announcing Purse Palooza 2012!!

anyone else need a new summer purse? well, lucky for you, june will be chock full of purse inspiration over at Sew Sweetness! every weekday in June, there will be 2 amazing guest bloggers scheduled to share with you a purse sewing pattern review. even more exciting...there will be a giveaway EVERY WEEKDAY in june! that's 20 giveaways! (big thanks to the giveaway fairy godmother, Kim from My Go-Go Life, who has worked hard to plan these unbelievable giveaways!) at the end of the event, you will get a chance to show off your purse in order to win some amazing prizes!

free tutorial from Sew Sweetness: Caliti Convertible Clutch 

free tutorial from imagine gnats: the madeleine bag

Pattern Review Schedule 

June 4

Sara @ Sewsweetness (tutorial: bag interfacing) 

Kim @ My Go-Go Life (Urban Jungle Bag) 

June 5 

Meg @ Fashioned by Meg (Anna Maria Horner Art Student Tote) 

Lindsay @ Lindsay Sews (Posie Rosie Little Things Jane Market Bag) 

June 6 

Kaelin @ The Plaid Scottie (Oliver + S Day in the Park Backpack) 

Colleen @ The Busy Bean (something from Amy Butler's Style Stitches book) 

June 7 

Bree @ My Crafty Crap (Jenna Lou Designs Mabel Bag) 

Ayumi @ Pink Penguin (Signature Bag from Kumiko Fujita) 

June 8 

Tamiko @ Patchwork Notes (Hexagon Patchwork Bag from Playful Patchwork) 

Jessica @ A Little Gray (Pat Bravo Verona Bag) 

June 11 

Jessica @ Sew Crafty Jess (Amy Butler Spice Market Tote) 

Amy @ amylouwho? (V. and Co. Favorite Bag) 

June 12 

Sara @ The Pretty Pickle (Charlie's Aunt Casablanca Clutch) 

Lindsey @ LRStitched (Noodlehead Envelope Clutch) 

June 13 

Erin @ 2 More Seconds (Keyka Lou Bucket Bag) 

Caroline @ Sew Can She (V. and Co. Carry All Tote) 

June 14 

Ali @ a squared w (bag from I Like Orange Too) 

Rachael @ Imagine Gnats (Jen Giddens Pocket Tote) 

June 15 

Holly @ Bijou Lovely (Noodlehead Go Anywhere Bag) 

Katie @ There and Back (Sweet Pea Pocket Purse) 

June 18 

Monique @ Sew Fun by Monique (Millie's Market Tote from Happy Home by Jennifer Paganelli)

Katie @ Swim, Bike, Quilt! (Green Bee Scoop Tote) 

June 19 

Jennie @ Clover and Violet (Lunch Bag from Pink Penguin) 

Joanna @ Shape Moth (Emmaline Bag) 

June 20 

Jen @ Bettycrockerass (While Baby Naps Metal Clutch) 

Krista @ The Spotted Stone (The Sometimes Crafter Amanda's Knitting Bag) 

June 21 

Katy @ The Littlest Thistle (Noodlehead 2-4-1 Tote) 

Terri @ Sew-Fantastic (In Color Order Lined Drawstring Bag) 

June 22 

Elizabeth @ Don't Call Me Betsy (Amy Butler Weekender Bag) 

Sarah @ Fairy Face Designs (bag from the Bag Making Bible) 

June 25 

Amy @ Sukie Don't You Know Who I Am? (Amy Butler Sophia Bag) 

Heather @ {House} of a la Mode (Retro Mama Granny Bag) 

June 26 

Julianna @ Jednoiglec (Charlie's Aunt Kitchen Garden Bag) 

Jeni @ In Color Order (Bari J. State Street Tote) 

June 27 

Kerry @ Very Kerry Berry (bag from Suzuko Koseki) 

Michelle @ I Like Orange Too (Left Bank Granny Bag) 

June 28 

Kay Whitt @ Sew Serendipity Studio (tutorial: adjustable strap with metal slider) 

Amy Barickman @ Indygo Junction (tutorial: installing grommets/magnetic snaps) 

June 29 

Melissa @ Bittersweet Designs (Bella Nonna Boutique Shoulder Bag)

free tutorial from Sew Sweetness: The Underwater Stripes Bag 

Contest Rules 

1. Check out all the purse pattern reviews throughout the month and get inspired to sew up a purse of your own! 

2. Join the Purse Palooza 2012 Flickr Group. 

3. Link up your completed purse to the Flickr Group BETWEEN JUNE 4th and JULY 11th. Your purse must be created and photographed between those dates; purses made prior to June 4, 2012 will be disqualified. The purse may be of your own design, or made from a sewing pattern. 

