mrr design autumn 2012

MRR Design 

is back from hiatus

Take a peak

at the new line

Autumn 2012

from the front:

preppy dots

wellies

green squiggle

rose and red 

 chevron: multi

chevron: aqua

chevron: orange & navy tory

crowns

kelly green stripe and dot

 blue crab

blue ikat

making waves blue

multi blue stitch

blue dots

blue sea kelp

blue starfish

chevron pink

pink crazy stripe

pink clover

aqua arabesque

aqua pearls

aqua clover

dots and stripes aqua-green

Taking a break...

Two roads diverged in a wood...and I shall take the one less traveled by...

and hope that makes all the difference.

Robert Frost

More Press today.

When it rains, it pours.

Full article here

Thanks Fenella for the terrific article!

Very exciting news - my work has been published...in Sis Boom's new book: Girl's World.

Run out to your favorite book store and get a copy or buy through Sis Boom's website.

Here is a quick peak

voila

The book is chock full of great sewing projects for girls with patterns included and the most beautiful photographs.

Each year MRR DESIGN grows a little more; publication of my work is another notch on the pole. It makes me so happy and proud and is testament to slow and steady wins the race. My race anyway. As I pass the three year mark of the blog, I note that the blog is the tool that ratcheted up the business. The blog allows me to showcase my work, and to communicate with other folks about what inspires me. It motivates me to plow ahead...to stay focused and informed. And to have fun.

Over the years I have done a lot of work with Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom fame. This is Jennifer's first book and I am delighted to be part of it. It is full of how-to projects for all you crafty folks and seamstresses or just plain creative folks. You can see some of the other projects that I did for Jennifer here and here. And while my business is bumping along, Jennifer's is on the speed way. When I first met Jennifer she had two or three sales a year at her house; she got some great press in Country Living and then she got the dream of a lifetime: to design fabric. I think Jennifer has about 8 different fabric collections so far - check out her website. You will recognize many of Jennifer's fabrics on my frames.

My piece is on how-to make a quilted memento board - go to pages 158 - 163 -

and then read the rest of the book.

Spring is my favorite season in NYC. I especially love the trees all over the city with the white blossoms. I am not sure what kind of trees they are, but they are everywhere. This is the East Side; photo taken from the Kips Bay Showhouse. My last apartment in NYC had a wonderful view of flowering trees like this.

And you cannot forget the magnificent tulips on Park Avenue every spring.

This cracked me up!

Or as the newspaper article claimed: "it will have you in stitches"

Photograph credit, KG, fellow Wilton Knitwit, part-time London resident.

My fellow knit wit friend KG, has the knack of tracking down the most interesting knitting, crafting, needlework books and events and such. Just a few weeks ago KG attended the Stitch and Craft show in London where she came across the lovely author Fiona Goble who wrote a Knit Your Own Royal Wedding. The author and her talk were both delightful with amazing knitted royals in attendance as well. The Today Show was shooting a segment with the author and asked Kris if she would be interviewed too - because they heard she was an American - I have not found the interview yet but I am on the hunt and will air right here when and if I find it.

Click on the Daily Mail to see all the pics of the Knitted Royal Wedding - a hoot -

I did not quite get what Kris was talking about until I saw the pictures.

Enjoy your day at the wedding via the tube. I did not watch Diana's but I will be up early today in Virginia, where I am working at a boutique, Daisy Days in Richmond. Thank goodness the time zones are in my favor so that I can catch a good portion of the wedding before the boutique opens.

Rococo Chocolates designed a special chocolate box in honour of

the wedding.

The painting inspired by an imagined proposal by Prince William to Miss Kate.

By the way, Rococo has the most amazing chocolates,

located on the King's Road in London.

It was a haunt of mine when I lived there;

I limited my purchase to three truffles at a time

and savored every morsel.

Pastel Royal Wedding Map via JCB

The desktops are looking pretty good:

street plan of Paris

and

the naturalist's Butterflies (butterflies are so IN this season)

and

happy Sis Boom

to match the Sis Boom memento board I posted earlier this week

If you are near Richmond, Virginia

come on by and check out my wares in person.

