Checking in with Some W.I.P.s

As I try to catch up in the shop it has not been very exciting around here lately. I have progressed some on my pillow talk swap round 3 sewing together my one inch hexagons, yet still not sure if my original idea will look as great as I had planned. Hopefully it all comes together ok. They have had some AWESOME pillows finished so far already, yet I seem to be drained of creativity this week.

I did spend some time with the little one teaching her to ride her bike. She is doing wonderfully. I just need to get her to pay attention to turning the handle bars and pedaling at the same time. She either focuses on one or the other right now.

Here are some fun photos of her though. Hope you all are having a great 3 day weekend, I'll be back soon with a tutorial.

HAPPY SEWING!!!

Sunday Stash Report :: Ovals + a New Machine

Anyone remember the craze for American Jane Pez fabric? All those bright school like colors that everyone just had to have, even now still people would just about trade their arms for a piece of that yummy fabric. Well this is my relief; Momo for Moda came out with a new line recently called Freebird This beautiful line has the most perfect color combos and it really is breathtaking to see it all together.

One print in particular reminds me of the pez craze. The ovals with cream colored back rounds in plum, light blue, and red, are just so perfect. Although I do not have a project for them now, I have stashed them away for a later use. I have a feeling this will be a sought after fabric someday, it's just that perfect.

On another note I went in to buy a walking foot for my workhorse, (the machine I use for the shop mostly) I guess I should tell you all that I am scared of digital machines. Well not really scared but I just felt like I didn't need one. I love the manual machines and even though it's more work, that is the fun part of sewing to me. I love that it's as fast as I am and nothing beeps at me.

After much thought and playing with it for a few minutes I traded in my old workhorse for a digital workhorse. This beauty now lives with me.

The first 2 days were miserable, I almost took it back to retrieve my old machine. The speed control was nice for some things but when your a manual girl, I felt like the computer was just to slow. I still feel that way, but having all the extras, and a few days to shorten my learning curve, I have started to like the machine more every day.

I would imagine that anytime you purchase a new sewing machine, all the perks that make you buy it, can be the same ones that frustrate you in the end. I have realized that only time will tell if this ends up being my new love. I have been welcomed into the world of digital sewing machines, I took a bite, I liked... now lets see if it mixes well with my wine.

HAPPY SEWING!!

Also please welcome two of my newest sponsors for Sew-Fantastic. You can visit their shops anytime from the buttons on the sidebars.

My Sunshine Designs

Shop based out of Canada providing perfect little goodies for you and your little one.

Simply Annie Kate

Handmade for little girls, Katie bring a whimsical touch to clothing for your little princess

We have some winners

First off, I would like to thank Sew Mama Sew for all the the extensive organizing and great work they put into this gathering for all of us. It's amazing to me watching my email flood with comments from all over the world just from one event like this one.

Second, thanks to all of you who left me great comments, followed my blog, or facebook, some of you even stopped by my etsy to show some support by purchasing an item.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU

Words are not even enough.

I picked two numbers via random.org. the first winner will have their choice of prize, and the second winner will get the prize that was not chosen by the first. If for any reason these prizes are not claimed by Monday 5/24/2010 then I will choose another winner to accept them.

Here are your winners

Number 363 is........

Number 416 is........

Congratulations to our two winners. I am sending you all emails now, you have until Monday to claim your prize by returning the email with your contact info for shipping.

Thank you EVERYONE, this was even more fun then last years post.

Did anyone win anything yet????

Open for advertising!!

After much back and fourth on the subject, as well as some interest I have decided to go ahead and offer advertising.  Anyone fitting the overall direction and feel that my blog currently has.  This is paid for advertising space so there is a limited space available.

It will open to etsy shops, handmade shops, supplies stores, blogs with an overall crafty feel or tutorial friendly. Some other offers might be able to apply on a case by case basis.

Prices are very low and reasonable, this reason is to still be able to help my fellow etsy shops get noticed and not have to pay so much out of pocket to advertise.

Supply shops may be offered on a credit exchange in some cases . For instance you sell some type of supplies and exchange credit for advertising.

there are a few sizes available

220x175 - left side

200x200 - left side

150x150- right side

They are available in increments of 1 month, 3 months and 6 months with each greater package giving a better discount. 6 month packages are automatically entitled to a  giveaway post, interview post, or featured crafter post included for free in the package.

Buttons will continuously be randomly shuffled to give everyone the same exposure and chance to be at the top a few times before the end of the contract.

If you are only interested in a Giveaway, Feature, or Interview post without advertising, this will
also be available for a small fee.

