Pillows, Pillows, Pillows....

I don't know about you kids, but I LOOOOOVE looking at Pinterest.com and a few Interior Design blogs after a long day. I like seeing all the different designs and colors to inspire me at home. A pillow is an easy way to add a splash of color and personality to a room with out the time investment (or mess) of…say… painting said room.

Luckily for us, Valli & Kim have a Boxed Cushion (pillows) Class February 21st at 10am! You can learn some of the basics then run with it. I hope I see you and all your ideas there! 

For more info:

http://www.valliandkim.com/module/class

Soon, you could start making stuff like this!

Let me Count the Ways~Tutorial

Supplies: 

Fabric-from Valli & Kim (wink wink)

Thread

Tulle

Wonder-Under

Card Stock (5 1/2 x 7 1/2)

1. Pick out some of your favorite fabric….or some scraps you need to use. Then iron the Wonder-Under to the the wrong side of your fabric. (Aprox. 6 x5 inch rectangle)

2. Then draw 6 hearts on the wonder under paper. (I drew a heart on card-stock then cut it out to use as a template). My hearts are about 2 inches across and 1 3/4 inches tall. 

3. I recommend cutting the hearts while the paper back is still on. Trying to draw on the plastic-y Wonder-Under is tough. You can peal the paper back off after the hearts have been cut out.

4. Cut strips of tulle 1 inch wider than the hearts (3 inches wide) and the strips need to be at least 9 inches long. 

5. Sew a long stitch down the center of the tule. Then pull on one thread to gather the tulle along the stitches.

6 Now you'll want to LONG stitch the gathered tulle behind the top three hearts (This is just to keep everything from moving around later) and then trim any excess tulle. 

7. Line up your background hearts on your card with a ruler, then lightly tape them in place.  

8. Now place the top/tulled heart on the background heart. (MAKE SURE THE CARD IS OPEN!!! I accidentally sewed one of mine shut!) Then sew a regular straight stitch down the middle of your heart. Stop just before you get to the end of your first heart to add the next top/tulled heart and keep sewing.

9. Pick out the long stitch and cut any loose threads. 

10. Voilà! You have a Valentine's Card with some PAZAZZ!

By Cassie Grace

This Week's Classes:

Just a quick reminder! We still have some spots left on some upcoming classes. Snatch them up before they're gone! This week: Decorative Pillows, Beginning Quiltmaking  and T-shirt Quilt. Hope to see you there! 

For more details:

http://www.valliandkim.com/classes.htm

Customer Spotlight: Linda Myers

Linda is a longtime customer, and now friend and teacher at Valli & Kim. Linda, like many of you, started sewing early at the age of 10 or so with Barbie clothes and she sewed her own clothes all the way up until high school (until she couldn't stand using her mom's old machine!). Then she picked up needlepoint, knitting and decorative painting. Linda's job (in software development) took her traveling quite a bit and so she got the grand idea to create a slip-cover for those germ-y airplane pillows. This idea spawned her etsy shop. If you're thinking about starting or have an etsy shop, she is the gal to talk to! If fact, her shop kept her so busy for a while that she had to quit her part time job! She's been featured on other blogs like Apartment Therapy for her pillow designs. How cool is that!?  When I asked her what tips she had for etsy shop beginners like me, she said to always look for something new. Linda said that good ideas get copied fast, so with in a few weeks to a few months, your product gets buried by all your copycats. If you want to see more of Linda's work go to http://www.etsy.com/shop/lindylou2 !

Fun Facts

- Current projects include designing new patterns of embroidery and sewing for her etsy shop. 

- Anthropology is a big inspiration for her. Linda likes to drive downtown to the local Anthropology to look at the color of the clothing to get ideas. 

 - Linda is a beginner quilter.

Picker-Upper

I love my picker upper. I'm a gadget girl, a lazy gadget girl. My sewing room has a tile floor (things slide and roll ) and I tend to toss and flip things, including my pins as I'm taking them out of seams. I don't want to bend over or crawl under my desk for a pin so I pull out my handy- dandy extendable PICKER-UPPER to find  my stray pins. I can also find lost office supplies, such as staples, and paper clips, or the random washer in the sand (for you washer players). 

Written by Kim Sessions

Why Valli and Kim is Worth the Drive

…at least for me. 

