Heather Bailey Designs

Like {Amy Butler}, {Heather Baily} is a very talented designer of fabrics, sewing patters, and lots of beautiful creations. I just picked out a few of my favorites - I recommend checking out her site and her {blog} for more! Baily started college at the age of 17 in a Pre-Med program with plans to become a surgeon. She allowed herself one "fun" class a semester - her life changed after taking the History of Costume and Pattern Drafting. She graduated in 1996 with a degree in Apparel Design. A year later, she started Noggins, a children's hat company - eventually turning into a women's accessory line with her invention of Trash Ties hair accessories. Her adventures have led her to design fabrics, designer sewing patterns, and paper craft supplies.

Living Creatively

Linked off from the Ink & Spindle site, I found this {Living Creatively} site and am so glad I did! It is an online community for people dedicated to creativity. It is essentially an online magazine, with issues and articles, competitions, updates on craft fairs and markets, project ideas, tutorials, patterns, shop, stories of people who made crafting a business, and much more! I wish wish wish I could go to Australia for the {Stitches & Craft Show}.

Throughout the site - I saw a few quotes that I found entertaining and wanted to share...

Ink & Spindle

I found this site when I was checking out a set of photos on Flickr. Being that I have a true appreciation for handmade art - this was a particularly exciting find for me. {Ink & Spindle} is a boutique screen-printing studio run by three Melbourne textile designers – Lara Cameron, Bianca van Meeuwen and Tegan Rose. They share a passion for screen printed textiles and sustainable alternatives to the mass produced textiles that dominate the marketplace. They specialize in high quality textile printing for designers and independent labels. They aim to minimize our impact on the environment, and encourage and educate their customers to do the same. In their shop, they sell textiles, housewares, stationery, sewing kits and much more - featuring a range of unique, handmade wares by these ladies! If you are interested to keep up with what is going on with them behind the scenes and about upcoming events/markets, check out their {blog}. These women are so talented and are doing everything I hope to be doing some day sooner rather than later. Something I found to be awesome is that they use an old kitchen mixer to mix their paints! Check out all their work and what they are selling in their shop - it is quite impressive. I will definitely be placing orders soon!

I just got my first very own sewing machine! I can't wait to get started on all the projects I have been planning for so long! Just wanted to introduce you to my new baby...I'll keep you posted
on my projects :)

thomaspaul Designs

I found this designer, {Thomas Paul} on the {blog} by {2Modern}. 2Modern works to recognize the works of designers who are supporting our local economies and keep all manufacturing in the US. Thomas Paul graduated from the New York Fashion Institute of Technology with a degree in textile design. He got started as an intern for DKNY and then moved on to work for many other designers. All of this eventually led to the creation of the thomaspaul pillow collection, launched in 2001. The line has steadily expanded into other categories, with the ultimate goal being to have products covering every aspect of a home and all including thomaspaul patterns.

Orla Kiely Designs

I came across this {designer}, Orla Kiely, this morning and was really drawn to the style. Then I realized this was a really recognizable pattern I had seen before on notebooks and other products. Her colors, patterns, and textures all work well together to create designs for her complete women's clothing line, accessories, housewares, and travel. She has developed a signature style over the past decade and is dedicated to the practicality of her designs while maintaining the quality. She started this business with her studio and flagship store being in London, but products are sold in outlets around the world.