Solids Rock giveaway

When I got back into sewing after my kids were born, Moda didn’t excite me.  I feel badly for saying this….but all their fabrics seemed like “old lady” quilt fabric.  Now, however, I feel very differently.  I LOVE love love Moda. I believe it’s a combination of my expanding fabric palette and the fact that they have brought really really great designers on board in the last several years.

So when I knew it was time to add some solids to my inventory, I looked a few companies but quickly narrowed it down to Moda’s Bella Solids or at Robert Kaufman’s Kona Solids. And for me, Bella won. They just seemed softer and higher quality from the samples I compared. Not as stiff and loose. I didn’t conduct super official studies, but I wanted to send out a product that I felt confident in…and Bella won. Plus, I really appreciate that Moda sells to independent shops rather than the large chain stores.

I’d like to pass some onto you to see what you think! So I’m giving away 2 (yep!) Fat Quarter Sets of all the solid colors I currently have in stock! (That is 27 total but just fyi, 2 are from Michael Miller. Their Jet Black and Jet Brown are must have in your stash!) And let’s not end there! Oh no!

To go along with all the wonderful solid colors, I have 2 copies of this great book! Easy Pieces Quilts is chock full of projects, and not just quilt projects! There are bags, crayon rolls, placemats, skirts, scarfs and more. I’m really annoyed with myself for not ordering 3 copies so I could keep one for myself!

(There are a few more pictures on my Flickr page.)

Comments now closed.  Winners will be announced shortly!

So you can enter 2 ways.
(and therefore 2 times)

#1.  Leave a comment here.

#2. Hop onto Facebook and “Like” my page.
(fyi, you are no longer Fans. You just like me. Much less commitment than becoming an official fan, does that make you feel better?!?!? )

I’ll pick one winner from the blog comments and one winner from my Facbook page.  But not until next week.  I’ll be gone this weekend….

Over the next several days, I’ll be highlighting many of the great Moda fabrics. (And by golly, I better have that quilt ready to bind before I leave town on Friday!) But you don’t have to wait on me. All Moda fabrics are on sale right now.

And can I just say that I love you guys! I don’t tell you that often enough.  I really appreciate that you support my independent shop!

PS.  Of course, international entries are always welcomed!

Spring Tops 2010 Contest

Just hopping on to make sure you know about this contest.  I realize that it’s pretty late in the game…but simple tops go together so quickly so you could whip one or two or five out this week.  Right?  (AKA – You have no life outside of sewing…Right?)  My goal was to sew more for myself this year and I’d say I’m doing just that!

So I’ve entered 2 tops into the pool on Flickr.  The first top is my Marlo Top that I put straps rather than the ruffle….just like Haley.  It was a super easy change.  I put the casing along the front and back top edges, threaded 1/4 inch elastic into them and tried it on to determine how tight to pull the elastic.  The only think I’ll do differently next time is sew the straps at a slight angle because the outer edges kinda stick up.  It’s hard to describe.  Anyway the fabulous fabric is from Joel Dewberry’s Modern Meadow.  The print is called Picnic Plaid.  I love it!

The second top I finished yesterday and I think it may be my new favorite at this moment in time.  (I have to add that because I want to reserve the right to change favorites on a whim.)  One thing I love is the ruffles at the neck.  I rarely wear jewelry, so this kinda dresses me up even without a necklace. I can wear it with jeans (as usual) or wouldn’t it look cute with a summery skirt? Or some cute capris?

The pattern is Simplicity 2599.  I didn’t make any changes really, but I did put 2 rows of shirring around the waist…and I think I like the result. It really did go together quickly. I cut it out and sewed it together in one afternoon. The fabric is more of Anna‘s voile. Gosh I love this stuff! Print is Diamond Mine in the sky colorway.  And just like a pair of comfy jeans, I feel the need to put an antique finish on all my pictures lately…so here that is for you.

Have you entered any tops into the contest? Will you please share pictures with me? Alrighty….talk again soon. And I even have a couple of things to give you! I haven’t done a giveaway in a long time!

Sunday Dress

Haley is currently 5.  She tells me “Mom, you’re as beautiful as a princess.” That’s pretty special, if you ask me!  This precious little girl looks up to me and I am so quick to focus on my flaws and inadequacies.  I’m really hard on myself.  And now I stop to think: What is that teaching my daughter about her self-worth? And what should I be doing differently? I actually have tears in my eyes thinking about it.  *sigh*

I hope I’m also passing on positive characteristics.  As she grows, I hope that by watching me, she’ll learn that through persistence and hard work you can overcome fears and obstacles.  And that it’s okay to ask for help.  (Oh, who am I kidding.  I haven’t come to terms with that myself.  Why is it so hard to ask for help?) And it’s okay to try new things.  I really want her to learn that.

Wow, this post has taken an unexpected sentimental turn.  Anywho… my original plan was to show you our matching outfits.

