattern makers to see!

When I first got to our booth on Friday it looked like this:

Except it was full of boxes and crates from the large distributor next to us. Within a few hours, we had it spiffed up to look like this:

It took a little longer than I hoped, because I neglected to consider how much ironing all those curtains were going to take! I'm definitely going to reconsider using linen curtains for the next show. Here's another shot showing the left wall, which was rearranged later in the show when we realized we had no neighbor to our left and could do away with the wall.

And here I am with the gorgeous quilt sewn by Melissa Lunden of Lunden Designs. Everybody loved it!

The little outfit sewn from the Monaco fabrics was made by Olive Ann Designs, a great pattern maker who also had a show at the booth. Dave got a shot of her booth with some of the other designs she sewed using Taali prints (note the sheep and apples on the pajamas):

I also had some adorable samples in the booth by Rebecca Ruth Designs. She made the cutest little smock aprons (see photos 2 and 3 on left), and some that she calls "Smock Monsters", which were out on the tables but not really visible in the photos. Check them out here.

Also, I finally got to meet Jan DiCintio of Daisy Janie! Her booth and new collection looked great!

On Monday after the show we broke down the booth as fast as we could and rushed back to the suburbs of Houston for our first time Trick or Treating with this little person:

She was not too clear on the concept of Trick or Treating. First, she wanted to just sit there with her hands in the bowl of candy, playing. Then she wanted a full tour of the homes, and was not content to just stand on the doorstep and receive candy. A door would open and she'd wiggle around the legs in a flash and head straight for the stairs. A little later in the evening she got the hang of taking candy, but insisted on trading with some of her own, often after it had been chewed on a bit. Unconventional Trick or Treating, but all in all, a good night.

monaluna press! handmade living magazine

2011-10-26T15:07:00.000-07:00

Have you guys seen Handmade Living magazine? It's a gorgeous British magazine put out by the same publisher that does Sew Hip. I picked it up at Borders a few months ago and just loved it! Well, they did a profile of Monaluna in their latest (October) edition, and we put our 2nd-ever ad on the back cover! It was so fun to get it in the mail last week. Here's a peek!


Monaluna in Handmade Living

pink scooters, anyone?

2011-10-25T15:23:00.000-07:00

I've had so many requests lately for this sadly out-of-stock scooter fabric that I'm thinking of sneaking it, or a similar print, into one of my new collections. What do you guys think? Are you still feeling the scooters? They would probably appear in a slightly different colorway, and possibly a little different print, but I'd keep the essential girliness, and of course the scooteriness. Thoughts? I'd love your input!

fabulous organic dresses: i. know. creations.

2011-10-24T12:22:00.000-07:00

One of my UK customers, Isabel Knowles, just sent me photos of the gorgeous line of dresses she's making using Monaluna fabrics, and I thought I'd share them with you. Aren't they lovely? I adore the fox-lined vest, too! You can see Isabel's website here, and check out her blog here.

monaluna giveaway on the green bag lady blog!

2011-10-20T12:50:00.000-07:00

Teresa over at Green Bag Lady is doing a giveaway of Monaluna fabric bags and fat quarters! Teresa has this great idea of giving away free reusable bags in exchange for a commitment to USE them, instead of using disposable bags when shopping. I sent her some fabric recently, and she turned it into adorable tote bags! Check out her blog and enter the giveaway here.

monaluna on Sew It All TV!

2011-10-19T12:18:00.000-07:00

So! Sew. And sew and sew and sew. That's what I've been doing lately. In part to get ready for the upcoming Quilt Market, but also, even more urgently, to prepare for the very exciting (and extremely anxiety-producing) appearance on PBS's Sew It All TV that taped on Monday. I tend to be terrified of speaking in public. In fact, I recently gave a talk to my niece's 8th grade class on graphic design, and I almost passed out from stage fright. SO, you can imagine that the thought of appearing on national TV had me in a little bit of a bunch. But luckily, there was SO MUCH SEWING to do in preparation that I didn't have too much time left over to worry about the actual appearance. For the show I did a tutorial on the summer dress pictured below in Hill and Dale (left) and Peony:

There is no set date for the episode to air, as each PBS station runs it on its own schedule, but you can find out more about the show on their website here.

Also, I wrote an article on organic cotton featuring the same dress tutorial for Sew News magazine, and that will run in the April edition. I'll keep you posted on that as well.

Now, back to the sewing machine!

taali photoshoot

2011-10-10T14:14:00.000-07:00

You know you've neglected your blog when friends and family start calling to make sure you're okay, because you haven't posted in weeks. Yikes! The last couple of months have been the busiest in my memory, and I feel like I've been hanging on by a literal thread. BUT, there's light at the end of the tunnel! Quilt Market is coming up at the end of the month, and once that's over life should go back to just being moderately busy. Yay!

The sample bolts of Taali came in a couple weeks ago, and they look beautiful! The rest of the order is just waiting to catch a ride on a ship, and (fingers crossed) should be here by the end of November. I've been working to whip the new prints into samples for the show, along with a couple other projects (which I'll fill you in on later). Dave and I finally decided to take some photos of the fabric this weekend, and since we were a bit tired of the shots in our backyard, we decided to head up the road a bit for some shots in nature. A little random, I admit, but somehow the location was working for me. There are usually cows grazing in this field, but they must have taken Sunday off, to our dismay. Here are a few photos from the day.

the tomatoes are here! top 5 recipes

2011-09-16T08:20:00.000-07:00

Finally, after what seems like an unusually long wait, our tomatoes are turning red (and brown and gold and pink)! They got fruit pretty early this year, but they've just been sitting there all green and hard for months while I dreamed of caprese salads to be. Now, all at once, we have loads of gorgeous tomatoes ripening. Since it's pretty much tomato season everywhere, here are my 5 favorite things to do with them.

1) Caprese salad
(I add a little balsamic)

2) Tomato bread salad

3) Nonni's tomato sauce

4) Ratatouille

5) Sliced, with sea salt

indie apparel

2011-09-09T14:50:00.000-07:00

I stumbled upon a couple of great clothing designers using Monaluna prints, and I though I'd share them with you today.

Generations in Style makes clothing and accessories for kids, including this little number using Foxy and Wobbly...

... and this dress, which uses no Monaluna prints but is so cute I can hardly stand it:

Larry from Beaks of Eagles sent me some great photos of his funky and cool Post-Mod Collection, which uses Monaluna Mingle on some very hip dresses. Beaks of Eagles is based in Monterey and calls itself "fashion from the jagged coast", which I love as it's a perfect description of that lovely area. Here are some photos, and you can see more here.

Have a great weekend!

papa's locavore harvest birthday dinner

2011-09-06T15:32:00.000-07:00

My dad and his wife have been visiting us for a couple of weeks now, and on Saturday we celebrated his 80th birthday. He's a bit of a foodie, and loves Bay Area cuisine, so in honor of his birthday - and also as a nod to Chez Panisse's 40 years of inspiration - Dave and I decided to create a dinner using as much as possible from our garden. Not every single ingredient came from our yard - we didn't raise the chickens or the sardines, to name a couple - but the ones that didn't came from our local farmers' market or, in the case of the chickens, Whole Foods.

