Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Safari Moon Blog Hop and A much loved quilt finish




Welcome to my little stop here on Frances Newcombe's Safari Moon blog hop.
I was beyond flattered when Frances asked me to participate in the launch of her new fabric line for Art Gallery Fabrics. This line is so whimsical, soft, and completely amazing.




As soon as I saw Safari Moon I had to show my little girl. She immediately asked if I'd make her a quilt using the fabric. So of course I had to.

In the process of putting this quilt together a wonderful opportunity came up to help a little girl in her fight with cancer. I took an odd block from the quilt, and made it into an 18x18" quilted pillow cover.

This cover was auctioned off along with another one I made and with the help of many handmade artisans we were able to raise almost $3,000 dollars for her family in a single weekend. All of this compiled by a very thoughtful gal named Shannon over at "Hustlemama Handmade" Our community is seriously amazing. 


The rest of my blocks were put together into an HST quilt using a design idea from a Thimble Blossoms pattern called Lucky. I thought it was only fitting as I was feeling pretty lucky to be a part of this hop.


We have finally received a little rain here in California (much needed) so it was quite hard to show off the really vibrant colors of this gorgeous fabric. It was so soft and smooth, I seriously am discovering a new addiction to Art Gallery fabrics. Of course we will be adding more Safari moon to that collection.

Here is the finished quilt....



I think that this whimsical quilt was perfect for my little one. As you can tell, she is quite smitten :)

Thank you Frances for this wonderful experience and for designing such beautiful fabric.




Check out all the fabulous crafters in their journey through Safari moon.


February 24: Faith Jones at Fresh Lemons Quilts
February 25: Lindsay Conner at Lindsaysews/Craft Buds
February 26: Sara Lawson at Sew Sweetness
February 27: Cristy Fincher at Cristy Creates
February 28: Amy Smart at Diary of a Quilter
March 3: Lee Heinrich at Freshly Pieced
March 4: Teri Harlan at Sew Fantastic
March 5: Jane Davidson at Quilt Jane
March 6: Lynne Goldsworthy at Lilys Quilts
March 7: Sandy Whitelaw at Upstairs Hobby Room
March 10: Katy Jones at ImAGingerMonkey
March 11: Victoria Findlay Wolfe at Victoria Findlay Wolfe Quilts
March 12: Megan Bohr at Canoe Ridge Creations
Host Frances Newcombe Designer with Art Gallery Fabrics – Belly Buttons Boutique
Happy Sewing friends!

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Giveaway winner - Sewing Tales to stitch and love


Hi again friends. Thank you for sharing all the precious memories. I hope that you enjoyed the blog hop with all of these wonderful bloggers, and I hope that you got a good peak into Kerry's new book. It really is magical.

The winner of the autographed copy is lucky number 24

Sewfreely - Please email me with your contact information to terriharlan@rocketmail.com so I can send you this amazing book.

Don't worry though if you didn't win. Kerry's book is now available on Amazon here.  You can also join in on her amazing imagination over on her blog KidGiddy

Thank you everyone again for sharing your childhood memories, to Kerry for including me in her amazing book, and to out amazing sponsors who also made this blog hop possible.

http://kidgiddy.blogspot.com/2013/11/sewing-tales-book-blog-hop-sponors.html



Happy Sewing!

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Sewing Tales to stitch and love blog tour - with Giveaway





Good morning friends. Grab some coffee or tea and have a seat. I have something very sweet to share with you. 
I first met the very sweet Kerry Goulder on Instagram. A wonderful community of crafters and  just plain cool people with inspiration coming through an iphone app all day long. When Kerry shared her book with me "Sewing Tales to stitch and love"  it instantly made me feel like a kid. I wanted to "sew all the things". Kerry has put together 18 cute little projects for you to make that will inspire your creativity and bring out that kid in you. With clear steps and beautiful photos throughout the book. 

Image courtesy of Kerry Goulder


When you first open the book you are greeted with a foreword written by Heather Bailey, as well as a story set up written by Kerry. It definitely sets the mood of the book and gives it that sweet little taste of imagination. 