Haley’s outfit is from Pink Fig’s Lydia pattern and my skirt was made using Rosie’s Whimsy tutorial. (Found here.) The fabric is more great fabric from Joel Dewberry‘s Modern Meadow line. And this isn’t the last we’ll see of it, either.

Oh, by the by, this isn’t the first matching set I’ve done for us.  I made myself the Schoolhouse Tunic (by Sew Liberated) to match her Kyoko (by ModKid) and I need to get the mini-kyoko made…then maybe we’ll do a quick photo shoot.  Gotta get in on this matchy goodness while she still thinks of me in the same realm as a princess.  Now…can someone tell me how I can become an actual princess?

Beverly Belle in Voile

Almost any pattern would be wonderful in voile. But a few patterns really stand out to me as perfect voile patterns….like the Little Prairie Girl dress from Favorite Things (my friend Mary made a delightful version you can see on her blog.) And when I saw the Beverly Belle pattern from Izzy & Ivy, I knew it had to be made in voile! I’m beyond happy with the result.

The pattern is a little more advanced because each row twists back up. This results in a great twirling shirt. Also since the shirt is very full, it took quite a long time to sew on all the binding along the bottom hem.  I opted for pre-made bias.  Oh, and the prints I paired together were Coloring Garden (sea) and Little Honey (Meadow).  All the voiles are available here.

I’ve got to figure out a way to adapt this for myself. I’m currently thinking I’ll make it as a skirt because I’m afraid a shirt like this would make me look quite pregnant.  Do you think it would work as a skirt for a grown-up?

Sewing Clothes and Sales

A couple of people expressed concern over my “quilt-i-ness”  (I made up that word, so I felt the need to put it in quotations).  But fear not!  I am still making clothes!  For myself…and for Haley of course.

This is the most recent top I made for Haley. I LOOOOOOOVE it! Love it! Love it! Love it! I used Sandi Henderson‘s Claire pattern. The fabric is from Tanya Whelan‘s Dolce collection paired with denim.

Denim. Oh Denim! Okay…so ever since last Spring Market when I saw Patty Young‘s samples pairing her fabrics with denim, I knew that I needed to carry it in the store. TOO CUTE. This is the thing….I wanted something that would go perfectly with the quilting weight cottons. I wanted to be able to use it in apparel but also in quilts. I didn’t want the term “industrial machine” to enter into play. (ie. It couldn’t be TOO heavy but also couldn’t be flimsy). And since I envisioned this denim in the cutest boy quilts ever, I also knew it could not have stretch. SO…..it’s taken me a while, but I finally found the denim that I want to carry!!!!

You can find it here.  It is 56 inches wide and is $6.50/yd!!!!! The photo above, I’ve messed around with to give it an antique look. The denim is a dark blue. Here’s another photo for you to reference….

Ah….so anyway, I just adore it. Like seriously adore it. And then I got to thinking, Free Spirit Fabrics have been my “go to” fabrics lately.

Over the next week, I’m going to share with you more Free Spirit projects. So I thought it’d be fitting to put them on sale so you can enjoy them too!  Everything from Free Spirit is at least 10% off for the next week! (That’s through 4-27-10)  Plus I added TONS of other fabrics to the Sale Section.

Okay, that’s all the bribing I’ll do for today.  I can’t wait to share with you all the additional projects!  Super SUPER cute!  These really are awesome fabrics!  And I’m not just sayin’ that.

Making a quilter out of me

Something has happened.
I think that I might be turning into a quilter.

I squealed (then tweeted) with delight when I saw this quilt by Cherry House Quilts
(Yes, she is Lizzy’s mom!)
Find it on Moda’s Bakeshop blog

The modern simplicity is really really appealing to me!
And it uses a jelly roll! (Bonus: One jelly roll makes 2 quilts!!!!)
(Hey, I have those!)
And white fabric
(Hey, I have that too!)

And it wouldn’t take me 8.5 years to finish
I think that is how long my first quilt took.

I’m working on a quilt with Make Life.
Maybe it’ll be finished this week so I can share full pictures.

And one of my newest pattern designers,
Gigi’s Thimble,
has the cutest quilt that I want to use for Haley’s room!
Mod Medallions is an applique quilt -
so don’t freak out about the medallion shape!

When I finish all these quilts I want to make….
well, I guess maybe then I’ll be a real quilter.

Color Wonderful Color

I’m really really tired….but I couldn’t wait to share these with you!

Yup! An array of solid colors are now in the store! Woo Hoo!

Solids are great to have in your stash…so I decided to create color stacks for you guys too. (Aww….I’m so sweet!) They’re available in 1/2 yard or Fat Quarter Sets. Or of course you can get any of the colors in yardage (as always!) Find them here!

Oh – and I should note that I’ve put Moda’s number next to each color in the title. That way if you have a colorcard, you can shop according to that. And speaking of colorcards, I have them on order too. They are a great reference for your sewing room. You can pull out your colorcard, see what color matches the project you’re working on, and order that specific color. When those come in, I’ll be sure to let you know.

