I-Spy Swap Link

Lorelei over at Midnight Maker is hosting her first-ever I-Spy Charm Swap!
Her swap is for 5" squares, and her rules are a bit different than mine -- so please, read all guidelines carefully before signing up! :o)

Her signup post can be found HERE.

Giveaway Winner!

We have a winner!!

Random.org says.....

And comment #86 was:

Thank you for your excitement, Mama Teaching 3! :o) I have sent you an email.


Thanks, everyone, for entering this little giveaway -- and for all your kind words! I appreciate it so much!!

New OYW Book Review.... and a giveaway!

It's here!! My copy of the next installment of One Yard Wonders -- Fabric By Fabric! And I am so excited... TWO of my projects have been featured in the book! It's been such a fun and exciting project!

First let's talk about the book. If you aren't familiar with the format of the first book, which is packed with oodles of fun and simple projects you can make with one yard of fabric, this one is similar. Here's what you'll find:

First of all, look at this packet of patterns. It's one inch thick and absolutely jam-packed!

The book starts out with a section on Fabric Fundamentals. This section walks you through some of the most basic things you'll need to know for sewing... needle types, stitch lengths, presser feet, patterns, and -- my favorite -- Basic Sewing Practices. You'll save yourself time and trouble and get a much more professional look if you've got these basics under your belt!

The book is divided in sections by fabric type: lightweight cottons, quilting-weight cottons, home dec fabrics, flannel, woven pile fabrics, coated fabrics, fleece, knits, and wool. There are oodles of projects for each fabric type!

There is also a helpful glossary at the back of the book that will go over all the different terms you might come across during your reading. Even experienced sewists might find this to be a helpful refresher when in the middle of a project!


Now I just have to share my excitement!

Look! That's me! Hee hee!

My first project is a gathered pillow.

Such yummy texture! Here's the photo in the book...

...and the photo I took before sending it off!

Second project? Another pillow! This one is called Wave Illusions. I love their styling for the photo (and I want that couch!!), but look at this...

...this is how I photographed it! Which end really goes up? I like it both ways! :o)


There are a few bloggy friends/acquaintances who have projects featured in the book as well, including Anna from Noodlehead:

Check out her Fold Over Bag!


Also Lorraine from Ikat Bag (I <3 her writing! And projects!):

Look at those darling fleece piggies!!


How about a sneak peek of a few other projects from the book?

If you're interested, here is the schedule for the blog tour so you can check out other contributors' sites:

12/12/2011 Becka's Project Journal
12/13/2011 Craft Buds
12/14/2011 Patch Work Duck Designs
12/15/2011 Patch Work Duck Designs
12/15/2011 A Spoonful of Sugar
12/15/2011 Nifty Kids Stuff
12/15/2011 Becka's Project Journal
12/16/2011 Nom Nom Nom
12/16/2011 Quaint and Quirky
12/17/2011 ikatbag
12/17/2011 Two Brown Birds
12/18/2011 Sharon Sews
12/19/2011 LBG Studios
12/19/2011 Carolina Fair Designs
12/19/2011 Under Construction
12/20/2011 Little Blue Cottage
12/21/2011 Craftzine
12/21/2011 Neuroses Galore
12/21/2011 Emily Steffen
12/22/2011 Jenna Lou Loves You
12/23/2011 Spin Cushion
12/26/2011 Craft and Cackle
12/27/2011 One Inch World
12/28/2011 Sew Sew Etc.
12/29/2011 While Tangerine Dreams
12/30/2011 Studio Cherie
1/4/2012 Fiberosity
1/05/2012 Zuhause
1/6/2012 No Bad Days
1/11/2012 Obsessively Stiching
1/12/2012 Lu Lu Carter
January 2012 AfricanKelli

Who wants a copy of the book??
Storey Publishing is offering a copy of the book to one lucky giveaway winner!
You must be in the USA to win...

Simply leave a comment on this post, including your email address, and you'll be entered in a drawing for your own copy coming straight from Storey!

Giveaway ends on 1/12/12 at 6:00PM Mountain Time.
I will post a winner shortly thereafter!


Best of luck -- this is a FANTASTIC book! :o)

I-Spy Quilt for JellyBean!

One of my Christmas sewing projects this year!

JellyBean has been wanting an I-Spy quilt of her own... and we had a great time picking out squares together! Each square represents something she likes, something about her, or is something she just plain couldn't live without at the moment we were choosing!

I opted to set all the squares together in rows with no sashing this time... that way we could cram in as many I-spies as we possibly could! There are quite a few of my Ultimate Favorite Squares in there... squares that, until now, were too "special" to use in any other projects!

There is a narrow purple border to frame the quilt, followed by another border of I-spies. She adores it, I adore it, and it is perfect on her "big girl" bed!

:o) HOORAY for I-Spy!! :o)

LAST-MINUTE Handmade Stocking Stuffer Ideas!

We're getting down to the wire... but there is still time to whip up some handmade stocking stuffers! Check out my quick roundup of projects that would make fantastic STOCKING STUFFERS!

Finger Puppet Tutorials

Rhinestone Bracelets from Shoelaces


Pot Holder Makeup Bag


Sleeping Bags for Tiny Critters

Fleece Creatures

Coin Purse Keychains


Squishy Rubik's Cubes


Lacing Cards


Handcarved Stamps from Erasers

Covered Mini Composition Notebooks


Dolly Duffel Bag


Juice Pouch Coin Purse


Christmas Dish Towels

Tiny Covered Notebook Keychains -- a DSC Exclusive


Cupcake Pincushions

Goofballs

I-Spy Blocks or
Storytelling Dice

Tiny Kitten in a Box

Itty Bitty Oven Mitt Magnets

Um.... Hello?

Hellooo!!

I am still here! I didn't intend to be gone for so long! I'm still alive and kicking, obsessing and sewing! :o) I guess I've had quite a lengthy sabbatical, but I hope to be back around here at least a little bit more often! :o)

I just wanted to share this ridiculous photo... That laundry basket right there contains all the 4" I-Spy squares I've collected over numerous swaps. Hee hee! Should I be embarrassed? Yesterday my sister-in-law and I busted them out and pawed through them, searching for those perfect squares for Christmas projects. It was like greeting an old friend again! Ahhhh, I-Spy.... The box contains uncut fabrics, ready for more swapping, which WILL happen again. :o) Maybe sometime in January/February -- the "doldrum months."

(It's a BIG basket, too!)

Anyhow, I have intended to create a roundup of QUICK and SIMPLE last-minute Christmas gift/stocking stuffer ideas before now, but must delay it a little bit longer! Watch for it in the next few days!

Crafterhours' Spoonflower I-Spy Swap Link!

Hey, THANK YOU, everyone for all your fantastic suggestions on yesterday's post! I am feeling so much better about the situation -- and now I have a nice long list of ideas!! :o)

****

Well it seems it's that time again -- for the Crafterhours Spoonflower I-Spy Swap!
Susan only needs a few more participants to fill up her swap -- so if you are interested, follow the link and check out the guidelines. I participated last year, and it was so much fun. There are so many fantastic fabrics available at Spoonflower!!