Free-Motion Quilting For Beginners and Those Who Think They Can't - Insights on #Giveaways too!

At Fall Quilt Market, Martingale released many new quilting books.  One of which, is absolutely perfect for those interested in learning  free-motion quilting.  "Free-Motion Quilting For Beginners and Those Who Think They Can't, by Molly Hanson is a great book for quilters that want to learn free-motion quilting (FMQ).  It can also be a fun book for those that are still learning and want to practice FMQ and create some cute projects at the same time.

Molly does an excellent job teaching beginners how to do free-motion quilting, while also creating fun projects.  

She goes over all the basics, from tools, setting up your space, prepping for your project, threads and tension, sketching and more.  I was also pleased to see that she talks about "sitting pretty", with tips for good posture while doing FMQ.  She also shares many tips and tricks for FMQ throughout the book.

A variety of FMQ designs are covered in this book, each with easy to follow instructions and great visuals which cover FMQ designs for : loop de loops and handwriting, stippling, pebbles and chain of pearls, square meander, nesting boxes, paisley, wood grain, print tracking, swirls, custom quilting and combining designs.

There are 15 fun projects in this book, which are great projects to turn your FMQ practice into a variety of fun items for you, your home, as well as gifts.  Projects range in size from pot holders, placemats, totes, table runners, ironing board covers, laptop sleeves, to wall quilts and more.

SewCalGal hopes you can check out this book at your local quilt shop, but if you don't see it, let them know you'd like to have them carry it.  Of course, you can also find it online at Martingale and Amazon.com.

There is also a blog hop going on where you can learn more about this book, as well as find more #giveaways where you'll find ways to win a copy.

November 11th - Martingale/Stitch This
November 13th - Amanda Jean/Crazy Mom Quilts
November 14th - Amy Friend/During Quiet Time
November 15th - Angela Walters/Quilting Is My Therapy
November 17th - Juliet van derHeijden/The Tartankiwi
November 19th - Lori Kennedy/The Inbox Jaunt
November 20th - Cindy Weins/Live A Colorful Life
November 21st - Thermoweb

You can find Molly at:

http://sewwrongsewright.blogspot.com/

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 

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/

It's All About The Kids Craft Blogging Event - Day 4 - Kid Friendly Books from FunStitch Studio, an imprint of C&T Publishing

Welcome to Day 4 of the It's All About The Kids Craft Blogging Event.  Today, I want to share insights on some current and upcoming releases of books published by Fun Stitch Studio, an imprint from C&T Publishing.  Fun Stitch Studio is all about kids and they have also sponsored this blogging event with a giveaway!

FunStitch Studios has released many kid friendly books, which do not require adult support to be creative.  Of course, they are also fun for kids of all ages, making them an excellent resource to work on a project during a Family Craft Time too!  Their collection of kid friendly books cover quilting, sewing, fashion, home decor, activity books, embroidery, pop out boxes andsofties & toys.

They have many spectacular coloring books that scream fun and creativity.


Many Activity Books that help kids learn new skills and make fun projects.


Here are a few Soon to be released books that have caught my attention:



This is Mouse An Adventure in Sewing, by Brenia Maloney is an excellent crafting book, which I think would bring smiles of crafty goodness to any kid.  Projects also look like they'd make for delightful imagination and story telling time.  I'm confident this is going to be a best seller and wanted to share insights with you about this book today, as well as let you know it is currently on sale in the online store for C&T Publishing.


Press Release:
Maloney uses her gentle humor to inspire and encourage kids to create their own wonderful worlds with Mouse as the central character. In This Is Mouse, kids will find step-by-step instructions to guide them in creating our intrepid explorer and all the crazy characters, accessories, and vehicles for each adventure that he embarks upon. Kids can choose to work on any one of 25 easy projects. Mouse floats down river in a leaf boat made of felt for his African safari. There, he meets giraffes and elephants. But watch out for crocodiles and snakes, Mouse! Next, Mouse travels to the South Pole where he encounters seals, penguins, and the occasional whale. And if those adventures don't take your kids far enough, watch Mouse blast off in a rocket to meet aliens on another planet.

