karen gray design

blue hill, maine + fabric giveaway

i'm away in glorious blue hill, maine with my family for the 4th of July celebration.  first of all i want to mention that it was hot and humid when we left north carolina on friday morning ~ 99 degrees hot, and when we arrived in maine on saturday afternoon it was a welcoming 63 degrees and misting. the road trip was about 18 hours.  Daniel brought his Atlas and read aloud all the facts about the different states we were passing through ~ the state bird, flower, tree, motto, and the state fish was a very important fact to learn about + we were quizzed on the state capitols for a solid hour.  you'd be surprised how quickly you forget that information.  i really love maine~ because it feels similar to minnesota ~ my home turf.  i worked on hand sewing binding onto quilts the entire trip which was so amazingly calming.  i forgot how gratifying the whole hand sewing process really is... i love it and plan to do it more often.

So, I am feeling like another fabric giveaway is necessary.  The fact is I have so much fabulous fabric in my studio right now and  i'm feeling the need to share with my fabric friends.  So, leave me a comment about anything you'd like and i will randomly select the fabric winner when i return on July 7th of 4 fat quarters of the gorgeous Park Slope Collection by Erin McMorris.

over & out my friends.  I hope you are all well.

karen

ox..

spool

I am so inspired by these perfect little birds I found on the spool sewing blog.  I can hardly wait to make some.... maybe I'll even stuff a little lavender along with the fluff.  you must check out the extra cool bird mobile .... i love it ~ that's it. love.   there is a free pattern download and they did mention that this was an ideal travel project and we are getting ready for a very long road trip.  I think I better start preparing the birdies for the road. 

hope you all are well.

karen

ox

bundles of joy

i am constantly trying to keep my fabric madness organized, otherwise things could reach a new level of insanity around here ... we don't want that.  anyway, the 1 pound bag of fabric scraps have really been a big hit in the shop, which kinda surprised me ~ so with that in mind, i've added fabric bundles to the lineup.  the bundles are great.  you know exactly what you're getting.  granted, it does take the surprise factor out of it, but nevertheless, bundles are a good thing.

have a nice day.

karen

ox

seat of my pants

I'm not referring to the manner in which i live my life ~nope.  i'm talking about a cool etsy shop called "seat of my pants".  Jen ~ shop owner and maker of delightful things really knows how to whip up some pretty imaginative totes and will even customize a diaper bag just for you.   How nice.  Get a bag that works for you and your needs and you won't have to operate on the seat of your pants.  Nice concept Jen.  

Park Slope By Erin McMorris

New fabric just arrived!  and I'm usually not so quick to report my first impressions, but this was pretty easy....  Pure Summer!  This fabric is fresh, breezy, fun  ~ easy to love.  I'll be adding it to the shop tonight and dreaming about the fabulous things I will make... and the fantastic things you'll be making too.  Don't forget to send me pictures. 

 Have a pleasant evening. 

ok.

ox..

fabric shop

   

I have a new and extra fun name for my fabric shop ~ what do you think.?  I've been busy moving all the fabrics over from the other etsy location + I always have new fabrics arriving.  So, essentially adding fabric to the shop is somewhat like the laundry ~ it never ends, which is a good thing.  I'm pretty sure I'd be happy if the laundry program came to an end.  Not sure where I'm going with this... ?  More importantly, I am so excited about the new Heather Bailey fabrics due to arrive any day now. The collection is called Pop Garden and it is soooo beautiful ~ not even exaggerating about this.  Here's a sneak peak of a few I have coming.  Oh ~ I should mention that I am having a FREE SHIPPING Special in the fabric shop for the next week.  Time to build a good healthy stash.

Have a good everything.

karen

ox...

it's all about me....

I rarely sew anything for myself.... well, that's not actually true ~ since the satisfaction level is pretty high, essentially everything I sew/make is really for me.   It might not seem that I am so completely self-centered to the average onlooker, but I am.... don't hate me.  So with that said, look what I made for myself ~ it's quite fabulous.  It took only 3 hours - start to finish.  Come to think of it, I think this dress would look stunning on my sister, fancy nancy.  We'll see.

Have a nice day.

karen

ox

summeritus

Summer is in the air and with just 7 days remaining in the school year, it's hard to think of anything but summer stuff.... pool, picnics, garden, family gatherings.  to be honest, I could easily sit around and sew 24/7, but I do have a family with needs.... summer needs.  I am already planning my sewing projects that I can tote with me and hand sew.  It's all going to work out great.  

I want to pass on this great little Etsy shop I came across ~ frog legs and poytails.  Adorable summer frocks for little ones.  I love the name ! too cute.  Check it out.

Have a great day!

karen oxox

hangin' out to dry

i really want a clothesline ~ for so many reasons really.  i've never had a clothesline, but my grandmother did and I have fond memories of helping her hang the laundry out on the line, especially the bed linens.  Nothing really compares to the fresh, crisp line dried feeling of bed sheets.  I really admire how my grandparents lived their lives - so simple and unclouded by stuff, all in the name of taking care of their own.  Myrtle & Lloyd really had their act together - they were excellent role models.  I know that I am driven to do the things that I do because of them ~  although, somehow it seems more complicated now.  I think it's just me.  I want to do too much.  Too many ideas, so little time.  I need to just stop the insanity. or not.

So, since i'm in this full blown nostalgia fantasy, I decided to make a peg bag for the soon to be clothesline.  It's totally adorable.  I actually think it can used for things other than clothespins ~ like maybe hair ribbons.  What do you think?  I will keep you posted with the clothesline report.  I'm looking forward to doing the laundry ~ never thought I'd say that.

I'm off to the local Ace Hardware.

Have a nice day,

karen

ox

small beans

You must check out Small Beans Etsy Shop ~ too adorable! Not only is the name way too cute, but wait until you get a load of the extra precious little footwear and other little garments for little beans.
Have a glorious day friends.

karen ox