winner!

And the winner of the 18 fat quarters of Moda PB&J, courtesy of Ella's Cottage is:

Which is Leila!  I will be emailing you!

Thanks to everyone who entered, and to Ella's Cottage for the giveaway.  Just a reminder, the code FREESHIPPING is active on her site until Friday night!

Monday morning giveaway :)

*This giveaway is now closed, thank you!*

Good morning, everyone!

I thought I would start the week off fighting the Monday morning blahs with a little giveaway, courtesy of Leigh Anne at Ella's Cottage, a great little Canadian etsy shop from the lovely provence of Prince Edward Island.  She carries fantastic lines like PB&J, 2wenty thr3e, Comma, and Simply Color.  And as a bonus during the giveaway, she is offering free shipping to my readers!!  Just enter the code FREESHIPPING at checkout.

So what is she giving away?  A full fat quarter pack of Moda's PB&J!!  That's 18 fat quaters, valued at over $50.  Niiiiice!

 

Three chances to enter:
1. Like her facebook page
2. Follow her brand new blog
3. Favorite her etsy shop

Leave a separate comment below for each entry.  I will do a random draw to choose a winner on the morning Thursday, April 25.  Good luck!

And PLEASE be sure to include and email address in your comment where I can reach you if you win....no-reply bloggers will be excluded (and that would suck, right?).  Thanks!!

a costume and a winner

Happy Halloween!  So this year, I did something I swore I would never do.  I sewed a Halloween costume.   I always thought that the time and effort to make a costume for one day of the year was not worth it, and would send my kids to the dress up box on Halloween to find something that fit over their snowsuits and call it a day.  And they never seemed to mind.   But this year, my 8 year old son had it in his head that he wanted to be a puffle, and only a puffle would do.

A what?!?!?  For those of you unfamiliar with puffles, they are the wee colorful and fuzzy pets in the Disney online game Club Penguin, and look something like this:

Big G wanted to be a red puffle, so I got some fun fur and some red hairspray and we have this:

Mission accomplished!  Happy kid, happy mom.  The Middle Child chose her Minnie Mouse cosutme from her last dance recital, and Last But Not Least....a princess.  Again.

Now, onto the winner for the Ghastiles fabric bundle from Alice at alidiza.  I took out a couple entries that were duplicated to bring the total to 46 the winner is:

And that is Tawny! Tawny happens to be a fellow Winnipegger (who I have yet to meet in person!) and has a great blog here.

I will get your mailing info and pass it on to Alice.

Have a great Halloween!

Winner, and gallery of embarassing photos revealed

So, for a giveaway entry I had asked you to guess which of the Epcot countries I had visited in real life for a chance to win an Oliver and S layer cake. The options were:

Canada

United Kingdom

France

Morocco

Japan

USA

Italy

Germany

China

Norway

Mexico

And a bonus entry for those who could guess where we spent our honeymoon!

Well, there is no fooling you people. I HAVE been to Italy, for our ten year anniversary (2010):


We had actually also visited Venice on a backpacking trip in 1999, and I had gone with my sister to Venice, Rome, Florence, Pisa on a tour in 1995! One of my favorite countries :)

Also:

United Kingdom- England, Scotland and Wales, anyhow (1995). I didn't have a single good photo of myself there (well, there was one of me in front of a rock wearing a tank top and jean overall shorts. Seriously? Even I didn't have the guts to share that!), so here is one of my little sister in Edinburgh :)

France (1995, 1999). Paris (shown here) and Nice, mostly. Did some para-sailing in Nice and survived a bomb threat in the Paris train station!


Japan (1992, on a Rotary exchange trip- check out those bangs, baby! I was 3 inches taller back then!):
I stayed in a small town in northern Japan, and they treated me like royalty. I met the mayor, was in the local newspaper more than once, and they even put me in their parade! I was the only blond and a good foot taller than everyone else :)

Germany (1995, 1999). Here I am in Berlin in front of Brandenburg Gate. Also spent some time slugging beer in Munich and toured a couple of the German concentration camps.

Mexico (1997, 1999 and 2000 with the U of M Dentistry Class of 2000!). Nothing says Mexico like an iguana wearing a sombrero!

But NOT in Mexico for our honeymoon! Oh no. For that, we went to....Morocco! And southern Spain , too :)
Among many other adventures there, yes, we DID ride a camel! Took an excursion out on the Sahara on camel-back and then spent a night camping out on the dunes under the stars. Magical!


