Spring Splash Reminder

Just a quick reminder, there are only a few days left to comment on the Vintage Notions project suggestions. Remember… I am looking for unique ideas for creating projects with the Vintage Notions fabric I recently won in a blog give-away. You still have an excellent chance of winning since there have only been a couple of entries.

To enter just click on the February 25th achieve blog titled “A Splash of Spring Give-away” and click on the comment button to leave your suggestions.

The deadline for entries is midnight, west coast time, March 9, 2010 (this Friday)

I hope to hear from more of you by then, don’t let me down. See you soon. Laurette

Give-away posts:

A Splash of Spring Give-away
Vintage Notions
I Won! I Won!

A Splash of Spring Give-Away

Hello everyone, I am sorry I have been away for so long from my blog posting, I have been helping our very dear friends with a really difficult move.  I was far away from my computer everyday and too tired at night to sit and write anything you would want to spend your time reading.  I am finally back in the office so here is a new post for you to read which should actually make some sense, I hope.

As promised I am having a special give-away contest with an early spring theme.  The contest goes like this; I am looking for ideas to help me figure out what to create out of the Vintage Notions fabric I recently won on a blog give-away.  I will be giving away two gifts, one for those of you who would like to sew/craft with fabric and a second gift for those of you who do not.

This is the fabric I won, there are 18 fat quarters and one panel; I want to make as many different items as I can from them.  All ideas will be considered, I will choose two from the comments section to win a fabric stack or the cute spring journal, notepad, pen and nail file set.  You don’t have to sew to win something.

Prize #1 is this spring fat quart set of 8 mid tone fabrics.

Prize #2 is a cute spring bird set containing a journal, note pad, pen and a jewel studded nail file. 

I am really looking forward to your suggestions as to what to make with my new fabrics; they are sitting on my cutting table waiting to be turned into some fantastic creative projects.

Here are the rules:

One entry per person

You must specify which gift you would like to win

You must have a mailing address within the USA to win.  

Deadline for comment entries is midnight, west coast time, March 9, 2012.

Please leave your first name and the first initial of your last name with your comment so I can contact you when you win. (It will be posted on my blog so you can contact me with your shipping address.)  Sorry about all the rules, a necessary evil.

Thanks for hanging in there with me while I was away from my studio and office.  See you soon.  Laurette

If you enjoyed reading this post you might also like:

I Won! I Won!

Vintage Notions

Vintage Notions

The new fabric line by Amy Barickman, The Dressmaking Collection, produced by Red Rooster Fabrics and the book, Vintage Notions, also written by Amy, has finally arrived.  I won the fabrics and book from a contest sponsored on the blog of Betz White.  I was so excited to receive them; it was like Christmas morning as I opened my box of fabrics and my new book.  Everything came wrapped in tissue pattern pieces, how cool is that, perfect for any dressmaker.  As my eyes feasted on all the wonderful vintage inspired fabrics my mind began to spin with all the fun projects I could create with my new fabrics.  The biggest problem will be figuring out what to make first and if I will have enough fabric to make everything I want to make, so many projects and so little time, what’s a girl to do.  I can assure you every last scrap will be used with nothing going to waste, let the fun begin.

So many fun prints and patterns to work with, 18 fat quarters and one really beautiful coordinating panel, something you rarely see, the entire fabric line all in one quilt shop or in one on-line store.  I am very blessed to have then all.

Some of the possible projects for these wonderful fabrics are a quilted purse, an apron, pillows, zip cases, needle cases, book covers, e-reader covers, wall hanging or lap quilt….hmm what else?  If you have any ideas I did not mention please use the comment section to leave your suggestion and if I pick your idea and make it, you will get a special gift from me.  The gift will be announced in the next posting along with the deadline for submitting your suggestions. Here is a hint, think spring time.   I will be working on the Vintage Notions projects throughout the spring and summer months with supporting blog posts so you can track everything I create as I go along. 

**Due to the difficulties of shipping I can only ship inside the USA at this time.

The Vintage Notions book, An Inspirational Guide to Needlework, Cooking, Sewing, Fashion and Fun, is such a lovely book, I can’t wait to read every page, not to mention creating some of the retro inspired projects and recipes. Thanks to my new book and fabrics I won’t run out of inspiration through the coming months and into the fall.  Of coarse there are still all those unfinished projects from last year and the already planned ones for this year.  I believe I am going to be a very busy lady indeed.

*On a very special personal note;  I just found out today there is going to be a new grand baby this coming fall.  My son and his wife are expecting their first child.  I am thrilled, lots of special gifts to make for my new grandchild, I can't wait, the new baby will make it three very special grandchildren, I am beyond blessed.

Thank you for letting me share my newest book, fabrics and my special news with you, watch for the give-away details in my next post.  See you soon.  Laurette

If you enjoyed reading this post you might also enjoy reading:

I won! I Won!

