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!

After reading Ellen’s post about perfume-making, I was wafted back to a happy scented memory from childhood. I had the chicken pox or the measles … something that itched. I scratched and I whined. I had even tired of my favorite “when-sick-at-home” tv program, Leave It To Beaver. I languished on the sofa, pitiful. In an attempt to keep my hands busy and not scratching, my parents presented me with the most perfect get-well-present-ever … my very own official no-kidding “Make Your Own Perfume Kit.” At that moment, through my eyes, mom and dad suddenly became even more wonderful than Ward and June Cleaver.

The box seemed huge. (Although today I’m guessing that it was about the same size as a Candyland box.) Inside were thousands (okay, probably tens) of bottles and dobbers and all things needed to make your very own perfume. It was like a floral candy factory and I was Cathy Wonka!

And, to my parents’ delight, it kept me busy for days. I became a mad scientist of perfumery. I created every blend imaginable, and then some. Labels were provided, so I could design the packaging and name my inventive aroma blends: Geranium Girl, Smell The Daisies, Cathy’s Love Potion. To this day, when I smell certain sweet smells, I am transported to the short time in my life when I was a prolific and successful perfume manufacturer.

When my chicken pox (or measles) finally went away, it was perfect timing. The oils, bottles, cottons and labels provided were all gone. I was ready to share my discoveries with the world. Off I went to third grade … smelling like a garden!

Do you have a memory of a favorite game or present you received as a child? If so, please share it with us. And, you might want to share the link with the person who gave it to you … perhaps he or she will be surprised and delighted that a little something given has remained a part of the fabric of your life all this time.

And, if you need a distraction for a sick little gal, you can buy a kit full of scented surprises here or here. (Caution: You may have to put your little inventor in the backyard to “air out” from time to time.)

A fast, indulgent listen, packed with steaming concrete nouns and adjectives that you normally don’t find printed next to each other in a line, The Perfect Scent also contains a healthy dose of celebrity gossip.  After listening to Chandler Burr, former perfume critic for the New York Times, and curator of the Department of Olfactory Art at the Museum of Arts and Design, write about smells and the decisions involved in putting together two big-name commercial perfumes, you feel full – like you’ve consumed a huge olfactory meal, flipped through a bunch of women’s fashion magazines, and rubbed your forearm across every adhesive perfume advertisement while you were at it.

I was listening to most of this while printing some etchings, and as it progressed, the entire studio seemed to become more and more saturated – with not just smell, but color, and texture, as well.  It will remind you to notice the everyday materials of life, and at the same time, replenish your stock of oddball scientific facts that can be excellent conversation-starters.  For example, if you didn’t already know what it was, just look up ambergris…

The only thing I regretted while listening, was not being able to actually smell the molecules he was describing – especially the two perfumes that the story followed from concept to completion.  So, for sharing this dessert-like read with others, I would recommend The Perfect Scent boxed set (which you can make yourself with an empty box, some elastic, and a trip to The Perfumed Court online, where you will find sample sets of perfume in 1 mL vials with titles like, “Fig: A Beginners Guide of 7 sample fragrances).  The story features Sarah Jessica Parker’s Lovely, and Un Jardin Sur le Nil by Hermès, but the site also sells sample packs divided by the “nose” behind the manufacturers’ fragrances, in which case, you would want the Jean Claude Ellena sampler (the nose behind Hermès).  This would be an excellent book to read while camping out on industrial carpet next to a duty-free shop during a six-hour layover in an international airport.  Or if you’re at home, you might just want to take a field trip to Sephora…

Lately, when I run into friends, they ask me (with a bit of caution), “So, how is the empty nesting going?” I thought my answer would be, “It’s so very sad. I sob every time I hear Miley Cirus singing Butterfly Fly Away.” I had imagined that our lives without our precious children all around might look something like this:

Since we began our new empty nesting phase, these are the new sentences we have actually found popping into our conversations:

Earlier this week, our last little gal, who is now in college, (the one who made the nest officially empty) sent us a link to this video in an email that read, “Here are you and Dad as empty nesters.” Well, most of you have probably seen this video, as I read that it has been viewed by 7.3 million viewers, so far. But I just have to share it again, because this adorable couple will bring a smile to your day. If this is where empty nesting takes you, then we are very excited to be on our way!

