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    Design Outside the Lines Retreats 2023

    Design Outside the Lines Retreats  2023
    Posted on
    Welcoming the New Year!! I’m thrilled to announce our DESIGN OUTSIDE THE LINES RETREATS and guest teachers for 2023! Plans are underway to welcome 4 talented guest teachers who will join...

    The O’Keeffe: BELTED CoatDress

    The O’Keeffe: BELTED CoatDress
    Posted on 1 comment
      Whether it’s a vest layer or a 3/4 coatdress, this is a favorite year-round, garment design! With a collection of O’Keeffe's in my wardrobe,  I’m already dreaming of more...

    New Mexico Inspired Design-

    New Mexico Inspired Design-
    Posted on 30 comments
    Just back from New Mexico for the Sept retreat there in Taos…..I am still feeling the change of seasons, hint of sage in the air and cool crisp mornings. Listening...

    The O'Keeffe Coatdress Pattern

    The O'Keeffe Coatdress Pattern
    Posted on 1 comment
    The high desert of Northern New Mexico has inspired many artists including Georgia O’Keeffe. I imagine her stepping out into that expansive landscape, painting satchel in hand, wearing her iconic...

    August Stencil Sale - 20% OFF STENCILS AUGUST 1ST - AUGUST 15TH

    August Stencil Sale - 20% OFF STENCILS AUGUST 1ST - AUGUST 15TH
    Posted on 1 comment
    AUGUST STENCIL SALE 20%off Aug.1-15th Time to hit the refresh button on your fabric printing? Fill in your stencil collection with our Aug Stencil Sale! Wanna join me in the...

    Summer Time in THE RIVER-

    Summer Time in THE RIVER-
    Posted on
      Easy, light dressing in soft fabrics is what this summer is about. We need simple construction that leaves more time to be outdoors and deep breathing in nature. The River...

    Kantha: REVERSIBLE!

    Kantha: REVERSIBLE!
    Posted on 4 comments
    I’m in love with my new shirt!!!  It started out as a kantha throw (106”x86”) and after working the puzzle to create a reversible garment, there is only one  3”x 5”...

    New Stencils-The  Africa Collection

    New Stencils-The  Africa Collection
    Posted on 1 comment
    New stencils, fresh off my design board, are inspiring new ways to play and create. The beauty of a collection is that there are so many creative directions to play with Uganda, Warrior...

    Collaboration: MAKING together in 2022

    Collaboration: MAKING together in 2022
    Posted on 3 comments
      1 Pattern=  COAT •  VEST  •  SHIRT The process of working with one pattern creates challenges I enjoy. Smart sewing means doing more with everything... so let's start the New...

    Making by Hand: Small Offerings

    Making by Hand: Small Offerings
    Posted on 1 comment
                                                A Tea Cozy- Some days we just need...

    FALL Design: Scarves

    FALL Design: Scarves
    Posted on 1 comment
    Fall came as we gathered in the studio at Mabel Dodge in Taos. It was a glorious week of inspiration in the high desert of New Mexico for our first Design Outside...

    PANTS: 1 Pattern = 3 Designs

    PANTS: 1 Pattern = 3 Designs
    Posted on 3 comments
    My Capitola Pant Pattern (PAPER) is a winner and the perfect choice for these 3 Fall variations. To get the fit you want, start by taking a few measurements of your favorite comfy pants. How...

    Undershirts=Summer Wearing

    Undershirts=Summer Wearing
    Posted on 2 comments
                   SUMMER Wearing=Undershirts + Mini River Tunics. You have seen some of my layering River Tunics in the last Journal Posts. Here are some tips...

    SUMMER WHITES: The Shrug & The ReMake

    SUMMER WHITES: The Shrug & The ReMake
    Posted on 5 comments
    'Once upon a time....there was a new stash of beautiful fabrics and trims shared by friends from all over the land. It was not the end, but another beginning.   Inspired by...

    Summer Layers-

    Summer Layers-
    Posted on 2 comments
      By now, you know I am all about the River Tunic. My favorite silhouettes are the ones I know I will continue to make every season- in every fabric,...

    Expanding on a Summer Theme: WRAP-JEWELRY- BAG

    Expanding on a Summer Theme: WRAP-JEWELRY- BAG
    Posted on
    Okay, I still have Cicada design love in me! ....and I want to share some cool ways to create more with one, favorite stencil design. Surface design is very personal...and stenciling can...

    CICADAS: Brood 10 in Oregon

    CICADAS: Brood 10 in Oregon
    Posted on 1 comment
    Brood 10, the Cicadas that appear in the eastern United States seem to have landed here! This shrug, started with the River Tunic Pattern and is a fun, timely piece to step out in. If you...

