I've been looking forward to February 21st for a very long time. Its's the release date for Crafty Chloe, my new picture book. Crafty Chloe is about a little girl who wears a glue gun holster (sometimes) made from a paper cup and sews outifts for her slightly chubby dog, Bert. She tends to overcommit herself. She is prone to tiny the mood swings that every artiste must endure. She is delightfuly imperfect, and dresses herself in what one recent reviewer referred to as "free to be me" outfits. That's my fault, those outfits. I'm so hoping that you love her as much as I do.

Somewhere along the way the books author, Kelly DiPucchio, and I decided that Chloe would need her own crafts blog, where she could share kid-friendly craft projects and inspiration. Lucky for us Chrissy, our genius publicist over at Simon and Schuster, (get ready for a small world moment) is a weekend sewing workshop alum! She had even taken a class with me over at Purl Soho a million years ago! Chrissy made sure that Chloe got her own blog, and I've been working furiously on some fun craft projects for it.It goes live on Tuesday, stop back by for a link and some other really fun stuff, including some limited edition signed prints from the book in the online shop and a few give-aways.

And if you get the Hallmark channel, tune in to the Martha Stewart Show on Tuesday. I'll be making a project from the book. OK, now I have to go find something wear... last time I was on the show I was five months pregnant and nearly passed out from the exhaustion of trying to find something that fit me. %^$%! Valentines Day chocolates!

Photoshop for Fabric Design, New York, April, SOLD OUT

Weekend Sewing Workshop, New York, May 11-13 with Liesl and Heather, SOLD OUT

Weekend Sewing Workshop, Blueberry Hill Inn, Vermont, with Heather and Liesl, June 29th-July 1 JUST FOUR SPOTS LEFT! ONE SINGLE, THREE SHARED!

Weekend Sewing Workshop, New York, October 19-21, FIVE SPOTS LEFT!

For more information visit our workshops page. Register here.

Anna Maria and Raven zipping at the Ace, Palm Springs

I set out to design a print around the Nursery Rhyme "Itsy Bitsy Spider", which was one of my babies first favorites. I wanted the composition to have that same "up and down" feel that the song does, and I wanted my spider to be chubby (yet itsy bitsy) and mostly eyeballs, so that he wouldn't freak anybody out. I've been obsessed with the combinations of citron and yellow against taupe and gray, which, turns out, is a prety perfect little boy color story. The results are below. Give it to me straight, would you put this print in your baby boy's room? 

This print is the first of several that I have developed recently that began with solving the puzzle of composition and repeat rather than with an illustration or character. The surprising lesson here, for me, was that this is a great way to build a print that feels more graphic and geometrical, and as a result, more fit for boys. I'm curious to know what you all think....

And if you want to learn more about my method of fabric design, we still have two spots left in the second Photoshop for Fabric Design workshop in New York in April. You need not be an expert in Photoshop to take this workshop, we use only the simplest tools within the application and everyone will work on their own designs at their own pace.

Now back to those chubby, soggy spiders....

You can use our registration form to reserve a spot. We invoice you for 65% of the fee once we've got you confirmed.

Here are the details and some FAQ!

Weekend Sewing Workshop with Heather Ross & Friends

New York City, 2012

$675

Spring Session: May 11-13

Fall Session: October 19-21

Workshops begin Friday at 6pm and end at 3 pm on Sunday

New York City 

Join Heather Ross and her crafty-genius friends for two + days of sewing, shopping, eating yummy food, and general crafty fun. Our hosts are The Sewing Studio, whose beautiful workspaces are located in the heart of the garment district.

About the Workshop

Workshops schedules are focussed on open sewing labs led by our guest teachers. We provide machines and basic tools, plus expert instruction and loads of encouragement. Bring your sewing projects, we’ll help you make them a success. Guest teacher led mini-workshops are offered as well, and are optional. We also host special presentations by designers and other industry professionals, and optional field trips to garment district favorites like Mood Fabrics, M & J Trim and Tinsel Trading, and the FIT bookstore and museum. Workshoppers can work on their own projects at their own pace with assistance from a pro or join a group-sew or other tutorial. Guest teachers to be announced, past teachers include Liesl Gibson, Denyse Schmidt, Jay Maccarroll, Gretchen Hirsch, Lotta Jansdotter, and Anna Maria Horner. Every level is welcome!

Weekend Sewing Workshop, NYC FAQ

What’s Included?

Two full days of Workshops, which include guest teacher instruction and optional guided field trips in the garment district. Sewing machine and basic tools and materials are also provided. Workshop fee also includes a Friday night “welcome” event, plus a a healthy breakfast and yummy lunch on Saturday and Sunday. We will also be organizing an optional group dinner for Saturday night. Workshop packages don’t include accommodations, but we have arranged some very convenient and well priced options for every budget (shared rooms start at $125 a night) including a great deal right next door to the sewing studio. Or stay wherever you like! The Sewing Studio is walking distance from Penn Station and near many subway lines.

