Bari J.

 

I spent the past couple days sewing and making my favorite holiday treat, Kolatchkies: sweet pastry cookies sweetened with vanilla ice cream rather than sugar, and filled with your favorite preserves. 

These goodies are time consuming work, but really worth it. Just don't do as someone I know did, and try to double the batch in one bowl. (Your mixer will likely blow it's motor unless you are using industrial equipment... someone's Kitchen Aid was sorta' smoking after pulling that stunt... just saying.) 

Below is my mother's famous recipe.

Betty's Kolatchkies

4 c flour

2 Tbsp sugar

1 lb butter

1 pint vanilla ice cream (slightly softened)

pastry filling or preserves (our favorites have always been apricot, blueberry and raspberry)

Blend flour and sugar. With a pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles fine meal. Add partly softened ice cream and blend. Wrap in foil or wax paper and chill overnight. Roll out to 1/8" thick. Cut into small (2.5" or so) circles using a cookie cutter. Put a small amount of filling in the center of each piece. Fold sides together and pinch closed. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 - 25 minutes or until slightly brown. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Can you see the perfectly spaced pleats in this ruffle? I made each and every one by hand. 

Errr... uhhh... They were made with a brand spankin' new ruffler attachment on my sewing machine.

I had no idea this existed, and now I can't believe I ever made a ruffle without one. Thanks to a suggestion from The Infamous Pam Kitty Morning, I went ahead and bought one of these sweet babies. And I just made 350 inches of ruffle for a project in about 5 minutes. 

Mine has three settings for spacing the ruffles, and I haven't tried it yet, but apparently you can create your ruffle, and attach it all in one fell swoop too.

So... ahem... if a ruffle-less project ceases to exist around here, you'll know why.

(((Since I know you now have to have one... To get one for your machine, contact the store you got your sewing machine from or the manufacturer.)))

Got quite a bit done this weekend. Book stuff, pattern stuff, even stuff for our house. While Super Husband worked at building in desks for the girls (hopefully will be able to show you before 2010 2011), I took down our old Restoration Hardware dark red curtains and made these from my Full Bloom fabric line.

 

to go with these:

 

Yes, I'm building my decor around a set of canisters.

It's like building an outfit around a pair of shoes or a great necklace. 
 

 

My first attempt at creating my own videos, this is a look at how the spring closures work on my handbags. They are available on the Alison Wristlets and Frannie bags. Both are available here.

 

I love Stampington Publications. I really, really do. Hope you get a chance to pick up the Winter 2010 issue of Sew Somerset. And not just because my Sew Scrappy Cuffs and easy buttonhole tutorial are in there... it's really a great magazine! There's info this time on bobbin stitching which I'm dying to learn. So, if my 13 year old doesn't steal it first (she found a minimum of four projects she wants to do), I'll be working on that this weekend.  

  

There's nothing like a beautiful package to brighten up your day. This package from Norway was just what I needed yesterday. I've been in love with Emily's (of Ravenhill fame) work forever. So these dolls in my Full Bloom fabric (mixed with some Heather Bailey fabric, I think) are gifts I will treasure always! Thank you so much, Emily.

 

(Go ahead, admit it, you're jealous!)
 

 

 
  Just listed in the Bari J. Store! 

 

 

This is big to me. I took an oil painting class tonight with my kids (who have been painting for the past year and are fantabulous). I do my design work in photoshop. They are my own drawings, but I don't paint. So, I was literally shaking when we started. I was so nervous I'd make a mistake and it would be permanent, but as I got started going, I really started enjoying myself. I might very well be hooked. I can't wait to take another class. This was my first attempt with real actual oil paint. The photo on the top is the inspiration. Tomorrow in the good light, I'll take some pics of my kids work. They are the bomb! I also need to post about our teacher, Kathy McCartney who just started her own blog... she's sending me the link via email. I can't wait to see it! 

Yes, it's for real. I have created and listed new bags on my website. There is only one of each bag. So get 'em while they're hot. 

I'll now be going into hiding and working on sewing patterns. Some day in the not so distant future there will be an array of sewing patterns and kits! I'm working on it. Promise.

Here are a few of the newbies.

 

I turned in the rough copy of my book on Monday. After which I sat on the sofa going, "What just happened? Did I just write a book?". Weird.

When I started this process all those months ago, I truly was not sure how I'd pull it off. So, it was uplifting to feel the shift of "I don't think I can do this" to "I most certainly can do this". A slowly building confidence in what I do know, what I have learned and what I can do came along with the process of creating each project for this book. And, with each project I learned something new. 

It's not over yet, but I think I enjoyed this experience very much.

I now have actual strike-offs for Art Journal rather than the digital prints, and I can't wait to show you the difference! The COLOR! So much richer. Boy am I thrilled to see it! I'm especially in love with the blues.