If you are interested in advertising here at Sew-Fantastic please send me an email with your desired link and size request to sewfantasticblog@yahoo.com

::SMS MAY GIVEAWAY DAY ::

It's here!! the day you all have been looking forward to. Sew Mama Sew is hosting this years May Giveaway Day. This is the one day every year that over 200 blogs will all be linked on one site for you to sit at your computer for three whole days with your cup of coffee, (or wine ) And take your hand at winning something fabulous. For those of you who participated last year, this was a super fun event. Sew Fantastic had tons of new visitors who stopped by to check out all the fun.

This year we have two prizes::

PRIZE # 1:: One handmade set of those Yummy coasters from my newest tutorial  earlier this month.

PRIZE # 2:: SIX half yards set of those yummy Kitchen prints from RK (yes you read that right 2.5 yards of FREE fabric to the winner.)

Two Lucky WINNERS total

This Giveaway is open Internationally for everyone. Just leave a comment Saying hello or letting me know what prize you like the best. Each comment is one entry into the giveaway. For a second entry just add our new facebook fan page to get secret discounts to our etsy shop , or news on when we are de-stashing fabrics for super cheap!! Great stuff happening over on Facebook
A third entry if you follow Sew-Fantasitc the Blog!

WINNERS WILL BE PICKED MAY 20th Via random.org generator.
That's it... Don't forget to stop by Sew Mama Sew for all the links to the wonderful giveaways in blog land.

Good Luck to everyone, I hope you all win something GREAT!!!

There are 3 lists this year here are the links.

1. handcrafted Items
2. Knitting and sewing supplies
3. Handcrafted items and supplies



GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!!

Sunday Stash Report :: PTS

It's that time again. Round three of the pillow talk swap is on now. I received my partner earlier this week and would have though this person to be very hard to sew for. However after looking through their  flickr favorites I got some great ideas. This is the color palette I am working with.

Some charcoal and light grays, aqua's, and sage green. I plan on putting a piece of each of these fabrics into the pillow. The rest of the entire pillow will be 100% natural linen. Those solid colored hexagons are actually linen to match the texture of the backround. I thought it would be a cool effect.  Isn't is pretty? The hexagons are addicting just like I was told they would be. I love the way this color pallet looks with the linen, and well hexagons are a must right now.

What do you think?

WIP Finished :: & a New talent - Hexagons

As soon as I saw the new echino line, I wanted to make a market tote. I got some time yesterday to finish up an idea I had for a gift. Just a little thank you to a friend for putting together some FAB flickr groups. After my first order of the line, seen in my Sunday Stash report. I wanted some of the brighter colors, so I put in another order here.

The pattern is the Jane Market bag from posie gets cozy, I added only a few modifications to this one. Since it was for a friend I didn't really want to put a shop tag on it. So where I usually put my logo, I decided to put part of the selvage sewn on instead. And since my friend is an uber freak for Hexes. I added some of those to.

I also ran it to her house last night after reading her comments on flickr about how excited she was to get it. I love that this gift was received with such enthusiasm. Thanks Heather!

She took a few minutes to show me a faster way to do the hexes, being that my attempt for this bag was such a pain in my rear. I almost decided against them all together. But after she showed me, it clicked. SEW easy and faster then I had thought. She was using the paper pieces where I had the plastic ones before. After learning the paper way, I quickly went home to order these.(free shipping until the 15th)

Between this and my new found love for embroidery, I have something to do on those days when I don't have the time to sit at my sewing machine. The best part is that Sophia loves to watch me make them.

Have you learned something new recently? I would love to hear about it.

::News of the week:: Some good Stuff

 Thank you everyone for the warm wishes while we plan our BIG move to California. I probly let it out a little early, but I was just so excited. I already can imagine different ways to incoorporate my handmade into our new home.


Some things that happened this week that you all should know.


::Hawthorne Threads started a blog. (Happy dance) Stop by and wish them well with their new blog "Behind the Seams"

:: My Urban Swap partner has been revealed. This is what I got. From the wonderful Penny over at Sewtakahike. Beautiful linen napkins, with detailed stitching and I am so in LOVE!

There is also a giveaway for a FREE crayon wallet from my shop "Sew Fantastic" It ends on the 18th of May. Enter to win here.

I will be depleting inventory for the move, and things will not be stocked regularly until after the move. I will bring  some new fabrics as well as some new designs I have conjured up when we reopen.  Custom orders will also be stopped very shortly. The shop will close for a few months on July 30th . We will open again most likley in September or October.

And last but certianly not least, my little Sophia is two! Can you believe it? we had a wonderful party at the portland Childrens museam, and she got to visit with friends. By the end of the day her poor little eyelids could barley handle being open. Happy birthday Sophia.

Of course because of our decision to move, I will also be destashing a bit very soon to get started. I think I will also run some giveaways for you here. More to come on that topic.

I hope everyone had a great Week.

Happy Mothers Day :: Sunday Stash Report Spring 2010

Some New Echino Spring 2010 Beauties came into my presence this week. I have been drooling over these for awhile now and was happy to hear when Hawthorne Threads received them in.