So lots of right answers, and only a few who got the bonus honeymoon question right- good for you! I feel really lucky to have had the chance to visit so many amazing places, and it was fun reminiscing as I sorted through some photos to share with you here! Can't wait to someday add to "my list"!

That puts it at 52 correct answers entered!
So, without further ado (or embarrassment), the winner is.....

SassyCathy! I have emailed you to let you know. Thanks for playing, everyone!

Wanna win fabric?

{This giveaway is now closed}

Happy Valentine's Day! Thought I would do a little giveaway for some fun.

I have a layer cake of Oliver & S Cape Ann. Super cute, but, in reality, I have no time to put it to good use, with so many other projects patiently waiting in line! Would you like it?

Okay people, I'm going to make you work for this one ;) Here's how to enter. And yes, it is a Disney-themed question :)

In Epcot, the world Pavilions include the following countries (in order of appearance):

Canada

United Kingdom

France

Morocco

Japan

USA

Italy

Germany

China

Norway

Mexico

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment correctly naming a country I have visited. Canada and USA are kind of OBVIOUS so they don't count ;)

HINT: there is more than one correct answer. If you were a follower about a year back (or want to do some snooping in my archives), one answer is there ;)

BONUS ENTRY: As it is the Day of Love...leave a second comment correctly guessing in which of these countries the hubs and I spent our honeymoon (again, not the US or Canada).

I may even reveal some embarrassing photos from my past....

Winner to be drawn on Saturday, February 18! Entries from the above countries or all over the globe are welcome :)

{This giveaway is now closed}

Giveaway winner :)

Thanks again to Ginger of Gingersnaps for giving way a set of labels to......

which is....Nanci! Nanci said:

Congratulations, Nanci! I will be sending you an e-mail to claim your prize.

(and a big thanks to Anita for teaching me how to cut and paste crap onto my blog! Yippee!)

Go! Baby Winner :)

So, I hopped over to Random.org and chose a winner....Alison from Little Island Quilting!

Now, those who know me know that Alison is a good blogging friend of mine, and I know what you are thinking....fixed! You would also know that I have issues getting the Random.org thingy to cut and paste onto my blog, so I took a PHOTO to prove it is the truth! See?!?


Spooky thing is, it actually first chose #44, which was Alison....I thought it looked suspicious and so I chose again: #46- ALSO Alison!! I gotta say, that freaked my freak!!! I can't mess with that kind of craziness, obviously this was meant to be and the last thing I need this week is to be struck down by lightning or something for not obeying the Gods, so to Alison it will go. I know she will make lovely things with it. Congratulations!

I also wanted to say a big thank you for all the thoughts, prayers and warm wishes regarding my post about my friend yesterday. It meant so much to me :)

Have a great day, and check back tomorrow for the next installment of the Drunkard's Path Quilt Along saga.....sewing curves!

Quilt along announcement and a Go! Baby giveaway!

I have hinted in the past that a quilt along was on the horizon, and the time is now, People! I have paired up with Kate from Needle and Spatula to co-host a Drunkard's Path Quilt Along. As soon as I saw Kate's gorgeous quilt top (here!), I knew I wanted to delve deeper into this block and that she was the perfect person to do that with. So, the Drunkard's Path Quilt Along was born! I hope you can join us :)

<a href="http://ocd-obsessivecraftingdisorder.blogspot.com/2011/09/quilt-along-announcement-and-go-baby.html/"><img src="http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6173/6172798895_2ceae62c14_m.jpg" width="156" height="207" alt="Drunkard's Path Quilt Along with OCD and Needle and Spatula" /></a>

I love the versatility of this block. It is traditional, yet can produce some of the most beautiful and modern patterns. Just check out some of these quilty inspirations in addition to Kate's take on this block!


1. go! baby. mini quilt., 2. Ripple quilt top, 3. Doll Quilt , 4. Bouncing Baby Blanket (Drunkard's Path Variation), 5. DRUNKARD'S PATH VARIATION - Handmade by Zilla Cook - quilted by DLQ, 6. mon sheri waves, 7. Yet another Drunkard's Path Variation, 8. Gobstoppers Quilt, 9. DRUNKARD'S PATH VARIATION - Multi Scrap/Cream - detail 1 - by Zilla Cook - quilted by DLQ - overall meander, 10. Drunkard's Path quilt...coming together nicely so far, 11. Drunkard's Path quilt top, 12. Drunkard's Path

We'll be starting up this project on October 21. We will be posting fabric requirements October 4 so that you can start to stock up. The quilt top will be finished in November, so that you can have it quilted and ready to gift for Christmas! One more thing off the holiday to-do list ;)

Here is the schedule:

September 30: Block construction options/curve-sewing tutorial
October 4: Fabric requirements
October 14: Block arrangement ideas
October 21: Planning blocks and cutting your fabric
October 27: Sewing your blocks
November 8: Assembling your blocks
November 15: Putting it all together to make your quilt top
November 21: Show and tell linky and giveaway!

