Wednesday, August 31, 2011

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1...Go!

Can you guess what that countdown is for? Accuquilt has given me the Go! ahead to start a giveaway for an Accuquilt Go! Baby and 3 dies of your choice. I know that you might have seen this coming or heard about it, but I hope you are still as excited as I am about this giveaway!

To sweeten the pot and to celebrate my Crangles quilt I will be giving away some charm pack of Me and My Sister fabric! This will go to the 2nd number drawn.

Here's how it's going to work...

You MUST be a follower thru GFC.
You Must leave me a way to email you, if you are a no-reply blogger just leave me your email address with your post.

There are 2 ways to enter this giveaway
1. Tell me your favorite holiday and what kind of project you would like to do for it (this is a dream project, it doesn't have to be real although it can be)
2. Go to Accuquilts web page and tell me what pattern you would like to make. And while your there make sure you sign up for the 22 free patterns. I found the perfect pattern in the set of 22 to use my Aqua Red fabric with.

There you have it 2 ways to enter!

As usual if you would be so kind as to tweet, facebook or blog this I would be very grateful (even though its not for a third chance it would still be great if you did).

This giveaway will run thru Tuesday, September 6th at 10 p.m.CST, right after Talkin' Tuesday on Twitter. And then Mr Random Number will pick a winner!

And if you really want to win an Accuquilt Go! Baby here's some other blogs that are giving away one: If you know of a giveaway for a Go! Baby please let me know via email.

The Learning Curve, ends September 1st
Sew Sweetness, Ends September 6th

Till next time,
Sha :)

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Drum Roll Please...

The winners of the August Designer Select Series are

Here are your random numbers:
113	150	30	31
Timestamp: 2011-08-30 14:12:11 UTC

Veronica won the Prince Charming Design Roll from Fat Quarter Shop
She said...
I follow your blog via GFC (Veronica). I am new to quilting so I have really enjoyed reading your blog & learning so much. Thanks for the chance :)
I love Bunny Hill Designs - October 2011 Fat quarter Bundle. Thanks!

Cheryl won patterns
She said...
I have to say that I'm currently drooling over Kate Spain's Designer Select Fat Quarter Bundle
Terrain Collection. Love it!

I am following you on GFC.

Liz won patterns too
She said... 
I am a follower! :)
I think my favorite is the one from Me and My Sister!

I'm a follower!! Thanks for the chance to win!
If I was to pick a favorite I would probably choose Terrain!


Monday, August 29, 2011

Tula Pink Quilt Done!

If you are looking for the giveaway you can find it here
The giveway winners will be announced first thing tomorrow morning.

2 weeks ago when the Tula Pink series started I said that I was going to make the Pie Crust Pile Up quilt and guess what? I finished it right on schedule! Well actually 1 minute behind schedule since when I sat down to finish the binding I thought it would be done by 1:00 and I finished it at 1:01 (see I told you I was Craizee). I have decided to give this as a wedding gift, I hope the bride and groom like it, I know I enjoyed making it for them. Note here's the original post if you missed it.

The front 


The quilting


The back


I learned a bunch about sewing straight lines for the quilting, namely that its harder to do straight line quilting than it looks (at least for me). I started out using the guide on my walking foot, but that didn't work out too well (in my own defense I didn't have it screwed in correctly or it might have worked better). But once I started using painters take it got lots easier.

I hope you enjoyed the Designer Select Tula Pink series. I'd love to know what you thought of the first installment of the Designer Select Series on Craizee Corners. Stay tuned for the next installment in September when I share lots of Sweetwater love, so if you want to join me you still have plenty of time to get your Hometown Designer Select Fat Quarter Kit from the Fat Quarter Shop!

Sha :)

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Pay It Forward

If you are looking for the giveaway you can find it here.
I just read my friend Christine's blog and she posted this.