I plan on making a few market bags with some of it and them saving a bit for a rainy day of course. In fact I loved them so much that after they arrived, I put in another order to get some of the other colorways before they were sold out.

On a Mothers day note:: This is how my day started........

I got to sleep in until much later then usual, I woke up to my coffee made just the way I like it, great news that daddy had gotten the day off and this.....

That folks is my ipod sitting on my sewing machine with a note. Daddy had purchased and loaded every single one of the twilight books into my ipod for me to listen to while I am working. Even the newest book, which I thought wasn't even out yet.. I had just finished the first book the night before, and I am so so HOOKED!!

And if that wasn't oh so cool, I also got the stemless red wine glasses that I craved for months. Oh so beautiful, and practical at the same time.

Between a wonderful mothers day and my little girl turning the BIG 2 over the weekend, I didn't think it could get any better, until our final talk came on our decision to move. The result.... We have a beautiful house in California that is not being used, waiting for us to make it a home. with 4 giant bedrooms and a pool in beautiful sunny Bakersfield. So we will be moving at the end of the summer. Mr. Sewfantsatic's parents have been helping us with the transition making this a very easy decision to make.

I hope everyone had a wonderful mothers day full of excitement and surprises as well.

The BIG Reveal.... Urban Swap Goodies

::Last night, I called Sarah to ask her if she would post to our urban swap group that I had ceased to exsist. So that I could secretly keep my urban swap goodies. (kidding of course) My favorite part about doing swaps from Heathers groups are that everyone explains pretty well what they like, but still leaves the door open for creativity. I use them as excuses to try something new.

The floor rug came out better then I even imagined. I am always worried when the time crunch comes down the the dealine (friday the 7th in this case) That something will go horribly wrong. In this project I was pleasently surprised that everything came out just the way I had wanted it to.

I did end up adding a little stitch detail to it before binding, and used a duck cloth like canvas for the backing and binding. I think those colorful prints look great on the natural linen, don't you?

The package is in the mail to my lovley partner, I hope they like it as much as I do. I think I agree now.... it might be hard to put on the floor. I posted a tutorial yesterday on how to make those wonderful coasters if your intereted. Happy Sewing everyone.

Mod Podge Coasters :: Tutorial

You can make these!!

After stopping by my local craft shop, me and Sophie stopped by to talk to the lady at the counter about a few things we had ideas on. The idea was to make coasters from fabric but still have them seal. Kind of like those glass chain tile necklaces people make.

::Here is what you need::

Stack of coasters (wood, plastic, it doesn't matter approx 4"x4")

Foam paint brush

Fabric choices approx 4"x4" charms

Jar of Mod Podge (I used the glossy version)

Krylon clear finish

(For those who have asked, I bought my white coasters at Craft Warehouse for 6.99 and it came with the box to hold them. There is a website on the back of the product that says http://www.sierrapacificcrafts.org/ out of Wilsonville Oregon)

First, Trim your charms down to fit your coasters. I wanted to make sure that they did not go over , and showed just a little of the white paint from the wooden coaster I was using.

Next, use the foam brush to lightly coat the top of the wooden coaster. Make sure that this is a thin layer and does not have any bubbles in it. After You have covered the entire top of the wooden coaster, lay your fabric charm over the glaze that you just applied on the top. I used my hands to press the fabric down against the glue. (hey they are washable, a little glue never hurt anyone)

After you have the fabric centered on the wooden coaster, in a daubing motion cover the fabric with the mod podge glue completly. This will dry clear so don't worry about the look of it as of now. Make sure you coat the edges of the fabric very well so that fraying does not occur.

Let your coaster dry for a few hours. After they were pretty dry, I added a second coat to them and then set them aside again for a few hours more.

I also played around with some patchwork ideas, that could be fun to, so long as you press your seams open it worked fine for this project.

After your coasters are fully dried, take them to a dry place and spray them with a Krylon clear coat. I also added two layers of this as well. It takes about fifteen minutes to dry in between coats.

This idea originally was for my Urban swap partner, but I had to share with all of you. I think they will look great with the kitchen rug I made. (reveal coming soon) The coolest part I thought, was these fabrics are my favorites, now they can be displayed where I can see them all the time, and the process of making these makes them even brighter and more defined then the actual fabric alone.

I would suggest that you let the coasters dry at least 48 hours before using them. They are sealed to wipe liquid off, but they are not dishwasher safe.

I hope you all make some to. I really hope my partner loves it.

On another note a few people were asking about the coasters I had gotten for the Mod Podge tutorial. For those of you that could not find any I have a few sets left to destash but not many if your interested. The prices include shipping but please make sure that you choose the correct country.

USA $10.50 CANADA $11.50 INTERNATIONAL $13.00

HAPPY CRAFTING!