Sew Grateful Giveaway Winners

Sorry for the delay in putting this up. We had an unexpected snow day yesterday due to a state of emergency that was called, and though I fully intended to get to the drawing, it just didn't happen. But I managed to catch Doug just before his hockey game started, and he graciously agreed to help me with this one.

I decided to take a break from the random number generator system, because I had two names to draw. Also, because it meant I could use this:

 Admit it....it's much cooler to say that he picked a name out of the TARDIS than a hat, right?












The winner of the red cotton is....

Ashley! Who says she would use it to make a Beignet.













The winner of the taupe suiting is...

Annie! Who wasn't  sure yet what she'd make, but said it looked cozy.













Congratulations to both of you! If you could contact me at sunnyb64 at yahoo dot com with your addresses, I'll get those out in the mail to you asap.

I also wanted to thank Nic at The Somnolent Dachshund--I won her giveaway for a $10 voucher to Disparate Disciplines! So I got an Avocado Hoodie pattern. It looks nice and cozy, and I love that there's built-in handwarmers!

Sew Grateful Week!

Day 1- Giveaway!
Better late than never, right? I didn't find out until right before I needed to leave for teaching and a rehearsal that Sew Grateful week was happening this week. I've been blogging for awhile, but never really got to fully participate in this before. And the sewing community is such a fun place that I'd love to have a chance to give something back! (I was thinking it would be fun to do a little giveaway soon anyway, since my birthday is tomorrow, so the timing couldn't be more perfect!)

I have two pieces of fabric to offer. Unfortunately, due to the weight/size, I can only ship within the US. (Sorry!) But hopefully they'll find good homes with one of you lovely ladies!

The first piece is a taupeish suiting. It's 58" wide, and I have 3 yards of it. People sometimes give my quilter mom fabrics, and if they're more suited to clothes, she passes them on to me--this was one of those. I don't know the fiber content, and haven't done a burn test to know for sure, but I strongly suspect that there's wool in it, based on how my hands reacted to folding this up! Which means that I can't use this, but it could be great for someone else.



The second piece is a red organic cotton twill, 58" wide, 2 yards. I bought this one online from Mood a few years ago, thinking that I needed to branch out into some warmer colors and I should make it into a Beignet skirt. I haven't gotten to that pattern yet, and it's just as well, because red isn't really a color that I wear much at all. But I know a lot of you love red, so I'd love to see it get into the hands of someone who will use it! The red is a little less orange than the picture shows-- if I remember correctly, it's listed as "tomato" and they still have it.

The red has been prewashed--I don't think I washed the suiting. You may want to wash them again, if dog hair is an issue for you. (I've tried to keep them clean, but Golden Retriever hair gets everywhere!) If you're interested in one or both of these fabrics, just leave a comment saying which one(s) and what you might make it into. I'll leave the giveaway open until Sunday night.

Day 2- Reflections Day 
I've talked before about why I sew and how I got started and all of that, so I'm going to focus on the online sewing community. Aside from my mom and grandmother, who are both a lot more into quilting than anything else, I don't really have local people in my life who sew. Sewing really isn't a big thing at all where I live, so my local resources are quite limited, and if you check the map, I'm still the only one in my little state!

I've been blogging longer than many of the people that I've come to think of as sewing friends, and started it more to have an easily accessible record of the things I make and learn about sewing than anything else. It's really been more in the last two or so years that I've really started to feel like I'm part of a sewing community. I love how the internet makes it so easy to find people all over my country and internationally who enjoy the same things I do. I've enjoyed getting to know people from places that I've never visited, like Europe and Australia, in this small way, and seeing what life and culture is like in these other countries.

Since I grew up sewing the "Big 4" patterns, which was all that was available in the one Joann's store that I have around here, it's been really fun to watch the beginnings and growth of smaller companies like Colette and Sewaholic and Cake Patterns. It's also great to feel like I'm supporting people who really care about sewing and work so hard to put out quality products that are great for all levels of sewists.

I love that I can use things like Twitter and Instagram to get sewing advice in real time now. I also love how seemingly random comments on there can turn into fun sewalong ideas! (Hellooooo, March of the Shieldmaidens!) I'm enjoying having the group encouragement to use what I have this year through the Stash Diet and the Stashbusting Sewalong. I love seeing all of the creativity that different bloggers have with different patterns, and how generous everyone is in sharing their ideas, encouragement, and general excitement in seeing what gets made.

Mostly, since sewing has been such a big part of my life and identity for so long, I love "knowing" people that get it.