I got this fabulous idea from the wonderful and hilarious Selina who got it from the brilliant math and pinterest genius Amanda. Pay it Forward is basically when somebody does something nice for you, you in turn do something nice for somebody else. I had never thought of doing it on my blog, however after reading Selina and Amanda's posts, I thought it was a fabulous idea. So, I entered Selina's and in exchange I put it on my blog. Want to play? Here is how you do it, and I am copying this from Selina (who will please tweet me if I am violating copyright laws)
1. I will make a little something for the first 3 people that comment on this post. It will be a surprise and you will not know when it will arrive.
2. I will have 365 days to get this surprise to you. What is the catch? To get a goodie from me you must play along. This means you must pledge to send a handmade goodie to the first 3 people that comment on your blog post.

3. You must have a blog.

4. After commenting on my post, you have to go post this on your blog.

Who will be my 3? Come play along!

Sha :)

Friday, August 26, 2011

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways...

If you are looking for the giveaway you can find it here.

Who said that? I actually thought it was William Shakespeare, but alas I was wrong. It was Elizabeth Barrett Browning. But you are not reading this post for a literature lesson are you?

So let me rephrase the question
Baby how do I love thee, let me count the ways. As any quilter in the blog word can guess the Baby I am speaking of is an Accuquilt Go! Baby.

Instead of doing a 'tutorial' on how the Go! Baby works I am going to show you how many ways I use my Go! Baby.

As you might have read in an earlier post I had this insane idea to make a Crangles quilt. Crangles = crayon + triangles. To read the original post about the Crangles quilt and my inspiration behind it click here. As you might have guessed cutting 2816 2.5" equilateral triangles would take a long time...a very long time. But with my Accuquilt Go! Baby it takes very little time. Here's a pic of some crangles I have put together and a pic of a pile of crangles I have already cut. Aren't they cute? I can honestly say that I would not have attempted this project without the Accuquilt Go! or the Go! Baby.


Another thing I use my Go! Baby for is cutting scraps. I put my scraps in this cute bucket and when its filled I cut them up into 2.5" and 4.5" squares and 2.5" strips. Then when I need them they are all ready to go. This is the bucket I have just filled up. The last one filled this much took less than 30 minutes to cut up. It makes keeping up with my scraps so easy and enjoyable because I like cranking that handle :) And when I crank up the tunes its even faster.


I do have a few favorite dies in my collection. I love tumblers. Here's a small table runner made with a Summer House charm pack and a bit of yardage. I still have to finish it, I have just not decided how I am going to quilt it, anyone have an idea for me?


But my favorite die is a new one. It's the breast cancer ribbon die. I just opened it and used it for the first time today and love how it came out. I am going to make a mug rug with this. Isn't it great? It's a great size to put on a jacket or book cover, really anything that you want to use it on to show your support for breast cancer awareness.



That's just a few ways I have used my Accuquilt Go! Baby. I admit I am totally addicted to my Baby and use it almost everyday! I find myself dreaming up new quilts to make with the dies that I have (I told you I was addicted). The dies cut very evenly and cranking the die thru the machine is fast and easy. Believe me I am a total wimp and if I can use it anyone can.

I invite you to check out the machines and the great selection of dies they have. To make it easy for you here's the link :) Check out the Daily Deal everyday, I have gotten a few dies that way. And when you order from Accuquilt it gets shipped out right away. I ordered a die on Sunday and received it on Wednesday. I also got my 22 FREE Accuquilt Patterns and am going to use my Aqua Red fabric to make the Star Delight by Alex Anderson Wall hanging (well in my case it will be made bigger into a throw quilt). If you haven't downloaded your free patterns now's the time to do it. In case you missed it here's the link again http://www.accuquilt.com/email-signup

I am proud to join the other Accuquilt Bloggers and hope you found this post helpful.

Come back tomorrow when the Tula Pink series continues.

Sha :)

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Guest Blogger #6 - Katherine from Honeyhill Designs


If you are looking for the giveaway you can find it here.