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!

This summer, a handsome cardinal couple built a nest right in front of our kitchen window, while a petite set of “little birds” built their abode near the walkway to the front door. We watched them prepare the homes for their little ones, patiently sit on the eggs, and protectively cheep at us as we passed by. Then, one by one, they encouraged their little hatchlings to leave their nests and cautiously fly out into the big wide world.

We were particularly touched by the circle of life happening in our yard, because we are about to watch our last little hatchling leave the nest … and I don’t think I’m going to be quite as good at it as the mama birds that live in our trees. But, I’m going to try to take their parenting techniques to heart when I arrive at the college gates. For example, when the little bird babies left the nest, they first latched on to the bricks about 8 feet off the ground, and sort of just held on for dear life, because 8 feet below was a hard, cold, solid concrete sidewalk. The mama bird did not stand under them to catch them, but rather perched herself at some distance and cheeped something loudly and clearly in bird language, while the little ones were clinging to the wall with all their little birdie strength … I’m almost certain she was saying, “you can do it … I know you can … you can do it … let go with your feet … use your wings … keep going … keep going … look! You did it!” And, off they flew.

So that’s my plan. I learned that in a few days, I will need to step back and cheep encouraging words loudly from afar, as I watch my little gal spread her wings. I’ll let you know if it works. I have a funny feeling that the cheeping will really need to be directed to me, as I try to take this last flight. Wish me luck.

Here are the nests that we found after our feathered-friends had finished their child-rearing phase. Both, our cardinal couple and our “little bird” couple, were gifted architects. This first nest belonged to the cardinal family, and yes, sadly, one little egg didn’t make it to birdhood, but, fortunately we saved it from Neville who had his eye on it. (It’s not that he is a malicious dog … he’s just a dog, and this egg sort of looked like a puppy-treat to him.) We were also intrigued by the fact that Mr. and Ms. Cardinal had actually celebrated the manmade material we call plastic, and blended it with the local natural materials to a very pleasing effect.

When we began to transplant the second nest created by the Little-Bird couple, we encountered a surprise. As we pulled the leaf canopy aside, under which the nest was hidden, it was not one nest, but two! A duplex! We were all very impressed with the overachieving Little-Bird couple. I guess they just wanted to show the neighbors that they could keep up with the Cardinals … and then some.

Below are a few pictures taken from time to time, as we watched Mr. and Mrs. Little-Bird deal with all the challenges of parenting: building a stylish, yet affordable home, finding food, not enough water (drought), too much water (sprinkler system), and protecting eggs from predators (the curious Heck family). Here are a few lessons we learned from our feathered friends as the weeks went by:

1) Keep your eggs warm and safe, except when scary predators come by, (like camera-carrying-artists) then cleverly fly away from nest to draw attention elsewhere and cheep loudly to scare them away. Return to egg-protecting duties. Repeat as necessary.

2) Feed hungry babies with healthy fruits and vegetables and occasional sugar cereal and gummi worms. Although the healthy foods will keep them strong, they will always remember the sugar cereal vacations!

3) When it’s time for babies to fly, demonstrate technique and move away. Encourage with loud cheeping from nearby perch. Baby birds may say, “I can’t do this,” but mom and dad birds say, “We know you can. Keep trying.”

4) Watch babies take flight and feel like proud parent birds. Then, brag about it with loud cheeping to everyone that passes by. Then, go take a nap … that was hard work!

So those were my lessons from our very smart bird family, and I am hoping I will be able to follow their wisdom in a few days. Wish me luck.

And, that’s the end to my little summer bird saga … with the biggest lesson learned: enjoy every minute of your nesting, it goes by so very fast.