It turned out to be a wonderful dinner, and a great experiment! Four courses for fourteen people, I've discovered, is a bit of an undertaking even without trying to time the ripening of fruits and veggies, but it was amazing to realize how much we could create from our garden and the fruit trees growing in the yard. Here's the menu:

And some photos of the preparations:

peach pit kernels, used to infuse white peach jam

making white peach jam

finished jams

making lemon verbena ice cream

a visitor helped himself through the open kitchen door to observe ice cream prep

preserved lemons for the gremolata served with sardines

slicing apples for pie

dad's favorite dessert

garden vegetables for the ratatouille

we have sungold tomatoes coming out of ear ears...

making ratatouille

getting ready to set the table

guest of honor

strawberry, cucumber and nasturtium salad

white peach, heirloom tomato and basil salad

setting the table

grapes from our yard

"bella fresher"

lemon verbena martini (fresh pears from our tree in the background)

sardines and prosciutto-wrapped figs, waiting for the grill

more etsy adorableness

2011-09-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

I recently saw the products made by two of my customers up on etsy.com, and they are absolutely adorable! Canadian-based Organic Quilt Company makes the sweetest items, many of which use a soft and natural-colored organic cotton interlock for the base and Monaluna fabric for the trim. Here's a sampling of what she has in her shop (though there's tons of other stuff to choose from!):

essential organic baby blankets

organic anika newborn bibs

organic baby bib and hat set

organic cotton knotty hat


organic baby blanket and burp cloth set

Fellow Minneapolitan Lisa of PixieSpit makes gorgeous quilts and a number of other cool items, like yoga mat bags, eye pillows and kitchen accessories. She just sent me pictures of the yoga straps she made using Anika and Marin, and I thought they were such a great idea! Check them out:

yoga strap in peony

yoga strap in geo dot

foxy dress

2011-08-24T10:49:00.000-07:00

One of my customers sent me photos yesterday of the adorable dress she made using the Foxy print from Anika. SO cute! Apparently, this is her first time sewing a dress, and I think she did a fabulous job. The pattern is an Amy Butler pattern, and the print is Foxy.

making tiramisu

2011-08-23T09:52:00.000-07:00

Every year our friends Steve and Damon hold what they call an "Italian scratch party" in honor of Steve's Italian grandmother. Everyone brings an Italian dish that they've made from scratch, and then, once the party is underway, we all make handmade ravioli using Steve's grandmother's recipe and her beautiful antique ravioli tools. You can choose to make the filling, make the dough, roll it into long strips or assemble the little raviolis, crimping the edges with grandmother's brass roller (or a fork, if you missed out on the fancy tools). It's always a great time, and the food is absolutely divine!

This year, I signed up for dessert, and since I've been on a bit of a tiramisu kick lately, I decided to give it a try. Since the party can get large, I thought I should make a big one, so here's the recipe for a giant (party sized) tiramisu:

TIRAMISU
10 egg yolks
1 1/2 cup sugar for yolks
4 cups mascarpone cheese
5 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar for whites
1 1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
3 cups cooled espresso
1+ cup Kalhua
2 packages Savoiardi lady fingers
3 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 - 1 cup shaved chocolate

First whip the cream and return to the refrigerator until needed. With an electric hand mixer, whip the yolks and the sugar together until light in color and thick (ribbon stage). Add in the mascarpone until well blended.

In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until they form soft peaks. Then add in the sugar and beat until stiff. Fold the eggwhites into the mascarpone mixture, and then fold in the whip cream.

Pour the espresso and kalhua into a shallow bowl or pie plate. Soak the ladyfingers in the mixture, 1 at a time, being careful not to over-soak (I did 3 quick turns per cookie), and arrange in the bottom of a large serving dish (mine was about 10x15"). Then pour 1/2 of the whipped mixture over the ladyfingers and smooth with a spatula.

Dust the bottom layer with cocoa and sprinkle with chocolate shavings.

Then repeat the steps to create a second layer.

Chill until thoroughly cooled and serve!

august garden

2011-08-12T10:37:00.000-07:00

I just noticed it's been almost 2 months since we planted our garden, so I thought I'd post an update. It's been growing like crazy, especially the tomatoes!

Here are the cucumbers making a home on their makeshift pallet trellis:

And the first grapes ripening on the arbor:

And remember that little "volunteer" squash plant? Well, it's turned into the monster gourd that is taking over the yard:

anika in action

2011-08-10T11:31:00.000-07:00

Oh, my, it's been so long since I posted! Sorry for the unplanned blog break! We just got back a few days ago from a family reunion down in Carmel Valley, and the preparation and recovery from said event has kept me very busy. It's amazing how fast catching up after a vacation undoes the benefit of the vacation! We had such a good time, though, with lots of family and good food, and I got to enjoy some of my favorite California spots - the Big Sur coast, Nepenthe and Carmel-by-the-Sea, as well as some great hiking up in the hills.

Unfortunately, what I didn't do was take any pictures of all those beautiful places. D'oh!

However, upon our return, I realized I had two days to get a press photo of Anika out, and no photo. SO, necessity being the mother of invention, I decided to finally sew the Oliver+S pattern that I bought for Anabelle using some of the Anika prints, and we organized a hasty photo shoot in the back yard. I never realized how handy children are as models in a pinch! So, instead of photos of the CA coast, here are a few photos of Belle sporting her new Anika outfit, the 2+2 blouse and pleated skirt from Oliver+S. Which, by the way, was divine to use! Such an elegant and well-made pattern! I am now on the hunt for more of their patterns... just need to find more excuses to sew!

fat quarter bundles!

2011-07-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

I'm slowly getting the hang of my new website program, and am finally adding bundles to the site for all you quilters out there! It's a bit piecemeal right now, but I got a couple of fat quarter bundles up yesterday, and am hoping to have 1/2 yard bundles, charm packs and layer cakes by the end of the week. If there are bundles you want before I get them up on the site, or if you have custom requests, you can always just email me an order.

monaluna in living crafts

2011-07-14T13:45:00.000-07:00

My daughter Anabelle made her press debut in Living Crafts magazine this month! I knew that the magazine was planning to include Monaluna fabrics in an article they were running on organic cotton, and when I opened the front cover, there was Bella atop her Monaco quilt. Fun to see! The article, written by Fiona Duthie, is great, and covers a number of manufacturers, including Birch Fabrics, Cloud 9, Harmony Art, Spritex and Alabama Chanin, among others. You can see the summer issue and learn more about the magazine here.

from Living Crafts magazine

taali stike-offs are here!

2011-07-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

The final strike-offs of the new Taali collection have arrived! They look really nice, and now I'm super excited to get the sample bolts in. It always feels like it takes forever, but I know they'll be worth the wait. I'm now dreaming up new projects and patterns to use with these prints... do any of these prints speak to you? Do you have any project ideas for them? I'd love to hear them!

ashley's monaco quilt

2011-07-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

I was just perusing some of my favorite blogs while sipping my first cup of coffee, when I saw that one of my favorite quilters, Ashley from Film in the Fridge, posted a gorgeous quilt that she made with the Monaco fabrics! What a nice start to the morning! If you don't know her work, Ashley makes gorgeous modern quilts that always make me want to buy fabric and do something worthy with it. In fact, she's fueled more fabric-buying sprees than I care to think about, especially when I consider how little I've actually done with all that fabric. (Yet. I see good things in the future... ) Here's a little peek, but check out the full post here.

Have a great weekend!

first summer harvest

2011-07-01T13:12:00.000-07:00

I picked the first fruits of our summer garden last night, and found out what our volunteer squash plant turned out to be...

They're beautiful squashy-gourd thingies, but I have no idea what to do with them. Anybody have suggestions? Are they just like more common summer squash? I know I've seen them dried in the fall as decoration, but I've never tried to cook with them before. The skin doesn't seem too tough, so maybe I'll just try sautéing with onion and butter.