    Quick Summer Tunics-

    Quick Summer Tunics-
    Posted on 16 comments
    One of my favorite garments to wear are these quick relaxed fit tops! Usually linen or soft cotton in the summer. Just fun to stitch one up and pair with a drapey pant...

    Welcome back Cicadas!!

    Welcome back Cicadas!!
    Posted on
    I never got to share the last pair of toddler pants I printed with Cicadas.... so as they make their way to the surface again....here is a fresh pair with some how-to...

    My Spring Linen Jacket-

    My Spring Linen Jacket-
    Posted on 4 comments
    This IS my new favorite jacket in my ongoing Make a Wardrobe from Scratch project this year. ReMake is attracting more of us daily-sometimes we intuitively know what works and what doesn’t....

    I-Ching for the Garden-

    I-Ching for the Garden-
    Posted on 1 comment
    The I-Ching Working Vest-  I love the strip ticking for a canvas weight I-Ching Vest. The pattern is available in PDF and Paper. It is perfect for gardening or workshop time. The combination of...

    KANTHA!

    KANTHA!
    Posted on 6 comments
    Kantha, literally ‘patched cloth’, is traditionally made and stitched in workshops of women in India, Bengali and other countries in that region. A testament to our passion for making something...

    The Paisley: New Stencil

    The Paisley: New Stencil
    Posted on 2 comments
    New! In my collection=The Paisley Stencil.  You may have heard me say, ‘HOW you print  is just as important as WHAT you print’…Let’s explore that idea with the new Paisley...

    MARCH - Stitching a Night Sky

    MARCH - Stitching a Night Sky
    Posted on 3 comments
      And so it is….the Year of the Ox begins. I'm ready for the world to unfold for us all in this new year!!!  Time for a new jacket, celebrating the spring, to wrap...

    CAWFS- Blue Flannel Shirt

    CAWFS- Blue Flannel Shirt
    Posted on 4 comments
    Doesn’t everyone need a flannel shirt?…and I’m talkin’ GOOD flannel. Remember: Garment sewing is all about the fabric that feels good to wear. This beautiful collection of blue flannels is...

    Birthday Garments: Celebrating Color

    Birthday Garments: Celebrating Color
    Posted on 5 comments
     INSPIRATION: From my photo library, some armchair traveling reminds me how much I enjoyed the visual delights of downtown Denver. The collage below is a combo of photos and fabrics...and...

    Creating a Wardrobe from Scratch: #3 River Tunic T

    Creating a Wardrobe from Scratch: #3 River Tunic T
    Posted on 1 comment
    Tee Shirts and knit tunics are at the top of my new Creating a Wardrobe From Scratch list! The River Tunic Pattern is my 'go to' for Tee Shirts. The...

    Creating a Wardrobe from Scratch: #2 Coat

    Creating a Wardrobe from Scratch: #2 Coat
    Posted on 1 comment
    Needing a warm, easy to make, coat I could throw on anytime for walks & daily life…this one nails it!!  My coat started with a piece of washed and dried jacquard woven wool and...

    JANUARY 2021 NEWSLETTER : Calling in 2021 on A Wing 'N A Prayer

    JANUARY 2021 NEWSLETTER : Calling in 2021 on A Wing 'N A Prayer
    Posted on 21 comments
                     There has never been just one way to MAKE calling me- As makers, that love affair with what is sensuous in our hands, drawing us farther...

    JAN- Journal Post: Making a Wardrobe from Scratch-

    JAN- Journal Post: Making a Wardrobe from Scratch-
    Posted on 11 comments
    I have begun. The once daunting task of making a new wardrobe has now settled into me as an interesting adventure. I look forward to my clothing being an expression...

    DECEMBER 2020 NEWSLETTER: A Winter Of Making: Soup & Clothes

    DECEMBER 2020 NEWSLETTER: A Winter Of Making: Soup & Clothes
    Posted on
    ‘I’ve been thinking about you today--imagining what you're sewing so your closet looks like you.’ ...... This email…from my childhood friend, Cynthia Thomas,  reminded me I need a wardrobe! ...a bit overwhelming at...

    Design Ideas with SCISSOR Fabric-

    Design Ideas with SCISSOR Fabric-
    Posted on
    Scissors were finding their way into my work this past summer. These favorite tools, now a memory, can now show up in your sewing projects too!  Here are some ways to...

    NOVEMBER 2020 NEWSLETTER: My Perfect Life

    NOVEMBER 2020 NEWSLETTER:  My Perfect Life
    Posted on
    I woke knowing there was a new ladder in me. Trusting the instinct, I made one last trip to the ashes with saw in hand. Cutting, I hoped somehow the ladder...