Today's guest blogger is Katherine of Honey Hill Designs. Katherine happens to be my neighbor...well sort of...she lives not too far from me. We met last week for brunch and had a ball! We talked and talked and talked then went to the Cabbage Rose for some retail therapy. It's funny, when we went shopping our tastes in fabric were so different, but one things we both loved was Tula Pink fabric. Make sure to read to the bottom and check out her Tula Pink giveaway, she has a real treat for you! Here'sssssssss Katherine.
I am a quilter who is wild about modern & vintage anything! I try not to box myself in when it comes to creating, I just create what I love. I started my blog this year as a way to document my work and meet new friends. My perfect day; hugs, laughter, sewing, puppies, loud music, tattoos, and JESUS!

I am thrilled that my buddie, Sha, has invited me to share with you today!  When she told me about the her new Designer of the Month series that she is doing with the Fat Quarter Shop, I was excited to learn that Tula Pink would be the first featured designer. Poor Sha opened a can of worms with that conversation! :)

ME: TULA PINK, really? You mean the Tula Pink that I adore?!?! The one who designs fabrics that are magical, whimsical, and fun?!?! The one who is witty and personable? The one who calls her fabric fans "Tula Troops"? The one that recently released the Prince Charming line that I can't stop looking at? The one that somehow speaks to my heart with her hidden design treasures?
SHA: *with a stunned look on her face* Yes, that's the one.
ME: Oh, I love Tula Pink...I think Sha rolled her eyes at me. :)

All kidding aside, when I first saw the Prince Charming line it took my breath away.  I could somehow relate to these designs in a way I've never related to fabric before.  I didn't just love the colors and the graphics, it seemed to tell me a story.  I look at it and I'm taken back to my childhood dreams, taken back to a time when life was full of wonder and expectation. Tula has always given us hidden treasures in her designs, but Prince Charming was somehow different for me.  Those hidden treasures leaped right off the fabric and into my heart.

I knew this new line would be part of my fabric collection, possibly forever, so I did what any smart girl would do.  I purchased my fat quarter bundle from the Fat Quarter Shop the day it was available. Imagine my surprise when I received it the very next day!!  I hobbled to the front door, as I was still recovering from surgery at that time, and ripped open my package like a fat girl rips open a candy bar!!!  Let's just say, I looked a little crazy for a moment, but  I was also a little star struck.  How in the world would I ever be able to cut those precious babies up? Not happening in my lifetime.

Enter Sha and her guest blogger series!  Inviting me to join her series gave me the push I needed to actually use my stash of Prince Charming.  I whipped up this cute little pin cushion caddy using a pattern by Abbey Lane Quilts.  It was super easy to put together and it only took me a few hours to complete.


I love it so much I decided to do a giveaway. Yep, my very first giveaway!  To sweeten the deal I will be giving away 3 prizes; my pincushion caddy, my Tula Pink Prince Charming scraps, and a $25 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop
Entering is easy:
NOTE - You must enter on the Katherines Honeyhill web site, entries on this post will not be entered. But I woudl love to know if you entered her giveaway :)
1. Follow my blog and leave me a comment http://www.honeyhilldesigns.com/blog/
2. Like my Facebook page and leave me a comment http://www.facebook.com/honeyhilldesigns?sk=wall
3. Follow me on twitter and retweet to your followers http://twitter.com/#!/KakiofHoneyhill
The contest will end at 5pm on 9-5, with winners announced shortly thereafter after.

So, I'm going to let you in on a little secret.  I love Tula's designs so much that I will now have one with me forever...


Yep, that's Tula's Turtle Bay design on my back! The first time I saw it I know it would be my next tattoo.  It reminds me to always me childlike in Spirit, no matter how old or jaded I become.
Now, who wants free stuff??? GO ENTER TO WIN!!! :)
Be creative and be blessed,
Katherine

Thanks Katherine for sharing your Tula Pink happiness with us. That tattoo is very cool! And what a great treat for a follower.

Come back tomorrow for more Tula Pink fun!
And remember to enter the great giveaway http://craizeecorner.blogspot.com/2011/08/tula-pink-month-and-giveaway.html

Sha :)

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Guest Blogger #5 - Rachael Arnold of Raevenfea Simply Stitchery



If you are looking for the giveaway you can find it here.

