Artist Spotlight: Heather Bailey

Heather Bailey

Meet Heather Bailey, a full-time professional artist, a patented inventor—and a world-re- knowned star in the textile, craft, and decorating arena. With her sophisticated floral designs and smart geometric prints, Heather has inspired a new generation of crafters and home decorators to embrace art and color in their everyday lives.

Heather’s creations, including fashion and home-decor items, have sold worldwide in the best stores: Fred Segal, Henri Bendel’s, Bloomingdales, and more. InStyle, Glamour, Mademoiselle, Seventeen, Country Living, and other top publications have all highlighted her unique fabrics and creative designs. Heather has contributed to books on business and on personal style. And, she has published dozens of innovative quilt patterns, sewing patterns, and embroidery patterns for the sewing industry.

What is your favorite part of the quilting process?
I particularly love to bind a quilt by hand. As the sole provider for a young family with more than one business to run, I rarely sit on the couch! So, finishing up a quilt not only delivers the satisfaction of a completed project, but it also offers my best chance to relax into the soft, comfy couch with my kids and watch a movie together. I know that some quilters dread this step, but I love it!

Who are your favorite fabric designers?
I am intrigued by the simplicity of architect, C.F.A. Voysey’s art-nouveau-style textiles and the versatility of Florence Broadhurst’s work, from groovy mid-century geometrics to elegant, detailed florals. As for current designers, I particularly enjoy Brandon Mabley’s work. He is a joyful, delightful person and his enthusiasm for playful design and bold color is reflected in his fabric designs every time. He makes me smile.

What notion or sewing tool are you most dependent on?
Barbara Willis offers a tool called The Stuffing Fork. It used to be available in stores, but now it’s only available on her website, I think, so it’s pretty obscure at this point. It’s a simple, skinny metal bar with a plain handle on one end. At the other end, the metal bar has a slit cut into it. This minimal design is truly the most amazing stuffing tool I’ve come across. It grabs a bunch of stuffing like nobody’s business. It does a marvelous job at packing gobs and gobs of fluff into even the smallest areas when needed. All of my popular pincushion designs are stuffed firmly, and I use The Stuffing Fork every time. This approach not only gives the pincushions a nice weight on the table, but it also rounds out the forms of each design for a polished, professional result.


I love the fine-point water-soluble marking pen that Clover makes. It outlasts its competitors and provides a crisp blue line every time. I use the Clover pen to mark fabrics as needed for all of my sewing patterns and embroidery patterns.


I adore the edge-stitching for my sewing machine. The blind-stitching foot does the trick too. They each have a vertical metal plate at the center of the foot which guides a folded fabric edge through the machine. With the needle positioned off-center, this guide provides a stitched line which runs perfectly parallel to the fold. It’s the ideal tool for professional-looking top-stitching—which comes in handy for a variety of homespun projects like aprons, totes, tablecloths, machine covers, etc.

How were you introduced to sewing and quilting?
My first craft obsession was paper. At 4-years-old, I filled my bottom dresser drawer with heaps of paper: white paper, lined paper, construction paper—any paper I could get my hands on. With the assistance of a stapler, scissors and glue, I’d busy myself for hours building all sorts of intricate 3D creatures, from robots to elephants.

When I was eight, my family and I went on a vacation to the mountains. At some point in the stay, my father parked our van near a trail-head and left the vehicle to investigate whether he wanted to explore this area or move onto another trail. My mother was in the van with us, knitting in the front seat.


My father was gone for what seemed like forever to me at that age and I was incredibly bored. I eventually asked my mom if she would show me how to knit. Instead, she pulled out a crochet hook and taught me the basic single-crochet stitch. Before my dad was back to the van, my Barbie had a brand-new skirt. That was my very first foray into textiles.


With the gift of a small Learn-to-Crochet book, I took off with my new hobby and became a crocheting dynamo. I made purses, and I designed clothing for my dolls. Teachers at my school ordered gifts for their children. Third grade, age eight—my first business! Once, I crocheted a three-foot long banana slug after I returned from sixth-grade camp in the redwoods—partly due to a lack of resources as my only yarn at the time was an enormous cone of coarse yellow yarn that I had picked up at a thrift store.


