Book Review/Blog Hop - Because I Love You Sew - and A Giveaway

Today SewCalGal is honored to be participating in a Blog Hop to share insights and celebrate the release of a new book, packed full of #CreativeGoodness.  It is also packed full of fun projects and inspiration for making handmade gifts, which just shout out "I love you sew".

Because I Love You Sew, by Trish Preston, is published by C&T Publishing.

Trish Preston is a talented sewing enthusiasts who launched her sewing pattern line in 2010, with the name of Two Peas in a Pod Homegrown Designs.  She has also been published in many magazines and also been on the TV Show, It's Sew Easy.  Because I Love You Sew,  is her first book.

PUBLISHER DESCRIPTION:

Get perfect gift ideas for everyone in your life (and maybe find something for yourself) 

• Make handmade gifts for family, friends, co-workers, kids, or even yourself!
• Featuring 17 gift-giving projects, perfect for all skill levels
• Projects include quilts, bags, holiday decor, accessories, and so much more 

Don’t just say it ... sew it! This charming collection of 17 projects lets everyone in your life know how much you love them. Make quilts, stylish totes, pretty holiday decor, and more! With patterns for all skill levels, step-by-step directions, and plenty of inspiring ideas for personalizing each gift, Because I Love You Sew is undeniably straight from the heart.

 

Trish also created a fun Youtube video to share more insights on this book:





MY REVIEW:
There is something special about a handmade gift and Trish has not only created a book with fun projects to make for gifts, she also does an excellent job capturing the spiriting of making handmade and giving handmade gifts.  Thus, I'm truly hoping that EVERY person that enjoys making handmade gifts will get a copy of this book, but also I believe this book is filled with so many fun projects, that have easy to follow instructions, it would also make an excellent gift to encourage others to make handmade gifts.

Of course, many of the projects are items you'll want to make for yourself, but they are all perfect for gifts.  And many of these projects would also be appropriate for teaching kids to sew and give handmade items for gifts.

All of the projects come with well written instructions and create visuals.  A few of the projects have templates which are included in the book.

Did I Mention A Giveaway?
Trish and C+T Publishing have offered to giveaway an e:copy of Because I Love You Sew, to one lucky follower.  This giveaway is open to followers from all over the world.  To enter, simply leave a comment on this post.  Maybe you'll want to share an idea for your favorite handmade project to give as a gift, or a recommendation for handmade gifts appropriate for certain age groups.  A winner will be randomly selected on December 19th.  SewCalGal will send them an email to notify them, as well as update this post to announce the winner.

Did I Mention A Blog Hop?

Be sure to visit all of the blogs participating in this hop, where you'll learn more about this book, the very talented author, and also have more chances to win a copy of this book as you'll find more giveaways.

December 1st: C+T Publishing

December 3rd: Heather Jones

December 4th: Caroline Hulse of Sew Caroline

December 8th: Generation Q Magazine

December 9th: Sew Cal Gal

December 10th: Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom

December 11th: Alison Little of Little Green Thread

December 12th: Bari Ackerman of Bari J Designs

December 13th: Bernina 

December 14th: Karen Davis of Celebrate Life with Us

December 15th: Trish Preston

You can find Trish at:

Two Peas In A Pod 
https://www.facebook.com/twopeas
https://twitter.com/trishpreston
http://www.pinterest.com/trishpreston/
http://instagram.com/trishpreston

Giveaway Day - Pink Sand Beach Designs and Hoffman California Fabrics

SewMamaSew is hosting another Giveaway Day today and SewCalGal is happy to be able to participate.  You may be visiting my blog for the first time, or coming back by way of the linky party of giveaways on SewMamaSew.  Either way, Welcome.

I'm currently hosting weekly #CreativeGoodness Linky parties for bloggers and non-bloggers to share and inspire all sorts of creativity, relative to the theme of the week.  And, they'll periodically be prizes for participants.  Of course I also host quite a few sponsored giveaways for followers and some for non-followers, throughout the year.  And next year, I'll be hosting the 2015 Free-Motion Quilting Challenge, with a new challenge released on the lst of each month.  I'll be sharing insights about this challenge the end of the month and I hope it will be fun for those new to free-motion quilting, as well as those with expertise in FMQ.

While some that participate in the SewMamaSew Giveaway Day will offer a handmade prize, the purse I'm making isn't quite ready to share.  But I came up with a close 2nd to a finished handmade purse as a prize.

 I thought this would be a great opportunity to give a shout out to a wonderful design house, Pink Sand Beach Designs.  They have a large collection of beautiful bags and totes, with easy to follow instructions.