My absolute favorite is the cute little lobster.

image courtesy of Kerry Goulder

Isn't he cute? Or check these  cuties out below. 
This book will give you directions to make your own little stuffies that are guaranteed to keep you young.

Image courtesy of Kerry Goulder

Kerry, and the sponsors Fairfield, Dritz, Fiskars, Bosal, and Free Spirit. Sent me an amazing box filled with everything needed to make something from the book. All wrapped up in a pretty little package was some pretty neat stuff. Some useful items that I had never seen before.


Being that crochet has had a little warm spot in my heart this fall again, I made the ready sew and go tote bag.


Using Heather Baileys newest fabric line Lottie Da, mixed with a little essex linen
This bag was perfectly simple to make as well as customize it to my needs and taste.
I added in my favorite quilty pleasure. Hst's :) 


I loved playing with this cool fabric turner from Dritz (friggen awesome)


... and my end result was just what I needed. I changed a few things like size and even added buttons, but Kerry has provided instructions to make 3 different sizes. Small, medium, and large.


This is a great knitting, or sew on the go bag. Plus its way cute.



So here is the best part!
You want this book right?
I have an autographed copy for one lucky reader.


Leave a comment on this post with a favorite childhood memory, something that you enjoyed from the blog hop so far, or What keeps you young? (choose one or more)

You can view the blogger schedule here

MONDAY: Nov 4th
Mollie Johanson – Wild Olive
Jessica Fediw – Happy Together
Abby Glassenberg – While She Naps
Jennet Jones-Rau – Feathered Nest Studio

TUESDAY: Nov 5th
Sabra Gubler – Sew a Straight Line
Amber Carillo – One Shabby Chick
Caroline Hulse – Sew Caroline
Amy Friend – During Quiet Time

WEDNESDAY: Nov 6th
Miranda Anderson – One Little Minute
Andrea Taddicken – Knitty Bitties Sews
Kristi McDonough – Schnitzel & Boo
Terri Harlan – Sew Fantastic (you are here)

THURSDAY: Nov 7th
Shari Butler – Doo Hikey Designs
Jodie Carleton – RicRac
Jen Goode – 100 Directions
Justine Henshaw – Sew Justine Sew

FRIDAY: Nov 8th
Emily Levey – Strawberry Patch Ramblings
Nicke Cutler – Kiss Kiss Quilt
Cathe Holden – Just Something I Made
Kate Henderson – Two Little Banshees

Follow the adventure on Instagram too with hashtag #sewingtalesbookbloghop

A huge thank you to Kerry, as well as all the sponsors for the amazing adventure this book gave both me and my little one.


http://kidgiddy.blogspot.com/2013/11/sewing-tales-book-blog-hop-sponors.html

Next up...... One cute little lobster :) 

(Winner of Kerry's book with be chosen via random.org on Friday November 8th. You must leave a comment to be qualified. Everyone is welcome to enter. USA, CANADA, and INTERNATIONAL.)

Happy Sewing!

Friday, September 6, 2013

Craft Book Month at Craftbuds :: Patchwork Please

Good Morning and Happy Friday!!

Did you know that September is craft book month over at craftbuds.com .


Don't let those craft books sit on your shelf and collect dust! We want to see what you've been making. That’s why Craft Buds has lined up a list of fabulous bloggers who will be showing off their projects made from craft books, all month long!

I choose Patchwork Please by:: Ayumi Takahashi


It took me a long while to choose just one project. I spent many hours oohing  and ahhing over all the cuteness in this book. I finally settled on the Triangle patchwork box pouch.


 I love The mini quilting process of this bag. It gave me the warm feeling of piecing a quilt with instant gratification. The box is assembled from the exterior first and then the lining is hand sewn in. 


I shared this photos on Instagram yesterday and wonder that maybe a very strong sewing glue could be used to attach the lining (like liquid stitch)  for those of you that do not like to hand sew. 


The most fun part about this bag besides watching it come together is choosing all the pretty fabrics an embellishments she adds not only in this project but many of them throughout the book.  I encourage you to check out the reviews on Amazon and buy it, or head to your local library to see for yourself. Such amazing goodness throughout!

