Sunday, May 15, 2011

Blogger's Quilt Festival

Amy's Creative Side

Amy from Amy's Creative Side is hosting the Blogger's Quilt Festival (which I think usually corresponds with the Quilt Market/Festivals each fall and spring). You can see my post here but I wanted to share the flickr Quilt Festival Pool slideshow and it won't let me add it to my Wordpress blog (bummer). SO, here's a little quilting eye candy for you.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Pattern Giveaway!


Hey stop by my other blog, because I'm hosting a giveaway for FREE patterns!

You can read all the details and enter to win the giveaway over on my other blog.


Happy Stitches,
Anna

Monday, May 2, 2011

Jelly Roll Madness Month starts NOW


All Jelly Rolls that are IN STOCK are only $25 (plus shipping) Better get over there and get them because there is a very limited supply available. Oh, and you might want to pick up some yardage because it's such a bummer when you get a pretty top all finished and realize you don't have any coordinating yardage for the back or some borders.

Happy Stitches,
Anna

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Crafty Girls Blog has a NEW HOME!

Please jump over to my new blog home http://craftygirlsworkshop.wordpress.com/ Hopefully the http://blog.craftygirlsworkshop.com/ address will point there at some point (it supposedly takes 24 hours to refresh and I'm not sure when that will kick in.) Please update your readers if you have it that way and over there you can sign up to get my newest posts directly in your e-mail inbox (which is really the only way I read blogs anymore).

ALL new posts will be posted over there.

And don't forget about the $5 SALE on SALE FABRIC!!

Happy Stitches,
 See ya on the Wordpress Side!

Anna

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

$5 SALE - FABRIC

Attention!!!!

ALL SALE FABRIC IS ONLY $5 PER YARD

Better get it now while it lasts!


Happy Shopping,
Anna

Psst, shop first, THEN tell your friends!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Ambitious is Good: Retreat Update

I guess taking 4 projects is a good thing. I finished 2 quilt tops and 1 entire quilt, pieced, quilted it and put on the binding!! I guess I was afraid of the quilt police (NOT!)


Here's my finished baby quilt called Squared Up. I can't believe this was a UFO for SO long! It probably took me all of 5 hours from start to finish.

Close up, LOVE that binding!


Here is a wonky log cabin and Robot quilt. It started with just a panel of robots and some extra cogs in yellow and black. I mixed in some of my Moda Marbles from a jelly roll and it was PERFECT! I LOVE wonky log cabin quilts! My shirt says "What happens at quilt retreat stays at quilt retreat" Until, of course I blog about it on Monday. Haha.

 Here is the Paris Birds quilt I took with me. I need to add two borders but it was the first top I finished on Friday. (The blocks were already pieced, I just put them together into the top)


There was a fourth project I took with me that didn't get started, it was from the BRAND NEW Quilts and More, which I just got on Thursday. I'll post more about that later. So what did YOU finish this weekend??

Also, I think wearing the shirt Failure is NOT an Option helped when we played Left, Right, Center on Friday night because I WON! Yep, 40 random fat quarters! Hmm, wonder what I'll do with those?

Happy Stitches,
Anna

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Order Delay for a Few Days

Since I'll be on a quilt retreat this weekend, any orders will be packed and shipped out on Monday. I appologize for the delay (usually it's a one day turn around) but a girl's gotta quilt! In the meanwhile, here's a coupon code for use to SHOP,  THIS WEEKEND ONLY!

Use the code:

RETREAT
for
10% off
your order!


Hmm, was a no-brainer? Also, since tomorrow is TAX DAY! 10% off is like getting a TAX break on your order! (And if you're out of Texas and don't pay sales tax on this order, it's an added bonus!!)

This code is good through Sunday, April 17th at midnight, at which point it will turn into a pumpkin. Also, it will only work on orders of $10 or more, but shipping gets the discount too!!

Happy Shopping!!