As I'm currently  making the Bermuda Bag, with Hoffman Batiks.  This versatile bag design looks great in a variety of fabrics, but it is designed to utilize 2 1/2" strips.

With 7 different 2 1/2" strips, interfacing, notions, zipper and some complimentary fabric for the outside and inside, you can create a stunning bag uniquely yours.

You may want to use Indigo Blue Batiks.

Or bright batiks.

Maybe browns and black batiks.

Soothing greens and blue batiks.

Cheerful batiks, or any fabric colors and prints that catch your interest.

The Bermuda Bag is a fun and fast bag that looks great in an endless variety of fabric combinations.

Did I Mention A Giveaway ?

SewCalGal has purchased an extra copy of the Bermuda Bag pattern to share with one lucky winner. I will also provide the winner with  7 - 2 1/2" strips of Hoffman Batiks, cut from my personal stash, in the winner's choice of the following color palettes:

- Green, Blue, Purple, Pink (close to the fabrics shown on the pattern cover)

- Green, Blue, Purple

- Blue, Purple

- Pinks, Browns

- Browns, Blacks

This giveaway is open to anyone world-wide.  Simply leave a comment on this post, telling me which color bundle of 7 - 2 1/2" strips of Hoffman Batiks you would like to use to make this bag.  I will randomly select a winner on December 12th and I'll notify them by email, as well as update this post to announce the lucky winner.

Check out my page labeled "Giveaways and Contests" to learn more about various opportunities to win prizes.

You can find Pink Sand Beach Designs at:

http://www.pinksandbeachdesigns.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pinksandbeachdesignsbags
https://twitter.com/Pink_Sand_Beach

You can find Hoffman at:

http://www.hoffmanfabrics.com/
https://www.facebook.com/HoffmanCaliforniaFabrics
https://twitter.com/HoffmanFabrics

Machine Embroidery Blog Hop - Patsy Thompson Designs and a Giveaway

Today is the last day of the Machine Embroidery Blog Hop, where participating blogs are showcasing designs from the very talented Patsy Thompson Designs, as well as sharing tips, inspirational projects, and giveaways too!  SewCalGal is delighted to be able to participate in this blog hop, which was organized by Kelly Jackson of I Have A Notion (IHAN).

I want to share with you a few insights on Patsy Thompson, free-motion quilting, pre-cuts vs e:cutters vs manual cuts of applique, as well as showcase a machine embroidery (ME)  design set by Patsy Thompson and hopefully inspire those that enjoy ME, or want to learn it, to try ME designs by Patsy, as well as see a variety of ways to use ME designs.  Oh, there is also a giveaway I have to share with you too! 

It was actually Kelly that introduced me to Patsy Thompson, many years ago.  I was researching to see if an old quilter like myself could learn free-motion quilting (FMQ), and committed to focusing a year on FMQ.  Kelly recommended various FMQ DVDs, that were available in the IHAN store and I still feel that was one of the best investments I've ever made to help me learn FMQ. And, I've gone on to buy and watch other FMQ DVDs from Patsy, to such that I have almost every DVD she has created and can honestly recommend all of them, as well as her FMQ books.

But in addition to being a FMQ Expert, Patsy is also an amazing quilter, teacher, designer, and machine embroidery digitizer who loves to create projects that incorporate beautiful applique' shapes.

Like many of us, Patsy doesn't like the work to manually cut out applique' shapes, especially when you work with a fun design that you want to use many times in a particular project, or in a variety of projects.  With the emergence of die cutting machines, she created her own line of PTD dies that are compatible with the Sizzix® Big Kick, the Sizzix® Big Shot, and the Sizzix® Big Shot Pro.  Of course you can still cut out these shapes manually, or even by way of using a e:cutter (e.g Silhouette Cameo, Brother Scan N Cut, etc), but the dies do provide amazing detail and ability to create multiple cuts at once, making the process of incorporating applique' into your projects significantly easier and faster.



Patsy also sells pre-cut kits and pre-cut fusible applique shapes, at a very reasonable price, which are perfect for those that don't have a die cutting machine, ecutter (e.g. Silhouette Cameo, Brother Scan-N-Cut, etc), and don't want to cut out applique shapes manually either as pre-cuts or the old fashion in the hoop method! 

SewCalGal is also a big fan of Quilting Stencils designed by Patsy, but you can find many wonderful products in her online shop.

I recently had the pleasure of taking an embroidery class with Patsy at Road to California, for her Harmonic Song Birds collection.  This collection can be used to make a beautiful machine embroidered applique quilt, as well as just about any machine embroidered project you can imagine.  Possibilities are endless to use these designs, portions of these designs, stitch in vibrant colors, neutral colors, tone on tone, etc..

