introducing… rosa lea!

hello, rosa lea!

Here is our new pattern for this summer!! An ever-stylish, simple-to-sew shift dress with optional cap sleeves and fun flower appliques, rosa lea comes in sizes 2/3 – 14/16. And there are lots of fun things you can do with this little dress… it's almost like a blank canvas. (We even love the idea of using pieces and parts from our other patterns — like the pockets from anaclaire, or the applique from kitty mae!)

We named this dress after our sweet friend, Aunt Rosie. She is one of the most thoughtful people we know, and we love her to pieces! It is extra-special to us that Darison (Aunt Rosie's granddaughter) gets to be on our pattern cover.

all about rosa lea…

-comes in girls' sizes 2/3 through 14/16 (all in one envelope)

-has optional cap sleeves

-comes printed on heavy paper for easy tracing

-fully illustrated instructions & full-sized pattern pieces

-easy to sew

-bias loop and button closure up the the back

-falls just below the knee

-comfy, swingy fit

-includes three sizes of the giant 6-petal flower, and two sizes of the little blossom

-$14

-available for pre-order now (ships in July!)

-email us at mariemadelineATnetinsDOTnet, and we'll pop your name on the waiting list!

More pictures coming soon. But in the meantime, please tell us what you think of rosa lea!!

We hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

PS. Our pattern sale is still on, but the girls patterns are selling out fast…

The scoop on Quilt Market!

First off, here it is — Kansas City in all it's glory, from our hotel window. Nan and Paps drove down from Indiana just for Market! We couldn't have done it without them. Nan designed and Paps constructed our lovely booth walls (white bead board) and also masterminded the packing of our stuff into our Suburban and their mini van. When we made it the convention center on Wednesday, this is what we saw (minus the flooring)…

And in just a few short minutes, it looked like THIS…

But we worked really hard, and pretty soon it was looking more like this…

We were blessed to have our booth surrounded by the nicest people ever. Ever! Especially Pam and her daughter Frankie. They are SO cute and sweet and gobs of fun — it was nice to get to visit with them during the weekend. And ours booths looked like they were made to go together.

See what we mean? We can't wait to get Pam Kitty Love in the store.

Here we are with Nan and Paps! (Abs must've taken this one.)

The sweet girls at Violette Field Threads! We talked about patterns and blogging and transforming thrift-store coffee tables into ottomans.

Julie and Connee from Bits n' Pieces, our neighbors across the aisle. They kept us in stitches (pun intended) and let us borrow their stapler (which was the only thing we forgot to pack). We shared giggles and Cracker Jacks.

The sweet folks at Shabby Fabrics, who tried to talk us into having a booth in Houston this fall (it didn't take much to convince us)…

And a group shot with Pam and Frankie over at Lakehouse!

Finally, some more shots of the marie-madeline studio booth. It's still hard for us to believe that we actually did it!!! Check out the sneak peek of our upcoming pattern. (Formal introduction coming soon!)

And of course, here are the obligatory Amy Butler and Anna Maria Horner photos! We're so excited to receive bolts of Amy's Cameo and Anna Maria's Field Study (coming in July and August respectively).

So there you have it all in a nutshell! We were blessed with an all-around awesome trip. Thanks for all your prayers — Quilt Market was a huge success.

xoxo, the Long ladies

PS. We can't wail till you see all the lovely fabrics we have coming in later this year. Some fabulous solid pique, gorgeous (and fun) new goodies from Lecien, stunning stuff from Liberty Art London…!

Happy Birthday, Abiah!!

Believe it or not, this little girlie is now eighteen years old. Eighteen?! We truly wonder where the time has gone. But we can honestly say we have loved every minute with Abiah… she is such a joy to our entire family, and we're SO thankful she's ours!!

Here are 18 fun facts about our Budsie…

– She can impersonate almost anyone. Which is hillarious.

– She sings beautifully. (Even if that means opera in the shower.)

– When she was 7, she still wore size 3T shorts. We still wonder how she stays so thin, because…

– She loves food. Especially when it's pretty.

– When it comes to fixing hair, she is our #1 stylist.

– She has an amazingly creative eye for photos.

– She shares a birthday with our Nanny. (HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you too, NAN!!)

– When she was little, her smile always went down on one side – which was the cutest thing ever.

