Spoonflower Design Swap

You may have noticed this little button sitting on the side bar under the "Coming Soon" section. Want to know what it's all about?  A few bloggy friends and I have been plotting away under your very noses.  Sewing secret plans.  Actually, we haven't started our sewing quite yet.  

For a while now, I've wanted to try my hand at designing fabric.  I can't tell you the number of times I've had something in my head that I wanted to make, and just couldn't find the right fabric for it.  I started thinking about all of the fun I could have over at Spoonflower and set out create a few designs.

As I started playing around, I thought how exciting it would be if a few friends joined in the fun.  I asked around to a few bloggers who have great taste and amazing design skills to see if anyone would be interested in a fabric design swap (you know, to balance my clear lack of experience in this field).  To my amazement, they were all in.  We paired up and are now in the process of finalizing our designs.

Starting in June, one pair of bloggers a month, will reveal what they've sewn using their partners fabric design.  Since we're dealing with many factors such as longer Spoonflower turn around times for those of us living over seas, upcoming moves, baby arrival dates and other life events, our schedule is going to be loosey- goosey. Each pair has tentatively claimed a month, starting in June, so keep your eyes on the blog sphere to see what we're cooking up.  You might even see a few sneak peaks on Instagram if you check out  the #spoonflowerdesignswap tag.  

Here is the list of lovely ladies who are playing along:

Ari of Max California

Amanda of Kitschy Coo

Kate of See Kate Sew

Susan of Crafterhours

Sabra of Sew a Straight Line

Alida of Alida Makes

Delia of Delia Creates

If you'd like to see the designs we've been working on, feel free to check out a few of our Spoonflower shops.

staceyoverseas
adamwest
kitschycoo
seekatesewfabric
sabey-baby
alida_lee_designs

I can't tell you how excited I am about this!  I can't wait to see what everyone sews!  Ack!  I may not be able to wait until June.  

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Henley Style Tuxedo Top

The boys and I had some extra time between errands yesterday so decided to stop and play around on a local sculpture.  I've been wanting to take the boys over and get some photos in this square ever since we moved here. The little buggers move so fast, but I did manage to get off a few good shots that will help us remember our time here in Scandinavia.

Since S just happened to be wearing one of his new shirts, I got a few close ups in. Way back in January, I talked a bit about all of the changes our family has coming up this summer.  It's all very exciting! With just over 2 months, the breathing is getting just a little harder.  That said, there is great hope for a little bit more "me" time with this guy heading off to preschool.

I'm holding off on a tutorial on this shirt for now because I'm wondering if this is something people would be interested in buying as a PDF pattern. I'm learning my way around the Illustrator ropes, with the intention of starting a wee little design shop. Being the scaredy pants that I am, I thought I'd check in with my loyal followers to see if there is interest.

 Conventionally, I think most designers keep things pretty hush-hush but (and hopefully this part gets better over time) those self doubt monsters keep creeping up in the back of my head.  I'd love some feedback.  I've already tweaked the pattern just a bit from this first "muslin" but I'm pretty sure the pattern is ready to scan.  Which means, hypothetically, that I could get this puppy out for testing in the next few weeks.  I think. Don't quote me on that just yet.

I'd love to get your "boy sewing mama" thoughts. Bueller? Bueller? Anyone?

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Ananemone Clothing Label Giveaway

When Ananemone Labels contacted me about trying out their custom clothing labels, I was thrilled.  As it so happens, I've had clothing labels on my mind. I can't tell you how many times my newly independent younger children have put their pants on backwards in the last month.  Trust me, it's too many to count.

 Ananemone Labels carries custom fabric labels, including color logo labels, fabric care and content labels, and personalized name tags for clothing.  The owner, Sara,  loves natural fibers and uses a variety of organic cottons which she combines with beautiful graphics.

Sara was so helpful in guiding me as I played with my custom labels and I was pleasantly surprised with how quickly the process went from start to finish.

Or, if you're not quite ready to tinker around with the graphic aspect of custom labels, she's also got a whole slew of pre-made images you can customize.  If you select a sheet of the standard 2" X 1" size, it will yield 40 labels.   

Ananemone Labels are 100% organic cotton, machine washable/dryable labels, are set on the bias of the fabric, so they will not fray.  When they arrive your labels are ready to be set into a seam or sewn onto the outside of a garment or bag and can be made in any size.  They are super soft so the wearer will barely know the label is there once it's on, which is very important for my middle guy.

