Z is for the Zoophabet® fabric collection headed to Houston for the International Quilt Market, this weekend with Blue Hill Fabrics. The great thing about Zoophabet® is that you can make personalized, one-of-a-kind gifts for the cute new baby in your life, and your baby shower present will be THE most special, personal, meaningful, amazing present at the party and you will be the BPGW (Best Present-Giver Winner) … not that a baby shower should be a competition … I’m just sayin’.

When our first samples arrived, I tried a swatch, wrapped in a quick bib-like treatment, on our in-house model, Neville. (below) I’m thinking about having a special jacket made for him with an appliquéed “N is for Neville.” I just know he’s going to love it! (Speaking of Nevs, don’t you think the zebra’s expression above sort of looks like Neville’s soulful expression below?

The Zoophabet® collection is printed on velvety soft flannel, as well as a cotton group that is perfect for personalized nursery decor, accessories and gifts. Below are the first strike-offs we received. Even the selvages turned out cute … hm … what can we make with those selvages? Selvage slippers?

Since we received our flannels first, we started our Zoophabet-making extravaganza with some flannel jammies. These would be perfect for your little ones to scramble-into, before jumping into bed, snuggling under a Zoophabet® ABC quilt, and listening to you read Dr. Seuss’ ABC: An Amazing Alphabet Book! At the end of the story, you can say, “B is for bedtime and S is for Sleepy … you are getting very, veeeery sleepy … ”

When we received our cotton samples, we couldn’t wait to get started because we included two patterns (in two colorways) with the full alphabet. Our magic studio elves dove into a 2-week personalized-project frenzy. Here are a few DIY projects so you can get your creative juices flowing. The first one shown here is the Zoophabet® Quick Quilt … and it really is quick. With just a dash on your sewing machine down the sides of the alphabet squares, it looks like you spent days piecing it. Then, you can buy an extra yard and create coordinating accessories that spell out your special baby’s name or initials on all kinds of cute baby stuff … a pillow, a lampshade, a diaper stacker and, and, and …

And, here are some Zoophabet® pinks: The top photo is a “K is for Katy” Carry All and I’m pretty sure the bottom photos illustrate a “C is for Cathy” Pillow. Hope these ideas get you started on some fun projects … and, be sure to share your creations with us … we will be adding a new Flickr button to the blog after Quilt Market. Sweet dreaming of more personalized one-of-a-kind wonders.

Baby Bot and all his friends will be showing off their softer sides in Houston next week for the International Quilt Market with Blue Hill Fabrics. The Bot Buddies collection will be featured on the softest flannel you ever did touch, as well as cottons that are perfect for decorating the nursery or the playroom. The colorways can be all-boy, as well as a fun look for girl-bots, too. Here is a peek at the flannels. (We won’t see the final cottons until next week at Quilt Market … and, we’ll be sure to share some cotton nursery ideas with you after the show.)

We have discovered two new elves here in Austin to help us take our 2-dimensional fabrics to 3-dimensional creations. Thank you Nancy and Deborah! Here are a few samples made from Bot Buddies flannels just to give you a taste of the possibilities. We only had a few bits and pieces of strike-off material … (which are the fabrics that we check to make sure the colors are just right) … but as soon as we can get our hands on whole yards of fabric, we will be posting some fun DIY projects and give-aways to get you started.

And, here’s something fun … Bot Buddy Toss jammies. Nancy is in the midst of adding some great embroidered touches, but I’m just sending it out unfinished ‘cause it’s already so darn cute. (P.S. I am also re-learning to embroider … part of my new empty-nesting phase … I’ll let you know how that goes!)

If you are already catching the itch to stitch, here are some sneak peeks of some of the patterns in just one of the colorways … these designs come in reds and yellows, too. Have fun dreaming up some great bot projects. And, as soon as we know where you can find all these super soft flannels, we’ll let you know. We are dying to see your flannel fashion!

Here’s another quick and fun little project for all of the tiny scraps of Emma quilting cotton that will be left over after you finish the pinwheel quilt.  Don’t they look a little bit like coated almonds, or maybe Easter m&ms?  I’m a candy hound, so anything that even resembles candy is on my yes list.  The Lily Blossom print in particular was really useful in this project because each flower’s interior is different and makes a different button.