I also started sewing while in elementary school. My first project was a pair of flip flops made from terry cloth and cardboard. Again, this somewhat-silly project was born of the materials I had on hand; when the sewing bug bit me, the only fabric I had access to was a nest of terry-cloth scraps in my mom’s closet.


With permission to use her sewing machine, I set up a table in my bedroom, shut the door, and studied the machine’s buttons and dials until I had something that resembled a stitched line feeding out of the machine. I wish I had a picture of those flip flops. I don’t think I ever wore them beyond the few small steps from my room to the kitchen to show them off to my family.


In junior high school, my skill level improved by leaps as I reconstructed clothing and sewed outfits from scratch. Pants became skirts, old tee shirts became headbands and my first love, Steve, received a plush, articulated teddy bear dressed in a Michael-Jordan jersey for Valentine’s Day.


In high school, I learned quilting. My mother knew all of the tips and tricks for perfect piecing so I was very good at it from the start. My first quilt was for my own bedroom, but every other quilt I made for the next fifteen years was given to a friend or family member. The perfect gift! There aren’t many gifts that someone will use and enjoy every day for years and years and know that they are loved.


By the time I was 17 and in college, my preoccupation with all things handmade picked up serious speed and I soon learned my way around many new arts: knitting, spinning, weaving, stained glass, upholstery, ceramics, bead making, faux finishing, silver smithing, illustration, and painting. I received my Bachelor’s Degree in Clothing in Textiles at age 20.

What was the most frustrating sewing project you ever worked on?
I once made a clutch purse from an expensive orange-and-red tie-dyed goat pelt someone gave me. I combined this with crocodile-embossed red patent leather which was just too thick for my machine. I was determined—and there was a lot of hammering on a wooden block to try to compress the material. I got through it, but the purse didn’t have the crisp, professional lines I was going for. The top edge of the purse needed more structure and more layers than I could dare tackle with a standard home-sewing machine.

What do you do to find inspiration/encourage your creativity?
My favorite hobby is “Learning New Things.” I listen to audio-books and podcasts nearly every day. I learn about psychology, history, art, writing, family systems, cooking, barn-building, you name it. On average, I consume the equivalent of two or three books every week. When my mind is engaged in new ideas, albeit from a diverse range of topics, I’m able to simultaneously dive into creative auto-pilot. It’s like one half of my mind is happily learning while the other half of my mind is happily drawing, painting, or sewing—and they don’t get in each other’s way. The information doesn’t need to remotely relate to what I’m
creating. I could be learning about the Bay of Pigs while drawing a peony floral design.


The only time I cannot multi-task like this is when I am writing. Writing requires my full focus! So, as long as there are new topics I’m curious about and I’m feeding my mind a steady stream of intellectual input, creative output comes as a natural byproduct. There is so much to learn, thank goodness, I don’t imagine the fountain of creativity will ever run dry.

What occupation would you like to try if sewing/making wasn’t an option?
This is a tough one because when I want to do something, I do it! I find a way to fit it all in. If sewing weren’t an option, I would focus my energies on fine-art painting, and I would build my body work in that realm. However, if I couldn’t make visual art of any kind—fabric, quilts, paintings, and so forth—then I would spend all of my professional creative energy writing and teaching—spreading my love for art, color, design, innovation, business, family, and the creative life.

Who is your favorite fictional character?
Elf—because “smiling is my favorite!” and enthusiasm is my love language.

What fabric have you been hoarding/saving the longest?
I once stumbled across a set of my exact childhood bedsheets on eBay—peachy butterflies and flowers on a yellow pastel background. I snatched them up! I figured if I gave them a deep, deep clean, they could make their way into two quilts one day—one for me and one for my older sister with whom I shared a room. We had matching bedding. I also came across the exact fabric that my mom used for appliques in my very-first homemade blanket when I was three or four. I jumped at the chance to buy that piece, but it disappeared right when I put it in my cart. I messaged the seller through other listings and gave it a good go, but I never heard back. Boo!

