Ab Fab Mirror Ball Blog Hop Giveaway & Contest. Comment to win!

Welcome to my stop on the

Can I get you a cup of tea while I warm mine up?

Sugar or milk?

Get cozy because I’m excited to share my challenge project {and process} with you. Just be sure to leave a comment on this post to enter to win the giveaway of 5 Mirror Ball Dot FQ’s & a Mirror Ball Dot color swatch card. {jealous} Challenge? Yes! These are our hop parameters; select 4 fat quarters of the new Mirror Ball Dot collection and 3 quarter yards of Cotton Couture. Next? Well, get to work! Get your crafty Mirror Ball Dot make on.

And we did, folks.

Thankfully this wasn’t just limited to quilters, ’cause you know I’d be out of the running. So when I saw we had full permission to work 3D, I had to throw my hat in the ring. Ahem. Ab Fab‘s bold intro inspired my color choices, neon shades of Citron, Clementine and Citrus accented by cool turquoise-y Luna and Lagoon. Here’s how it went down.

First I tore it all apart.

Then I pieced it back together.

Strip by strip.

Fusing the layered and frayed strips together with a nice heavyweight interfacing. Leaving the raw, feathery edges free as contrast to the crisp, chic shimmery dots. This shimmery dot fabric has an amazing feel, and the pearlescent dots give it a bit more structure than traditional quilting cotton. When finished, it retains a crisp look, with body and resiliency that resists all sorts of handling and wear. Plus, it’s got a little flash and who among us doesn’t have a bit of seagull in them?

At this point, I was already head over heels with this bright, summery, circus tent look. But I heard Tim Gunn whispering in my ear, “Make it work!” Get a move on, girl. This dreamy Saturday morning isn’t going to last forever.

So I stitched and I stitched and I stitched.

And now I’m in love.

The best part?

I get to wear it.

You know what? Patsy might even love this hat. If not, Eddie would sport it in some ungainly manner, much like myself. But it’s not about how you look, it’s how you feel.

Eddie: What do you see when you look in the mirror, darling?
Patsy: Me looking fabulous. What do you see?

Think you’d like to give it a try?

This hat was made with my Over the Top Sun Hat pattern, it’s an instant PDF download via my handmade shop. The fabulous Mirror Ball Dot fabrics can be found where Michael Miller Fabrics are sold, the Fat Quarter Shop looks pretty stocked. Just rip up the fabrics in 2 dot widths, 1″ wide, layer and fuse to create one fabulous hat. Got questions? Just ask. And if you make one, please, let me know.

Before you go, don’t forget to leave a comment!

You’ll be entered to win your very own fat quarter bundle of shimmery dotted goodness and a color swatch card, to boot! I’ll be drawing the winner {randomly} next Sunday, 6/2. {good luck}

The man behind the mirror | Ab Fab | Free chevron quilt pattern

The Mad Hatter of Maui.

That’s the handle for the man behind the Mirror Ball Dot series. (Or, what I so comfortingly refer to as my stash.)

An interesting and talented character for sure, but what inspired him when it came to the name for this flashy coveted fabric line?

A Jennifer Saunders pilot. Yeah. Edina of AbFab. Somehow that just fits, doesn’t it?

The glam the flash… Somehow I like it even more.

Well, now you’ve got to hear the rest of the story. And when you start humming This Wheel’s on Fire, I’ll chime in.

But first…

Aah. Yes. Lovely, isn’t it?

I’ve been heavy-crushing on the chevy trend for awhile now. And while I’ve never quilted a day in my life (secret’s out!) this may be just the project to put me in the quilty saddle. It’s an Ab Fab chevron quilt pattern by Marinda Stewart. She’s certainly caught my eye with this one.

And speaking of trends,

“Sometimes — okay MANY times – I find that I am ahead of my time when it comes to design. I suppose I must have an innate knack for spotting a hot trend way before it’s even a trend, or perhaps it’s because I have the attention span of a dead flashlight battery and get bored easily – or more accurately it’s probably both.” -Mark Hordyszynski

You’ll want to know more about this Mad Hatter of Maui.

And while you’re reading, you’ll have to guess which of those “quotes from adoring MBD fans” are mine… Ahem.

This wheel’s on fire…

I’ve got some hats to sew, folks!

This Wheel’s On Fire, via YouTube. See the newest Mirror Ball Dot release fabrics from Michael Miller Fabrics here. Photos: Mad Hatter of Maui, Wikipedia

Just in: Shimmery Ribbons

What a beautiful mess.

Looks like a headache, doesn’t it?

Well, for me it’s kind of the perfect excuse. The perfect excuse to sit on the couch with a pile of shimmer dot ribbons beside me. First, I’ll tease out one five yard strand, then carefully wrap it on it’s own stamped card, until they all look like this.

Once the movie’s over and the skinny million little threads are picked up, it’s time to put them in the shop.

Aren’t those spring-y colors nice to see? They have me thinking about Easter. Quite a feat considering the foggy, rainy day. : ) If you’d like some, you can find them here.

What’s your perfect excuse to sit?

My Stash Update : Internets are Magic or Three Degrees of Separation

Firstly, just let me say that I love you, internets. Come here, you and let me give you all a big kiss. Secondly, I best clear off some shelf space.

The very day I’m inspired to wax poetic about this lovely shimmery dotted rainbow of a stash of mine. The day I decide to share my persistent collection of a fabric line that’s been discontinued for years. Well, something awesome happened. This same day the designer of this line just happens to comment on my post. Yeah, I know. Kindly responding with something along the lines of, ‘Hey guess what? It’s being re-introduced. Tomorrow!’ And by tomorrow, he meant today.

Instant gratification? Delivered.

Two conclusions:

One, I love the internets! and two, I should have told you about my stash sooner. : )

ALSO: You’ll want to check out these fabrics. With color names like Snow, Silver, Onyx and Rice they might sound like basic shades, but combined with the unusual element of metallic shimmer… Well, you might find yourself wanting to add them to your stash, too.

Click to read the history on My Stash.

My stash.

When it comes to fabric, I’m a bit of a collector. And like most things I have an unreasonable attachment to, ie candy, I find it necessary to have it in comforting amounts. The odd thing is, I don’t always use the stash. But that’s not to say I don’t need it.

Introducing my shimmer dot fabric. You might have come across it in my worthygoods musings. I’ve been amassing this lovely rainbow since coming across 4 bolts of it in our local surplus and salvage store. That was in 2007. I had to have it all. Why? I wasn’t sure, but I did know that it was brilliant. And so. me. My shimmery-bolted rainbow is seriously inspiring. I’m arranging, re-arranging. They manage to put a little tuning fork into the color part of my brain, focusing the tone of whatever I’m working on.

I know, right? In lieu of ‘needing’ this fabric for my then brand-spanking-new shop, I was swiftly buying it up. 8 bolts here, 4 here, 2 here… But just as I opened an account with the manufacturer, it was discontinued. *gasp* Needless to say, I’ve been scouring the internets since. Looking for yardage here and there, for a ‘new’ color I don’t have or one I’m out of, having sewn up into hats or slings.

Funny thing? I’m not the only one. Some one else is desperately searching for more, too. Only she’s gone one step further and actually contacted the designer to inquire about any yardage he might have left to sell. For reals, folks. This is some compelling fiber.

So. What’s your stash look like? Tell me about it and post a link.

Update:

The internets are magic, folks.