I gave up my dreams of modelling when at the age of ten or so, when I realized that my parents, at 5’6 and 5’2 respectively probably weren’t going to be the ideal genetic candidates for the next Claudia Schiffer.  I mean, heck, my brother’s the tallest living member of my family and he’s not much above 5’8!   I regrouped, reexamined my career goals and ended up in fine arts instead.  It was a good choice and I love what I do.

But since I’ve begun writing and publishing my designs, I’ve been able to dust off a few old dreams.  The proof?  Well, check out the cover of the current issue of Crafts ‘n Things.

February 2010 issue

The pillow?  That warm, squishy, non-calorific, totally adorable Valentine’s Day pillow?

I made it.

And it’s on the cover.

The cover.  Hoorah!

My next stop?  Paris, Milan, London, dahling.  And Claudia Schiffer?  Well she’d better get use to looking over her shoulder, ’cause here I (or my cover pillow) come.  🙂

Middle of November already?  Wow.  Cliché of clichés, where did the time go?  But I’ve been a good girl, hard at work, and sent off two new articles that will be gracing the newsstands in April and June respectively.  Of course, that’s between the kidlets and Hallowe’en costumes (Tiger and Luke Skywalker made out handsomely, BTW), getting ready for Christmas (two gifts down, seventeen thousand to go), and working on some new article queries, as well as a top-secret project whose details (fingers crossed!) I should be able to talk about some time in the New Year.

But Stanley has played his part to perfection and the two patterns I was working on are finished and ready to be mailed off to the editor for her consideration.  I honestly don’t know how I survived without a dummy before this.  He is so useful.  I always start with a basic flat draft but he makes getting the details right so easy.  I can play with appliqué placement, collar depth or the cut of a pair of pants until they’re perfect and he never complains or needs to pee or decides he’d rather play with his trucks in the living room.   His personality, I will admit, is a little stiff, (bah-dum, dum-dah!) but with all the upsides, I’m thinking I’ll overlook that flaw, since he’s decreased the time it takes me to get a design from sketch to pattern by at least half, which means I can get to the fun creative sewing part that much faster.

Well, I’m on newsstands again this month.  Check out the second half of my article in Sew News and learn how to finish a classic dress shirt beautifully – inside and out.

And if you’re a hat fan, I’ve got a quick and easy vintage hat pattern featured in SAGA     News, a great little magazine that goes out six times a year to all of the guild’s members.  It’s the world’s sweetest winter bonnet, designed for a little girl and it goes together lickety-split.   Can we say Christmas gift, anyone?

It’s a busy month on newsstands for me! I’ve made it into not one, not two, but three magazines: Crafts n Things, Create and Decorate and Sew News! Of course, now my attention is on the spring projects I need to fulfill over the next several weeks (working to magazine deadlines is funny that way. I made an advent calendar in February, a Hallowe’en bag in May and now I’m sewing summery prints as the leaves start to fall.

Well, weird calendar or no, I’ve got a cute quilted project for kids that I’m in the process of choosing fabrics for and Stanley (my mannequin) will be seeing a fair bit of pin action in the next little while as I finish up two new children’s patterns for another magazine: a very adorable sundress and a cute boy’s suit. I promise I’ll post a few sneak peeks as the weeks go by.