Colorful Fabric Zip Bags

Quilted Valentine Table Runner

Super Studio

Things are very busy in my studio these days with multiple projects going on at the same time.  Some days it is really difficult to keep up with everything going on, including my blog posts.  I have so many things I want to share with you, especially some of the things being made in the studio for the holidays and all the special gifts for my granddaughters, family and friends. The projects are piling up fast and so is all the fabric and notions, a gal could get lost for days in there.  My quiet work space is starting to rival Santa’s workshop and has become a super studio.

I know I promised more bling projects and I have several in the works, but I had to put them aside to work on multiple birthday gifts for my oldest granddaughter’s 5^Th birthday, which happens in just a couple of weeks. I have been working on a pretty blue fairy wall hanging which I blinged out (don’t know if is a real word but it is in my studio) and a very cute purple coat to help keep her warm all winter.  Not to mention cutting out dozens of Christmas stockings, which I am making to donate to charity.  You will see that project in a future post.  For now, I thought I would share a photo or two of the fairy wall hanging and the coat in progress, just so you know what I have been up to and why my new posting was so late.

My granddaughter loves blue and has a thing for flower fairies.  She is just like her Grammie; bling is her thing, so we add it to all her wall hangings.

I added lots of rhinestones and some butterflies to give dimension and sparkle. She is going to love this hanging over her bed.

This was the pre-cutting stage of her coat; I used deep purple fleece and a really cute pattern from McCall’s.

Honey is inspecting my pattern layout; she always inspects all my projects even if they don’t need it, wouldn’t want to get into trouble with the pattern police.  Good job Honey, keep up the good work.

These are the pockets with the flowers and buttons I chose to brighten up the dark purple.  We are going to have a tough time getting her to take it off at bedtime. I have almost completed her coat, I should be done in a day or so as planned, just in time for the cold, wet weather.

I really wanted to give you a sneak peak at the Christmas stockings I am making but realized at the last moment I haven’t downloaded those photos yet, darn it.  I guess you will just have to wait to see the full posting of the stockings and the elegant bling projects I am working on.  Thanks for letting me share my current studio projects with you.  See you soon.

If you like bling, you might want to look at past posts; see the list on the right hand side of the blog under the month of October.

Black and White Bling

Pumpkin Bling

Where to buy:

Blue Fairy Wall Hanging

www.homespunharbor.com

Crystals and butterflies

Michael's

Quilt Shop Heaven

Quilt Shop Heaven

For those of you who follow me on a regular basis you already know my studio assistant and myself were suppose to go to the big Quilt Show in Santa Clara this past weekend.  Due to unforeseen circumstances we didn’t make it to the show, we were very disappointed but it couldn’t be helped (heavy sigh).

We were, however, able to do something just as fun, at least we thought so.  We went out quilt shop hunting and came across several wonderful shops with magnificent arrays of beautiful fabrics and all the goodies to go with it.

One shop in particular really caught our attention that day; SEW BEE IT QUILTING, in Morgan Hill, CA.  What a beautiful, friendly shop, they had so many fabrics, patterns and notions to see, we were there for a long time picking and choosing all our fabrics and patterns for our next projects.  I know I just edited my fabrics but I couldn’t resist all my favorite fabrics by designer Amy Butler.  The price was fantastic and the fabrics were going quick so I just had to buy before they were all gone.

 The Amy Butler wall, I was in heaven!  Lots of pictures of this great shop, enjoy!

 This great shop really has it all, there are prints, solids, basics, batiks, patterns, books, classes and so much more, you just have to stop in and see it.

 The whole shop is bright and colorful, a truly happy place.

Rows and rows of colorful fabrics to choose from, they are a feast for the eyes, they make me smile just looking at the pretty colors.

A peak at the great selection of books and patterns and more beautiful fabrics.

The shop was really hopping with classes and lots of happy, friendly shoppers.  We got to see some fantastic quilts made by one of their customers, a mini quilt show right there in the shop. 

It was a lot of fun and the two of us can’t wait to go back and shop again.  I hope you enjoyed the little peak into this darling quilt shop we visited and I trust you will take the time to check it out for yourself if you are ever in that area.  If you are not in the area you can check out their web site listed below.

Happy shopping!

We also shopped in several other delightful quilt/fabric shops, I plan to share those, the fabrics and patterns we purchased, with you in the very near future.  Watch for those, see you soon.

Where it is:

SEW BEE IT QUILTING

94 San Pedro Ave.

Morgan Hill, CA  95037

408-778-5058

Check out their web site at:

www.sewbeeitquilting.com

Fabric Heaven & My Studio Helper

 Once again it’s quilt show season, with a parade of beautiful quilts and fabulous fabrics from around the world, all on display for the avid quilter and seamstress.  Because I am both a quilter and a seamstress, my studio assistant and I will be attending this weekend’s Pacific International Quilt Festival in Santa Clara, California.  This show hosts over 800 quilts, wearable textiles and 300 vendors featuring all kinds of patterns, fabrics, notions and so much more. I can’t wait to go!