In her class at Road we made a beautiful wallhanging.  Patsy is an excellent teacher.  You may want to talk with your local quilt shop or sewing shop to recommend that they host Patsy to teach an embroidery class and/or a free-motion quilting class in your area.  I'm confident you'll have fun, learn and create a beautiful project too!

When asked to join this blog hop, I thought about how many times I've heard someone talk about various embroidery designers (aka digitizers) and design collections, saying things like "I don't like the colors" (therefore I don't like the design) OR "I don't have all the thread colors required (therefor it would cost me too much to make this design).  While designs will always look as beautiful as the designer creates, when you use their exact thread colors (and fabrics), you can use your own color selections, as well as reduce the number of colors used, if you prefer, for just about any design you want to stitch out, from any designer.

I like to stitch out practice pieces before I finalize my own color choices. And, as you can see in this piece, I also played with combining different design files from this collection, as well as stitching out only portions of certain design file.  But I also wanted neutral colors so I used various shades of brown and a burgundy color.   In this piece you can see I only used applique for the bird and the feathers on the top of the bird, but I could have used applique in other shapes.

Another option would be fun to stitch out would be to only use the applique placement line and create Trapunto!

In this next piece I used one portion of a design to create a frame.  I think this layout would be great to add machine embroidered text, but I have plans specifically for free-motion quilting that calls for such a frame.

BTW, these pieces will be turned into 18" pillows during a free-motion quilting challenge that SewCalGal will host next year.  Each month I'll host a challenge and showcase a different designer.  Of course, the month these projects will be showcased the designer will be Patsy Thompson!  You can consider this a sneak peak to one of the challenges in 2015.  And, in that particularly monthly challenge, you'll have the option to stitch out any machine embroidery design by Patsy Thompson Designs and combine with free-motion quilting to enter the particular challenge.  More details on the challenges will be shared next year, as they are released on SewCalGal.  But you may want to check out the free tutorial, by Patsy Thompson, that was shared during the 2012 FMQ Challenge:  http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/2012/12/2012-free-motion-quilting-challenge.html

You can find Patsy at:

•  Patsy Thompson Designs: http://www.patsythompsondesigns.com/
• Blog:  http://www.patsythompsondesigns.com/blog/ 
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Patsy-Thompson-Designs-LTD/139685489440973?fref=ts
• youtube:  https://www.youtube.com/user/patsern

Did I mention A Giveaway?

Patsy has generously offered to sponsor this giveaway where one lucky winner can select their favorite machine embroidery design, or design collection, from Patsy Thompson Designs (PTD).  To enter, simply visit PTD's online store and come back and leave a comment on this post telling me what design/design collection you would want to win.  But also be sure to use the Rafflecopter form below as it will be used to randomly select the winner on November 20th and announce it on this post.  I will send the lucky winner an email, as well as update this post to announce the winner.  

note:  Google/Blogger has a sporadic problem with comments.  If you do receive a kickback message in your email, that appears I didn't receive your comment, do not fret.  Such messages will later appear on this blog (and other blogs).  They just get hung up in the blogger tool and I, like other bloggers, need to manually release them via the blogger tool.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to visit all of the blogs participating in this blog hop.  You'll find inspirational projects on a variety of designs from Patsy Thompson Designs and a giveaway at each stop, where you can enter to win a design (or design collection), of your choice, from PTD.

November 10th - Kelly Jackson/I Have A Notion
November 11th - Gene Black an Alabama Artist and Quilter
November 12th - Marjorie's Quilting Bee
November 13th - Jean Creates 
November 14th - SewCalGal

Email SewCalGal if you have any questions.

The Little Spark - And Insights on a Giveaway

An amazing new book has been released to provide inspiration and help light the spark of creativity.  "The Little Spark: 30 Ways to Ignite Your Creativity", by Carrie Bloomston is a book which SewCalGal highly recommends to creative souls and I'm delighted to share insights with you today, about this book, as well as how you can win a signed copy.



Book Description:

You were born with a creative spark inside. Do you look at yourself now and wonder if the spark has gone out? Ignite that inner fire with the 30 engaging exercises, fun activities, inspirational images, and motivating ideas in this book. Learn what your Little Spark of creative passion looks like, how to capture it, and how to make room for it in your life. Read the book cover-to-cover and use it as a month-long creative roadmap or just dip into the exercises as your time and inclination allow. Either way, you will change your life. 