Of winter wardrobe planning and wool allergies (and a giveaway winner!)

Now that it's getting to the end of the year, my mind is already turning towards my goals for next year's sewing. I usually do a post about this closer to the end of December, and I'm sure I still will, but one thing I've already realized/decided is that I really need to focus on beefing up my cold-weather wardrobe. This isn't to say that I won't sew anything for the summer months, particularly since I have quite a bit in my stash that's better for that and I still want to stashbust. But I had the very sobering realization recently that I'm already bored with my clothing options for the colder weather. And it's only November. I may have to do some thrift shopping soon to give myself a few new things to mix in, but of course I want to make some new things too! Though much of this may have to be for next winter. Look at me, planning ahead.
The other complication to my plans, which you know if you've been reading this for awhile, is that I get cold ridiculously easily. And I also can't wear wool. Honestly, I can hardly even touch the stuff, because my fingers start prickling and itching almost instantly when I do. (Ironically, there's now "wool" in my new last name. Go figure.) So my constant challenge is to try to put together outfits that keep me warm, are still at least somewhat stylish, and won't make me break out in hives if I leave it on too long.

My big challenge for next year is that my peacoat that I made back in the early days of this blog is getting rather worn out. I can make it through this winter, but I'll have to make a new one before the next cold season. (Still, 7 years, not bad for my first me-made coat!) To get that coat warm enough, I had to basically make a quilt for the lining with a double layer of batting, under polyester suedecloth. It's warm, but it's also very bulky and started off so stiff that it could literally stand on its own. It's softened since, but I don't really want to do that again. So I need to figure out a good option for the outer layer especially, and then any underlinings that I choose to do. I actually am seriously considering sucking it up and underlining my outer fabric with wool, in hopes that I might not feel it once it's completely enclosed by other fabrics. It would be awful to sew, though. My hands are itching just thinking about it. I suppose fleece could be an underlining option too, but wind just cuts right through fleece for me when I'm wearing that as an outer layer.


I'll probably just go with the same pattern again (view A, in lavender here), since I've already gone through making and fitting it once, and it's a classic style. I'm probably also going to stick with mostly black, since that means I can mix and match colorful knitted scarves on a whim. I think Mood Fabrics is out for me this time, since I haven't found a coating on their website yet that isn't at least blended with wool. I have found a few options elsewhere:

Polyester/Acrylic boucle coating from Fabric.com. I like the texture, though it would be quite prone to raveling and would certainly have to be underlined for warmth.

Black Heavyweight Rainwear from Denver Fabrics. On the plus side, it would keep me dry. Though I already have a cold-weather raincoat.

"Poodle Fur" Knit from Gorgeous Fabrics. Though, honestly, I'm not really seeing this as an option. The thought of a fur-looking winter coat just isn't working for me.

So, yeah, I guess that boucle is the best option so far. Any thoughts about other fabric options/what I should underline and/or line with? I will gladly take any and all help I can get, because my only other somewhat fashionable option is something like this.

And the last thing I want to look like in the winter is this.

On a cheerier note, I did find a solution to another planned wardrobe addition recently. I've been thinking that once I finish the cardigan I'm currently working on, I'd like to make a mustardy yellow one next. It would go with this, the two fabrics I bought for Darling Ranges and Reglisse dresses, and my totally wear-again bridesmaid dress from the most recent wedding. (Mine is a charcoal grey.) I'm pretty proud of myself, because even though it took quite a bit of scouring through a closeout section, I found a fully cotton yarn in just the right color, and for half price! I got the "Impala" color. The plan is to make this cardigan, from my Coastal Knits book. I know I won't have it for this year, but hopefully I can manage to knock this out before next fall, because a cheery yellow cardigan sounds just perfect for combating the winter blahs.

Edit: I ended up having to switch yarns, due to the supplier not having enough. I guess someone else ordered some around the same time I did. So now I'll be using this, in yellow. The person from Webs who helped me out was great, though--she even offered wool-free alternative suggestions to me! Thanks, Jackie!

Speaking of knitting, I do need to draw a name for that KnitScene giveaway!  I'm a couple of days late. My excuse is that my grandfather passed away on Monday, so it's been a bit of a rough week so far. Since I'm home alone right now, and dogs aren't the most helpful name drawers, I'm resorting to the random number generator as usual.

That makes the winner Laura, who said she liked the Rosemary cardigan best. (I don't blame you. That was a very strong contender for that yellow cardigan! I just loved the Rocky Coast one first. It'll get made eventually.) So congratulations, and I'll be in touch with you soon.