While the California studio was working on Tuesday, the Austin studio was having a brief brush with fame. Our house, which is a casual, kid-and-dog-friendly abode, became a hip, mid-century home for a scene in an upcoming ABC Family TV show, The Lying Game. Everyone was all a-twitter, especially Neville, our beloved mutt, who, as many of you know, is a talented fella. (Here is a taste of his crooning when he was but a pup!) When he heard that a film crew would be here, he immediately started practicing his talent, in hopes that a part could be written into the script just for him. He imagined his scene might go something like this:

Camera pulls back. Handsome dog (from uncertain background much like the mysterious past of the twin-girl characters in The Lying Game) begins to look imploringly at Sutton, the rich twin high-school girl who is reading a magazine in the kitchen.

Neville: (thinking to himself) Can this really be Sutton? (He sniffs her Gucci scarf.) What? This is not Sutton. This is an imposter! (Just to be sure, he begins to display his crooning talent, knowing that the real Sutton would praise him, hug him and feed him steak bites.) But, this girl, this so-called Sutton, is not impressed.

Sutton: Be quiet, dog.

Neville (shocked by her disinterest) lowers his head with remorse and whispers softly: Woof.

Sutton’s father enters: Hm. I’ve never seen Neville act this way. What’s going on Sutton?

(The plot thickens.) Neville gives Sutton a heart-broken glance as he exits camera right.

Cut. Print.

Of course, that was just Neville’s dream. In real life, he was actually sent to doggy day care, to avoid the possibility of a stray bark in the midst of a cliff-hanging scene. But, we did take a few pictures, so Nevs could see what he missed while he was at the “spa.”

The most impressive aspect about our day was observing the large number of talented technicians, directors, producers and actors that it took to put together about 2.5 minutes of television-watching pleasure. Here are a few glimpses. (We were trying to stay out from under all these feet, so I just have a few peeks into our afternoon in Hollywood, Texas.

Above top left clockwise: 1.The first to come in were the lighting technicians. 2. Our entry became a “video village” when it wasn’t being used as an entry. 3. A cameraman in the study, where we will watch the first episode. (We might even have to have a Lying Game party … I wonder what to serve? Liar’s lemonade, fib figs with prosciutto, deceptive donuts … you know how I love a theme.) 4. This giant tube is called ‘the worm’ and it is probably one of the most important pieces of equipment of all … it supplies quiet air conditioning, which is much needed when the lights are on and the loud air conditioning is off. 5. Another video village is hurriedly set up in our kitchen before the sun sets.

Above top left clockwise: 1. I love this shot of our gal watching, while trying to blend in with the woodwork. 2. Here are two of the actors taking direction. Mads was played by Alice Greczyn and Eduardo was Rick Malambri. All of the actors, by the way, were not only pretty and handsome, but polite and friendly. (I am inspired to teach Neville the importance of manners if he becomes the famous crooning dog he hopes to be.) 3. The actor who was the pretend-owner of our house, Alec Rybak, was played by Adrian Pasdar. Here he is in costume looking over his lines. 4. This was a remote video set-up in a back bedroom. It was odd to see the high-tech equipment sitting in front of our bookcase full of children’s books, topped with Winnie-the-Pooh bookends. Hey, wait a minute, Baby Bot, what are you doing there? Oh, I forgot you had your eye on the world of video. 5. Going over a scene with Rick, this is the director, Elodie Keene, who calmly directed all involved in the midst of the controlled chaos.

So, that’s a little peek into a few minutes of television fun. The good news is that our house was returned to its former kid-and-dog-friendly self within about 20 minutes of the last shot. Everything is back to normal … well, almost everything … Neville is still a little upset that he didn’t get the part of Sutton’s faithful dog. I told him that with a crooning gift like his, he might be better suited for a part on Glee. (Don’t you think Kurt needs a crooning dog, and Nevs could even save him from a life-threatening accident like Lassie. Grab a writer. Let’s do lunch.)

Be sure to watch the first episode of The Lying Game on August 15 at 8pm CST, on the ABC Family channel, so you know what’s going on by the time our house shows up about four episodes later! (Cathy puts moviestar sunglasses back on and exits blog, camera left.)