Have a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend!

simple baby quilt tutorial

2011-06-30T16:37:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago when some good friends of ours had their first baby, I made them a simple patchwork quilt. The mama is a fabulous photographer, and she took beautiful photos of the babe on the quilt each month, to document her growth. Well, they just had a second daughter about a month ago, and I'm finally getting around to making a companion quilt for the new daughter.

I decided I wanted 6" squares, so I started out with 56 7x7" squares, enough to make a 42x48" quilt, or 8 strips of 7 6" squares, allowing for a 1/2" seam.

I haven't tried quilting since Anabelle's been able to crawl, and I learned it's now much harder! I eventually got the squares laid out in the pattern I wanted them, but between the cat and the baby, it took some doing.

Once I had the arrangement figured out, I sewed the squares together one strip at a time, from left to right.

Then I sewed each strip together, taking care to match the squares up at the corner, until the whole top was pieced.

I used the pillowcase method to join the layers, which is the easiest and most forgiving way I know to do it. To do this, you lay the batting on your work surface, lay the quilt backing face-up on top of the batting, and then lay the quilt top face-down on top of the backing. I then secure all three layers with safety pins, and sew around the edge, leaving a 12-18" gap at the bottom for turning. Once the edges have been stitched, I trim off the excess down to 1/4", and clip the corners.

After turning the quilt through the gap, I iron all edges and hand-stitch the opening closed. Then, for this quilt, I used embroidery floss to tie knots at each corner, rather than quilting.

And finally, it's done! Now I just need to get it in the mail...

monaluna blog press

2011-06-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

Wow - Monaluna's gotten a lot of nice blog press this week! First, Kim from True Up did a really nice write up on Monaluna at quilt market. Kristen Lejnieks of Unraveled took photos of the fabric and the booth, and they came out beautifully! Thanks, Kristen and Kim!

Then yesterday I stumbled upon a gorgeous post by Melanie from A Sewing Journal (and formerly of Modern Organic Fabrics one of the great early resources for organic prints). You can see the piece here. Again, the images are so nicely put together. In fact, I just love the look of her whole blog - the font, the images, the header - all so clean and lovely. Thanks for the post, Melanie!

oh, the cuteness!

2011-06-17T10:07:00.000-07:00

The new collections have only been here for two weeks, and I'm already starting to see the cutest creations made with the new prints! Jennie at Yellow Plum Blossoms makes adorable items of all kinds, and I saw these on her etsy shop this week:

baby bibs from Yellow Plum Blossoms


burp clothes from Yellow Plum Blossoms

Then Maranda Lee, who did the fabulous summer hat below, sent me this number, currently for sale on her etsy shop:


summer skirt by Maranda Lee, photo by ZoMak Photography

So much fun to see!

I hope you all have a good Friday, and enjoy the weekend!

summer garden

2011-06-14T09:56:00.000-07:00

I took a much-needed break from my fabric bolts this weekend and we finally put in our summer garden! Normally, it would be really late, but the weather has been so cold and rainy here that our timing worked out okay. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a "before" photo of the garden with chard, lettuce, beets, onions and cabbage, but we harvested all that, and have had some yummy salads with enough left over to give to neighbors.

Since we started so late, we actually had several plants that my mom likes to call "volunteers", probably started from the seeds of last year's fallen fruit, or in the case of a particularly healthy squash, maybe a squirrel's buried treasure. We had about 15 little tomatoes, and I salvaged the bigger ones - some with tomatoes already started! I'm not sure what kind they are yet, but I'll find out soon enough.

"volunteer" squash

"voluteer" tomato

After harvesting the spring produce, we dug out the dirt and worked some sand into the bottom of the beds where the soil is straight clay. Then we added in lots of organic compost and some fresh dirt along with the soil we had dug out. I think these are going to be some very happy plants!

Finally, we planted. Tomatoes, basil, eggplants, zucchini, squash, peppers and cucumber. For the cucumber we needed a trellis, so we converted one of the pallets my fabric arrived on. I think it's going to work really well!

Other parts of the yard are coming along, too, and hopefully I'll be able to show some "after" shots to match up to these "befores" soon.

another summer hat

2011-06-10T13:06:00.000-07:00

I got an email yesterday from Maranda Lee of Hot Mama Handbags, with this picture of the adorable hat she made for her son! She used the Ukeleles from Circa 60 Beach Mod, which I designed for Birch Fabrics. So cute! Both the boy and the hat. I hope you all have a great weekend, and keep the sun off your noses!

new summer hat!

2011-06-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, I realize I'm coming close to overdoing it with the baby photos here, but it is my blog, so...
I just had to share the new summer hat that I (Anabelle) got in the mail the other day! The lovely Swedish designer Sonja of Noodles for Kids stopped by the studio recently and bought some fabric. A couple of days later, I received this adorable hat in the mail, made from the Monaco birds and lined with the scooters. Thanks, Sonja!

new collections in the shop!

2011-06-07T15:36:00.000-07:00

At long last, that post I was promising! The fabric did in fact come in last Wednesday, and Dave and I spent several long hours that evening hauling and unpacking and organizing. Here we are, taking a break with the last few boxes:

Once it was all unpacked and organized, I started packing orders and shipping like a madwoman. It's so cool to see all the bolts lined up and ready to go, and I find myself wondering what they will end up being. For her part, our daughter Anabelle has decided that all these bolts of fabric make ideal hide-and-seek props, and she's been keeping herself busy with that all week.

Here are some photos of the new prints:


Marin: peony, wobbly and peacock feathers


Marin: soar, tulips, entwined and poppies


Anika: swedish forest, foxes and henouses


Anika: hens, blossoms and polka

monaco pink prints still available

2011-06-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

Although stock is very low, I still have a few yards left of the pink scooters, birds and flowerbed. I took them off the website, as quantities are so limited, but if anyone would like some of these prints just send me an email!

In other news, I'm expecting the new collections this afternoon, and I'm so excited I can hardly sit still! If they do get here, I'll post about them tomorrow.

chair upholstery project

2011-05-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

Does anyone remember these chairs from my posts way back here and here? So long ago! Almost 2 years ago we started working on them at our old apartment...

But then we moved and life go really busy!
Well, I decided they would be the perfect chairs to use in our booth at Quilt Market, so a few weeks ago we dusted them off, repainted (somehow during the move they got left out in the rain, and were a little worse for the wear), and used the Entwined print from the new Marin collection to cover the cushions. They turned out so cute! I really love them. And the print works perfectly in our living room. The fabric isn't upholstery weight, but I backed them with a craft weight interfacing, and it really worked well. I'll let you know how they hold up!

birthday cupcakes

2011-05-21T09:24:00.000-07:00

Anabelle's first birthday was on Wednesday, and though we had just gotten home from Quilt Market, I wanted to do something to celebrate the milestone. My mom and Dave's parents were all visiting, so we made a nice dinner and I decided to make vanilla cupcakes instead of birthday cake, so she could have her own little cake. With the exception of a bite of key lime pie and a couple tastes of ice cream, this was her first real sugar, and definitely her first cake.

I found the cake recipe online here. I used the cupcake version and varied the icing slightly, using sour cream and a little brandy instead of milk and vanilla. They were delicious - this is that clean, sugar-cookie white cake recipe that I've been looking for for years!

Unfortunately, although Anabelle loved the presentation, she was not down with the cake. She ended up with a healthy portion of buttercream on her face and in her hair, and the rest of the cupcake was soundly rejected. Ah, well - maybe next year.

another peek at Quilt Market

2011-05-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

We had the nicest booth neighbors at Quilt Market this year! So nice that it was a constant temptation to wander across the aisle and chat when things got slow, and more than once I realized I had customers looking around my empty booth. Across from us was another husband-and-wife team, Chris and Heidi from Noble Notions, who design and sell various tools for quilting and sewing, like finger tip grips and quilt clamps. Right next door was the very popular Mon Amie Jewelry, and kitty-corner from us was the fabulous Hemma Design. Kathy McGee, Hemma's owner and designer, was a co-worker of mine when we both worked as designers for Target in Minneapolis. It was great to see her again, and her Scandinavian-influenced patterns are just adorable! The booth was bright and cheerful - as you can see in the photo, below - and very busy. I'm excited to get my hands on some of those patterns myself!