Sara has generously offered to give away, to one lucky reader:

 a sheet of custom labels 

AND a sheet of content/care labels   

OR 

TWO sheets of custom labels

You can see a few examples of her custom labels, in her shop, here.

To enter, simply leave a comment on the Rafflecopter below, telling me what you'd have printed on your labels.  For an extra entry like Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy! on Facebook.  Giveaway closes at 10pm EST on Friday, May 17th.  A winner will randomly be chosen and announced on May 18th.  Good luck!

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Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day Is Here!

Today is Giveaway Day sponsored by Sew Mama Sew and I'm participating in two ways.

First, have you ever wished that your favorite sewing bloggers would go fabric shopping for you? Or seen a project on a blog and thought, "I could really use a yard or two of that fabulous fabric." If so, today is your lucky day! Eighteen sewing bloggers picked out a yard (or two!) of a fabric from their stash and we're giving them ALL away today to one lucky winner! To win this awesome stash of fabric goodness, just match the fabric swatch to the blogger (hint- most of us have used the fabric we chose in a recent project, so our recent posts are your fast track to fabric matching success). The first person to correctly match all of the swatches will receive ALL of the fabric shown!

A- 1.5 yards, Mini Dot in Sunspray by Lotta Jansdotter, B- 1 yard, Paradise Garden in Periwinkle by Amy Butler, C- Florescent Pink & Gray Striped Jersey Knit, D- 1/2 yard Heirloom Tile Flourish in Garnet and 1/2 yard Heirloom Opal in Fuchsia both by Joel Dewberry, E- 1 yard, Houndstooth in black by Michael Miller, F- Pink/Orange Stripe knit, G- 1 yard, Orange and Light Heather Gray Stripe Cotton Jersey Knit, H- 1 yard, Light pink linen, I- 1 yard, Mustard and Ivory Stripe by Girl Charlee, J- 1 yard, Rally Cream/Grass by Dan Stiles, K- 1 yard Riley Blake Ombre Dots in Aqua, 1 yard Target Polka Dot Sheet Fabric, 1 yard Lizzy House Pearl Bracelet in Persimmon and Michael Miller Happy Tones Charm Pack, L- 1 yard, Remix Triangles B/W by Ann Kelle, M- 1 Yard, Novella Rain Rayon in Aqua by Valori Wells, 1 yard, Lush Running Stitch in Purple by Patty Young, and 1 yard, Porcelain Tile Garden Wall in Olive, M- 1 yard, Mustard cotton sateen, O- 1 yard, Summer Totem in Grapefruit by Anna Maria Horner, P- 1 yard, Black and white chevron, Q- 1 yard, Parenthetical in Berry by Anna Maria Horner, R- 2 yards (1 yard each), ABC 123 by American Jane for Moda

 

  

Here is the list of bloggers (just in case you have a little research to do)-

Boy, Oh Boy, Oh Boy crafts

The Cottage Mama

crafterhours

Craftiness is not Optional

delia creates

girl. inspired.

icandy handmade

If only they would nap...

imagine gnats

kojodesigns

Melly Sews

Nap Time Crafters

See Kate Sew

Sew Country Chick

The Sewing Rabbit

sewVery

Sumo's Sweet Stuff

The Train to Crazy

And just to sweeten the pot a little, every reader who submits a guess will be entered in a fabulous pattern bundle giveaway. The prize- The Sugarplum Top + Dress pattern by See Kate Sew, The Surfer Slacks Lounge Pant pattern by See Kate Sew, The Casual Lady Top and Dress pattern by Go To Patterns, Two "Winner's Choice" patterns by Blank Slate Patterns, Pattern 5 Pack ("Winner's Choice") by Peek-a-boo Pattern Shop, Riding Pants pattern by the Sewing Rabbit, the Roly Poly pattern by imagine gnats, and the Ruby Ruffle dress pattern by The Cottage Mama! WOW!

*Giveaway ends at midnight MST on Friday, May 11, US residents only.

Secondly, I had just enough grey faux leather and grey dots left over from this project to whip up a second envelope clutch.

Simply leave a comment on the Rafflecopter below telling me what your favorite purse type is.  Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only (sorry international friends) and closes at 5 pm PST on May 10th.  I'll e-mail the winner by May 12th and have this puppy in the mail by the 15th.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!




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