Happy Friday! I hope this is a great day and an awesome weekend for you. I have the scrap giveaway winners chosen from the "virtual hat" called the random number generator. They are:
If you're in luck, please send me your shipping address. If you didn't win out this time, then maybe you'd like to leave a comment for a patchwork pincushion? I'll have the comments open until Monday. The best part? You can pick which one you'd like!
"It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. So it happens that when I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it; and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied; and it is all one."
-M.F.K. Fisher, The Art of Eating
This is also why I love to sew aprons. Comfort. Memories. Love. Food. All wrapped up in this utilitarian piece of clothing.
I am closing the window on comments for the fabric giveaway. Don't fret, though! I will have a pincushion to send off into the world soon. Thank you for all your comments!
Hi there! I've been spending way too much time with my head in the scrap bin this past week, whipping up a bunch of pincushions. I have a few now in my etsy shop and have many more in various stages of cutting and piecing. I know it's not groundbreaking sewing, but the act of collecting patterns and putting them together is very soothing to me. Simple projects can make you feel surprisingly happy and fulfilled.
I haven't had a lot of takers on my scrap stash giveaway, so if you haven't commented yet, please do! You can leave your comment here or on my last post.
As I was digging around, I realized that every little scrap had a story to tell. I can remember how and when I got each piece (for the most part). In the pincushion above, a friend gave me the vintage strawberry tea towel which I cut up and another friend passed along the vintage fruit ribbon as part of a birthday gift. She surprised me with an entire shopping bag full of all kinds of trims and notions, many vintage, and a few in their original packaging. I was in heaven. And now I get to pass a little bit on to someone else. That's the way the world goes 'round!
And I will have a cushion to pass on to one of you next week, so stay tuned.
Hey there! Happy Friday, everyone! I am pleased to announce the winners of my little pennant banner bunting bits. If you say that five times fast, it comes out sounding like peanut butter.
Commenters #2 and #10 are Bobbi M and knittingmette. Please send me your mailing addresses so I can get them on their way! Thank you so much to those who entered. I'll have more freebies soon (there's always little treasures hiding in the craft room!). I've got a new Fall-Friendly Round-Up on it's way! Check back soon.
In the meantime, I have to share this super easy and adorable puppet project from Mer Mag. I love the vintage feel of it. My kids are a little old for puppets but I think we'll bust out some dolls instead by adding some spindly arms + legs. Find the project instructions here.
The bad news is it's Monday. The good news is I have a little giveaway! I found these two mini pennant banners stashed in my bin from my craft show days. I'd love to share them with you! I have two--a yellow/brown and pink/green. It's a little portable celebration wherever you hang them. Just leave a comment below by the end of day Thursday and I will randomly pick two winners to receive them. Thank you for reading and have a great week!
Hi there,
I just drew a number and Angelika from Germany is going to have a mushroom in her mailbox soon! Please e-mail me your address and I will get it on its way. Thank you to all who entered!
I shamelessly adore Valentine's Day. I am ready to say goodbye to January and get my love on in pinks, reds and white. Even a little yellow. And I love to start any holiday with a new, cute wreath. Here are some lovely crafty bits from around the web. Hopefully you'll start to feel the love, too. Are you counting how many times I used the word love? I annoy myself sometimes.
tutorial from {beautiful nest}
tutorial at {Take Heart}
Clothespin wreath tutorial at {Family Chic}..finally, a place to pin up all those little valentines!
How many licks would it take for my kids to get to the center of this wreath from {Tid Bits from the Tremaynes}? One..two...three...crunch!
Happy Friday!
Remember these guys from a while back? I meant to have this tutorial for your holiday sewing, but life got in the way. Spring is almost here and that's a good time for mushrooms to pop up, no? Making these pincushions is easier than making actual stuffed mushrooms, if you ask me. Plus they don't get all soggy by the second day.
Here's the template: Download Mushroompincushion
I think it's easier to print one out (and save it for later, if needed) than for me to tell you to cut 3" circles and send you on a hunt for something circular around 3" in diameter to trace in your house. Abbreviated instructions are on the template, too. But I'll tell you the details here.
Get it:
Cut 3, 3" circles. One from patterned fabric for the top and two solid. Linen is lovely. I put three circles on the template just to show you that you need one of each. They are all the same size. Place the patterned one on top, solid on bottom, right sides out. Sew around edge, either zig-zag on a machine or blanket stitch by hand. Leave a 1/2" opening. Gently stuff and slipstitch opening closed. Mushroom head!
Sew a running stitch by hand around the edge of the last solid colored circle. Knot at end, but leave thread tails for gathering. Place rock in middle and gently pull ends to tighten fabric around rock. Secure thread by sewing through the gathers a few times, like cinching up a sack. Trim off any excess. Starting slightly lower than your gather, whipstitch your stem to your cap. Make sure it's sewn securely. You may have to stitch around a few times to get it nice and tight.
Depending on your rock size and shape in the stem, your mushrooms may be a bit leaning or floppy. I like them like that, but if you really want your shroom to stand perfectly upright, pick a rock with a wide base and slightly flat edge for it to rest on.
It's the perfect gift for yourself if your resolutions involve more sewing..and make a few for your sewing friends, too.
I'd like to give this little shroom away (pins, too!) to a reader. If you'd like to enter, just leave a comment about what new sewing projects you have planned for this new year below. I'll generate a random winner on Friday!
xo.
I meant to generate a number earlier than this, but we are having a fun-filled birthday weekend for a now nine-year old. Where do the years go? Anyhoo, the lucky commenter is Tanya! Please e-mail me your address and I'll get your calendar on its way. Thank you to all who commented--wow! I didn't know I even had that many readers left in this dusty 'ol blog. I appreciate all of you taking the time to say hi.
xo
A super surprise showed up the the mail the other day. I had completely spaced on some of my projects being in the new 2011 Sewing Calendar. Imagine my joy to see my bitty bug on the front flap! Okay, it's hidden in the corner of picture, but it's there. I know you were looking. A quick flip through and I spotted my fabric-covered beads, catnip toy and jingle mouse ornament. Fun! The other projects filling up the days are truly amazing--enough to keep you sewing all year long. This time they sent two, so I am giving one away. Just leave a comment below before the end of day Friday August 20th and I will use a random number generator to pick a commenter.
In other bits, I had the best time at Renegade. Sales were pretty good for us four gals and we had a blast just hanging out together. Everyone was so friendly and the booth designs were stunningly creative. Walking around and chatting with the 250+ vendors made me wish we could form our own crafty city and all be neighbors!
The tablecloth is all a-wrinkle because I forgot mine at home. A big save--thanks to Jaymi's hubby and a pair of Amy's scissors. Not too shabby after all! Pics courtesy of Amy, too. Here's us in the photo booth at the end of the last day.
That's all for now! xo.
I have been taking my yo-yo maker on the road with me. Clover makes the greatest tools! I get some pretty strange looks but have managed to pump out some serious yo-yo action. My daughter calls them dumplings...they do look more like dim-sum that an actual yo-yo. I plan on beading the centers and sewing them together for brooches.
The winner of the scrap giveaway is Anne Marie! Send me your snail mail and I'll ship a bag o' fun your way! I'll have another humpday giveaway next Wednesday. There were only 11 comments this time, so the odds are in your favor! Maybe a cute dumpling brooch? Nom nom.
With strange weather that can't decide whether to storm or shine, we've had some amazing sunsets.Happy Saturday!