Kathy, left, and Mary of Hemma Design

new website!

2011-05-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

Okay, so it's already a week old, but we were in Salt Lake City by the time it launched, and I didn't get a chance to mention it here. SOOOO... if you haven't already seen it, check it out: www.monaluna.com. It still needs a few tweaks, but I'm really happy with the way it works. I think it'll be easier to order, and it's much easier for me to keep it up to date and add in new products. Yay!

www.monaluna.com

home again!

2011-05-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

We finally made it home from quilt market last night, after a long but beautiful drive from Salt Lake City. The landscape between here and there is breathtaking, and I'm so glad I got to see it, despite the fact that I ended up with driving duty through a snowstorm that hit us as we passed through the Tahoe area. Who knew it would be snowing in May?? Well, it sure was!

Quilt market was a blast, and I loved getting to put faces with names and meet many of the customers and contacts that I've only known electronically before now. I got to meet some of my favorite fabric designers, and I discovered a bunch of new ones to admire as well. It felt a little like a 3-day cocktail party, and by the end my head was spinning from all the new faces and names, but I'm already looking forward to the Houston show this fall.

Here are a few photos of the booth, and as you can see, the little 10x10 space goes through a dramatic transformation during set-up. I didn't think to take a photo before we started setting it up, so I've shown an "after", just before we left. By that time, I was more than ready to just sit in a car for 12 hours!

BEFORE


AFTER

off to the show...

2011-05-10T10:40:00.000-07:00

I don't think my house has ever been this messy, but things are finally coming together over here! I had every intention of posting regularly as little parts of the booth came together, but it's taken every moment to do all the sewing and painting and building and ordering necessary. I'll post lots of photos of the booth and the show later in the week. Wish me luck, and if you're going to the show, stop by and see me at booth 2840!

quilt show prep begins!

2011-04-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks have been a whirlwind around here, and I'm finally getting to sit down and write for the first time in what seems like ages! In the last 10 days I've sent off the final art for the new collection, finished the design for the new website and handed it off to be built, and survived - barely - the worst cold/flu thing I've had in recent memory. It hit Anabelle and Dave too, so we've been a bit of a sorry bunch. But I think we're all on the mend, and now I can finally turn my focus to the next challenge: getting ready for the International Quilt Market next month! I've never done a trade show before, so I'm a bit nervous, but also really excited about it. I'm completely daunted by the long list of things I've planned to sew - samples, signs, curtains, oh my! - but I'm also pleased to finally have a real, solid excuse to spend some quality time with the sewing machine. So far I've managed two little aprons, and while they're simple, it reminded me of how long it's been since I sewed anything. They're also the first things I've sewn with the new Anika collection, and I'm really enjoying working with it.

If any of you will be at Quilt Market in Salt Lake City, come see us at booth 2840!

ode to hand-me-downs

2011-04-13T14:36:00.000-07:00

When my mom found out I was having a daughter last spring, she was all excited to pull out the little outfits she'd saved from when I was a baby. I have to admit I was not too excited about what I was sure would be some moldy, tattered, (very) outdated baby clothes. Well, Anabelle has finally grown into most of those outfits, and I have to say that I just love them. Some of them (like the orange dress, below) were handmade by my grandmother, who passed away about 8 years ago, and I love knowing that my daughter has some things that she made. In a time when everything - especially clothing - seems so disposable, I've been enjoying reusing these retro goodies, and I'm hoping to make some new clothes that will be worthy of saving for a next generation.

more etsy love

2011-04-07T11:58:00.000-07:00

I really love etsy.com. I think it's so great that in this age of big box stores and generic merchandise, there's a simple way to find thousands of unique, beautiful, handmade items. Not only can we find cool stuff easily, but it the process we can support these independent artists and craftspeople. I've ordered a number of beautiful things from etsy shops, and I love having the personal connection with the maker - it's always infinitely more satisfying than buying stuff at another chain store. Here are some cool organic cotton items I found using Monaluna fabrics, and you can see many more wonderful creations at etsy.com.

organic flannel stroller blanket and photo from SewOrganicCreations

organic baby bib and burp cloth and photo from SoMommySew

organic cotton baby blanket and photo from OrganicQuiltCompany

organic blanket and photo from CrzyBagLady

bib, burp cloth and wipe case and photo from BabySparrow2011


baby bibs and wipe case and photo from BabySparrow2011

organic cotton burp cloths and photo from OrganicQuiltCompany

organic napping blanket and photo from MyFrecklesShop

organic cotton patchwork blanket and photo from YellowPlumBlossoms

rag quilt stroller blanket and photo from SewSusie1

organic hooded towel and photo from MyFrecklesShop

organic cotton quilt and photo from SaturdayMarket

on creativity

2011-04-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a new collection for a while now, and as usual it's coming together in bits and pieces. I will do a design that I really like, and then go off on a tangent that doesn't end up relating quite right. Thankfully, I've let go of the idea that this type of creative process should be a straight line from point A to point B, but sometimes I still wish it could fit nicely into my timeline.

I heard an interview with Tom Waits on Fresh Air the other day in which he said (essentially) that much of his songwriting comes from mis-hearing something. I thought it was so funny, because I use that technique a lot in my design process. I'll find myself flipping through a magazine, or quickly perusing a photo-filled website, and then later some half-remembered image will be stuck in my head and spark a new design. Inevitably, when I go back to look at the original image it's nothing like I remembered, but somehow it tripped my imagination.

One of the things I've been interested in doing lately is gathering those creative techniques and thinking about the creative process and how our imagination plays with the images we see daily. Do any of you have tricks you use when designing or brainstorming, or trying to come up with a new idea? I'd love to hear them!

Speaking of images, here are a few photos I took this morning of the little flowerbed in our front yard. As you can see, it's sunny and very springy today! A perfect way to start the weekend. Enjoy yours!

monaco is back!

2011-03-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

I finally got my re-order of the teal Monaco collection last Thursday! Of course, given the weather we've been having, it was delivered in an absolute deluge of rain, so Dave and I had to scramble to get all the boxes inside without getting soaked. Well, we were soaked, but the boxes stayed dry. It was nice to be able to send out all the back-orders on Friday, and I'm looking forward to making some more fun Monaco things in the next few weeks, including a version of Anabelle's quilt, below, for a friend who's expecting a new baby.

new growth and new fabric

2011-03-24T11:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a strange week here. I've been feeling so sad about the news from Japan, and conscious of the gravity of our country entering a new war. Yet on a personal level I'm feeling the light lengthen as spring arrives, and watching the new growth around me as the trees bud and bloom and my daughter masters standing and tries to talk. I've been working on designs for a new collection, a process which always makes me more attuned to the various things influencing me, and right now I'm very aware of the life cycle.

Then, in the midst of my reverie, the FedEx lady arrived with the long-awaited bulk samples of Marin. Nothing distracts like the first cuts of new fabric, straight off the printer! It's been raining like crazy, but I managed to get a few photos to share with you. Hopefully I'll be able to start some sewing projects with them soon!

do-it-yourself jewelry storage

2011-03-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

Okay, yes, I'm on a storage kick these days. Have I mentioned that our house is kind of small? With very few surfaces on which to put stuff? I bought a much-needed jewelry box the other day, and when I got it home I realized there was no place to put it. Seriously. The only real surface is our dresser, which is now in the baby's room serving as a changing table. So I started thinking about alternatives, and came up with an idea for the jewelry frame, above. I found an old frame at the Alameda Flea Market, and bought the other supplies at our local hardware store: 1/2 plywood backing cut to size, hooks and screw eye hooks, a couple screws, 1/4" wire mesh and wire cutters, stapler, gorilla glue, some scrap molding for the box and white paint.

I started by measuring out the layout, considering the length of the necklaces I had, how many earring hooks I wanted, and where I wanted the mesh screen placed.

Then I screwed in the hooks, staggering the earring hooks and necklace hooks so that they wouldn't interfere.

I made a little box for post earrings and rings out of the scrap molding, and glued it together with gorilla glue and clamps. Then I screwed it to the backing. The screen was stapled to two small strips of the molding and then glued to the backing (I painted underneath the screen area first).

I glued the plywood backing to the frame using the gorilla glue, and then painted the whole thing white. I really like the way it turned out, and now I finally have a convenient, accessible place for my jewelry that doesn't take up surface area!

new fabric for Robert Kaufman - sneak peek of Metro Market!

2011-03-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

I got another box of fabric in the mail from Robert Kaufman last week, and it's like a little pile of summer in my studio this rainy morning. The new additions to Metro Market are bright, cheery and, well, very fruity. I'm envisioning cocktail napkins and fruit bordered dishtowels and aprons... What would you guys do with these prints?

simple storage solutions: hang your hat

2011-03-10T11:57:00.000-08:00

Dave and I are both big hat fans, though I have to admit, I'm more a collector than a wearer. I am always seduced by the idea of wearing a hat, but once I have it on, I sometimes feel a bit... funny. Self-conscious, I guess. Still, I manage to buy them pretty regularly, and my collection is growing. So recently, I made the resolution to actually wear them more often. The problem is, all of these hats have been tucked away in boxes or drawers, and out of sight is out of mind. I tend to forget to wear them, even when I actually kind of need one. After finding my favorite Panama hat (purchased in dusty little hat shop in Puerto Rico) crushed in the bottom of a box under our bed, I decided there must be a better way to store them. I found some clothes pins, a couple of nails and a length of twine and rigged these super simple hat strings (for lack of a better name). The clothes pins proved too weak, but I replaced them with art clips found at our local art store, and they work perfectly. I just knotted them on the twine about a foot apart, and tied one end of the twine to a nail high on the wall. Now our hats are visible, accessible and stay relatively un-crushed.

cute bag alert!

2011-03-07T14:42:00.000-08:00

Jennie from Yellow Plum Blossoms just sent me a link to these photos of the adorable bag she made with the Monaco scooters in pink. Isn't it great?? I love the girly touch of the ruffle, and the practical inside pockets. She sells similar creations on her etsy shop, and blogs about them (and her cute children) here.

aaaaannnd we're off!

2011-03-04T16:32:00.000-08:00

Thanks, everybody, for the project suggestions last week, and for the enthusiasm about the new fabric! I'm really excited to get sewing, and have a couple projects picked out, including the adorable outfit from Oliver + S, pictured above. I'm still waiting for the sample bolts of Marin, but I just met with a pattern maker this morning who is going to help me realize one of the designs that's been itching to be created from it. It's secret for now, but I'll definitely post it once it's finished.
Happy Friday, and have a great weekend!

cool kids toys - denise the dexterous dino

2011-03-01T14:35:00.000-08:00

How cool is this dino?? I came across it online because it's made from a Monaluna Mingle print, but was so charmed that I had to have it! Ostensibly, it's for Anabelle, though it'll be a while before she can get all "dexterous" with it. It comes with a flower-topped lace for lacing through the eyelets on the spine, and a piece of chalk to use on the little chalkboard window hidden under the buttoned flap (I can't seem to get enough of chalkboard paint lately!) Because of the small parts it's recommended for ages 3 and up, but I took those out of the little zippered pocket, and she's been loving to play with it. It's from Booger Bear Creations, and can be found online here.

new fabric - the first bolts of anika have arrived!

2011-02-24T14:57:00.000-08:00

The first bolts of the new Anika collection were delivered yesterday, and I am SO EXCITED! It will still be a while before the bulk of the fabric arrives - it has to ship all the way from India and make its way through customs - but I can at least get started working with the fabric, sewing up samples and sending out swatches. What should I make with all of this? Any ideas??

6 ideas for winter citrus

2011-02-17T12:15:00.000-08:00

Last weekend was gorgeous here, so Dave and I did some much needed yard work, including pruning the tangerine and orange trees in our back yard. This is the first year that I've really been able to appreciate the amazing bounty of these trees, and I am a little overwhelmed! Now that it's rainy and cold out I'm grateful for the great tubs of sunshine sitting in our kitchen, but I'm at a bit of a loss for what to do with them all. The oranges are really sweet and juicy, so we can squeeze them for orange juice if nothing else, but the tangerines are a little tart. I didn't realize I needed to thin the fruit, so the tree produced more than it could really support, leaving them a bit small and less sweet. I did some research this morning and came up with a few good ideas, and will list them with some links below. Do you guys have any other ideas? We only harvested a small fraction of what's on the trees, so I will be doing citrus recipes and projects for some time to come...

1. orange marmalade

2. candied orange peels

3. orange campari sorbet (extra credit when served in 1/2 orange "cups")

4. fresh orange and yogurt tart

5. spinach, tangerine and goat cheese salad with avocado
This is one Dave and I make occasionally - Just dark leafy greens, 1 avocado, 1 or 2 tangerines (or 1 orange), goat cheese to taste and a balsamic vinaigrette. Good with pecans if you have them, too!

6. tangerineade, vodka optional

i heart chocolate cake

2011-02-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

In honor of Valentine's Day, I made a chocolate cake for my chocoholic husband today. The recipe was given to me by a friend of mine, and then modified a bit, and it is one of the most fabulous chocolate cakes I've had. Usually, I just dust it with powdered sugar, but this time I made an orange buttercream frosting, and got a bit carried away with the pink food coloring. I added some blossoms from our plum tree for decoration. Here's the recipe:

6 oz. good-quality bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 1/2 c. flour
1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
2 Tbsp. instant espresso
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temp
1 1/4 c. sour cream (original recipe: 1 cup 1/2&1/2 and 5 oz. cream cheese)
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Pre-heat oven to 350º. Lightly butter and flour 2 9-inch cake pans (original recipe: bundt pan).

2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, stirring until smooth. Turn off heat, but leave in water bath to warm.

3. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, espresso daking soda and salt. Set aside

4. Cream together the butter and sugars with a mixer on high. Then add the eggs, one at a time. Blend in the sour cream. Then, with the mixer on low, mix in the melted chocolate.

5. By hand, fold the flour mixture and chocolate chips into the wet mixture, using a spatula. Don't over-mix.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan(s) and bake for 35-40 minutes (original recipe: 45 minutes, for bundt pan), or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For the buttercream frosting:
1 1/4 cup butter, room temperature
5-6 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
juice of 1 orange (about 2 Tbsp.)
food coloring if desired

my crafty valentine: a fabric valentine tutorial

2011-02-11T15:43:00.000-08:00

Since this is Anabelle's first Valentines Day, I thought it would be nice to make her a valentine that she could keep - or, I guess, we could keep for her. I got inspired by these images of fabric valentines-y things in the French magazine Marie Clair Idées:


from Marie Clair Idées

... So I decided to try to make some quilted Valentines cards. I checked my fabric scrap stash, and found some nice pink prints for Anabelle's, and some that were a little more masculine to make one for Dave (okay, maybe they're not masculine, exactly, but it was as close as I could get), as well as some scrap quilt batting.

I cut a cover and an inside layer to 6x8", and cut the batting to the same size. Then I decorated the front cover (right side of cover fabric) and the inside page (right side of the inside fabric) with scrap hearts, pinked squares and stamped lettering, allowing for a 1/4" seam allowance around the outer edge.

To make it easy, I used iron-on fusible web, so I didn't have to stitch everything down, and pinked the applique edges so I didn't have to finish them.

When I finished decorating, I ironed everything down, added some embroidery stitching and sewed the layers together using the pillowcase method.

To do this I lay the layer of batting on my work table, then I lay the inside layer face up on the batting, and the cover layer face down on top of that. Then I pinned the layers securely and stitched all three together with a 1/4" seam allowance, leaving a 2-3" gap for turning on the lower back edge. Once stitched, I trimmed the excess seam allowance, turned the cards right-side-out, hand-stitched the gap closed, and ironed the cards flat. Then I top-stitched a seam at the center where the fold should be.

For Anabelle's card, I added some silk ribbons as a closure before I stitched the layers together. For Dave's, I sewed a doubled ribbon to the back and a button to the front after I finished sewing the card.

flea market finds

2011-02-08T13:01:00.000-08:00

Wow, Friday seems like a loooong time ago! Last weekend had a lot of living stuffed into it, from seeing my friend's band play in SF on Friday, to major yard work on Saturday and a trip to the Alameda flea market on Sunday - just before watching the Superbowl in San Rafael with some friends. The weather here was incredible, and the flea market was busier than I remember seeing it, plus the vendors had lots of stuff since a couple of the recent markets were rained out.

We had a list of some things we were looking for, but somehow ended up with a completely different assortment of jun- , I mean, stuff. Not on the list, but still useful! ... I think. Here's what we got:

Several sugar, flour and feed sacks that I'm envisioning as cute, graphic summer tops or dresses for Anabelle, pillows and patches for jeans...

... an ornate, previously gilded frame, now painted white, that I'm planning to turn into jewelry storage central (if it works as planned, I'll post about that one soon...)

... a lace-trimmed European night shirt, supposedly from the late 1800's. Hmmm... not really sure what I'm going to do with that. My plan was to shorten it and use it as a summer dress, but it does look distinctively night-shirt-y...

... a pretty blue Mason jar, perfect for pink rununculus....

... and an old watering can, which I saw as charming and rustic at the time, but after using it, suspect it might just be old and leaky. The guy swore it didn't have any holes, but apparently he hadn't actually tried using it. Ah, well, maybe it'll be our version of a pink garden flamingo, sort of rustic garden decor.

adopt a chicken

2011-01-31T11:56:00.000-08:00

Okay, seriously, is this not the funniest stuffed chicken you've ever seen? She was adopted into our family on Sunday after she was spotted in a little shop on Fillmore in SF. A certain member of our family became obsessed, and just had to have her. Yes, that member was me, and not the child, but Anabelle does emit a screech of glee every time she sees her. Anyone want to weigh in with name suggestions? Incidentally, she is made by Jellycat. I love their soft toys, but this is one of the best I've seen (along with Cordy Roy Gator, Bella's other fave).

building

2011-01-28T09:32:00.000-08:00

It's a foggy morning here, and I'm in the studio pulling together inspirations for a new collection. I always love this part - gathering ideas and images, and pulling them together into a cohesive theme. It's just the beginning, and there are so many different paths to take, but the whole picture comes together piece by piece.

I noticed this web strung up on the tree in our front yard, catching the fog. It reminds me exactly of this process - starting small and central, and building out, larger and looser as you go. I wasn't planning on any spider imagery this time around, but it's a nice analogy. I hope you all enjoy the weekend!

enjoy your friends

2011-01-25T14:31:00.000-08:00

I didn't get to too many of the jobs on my to-do list last weekend. Instead, I had an amazing visit with a childhood friend who was in town over the weekend. We got greek food and hung out in the sunshine on our back deck, catching up and talking. It was a little reminder that sometimes you have to let go of the chores and enjoy your friends. It definitely put some happy in my weekend!

happy friday!

2011-01-21T15:24:00.000-08:00

It's been a busy week in the studio, and I am really looking forward to what is supposed to be a sunny weekend! We have roses to prune, citrus trees to feed, baby-proofing (yes, Anabelle is on the MOVE), and maybe, just maybe, I'll get a little sewing in. Dave took this photo in the studio this week, and it pretty much sums up the past few days: I've been using all my tools. I hope you all have a good weekend!

fun with chalkboard paint

2011-01-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

Our little photo shoot last weekend prompted me to tackle a project I'd been wanting to do for a while now. I found a small wooden frame at an antique store, and I've been wanting to turn it into the chalkboard sign for Bella's toy box in this photo:

I figured it would be cute now, and she could actually play with it later. Coincidentally, as I was clearing off my workspace I happened to flip through an old copy of Martha Stewart Living and saw this little project:

Martha Stewart Living

Cute jars painted with chalkboard paint! And I just happened to have a bunch of baby food jars just waiting to be used for... something! In no time, my newly tidied workspace looked like this:

And this:

Did I really need chalk labels on my new storage containers? Probably not. But I do think my office supplies look much cuter now.

strikeoffs and scooters!

2011-01-13T11:42:00.000-08:00

I've gotten lots of good news in the form of FedEx packages over the last two days. Yesterday, I got a package with the strike-offs for the new collections, Anika and Marin - yay! They look really good, though I've been assured the line quality and registration will be improved in final production (the strike-offs are always hand-screened). I'm so excited to see the final run!

Then this morning, a limited number of bolts of the teal scooters from Monaco were delivered, to fulfill back orders and tide me over until the full re-order arrives in about a month. Finally! So for those of you waiting on the scooters, I'll send them your way asap.

the great monaluna photo shoot

2011-01-11T11:04:00.000-08:00

So, Dave and I decided that we should do some promotional photos for Monaluna over the weekend. It was supposed to be sunny for once, and I've been needing a few nice shots of the teal Monaco collection. I figured I had just enough time on Saturday to whip up that simple baby quilt that I've been wanting to sew for months, and maybe a couple other items, tidy things up a bit, and then we'd take some photos with Anabelle and the quilt on Sunday. Well.

Saturday went mostly as planned, except that "tidying things up a bit" led to a major overhaul of my studio storage, and before I knew it I had dragged everything out of the closet and was sorting through boxes of sewing and art supplies, reorganizing scraps by color and painting baby food jars with chalkboard paint to hold safety pins (more on that later). I didn't end up starting the quilt until late, and was up til the wee hours finishing it up.

Sunday morning I was a little bleary, but we got up and started setting up for our little shoot. Anabelle was hanging out on the new quilt, ready for her close up in her orange pants and white merino wool sweater, which coordinated perfectly with the fabrics. Dave had just gotten the camera set up and I was arranging the nursery bedding when there was an uncomfortable cry from the baby. A quick check revealed there had been a major, er, explosion, which required a complete wardrobe redo, as well as a bath, and some emergency quilt cleaning. Yeah, I learned that using babies as cute props is unpredictable at best. While Dave was changing the baby and I was cleaning the quilt, the cat decided she needed to be at the center of all this commotion, so when we finally got back to take our photo, we had to unseat Sadie from her spot nestled in the crib among the baby blankets. She was not happy. We did finally manage to get a couple photos, and I will never again underestimate the labor involved in all of those blissful happy baby photos.

cool tools - pincushion love

2011-01-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post about my new pincushion for a while now. It was made by Cindy over at Live A Colorful Life, and she sells others like it on her etsy shop here. It seems like such a small thing, but it makes me smile every time I use it, and it coordinates so nicely with my scissors! Also, I love it that she uses the selvedges, which usually just get thrown away. Such a nice way to make beautiful use of scraps! It's one of the bright spots of my sewing table. Thanks, Cindy!

baby got a new pair of shoes!