 • Light your inner fire with 30 "sparks": exercises, activities, and lessons that help you discover and nurture your creative passions
• Live a more creative life, whether or not you consider yourself an artist
• Do one spark every day, week, or whenever the spirit moves you
• Find the gifts that come from doing what you really love - joy, connection, meaning, and contentment

My Review:

As SewCalGal, I frequently hear from very talented designers that they feel they have lost their creative spark.  I also hear from very creative people that lack the confidence to push their skills or to market their talents, for fear of failure.  As I truly want to encourage everyone to be creative, to be successful through their creative talents, I'm always looking for ways to inspire that creative spark and I'm truly thrilled to see this book.  The Little Spark is an excellent resource that I truly believe every designer should read this book.  Actually, it would be a great read for anyone in the business, as well as those that enjoy being creative and have toyed with the idea of turning their talents into a business.

The Little Spark is an inspirational read for creative souls, packed full of easy to follow steps to help you ignite your inner spark.  It doesn't matter what your artistic preference might be, the insights shared in this book are appropriate to creative souls who want to live a creative life in a positive and energetic manner. 

This book is very reasonably priced and available in ebook and soft cover from C&T Publishing.  You can also find it on Amazon.com, as well as many quilt shops. This book would also make a great gift for your friends with creative souls.  

Did I Mention a Giveaway?

SewCalGal spotted that C&T Publishing has a giveaway on Facebook for six lucky winners, for copies of this book signed by the Author.  But the deadline is today,  is Thursday, November 13th 3pm PST open to US residents only.  To enter, "like" C&T Publishing on Facebook   Scroll down on their page and you'll see the cover image of The Little Spark with details on what you need to do to enter this giveaway (eg. leave a comment under that post on Facebook).

You can find the C&T Publishing at:

http://www.ctpub.com/
http://www.ctpub.com/stash-books/
http://www.ctpub.com/funstitch-studio/
https://www.facebook.com/ctpub?ref=mf
https://twitter.com/ctpublishing 
https://www.youtube.com/user/CandTPublishing
http://www.pinterest.com/ctpublishing/
http://instagram.com/ctpublishing

New Books From Martingale Showcased At Fall Quilt Market - And A Giveaway!

Congratulations to Quilts, Inc. for hosting the 35th year of Quilt Market. They do a fantastic job hosting this trade show, twice a year, for those in the business to meet, promote new products, buy new items for their stores, take professional classes, network and have fun.

We quilters around the world now eagerly away to see new fabrics, books, patterns, tools and other notions soon appear in our favorite quilt shops in the months to come, so we can create #quiltygoodness.

Today, SewCalGal wants to share insights on some of the inspirational new quilting books that were showcased by Martingale at Fall Quilt Market.  Some of these books may already be available in your favorite quilt shops, but several will be available in the next month or so. Either way, if you don't find them in your favorite shop, let your shop owner (buyer) know you would like to see them carry these books in their shop.

While all of these books are packed full of inspirational projects with easy to follow instructions and great visuals, today I want to share insights on Urban and Amish: Classic Quilts and Modern Updates, by Myra Harder.

Urban and Amish is a refreshing new book that incorporates traditional classic Amish designs and fabrics with modern prints and twists, creating interesting designs.

 Myra lives in Winkler, Manitoba, Canada. She has worked in the quilting and textile industry for the past two decades.  Her family ties can be traced back nine generations to fabric merchants in Prussia.

Her quilt designs have been featured in numerous publications, and she has coauthored several popular Martingale books.  She is also the author of Nap and Nod, which is one of my favorite quilting books for creating quilts for babies and toddlers.

There are 16 projects in this book, which include traditional and modern designs.  All have easy to follow instructions and great visuals.

 You can create a quilt with an Amish look, or a quilt with a more modern flair.

You can use solids, or various prints.

Projects range in size from 51 1/2" x 51 1/2" to 86 1/2" x 110 1/2".

Myra has a talent for color and design that can help you create quilts that can become heirlooms with an Amish yet modern perspective.

And, SewCalGal anticipates that many award winning quilts, in various quilt shows, will be made from designs found in this book.

Be TRADITIONAL.  Go MODERN.  Enjoy the best of both!

Did I mention a Giveaway?

Followers of SewCalGal can enter to win a copy of Urban and Amish, by Myra Harder, by using the rafflecopter form below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is open to followers that live in the US.  SewCalGal will use the random number generator within the rafflecopter tool to select a winner on Friday, November 28th.  This post will be updated once the winner has been selected and an email will be sent to the lucky winner.

You can find Martingale at:

http://www.shopmartingale.com/

http://blog.shopmartingale.com/

https://www.facebook.com/shopmartingale

https://twitter.com/ShopMartingale

https://www.youtube.com/user/martingaleandcompany

You can find Myra Harder at:

Robinson Pattern Company: http://www.robinsonpatterncompany.com/