Quick caveat: if you ever plan on making more than about ten covered buttons, I would recommend getting the kind that pop in by means of a little rubber cylinder.  You can find them here.  Unfortunately, my first ten buttons were made with the press-the-fabric-into-the-metal-teeth-that-bite-your-thumbs style.  But of course, if you experience those first and then upgrade to the pop-in kind, you will be extra pleased – like I was!

Now, if only I could wash these things in laundry detergent that smelled like chocolate…or marshmallows…or sugar…

In only a few more weeks, Emma yardage by Newcastle is scheduled to arrive at independent quilt shops!  Here’s a perky pinwheel quilt made from some early strike-offs for inspiration.  The hand-quilting was so much fun, and a great way to be semi-productive while catching up on the Lying Game…

And below, here is the quilt in its entirety.  It’s pretty large (70″ x 90″), but being approximately 70″ myself, I like to be able to do the under-toe flip, which this puppy can definitely accommodate.  If you’d like to download a free template for the 18″ pinwheel squares, then this is for you.

Strike-offs for the new Emma collection on cotton have arrived!  Here are some of the printer’s color testing strips pasted into my “Cathy Heck Studio scrapbook of repeatable patterns in progress.”  It’s so exciting!  Everything is looking cheerful and crisp.  Don’t worry, more Emma previews coming soon…  Have a great weekend!

Emma’s brother collection, Alex, just arrived in the studio, and it is such a handsome group … perfect for the little man.  We are so pleased with the final outcome that we are giving away a group of three Alex keepsake products to one lucky winner at the end of this post.

Just as planned, the soft blues blend perfectly with the muted khakis. The navy accents are spot on.  We are imagining that someday, the recipient of this group will be pictured inside his baby book wearing his first navy blazer and khaki pants … and we’re pretty sure there will be some snips and snails in the pockets, so be sure to check before you throw them in the laundry.

Above is one of the illustrations from inside the baby book … This dapper gator cracks me up with his little top hat perched on his knobby noggin.  He’s all dressed up for the Alex Collection debut.  (Well, really he is dressed up for the Baby’s Celebrations page, but he’s multi-tasking today.)

Below are some of our favorite embellishments. From top left clockwise: 1. We are loving this embroidered argyle elephant on the brag book.  2. Another favorite is the embroidered zebra on the cloth frame, especially his broomstick tail.  3. The striped gros-grain ribbon and the herringbone giraffe dress up one of the photo albums. 4. The lettering for the baby books turned out great.  We always hold our breath about embroidered lettering until we see the samples … so now we can breathe … it’s readable and it feels great to the touch.

A favorite of mine is the First Year Calendar with Stickers.  It’s the best way to keep up with important milestones while juggling the little ones making the milestones.  I found that I could at least fill in one little square a day, and then record them later in the baby book.  And sometimes, when you don’t have time to write, just pop on one of these cool stickers.

So there you go … the Alex Collection!  We think it is appealing to two different kinds of parents … those who like to surround themselves with classic and traditional design and those who prefer modern and contemporary fashion.  Or if you are like me, a little bit of both!  You can find the Alex and Emma collections at specialty retailers around the US, as well as right here from our friends at C.R. Gibson.

This week, to celebrate the exciting debut of Alex, we are giving away the three handsome pieces above: a Keepsake Baby Book (and you can choose whether you prefer the tightbound or 3-ring version), a First Year Calendar with Stickers and a Brag Book.  Just add your comment in the comment-box below and we will pick a lucky winner randomly on Friday, March 18.   Good luck!

What is pink and green and cute all over? Emma is here! We just received the samples for our new Emma Collection by C.R. Gibson, and we are brimming in all-girl excitement, so we are having another giveaway to celebrate our new baby girl products. (Be sure to see the end of this post to sign up to win.)

Emma and her brother collection, Alex, were created from patterns and characters by Ellen, co-writer of this blog, studio designer, and daughter of mine, who spent many childhood years wearing pink tutus. Both new collections have an appeal for parents who gravitate toward traditional and classic designs, but at the same time, Alex and Emma offer patterns and characters with a new and modern twist.