A little knitting giveaway

Or, my disorganization is your gain!

I did a little impulse buying while I was at Joann's the other day--I thought I had a zipper for my first project for the Doctor Who Sewalong already, but it was completely the wrong shade, and I had nothing on hand that would work, so I had to go. And I bought two knitting magazines while I was there, because apparently I'm addicted to hoarding certain knitting magazines. Particularly ones inspired by things I get all geeky about (Jane Austen, I'm looking at you), and KnitScene. So I bought the most recent KnitScene they had, along with a Harry Potter-inspired one...only to get home and discover that I'd already bought that KnitScene a couple of months ago. I got all confused because the patterns for the newest one are already listed on Ravelry, and I'm way behind on updating my library/yarn stash on there. Oops. So rather than go through the hassle of trying to return the magazine, which I'm not totally sure I'm allowed to do anyway, I figured I'd pass it along to one of you lovely readers!

Here's a sample of the patterns in there that I'm eyeing:

1. The Rosemary Cardigan. Nice shape, those pockets are just cute, and I pretty much automatically like any food that has rosemary in it (yum), so why not incorporate it into my crafting as well?

2. The Praline Pullover is just really sweet. And I think it might be a good use of the hemp yarn I already had for a fail project that I frogged awhile back.
















In the realm of accessories, the Gallarate beret and mitts are pretty cute. You know me, I like to be all matchy-matchy with my accessories!


You can see the rest of the patterns on Ravelry. If you're interested in taking this magazine off my hands, just leave a comment and tell me which pattern in here you'd be most excited to make. I'll leave the giveaway open until November 18.

Speaking of knitting, I do actually have a small finished project to show--I just haven't been able to take any pictures yet. And I've been sewing away on my DW project, too, with what limited time I actually had at home last week. So hopefully I'll have fun things to post soon!

Giveaway winner!

First of all, thanks to everyone who entered my Sew Grateful giveaway! This was far and away the best response I've had to a giveaway so far, which is rather encouraging for my little blog. :-)

So without any further ado...


Helena! Who said...
Such a hard decision, so many of Tasia's designs are lovely. I would go with Thurlow, it would nice to try out a pant drafted for a small waist to large hip ratio.

That's exactly the reason I'm excited to try the Thurlow as soon as I get a chance to! Congrats, Helena, and I'll be contacting you for your address information so I can get your new pattern on the way to you!

a mildly belated (or perhaps very early) giveaway!

2/12/13 update: This giveaway is now CLOSED. I'll draw and announce the winner later this week.

It's Sew Grateful week! I didn't join in the fun last year, but since I'm having to sit out of all the sewalongs and such right now, I'm excited that this is something in the sewing community that I can be a part of!


It's also my birthday later this month, so I wanted to do a giveaway sometime this month anyway. So let's just do this for both, shall we?

Since I've been spending sooooo much time with the Cambie dress over the last several months, that was the first thing that popped into my head. So for this giveaway, it's going to be your choice of pattern from Sewaholic Patterns!

So you could make your very own Cambie....maybe a little less time-consuming than mine!













Or maybe you want to conquer your fear of knits? Everyone raves about the Renfrew, and for good reason. I love mine, and can't wait to make another several!












Maybe you're like me and am desperately in need of pants and shorts. I haven't tried these myself yet, but I'm super-excited to make the Thurlow Trousers, and I've seen a lot of great reviews of this pattern around the sewing blogs, too.











Or maybe you're just learning to sew and you want something simple. In that case, maybe you want her latest pattern, the Hollyburn Skirt! It's based off her Lonsdale Dress, which I made a modified version of last summer, so I know it's a great pattern!

And of course this isn't all of them--she has patterns for jackets, skirts and other dresses up on her site, too, so be sure to check it out!

I'm going to leave this open a little longer than probably most of the Sew Grateful giveaways, since I'm a little late posting it up to begin with. Not quite all the way to my birthday, since that's at the end of the month, but the deadline will be 12 noon, Eastern Standard Time, on February 12. To enter, just leave a comment saying which pattern you'd get. I'll have Tasia ship the pattern directly to you, so this one's open to anywhere!

(One quick edit to say--sorry that the comments aren't showing up right away, I had to turn comment moderation back on due to a massive spambot attack on my last post that Blogger didn't catch! But I am moderating these as quickly as I can, promise!)

And while you're at it, check out the Swap My Stash that Kat and Anne are hosting! I've already had 3 of my pieces claimed, so I'm excited about that. It's a great way to get some less-loved things out of your stash and get some new pretty things in return! I'm focusing more on fabric, since I already did a pretty serious pattern purge within the last year or so, but there's also patterns and some notions up for grabs. You can see everything on the Pinterest board-- just make sure to check the comments because some things up there have been claimed already.

An award and a giveaway

Nid de Tissus recently gave me this lovely award-- thanks, Donna! And there's some fun questions to go along with it, so here goes...

Favorite Color: It's generally a toss-up between blue and green--I love both! I've found myself going for teal in my fabric choices quite a lot over the last few years, too. It's a good compromise between the two!

Favorite Animal: I grew up with both cats and dogs, and am quite fond of both. I also like horses--they're beautiful creatures.

Favorite Number: 7, I guess. I'm not much into math.

Favorite Non-Alcoholic Drink: Tea! Finally, a decisive answer.

Facebook or Twitter: Facebook. I have a Twitter, but rarely bother to use it.

My Passion: Music, obviously. And sewing is quite up there!

Getting or Giving Presents: Both. I do enjoy making and giving things to my family and friends, but I do have to admit that getting stuff is pretty fun too!

Favorite Pattern: New Look 6407, aka my go-to blouse pattern that I keep altering into other things. It's just so versatile!

Favorite Day of the Week: Saturday!

Favorite Flower: Sunflowers!

Favorite celebrity role model: To be perfectly honest, I don't really have one. I tend to just watch the movies and shows/listen to the music I like, and then ignore the actors' and musicians' personal lives.


Since I'm supposed to pass this on, I picked a few bloggers whose posts I always enjoy and whom I didn't mention in the last award. (It's up to you whether you want to participate or not!)

1. The Girl With The Star-Spangled Heart-- Though I'm not really into the vintage sewing scene myself, I always enjoy seeing the outfits, classic movie inspirations, and as of late, her ongoing series on the fashions in Downton Abbey and attempts to bring some of the Crowley sisters' style into her current wardrobe.

2. Sewn By Alviana-- She's just now getting back into the blogging scene after a (well-deserved and totally understandable) break to have her first daughter. But I've long enjoyed reading her upbeat posts! And since she's from Malaysia, she'll also sometimes give these neat glimpses into the more traditional outfits from there.

3. fanbloomingtastic-- One of the newest additions to my quasi-daily reading list, which I found via this year's round of Sew Weekly contributors. It's interesting to read about the life of a U.K. transplant on this side of the pond. And there's frequent Doctor Who references, which of course makes me like her.

4. 21 Wale-- She uses a lot of cool patterns from companies I'm not really that familiar with, particularly in the realm of magazines. And she also makes these amazing kids' clothes--I'm also impressed that her kids appear to be such willing models!

5. Kelly's Korner-- Her clothes always look so cleanly and professionally finished, and I like that she's been sharing (and actually making things inspired by) some of her favorite Pinterest finds as of late.

Really, there's so many fantastic blogs out there, that it's hard to pick!

And I did promise a small giveaway last time, so here we go!

I was recently cleaning out/organizing my pattern stash. And while I did get rid of a few things that I knew I'd never use again, I found these five that have never been used at all. It seems a shame to throw out uncut patterns, so I'd like to pass them along to someone who might be able to have some fun with them. So here's the list, with links to larger pics when I can:

1. Burda Young Fashion 8174, in sizes 34-44 European (also listed as 8-18 for the Americans)
2. Simplicity 5505, in sizes 6-12
3. McCall's 5137, in size 14-20. I know this style hasn't been seen around for the last couple of years, but it could have potential in alterations, maybe?
4. McCall's 4873, in sizes 12-18. (This is me finally accepting that empire waist patterns tend to look terrible on me, at least without massive amounts of alterations and a more fitted waist..)
5. McCall's 5050, in sizes extra-small to medium. (No numbers listed, sorry!)

I realize that not all of these patterns are going to appeal to any one person, so I'm willing to split them up. So if you'd like, leave a comment letting me know which pattern(s) you're potentially interested in, and if you don't have a blog I can find you at, an email address would be helpful too. I'll give you until April 2. (No spam-bots, please... I've already gotten 6 or 7 anonymous spammy comments this week, and it's only Monday! I might have to go back to word verification, or block the legitimate anonymous commenters again...sigh.)

Edit: And this is why I shouldn't write posts at midnight...I should probably clarify a couple of things about the giveaway. To keep it simple, I'm going to do it first-come, first-serve. Any patterns that are not claimed by April 2 will be Freecycled locally. Thanks!