august featured sponsor: Sew Well Maide

last month i shared the Quilting Carry All Bag from Sew Well Maide, and i believe i said something about adding this bag to my "must make" list as soon as the pattern was available ;) well, guess what? the pattern for the Multi-Purpose Carry All Bag is now available!!

the interior features different size pockets along both sides of the lining, large enough to fit quilting rulers, books, and small stitching hoops. or perhaps you normally carry stuffed animals, diapers, tissues, and storybooks? they'll fit too.

the interior gusseted divider section is padded for protection and also wide enough for a large quilting hoop and big books, ipads or laptops.

external end pockets are wide enough to stash a ruler or a bottle... or just a convenient place to throw your keys or phone.

there are long handles so you can carry it on your shoulder, freeing up your hands to hold all the important things - latte, keys, or a precious child's hand!

the bag is lined with Pellon Peltex 71F, a fusible interfacing that gives a very sturdy structure.

you can read more about the bag here on Sew Well Maide, and get your own pattern here in the Sew Well Maide etsy shop. through september 7th, you can use coupon code GNATSAUG to take 20% off!!

you can also find Sew Well Maide here: blog / etsy / craftsy / facebook / twitter / flickr/ pinterest

august giveaway winners!

winner of the $15 store credit from Emmaline Bags and Patterns: Andri

winner of Aneela Hoey's "Little Stitches" from sewn studio: Kelly

winner of Quilters Companion Magazine from Sew Well Maide: Steph

winner of the PDF pattern bundle from dog under my desk: Cecilia

winner of the jelly roll from Fat Quarter Shop: Katy

all winners have been notified... congrats and thanks to everyone who entered!

road trip 2012: quilts in dc

at some point, i may actually finish sharing pictures from the vacation that was now nearly a month ago! this is one of my favorite parts, though... we went to see the quilts at the Daughters of the American Revolution Museum in dc with the lovely Kim (of my go-go life) and two of her equally lovely kiddos. 

there you go... proof of me with Kim! i'm pretty happy that i managed to remember to get pics of everyone we met this trip :) speaking of pics, you can see the ones Kim took of our visit here and a few more of mine here.

the first things we saw were these amazing nineteenth century needlework samplers. you can read more about some of them in this DAR virtual exhibit.

and then there were the quilts... oh, the quilts. 

the detailing of the quilts was amazing, and nearly every quilt included example after amazing example of needle-turned applique. many of the blocks were signed by the stitchers as well.

i'm particularly interested in the quilt block above... in fact, i came home with an official set of the patterns from that quilt. we let the girls each pick something from the gift shop as well, which was interesting. B chose a storybook about the american flag, and K chose a cd of the music of Benjamin Franklin's time. 

on the third floor of the museum, they have a great children's play area where they have games for the kiddos to play, examples of period toys,

mini quilts, and costumes!

here are our lovely kiddos all together after we (finally?) released them from the museum. aren't they adorable? Kim's lovely daughter let our girls play with her scarf (around B's neck) and they were smitten :)

a lovely time was had by all for sure and maybe someday i'll get to the needle-turned applique... i'll, uh, keep you posted on that one ;)

sewing for a cause

i'm sharing a post that i put together for the sewn studio blog today about a fabulous charity sewing opportunity put together by one of my lovely bloggy friends, Teresa of Crinkle Dreams. we first "met" somewhere around the time of the covert robin and i hope that you are as inspired by her passion for this project as i am...

in addition to publishing a book about her experiences in Vietnam, Teresa has put together a charity sewing drive to benefit the orphans in Tam Ky, Vietnam, a cause near and dear to her heart. she and her two children made their first trip to Vietnam in 2006, saying goodbye to family with no return tickets and only $13.

from Teresa... "We left and didn't look back, spending two months volunteering in Tam Ky. We met children whose disabilities exiled them from their families, others who'd lost their fathers in the all-too-frequent typhoons, and some with single mothers who could not keep them. I learned to love the orphans more than I would have thought possible. I learned, too, just how much I love my own children.

 "We went on to live in a hotel in Hanoi while I searched for work and at the last possible moment, found work teaching Engish in Thanh Hoa. Over the seven months in Vietnam, everything I'd ever thought, believed and expected completely changed and our lives haven't been the same since."

Today there are more than 100 kids in the orphanages in the small city of Tam Ky, and Teresa is looking to collect as many quality, handmade items for them as she can... from bags to carry school books, shorts and other clothing, or diapers for the many infants that find a new home at the orphanage.

if you're interested in helping out with this great cause, Teresa has tons more information on her blog (including a complete outline of items to donate along with free tutorials to use). over the next few weeks, Teresa will be sharing project ideas and tutorials there as well.

if you're short on sewing time, you can donate to Teresa's Pho for Three fundraiser campaign here, and keep up with the progress on facebook here.

again, from Teresa: "Thank you so much! I really can’t do this without each of you. I honestly believe that one person can make a difference, but it’s so much better when it’s a bunch of us working together."

i'd like to also say thank you to Teresa... thank you for your inspiration and kindness and commitment to making the lives of these children better! and (of course) for inviting us to be a part of your journey.

august featured sponsor: dog under my desk

today, meet Erin of dog under my desk! since she and i first met via twitter, it seems appropriate to share with you what i first learned about her there:

PDF Sewing Patterns. 

Addicted to fabric. 

Stargate & Sanctuary fangirl. 

SciFi, TV, WordPress & Mac geek. 

Owned by 2 Yorkies.

but you should also know that she's not really the kind of girl that can be described in 140 characters... she writes fabulous patterns with clear instructions, great pictures, and promises to cure you of your fear of zippers!! a bit more on that from Erin:

I’m an analytical kind of person and I’m kind of a techie, which translates well into the sewing world. I like the technical side of sewing – accurate seams, math, figuring out construction, taking a gazillion pictures and creating PDF patterns and tutorials. All of those pictures and obsessively detailed instructions help to make your project a success, whether you are still learning how to sew or have years of experience. And I promise, zippers are NOT SCARY! If you ever have questions about a pattern or a tutorial, please send me an email or tweet me or find me on Facebook!

Erin offers pdf patterns for notebook organizers, a quick zip lunch bag, tote bags, and more. one of her most popular patterns is the two zip hipster, which features great pockets, an adjustable strap, and (you guessed it!) two totally conquerable zippers.

and for you, lucky imagine gnats readers, i have another discount code!! save 10% on all pattern purchases in the dog under my desk pattern shop with code: GNATS.

so go check out dog under my desk, tweet Erin a how-d'you-do?, and start planning a new project!

find dog under my desk here: shop / blog / facebook / twitter / pinterest / flickr

fabric swap goodies

i received some super awesome handprinted fabrics in the mail some time a little while a very long time ago, and it's quite past time for sharing. these fabrics were all part of the second round of handprinted: a fabric swap from Leslie at maze & vale.

inspired overprinting from Jo at bubala
stamped triangles from Caitlin at salty oat

two prints from Karen at blueberry park
(part of an extended swap from the last round)

tulips and pears by Lili of Lazy Days

gauzy dots from Kate of little house

you can see the fabrics i painted and sent to my swap partners here, and read more of my thoughts on handprinting fabric in this post i wrote for The Idea Girl.

thanks so much to all of my very lovely swap partners for the beautiful fabrics!!

road trip 2012: we ate crabs

this has been a MoxieGnat production. all photos taken at the very lovely Cantler's Riverside Inn, Annapolis MD.