Of course, there will be some fabric giveaways for those who get their tops done on target. Randi from Fresh Squeezed Fabrics has offered a gift certificate for $40 of fabric of your choosing- that is enough for 5 yards of fabric, basically another entire quilt top!


And Jody from The Fabric Shoppe has also generously offered up a fat quarter pack of Tula Pink's Prince Charming:


The cool thing about this quilt along? Kate and I are each doing it differently. Kate will be providing information and directions using templates, and I will be doing the same using the Accuquilt Go! Baby Drunkard's Path die!

Don't have a Go! Baby yet? Well, that is where the giveaway comes in handy, eh?


The lovely folks at Accuquilt have given me a Go! Baby to share with one of my readers, along with 3 dies of your choice! So go ahead and select the Drunkard's Path die as one of the three, and get right in on the quilt along fun! Want to see what else is available? Click on the link below to check out some free patterns by Accuquilt to get the ideas flowing :)

To enter, leave ONE comment. If you grab our QAL button and put it on your site, come leave a SECOND comment with a link and you get another entry. Winner will be announced on Thursday September 29. Best of luck!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

Bag Lady Week Winners!

Here are the winners of all the yummy prizes from Bag Lady Week, as drawn by Random.org!

Monday: A choice of pattern from Kate at Needle and Spatula:

Winner 1:
#26 Tanya

Winner 2:
#17 krisgray


Tuesday: A choice of pattern from Anna at Noodlehead:

Winner 1:
#35 Jenelle

Winner #2:
#37 Victoria Paige @ Boutique Uniquely

Winner #3:
#60 stitchinpenny


Wednesday: Patterns from Amy of During Quiet Time

Winner of the Ruched Happy Bag Pattern:
#69 Janet

Winner or the Hexiecase Pattern:
#58 Patty C.


Thursday: Grab 'n' Go Pattern from Kaelin of the Plaid Scottie:

Winner:
#12 Jessica


Friday: Handmade tote bag as shown in the tutorial by Felicity of Felicity Quilts:

Winner:
#41 Corina


Winners- you will be contacted to claim your prizes!

Thanks again to all the above lovely ladies who donated their time and talents to Bag Lady Week 2011 for all of us to enjoy! Can't wait to do it again next year!

Bag Lady Week 2011 wrap up

It has been one heck of a great week! I wanted to take a moment to give a big thanks to my hard-working blog friends who contributed tutorials for all of us to enjoy! These ladies rose above and beyond the call of duty and provided top-notch stuff for you- free tutorials and giveaways to boot! So how about a round of applause for (in order of appearance):

Alison from Little Island Quilting
Amy from During Quiet Time
Kaelin from the Plaid Scottie
Felicity from Felicity Quilts

and, in addition, thanks to Kate from Needle and Spatula and Anna from Noodlehead for contributing giveaway prizes!

Speaking of prizes, all of the daily giveaways from Bag Lady Week will remain open until Monday, September 5, so be sure to get your entries in!

Thanks for joining in on the fun :)

Bag Lady Week: A Simple Tote Tutorial and giveaway by Felicity Quilts

Well, I can't think of a nicer way to wrap up Bag Lady Week than with my fellow Canuck, Felicity, of Felicity Quilts. Felicity has the best quilty ideas, and has made one of my all-time favorite quilts (you should really check it out- it's right here). When I am not perusing her blog I am stalking her on Pinterest- the girl has got style, and next time I make it to the west coast I am totally raiding her shoe closet!