Daisy Days at St. Catherine's School

Spring 2011

Watercolor Swirl in aqua and pink

front: Sea Glass

back left: Central Park Walk

back right: Clover in aqua

Blue Daisy

Fleur-de-lis

Mocha Hide

Moroccan window

front - olive

back left - white with brown

back right - brown with white

Naturalist

butterflies and bees

What difference a ribbon makes.

I prefer the black with white topstitching - how about you?

For the cabin

or

the friend who owns the cabin that you are visiting

Car is packed; ready to go; books on tape: Sarah's Key and Freedom. Trip will be 389 miles each way. I am looking forward to driving into spring. We still have lots of bare branches in the Northeast. Will post from the show, if I have the energy.

Graduation Season is upon us.

How about a custom frame to remember the big event!

Spoonflower fabric created

by a Wilton friend of mine

specifically for the Wilton high school market.

I think these frames will FLY off the shelf.

Perennial favorites:

seersucker with monograms.

If you are interested, scroll down the left side to see monogram options,

then e-mail me.

Two week turn around time.

For the LAX nut, a frame for the the action photo.

and some frames from last year.

Spring, finally some fair weather.

Custom board for Sophie

to match her

desktop memento board.

Is that not the cutest picture of a baby checking out the action?

The March 24, 2011 Boston Globe Sunday magazize featured a terrific article on the resurgence of knitting, sewing and handcrafts. The photos of the shops were bright and vibrant. I misplaced my copy of the article and had to make due with this photo, which is not nearly as bright and colorful as the original, but the sweet baby makes up for the lack of intense color. The article reported on the growing trend of do-it-yourself handicraft boutiques and interest in all things hand-made and the shift of today's generation away from the 70's anti-hand-craft woman's work to the pride of home/hand made.

People are beginning to realize the importance of creating for yourself as our world becomes increasingly high-tech, digital and faster and faster and faster. The slow movement is a terrific counterpart to the fast-paced 24-7 world we live in today. I love the slow, methodical work of knitting and stitching; it is relaxing and satisfying. Hurrah for hand work. A fitting sentiment for earth day - getting back to basics - do it yourself kind of activities - slowing down - enjoying today as it is - keeping our world alive.

If you are in the Boston area, check out the knitting shops below.

J. P. Knit & Stitch - Jamaica Plain

Gather Here - Cambridge "stitch lounge"

Stitch House - Dorchester

Hipstitch - Newtonville

Craftland School of Craft - Providence

Post Script:

Here is part of an interesting interview with Lisa Borgnes Giramonti of A Bloomsbury Life - this excerpt dovetails with my comments on the hand-craft arts or "home-arts". I did a post on Lisa last year and featured her wonderful needlepoint tapestries that are very funny and creative - click here.

Full interview with Lisa Borgnes Giramonti on Yell Softly - here

You create modern, witty needlepoint art (a phrase many, who haven’t seen your work, may consider an oxymoron.) What drew you to this medium? I particularly love your piece “Perky Boobies;” do you think that we are returning to an appreciation of the “home arts” like entertaining, embroidery and gardening?

Oh, Sariah, I hope so. I think this recession has forced us all to turn inward and to realize that the It bag we all had to have five years ago is a hollow substitute for the pleasures of a meaningful life. In the last year, I have been much more conscious of living large on a small scale. Friends come over, we cook, we entertain, we talk, we laugh and we have a deep appreciation for each other’s company.

In terms of my textile work, my embroideries and postmodern samplers are a compulsion; I can’t not create them. My mother and grandmother both embroidered, and I grew up watching them, but they always worked from kits and that never appealed to me. When I saw the Bayeux Tapestry, I had a sudden epiphany that I needed to embroider MY life and my words instead of someone else’s. And that’s what I’ve done.

"Purly Wurly Takes a Picture," 1998

Redmond Aldrich

Design

Another example of how a designer uses an inspiration board; this photo is from the website of Redmond Aldrich Design and is a shot of her "design-kit". The kit is fitted out for an individual according to their design requirements; it allows an individual to use the firm's services without having the designer present - e-mail and telephone and this packet. Voila.

Inspiration boards and their uses grow...

Working, working, working after my winter hibernation, trying to get ready for my next boutique in Richmond, Virginia. My terrific monogrammer just embroidered 40 ribbons to get me ready for the spring graduation season. More photos after I finish a weekend of work in the studio. Can't wait to show you the 2011 spring line.