4. You may link up to 2 views of the same purse. More than 2 photos of the same purse will be removed from the group. 

5. There is no limit to how many purses you may enter, as long as they were made between June 4th and July 11th, 2012.

free tutorial from Sew Sweetness: The Urban Jungle Bag 

The Prizes 

First off, there will be a team of lovely judges that will choose 1st through 6th place. ALSO, 3 randomly chosen winners will be picked out of EVERYONE who completes a bag! Some great chances to win!! 

1st Prize 

* $50 gift certificate from Fat Quarter Shop
* 3-pack of books from Martingale Publishing 

* $50 gift certificate to Zipit 

* $70 Pellon gift pack 

* fat quarter bundle and sewing pattern from Art Gallery Fabrics

2nd Prize 

* fat quarter bundle and sewing pattern from Art Gallery Fabrics 

* 3-pack of books from Martingale Publishing 

* fabric bundle from Sew Fresh Fabrics 

* $30 gift certificate to Spoonflower 

3rd Prize 

* fat quarter bundle from Art Gallery Fabrics 

* 2-pack of books from Lark Crafts Publishing 

* $20 gift certificate to The Quilted Castle 

4th Prize 

* fat quarter bundle from Art Gallery Fabrics 

3 Randomly Chosen Winners

   

$20 gift certificate to Pink Chalk Fabrics 

The Sponsors 

Thank you to all of the lovely and extremely generous sponsors! Art Gallery Fabrics // Artsy Crafty Babe // Noodlehead // Izzy and Ivy // Serendipity Studio // Martingale & Co. Publishing // Betz White // Sis Boom // Atkinson Designs // Mommy's Thimble // Lila Tueller // Sew Fresh Fabrics // Bari J. // C&T Publishing // Keyka Lou // Clover and Violet // Indygo Junction // Marie-Madeline Studio // Pellon // Pink Chalk Fabrics // Lark Crafts Publishing // The Quilted Castle // Fat Quarter Shop // Craft Apple // iThinkSew // Emmaline Bags // Bag Purse Frames // Zipit // Oliver + S // Ellen Medlock Studio // Charlie's Aunt Patterns // Spoonflower 

Grab a button! 

<center><a href="http://www.sewsweetness.com/2012/05/purse-palooza-2012.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Sew Sweetness" src="http://i869.photobucket.com/albums/ab257/bluemerleboutique/resizedpursebutton.jpg"/></a></center>

i hope you'll be sewing along and checking out all of these amazing guest posters and sponsors!! now i'd best get sewing up my purse :)

may featured sponsor: Contemporary Cloth

sometimes i am really glad that blogging doesn't happen in real time. usually it's just because no one would be interested in the many interruptions that typically occur as i sit here typing (except maybe the ones that involve my daughters being cute, and even that's a maybe)... but right now it's because while i'm supposed to be typing up a post about my lovely sponsor, Contemporary Cloth, i might have just taken a little ooh and aah detour around the shop instead.

so i'll just give you a little overview of the new shopping list in my head :)

jessica jones, outside oslo home dec weight fabrics

(seriously drool-worthy) yuwa japanese fabrics

yoshiko jinzenji  (top)

megumi sakakibara (bottom)

henry road by paula smail, remnant packs

fly away by amy schimler

tiki, hand silkscreened barkcloth

(and one of my personal top ten fabrics of all time)

It's A Hoot home dec weight from Alexander Henry

more AH home dec weight fabrics here (including heath!) 

here's a bit more about the shop:

owning contemporary cloth inc. is actually my third career. initially i was a social worker, then a pediatric occupational therapist. i opened c.c, online in 2001. my goal was to provide a resource for interesting, contemporary/modern and retro-look textiles for home or office, at reasonable prices. 

our fabrics are used in art quilts, wearable art, wall art, interior design projects, crafts, mixed media, book arts, etc. we have a worldwide customer base that has inspired us to continue on that path. we have quilting + home dec fabrics, bold cottons, yuwa japanese fabrics, notions, magazines/books and more. 

our mission is to provide and maintain customer satisfaction through reliable service, to support artists and to donate 1% of our net sales to dress for success, cleveland, ohio.

sondra + staff 

find Contemporary Cloth here: shop / blog  / pinterest / facebook / twitter

here's a little bonus for my lovely readers! mention "imagine gnats" in the comment section of your order, and you'll receive a refund for half of your shipping cost. and if you'd like to know when new fabrics arrive, you can sign up for the Contemporary Cloth newsletter on the main page of the shop. just look for the "our newsletter" button.