Anna

Packing for Quilt Retreat

Besides ALL those projects I'm taking with me to the Quilt Retreat (QR) this weekend. I'm making sure that the shirts I take to wear during the QR are appropriate. Here are the sayings on each shirt I am taking along:

"Failure is NOT an option" (Actually from the Johnson Space center in Houston but I usually wear it shopping and thought it would be fun to wear during the QR)

"What happens at Quilt Retreat stays at Quilt Retreat" (This was the t-shirt from the Alamo Heritage Quilt Guild QR several years ago, and it's still appropriate)

"Quilt Police" on the back, "Captain Luna" on the front (I made this one myself as a joke at a QR I organized a few years ago. Strangely, it didn't quite get the reation I was looking for.

"Who cares?" With a big picture of the grumpy/cloudy Care Bear. I LOVE this because I'm NOT a morning person until I've had coffee. Plus I always loved the Care Bears.


I think that's all the shirts I'm taking, it's only three days but it's good to have a backup or two. If you could create a t-shirt to wear on a retreat, what would it say?

Happy Stitches,

Anna

Monday, April 11, 2011

A Little Bit Ambitious

This weekend (starting on Friday) is the first retreat for the San Antonio Modern Quilt Guild. I am so excited to be able to spend 3 and a half days sewing! (yes, I know I own a sewing studio and yes, I can sew whenever I want but I don't have to worry about meals or my puppy all weekend!)

Here are the projects I'm bringing with me to work on (sorry for the icky pictures, hopefully I'll have finished stuff to show after the retreat.) Do you think I'm too ambitious?

for my best friend's youngest son (and my Godson)

Paris, Birds, Pink and Brown how can I go wrong?

for the friend's oldest son (those are Robots)

Just for fun (and I've had it cut for over two years)

Something I started just a few days ago, a wonky boyish fabrics log cabin


I don't think it's too ambitious because I'll just be happy if I finish one or two. Hopefully I'll have lots to report on Monday!


Any big plans for this weekend now that tax time is over? (OK< did I just post about the weekend on a Monday?)

Happy Stitches,
Anna

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Book Review: Amy Barickman's Vintage Notions

Vintage Notions: An Inspirational Guide to Needlework, Cooking, Sewing, Fashion and Fun

Today I have the pleasure of reviewing this sweet book by Amy Barickman called Vintage Notions. Amy is the pattern designer behind Indygo Junction of which I do have a few patterns in my shop. While I mostly carry modern style and design of fabrics and patterns, I have found that this book is very useful for the modern sewist(a).  A lot of the inspiration for this book was taken from a woman named Mary Brooks Picken who was a very real predecessor to Martha Stewart. Here is what Amy says about Mary Brooks Pickens in her introduction to the book:
"I conceived of this book, Vintage Notions, to rescue Mary Brooks Pickens from obscurity and to reintroduce the inspirational essays, clever sewing patterns, cooking basics, and beautiful illustrations from the Institute's newsletters with a fresh and modern voice."
Well, there you go! The perfect reason for me, someone who is thoroughly as modern as possible, to read a book with the word "Vintage" in the title!

Some of my favorite parts of this book include:

The "Magic Pattern" called "Men's Shirts Put to Feminine Use" on page 30

The section in each chapter called Amy B's Favorite Vintage Advice is sure to put a smile on your face.

The Department of Millinery (hats) on page 153 is great! I didn't realize there were so many hats for every occasion.


Of course, the Department of Cookery features in each chapter are very useful for me, since my oven doesn't exactly work, I'm sure I could use the advice on Cooking with Cold and Dainty Summer refreshments.



I definitely need to try this pattern for a summer purse, because Summer is approaching quickly.

I really could go on and on but I'll let you get a copy of the book for yourself to see how sweet and fun being domestic can be!

Oh, and don't forget to check out page 183 for the Department of Good Looks feature on "Charm Through Grace and Poise" and the advice on the opposite page about "Walking Like a Princess" because we should all walk like the princesses we are!

I think this book would be very useful to those who love vintage or those who love modern. Amy even includes a section at the beginning of each chapter called Modern Notions which helps relate the content in the chapter to a more contemporary context.

Thank you Amy Barickman and staff for allowing me to review a copy of this book!

A second copy of this book will be donated to the San Antonio Modern Quilt Guild for the silent auction fundraiser.

Happy Stitches,
Anna

P.S. Stay tuned this week for more pattern reviews and giveaways!

Friday, April 8, 2011

Lovely Patchwork Awesomeness Arrived


Yes, it's here and yes, it's TOTALLY AWESOME!! This magazine, compiled by the editors of the AMAZING Stitch magazine has 101 patchwork projects! It's all in one place, it's there at your fingertips. I can't wait to dive in and making something fun. Maybe it will be some sewing machine covers (I have 4 machines in my shop) or maybe a cute new bed for my puppy or maybe 99 other things that are shown in this magazine. I mean, geez, if I start now, I could make something every day for the rest of the year! Oh and if patchwork isn't really your thing, check out Stitch, because it has some incredible projects that involve actually making clothes! Ahh so many things to do.

Happy Stitches,
Anna

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Ruffle Crazy

Yeah, so I think I've gone a little ruffle, gather and ruching crazy and so has blogworld! OR maybe it's one of those things where you decide to do something that involves a new skill and suddenly it's EVERYWHERE! Just tell me that's never happened to you when you buy a new car! Well, so, long story short, I thought I'd just compile ALL the ruffle, gather, and ruche-ing tutorials all in one bloggy post and then let YOU add your links! Here's a quick list of definitions of the difference between ruffles, ruching and gathers. (As far as I can tell)

Gathers: A gather is created (one of many ways) by using a gathering stitch. What the HECK is that? Just set your stitch length to the longest it will go (also known as a basting stitch) and run a stitch down your strip of fabric. The general rule of thumb is to do this twice and fairly close together, because when you are pulling your thread, if one breaks, you have the other as a back up. Leave a long tail of thread at the end of your stitching. Gently pull the thread tail from the back of your fabric to gather the fabric along the stitching. Here is a great video showing how to do this.

A gather will have the raw edges of the fabric encased in a seam.You can make the gather as subtle or noticeable as you want, depending on how you pull the fabric.


Look at this cute gathered clutch I made using the AWESOME tutorial over on Noodlehead.

Ruffles: As far as I can tell (from my in depth research - 2 hours of blog surfing) ruffles involve a gathered piece of fabric, but one or both edges of that fabric are open to the world. Otherwise, the technique seems to be the same. Some sewing machines and sergers have a ruffler attachment which is usually very pricey and complicated. I'm sure it's very useful if you do a lot of ruffles. Here is a tutorial for a CUTE little clutch with a ruffle on the top! It's over at Just Sew Sassy, a cute new blog I found today that inspired me to write this post!

Ruffles Table Runner Tutorial

Ruching (pronounced "rooching"): I think "ruche" might just be the French word for ruffle or gather, but I could be wrong. I think (again, from my in depth research) that ruching is the use of multiple gathers on one item. OK, I was wrong, according to http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ Ruche is actually the French word for beehive. Go figure. The free dictionary also defined ruche as "a ruffle or pleat of lace, muslin or other fine fabric used for trimming women's garments." So, to me, that means it's almost the same as a gather or ruffle. There is an awesome tutorial over on Little Birdie Secrets for a Ruched Pillow. I think it's a really interested approach to the entire gather/ruffle thing.

Now, have YOU made anything or seen any tutorials around blogworld that include any of these fun techniques? Please link them below!



Happy Stitches,
Anna

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Perfect Mother's Day Gift Help Beat Breast Cancer!


Isn't this a beautiful necklace? I just read the entire story behind this necklace over on Little Birdie Secrets. You can read the entire post here. I'm going to buy one of these, in member of all the ladies I've known who have breast cancer or have known someone who has. I want to pass on the word that we can do something more to help! And it doesn't have to wait until October for Think Pink month! I hope you'll consider purchasing one as well. I am not getting any compensation for posting this, I'm just sharing something that is beautiful and will go to a wonderful effort. Ordering information is on the Little Birdie Secrets post. Thanks.

Happy Stitches,
Anna

Monday, April 4, 2011

The Ultimate Blog Party!

Ultimate Blog Party 2011

So the party has started! OK, I'm a little behind and that's probably because I don't have any sweet little ones (yet) and sadly, don't read the 5 Minutes for Mom blog. (Gasp!) BUT I do read Craft Buds (just became a sponsor actually) and THEY posted about the UBP. Apparently, this has been going on every year for the LAST 5 YEARS! Where have I been!? Well, I am participating now so PLEASE hop over there and visit some AMAZING blogs. There are 5 or 6 different categories and it truly is the ULTIMATE party because there are at least 150 blogs listed in EACH category! (Most of them have more than 300 EACH!!) Wow. There are prizes to be had as well, if you enter your blog on the list. I'm linking my blog up on the Business Blogs list, although I think it could be added to the Specialty Blog list as well. But we have to play nice and leave a little room for others to play too. So go on! Stop by and get the party started!

UPDATE: Alright, so did I miss the part of the instructions where it said I needed to introduce myself? Hmm? Well, here's a little bit about me.

I LOVE to sew and to teach and in the process have become a sewing teacher! I have a sewing studio where I teach sewing and quilting classes and I even learn something along the way too. Recently I've started teaching home school children during the day which works great for me and them. Also, I try to teach my classes in the evenings and on weekends when the regular working folks have semi-free time.

I have an online shop where I sell fabric and patterns and the occasional kit. I have all sorts of fun PDF patterns and printed patterns for making anything from Tote Bags to Kid's clothes, aprons, and even quilts. If you sign up for my e-mail newsletter (either on the right sidebar here or on the website) you'll receive all the great updates about the shop in your e-mail every month and that includes COUPON codes! I try to keep this blog limited to posts about my crafty/sewing/quilting endeavors instead of really shop focused. But I DO sew and I DO use the fabrics I have in my shop to make samples (see previous posts).

I guess that's about it about me. I hope you'll say hi and I'll send you a FREE pattern!

Happy Stiches,
Anna

P.S. And don't blame me if you get lost in blog world and completely forget you have laundry to wash, food to cook, diapers to change, THINGS TO SEW or even taxes to pay (UGH!)

P.P.S. IF you do go and visit some blogs AND if you come back HERE and leave me a comment mentioning some of the blogs you visited (make sure your e-mail works or include it in your comment), I'll send you a copy of my Pillowcase Tutorial/Pattern. FREE!!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Finishing Feels Good!

I just got a LOT of this fabric in, I mean A LOT, as in 30 yards! (It's been popular in the past, I wanted to make sure I had enough to fill future orders)
 So I decided to make a sample of this cute little pattern called Notting Hill by Pink Fig Patterns. I added in some other fabrics as well and here is what I got:


It's made in size 2T for my best friend's daughter, Lily(bug). I can't wait to try it on her and snap a few pictures!!

AND since during the construction process of making this skirt I learned how to make GATHERS (yippee!) I decided to tackle THIS tutorial that I've been just DYING to do. And I used the leftovers from cutting the fabric for the skirt! Not only did I make it out of the leftovers, practice more gathers, but I ALSO tackled (re-taught myself/conquered my fear of) a ZIPPER!!! And ended up with a cute clutch, to boot.


Yippee! What a happy finishing day!

Oh and finished up TWO pillowcases for the Pillowcase Challenge Party, thanks to all who participated!

Have YOU started or finished anything this weekend?

Happy Stitches,
Anna




Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Keyka Lou Pattern Winner


Congrats to April at Sewing Novice, you have won 2 patterns from Keyka Lou patterns! Although, from looking at your blog, I hardly think you are a novice! Readers of Crafty Girls Workshop, you should REALLY stop by April's blog, she takes great pictures and makes awesome stuff!