Fabrics I used
Essex yarn dyed linen in black
various fabrics from "washi" by Rashida Coleman-Hale
Metro Living by robert kaufman
Waterfront park Domino dot By Violet craft
Cuzco by Kate Spain for Moda
Koi by Rashida Coleman-Hale


Don't forget to share your projects over at Craftbuds.com to link up and win some pretty cool prizes.


BLOG HOP SCHEDULE

Week One
Monday 9/2: Fabric Mutt / LRstitched
Wednesday 9/4: Fabric Seeds / Pile O Fabric
Friday 9/6: Sew-Fantastic / Clover & Violet


Week Two
Monday 9/9: Hopeful Threads / Go To Sew
Wednesday 9/11: Marci Girl Designs / imagine gnats
Thursday 9/12: Sew Sweetness / amylouwhosews
Friday 9/13: Lindsay Sews / 13 Spools 
Saturday 9/14: Inspire Me Grey / Angela Yosten


Week Three
Monday 9/16: Sew Very / Craftside
Tuesday 9/17: The Littlest Thistle / CraftFoxes



9/1-9/30: Link up your craft book project at Craft Buds from your blog or Flickr account, and enter to win prizes. Winners will be announced on Tuesday, October, 1!

 
2012 Craft Book Month Projects (L to R):
Sew Crafty Jess, Sewing Rabbit, Stitched in Color, MissKnitta’s Studio
To participate in the month-long contest, just link up any project you’ve made from a pattern in a craft book. That easy! You’ll tell us a little about the book, the project, how you personalized it, etc.

Rules

1) One entry per person. 
2) Your craft book project must have been completed in 2013. 
3) Create a new blog post or Flickr photo (dated September 1, 2013 or later) and link back to Craft Buds/Craft Book Month in your post or photo description. In your post or photo description, make sure to list the craft book you used and provide a link if possible.
4) All winners chosen via Random.org. Some prizes available to international winners, so please join us!

Prizes

Visit Craft Buds and link up your craft book project during the window of Sept 1-30 and you’ll automatically be entered to win some fantastic prizes from the Craft Book Month sponsors!
No time to make a project? You can also follow Craft Buds all month long for your chance to comment and win some new sewing and quilting books for your library.
STAY CREATIVE!




Saturday, August 24, 2013

Glow with the flow


EEEP! I've been having fun putting together random fabric stacks every friday on Instagram. A few weeks ago I put together this beauty and called it "Glow with the flow"

Super awesome Brenda from Pink Castle fabrics put up the bundle in her shop so that you can get your hands on it too.

Stop by and grab one limited availability.
And if you're on Instagram comes follow me @sew_fantastic and tag your fabric stacks with #fabricstackfriday

Have a great weekend everyone!


Sunday, August 4, 2013

Ombre' Dip dye - Tutorial



(this effect was purple ion brights and magenta ion brights ombre effect)


A few years ago I started dying my hair all sorts of crazy colors. For me it fits my personality and lets me get creative which I love. So many were asking about how I did the original ombre look, so I decided to write up a quick tutorial for you all. Please keep in mind I am not a hairdresser, I've never been to beauty school . I merely have lots of experience dying my hair along with some friends here and there. I am a very visual learner, so I researched many videos on youtube before I even tried it for the first time. (like 8 hours worth) :) ( I will show my favorites at the end of this post)

So to start you need a clean palette. Wash and condition your hair the day before you are wanting to dye it. If you have fragile hair or virgin hair (never been colored) I would suggest you do a strip test to see how the color takes for you. This can be accomplished by dying one small strip of your hair to get a reaction without doing your whole head. That way if your hair reacts poorly, you haven't damaged all your hair.

Here are the supplies I use. I get them all from Sally's beauty supply store. The employees are very good about helping so don't be afraid to ask questions. 


Aside from this list you need a few towels that you do not mind messing up, and a shirt to wear that you also don't care about or a plastic cape. Also a bottle of conditioner that is white in color. Doesn't matter about brand so long as it's white.