1. I know they have a great selection of FABRIC. I don't know about you guys, but I can literally feel the difference between Valli & Kim's fabrics as opposed to cheaper stuff at a craft store. I know that what I make is going to stand up to the test of time (or kids). Not to mention fabulous colors and modern patterns!

2. Guterman THREAD. It's a weird obsession, I know. But Coats & Clarks at Walmart just gums up my machine. Yeah, I know you guys are just nodding in agreement with me at home!  But they have other notions as well, scissors, embroidery thread, needles and so on. I just don't need to make a second trip some where else. Its all there!

3. A sense of COMMUNITY. When I first moved to Texas, I didn't know anybody. When I walked into the store, I was instantly embraced liked an old friend. I had felt isolated being new in town, but both Valli and Kim befriended me. They asked me about my project and let me blab on and on. A big grin and hug were just what I needed! 

4. Opportunity to LEARN. I love how many classes they have ALL the time! For beginners and for more experienced gals. It very low key and fun to get to know other ladies who share my obsession with fabric. I've been sewing for about 3 or 4 years, but there is so much more to learn. Kim is a real pro at quilting, so I know I can ask her anything and Valli has a great knack for matching unexpected fabric. 

5. I get so INSPIRED when I walk in. Don't you? There is so much to look at! Quilts hanging from the rafters, totes bunched together like flowers beds,  and notions displayed like jewels. I get so jazzed to start creating, it's hard not to take the whole store home with me! 

I was a goner once I walked in the door, even after the 30 minute drive. After my first trip to Valli & Kim's, I knew I was going to be a lifetime customer. I wonder if it's that Texas hospitality that gets ya…. 

Written By Cassie Grace

Why do you keep coming back to Valli & Kim?

Measure 7 Times, Cut Once…. NO seriously!

I have a ridiculous story. I'm working on a postage stamp quilt (because I lost my mind). It has 3,660 squares and each square is now the grand size of 1 1/2 in by 1 1/2 in unfinished. I'm working from a cross stitch pattern, which means I have no directions or measurements for yardage. I bought fabric on the fly over the course of six months. That means I have more of some fabric colors and less of others…. This sucker has turned into a giant color sudoku puzzle. 

Anyway. I finally had all the fabric I needed and I started cutting them to 2 3/4 inch squares. I sewed 7 blocks together (700 squares) before I realized it was too big. The finished project was going to be 104 in by 104 in!!! That's bigger than a king sized quilt not to mention too difficult to see the design well at that size. So, I spent three full days cutting down every last square including the ones already sewed together. BUT! I'm back on track and it looks great the smaller size. 

The moral of the story here is: Do the math! Double check and "thank goodness for seam rippers!" or… you know, use a real pattern.

By Cassie Grace

Do you have any "cutting twice" disaster stories?

New Classes for the New Year!

We have a great calendar for this year, ladies! I'm so excited. We've got "Beginning Quilting," "How to Make Fabric Embellishments," "Decorative Pillows," and so much more. It's a great way to learn new things or brush up on your current skills, and not to mention a fabulous way to make some new friends! Please check out the calendar on our website!

http://www.valliandkim.com/module/events

We hope to see you soon!

Who is Valli and Kim?

Kim is a fourth generation quilter and Texan. Quilting is simply in her blood. Her sewing skills, at the age of nine, won her a blue ribbon at the 4-H Dress Revue, but it wasn't until her twenties that she got into quilting. She knows all the quilting lingo, so don't be afraid to ask! 

Valli grew up in Colorado, but you'd never know it with her Texas twang. Her fabric obsession also started young, but her formal training and career took her down the path of interior design. She can guide you or inspire you in any designing endeavor with your fabric. 

The two friends with their love of fabric got together, and just over a year ago, opened up "Valli & Kim" on the main drag of Dripping Springs. We are pretty sure it was divine intervention that brought us together (or as Valli says "it was a God thing!"). It is a bright cheery store with great fabric and even better customers.

We hope this blog will inspire and inform you just as much as the store. Stay posted! We will include upcoming classes, tips, reviews and articles, but most of all a fun place to share ideas!

Is there anything you'd like to learn about this year?

Huzzah!

We are now in the blog-o-sphere!