2011-01-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

New year, new shoes! I couldn't resist sharing a photo of my babe's first pair of sneaks with you. How cute are these shoes?? Maybe it's nostalgia - I had a pair, or several, of these when I was wee - but there's something about the classic red Keds that gets me every time. I tried to order a pair for myself, but they seem to be out of my size. For now, I'm patiently waiting for them to restock...

shiny happy new year!

2011-01-03T14:27:00.000-08:00

Hello, and happy 2011! I can't tell you how many posts I've written in my head over the past couple of weeks, but somehow, sitting down to actually type them just wasn't in the cards. So here it is, a brand new year! Dave and I finally took some down-time yesterday to think about the past year, and talk about our hopes for this new one. I can't say we made any resolutions (such a serious word!), but we did come up with a lot of ideas for little changes and transformations that we're excited about trying this year.

One word kept coming up for me again and again: intentional. I feel like the past year I've spent a lot of time running around like that headless chicken, trying to keep up with life. I suppose that having a (nearly) new house, a new business and a new baby all in one year can do that to a person. So this year I'm really hoping to be a bit more directed, organized and intentional with my time and my life. A big goal! For me, that means knowing when to structure my time, and when to allow myself a little unstructured, creative time to keep myself dreaming and gliding. I always think of the swimming coach in elementary school who was trying to improve my breast-stroke. He told me that you have to pull hard and kick hard, but then you must allow for the glide to maximize your forward motion. Otherwise, you just end up thrashing. Kind of a good analogy for life, I think.

winter gardening: lettuce, chard and onions, oh my!

2010-12-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

With some help from my gorgeous new Bay Area Produce Calendar (from Krank Press), Dave and I embarked on a little winter gardening last weekend. Admittedly, we're either a bit early or a little late for a couple of our selections, but figured we'd give it a shot and baby them if we get a frost. At least the chard, lettuce, onions and hearty herbs should be fine. I have to admit, while there are many things I miss about the midwest, I was relishing digging in the dirt after hearing about all the snow my Minneapolis friends have been getting. Previously, my idea of "winter gardening" has been digging a hole in the snow to see if there was any parsley left alive down there.

Even if we did stray a bit from the recommendations in the guide (December calls for chard - check - lettuce - check - radishes and spinach, but doesn't recommend our other selections until January or February) I have been loving the cool design and the great illustrations. I keep it on my desk as eye candy, and to remind me to get out and dig in the dirt.

Bay Area Produce Calendar, Krank Press

Nothing showing yet - hopefully this weekend!

rainbow chard

thyme and moss rocks

parseley, mint and rosemary

new growth on the pink lemon

oranges almost ready!

new fabrics for birch: circa 60 beach mod

2010-12-10T13:57:00.000-08:00

A couple of days ago I got a package from Cynthia at Fabricworm with the first cuttings of the new Circa 60 line I designed for Birch Fabrics! The prints look so cute together, and the fabric is wonderfully soft and drapey. I can't wait to sew something from them! The fabrics will be available in January from Fabicworm, or wholesale from Birch Fabrics.

december, already? monaluna gift ideas

2010-12-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

My crazy desk calendar says it's December 3rd. How can that be?? You'd think Thanksgiving would be a tip-off that the holiday season is here, but somehow it always takes me by surprise. Suddenly, my plan for a relatively calm weekend of starting some sewing projects and spending time with visiting family is giving way to a frenzy of holiday lights, Christmas cards and shopping. All fun - don't get me wrong - I just wish I had a couple more weeks. *sigh*. I was looking around on etsy.com this morning to get some ideas, and did my little check for Monaluna stuff. There's some super cute new stuff on there! I thought I'd share, in case any of you need some shopping ideas.
Enjoy the weekend!


organic travel blanket and changing pad from Crazy Bag Lady


baby blanket from Able Mable

organic flowerbed peasant dress from Alicia 3218

happy trees onesie and organic burp cloth from Oliver Handmade

organic crayon caddy from Crazy Bag Lady

monaco rag quilt from Sew Susie

zippered wristlet from Wooden 45

market chick onesie and bib from Babiease

organic planner/organizer from Cafe Boulet

galvanized bucket from Brody and Ma

large tote/diaper bag from Leslie Jane

podpillow ipod stand from Dog Named Banjo


organic blanket from Artsy Fartsy Baby

bunting flags from Giggleberry

baby bushka organic softie from Karla Cola

organic burp cloths from Stork and Me

organic baby blanket from Peanut Tree

keychain/wristlet from Little Birds Boutique

plastic bag dispenser from Chelsea's Lovelys


organic half-apron from Crazy Bag Lady

baby shower idea: a community quilt

2010-12-01T13:58:00.000-08:00

7 months ago, a month before Anabelle was born, a couple of dear friends threw a little baby shower for me. I have never been big on baby shower games, but I took advantage of having a gathering of friends (and semi-willing participants) to do something I've always wanted to try: make a community quilt. Most of the people there were not seasoned sewists, so we took a no-sew approach and used Steam-a-seam to affix the appliques to sewing blocks, like little fabric collages. I was amazed at all the great squares we ended up with! Now, FINALLY, I'm going to add a bit of top stitching and piece them together to make a quilt for Bella. Here are a few of the squares I'm working with, and I'll post photos of the final quilt when it's done.

waiting... and some monaco inspiration

2010-11-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

Thank you for all the lovely comments on the new collections! I'm really excited about them, and after a little last-minute scramble to get the colors just right, I am now settling into the waiting phase until the strike-offs arrive. I've got all kinds of ideas for things I want to make with them when they get here, and
March is starting to seem like a long way off...

Speaking of making things, I got an email from Mary Walker, aka Sewing Geek, last week with photos of the gorgeous quilt that she made with the Monaco collection. It's so pretty, and it has inspired me to get going on the quilt that I've been planning for Anabelle for 6 months now. I thought I'd share the photos with you. Enjoy!

monaluna sneak peeks!

2010-11-11T09:55:00.000-08:00

The few weeks before the great road trip (mentioned in my last post) were busy ones here in the monaluna studio. I've been learning the ropes of balancing the daily work of running this little business with caring for the baby and allowing time for the more intense, creative whirlwinds that accompany the birth of new collections. This time, I was lucky enough to have my mom visiting for a month, and that allowed me to take a little more time to pull together and finalize my next two collections, which I'll share with you today. Now that I've passed off the baton and they're well underway, I'm looking forward to getting back to the steady work of daily life - and to posting on the blog more regularly!

The two new collections are printed on 100% organic cotton, and are a medium-weight poplin weave. They are expected in the shop in early spring 2011. I hope you enjoy them!

halfway across america (and back again)

2010-11-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

I am finally back in the office this week after a great adventure road tripping halfway across America. Almost 3 weeks ago, my mom, Anabelle and I packed ourselves into my mom's Prius and drove across the western states to Minneapolis, where my mom lives. It turned out to be quite an experience! I've never seen most of the country we drove through, and it was absolutely stunning. Also, we managed to hit the road just as the first of the wintery storms were rolling across the West, so we had dramatic rain in Nevada, hail in Idaho, blizzards and an earthquake (yes, an earthquake - can you believe??) in Wyoming, and frighteningly high winds in Minnesota. We did arrive safely, though, and had a great visit. The flight home was not nearly as dramatic, but by that time I was happy not to get back in the car. The countryside was so beautiful that I found myself dreaming of prints inspired by the landscapes of the West. Maybe a new collection!