The embellishments for all the pieces turned out beautifully.  Above from top left clockwise:   1. The baby books’ embroidered titles are the perfect amount of feminine.  2. The embroidered cloth frame is going to be a great gift the minute you know, “It’s a girl!” 3. The small photo album features the sweetest snail ever.  4. And, the interiors are pretty and easy to fill in, plus they have been printed on a new paper stock that is pen-friendly (no smudges on your milestones or first footprints…unless you have some wiggly toes!)

One of our favorite items is the First Year Calendar with Stickers (above).  This is a perfect way to quickly jot down the important events so that a new mom can copy them to the baby book later … like when her babies go to college!

And, we were feeling pretty sassy when Pantone revealed the Color of the Year to be 18-2120 Honeysuckle … which we had used as accents throughout Emma’s fashionable covers.  So when new babies of 2011 look back on their Emma baby books, they will say, “Wow, my mom was so hip, stylish, and in the know!

This week, to celebrate the exciting debut of Emma, we are giving away the three pretty pieces below: a Keepsake Baby Book (and you can choose whether you prefer the tightbound or 3-ring version), a First Year Calendar with Stickers and a an embroidered Brag Book.  Just add your comment in the comment-box below and we will pick a lucky winner randomly on Friday, March 11.   Good luck and we hope you are in the pink on Friday!

Roborapture!  Our Baby Bot samples have arrived … and the studio is full of beautiful new products manufactured by the wonderful folks at C.R. Gibson.  We are celebrating with a giveaway of three hot-off-the-press pieces to one lucky winner next Friday.  (See photos and learn more at the end of the post.)  This collection is for a hip new baby boy (and his cool parents!)  The color palette hints of primary colors, but we’ve added a retro twist, so, it will be as comfortable on the shelf with classic Tinker Toys as with modern LEGO blocks.

All of the pieces are printed on a soft matte paper that has a smooth feel to the touch and the embellishments turned out perfectly.  Fun square buttons and gros-grain ribbons add to the keepsake quality of the photo albums.  And the baby books include muted turquoise metal name-plates which can be customized with baby’s own name.

We fell in love with the baby bot bank at the trade shows, but it was reassuring to actually receive our sample with nary a broken limb because of his sturdy, protective (and attractive) packaging.  It almost looks like he is beaming down into our world. Star Trek with a bow.

If you like the cyber cute covers of the baby books, wait until you see the interior pages.  You will want to start filling in the nesting news right away.  We like to illustrate every page, so that it’s not just a record book, it’s a storybook.  And, each baby is the main character.

And, surprise!  We were able to have a coupon tucked inside the box of every single baby book, for 20% off an entire set of nursery art from our fun new “Create Your Own Personalized Nursery Art” website.  You can spell your child’s name with individual letters or all together, AND, you can choose from your favorite little robot borders. Your little fella will be able to spell his name before he starts walking!

So, this week, to celebrate the exciting first steps of Baby Bot and all of his bot buddies, we are giving away a gift bag filled with three new Baby Bots products.  The winner will receive a tightbound baby book signed by the artist (me), a first-year calendar with stickers, and a brag book titled “Just Braggin,” because, as you know, you will have some braggin’ to do.  Just add your comment to the comment box below, and we will pick a lucky winner randomly on Friday, March 4.  And, as robots say, “Pito loki wikute tuji!”  (which actually means “I like fruit,” … I couldn’t find the robot words for what I really wanted to say, which is “Good luck and have a very nice day.”

p.s. Don’t worry if your comment does not show up right away.  We will be checking the comment inbox throughout the day.

I wish I could share more about the city of Atlanta with you, but we really only saw it from the inside of the Rube Goldberg-like halls and tunnels that connected the complex that is AmericasMart.  So, here’s a view of Atlanta, Georgia from the perspective of two artists inside trade show land.

Due to record snowfalls and closed airports, there was some worry among the gift companies that the weather might affect sales, but by the time we arrived, sales were soaring, the halls were packed and buzzing, and showrooms were selling until midnight!  Little Robot, who is the main character of our new Baby Bots collection, was delighted to be featured in the front window of C.R. Gibson.  Normally, I would have worried that he would get a big head, but fortunately, he is humble and spent most of his time playing with puppybot and birdywhisk … and wooing customers.

Photos clockwise from below left:  1. Cathy with Sherrie McCulloch, Director of Infant Products for C.R. Gibson, who made it possible for our three new collections to make it from drawing board to showroom in a few short months. 2. Close-up of the front of the new baby book (you can place your baby’s name in the nifty nameplate).  3. The keepsake box with alphabet cards for personalizing.  We love this product.  4. Cathy signing brag books. It was fun to meet so many retailers, many of whom were moms and grandmoms with their own babies to brag about!  5. The Baby Bot Ceramic Coin Bank, which was definitely the hit product of the day. We just wanted to fill his tummy with coins and give him a hug.

Little Robot’s favorite part of Atlanta was that he was joining two more collections born in the studio, Alex and Emma.  Ellen masterminded these two great groups and the final pieces were gorgeous.  They appeal to parents who enjoy both contemporary and traditional styles. Here is Ellen in front of our twin collections.

The Alex and Emma products are printed on cloth with embroidered embellishments and ribbons, which add to the keepsake quality of the collections.  Alex, for boys, features traditional patterns in crisp blues and whites with accents of navy.  Dimensional insets add a high-end feel to the group, which we like to describe as handsome (in a baby way).  Below are photos showing the baby book and its interior, and two of our favorite pieces, the natty brag book and precious embroidered frame.

Emma, the sister collection, is all about tradition – with a twist.  The colors for this group bloom in preppy pinks and greens.  We wanted it to feel fresh and clean and fun, and it really does. Below is a photo of the book with its sweet interior, as well as photos of two of our favorite Emma pieces: the embroidered frame and the very popular photo clutch, which was a favorite new item at the show.

So, that is what we saw in Atlanta, Georgia.  If you are welcoming some precious new babies to your families, we hope you see some perfect ways to celebrate them in our new collections. We have also created coordinating nursery art for all three new collections (which you can find right here) so that you can spell your babies’ names or place their monograms right above their cribs.  It’s never too early to start learning the ABCs, especially when A is for An Adorable new baby.

Next stop on the magical baby collection tour:  Dallas Gift Show.  We’ll be at the C.R. Gibson showroom signing books on Friday, January 21 at 1:00.  See you there!

…to craft some fresh quilts.

Yes!  We are back from Quilt Market, where we were able to meet with our new friends at Blue Hill fabrics.  They will be producing two new collections by Cathy Heck Studio scheduled to ship to specialty quilt shops in late Spring.

For girls of all ages, the retro-mod Bouquet Garden features bold and funky flowers, garlands, and bouquets with colorways in light pinks, chocolaty browns, and avocado greens.  This collection will be printed on Blue Hill’s amazingly soft, high-quality cotton and will be perfect for lively quilts, and garments with attitude.

And below, you’ll find some sneak peaks of our second collection for boys called, Bot Buddies, based on the Baby Bots collection that is coming out on melamine, memory books, and photo albums with C.R. Gibson in January.  There will be a complete suite of snuggly flannels that scream PJ pants and super-soft quilts for the little man in your family.  Some of our favorite patterns are “Turtle Bots in Orbit” and “Little Robot’s Busy Day.”  There will also be a coordinating home-dec cotton line perfect for outfitting the nursery or bedroom, a quilt panel, and a border pattern with stripes of wind-up fishies and baby bot turtles.

Here’s a photo of us with Dan Weidmuller from Blue Hill, right before they won 2nd place for best booth.  Congratulations, Dan!

As far as trade shows go, Quilt Market was laid-back, full of eye-candy, busy and bustling and and everyone there was just downright nice.  Mom and I enjoyed just strolling the aisles and being inspired to make new things.  Here are some cozy little acorns and baby blossoms by HandBEHG Felts, and a rustic rainbow wall by Mary Flanagan Woolens.

We were also pleased to meet a few of our favorite designers who we have been following for a few years now.  Tula Pink had a gorgeous alphabet quilt in her booth, and Anna Maria Horner was as warm and friendly in person as she is on her amazing blog.  (Of course, we were so star-struck, that we didn’t think to take out the camera!)

We love working with Blue Hill and can’t wait until we can give you some sneak peaks of these super fun patterns on the actual cotton!