And now I’m off to bed. I have to get all the kids up and ready to be out the door by 7:15. Baseball.

A Serious Model

You might have noticed that I make Haley a lot of clothes.  For me, it’s extremely enjoyable because the projects are typically ones that I complete in one sitting.  I’ve been anxious to sew with more of Jennifer Paganelli’s patterns since I started carrying them (They’re all in the Downloadable Patterns section)  The Cathy Top is simple, cute, girly…exactly what I was looking for!

So the other night I decided to make her new top using some of Heather Bailey’s fabric from Nicey Jane. (Print: Church Flowers in Pink)  I wanted to mix it up a little bit so I thought that the zebra print from Paula Prass would be a fun contrast. (Party Animal in Yellow) And I thought I’d throw in another print from Patty Young’s Mezzanine.  (Oh I just have to get off track for a second…have you seen Patty’s blog? Yep!  Knits! All of them have already been ordered…..I’m beyond excited!)  Back to the  original topic.  SO this is the shirt….

Cute. But Haley hated the ruffle at her neck. It really bothered her for some reason…so she picked out Ruffle Rac to make straps instead. And now this is the shirt….

So after school one day, I asked Haley if I could take a couple pictures of her wearing the top. “Sure, Mom. Just a second.” She runs upstairs to grab her scarf….”It’ll look so good with this shirt.” She wrapped it around her neck and struck a pose. Oh good heavens! A ruffle around her neck is bothersome…but a animal print scarf, that apparently is alright.  Silly child of mine!

She’s a serious model now!

Anyway I really love the way it turned out…so I made myself the Marlo top with the similar alternations. More about that later!

Anna Maria’s Dress

I made Anna’s Evening Empire dress

I used Anna’s Voile.  ( A print called Little Honey in colorway Berry and lining was the solid color Froth.)

And here is the dress.

Now, for those of you interested, let’s talk details…..

I went with option A for a couple of reasons.

1. Less piecing. (ie. faster)
2. Less fancy.

The instructions are well written and I would recommend the dress and the pattern.  Due to the curved pieces on the bust and the side zipper, I would not classify this as a beginners pattern.  If you have sewn a variety of things before, however, and are wanting to move to the next step, Anna is a great person to take you there.  Her pattern steps are logical and well explained with illustrations to help you along the way.

I made a size Medium.  I should have made a size small.  After the dress was finished, I ended up adding the elastic casing along the back to cinch the dress up (a lot…it was super gappy) around my bust and under my arms.  Anna includes instructions for doing this during construction, but I thought since I was doing straps I wouldn’t need it.  The way I did it makes the back not so professional looking…and therefore I probably won’t wear this dress without a cover-up of some sort (thus the jean jacket).  For my next dress, I will make a size small AND I’ll include the elastic.  I could have gone back and made the side seams wider, but that would have meant more deconstruction and reconstruction, and I just wasn’t willing to go there.

I also put the zipper on inside out the first time, which would make the dress kinda hard to get on and off since the pull was inside of the dress!  So I had to rip it out and reverse it.  That was, again, my own fault because I apparently didn’t learn  right from left in kindergarten.

It surprised me how substantial this dress feels.  It’s not heavy, but it’s not as lightweight as I had envisioned.  The drape of the fabric is nice, but the lining seems to make it “poofier” than I had thought.  I feel a little bit pregnant…although I assure you, I am not.  I suppose some of that is the design with the empire waistline.  Oh, and I had to go buy a strapless bra for the dress. And a jean jacket. (But I got the jean jacket at Kohl’s on their clearance rack for $8!)  I think I could have avoided the need for a strapless bra if I had tried the dress on with a bra to adjust my strap placement to the same location as my bra straps….but there was no avoiding the jean jacket.

Also, I have not hemmed the dress.  I did a rolled edge just to finish it quickly.  I plan to go back and add a blind hem to make the sun-dress a little shorter.  I just have to decide how short. And I also have to add the hook & eye at the top of the zipper.  I’m gonna get it on my way to pick up Haley from school today.  (I can’t believe I don’t have one in my supply box.  How embarrassing!)

Maybe I should apologize for not fixing my hair…but then again, maybe it’s better you see me in my natural state.

So there ya go.  Have questions? Leave a comment and I’m going to make every effort to answer them all here so we can all learn from each other!

Summer Time Dress

Haley informed me tonight that I better get busy on their summer clothes!

I’d say this dress fits the bill!  It’s with Sandi Henderson’s Meadowsweet fabrics using Patty Young’s Frida pattern.
I’ve made it available as a kit in my shop.

Take note of the dressform.
I now own 4 new children.
They are really good.
Quiet.
Don’t eat.
Don’t leave toys on the stairs.
(They also don’t give hugs and kisses,
or jump up and down when you pick them up from school…)

Anyway, I have some grand plans for these new little girls and boys.
One of them will obviously be to wear clothes while my children are asleep or at school and can’t model for me.
And I don’t even have to wash their face or attempt to fix their hair!