And what better project to wrap up Bag Lady Week than lined totes- they are perfect for numerous functions, you can never have enough of them. And this one with vintage sheet lining? Divine :) Felicity is even doing a giveaway of the finished tote to one lucky reader, so if you would like it to find its way to you, be sure to leave a comment!
NOTE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED



Simple Lined Tote by Felicity Quilts

Fabric Requirements:

Tote: 1 yard/metre home decorator-weight fabric (you'll have some left over but I like to err on the side of caution)
Lining: 3/4 yard/metre quilting cotton (I used a vintage sheet)

Directions:

STEP 1 - Cut Fabric

a. Tote:
2 @ 19" x 19" squares for bag body
2 @ 2.75" x 28" strips for handles
2@ 1" x 28" strips for handle lining

b. Lining:
2 @ 19" x 19" squares
1 @ 9" 12" rectangle for inner pocket (optional)

STEP 2 - Assemble Tote

We're going to make the bag first, then the lining. Here we go!

a. Place bag body pieces right sides together. Using a 3/8" seam allowance, stitch around sides and bottom. Finish edges with a zigzag stitch to prevent fraying.

b. To create gusset, fold over each side of the bag about 1½" along the bottom seam.

and stitch down along the existing seam line at the bottom.

c. Turn bag right side out and push out the corners to create the gusset.

d. Fold over top edge of bag ½" and press (wrong sides together).

STEP 3 - Make Handles

a. Take handle strips, fold over ¼" along each long side and press.

b. Fold handle in half and press.

c. Insert a handle lining piece into the folded handle piece, slipping it under the folded edge.

d. Top stitch about 1/8" from the edge along both sides of each handle. Once you've gone down one side, just zip along the end and continue along the other side - the ends will be buried inside the bag.

STEP 4 - Make Pocket (if you don't want an inner pocket, just go ahead and skip to Step 5)

a. If you want to add a label, do so now, and place it offset from the centre. Don't be misled by the photo - you should stitch the label onto the pocket piece before folding the pocket for step b. I placed it about 1½" from top and sides.

b. Fold the pocket piece in half, right sides together, along the 9" edge so that you have a rectangle that is 6" x 9". Use washable fabric marker (or lightly mark with a pencil, no biggie) to make 2 marks along the 9" side (the side that's not the fold) about 4" or 5" apart. Leave this section open as you stitch all the way around the pocket using a ¼" seam.

If you squint, you can see the marks between those two pins in the top.

c. Turn the pocket right side out, poke out the corners (I use a chopstick) and press.

d. Topstitch about 1/8" from the edge across the top of the pocket only.

e. Place the pocket on the right side of a lining piece 4" from the top. Make sure it's centred then pin it in place.

f. Attach the pocket to the lining by stitching around the sides and bottom using a 1/8" topstitch. If you want to divide this pocket into smaller pockets, stitch again down the centre of the pocket.

Click to enlarge

STEP 5 - Make Lining

a. Take the lining piece with the pocket on it and lay it right side up. Take the other lining piece and place it right side down, lining up the edges as well as possible.

b. Stitch around the sides and bottom using a ¼" seam. If you're concerned about fraying, finish the edges with a zigzag seam.

c. Create boxed corners by taking the bottom corner of the bag and pulling apart the layers and squeezing so that the side and bottom seams lie atop one another and the corner becomes a point with seams down the centre of both sides.

d. Making sure that the seams are lined up, measure 1" from the corner and draw a line.

Stitch on the line. Trim seam allowance to ¼". Repeat for the other bottom corner.

e. Fold down raw edge at the top of the lining ¼" (wrong sides together) and press.

f. Set lining aside for now.

STEP 6 - Attach Handles

a. Centre the handles on the wrong side of the tote, with 6" between them. Make sure the bottom of the handle sits about 1¼" from the top of the tote. Pin in place.

b. Draw a line across the handle about 1/8" from the top of the tote, and another one 1" down so that these lines and the topstitching create a square. Draw an X from corner to corner.

c. Stitch the handle to the tote along the X in a square that you just drew, including along the handle's topstitching. I stitched at least twice over every line to secure the handle.

d. Repeat for all 4 ends of the tote's handles.

STEP 7 - Attach Lining to Tote

a. Turn lining RIGHT side out. Turn tote INSIDE out. Insert the tote into the lining so the right side of the lining is on the outside.

b. Line up side seams of tote and lining...

then pin lining in place at or just below the top of the tote. This keeps the lining out of sight when you look at the outside of the tote.

c. Starting at one of the side seams, stitch 1/8" from the top of the lining all the way around the tote.

STEP 8 - ENJOY!!

Thanks so much for the tutorial and the giveaway, Felicity! Remember to leave a comment below for a chance to win this beauty of a bag :)

NOTE: THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED