Goodbye my friend!

My friend Tina is moving next week. She's my walking buddy--at least 15 miles per week we strut our stuff down the country roads and through the golf course. Oh, sad day to lose my walking buddy and yoga instructor in one shot. I asked if she wanted a going away gift and she decided that my bag, in different colors, would be just right for her.

My bag came from Vicki at Accio Fabric! She had made it to test a pattern, and I thoughtfully reminded her that she hadn't given me a birthday gift. We don't exchange gifts so this was my way of extending a means for her to give me the bag before I outright stole it. She acquiesced ♥  BTW, she is a finalist in the Riley Blake contest so go vote for her UPSY DAISY quilt! You can see all the finalists and vote here: http://www.rileyblakedesigns.com/cutting-corners/contest/ or here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Riley-Blake-Designs/217428743660

The pattern is Grand Revival's Flea Market Bag. It has 2 sizes and a few strap/closure options. The one I made is about 12.5 X 12.5:

The bag on the left is mine; Tina rummaged through my fabric stash until she decided on Kaffe Fassett's Lotus, Lakehouse dots, and Kona in stone (interior) for her bag.

I added a key fob (yes!) and lots of pockets for stashing. Then, a sentiment so that she would be reminded every time she went in her purse (the bright spot is the sun):

Putting the money where your mouth is...

You KNOW I'm Irish, right? That means I'm LUCKY. And MOUTHY. IF you put those two together, what do you get?

You get me, entering an Accuquilt Go! Baby cutter giveaway on Made With Love with the following:

♥Duff said...22

I am a f♥ll♥wer! And I'm ready to win one of these puppies!! If I were to be so stinkin' lucky, I'd do cartwheels for Circles, tumbler, and drunkard’s path dies! Yes, cartwheels on a youtube video. promise!! :O)

AUGUST 8, 2011 7:59 PM 

So thanks again! and here it is (p.s., the cheer is "idiot!"):

OH My!

Miss Jennifer over at Ellison Lane Quilts is highlighting me over on her blog today, the first of many in the "Follower Spotlight." So if you'd like to up your odds at winning Duffy Trivial Pursuit, feel free to take a look. Of course, that's just a game. If you want to win residential rights to the spare room you'll need to make killer margaritas and agree to hot tub excursions at all hours as I prattle on about my nonexistent love life. OH, makes the highlight so much more inviting, doesn't it?

Kidding aside, Jennifer is a talented modern sewist and a powerful force on the blog scene--she's got tips, tricks, giveaways, tutorials, the best swaps on the planet, and a passion for things that are close to her heart. See how easy it is to like this chick?!

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

Hello, friends and followers!

I would like to welcome you

to a Wantobe Quilters Campaign over at www.sewwequilt.com

 They are having quilting supplies to giveaway 5 x a week for the next 11 weeks!

The campaign began Aug 1st and runs till Oct 29th.

Supplies that will have you quilting

before you know it…From sewing machines to irons, to die cutters,

to mats, to rotary cutters, sewing baskets, scissors, batting, needles,

rolled sewing machine bags, patterns, books, magazines…everything

you could imagine to assist you in being a NEW Quilter.

A Wantobe Quilter is someone who has no quilting tools, has never quilted.

They can enter on M-W-F to win...they leave a comment and my name of my blog...

over at Sew We Quilt. ( Check their Saturday posts for recaps of the week,

the giveaways are FABULOUS)

http://www.sewwequilt.com/2011/08/saturdays-are-our-sponsor-daysrecap-of.html

http://www.sewwequilt.com/2011/08/wantobe-quilter-sponsor-day-recap-of.html 

Even if you are already part of this community you can win

quilting stuff too…Tuesdays and Thursdays are days for us.

( that is Quilters) we have supplies but we can win and better ones..

All you have to do is give me your name and phone number 

and email sew I can submit this to the organizer, because if you win

anything I can win something too. 

Be my follower and a follower

over at www.sewwequilt.com That is all! There are over 53 Sponsors involved.

I am pretty excited to be part of this, sew should you.

I love being a QUILTER! 

P.S. You will not be eligible to win anything if you do not register

with me (or with any blogger where you see this message)


See that cute orange gadget on the sidebar? If ever you need a quick link to this awesome promotion, just click and you'll be instantly transported!


Let's win some GOODIES!

Hey! Are clotheslines your thing? Jeannie over at "Life on the (Clothes) Line" profiles bloggers and their clothesline on a regular basis, along with household tips & tricks, and family tales & recipes. This week, she's asked me to talk about my love affair with clotheslines so if you want, feel free to swing by and say hi!

Life on the (Clothes) Line

Old fashioned wisdom in a modern era.

Thanks, Jeannie, for featuring me this week!

The I-almost-missed-your-birthday apron

My Aunt Pat's birthday is coming up. I was all set to start making her a retro apron this weekend until I realized at about 10pm last night that her birthday is this Saturday. Yes, I pulled out the fabric and went to work!

I made this pattern once before so I knew it was child's play until the bias binding neckline.

The pattern is "My Mom's Favorite Apron" from Sew Simple Patterns (click on the title for a nice big photo). See how cute that is when it's on your body?

Of course it's reversible! 

Fabrics:

Red = Let's Play (Plaid with floral red) for Benartex

Blue = Hankie Club by Whister Studios Style (mini dots blue) for Windham Fabrics

By 1:30am the last thing I wanted to do was hand stitch bias binding, so I utilized a fast & fabulous method from Accio Fabric! (If Vicki would just upload a freaking tutorial I could link straight to it! hint! hint!)

Check out these results--a perfect seam on one side and cute top stitching on the reverse. 

Well, this beauty was done by 2am and at the post office by 8:30 (this is when the postal worker told me that it wouldn't go out until 4 pm and my lip curled as I growled at her). Thankfully, it is scheduled to arrive on Saturday! Happy Birthday Aunt Pat!

For anyone who would like to enter the giveaway going on right now, click here. If you're already a follower of Mary Lou's, that counts too!

Two Birds One Stone

You've all heard the adage, Two Birds, One Stone. Well here's a quilty giveaway that's sure to make you see double:

Mary Lou Weidman (click on her name for a wallop of inspiration!) is an amazing quilter, teacher, cook, author, gardener, and all-around-great gal! i follow her blog and am never disappointed--there is so much inspiration! If you've ever needed to give your creative juices a jump start, her blog is the place to do it.

Blogger deleted her blog a short while ago and so she's got a new URL for your reader: http://marylouweidman-marylou.blogspot.com/

so, HERE'S THE DOUBLE GIVEAWAY:

Mary Lou is giving away a purse on her blog and I am giving away these items TO ANYONE WHO IS A MARY LOU FOLLOWER:

(It's a Tammy Tadd-themed giveaway)

75-page project book! Here is a sampling of projects:

Market bag, lunch bag,  & Arm Candy handbag

Cherry Cherry Cheesecake quilt, Half Baked Apron, & Casserole dish

fall/winter 2009 magazine with Tammy's shop as a top store

2 patterns--free-pieced or foundation -pieced squares quilt and a  market apron.

TO ENTER:
1. GO TO MARY LOU'S BLOG AND BECOME A FOLLOWER; LEAVE A COMMENT TO WIN HER GIVEAWAY!
2. COME BACK HERE AND LEAVE A COMMENT THAT YOU'RE A MARY LOU FOLLOWER TO WIN MY GIVEAWAY!

EXTRA ENTRIES:
BLOG ABOUT EITHER ONE OR BOTH GIVEAWAYS AND LEAVE 5 EXTRA COMMENTS FOR 5 EXTRA CHANCES! (In other words, put a link on your blog to Mary Lou's URL, or my URL, or both--and that is worth 5 extra chances total, no matter which option you choose)

This giveaway will run until  midnight CST on July 16!