Since I am a totally addicted to beautiful fabrics and patterns I will be like a kid in a candy store surrounded by all my favorite goodies wondering what to buy first.  I will have to set a budget and have my assistant hold me back from buying excesses of the fabrics I fall in love with (let’s hope my assistant has been working out, she will need super human strength to drag me away).

 Everyone in the studio has been excitedly planning out our one day trip (it takes several days to see it all), with the exception of my little studio helper, Honey.  She begged and pleaded to go and was told no, due to the fact she is so small, size was a good excuse and the fact she is a cat. (Shh...) Don’t tell her, she will be in a real mood; she doesn’t know she’s a cat.  It’s already bad enough she is giving me the cold shoulder and exhibiting some bad behavior, where did my sweet little studio helper go?

Frankly someone had to stay behind, do the inspections and manage the studio, besides she drew the short straw.

Honey is pouting because she has to stay in the studio while we go to the quilt show.

 “What do you mean you want me to fill orders while you are gone?” “I don’t think so… I am calling in sick the minute you leave.”  Just another day in the life of my much pampered studio helper, looks like I created a little fur diva, what’s a gal to do?

We are really looking forward to going to the show this weekend then coming back to tell you all about the fantastic goodies we found, hopefully we will have lots of pictures to share with you as well.  I am not sure if we are allowed to take photos but we are going to try.  I am looking forward to sharing all our adventures with you next week, be sure to look for them.

In the meantime I have more projects and bling to share with you.  See you soon.

Pacific International Quilt Festival –Santa Clara, CA

Managed by Mancuso Show Management 

www.quiltfest.com

Side note:  I am finally working on my new laptop, a bit slow going trying to get use to the programs, Windows 7 and a new key board.  My retrieved data and photos were safely loaded on to the new computer and are ready to go.  I am one lucky woman.

A big THANK YOU!! To Jolene and Steven for all their patience, time and talent, I would be totally lost without you!  Love you both.

Data and photo retrieval by:

Rx-TEK, Hollister, CA

831-636-9400

Contain That Clutter Part 2

Contain That Clutter Part 2

In part 1, I talked about editing (see past post), Today’s post is about how to organize all those small and large goodies (for me it is sewing notions) using unusual containers.  You are probably thinking here we go again; I have to spend more money on storage boxes, bags and whatever else is out there.  True you may want to do just that but if you are thinking of going a little bit green and leaving a little less garbage in the landfills, then you might find my ideas useful.  Keep in mind I use all these items at my work stations.  I have a working studio with several projects going at once so I have to be able to find things quickly; little stations around the room help me to know where to look for an item without wasting time. My storage solutions do just that, some you will know about others will be new to you. Remember some of this is out of the box thinking.

For my colorful buttons, which I use in my children’s line, I put them into a couple of different kinds of containers. 

For the larger flower buttons; I put them into glass bottles which held Starbucks coffee, I soaked off the labels in very hot water so I could see each button color (love the lids).

For medium and miniature buttons; I used little condiment containers we got   with our take-out soup order.  They all had lids on them which keep those pesky little buttons from escaping and rolling around on the floor.

My specialty, wide ribbons and larger buttons are kept in clear hair spray can tops.  They are deep and clear so I can see the colors and my ribbons don’t end up a wrinkled mess.

All of these items sit on a very old acrylic tray my Mom used at cocktail parties in the 60’s. Totally a re-purposed item, it now serves notions.

A couple of other containers I use to sort and contain buttons are clear glass soup jars, vintage Planters Peanut jars, nut jars from a hotel mini-bar, (paid a hefty price for those nuts) and plastic containers from Kentucky Fried Chicken which hold the side orders.  They are semi clear with snap on red tops.

To store small jewelry findings, seed beads and other small embellishments I use sample glass jars I get from the make-up counter at the department stores.

My bias tape, elastic and piping all go into a fabric covered box which coordinates with my studio colors (black, white & turquoise).

Some of my threads are stored in a large glass cookie jar and a clear plastic mayonnaise jar with a cute avocado green lid.

Extra scissors, a flashlight, nail file and other goodies are stored in a mercury glass flower vase (a gift from my sister).

Glass jars of every kind, glass candle holders and little metal pails hold colored pencils; colored pens, paint brushes, stencil brushes, decorative cutting scissors, paperclips, rubber bands and so much more.  I primarily use glass for easy viewing but you can use any plastic food jars or take out containers you come across.  Pre-made salad containers usually have great shapes and colors and are pretty interesting to look at.

When you are looking for fun containers for storage ask yourself this:  What can I use this for or what can I put in this?  Look at everything you are going to throw out; try to see it in a new and creative light.

Of coarse you can purchase great looking containers just about everywhere, but remember half the fun is looking at things in a new and creative way and using them to make your creative world a little bit more organized.  Oh and don’t forget all the money you could be saving to buy more goodies.

Look for Part 3 of Contain That Clutter; we will be looking at storage for your larger supplies.  See you soon,