for kat

( kat, i'm mailing off the nappy pattern to you!)

amy butler's fabrics are seriously the best. her color combinations are fresh and vibrant, and her fabric pattern choices are sometimes whimsical, sometimes romantic, sometimes shabby chic, but always cheerful and never over the top. here are the two projects i've actually completed:

this pattern my mom bought for me, i think as sort of a college graduation present, and we made it together during a family holiday in Tahoe. it's the Chelsea Bag, and it's extremely versatile and easy to make. i love this one, and used it exlusively for over a year as a purse. it has held up extremely well, and i cannot even number how many comments of adoration it has received in its every public appearance! ladies just think it's adorable. and it's reversable, so the inside lining can quickly become the outside with a flip. my mom and i both made it in a day.

this is the "nappy bag" which is i think my favorite design so far of amy's, but i haven't actually used it yet, and have heard from my cousin-in-law that it's not the most practical of purses for baby junk. but it's certainly gotta be one of the cutest. my husband bought me the fabric in moscow, idaho's La Bella Vita (awesome place!!) for my birthday a couple years ago. i made it with my mom-in-law, who coached me through it (thank you!), and i LOVE it. it will be so fun to use.

i think though, now that i see all the new fabrics that amy is coming out with, i'm going to have to make another one. this fabric is not my absolute favorite, though i still love it to bits.

as one might have guessed, joe is rather into photography and he really wanted to take some stylized shots of "the nappy" in action. it gives a good idea of how it will "hang."

can you see the cell phone pocket up near the arm? so perfect.

while i'm thinking of it, this is kinda fun. these i just got recently and they remind me so much of amy's style. they were clearance-rack pillows i found at mervyn's after Christmas, and are PERFECT in our house. they're a total amy butler rip-off, but so cute and couldn't have been better priced.

and this one's not amy butler either, but it also has the same feel to it. these placemats are by Danica, a housewares brand i love almost as much as amy butler. i also adore "tag" which is another brand with a similar taste.

here are some recent amy butler fat quarters i've been collecting. there happens to be a store dangerously close to my house which carries many of her fabrics and patterns. it's a happy place. :)

and here are some "amy butler" copies, which i very much like. i think they would incorporate well with the real deal.

and this one is brand new to me. i got it for Christmas from my mom and i'm dying to dig in!