    The Red Bike - Revisited

    The Red Bike - Revisited
    Posted on 3 comments
    This dynamic fabric combo really plays well combined with one of the Red Bike Panels. Combined with linens and denims, the linen/cotton canvas panel is a great weight for a...

    OCTOBER 2020 NEWSLETTER: 'MAKING' My Way

    OCTOBER 2020 NEWSLETTER: 'MAKING' My Way
    Posted on 1 comment
    Transformation definitely builds our creativity. We are all launching into Fall  with various emotions about a summer and so many people lost to Covid. The impact of continuing natural disasters are exhausted all...

    AUGUST 2020 NEWSLETTER : Shadows on the Wing

    Posted on
     Shadows on the Wing As this butterfly landed, in just the right light… she opened her wings and gave us something unexpected. It's probably happened before, maybe lots of times….but...

    July/Aug NL

    July/Aug NL
    Posted on
             WOOD has carved deep roots through generations of my Swedish family.   In that proud tradition of makers….the women have always created textiles, in all the Scandinavian...

    July/Aug -Working in WOOD

    July/Aug -Working in WOOD
    Posted on 17 comments
    Wood has carved deep roots through generations of my Swedish family. I have always been a 'stick' person...collecting special ones and finding ways to integrate them into my daily life....

    JUNE 2020 NEWSLETTER : HOME

    JUNE 2020 NEWSLETTER : HOME
    Posted on 5 comments
                       Home IS our personal shelter Right now, I am celebrating the places in myself that are unfolding as I appreciate HOME....

    HOME Stencil: 3 Design Tips for Printing a Shirt

    HOME Stencil: 3 Design Tips for Printing a Shirt
    Posted on 28 comments
    'DESIGNING with a stencil  is when you take it farther than just printing a design'.  Here are 3 Design Tips that can change your work: Starting with a solid color...

    The Duplex Apron Pattern

    The Duplex Apron Pattern
    Posted on 4 comments
                                 +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ A new pattern always inspires lots of ideas and directions to create! Here are some...

    May: Inspired by Monet

    May: Inspired by Monet
    Posted on 3 comments
    The Monet Show, at the Denver Art Museum last year, was a memorable highlight. Room after room, unveiling colorful, textured canvases in perfect lighting, all illustrating the life of passionate painter, Claude Monet. I love the...

    APRIL 2020 NEWSLETER: YOUR CREATIVITY NOW

    APRIL 2020 NEWSLETER: YOUR CREATIVITY NOW
    Posted on 11 comments
    Your Creativity Now- ‘New Design grows from discovering fresh inspiration & engaging it in innovative ways’, Diane Questions to Spark our Making Process: Notice the unexpected: What catches your eye? It...

    APRIL:Thank-You Mr Finch!!!

    APRIL:Thank-You Mr Finch!!!
    Posted on 6 comments
    Thank you Mr Finch! …and thank you Selvedge!  Looking out the window for any movement of time....the Selvedge Newsletter is a welcome sight. Here in Southern Oregon, it is the perfect...

    MARCH 2020 NEWSLETTER- UFO sightings!

    MARCH 2020 NEWSLETTER- UFO sightings!
    Posted on 3 comments
      Not everything is meant to be a finished product. There are different reasons to make!!!  All of the projects waiting...waiting to be recycled, dismantled, finished or re-visioned! Our CREATIVITY is...

    March- Inspired By: A Linen Shirt

    March- Inspired By: A Linen Shirt
    Posted on 8 comments
    March UFO Sightings-  Yes, I have many many projects in a state of ‘in process’….Spring is a great time to revisit what moves forward and what goes away. Here is...

    FEBRUARY 2020 NEWSLETTER

    FEBRUARY 2020 NEWSLETTER
    Posted on
    Panatone Color of the Year or not....see how my new BLUE ReMake is changing up my end-of-winter wardrobe in my Feb.Blog. February Patten Bundle Special-  Spark your spring sewing and refresh...

    Feb. INSPIRED BY!: BLUE

    Feb. INSPIRED BY!: BLUE
    Posted on 5 comments
    ReMake meets Fabric Stash….My design work this month is inspired by my never-ending love of Blue! As you may know, Panatone is calling in 2020 as the year of a beautiful...

    INSPIRED BY: Denver

    INSPIRED BY: Denver
    Posted on 20 comments
    I've been exploring historic, inspiring downtown Denver, Colorado. It is influencing new direction in my work. The charming architecture, a blend of old and new, is very cool! It was the seed for...

    DECEMBER 2019 NEWSLETTER

    DECEMBER 2019 NEWSLETTER
    Posted on 1 comment
    Studio time is part of the holiday season. I've been finishing the year designing & sewing with one of my favorite fabrics: Kantha Cloth. Any pattern can be a canvas for new design...

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