Happy Stitches,

Anna

P.S. I just returned from an AWESOME surface design retreat on Sunday and have loads to share so stay tuned!!

Friday, March 25, 2011

Make a Case for for a Good Cause


Did you know that Monday, April 4 is National Pillow Fight day? Wow!? How could I have ever missed that!? Well, in honor of that day this year, I am hosting a Pillowcase Challenge Party at my studio!! What the heck is a pillowcase challenge party? Read on to find out....

American Patchwork and Quilting (owned by Better Homes and Gardens or Meredith Publishing) is hosting a 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge. They have challenged quilt shop ALL over the country to host events just like the Pillowcase Challenge Party, make pillowcases and donate them to a LOCAL charity. Then, the shop can go to the APQ website and enter the number of pillowcases donated. They will tally them all up and hopefully we'll reach 1 Million donated! That's a LOT of pillowcases!

Well, this works out great because the VERY first class I usually teach anyone about how to sew or how to use their machine is a Pillowcase Class. So now I have a few people who know how to make them and can come by the shop on the day of the PARTY!

But what if YOU want to come by but you've never sewn a stitch in your life? NO PROBLEM! This is such an easy project that I can show you want to do in just a few minutes and get you stitching in no time! The shop will have slightly extended hours 10am-4pm on Sunday April 3 for the day of the Pillowcase Challenge Party.

There is only a small $10 registration fee to cover the supplies you'll need to make ONE pillowcase. You can choose to keep it or donate it, or keep it and make another one to donate!

I've already found the PERFECT place to donate the pillowcases. It's call the Angel Cover Ministry. They make quilts for children in need and they are working to make 30 quilts to donate to children with cancer. They would LOVE to have pillowcases to donate along with the quilts at the end of April right around Easter.

They are all ready to accept our donation, so all we need is the pillowcases! So, what are you waiting for? You should definitely hop over to the shop and sign up RIGHT NOW for this pillowcase challenge party.

If you aren't local to San Antonio, there are a couple of options. You can make a pillowcase on the day of the party and let me know, via e-mail, or Facebook or whatever. Then you can either send me the pillowcase or donate it to a local charity in your town. OR why not register for the party and have someone make a pillowcase FOR YOU? Just specify that when you order. I will happily make a pillowcase for you on that day. I'll even post a picture of it on our Facebook page when it's finished.

I'm going to have door prizes and FOOD so it will be a SUPER fun day!

I hope you'll be able to come on by.

Happy Stitches,
Anna

Thursday, March 24, 2011

WIP Wednesday, on Thursday


Made this at MY Laptop Cover class on Sunday (decided the shop needed a sample!) It just needs topstitching, I love those little birdies!

Here's a sample that one my best customer's and newest friends is working on. We used a charm pack of City Weekend. I'm calling it Nine Patch Baby! There's an outside white border too. If you like it and would like me to do a SEW ALONG of this pattern, please vote by commenting on this post!



This is the Sugar Pop version of my Oh How Charming! pattern (designed by little ol' me!) which I teach duing my Gotcha Covered Beginning Quilt Class. It just needs a binding and then it's DONE!!! It will be great to finally have a sample of my quilt with fabric I have in the shop!

And here's the Moving Violations quilt from the Rule Breaking Quilts book club (you can join any time!) I'm planning to add a border in that robin's egg blue and a wide border in the Potpourri fabric, which has all the colors of the quilt. Then of course it will need to be quilted and have the binding put on it (oh fun!)
So a lot of works in progress going on over here at Crafty Girls Workshop! Maybe I'll be able to post some progress on them next week.

What are YOU working on?

Happy Stitches,
Anna

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Another March Madness Giveaway!!

I am soo excited to post ANOTHER giveaway for you, my wonderful readers.
(A BIG welcome to all the NEW readers from GenXQuilters!)