Describe your perfect day.
The “perfect day” seems like a fiction to me, so I’m going all in. I wake up in Paris. My own good man gives me a big, warm hug and we chitchat about the latest things we are reading or learning while I get ready for my day. I feed the kids a warm breakfast and set them up with their own ideal activities. Then I head out into the sun to ride my bicycle to a morning painting lesson from the reincarnated John Singer Sargent. I magically absorb all that he could ever teach me in those short three hours. At a corner cafe, I enjoy a baguette sandwich while I plot out a new fabric collection in my sketchbook. Along comes David Bowie, also reincarnated, who sees one of my paintings rolled up in my bicycle basket and stops to inquire. He commissions me for a giant portrait of him. We brainstorm what outlandish costumes he might wear—the weirder, the better. I agree to draft the costume
pattern and make it happen. We call my teenage daughter who nearly faints when David Bowie says hi.

I have to get going. I have a meeting with my publisher about my book on tenacious creativity. I stop by a charming chocolate shop on the way back to my family and pick up a giant bouquet of pink peonies with pops of craspedia—my favorite fresh-flower combination. With carefree abandon, we eat at all of the chocolates before dinner and share stories from the day. After dinner, we snuggle up on the couch for a movie while I bind a quilt made from my latest fabric collection. More warm hugs for everyone—long ones—long hugs are the best. Then finally, a bath by candlelight, a foot rub—I’ve gotta throw that in there too—and it’s time for bed! You can only do so much in one day.

Want to know more about Heather Bailey? Check out her blog at HelloMyNameisHeather.com or head over to her website HeatherBailey.com.

Building Blocks: All About Precut Fabric

Precut fabric saves time and effort when creating quilting projects.

Precut fabric revolutionized the quilting world. The quilting skill was historically passed down through teaching – one would learn the intricate and mathematical approach of measuring and cutting fabric by hand from the generation that came before. Anyone who has pieced a quilt knows it’s difficult work! Before you could even consider your project or layout, all the fabrics must be cut from bolts or repurposed from used materials. The margin for error was extraordinary, a single miscalculation could jeopardize an entire quilting project.

Quilting is now easier and more approachable thanks to precut fabrics. Precuts are perfect for beginners (that’s why Jenny uses them to teach!). If you don’t know what exactly a fat quarter is, or if you never heard of a honey bun, we hope this guide kicks off your quilting journey with confidence.

Layer Cakes (10″ Squares)

Layer cake bundles contain forty-two 10 inch squares of precut quilting fabric.

A Layer Cake is a curated bundle of 10″ squares of coordinating precut quilt fabric from a designer’s collection. These versatile packs can be used for a number of projects. Their larger size allows them to be to cut into strips or smaller squares if needed! A typical layer cake contains 42 squares of precut 10″ fabric, enough for a small quilt top. Depending on the distributor, layer cakes are also called ’10 stackers,’ ’10 squares,’ ’tiles,’ and ’10 karat crystals.’

With such a big cut of fabric, layer cakes can dazzle because the printed design catches the eye first. If you want to showcase a gorgeous fabric, consider Jenny’s spin on tradition and create the Irish Change quilt. The Layer Cakes in this project are left completely whole and highlighted with fabric strips to create a beautiful showcase of 10″ squares!

Browse Layer Cakes Here >

Learn More About The Irish Change Quilt >

Charm Packs (5″ Squares)

Charm Packs contain forty-two 5 inch squares of precut quilting fabric.

Think of Charm Packs as Layer Cakes smaller sidekick! A Charm Pack is a bundle of 5″ squares of precut fabric. Charm packs are a fast, fun way to bring a quilt together like magic and, like Layer Cakes, Charm Packs are often sold in bundles of 42. These fabric bundles are also called ‘5″ stackers,’ ‘single scoops,’ and ‘stamps.’

For an easy introduction to the world of Charm Packs, use the pack as it is and create the Charm Quilt on Point! This simple creation turns the Charm Pack fabrics on point before sewing them together to create a beautiful layout with little effort! Select your favorite Charm Pack (much like in the Irish Change quilt, your Charm Pack fabric will be the focal point), add a border and a back – you just created the easiest quilt you ever made!

Browse Charm Packs Here >

Learn More About The Charm Quilt on Point >

Mini Charm Pack (2.5″ Squares)

Mini Charm Packs contain forty-two 2.5 inch squares of precut fabric.