Today's guest blogger is Rachael of Raevenfea Simply Stitchery. Rachaels blog is filled with wonderful quilting and crafting ideas. Her latest idea are these adorable printed fabric gift tags. Arent they cute?  Keep reading because she has a fabulous way to turn a quilt into a pillow that you are just going to love!



Thanks for stopping by, and thanks to Sha for having me on here! I’m Rachael Arnold: front-end Web Developer by day, sewist by evening, and firmly convinced that days need to be at least 28 hours long so that I can also spend time with my other half and our puppy. I caught the quilting bug a little over a year ago, and now I have this crazy idea that I need to make quilts for everyone in my (quite large) family.

That’s where Tula Pink comes in. My oldest sister is obsessed with frogs, and has been for as long as I can remember. When I saw Prince Charming, I immediately knew that I needed to use it in a project for her. (And purchase plenty extra because I’m as obsessed with the line as she is the frogs.)

Around the same time, I decided to do the Synchronized Squares QAL and it was truly kismet: the frog from the showcase print of Price Charming was the perfect size to fussy cut for use in the center of the blocks and fit perfectly with a bunch of other greens and a deep red I bought (her favorite colors).

I’m only partially done sewing all the blocks together, but this is what the finished quilt will look like:


And here’s some of my progress so far:


To make it special, I decided to add a pocket on the back that allows you to fold up the quilt into a pillow—and doubles as a toe warmer when you’re sitting down.

To figure out what size pocket to make, calculate either a third or a quarter of your quilt size. A third will make a larger, but thinner pillow, while a quarter will be a smaller, but fatter pillow. The design of my quilt lends itself to folding into thirds, so that’s what I chose.

Once you know the size, you need to make a mini-quilt that is bound on three sides (not the bottom). Mine is ~18” square:



I had fun playing with raw edges on the pocket, because the outer edges of the patterned squares on the front of the quilt are raw by design, although I didn’t have enough green corduroy to go underneath the Prince and border, thus the peek of white. And once again, the Prince print was the perfect size!

I’m not there yet, but to attach the pocket to the back of the quilt, you can either hand stitch it on after you’ve finished quilting, or use your quilting (make sure to quilt the interior area of the pocket first, leaving the quilting that will secure the sides of the pocket to the very last). The bottom will be secured when you bind the quilt, and the top is open, of course.


Best of luck in your own Tula Pink projects. I can’t wait to come up with something for my leftover Prince Charming fabric and the little bits of Plume and Nest a friend recently gave me (and for her future lines)!

Thanks Rachael for that idea and for sharing your wonderful quilt with us. I love how the prince can be fussycut to fit perfectly. Thats whats so great about the Tula Pink Prince Charming line. I can't wait to see what else you make with it.

Come back tomorrow for more Tula Pink fun!
And remember to enter the great giveaway http://craizeecorner.blogspot.com/2011/08/tula-pink-month-and-giveaway.html

Sha :)

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Guest Blogger #4 - Amanda of Little Treasures by Amanda

If you are looking for the giveaway you can find it here.

Today's guest blogger is Amanda of Little Treasures by Amanda. Amanda is another fellow Misfit quilter of mine. I was the very happy recipient of a mug rug from Amanda in the Muggy Rug swap we were both in, isn't it wonderful?



Hey everyone!!! *waves like a crazy person* I hope you all are having a great day! Thank you so much for letting me be a guest post in your new series on your blog Sharon!

Wow, I don't know where to start. This is my first guest post! *squee* I started sewing back in 2006 during my husband's first deployment. I needed something to fill my "free" time and so I dusted off my sewing machine that I've had for a while. Pulled out the manual and taught myself how to thread it and everything. I then grabbed a couple quilting magazines and started sewing. I haven't looked back since!!! Three kids (I had already had our first son when I started sewing) and 4 years later I'm still addicted! So far I've only made small quilts (baby and wall hangings for others) and I have a few larger quilts in various stages of completion. That's not what you're here for though. Show me the Prince Charming!!!!!