I am especially excited to share this giveaway with you. Michelle Webster, the BRAINS behind Keyka Lou patterns has generously offered to give TWO of her FABULOUS PDF patterns away! She has an AMAZING blog where she posts great tips and beautiful pictures of great fabrics. Michelle and I have been friends/business associates for a long time and her patterns are so great for a beginner to intermediate sewist(a) that I use the reusable tote pattern AND the laptop sleeve pattern in my classes! I am just so thrilled that now I can be an affiliate and the added bonus for doing what I would already do anyway is a little commission every time you buy something using the link from my blog!!

So, if you'd like to WIN WIN two of her FABULOUS and EASY-to-follow patterns, here is whatcha gotta do:

1) Visit the Keyka Lou Shop and pick out your TWO favorite patterns (I know this will be difficult, but do try) then come back here and leave a comment telling me which ones you want.

2) Visit my shop and tell me which FABRICS you would use to make those beautiful patterns

3) And for an added little bonus, why not stop by Michelle's blog and just drop her a little "hi!" comment, you can tell her that Crafty Girls Workshop sent you, or not, I think she'll get a pleasant surprise out of that.

Of course, be sure to leave at least one comment telling me you did the above items (you can leave one for each or one telling me what you did.)

MAKE SURE you are NOT a No Reply Blogger!! If I can't reply to your comment, and you DON"T leave me your e-mail in your comment, then you CAN NOT win this giveaway! And that's not any fun, right?
One more thing, all the Keyka Lou patterns are PDF so this is open to ANYONE ANYWHERE!! Yippee! Save trees and include international folks. I love it when things work out like that.

The winner will be announced on Tuesday, March 29th!!

Happy Stitches,

Anna

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Color Inspiration: Fresh Modern Quilts on Flickr



Watch the above slideshow for some beautiful modern quilting inspiration.

Happy Stitches,
Anna

Check back because I'll be posting my NEXT March Madness Giveaway SOON!

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Sew You Want to Learn to Sew?

Janome Magnolia 7318 Sewing Machine


If you've been thinking about getting a new machine, because yours is too hard to work with, too old, too complicated, not complicated enough, I'd highly recommend the machine linked above (yes I get a tiny commission if you purchase one, no obligation though).

First off, you should consider why you want the machine, do you plan to sew, quilt, embroider, make garments, make tote bags?  If you answered yes, then here are a few features you'll probably want:

1) A thread cutter, yes some machines are SO basic, they don't have that nifty little thread cutter on the side of the machine, it's handier than grabbing the scissors all the time.

2) The needle stops in the UP position. Again, the most basic machines will usually be sort of "lazy" and when they stop sewing, the needle stops wherever it was when it was sewing, which is sometimes still down in the machine. When you need to sew items quickly, it's ideal for the needle to stop UP.

2a) *Super nice to have feature Needle Down button* On the flip side, it is handy to have the ability to tell the machine to put the needle DOWN (and even better if you can set it to ALWAYS put the needle down, but that's usually a feature in higher end machines) because any time you need to turn a corner, you'll want to put the needle down so that you can maneuver the fabric without messing up the stitches. If you don't have a needle DOWN button, you can always turn the flywheel toward you and put the needle down.

3) Variety of presser feet. Check to see which feet your machine comes with, ideally you'll want a button hole foot, zipper foot, darning foot (has a circle) and basic straight stitch foot, If you plan to do any quilting, check to make sure the machine has either a 1/4 inch foot (when you line the fabric up to the side of the foot, you get a 1/4 inch seam) OR the ability to move the needle OVER to make it a 1/4 inch seam and not change the foot. Also for quilting you'll want the ability to purchase a walking foot at some time.

4) A nice to have option is a needle threader attached to the machine. These usually take some practice to get comfortable using but they are very nice for threading that tiny needle.