Have you heard the saying “there’s always a bigger fish”? How about “there’s always a smaller square”? As you probably guessed, a Mini Charm Pack is exactly that – a smaller version of a Charm Pack! These fabric bundles contain forty-two 2.5″ squares of precut fabric, half the size of their larger counterpart! With a name as specific as Mini Charm Pack, it’s difficult find this precut under a different name (but let us know if you do!).

Think small when using this precut, it’s better used as a compliment than a feature! Mini Charm Packs create intricate and impressive designs, even though it’s really no different than sewing a larger square. The 2.5″ Mini Tumbler Quilt is a great option if you want to play with these mighty minis, but you can add creative flair to any quilt with a 2.5″ square as a cornerstone!

Browse Mini Charm Packs Here >

Learn More About The 2.5″ Mini Tumbler Quilt >

Jelly Rolls (2.5″ Strips)

Jelly Rolls contain forty 2.5 inch strips of precut fabric.

Let’s get away from squares and focus on strips! A Jelly Roll is a bundle of 2.5″ strips of precut quilt fabric, featuring an array of coordinating fabric from a designer’s collection. Jelly rolls make sewing up a cute strip quilt a snap. Not only are there countless patterns that use only a Jelly Roll, but you’ll find these strips so handy you may use them with other precuts. A standard Jelly Roll contains forty 2.5″ x 44″ strips of fabric and is also called a ‘rolie polie,’ ‘strip-pies,’ ‘roll ups’ or even just ‘2.5″ strips.’

One of the easiest quilts for beginners is the standard Jelly Roll Race quilt! Piece your Jelly Roll strip by strip, and you can stitch up 1,600 inches of fabric in less than an hour! This pattern can be wildly colorful, with constantly changing colors and designs – so be bold with your Jelly Roll choice!

Browse Jelly Rolls Here >

Learn More About The Jelly Roll Race Quilt >

Honey Buns (1.5″ Strips)

Honey Buns contain forty 1.5 inch strips of precut fabric.

The Honey Bun is the Jan to the Jelly Roll‘s Marcia. Have you ever heard of it? This slender roll is perfect for sashing and strip quilting. The Honey Bun is a bundle of forty 1.5″ strips of coordinated, precut fabric. When piecing a quilt top, it’s more common to use a Jelly Roll, but don’t count the Honey Bun out. Whether creating a small quilt top or an intricate design, the Honey Bun will serves up loads of versatility. If you can’t find a Honey Bun, try looking for it’s alter ego – Skinny Strips!

Jenny’s very first quilt was a Log Cabin quilt, so they’re near and dear to her heart. If you want to feature a Honey Bun in your next project (and not just for sashing), a simple log cabin block is the way to go. You can get 21 log cabin blocks from a single Honey Bun!

Browse Honey Buns here >

Learn More About The Log Cabin Block >

Fat Quarters (22″ x 18″ Cuts)

Fat Quarters are 22″ x 18″ cuts of Fabric.

If you absolutely adore a line of fabric, the answer is the Fat Quarter! A fat quarter bundle is a stack of fat quarters (quarter yards of fabric, cut wide) of coordinating quilt fabric from a designer’s collection, and of all the precuts, it gives you the most fabric! Fat quarters measure 18″ x 21″ and make it easy to build a quilt with your fabric lines. With just a little extra cutting, the possibilities are endless for this precut bundle. Fat Quarters are sold in bundles called Fat Quarter Bundles, but sometimes they are also advertised as “rolls.”

Precuts are the perfect way to round out your stash, as you can grab one for all sorts of projects. Feeling inspired now? Try a fabric basket with Misty. She uses two fat quarters to create the A Tisket A Tasket… 2 Fat Quarter Basket from Me & My Sister Designs. Fat Quarters are an easy way to stock up on your favorite fabrics in bulk, but expect a little extra cutting or piecing in your Fat Quarter projects!

Browse Fat Quarter Bundles Here >

Learn More About The A Ticket A Tasket… 2 Fat Quarter Basket >

Make a DIY Face Mask in 12 Easy Steps

DIY Face Masks with Jenny Doan

Learn how to make an easy, washable, and reusable face mask with Jenny.

