Let's Have a Little Giveaway!

A while back, Candice of Squirmy Worm Studio asked me if I'd like to host a giveaway for one of her patterns on my blog. "Well sure," I said. :) "Sounds fun!"

And sweet as she is, she popped her cute diaper wristlet pattern in the mail for me quick as could be.

Now, I wish I could say I was half as quick as her PDF and her shipping but alas time got away from me and only last week did I have the chance to make her cute clutch. If only I had known how quickly it would come together, I would have never waited so long!

It turned out super cute and is already a great organizer in my tote/purse. Plus it hardly took any time at all to put it together.

Do you know anybody having a baby? This would be a super cute gift, especially if you wrapped it with diapers, cream and wipes.  Or better yet, make one for yourself like I did!


One lucky person will receive a PDF copy of the diaper wristlet pattern and another PDF pattern of their choosing from Candice's shop.

To enter to win, simply leave a comment letting me know who you would make this for. This giveaway is now closed. 

Make sure I can contact you with a valid email address please!

Good luck and have a great week!

xo,
Jennifer

Free Pattern Resource

Hey, do y'all know about All Free Sewing?

It's a great resource for free patterns and tutorials. In fact you can find several of mine on there.

I am trying to work up the courage/squeeze in the time to make my daughter a dress for summer and would love to make one for me too. I did make a skirt for me but made it too full and it looked like I was wearing a table cloth!

I think it might be wise for me to check out their free eBook for free dress and skirt patterns. That might be a better idea!

Have you used this site? What do you think?

PS: Are you gearing up and getting ideas for the Summer Sewing Contest? All the fun starts on May 7!

Little Fun Things

Don't you love fun surprises in the mail? I always hold out hope that there will something fun in the mail and that happened twice this week!

First up, Weeks Ringle and Bill Kerr, from Modern Quilt Studio sent me a copy of their new magazine Modern Quilts Illustrated to peruse. It's not your typical magazine. It's shorter than I expected but that is because there aren't any ads. You get a lovely glossy mag with three full-color, illustrated quilt patterns.  There are also cutting tips and color pallete information.

The patterns are quite adaptable but if you wanted to use the same fabric as pictured, you can order kits from Modern Quilt Studio.  I love that they've got step-by-step illustrated directions. I'm so visual that I do much better when I can see what I am doing rather than trying to figure it out from a paragraph of directions.

I'm looking forward to trying out one of these quilts sometime and think the simplicity of the Stacks design is calling me.  Thanks Modern Quilt Studio for sending me this copy!

What do you think of a magazine like this- sans ads? 

My other fun mailbox surprise happened yesterday and I could hardly believe my eyes when I spied a little package inside.

Once I saw that it was from Japan, I squealed with delight because I only have one friend in Japan and yes, sure enough, wonderful Ayumi sent me a darling little gift.

She is uber talented- I know you have to be familiar with her amazing work but Ayumi is also one of the sweetest, most kind-hearted people I've met in the online quilting world. She is just so supportive and generous. I feel so honored to call her my friend.

Ayumi sent me all of these darling goodies! She hand-carved this ADORABLE little iron stamp for me- complete with ELQ for Ellison Lane Quilts! I am amazed at her skills and so, so flattered that she would make something so special for me. I can't wait to use it.

Look at the precious little bag it comes with too!

And the pincushion! How cute is that? Don't you love the fussy cut text fabric? Ayumi has such an eye for fabric placement. She always picks the perfect combination for the perfect place. If you are as smitten with text fabric as I am, you can pick up some in Ayumi's shop.

The pincushion is adorable and will be something I treasure always. Thank you Ayumi!

Indeed, it was a stellar mailbox week.  Hope your week was just as great!

Have a great Sunday.
xo,
Jennifer

The Power of Social Media

No one can deny the power of Social Media.

Take a look at this video- it's eye-opening for sure.


 I'd love to see an updated version that included Pinterest stats...

How has Social Media has changed your daily life?

xo,
Jennifer

Whew! Busy Busy!

So I've been a busy bee around here.

In between projects- a pincushion (using Kim's fabulous tutorial,)  a quilt, a bag, and a clutch, I'm putting together my daughter's 4th birthday party here on Saturday.