 

 

Here's an example of the original prints so you can see the difference. Wow. Look at that brown compared to the strike-off brown above! Cool. 

Store owners: you can now see (and order) the whole line! Click here!

Well, back to book-deadline-land. Getting there! Pinch me. I'm having so much fun!

I had such fun at market that I am absolutely exhausted. I spent a lot of my time there interviewing folks for Boutique Cafe as Miss Daria who is very pregnant couldn't make it there this time. I have 12 videos that will be featured as she sees fit. There's Anna Maria Horner, Paula Prass, Sandi Henderson, Genevieve Gail, and Jessica Levitt just to name a few. And I have to say, after I told Daria I would do this I was immediately thinking, "WHAT IN GOD'S NAME HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?". But alas, I absolutely loved doing it. So, Mom, maybe all that theatre school paid off after all, right? Still a bit of a ham.

As for photos, I didn't get as many awesome shots as I'd hoped (I left the good camera at home in favor of traveling light which was a mistake), but here are just a few to get you started.

Here's Miss Pokey Bolton in front of my Art Journal display (shoot the lights washed that quilt out... or did I have the flash on?). Pokey's newest quilt world baby, Quilt Scene magazine debuted at festival and I'm proud to say my quilted patchwork belts are in it. Yes, directions on how to make them and all.

 

And, Anna Maria Horner's booth. Sigh. Love. 

 

And speaking of "Love". I do Love, LOVE from Amy Butler. Who wouldn't?

 

Well, that's it for now fabric-nistas! 

I'll be buried in book-deadline-land for the next couple weeks, but I'll try to pop in every once in a bit to say hello! (Sheesh! Who knew this would be such work? Just kidding, Susanne! I knew what I was in for!)

...my new pattern, Home Sweet Home. This piece will be displayed at Quilt Market in Houston this week. And the pattern will be available for free download when Art Journal hits stores in April. The piecing and collage was artfully (and expertly) executed by my good friends, Janis Stob and Margaret Linderman (a mother daughter team... aka, December's Child), and beautifully quilted by Deb McPartland.

Hugs and kisses to all three of you! Can't go it alone! Thanks for being there! 

 

 

In the roughest of times, good friends will get you through. Frankly, I don't know what I would have done without them in getting ready for quilt market and trying to finish a book at the same time (which is crazy and I do not recommend doing these two things at one time).

Here are some of the delights made from my new fabric line, Art Journal, by my sweet friends.

Jackie (Wren's Nest) made these beautiful pears and eggs. 

 

And Janis (December's Child) made the dress form, Mathilda as she is called. Janis and her mom, Margaret also made my quilt (Home Sweet Home) which I'll have pictures of soon! 
 

Ladies, I can not thank you enough! You've totally saved me.

More of what others and I have sewn up soon! 

ttfn,

b

I have issues. Vintage bling hoarding issues. Even when I say, "Man, I've totally run out of vintage goodies for my bags". That really means, "There's nothing I feel like using... right now.".

Last night I was searching online for a piece of jewelry to go with an outfit that I want to wear at market next week. And I soon realized that even if I did find that fabulous piece, it was never going to arrive here on time. So... because I have SO much spare time, out came the goodies and the old jewelry making materials... (Did I ever tell you I used to make and sell jewelry from salvaged pieces? No? Wellza, I did. It was like a thousand years ago. My youngest was two or so when I started so let's see... it was almost a decade ago.)

Anyways, I digress... I got out the old jewelry making materials and fussed and mussed with it until I came up with a couple options. 

I like 'em, but I am super pleased because Anna called dibs on one (didn't matter which one) for "When you get back from market, Mom.". 13 year old girl likes it. Now, that's a compliment (Don't tell her I said so... she'll take it back.)

 

Just received copies of two magazines that my patterns are in this month. Hope you'll enjoy making my Stephanie Mag Bag with Art Tree in Haute Handbags this month and the Pretty Petal Pocketbook in Sew Hip! I'm thrilled to have features in these great magazines! Both can be found at Barnes and Noble.

Happy Sewing! 

I was not a kid who liked to play in the dirt. I don't like to get dirty, and I don't like to get sticky. But a girls gotta' do what a girl's gotta' do, so I pulled out the Mod Podge and Mod Podged me up a little storm. And then for good measure, I threw in some Fabri-tac and applique glue. Plus sandpaper and steel wool. Good times.

If you were wondering... that little girl in the back of picture 2, is indeed me. I think this photo was taken at my fifth birthday party. (I printed it out on fabric for the project above). In the background: Cousins Cornelia and Heidi and Great Aunt Anne for whom my Anna is named. 

Now back to less messy endeavors, like sewing.