WATCH THE TUTORIAL

What you’ll need:

  • 2 pieces of 6” x 9” fabric 
  • (1) 6” x 9” piece of iron-on interfacing (optional)
  • 2 pieces of ¼ inch elastic cut to 7” each
  1. Cut out two pieces of fabric to 6” x 9” each.
  2. Cut out one piece of interfacing to 6” x 9” and iron it onto the back of one of the pieces of fabric.
  3. Cut elastic into two pieces measuring 7” each.
  4. Place the two pieces of fabric right sides together.
DIY Face Mask with Jenny

5. Measure a 3 inch opening in the top so you can turn it right side out when you are finished sewing.

DIY Face Mask with Jenny

6. Sew the top and bottom edges only.

DIY Face Mask with Jenny

7. Place the elastic inside the mask and pin it to the top and bottom of each side, keeping it entirely encased in the fabric. It will be on the outside when you turn it later.

DIY Face Mask with Jenny

8. Sew each side completely closed, back-stitching on the elastic.

DIY Face Mask with Jenny

9. Turn the mask right side out from the hole you left in the top. 

DIY Face Mask with Jenny

10. Press the mask flat and add 2-3 pleats.

DIY Face Mask with Jenny

11. Pin the pleats flat.

DIY Face Mask with Jenny

12. Stitch all around the edge of the mask to enclose it and lock the pleats in place.

DIY Face Mask with Jenny

Now your mask is ready! Wash it thoroughly and use it or donate it to those in need.

DIY Face Mask with Jenny

Tips:

  • Be sure to use new fabric, not vintage, that is tightly woven. You can even use polyester or moisture-wicking fabric.
  • If you wish, you can finish the top edge before you stitch the mask together and leave a small opening in the top so that a filter can be inserted into the mask.
  • If you don’t have elastic, you can attach ties to the sides of the mask so that it can be tied on rather than looped around the ears.
  • This mask is not as effective as the N95 or P95 masks used by healthcare professionals, but it can help.
  • If you want to donate your masks, go to “One Million Mask Challenge” or “Deaconess” and check your local needs. If you wish to donate, follow instructions for drop off, keep social distance, and do not drive up to the hospital unauthorized.
DIY Face Mask with Jenny

Running out of elastic? Watch this tutorial to learn how to create a face mask using fabric ties!

WATCH TUTORIAL

We Quilt This City!

We Quilt This City!

Every summer we host thousands of visitors from near and far in our happy little town of Hamilton. Many of these visitors come to us as their end destination or as part of a detour on their road trip. No matter how our visitors get to us, we do all we can to make sure that they have the best experience in Hamilton.

If you needed another excuse to come visit Hamilton this Summer, starting June 21st we are participating in the Row by Row Experience again this year!

The Row by Row Experience is a wonderful program started in 2011 by Janet Lutz to help quilt shops get more visitors in what might otherwise be slow summer months. All the quilt shops participating in Row by Row have their very own free pattern to help you make a quilt block, and if you are the first to complete a quilt using at least 8 different rows from 8 different 2018 participating shops, you win a stash of 25 fat quarters and you win a bonus prize if you use our block and bring it in to our store!

The theme for Row by Row this year is “Sew Musical” and we have our very own pattern called “We Quilt This City.” The pattern features a beautiful appliqué town and music notes, hopefully not bringing just your quilts, but also your community in harmony.

"We Quilt This City"

To get your free Missouri Star Row by Row pattern all you need to do is come to Penney’s Quilt Shop and ask for our Row by Row pattern! Each customer is limited to one pattern. Sorry to all of our online customers, this pattern is only available in person!

The Row by Row experience will run from June 21st to September 4th, 2018, and you will have until October 31st, 2018 to submit your quilt for a prize.

Bordered Nine Patch Quilt

MSQC New Tutorial on the Blog!

Bordered Nine-Patch Quilt Tutorial with Jenny Doan

What do you do to relax? Do put together jigsaw puzzles or work on crosswords? Do you enjoy pulling weeds or folding laundry? We all have our quirks, but the truth is, creating order out of chaos is the most satisfying feeling in the world. It’s what draws us to quilting and keeps us coming back for more.

Bordered Nine-Patch Quilt Tutorial with Jenny Doan

This week’s new quilt is made with stacks and stacks of little pieces. This is the kind of project that just melts away my stress. Stitch by stitch, block by block, those pieces come together into a beautiful quilt and I am left feeling peaceful and accomplished and pretty darn proud of myself!

Watch the Latest Tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Co!