My little princess on her new swing set

19 kids y'all... 19! Yes we might be crazy but she wanted to invite her whole class plus a few close friends so we went for it.

We've never done a big birthday for her and this year she is all into it and all about princesses.

My little girl LOVES to dress up. She loves dresses and skirts and costumes and fairy wings and crowns. I love it.

She seriously has a wardrobe change every thirty minutes at home (do not get me started about the laundry!) but I can hardly squash her imagination and want her to relish in dress up and costume play.

So, on to the princess birthday - since there are both boys and girls coming to the party and it's in our back yard, the princess theme will be carried out in paper products, balloons, and a princess scavenger hunt. At the end of the scavenger hunt, they'll find a crown for each of them which I decided to make yesterday.

I really didn't want to do a treat bag full of little plastic trinkets and candy. Instead I wanted to do something more personal and fun.

Thankfully the crowns are really easy to put together. I have a TON of felt left over from crowns I used to sell in my Etsy shop, and I used my Sizzix Big Shot (which I had before my Accuquilt Go! Baby) which makes quick work of the cutting.

My fairy princess helper

I'll post a little tutorial after the party along with a recap of the big day. Just know that for now, I am sewing 19 crowns and planning the last minute things I need to pick up. Thankfully the forecast is for 80 degrees and sunshine so it should be a beautiful day!

Hope your week is going well!

xo,
Jennifer

We Have 3 Winners!

A big thanks to LuAnn and Steve at Sew Very Smooth for sharing their FAB! products with me and with 3 of you.

Y'all are going to love the polish and the seam guide. I've been surprised at just how much I love both of those tools and wonder how I got along so long without them.

So now for the good news! Rafflecopter chose the three winners and big
congratulations go to...

Awesome- an Anna Maria Horner Quilt-Along

So my friend and QuiltCon roomie Bianca, is hosting a super fab Anna Maria Horner Quilt-Along and OMG the prizes!

It's a QAL for AMH's Patchwork Prism Quilt Pattern that she designed for  Janome and it's a stunner.

So when Bianca asked if I would help spread the word about this awesome QAL, I was happy to oblige.

Source: annamariahorner.blogspot.com via Bianca on Pinterest

the pattern...

Anna Maria designed this pattern for Janome and they have been so kind as to make it available to everyone free of charge. You can find the download for the pattern here.

The QAL details:

the posts...{Bianca will show you she interprets the pattern}

• april 24: choosing your fabric {and if you need fabric, she's arranged for a 20% discount from the fab friends at the fat quarter shop...dates to be announced}
• may 8: making templates and cutting your fabric
• may 22: laying out your quilt and sewing
• june 5: quilting
• june 12: wrapping it all up and then the party begins...linky party that is...
• june 26: submissions are due for the grand prizes!

the prizes...

Oh my goodness the prizes...are awesome! Throughout the course of the QAL, participants will have the chance to win the following prizes...

Westminster Fibers:

• one valori wells fat quarter bundle of her newest line, “cocoon,” that’s 30 fat quarters!
• one essentials charm pack
• one amy butler charm pack of “gypsy caravan
• one anna maria horner tapestry kit and embroidery floss

aurifil thread:

• five chances to win 10 spools of thread

the grand prizes to be awarded upon submission of your completed patchwork prism quilt will include...

• 3rd prize... $25 gift certificate to fat quarter shop
• 2nd prize... $50 gift certificate to fat quarter shop
• 1st prize... $75 gift certificate to fat quarter shop

GRAND PRIZE... Janome DC2012 sewing machine {a retail value of $699!}

a HUGE shout-out and thank you to these generous sponsors for providing these fabulous prizes for you!

also, a BIG thank you to Anna Maria for designing such a stunning quilt!

flickr group...

So to get started, jump in and join the Flickr group.

Patchwork Prism button...
You can grab the code for this button from Bianca's sidebar if you'd like.



I'll be watching from the sidelines and can't wait to see everyone's quilts! 
xo, Jennifer

Summer Sewing Contest Coming Soon!

Get your ideas ready! 

I'm hosting a Summer Sewing Contest with fabulous prizes! 

You won't want to miss out! 

There are 4 categories to enter: 

Quilts, Home Decor, Clothing, and Bags & Accessories

Get your ideas ready now! 

