Breast Cancer Awareness Month

If you are looking for the Hometown giveaway click here.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and I want to honor my Mother-in-law and all those who have this cancer, as well as those who we have lost from this terrible disease.

In order to do this I need your help. I have this wonderful die from Accuquilt.

I think it's a great applique to use on so many things. Here's where you come in...
I need 4 volunteers to make something with this on it. I will supply the applique ribbons to you in whatever color you choose and as many as you need. All I ask is that you make something with it and then guest blog the 3rd week in October about what you made. You can make anything big or small, the sky's the limit.

I think this is a great way to honor those who have been affected by this horrible disease. What do you think? Please email me or post here if you are interested or just to say what you think of this project. And please consider joining me for this project.

Come back tomorrow when Sweetwater week continues.

Sha :)

Here's Amanda Again!

If you are looking for the Hometown giveaway click here.

Join me in welcoming Amanda from Little Treasurers by Amanda back to Craizee Corners! During Tula Pink month Amanda showed us a wonderful dress she made and now she has even more goodness to share. Here's a link to her Tula Pink post.

I feel so honored that Sha let me guest blog again. So glad that I didn't mess it up last time! Well, this is Sweetwater's month. I'm going to talk about using their Sunkissed line. I really was on the fence about this fabric and hadn't really planned on buying any

*gasp* I actually said that and am being featured, how dare I?!?! Oh the shame!

Hold on! Please trust me and keep reading!

Well, as I was saying, I wasn't going to buy any. That is until, Brie and I created Misfit Quilters and we had our first doll quilt swap (DQS). I had Selina's name and the colors in Sunkissed matched the colors that she likes. So, I gave in and bought a fat quarter bundle of Sunkissed. I was kinda worried I wasn't going to like it and then what was I going to use it for after I finished the doll quilt. I got my package, opened it, and was amazed by the fabric. I LOVED it!!! Wow, how could it be that I was on the fence and had decided I wasn't going to buy and now I'm in love with it? I love how the fabric also had words with definitions like grow, sprout, hope, and sunshine just to name a few.

Each of the blocks in the doll quilt was chosen because they had a meaning that went along with them. You can read those meaning in this post. Now all that is left is to figure out what I'm going to use the rest of my fabric for!

Happy Sewing! 

As a fellow Misfit I can tell you that everyone who saw her progress on the Sunkissed Doll Quilt was hoping that they were her swappee! Be sure to check out Amanda's blog.

Until tomorrow!
Sha :)

Welcome Cara of Cara Quilts to Sweetwater week!

If you are looking for the Sweetwater giveaway click here.

Today's guest blogger is Cara from Cara Quilts. I met Cara when I stumbled into a quilting tweet chat room on a Tuesday in the spring. And it has since become one of my favorite quilty things to do on twitter. It's called Talkin' Tuesday and is from 9 - 11 pm EST, it's also known as #talknt on twitter. We chat about all things quilting by answering questions, which always leads to some fun side discussions. Why not join us tonight?

When it comes to fabric contemporary quilters are a spoiled bunch. We have so many choices, and new fabric and designers are coming out all the time. One of my top 3 favorites are the gals at Sweetwater.

When it comes to fun, comforting, and chic Sweetwater has it all. Their lines are always different, even the tone is different, but each line has instantly, and continued to be, a favorite for me.

I have used each line and every time I think I want to keep this!

Each line has at least one print with inspirational words that really spoke to me, and I’ve continued to love them and look to them. I also adore using them for anyone I love because they can look at those prints and remember all the good things in life.

The colours are all so clear and strong, without being overpowering, and I really love both the blues and greys they keeping coming  out with. The greys are so wonderful for bringing everything together.

When I told my husband I was writing a post about Sweetwater his first question was “who?” but when I started through the list of projects I’d used their fabrics for he responded “oh I guess I like them too because I like all of those ones!”

I think one of my favorite things about Sweetwater fabrics is the versatility. They work with pretty much every pattern, and work well both for men and women, kids or adults.

How much do I use Sweetwater?

I’ve made carry bags from Authentic, and I get the most comments on these then any of the other fabric bags I’ve made.

Well here’s my main notebook, and it does Make Life…easier! Always have a notebook going to write down new ideas, measurements, improvements and all those things that DON’T end up working in the end, and those that did.

My favorite shape to use when I really want to show off a line is the tumblers…

This is my own quilted wrap, a free pattern available on Moda Bake Shop http://www.modabakeshop.com/2010/08/pure-comfort.html#more , and I’ve made 4-5 more with the line for other people.

 

I may have stashed all this Pure for future projects, one for me and one just because I know it will be absolutely perfect for someone someday in the future.

This is a pattern I made that never got written out, but hopefully still will one day soon.

There may be an immense amount of Sunkissed hiding in this box but we won’t tell my husband that.

 

One of my patterns, available at Fat Quarter Shop, it's called Cheers To You. I used Countdown to Christmas and I really love the fun yet classic feel of this line.

I haven’t managed to get my hands on Hometown yet but you know I’m just biding my time! I have big plans for it, and because of the great gender neutrality in colours and patterns, I know even my husband will love it!

Oh and what other Sweetwater things do I love? Labels!! We all need to get better about labelling our quilts and Sweetwater is helping out with their awesome Label Club! I’ve been stashing mine, and using some too, and they just make every project more fun, and easy to at least include my name on a quilt, or add a personal touch to a project.

What should be included in a label? Your name for sure, the recipient if there is one, and the date. After that it’s more what you want but I’d also suggest the fabric line, pattern, or any special reason for making the quilt.

Thanks Cara for showing us your wonderful Sweetwater projects. I want to come play in your stash someday! I think my favorite project is the Sunkissed quilt, I can't wait for that pattern :)
What was your favorite?

Come back tomorrow for some more Sweetwater fun!

Sha :)

Sweetwater Guest Blogger #1

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

Welcome to day 2 of the Sweetwater Designer Select Series. Today I would like to welcome Jennifer from All Things Belle. Her blog is full of some great tutorials, be sure to check it out. Today Jennifer has the most adorable snack mat that she made for her daughter to show you.

Hi all! My name is Jennifer Rodriguez and I blog over at All Things Belle. I've been sewing for a couple decades and recently have fallen in love with paper pieced foundation quilting. When I first started quilting, I became frustrated with my seams not being perfectly lined up. Earlier this year I tried foundation quilting and fell in love with the exactness of the seams and the quirkiness of the blocks. It didn't take too long before I started creating my own designs and I would love to share one with you today.
 

I'm very excited about guest posting during Sweetwater week! Looking through my treasured stash, I found so many of their prints, but of course I wanted to buy some of the new fabric line. I adore the classic muted colors from their Hometown collection, and I knew instantly that I wanted to create something for my eldest daughter using the primary shades. This was the perfect excuse to create her a snack mat for all her messy meals.

Most of the meals I share with my eldest daughter include lots of requests for her to finish her meal. Thus, the focus of this snack mat is a paper pieced request for her to “eat”. I love the primary colors against the playful polka dot background. She is so excited to have her own snack mat and I bet there is someone in your life that would love one of these too! You can find the pattern here.

If you have never paper pieced before, have no fear I have a tutorial on my blog here: http://allthingsbelle.blogspot.com/2011/08/paper-piecing-tutorial.html Later this month I will post a coordinating lunch sack to hold your mat for meals on the go!

Thank you so much for sharing this time with me! I hope that this taste of Sweetwater fabric will have you inspired and eager to quilt.

Thanks Jennifer for sharing with us that adorable snack mat.

Come back tomorrow for more Sweetwater fun and remember to enter the giveaway.

Sha :)