I used the Sea Turtle and children playing fabric from the Honey collection for the bodice.

I used the froggie fabric from the Indigo collection for my skirt.

Well, I figured since so many others would be entering quilt (which are awesome), I wanted to be a little different and showcase TulaPink's fabric in another way. I already had everything to make a dress that I've been wanting to make. I used Sisboom's Meghan Peasant pattern. This was a super simple dress to make (no zippers!). I really had so much fun playing with my fabric. I am so in love with this fabric. I have leftover fabric so I plan to use it to make several different projects. So stay tuned to see what I make with it.


Several of the seams are 3/8 or 5/8th of an inch seams. I wanted to throw out a new tip I came across. If you don't have a seam guide or a good line to measure your seams, I had always thought about masking tape as a guide. I came across this today on Pinterest and wanted to share it. You can use different colored rubber bands for your different measurements. Especially great if you have several different seams to sew.


So without further ado, here is the finished dress.
The front:


And the back: 


Thanks Amanda for sharing your adorable dress made with Tula Pink fabric!
Come back tomorrow for more Tula Pink fun!
And remember to enter the great giveaway here.http://craizeecorner.blogspot.com/2011/08/tula-pink-month-and-giveaway.html

Sha :)

Monday, August 22, 2011

Corner Triangle Tutorial

If you are looking for the giveaway you can find it here.

You know those little triangles that you put on the corner of a square? Well I have no idea what they are called, but they are used to make a snowball block, among others. If you know what the real name for them is please let me know, but I am calling them corner triangles.

Here's how I learned to do them from Gail at The Berry Patch in Fort Worth. We used this technique to make the star points at the quilt in a day class. Here's a pic of my finished quilt top from that class.


As you know I will do anything to not have to draw a line on a piece of fabric or to cut on the bias before sewing. So this technique was right up my alley.

1.   You will need a straight line on your sewing machine table. To do this lower your needle and raise your presser foot. Place a ruler under the presser foot against the needle and lower the presser foot. Align the ruler up with a line on your machine that is perpendicular to the ruler to make sure the line is straight.  Then put a ¼” piece of tape right up against the ruler. You will use this line as a guide to make the corner triangles.


2.  To make the corner triangles place a 2 ½” print square on the top right corner of a white 4½” square, right sides together. Note - the larger square can be just about any size you want.


3. Line up the point where the top left part of the print square meets the white and start sewing there. You will use the tape as a guide for the bottom right corner of the print square. Sew with the bottom right corner of the print square following the tape.


4. Doing this will give you a perfect diagonal everytime without having to draw a line on the back of the print square or guessing where the diagonal meets.
 
5. Trim the print square above the white point only. This keeps your square straight if the triangle gets wonky when you press it. This is the most important step in my opinion, theres no guessing where the real sewing line is if you still have the whole white square.

6.    Press all triangles to the white point, your square should look like this now.


 
If you know of another way to make these corner triangles I'd love to know.

Sha :)

Sunday, August 21, 2011

More Tula Pink love from around the web

If you are looking for the giveaway you can find it here.

In honor of Tula Pink month here on Craizee Corners I've found a few great things on the web to share with you!

This is a quilt top from Sew While He Sleeps. It's from the Parisville line in the sprout colorway. Be sure to check out her blog, she talks about the whole process of making this quilt. This is also made with some fabric she won from The Fat Quarter Shop!


Here's some wonderful Cartwheels that Ann from Renegade Quilter made at the Tula Pink class she took at Sisters during their Outdoor Quilt Show, now aren't you jealous of her? I know I am. Make sure to check out Renegade Quilters blog, there's some wonderful Tula Pink quilts on it! 


There's so many more Tula Pink pics around the web. Check out the Tula Pink Flickr page for more great ideas.

What I'd like to know today is if you won the Tula Pink design roll from The Fat Quarter Shop what would you make with it? Leave me a comment and remember to enter the giveaway!