5) Drop in Bobbin I'd recommend a drop in bobbin for a beginner. From my experience using various machines in my own store, the drop in bobbin is a good option for several reasons. First of all, you can very easily see when it is running low or out of thread. Second, the access to the bobbin is so much easier when it's on the top (obviously) but that makes life less frustrating when you have to change out the bobbin. Personally, on my mid line Bernina, it's a front loading bobbin made of metal, and while I love the feel of the quality of it, sometimes the idea of having to hunt down a shop that carries the bobbins that cost $2 is sort of annoying.

A caution about plastic bobbins, they are NOT all the same. Some bobbins have a slight curve to them and won't work in other machines. Be sure that you buy bobbins for your machine and perhaps even mark them somehow to ensure they stay with your machine.

*Nice to have feature* If you're interested in spending a little more on a machine, you might look into one that has a knee lift lever the KNL allows you to just swing your leg over to the right and push a lever that will actually raise the presser foot on your machine. That's handy if you need to maneuver fabric quickly. I never knew what that was until I learned to sew at a shop when I was learning the features of the Berninas I was going to sell. The shop owner required us to learn to use the KNL and I'm glad she did because it's very, very useful.

So, that's my (not so)short two cents on what to look for in a sewing machine. The mid-range machine will last a long time and give you many years of sewing success. I have a Janome Sew Precise in my shop (no longer in production) and it does well, even over three layers of fabric, including batting. If there are any other features you can't live without on your machine, please feel free to post here and share! I'm not a huge expert on sewing machines, I'm just sharing what I have experienced working with several different models of machines. I am asked at least three times a week what to look for in a machine and this is the result of those discussions.

Happy Stitches,
Anna

P.S. Another reason I recommend that machine from Amazon, besides my affiliate commission is that they offer FREE shipping and it's cheaper than what you'll find on other websites. Even in a large city like San Antonio, TX, it's difficult find a decent machine locally without having to pay more than a couple hundred dollars.

Friday, March 11, 2011

Rule Breaking Quilts Book Club: Moving Violations

I'm having so much fun in my own book club for this book Rule Breaking Quilts! (you can still join)

                                                                 Rule-Breaking Quilts 

I've already started on the first quilt and amazingly I'm ready to piece the entire top together, and I only started cutting pieces for it yesterday! Here's where I was yesterday:
This, in itself was thrilling, until I got to the next step, which was MORE cutting! And I ended up with this!



Most of the fabrics are from Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush collection, but I had to add some of my NEW Bella Solid Robin's Egg blue AND some Buttercup. It really pulled everything together. If you manage to look really closely, you'll see a little bit of something weird mixed in. It's from an improv block I did that I didn't really like much, so I wacked it up and pieced it back together in some wonky triangles and now I LOVE it! This quilt project is called Moving Violations, and you have to get the book in order to understand why. But boy are the Quilt Police going to be after me!!

I'm going to have my camera at the ready tomorrow to see the looks on people's faces when they come in my studio and see this quilt on the wall. I might love it too much to ever even bother taking it down to piece it! SEW FUN!!

Happy Stitches,
Anna

P.S. Don't forget about the giveaway going on! (See previous post)

Linking up here:


Wednesday, March 9, 2011

March Madness Continues: Whimsy Couture eBook Giveaway

The winner is commenter number 3, Lindsay! Congrats! I've sent you an e-mail about the patterns and they should be arriving shortly.

Today starts the next round of giveaways for March Madness! This week I'm featuring Denise Knapp of Whimsy Couture. (click the button to visit her cute blog)



Whimsy Couture

I have 12 of her eBooks in my shop ready for your viewing pleasure! The winner of THIS drawing with recive 3 Whimsy Couture eBooks of your choice!!

Personally, I think this is the most adorable pattern ever and perfect for warm spring weather:


Remember, the choice here is ONLY the patterns by Whimsy Couture. I now have an easy peasy way to tell which patterns are by which designer because I've added a separate category for PDF Pattern Designers AND Printed Pattern Designers!