*sigh* that yuwa japanese fabric really has me drooling. (again, glad you're not here to see it) are you lucky enough to have sewn with yuwa fabrics before? what's it like? please share! also, you can check out pics of the upcoming yuwa collections from quilt market here at True Up.

so go visit Sondra at Contemporary Cloth, say "hi" and let me know what goodies you get :)

may do.Good Stitches blocks

this month's quilter for the Heal Circle of do.Good Stitches is Ella of throw a wench in the works, and she picked the twenty five patch star block (instructions here). the blocks measure at 15" finished, a bit larger than our typical 12" finished blocks and Ella is hoping to get two quilts out of them. we used kona white as the background for both blocks, but made one with all solids and the other with scrappy squares (both in bright colors rather than pastels).

i did my scrappy block first and was mostly happy with how it came out. i will say that this block was ever so slightly out of my comfort zone ;) the HSTs i was fine with, but lining up 25 little squares is something i typically avoid at all costs. 

after working through the first block, i felt more comfortable tackling the second and i am much happier with how my points lined up this time. it was hard to get a good picture of the solids block (it finally rained today!), but the dark blue and purple at the top are much more distinct than in these photos.

there you have it folks, another month... two more blocks for hospice. and can you believe it's nearly  june? sheesh.

fabric destash sale!

i've decided to part with some of the fabrics that have been languishing away, worried that they would never be made into anything beautiful. and here's your chance to scoop up some deals! over 60 yards of fabric is up for grabs in the destash section of the imagine gnats etsy shop.

here are just a few of the lovelies that could be making their way to your home... fat quarter bundles, yardage, and scrap packs are all available!

head over to check out all of the deals in my etsy shop here.

a hot day in the garden (and winners!)

tonight we have three winners from the Fat Quarter Shop giveaway!! 

but first, the garden. it is hot here, folks! may isn't over, and we're already in the nineties... sheesh. bad news is that lettuce season is basically over, and our spinach has already bolted. but we have had enough rain that we're not totally dried out at least.

bok choy (grown from seed)

squash blossoms

peppers

spinach bolting

purple beans

yellow beans

beets

new cage for the peas

first tomatoes

ok, so who won the charm packs??? 

1. Diane (of from blank pages and One Stop Giveaway Shop), who said "I think this is the fourth giveaway I've entered all week! lol. Where have I been? I absolutely love this line! Thanks for the awesome giveaway Rachael! :)"

2. Amy, who said "Thank you for the giveaway! I would make a new summer quilt"

3. Roslyn (of Sew Delicious), who said "Cute fabric!! I'd love to try and make my first quilt :)"

yay and congrats to all of you! i'll be emailing you shortly...

and these are my favorite garden pics from the week... our raspberries are starting to look like raspberries!! it looks like we'll have way more this year than we did last year and i can't wait for Nick to cook up some raspberry bars :)

 

stay cool and happy crafting!

and the winners are.... (plus random cat photos)

holy moly, you guys! my Sew, Mama, Sew! giveaways had over 1500 entries between them! that's some serious blog loving and i appreciate so much all of your comments.

for all of you who are new here, welcome! although i do usually try to respond to all of my comments, i gave myself a little break for the giveaway posts since, you know, there aren't 30 hours in each day and all ;) but i'd love for you to stick around and join in the conversation around here. you can learn a bit more about me here and check out my tutorials here.

i do have a few posts rolling around in my head that i hope to get up in the next week or so... on my to-blog list i have: making HSTs with a layer cake (like i did for this project), some recent graphic work i've done that i'd like to share, and maybe a few DIYs inspired by projects i made for my wedding. but for today i'll stick mostly to telling you who won! because really, that's why you're here, right?

may sponsors group giveaway winners:

$20 credit to casa crafty: Shelly of That'll Do, who said "I love me some aqua. (Like a lot of others right now, I know.)" Shelly, me too!! i love me some aqua.

stockholm summer yardage from Contemporary Cloth: Jill of Made with Moxie, who said "For some reason I've been drawn to yellow and purple together lately. I just bought an awesome Heather Ross yellow linen rose print by Kokka from Ayumi's destashing." Jill, jealous!!

earrings from Hodgepodge Arty: Maureen from Being Chronically Ill is a Pill, who said "What a fantastic giveaway! I find these giveaways fun not only for the chance to win, but it is inspiring to see all the cool blogs out there that you didn't know existed, and to see what other people are creating. As for my colors, I love pink/brown, brown/teal and blue/green/yellow!" Maureen, thank you :) and great colors too!

little apples jelly roll from Sew Well Maide: Irenoski88, who said "Thank you for the chance to win!" thanks to you for being here!

aqua/gray fat quarter bundle from me: Ana e os Vira-Ventos, who said "Thank you for the great giveaweay! Have a nice day." of course! and i'm thinking that, since your blog is in portugese, i might be getting to send some international mail. i love international mail :)

may sponsors *bonus* giveaway winner:

set of the three new spring patterns from Figgy's: Sam from Monkey Huggers, who said "I haven't tried a figgy's pattern - they all look great :)" Sam, here's your chance! i know you'll love them.

congrats to all of the winners!! i'll be emailing you shortly to put you in contact with my fabulous sponsors so you can redeem your prizes :) and a HUGE thank you to my fabulous sponsors for making these awesome giveaways possible!

happy crafting!

ps. the Lucy's Crab Shack giveaway from Fat Quarter Shop is still running through sunday night!