Sha :)

Friday, August 19, 2011

Tula Pink Around The Web

If you are looking for the giveaway you can find it here.

I hope you're enjoying the Tula Pink series here on Craizee Corners. There's even more fun planned for next week so stay tuned.

I have been working on the Pie Crust Pile Up Tula Pink quilt all week and I'm ready to make the quilt sandwich today. I ended up only doing the throw blanket size, which is big enough for a twin sized bed and will even cover the top of the full size bed in out daughters room. Here's the finished quilt top.


Today I am basting and quilting it, I want to finish this right away so I can start on my next quilt project. Hint ...it will be made with another Fat Quarter Shop Designer Select FQ Club kit, and is a Craizee Corner original quilt pattern! Which FQ club kit do you think will be next?

My friend Tiffany at Another Pie In The Sky got this really cute IPad/IPhone background of Tula Pink's designs. I had no idea these were even a 'thing' to get. Aren't these adorable? Here's the link where you can get your own Tula Pink IPhone/IPad background. http://tulapink.com/category/other-stuff/   http://www.gelaskins.com/Search?q=tula+pink

Oh and have you heard about the Tula Pink Sew Along coming up next month? It promises to be lots of fun so make sure you check it out. 


Remember to leave me a comment and guess which Designer Select FQ Club kit will be next?

Sha :)

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Guest Blogger #3 - Amy from The Needled Fig

If you are looking for the giveaway you can find it here.

Welcome to day 4 of Tula Pink Month. Today's guest blogger is Amy Singleton of The Needled Fig. I first met Amy thru twitter, then we found out we live in the same area so we met at a Starbucks where she taught me how to embroider. Can you just see the 2 of us sewing in Starbucks? Last time we met she showed me a teeny tiny sweater she knitted with what looked like large toothpicks. Needless to say anything she does is wonderful.

Hi! I’m Amy from The Needled Fig. A little about me? Well, I'm funny sometimes and love snuggling just about every animal I meet. I’m a knitter, sewer, crocheter, embroiderer and relatively harmless crazy person! Overall, not a bad sort to be associated with. I’m so excited to have been invited to join y’all on Craizee Corners today!


So I am a relative newcomer to Tula Pink’s designs and I have to say, I’m totally sold – hook, line and sinker. Usually I really like a couple of patterns from any particular fabric line and just get those because in my head, life is way too short for fabric you just aren’t completely in love with. And then I met Tula’s Prince Charming. I might have immediately run out and bought a fat quarter stack of the ENTIRE line. I don’t do that kind of thing. Big hint: when I say “might have” I really mean “did”. Haha!



But rather than let it sit there and marinate in my stash for a really long time like a lot of other fabric I own, I felt compelled to cut into it right away.  Enter the Doll Quilt Swap on Flickr. I got to talking with some friends on twitter and was encouraged to join the swap because they thought I would have a lot of fun with it. So I did. (I’m a total sucker when under peer pressure.) I’m in Round 11 and I keep seeing all of these AMAZING mini quilts popping up and I feel SO intimidated because I still consider myself to be a beginning quilter.

After trying out a few failed quilt blocks (one block muddied the colors in the fabric and another just was WAY too hard to try and down size) I was starting to get frustrated and beginning to feel like I was not going to find anything and I’d fall behind on my quilt and I wouldn’t get it sent out in time and I was really starting to snowball. Enter the Churn Dash block.



Now admittedly, even though I loooved the Churn Dash, I totally still had the occasional hiccup while piecing them.

But, after powering through and a little seam ripping from time to time, I ended up with these beauties.


I really whizzed through this mini quilt too. It has taken me a whopping two days to piece all the blocks, sew the blocks together sew a backing and then get the whole thing, wait for it…. QUILTED.

So all I have left really is burying some threads, attaching the binding and sending this sweet little quilt through the wash! So if you’d like to check back in on my blog in a couple of days, I’ll have pictures of the WHOLE finished thing! Want a little secret before I go?? I’m super excited about the binding!
Thanks SO much for having me on your blog Sharon! I really enjoyed it!!