More details coming soon...

PS: Don't forget to enter this week's FAB! giveaway! 

FAB! Giveaway Day: Two very cool sewing tools!

Today's another FAB! review & giveaway day, and I'm excited to share these very clever products from Sew Very Smooth.

Now, I recently got a Sew Smooth table which I'm jazzed about. I sew on my dining room table and the Sew Smooth table is a great extension table that gives me a lot of room to maneuver when quilting.   But I have to say, fabric doesn't slide on it quite as easily as I'd hoped. Luckily, I met LuAnn and Steve Tippets at their booth at the Charlotte Quilter's show a few weeks ago.

They run the Sew Very Smooth business and were kind enough to send me some of their great products to try.  See, they sell these little wonder pots of polish that totally impressed me. Simply wipe the polish cream on the extension table and the bed of the sewing machine, buff off, and wha-la! The surface is super smooth and slick and fabric slips and slides along the surface like satin.  Trust me, it makes a BIG difference!

The other nifty little gadget Steve and LuAnn showed me was their new seam guide. Now, this I love.

I used to put a piece of masking tape on my machine bed to mark different seam allowances (like a half inch) when sewing but we all know that's not great.  It's too thin and doesn't keep the fabric in line. It's way too easy to get off track.  Apparently other people have this issue too so they came up with this super smart seam guide.

It sticks tightly on to your Sew Steady table but is completely removable and repositionable.  Simply press on one end and it pops up, ready for you to move it. Now, you can place your fabric right up against the guide and your seams will be perfect.

This is a big help for me. I am used to sewing with a quarter inch foot on my machine that has the little wall on the right so it keeps me in check and essentially, the seam guide does the same thing. I love it.  Although this was made to use on an extension table, I am sure you could use one on a drop-in sewing table too.

I think both of these products are FAB! which is why I am excited to be giving away 3 sets of polish and seam guides today! Yay!

A big thanks to Steve and LuAnn for sharing their fabulous products with me and with y'all! It's fun when you find a great product that delivers and I have to say, these get gold stars.

So, what to do to enter to win? Simply fill out the Rafflecopter info below. International entries welcome! The winner will be announced on the 21st.
Good luck!

And the Winner Is...

Woo Hoo! The first FAB! giveaway was a big success.

Y'all seem to love Aurifil like I do (or at least you are dying to try it!) 

A big congratulations goes out to: Alyce B!

You are the lucky winner!

Thanks again to Alex and Aurifil for graciously supplying this FAB! giveaway. 

Be sure to check back later today for the next FAB! review and giveaway here at Ellison Lane Quilts! 

xo, 

Jennifer

Dreaming of Fabric

I've been browsing fabric daydreaming about what to add to my stash.

I'm loving Summerlove 

and thinking I need some of those dots in the Flock collection.

I definitely love some of the new Denyse Schmidt Chicopee prints that are coming out early fall,

and I'd like to make a Christmas quilt but can't decide on a fabric for that.

I'm digging the vintage vibe of Dear Mr. Claus but also think Cherry Christmas is pretty cute.

Oh and how adorable is this Storyboek II patchwork panel?

Fabricworm

Wouldn't those prints be perfect for I Spy? I know someone around here that would love the mermaid.

I'm also crushing on this American Jane vintage floral. Wouldn't it make a super cute skirt with a contrasting border print?

Fabricworm

Fabricworm

Of course I could always pick up more Outside Oslo.

Marmalade Fabrics

I made a bag with some last week and it is a great home dec weight that works so well for totes.

But then again, one can never have too many pearl bracelets, especially in this sunny yellow.

Marmalade Fabrics 

My stash is seriously lacking purple and this houndstooth is a great blender, especially when it's on sale!

Contemporary Cloth

My stash is seriously lacking purple and this houndstooth is a great blender, especially when it's on sale!

Sew Fresh Fabrics

I could always use more solids, especially when they come grouped like this

Sew Fresh Fabrics

and this.

Contemporary Cloth

This organic teal is pretty too.

Oh so many choices!!

Tell me, what fabric crushes do you have right now?


And don't forget to enter the FAB! Aurifil giveaway! 

xo,
Jennifer