Gypsy Romance 
Our 2010 Noel Home holiday series featured a festive garland made from jewel-tone pom poms. As we set up to shoot all our Gypsy Romance projects, we said, "Hey! Where's that bouncy, bright yarn garland? It would look so awesome with this fabric!" We agreed with ourselves (as we often do), and so thought we would revisit the project as the perfect finishing accent to the splash and vibrancy of Pillow & Maxfield's wonderful Gypsy Bandana fabric. Poms away!
What are gypsies often known for? Traveling. And what do you need for traveling? A beautiful bag. Our soft and slouchy boho bag blends seven different fabric designs into the ultimate dramatic statement: color, pattern and texture combine from all sides. Lightweight batting between layers keeps keeps the shape without losing the cush. And a row of perky pom poms along the top edge marks this as one super creative carry-all.
"The only thing I have ever won before was a can of figs!!!!" It was with this cry of delight the confirmation email from our lucky winner began. I love notifying the winners of our Great Giveaways. It's as big a thrill for me to send out the gifts as it is for you all to receive them.
Our regular followers are probably surprised to see so many wearables in this latest S4H series. We're just full of surprises aren't we? Actually, we're simply responding to your requests. You told us you wanted to see more easy-to-sew clothing items. Alrighty then! The Gypsy Romance tiered skirt is three simple rectangles gathered together and finished with a drawstring channel waist. No zippers... nothing but straight seams and two little buttonholes. Easy, bright and fun; it's perfect for the sunny Spring weather we just know is coming... one of these days.
Wide, tie-front belts - sometimes called obi belts, are a top fashion trend this season. We thought it was a perfect style for the bohemian look of our Gypsy Romance collection. Long quilting stitches, outlining the fabric's design motifs, sparkling beads and large accent buttons provide a huge amount of interest in a very small space.
No self-respecting Gypsy Collection would be complete without a dramatic headscarf. Of course, any square of fabric could become a scarf. So how did we kick it up, S4H Style? Our gypsy scarf is reversible and features corner grommets that hold lovely, long leather ties with beautiful beaded ends.
"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!" We all have those areas of the house we'd prefer to keep from view. Maybe it's a cluttered corner, a secret sitting area or even your sewing and crafting space! We designed our room divider curtains as slim panels, which can be used on a portable frame, like the one we built, or hung by tension rod in a doorway. Lined with silky acetate, they have a wonderful drape and lightly sway with the lightest gypsy breeze.
Truth be told, these pillows are not actually triangles, they are tetrahedrons. But not only is that impossible to say, it sounds like a scary flying dinosaur - not what it really is: a cute pyramid pillow. We found these unique pillow forms from online resource, Downlite. Each pillow (we provide templates for a small 14" and a large 16") is made up of 16 triangles, and because we paid extra attention in Geometry class, we were able to come up with a layout that, when folded and stitched together into its final 3-D shape, has different patterns aligned at every seam. Like a little tetrahedron Rubik's Cube.
Today begins our Gypsy Romance Series: seven bright, bohemian projects created from Pillow & Maxfield's wonderful Gypsy Bandana fabric collection. We swirl out of the gates wrapped in a lush patchwork throw with pom pom embellishments and velvet accents. The generous 56" x 56" square features nine different fabrics arranged in an explosion of intoxicating color and pattern. Those horizontal strips are actually topstitched in place over the panel seams... so don't be scared off thinking you'll have to do teeny, accurate piecing. In signature S4H style, we make it easy to create a dynamic finished product.
THIS CONTEST ENDED 03/18/2011. Thanks to everyone who entered.
You got a peek into the creative world of fabric designers, Val Pillow and Anne Maxfield in our recent interview. And, you may remember we have a series of projects coming up that uses Pillow & Maxfield's brand new Gypsy Bandana fabric collection. Both exciting things dontcha think? Well, here's something even more exciting: Val and Anne have given us a lovely big bundle of fabric with one yard each of 14 of the designs in the Gypsy Bandana Jewel colorway!