– And she couldn't pronounce her R's for years.

– She loves glitter and sparkle.

– But she often dresses in solids and classic prints. (Think Audrey Hepburn.)

– And somehow, she even looks awesome on house-cleaning days.

– She loves musicals.

– Probably because she loves to dance.

– Her memory is incredible.

– She is such a redhead!

– But she's also the family sweetheart. (Dad would be lost without her – so would the rest of us!)

– She loves horseback riding and swimming.

We love you so much, Abiah Hope Kingery!! You're the cherry to our sundae!

XOXO ~ Mommy, Apphia, Achaia, and Abigail

PS. We owe you a big yummy supper in Kansas City!

And off we go…

…to Market in Kansas City!!

But we'll be back next Monday, Lord willing, with lots to share. Please stop by on Thursday to wish Abiah a happy birthday!

xo, the Long ladies

Happy Mother’s Day!

And here it is again – the special day to celebrate Mom. But we like to think we celebrate her every single day. She is the heartbeat in her girls, and we're more thankful for her than for any other woman in the world. We're thankful to the Lord for making her like she is, for making us her daughters, for allowing us to walk through life with her example. We love her. We love her so much!!

Mommy, thanks for being our very best friend. Thanks for keeping us beside you all these years, and for loving us like you do. We are amazed at how our love and admiration for you grows with each passing year, even though we always think it's impossible to love you any more. It is a wonderful thing to have such a mother – we rise up to call you blessed!

Always and forever your little girls,

Apphia Jade, Achaia Victoria, Abigail American, & Abiah Hope Kingery

XOXOXOXO

the countdown!

Well, it's almost time! Lord willing in less than a week we'll be heading off to Kansas City for our first-ever Quilt Market as vendors! Paps and Nanny are due in within the next few days. Everything that needs to be sewn is sewn — including some more than once because they just 'weren't working' with everything else. The beginning of next week should be pretty full with setting up a trial booth in the yard (or somewhere!). We are sooo excited, and very grateful for the opportunity!

The picture above is a close-up of one of applique tees that's waiting patiently to brighten up our booth. It's the cupcake applique that's included in our kitty mae skirts pattern. Instead of doing a cute stitch on the sewing machine we decided on a hand-done blanket stitch, like the one we showed on our flower tee tutorial. And we added a bit of yellow lace and three french knots on the icing for good measure.

Talk more later!!! xox

then. now.

Things sure can change!

xox Kristie, Apphia, Achaia, Abigail, & Abiah

A Fabulous Friday

Here's what we've been loving! How 'bout YOU??? xox the Long ladies

{achaia's picks}

1. suitcases piled high (the higher the better!)

2. my new sweater… I can't wait to get it in the mail

3. Frank Sinatra

4. Oxfords – anyway you cut them, they're fabulous

{abiah's picks}

1. braids in my hair…

2. good food

3. my new maxi skirt from Boden!

4. dancing

{kristie's picks}

1. buttons, buttons, and more buttons

2. Cath Kidston fabrics

3. one of my favorite movies

4. a bit of humor

{apphia's picks}

1. the perfectly happy pink cardigan

2. cutest ponytail ever

3. maybe someday…

4. I've got to try these

{abigail's picks}

1. love this combination!

2. my new tee

3. the bunting that Abiah & I made for our room. We love the word LOVE.

4. our littlest friends

Expensive Inspiration:: THE Clutch

Hers.

Theirs. (photo credit here)

When Abiah saw the Dreamweaver Clutch in the J.Crew catalog, she knew that IT was IT. Of course, the $325 price about made her collapse too (that's what we call a 'double collapse' — one from sheer cuteness, the other from sheer expensiveness). So, what would'ya know?? Some help from Apphia for pattern + directions + a few stitches later Abiah was wowing us all with this darling clutch!

She loves it, and has carried it around ever since. It seems to be just the right size for all of her goodies. Oh?! And isn't that matching zipper fabulous? And the lining has pockets too.

Okay, okay! Is there anyone else out there that's a clutch carrier??

Happy Wednesday! xoxo

PS~ We just wanted to let you all in on a quick sale, if you don't receive our newsletter! Dear Stella is 20% off through May 4th AND we have lots of new $5/$6 yard fabrics!