And speaking of new collections, check back on Thursday, when I'll be sharing some sneak peeks of my two upcoming collections, Marin and Anika.

Here are a few photos of the beautiful land between here and there.

Nevada

Idaho

Wyoming

South Dakota

Anabelle in her crocodile costume, Halloween in Minneapolis

new fabric for Robert Kaufman

2010-10-11T12:55:00.000-07:00

Well, hello there! My gosh, this has turned into a long blog break! To be honest, I've been a bit paralyzed by a towering mountain of work, but I think I've gotten myself sorted now. Isn't it funny how sometimes life chooses to happen all at once? I'm still learning to take one little step at a time and not get too overwhelmed by the big picture. I always end up taking a few days to freak out and be utterly useless before finally realizing that there's no way over but through, and then slowly making progress. So the quiet of the last couple of weeks has been me trying to buckle down and take one thing at a time until I could see the light at the end of the tunnel. Which I now can - YAY!

In the meantime, I received several packages of new fabric that I designed for Robert Kaufman. I realized that it's been a while since I posted any of the new stuff, so I thought I'd share the most recent collections. Robert Kaufman always sends me 2 yards of each print for my records, and usually I just keep those for reference, but I think I'm going to have to make myself an apron from the Cafe au Lait print. And Anabelle might need something with the Paris prints. And I could use a new bag for my sewing supplies...

From Metro Cafe

Sew Happy

Vive la France

lying low

2010-09-14T14:08:00.000-07:00

It has been such a busy time around here lately! I've been wanting to change up the scenery here on the blog and add some new posts, but I haven't even had time to think straight, let alone whip up any remotely interesting projects. In addition to the the usual work business, I'm trying to finish up two new collections, and Anabelle has decided that she needs a little more attention than I've been giving her so far. Plus, I've been taking a great e-course on blogging, called Blogging Your Way taught by Holly Becker (of Decor8) and Leslie Shewring (of A Creative Mint).

image by Leslie Shewring and Holly Becker from Blogging Your Way

I will be posting over the next couple weeks, but it might be a little more seldom than usual. I'm hoping to put some of the tricks I'm learning into practice soon, though, so may be experimenting a bit. More soon!

a day at the beach

2010-09-07T11:29:00.000-07:00

What a weekend! I'm getting a slow start on Tuesday, after a really beautiful Labor Day weekend of art, friends, wine country and the beach. Life has felt so serious and structured lately with new baby and new business and trying to get our new(ish) house into shape, that 3 days of being social and recharging felt just amazing. It was kind of by accident - we had a long list of things we were going to try to get done - but we were so ready for a break that when a few invitations came our way we decided to change our plans. It turned out to be a pleasant reminder of just how important some down-time can be. After all, it's all about balance, right?

I'm still kicking myself for not bringing my camera out to Oakland's Art Murmur on Friday night, where we took in some galleries, saw some amazing street art (including a dance troupe that performed sideways, 50 feet in the air on the side of a building and a band that was amplified by two guys pedaling a glowing stationary bicycle - no lie!), and had a great dinner at Mua. Saturday we did have to get some work done (that balance thing, again) and spent a scintillating Saturday night making apple pies with apples donated from our neighbors tree (those apples had to be used!).

Then on Sunday, we took off to visit friends in Sonoma, and looped back by Stinson Beach on Monday for a perfect Labor Day (and Bella's first beach trip). Now I'm back in the studio, trying to harness some of the weekend's inspirations and carry a little bit of the beach into my work week. I hope you all had a chance to fit in some relaxing time, or an adventure or two. If not, there's always next weekend!

first toes in the ocean

sunset over summer

another new dress

2010-09-03T15:19:00.000-07:00

Finally, 2 weeks after I'd planned, I got a chance to fiddle around with Anabelle's dress pattern and sew up a new one. Unfortunately, it only managed to underline the fact that I have a much better handle on fabric design than pattern design (or sewing, for that matter!) and I should really just stick to what I know. I did resolve the main issue - the armholes - by finishing with bias tape, and I reduced the volume a bit, but it still isn't a great pattern. Plus, it really needs some matching bloomers! If anyone is interested, I'll make a pdf of the pattern and give a little tutorial of my method (such as it is), but you may want to add your own modifications.

In other news, the studio has been super busy this past week! I'm finishing up two new collections and will be sending them off for printing soon. Hopefully I'll have strike-offs to show before too long! Also, I signed up for Holly Becker's (of Decor8 blog fabulousness), Blogging Your Way class, so hopefully will be spiffing things up around the blog here soon.

Have a great long weekend!

hot weather soup

2010-08-26T15:23:00.000-07:00

When I was in college I waited tables at this great little cafe in the Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis. The owner, Pam Sherman, created all these amazing soups and salads, in addition to croissants and baguettes and cakes to die for. The cafe ended up closing, and over the years I have mourned the loss of those foods, especially the soups. One of my favorite recipes was a gazpacho that they would always serve when it was really hot - usually around this part of August. The last couple of days, the temperature here has been hovering around 100º (our thermometer read 108º on Tuesday afternoon), and last night I decided to try to recreate the gazpacho recipe. As long as it's been since I tasted that soup, I think I came pretty close! It was tasty, anyway, if I do say so myself. And most of the ingredients from our garden, as you can see from the photo! Here's the recipe:
Summer Gazpacho
8 medium tomatoes
3 small bell peppers
2 jalepeño peppers, minced
2 cucumbers
1 orange
1 sweet onion
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 1/2 Tablespoons sherry vinegar
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin (or more to taste)
1/2 c. sour cream

Chop the tomatoes, bell peppers, onion and orange into a 1/2 inch dice and combine in a large bowl. Add the jalepeños, garlic, vinegar, salt and cumin. Peel the cucumbers and cut in half width-wise. Chop in a 1/4 inch dice and add 1 1/2 of the cucumbers to the bowl. Reserve 1/2 cucumber. In batches, blend the soup coarsely on the "chop" setting of your blender, adding the sour cream. Return to the bowl and add the 1/2 remaining cucumber. Adjust seasonings to taste and garnish with parsley or mint if desired.

project inspiration

2010-08-23T16:03:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody! I hope you all had a good weekend! My apologies to those of you waiting for the baby dress pattern - I ended up getting a couple extra work projects last week, and the week was over before I knew it. I'm hoping to have some time to work on it in the next couple of days, though. In the meantime, I received some great images of products made with Monaluna fabrics that I thought I'd share. Nathalie from Dolce Dreams actually sent a little clutch blanket that she made from the Monaco organic collection, embroidered with an "A" for Anabelle. It's absolutely adorable! When we first received it, Bella wasn't really holding toys or teethers yet. Now, about 1 1/2 weeks later, she's extremely excited to have discovered both Minky and those little knotted ribbons. If you'd like one like it, Nathalie sells them on her Etsy shop here.

Then, Regina of Regal Cottage shared some images of the fabric baby balls she's made from Circa 50 fabrics and sells on her Etsy shop. Such a great idea!

Finally, Ashley, the author of one of my favorite blogs Film in the Fridge, created the most beautiful quilt using the teal Monaco collection! I am always awed and inspired by her work - SO cool! For once I won't go running out to buy fabric to try to emulate one of her quilts... I already have plenty of this stuff.