At the end of each how-to adventure, Maloney writes her own story of what Mouse and his new companions are doing. The book kindles kids' imaginations by encouraging them to come up with their own stories for each destination while teaching them basic sewing terms and patterns. "This Is Mouse is the book that I didn't have when I was a kid, but always wanted," says Maloney. "I wanted to create stuffed animals, but also special worlds for them to live in. "This Is Mouse inspires endless hours of storytelling and play. Not only will This Is Mouse reinvigorate the creative spark in your kids, it might even convince them to put down their electronic devices—for a minute, anyway!

Brenna Maloney is the author of the best-selling sock book trilogy: Socks Appeal, Sockology, and Sock It to Me. This is her first Mouse book. She is also the author of Ready Rabbit Gets Ready!, a children's book by Viking Juvenile, releasing in February 2015. She lives and works in Washington, DC, with her husband and two sons. Follow Brenna at brennamaloney.com.Published by FunStitch Studio, an imprint of C&T Publishing, This Is Mouse—An Adventure in Sewing (December 2014) is available at ctpub.com and other fine booksellers.

My Review:
Brenna Maloney is a very talented person who comes up with the best projects for kids and family craft nights.  This is Mouse - An Adventure in Sewing is filled with fun items that kids can make using a variety of supplies (fabric, felt, socks, recycled chicken pot pie aluminum tins, stuffing, glue guns, thread, marking pens, pins, FIMO clay, etc.), many of which you probably already have in your home.

 
Whether you make a mouse that is a astronaut, one that meets an elephant, or any of the sweet characters in this book, you can certainly have fun admiring their beauty as well as creating stories with them to grow a imagination.


Just be sure you dress warmly when you go with Mouse to Antarctica.



FunStitch Studio, an imprint of C&T Publishing: This Is Mouse—An Adventure in Sewing by Brenna Maloney, best-selling author of Sock It to Me, Sockology, and Socks Appeal.

Did I mention a Giveaway ?

C&T Publishing is a sponsor for the  "It's All About The Kids" blogging event, this week,  and they have donated a copy of Sew It!  Make 17 Projects with Yummy Precut Fabric Jelly Rolls, Layer Cakes, Charm Packs & Fat Quarters, by Allison Nicol. 


This book is a perfect book to help teach kids to sew and it starts off with the basic sewing and quilting skills, using pre-cuts. And it is written to help kids learn on their own, without adult help, where each project builds on skills learned from other projects, making this a great book to get that budding quilter to have fun sewing!

SewCalGal also thinks that this book would make an excellent gift for budding quilters, of future generations.  All of the projects are designed to be sewn on a domestic machine, without adult assistance!

If you are interested in winning a copy of Sew It!, please enter by using the Rafflecopter form below, after you have read the rules underneath.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Rules for this giveaway:
1) This giveaway is open to followers of SewCalGal that reside in the US.  The sponsor will ship a copy of this book directly to the lucky winner.
2) Followers are asked to complete the rafflecopter form, which will be used to randomly select a winner on Sunday, November 2nd.  SewCalGal will notify the lucky winner via email and this post will also be updated to announce the winner, once they are notified.

Don't forget several blogging friends are joining me this week, to help share insights on kid friendly projects.  Here is the schedule and links to all the participating blogs.  You'll also find some great giveaways in this hop, but most importantly we all hope to inspire others to help provide opportunities and encouragement to help kids find their creative side and the joy of being crafty.

Monday, October 27th 

SewCalGal - Event kick off

Tuesday, October 28th 

SewCalGal  

Sarah Vedeler Designs 

Wednesday, October 29th

SewCalGal  

Happy Cottage Quilter

Thursday, October 30th

SewCalGal
I Have A Notion

Freemotion by the River

Blue Feather Studio/Marjorie's Quilting Bee

Friday, October 31st

SewCalGal

Jacquelynne Steves, The Art of Home  

Hoffman California Fabrics  

Jean's Quilting Page  

Wendy Sheppard/Ivory Spring 

If you are a blogger or non-blogger and would like to join the fun and share insights on projects suitable for kids, tips, or tutorials, as appropriate, you are also welcome to join the fun and add a link to the linky below.  Non-bloggers can upload photos in a Flickr group called "It's All About The Kids". An InLinkz Link-up 


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