I have dark hair so I have to bleach out my original color in order to achieve the ombre effect. If you are blonder you can skip the bleach. My preference is the argon oil creme lightener mixed with the number 30 developer. I mix 1/4 of the bottle of creme lightener (from the box) with one packet of bleach (also in the box) along with about 2oz of developer. This is one fourth of the box contents. If you have really long hair, or you want to dye your entire head mix more (the directions are on the box)

After you have mixed your bleach, section off your hair with rubber bands. This is the easiest way for me having shorter length hair.(pardon the phone photo, hubby was gone when I did this) Ignore the pink bangs thats another story :)
I like to put old towels where I'm standing in case of drip.


Even out your rubber bands just where you want color. This helps me to know where I should stop applying bleach. This can be a lot, or as little hair as you decide. After your bands are even all the way around, put on your gloves and start applying bleach. I like to clip the front pieces up and start in the back since the back takes longer to hold or remove color. Put a foil behind the hair and apply the bleach, then flip the hair over and apply to the other side. After this I take the foil off and work it through my fingers. This is just to make sure I get through the entire piece. (I'll link a video that helps explain this better)

\
Keep in mind I recently went from pink tips back to brown, so your hair will not show pink like mine. It will just be bleached. I leave it on for about 15 minutes then keep checking every 5/10min after that. 

After you get the desired lightness rinse your hair out in warm water then remove rubber bands. Rinse again and shampoo (do not condition)



I like to let my hair air dry (it's better for your hair) So this is a long process for me. Most times I actually wait until the next day to color after I bleach it. (again pay no notice to the pink yours will not be pink) 
If you have longer hair or wish to have a more staggered look rather then a line, get a friend to help you in the brushing method without using the rubber bands. (see video below)


Now that your hair is dry, use the same rubber band technique you used to bleach except put the rubber bands just before where the bleach starts. Make your pieces thinner pony tails this time adding less hair to each rubber band.


Now pull out your mixing bowls put your first color choice into one (about 1/4th of the tube) and the second choice into another. (Same 1/4th of the bottle) now squirt a tiny bit of the bottles conditioner into each. This will help thin out the dye a little. I comes out quite think from the tube. Now mix both using separate applicators thoroughly.


Remember to wear gloves and put something down on the floor before you start. It's messy sometimes.
Time to apply color.....
Pin the front rubber bands up and out of the way again and start with the back ones. With a foil behind your hair, apply the first color from the top of rubber band to about half way to the bottom. Flip hair then add color to the other side. I like to make sure it's done right the first time, so I do this by a sink. Here is my process.

After applying the first color, I put the applicator down and work the dye in with my fingers. (make sure your wearing gloves) I work it in until the stop point making sure to get all the layers of hair. This working in the dye method makes it so that I do not have bleach spots later. It ensures color throughout. You do not need the mixing line to be straight. In fact I prefer that it's not.


Now wash your gloves off and apply the second color.
Work the dyes in together where they meet in the middle and apply the second color all the way down to the bottom tip of hair. Again, work the dye with your fingers well to ensure coverage. Wash gloves again them fold your foil bottom upwards to cover ends then fold left to right.

After you have covered all your pieces, remove your gloves and let it settle for 30/40 min .


Tick tock tick tock tick tock..........

Times up! Put your gloves back on and removes the foils. Rinse hair thoroughly with COLD water until the water runs clear. After water is fairly clear work conditioner into the colored pieces. Let sit about 2 minutes then rinse out. Ta da!


See the ombre effect?
Pretty cool huh?


This photo really stinks (I'm sorry, bad lighting) The color turned out great though. I had a few bleach spots that I touched up, but this almost never happens) The top is pulled up in a headband, but when not pulled back you can see the ombre detail in the lines.

The colored dye I use is Ion Brights. It's about 5.00 a tube and is semi permanent. There are currently no permanent dyes in these bright pigments. For this tutorial I used ion brights in purple and fuchsia. 

Because this is a semi permanent dye wash every other day with cold water for the longest lasting color. This is a much easier process if you have another person to help you so keep that in mind if you decide to try. The back is really hard to get perfect if you have shorter hair like me.

Thank you for Reading and I hope you get to try it. Just a reminder, WEAR GLOVES it stains badly.

Here are a few resource videos I really liked and they helped me come up with my process.






I found this one later and love her method for long hair.




HAPPY DYEING!