Can I come on my own? 

Absolutely! Most of our participants come on their own, and quickly make friends or do their own thing. The days are very jam packed and we do everything as a group, so you won’t have to worry about not knowing anyone when you arrive. Workshoppers have also brought friends, sisters, new in-laws, bridal parties, long lost high school home-ec buddies, mothers, daughters, and more. We have just one rule: everybody has to wear their name-tag until lunchtime on Saturday. And don’t worry, Heather makes cute name-tags.

What will I need to bring with me?

Usually we tell people to bring lots of fabric and ideas, plus some patterns. We love helping people tackle projects that seem slightly out of reach or helping to fit a dress pattern so that it’s just right. We always supply a big bolt of muslin for testing patterns, and we have lots of sharp scissors because we know you can’t bring your s on the plane. We also try to keep treats on hand. New York has more fabric than it knows what to do with, so for this workshop you really just need a toothbrush and comfy shoes. Actually, there is a drug store on every corner, so maybe just bring the shoes.

How do I sign up?

You can register here. We ask for a deposit of 65% of the workshop fee up front, with balance due 60 days prior to the workshop start date. We don’t invoice you or charge your card until we have confirmed your spot, but we do ask for a credit card number to reserve the spot.

What Happens if I need to Cancel?

If you have to cancel we will do our best to fill your spot and refund your fee. This usually works if we have lots of notice, but gets tougher as the start date nears and is almost impossible to arrange last minute.

If you think you want a spot, let us know pronto! Most workshops fill up quickly!

View Weekend Sewing Workshop Map in a larger map

Here are some of the things I'm especially looking forward to...

I've got a new picture book coming out in a month. Its about a crafty little girl named Chloe. She was brought to life by Kelly DiPucchio, the very talented (and NY Times bestselling) author that I am so proud to have been teamed up with. The book officially arrives in stores next month. I'll be taking pre-orders here on this site for signed (and scribbled in, and sketched in) copies soon, proceeds to benefit my favorite local after school arts program. Here's a little sneak peek:

Chloe even has her own (affordable) fabric line coming out. Its all about safety scissors and sock monkeys and pony rides. Its pretty adorable. And the best news? Its on quilting cotton. I can't say more than that yet, but I'll be going on and on about it soon. She's also been begging for her own Crafts Blog for kids, and it looks like Simon and Schuster (her grandparents, if you will) are going to give it to her. 

Next up is my new line for Kokka. I haven't been so excited about a collection for a while, probably because I've shifted into new territory, focussing on nursery rhymes and fables. There were so many things I wanted to try, but in the end I went with "This Little Piggy", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", and "City Mouse, Country Mouse". I showed some artwork from "City Mouse Country Mouse" a few weeks ago, here is a swatch from "This Little Piggy" and it's corresponding postage stamp cheater quilt print:

The line will be launched at Quilt Market (by Kokka) in May and will be in stores this summer. I'll be offering some prints on paper to match in my online shop. I'm really wanting to offer all of the little piggies as separate framed small pieces, designed to be hung all in a row. Does that seem ridiculous? You can tell me. I really agonized over the piggy who stayed home. should he have been doing to crossword?  A puzzle seemed like more of an all-nighter. 

And in July I have a brand new crafts book coming out. Its another Melanie Falick book, and it was so much fun to work on. The book is all about fabric design and digital printing (on paper, on fabric, and on wallpaper) and includes twenty projects that I couldn't be more proud of. Did you know that you can print anything you want on rice paper and make  a hanging lantern out of it? Or a string of lights? YOU CAN. Did you know that you can have just about anything printed on wallpaper? YOU CAN. But if you you would rather use my artwork, you can use one of the forty plus prints (a combination of old favorites and new designs) that are included on the disc in the back of the book....

Photo by John Gruen

And then there are the Weekend Sewing Workshops, which are so much fun to run. We love having so many of you come back again and again, these weekends feel a little like reunions to us now and we can't wait to see who signs up for what.

We will be announcing (as soon as this week!) a new set of New York City Workshops that are formatted very differently from the last pair. This time we want to welcome locals as well as visitors, so we are offering a package that does not include accommodations. We know that a lot of folks asked for this last year so we decided to try to make it happen. We also lengthened the days and shrunk the class sizes, to fully maximize our New York City time. There are still a few spots left at Blueberry Hill in July and in the Photoshop fabric design classes in April, surprisingly, but the new NYC weekends are sure to fill up very fast so keep an eye on the twitter feed this week if you want a spot! 

I'm looking forward to this year very much and am so thrilled to get to share some of it with so many of you!

Happy 2012, Heather

Have the merriest of holidays and a marvelous 2012!

Love, Heather

The line isn't completely finished yet, but hopefully Kokka will agree with me about these little mice and the postage stamp cheater quilt print. The line will launch at Quilt Market in May and be in stores by early summer. I'll keep you posted!

PS: yes, of COURSE, there are city mice too!