To enter this giveaway leave me a comment with any of the following (one entry per item):

1) Visit the Whimsy Couture Designs page and choose the 3 patterns you'd like
2) Sign up for my e-newsletter (in the box on the right sidebar)
3) Post about this on YOUR blog, or FB or Twitter
4) Join the pillowcase dress sew-a-long over at Little Big Girl Studios to help Dress a Girl Around the World

BONUS: If we get to 50 comments, EVERYONE gets an extra entry!!

Be sure to make sure you ARE NOT a No Reply Blogger, if I can't reply to your comment (you can leave your e-mail) then I can't send you the patterns if you win!

Giveaway will CLOSE on Monday March 14 at Midnight.

Happy Stitches,
Anna

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Winner of Gingercake Patterns

Congrats to commenter number 2, Becky who said:

"I already like you on facebook and it led me to this post! yay! I love March Madness - we are huge college basketball fans here.


Make your Getaway Duffle, The Waste Free Lunch Bag and Love Your Lunchbox patterns would totally rock my world.

I believe I'll join that sew along too. I have a bunch of pillowcases to share!

Thanks for the chance to win. "


Stay tuned for the next giveaway!!
 
Happy Stitches,
Anna

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Total March Madness! Giveaways and Celebrations!

Well, I'm not going for any slam dunks here (haha, that's a March Madness basketball joke) BUT I wanted to CELEBRATE my 700 (and now 6 more) followers!!!

I plan to do that with a GIVEAWAY EVERY WEEK in this month! Yippee!! OK, tired of all the exclamation marks and capital letters?

This week, starting now, March 1 and until Monday, March 7 if you leave a comment on this blog post you will be entered to WIN

NOTE: I guess there was some confusion, this giveaway is ONLY for the Gingercake patterns, as shown below and linked. If you visit my website and do a search for gingercake, you'll see the options. Any other patterns are not up for "grabs" at this time. I appreciate you visiting my shop and mentioning other patterns, but ONLY Gingercake's patterns are in the running this week (more to come another week in the month).


Your CHOICE of 3 electronic patterns from Virginia Lindsay of Gingercake!!!



(From the ones listed on my website, which you can see in all their glory by clicking here)

Here are the ways to enter:

1) Visit the shop and choose the three Gingercake electronic patterns that you'd like to win, then hop back here and leave me a comment telling me your choice and what you would do with them.

2) "Like" my page on Facebook (I post coupon codes on there sometimes, so it's a good deal either way) and be sure to mention it here

3) BONUS entry if you decide to participate in the sew a-long over at Little Big Girl Studio

Make sure you leave me your e-mail address or that you are NOT a no reply blogger (read the details here to check/switch your settings)

If you want to leave me ONE comment for all your entries, I'm cool with that!

You have until Midnight on Monday March 7 to enter, I'm going to announce the winner and a NEW giveaway on Tuesday March 8.

So happy visiting and blog hopping and I hope you will join in the Sew-A-Long at LBGS because it sounds like an awesome idea. (I'll post more about that tomorrow).

Happy Stitches,

Anna

Monday, February 28, 2011

Just another MANIC Monday..Read on for coupon code!

Are you having one of THOSE days?

(Me too)

I had a fun weekend and made some FUN new blocks.



No pattern, just some general instructions on how to make a Red Cross block for the Block of the Month for the San Antonio Modern Quilt Guild. The one top and center is the one for the BOM drawing. The rest of them I made with some scraps and it was SEW fun!! I wish I could be making some more instead of working my other job.

So, I've decided to turn a doldrum day into a FUN day with a SPECIAL coupon!!

Use the code
MANIC

when you order in my shop today for a special

15% DISCOUNT!!

But you have to use the code. If you don't and you still order, I'm not going to give you a coupon credit, USE THE CODE!!!

Tomorrow begins March Madness, and GIVEAWAYS to celebrate 700 followers AND Spring AND whatever else I feel like.

By the way, this code is ONLY good TODAY (Monday) until Midnight (central standard time).

Happy shopping!

Anna