Announcing the Arrival of ...

Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion is over, and I am back in full swing designing and producing new Ready-Set-Appliqués.  I have five new appliqués that I want to introduce to you.  Peter the Peapod is perfect for a newborn “Welcome to Our World” gift.  Delilah the Daisy is a seven petal white flower with your choice of a pink, green, blue, or orange gingham center.  You could use Delilah as an embellishment somewhere on your outfit or buy several and use them along the hemline of your garment.

Humphrey the Bulldog is available in maroon for those Mississippi State University fans or in red and black for those University of Georgia fans.  Humphrey would be a great addition to your game day attire to show your school spirit!

Rigsby the Robot is a whimsical appliqué with lots of buttons and beads.  He is available in green, purple, blue, or pink.  Finally, Betsy Bug the Baby Ladybug is out.  She is the smaller version of Ladye Lucinda.  Betsy comes in red with either teal, black, orange, or yellow.  As you can see, there are lots of new choices for you.  Happy appliquéing!!  

Bulldog Show 'n Tell

I have finally finished my sample garments for the bulldogs!  When I was picking out fabrics for my samples, I intended to put the Miss. State bulldog on Maroon twill, but it didn't have enough contrast.  I ended up putting it on black, but black doesn't always allow you to see all of the details in a picture.  So, I made two different jackets - one for Miss. State and one for Georgia.  Hopefully both school fans will approve of my color choices for their alma mater.  These are on my website along with all of the other new characters that I've added this month.  Take a look and let me know what you think!

 

Bulldogs are coming!

Many of you know that I am originally from Mississippi and went to Mississippi State.  Because of this, I have had many requests for me to add a bulldog to my collection - especially since I have had both Alabama's and Auburn's mascots in my collection for several years!  Well, I am pleased to annouce that "Humphrey the Bulldog" will be available in July!  I am in the process of making my sample garments as we speak.  When I have them finished, I will do a "show 'n tell".  Thanks for being so patient!

Tissue Cover Instructions

Those of you who have been in my classes know that I give out "goody bags" to all of my students.  Ususally these bags contain purse-sized tissue covers and tissues.  I thought that you might enjoy having the directions for the tissue covers. They really do make excellent gifts for your special friends. They are quick to make and so easy. So, here are the directions:

1. Cut a rectangle 5 ½” by 13 ½”.

2. With wrong sides together, pin the short edges together.

3. Stitch in a ¼” seam backstitching at both ends.

4. Press seam open. Turn the fabric sleeve with the seam to the inside and the right sides outward. Center the seam and press.

5. With the seam facing away from you, fold each side to the middle. Pin across the raw edges.

6. Stitch in a ¼” seam backstitching at both ends. Trim the loose threads and clip each corner.

7. Turn right sides out. Use a point turner to ensure sharp corners. Press flat.

  

8. Stuff with an individual tissue pack.

Customer Show 'n Tell

Over the last few weeks, I have received emails from several customers and friends where they have shared their creations with me.  I was so excited to see what they had done that I wanted to share them with you. 

Alli from Mississippi told me, "I won one of your mouse appliques at Martha Pullen's School of Art Fashion and thought it would be perfect for a little purse for my almost three-year-old daughter.  I used a pre-made linen bag and attached ribbon for the handle and cinches."  What a great job!

Rickie from Alabama wanted to learn the applique process so she took my Intro to Machine Applique class and the Jo'D Marie the Pig Applique Block class that I taught this month at Sew Bizz in Trussville, Alabama.  Rickie is a school teacher and took off from work just to have a little fun for herself.  Good for you!

If you've made something from my patterns and/or appliques, I would love to see a picture of your finished product and to share it here on my blog!

My First Color Ad!!

I decided that since we are starting a new year, I would change up my ads in the Sew Beautiful magazine.  So with the January issue, I am now using a color photo ad.  But best of all, I’m running a sale on the featured appliqué shown in the ad!  Each sale runs for 2 months.  All you have to do is use the ad’s coupon code when you checkout to get the discount.  I hope you enjoy seeing the different ways I use my appliqués.

Sweet Christmas Dress

After the creation of the new Irving the Santa appliqué, I needed to construct a sample garment on which to display the new appliqué. I selected the Lauren pattern from Bonnie Blue Designs. This pattern has been revised and replaced with the Bailey pattern in the Bonnie Blue Designs pattern line. This picture was taken at a recent photoshoot - didn't Maggie do a wonderful job!  Thanks also to Chel'den's for allowing us to use their store since it was so cold outside.

I wanted to share with you the collar technique I used. I began by tracing (with a washable pen) the collar pieces onto white pique fabric. Don't cut out the fabric at this point. Interface the wrong side of both collar pieces. Place another piece of the pique fabric (lining) with the wrong sides together under the collar fabric. Sew the two layers together on the seam allowance line specified in your pattern. Cut a long enough bias strip to go around the outside edge of the collar pieces. For the width of the bias strip, I cut it six times 1/4" (my planned seam allowance) plus 1/4 inch ease for a total of 1.75 inches. Fold the bias strip in half lengthwise with the wrong sides together. Match up the raw edges of the bias with the stitched seam allowance, easing in the fullness around the curves. Sew the bias using a 1/4" seam allowance. Repeat for the other collar piece. Cut the collars out on the original seam allowance line that held the two layers together. Flip the bias to the back of the collar and press. Whipstitch the bias to the back edge of the collar. With this done, apply the collar pieces to the neck edge and finish the neck edge according to the pattern's instructions.

I hope you will enjoy trying this technique. We've had plenty of days lately when the perfect activity was to stay warm indoors and to sew. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!