Sew Grateful

Debi from My Happy Sewing Place has organized a Sew Grateful challenge in which bloggers make projects from items that they've received in giveaways, swaps, or other shall-we-say pro-social avenues available in blogland (tutorials, presents, sew-alongs, etc.) Her premise was to really celebrate just how supportive the blogging sewing community is for everyone.

When she posted her invitation, I knew just what projects I wanted to do. At the end of summer, M is for Make hosted a giveaway for a fat 16th of Storyboek fabric from Birch Fabrics. I can't do much with fat 16ths other than quilt, and had commented in the giveaway that my niece's birth was the highlight of my summer. It only seemed appropriate to make a quilt for her from the material. Forgive the lack of a "full frontal" picture of the quilt. I couldn't quite get a good lighting or set-up to get a picture that did it justice.

Because the Storyboek collection has so many "boy friendly" fabrics, I thought I would make a second quilt for my nephew (my niece's elder bro) so that they could have matching quilts.

again, bad pic, but at least you get a sense of the layout

I knew I'd use the softest-pillow-cases-I've-ever-found as the supplementary fabric, but ended up realizing that I just didn't have enough between the Storyboek and pillow cases to make both quilts. I ended up using other fabric I had won in a previous raffle from Monkey Magic when there was the Japan Quake fund raising. I even got to use my leftover fabrics from my Swing Dress Sew-Along dress that Casey hosted.  And I used the information from the Quilt Making 101 series and a great tutorial from Olive and Ollie for the binding. These quilts are just the epitome of the online sewing community.

The back of my niece's quilt

I think they worked out well enough for a n00b quilter. I can't seem to manage to get my lines straight or my fabric from getting wonky, but I'm hoping these quilts last at least a few years before they fall apart. Either way, it was gratifying to figure out the general process. I am still a bigger fan of clothes sewing, but don't feel put off by the idea of quilting as much. My great-grandmother was an amazing quilter and I know I cherished my own quilt that she made. I only hope they will like theirs a quarter as much as I loved mine.

Detail, fabric from Monkey Magic

Detail, Storyboek fabric from M is for Make

 And just a reminder as we celebrate giveaways, my giveaway for four yards of stretchy fabric and my first very own purchased by me sewing pattern is still underway. I've changed the layout of my blog for now to make it easier to follow me, should you like. Just make sure you leave comments if you want a chance at winning! I will ship anywhere, and don't be fooled by the envelope. The pattern is pretty spotless.

For those non-sewers out there, if you still want to comment, I can simply make you something in lieu of the pattern and fabric. I don't want to leave you out!  I will try to think of a good item to make and will post it ASAP. If I don't, then maybe you'll get  a nice surprise!

All in all, I am so glad Debi has hosted her challenge. I not only got to finish projects I've been meaning to do for months, it all was in the name of just how grateful I am. Grateful for my family, grateful for what I have been given, grateful for the chance to share with others, grateful for all the online resources that are helping me maintain my hobby, and grateful for you dear readers. Thank you.

Quilt Class 101: Weeks 1 & 2

Okay. I said I was going to do this Quilt 101 Class thingie, right?  And I will. But I haven't gotten very far. I don't want you to think I'm not doing *something* at least. I really want to be.

I'm just stuck.

I'm too scared to cut anything out yet, and I think it's because I need some feedback.

Alright, so I have actually gotten as far as the first two lessons: planning and fabrics. I did them in reverse, but will present them in order. If that makes sense.

The first week's lesson had to do with fabric choices. I wanted to use the fabrics that I won from the Japan Quake Appeal raffle from Monkey Magic and the ones I had originally posted for my own raffle. You know, the one no one wanted to enter. Oh c'mon, you know.

I even bought some additional fabrics that donated some of the profits to the quake assistance funds.

Here are the fabrics that I've chosen to include in the quilt. 

I had to add some additional fabric (white sheet scraps) because I needed more light colored fabrics for the top half of the quilt. It's not much, but I think it will do.

The second week's lesson was design. I had already sketched my plans out ages ago, during my work-related trainings. I don't care what anyone says. Doodling helps me learn, darnit! Some of the most discerning and sharp minds in academia have been known to doodle and goof off in lectures. I don't think I need to explain my call to take a pen to paper to *not* take notes.

Anyhow, so here are some of my sketches:

As you can see, I have made some various calculations, and I'd be making a quilt that's about 36"x30" by the end of it all. I don't think that's unreasonable, right? Nothing huge, but certainly complicated enough for an ambitious first time go at it.

You may have also noticed that I've chosen curved pieces to sew together. And I think that's part of why I'm still stuck. I'm not quite sure how to bring myself to do that portion without fearing the work involved or the chance that I'll mess it up royally.

me = too ambitious to do something simple = too anxious to mess up by actually trying the complicated plan out

I think I have some idea on how I want to do the applique, but I think I may just go for the simplest and slightly sloppy raw-edge version to increase the likelihood of it actually getting done.

The other obstacle here is that I am starting to second guess the color choices here. I can't really tell if the blue fabrics that would go on the bottom 'waves' portion of the composition actually match. And the top 'sky' section should be somewhat white but part of me feels it's too stark or that I don't have enough fabrics involved in the process.

So, I'm asking the few of you out there who are reading this, especially those with some sewing and quilting sensibilities, Do you think the colors look like they actually would work together? and How would you sew the half-circles to the quilt?

This stymied and overly cautious girl begs you for some bolstering and education as well as thanks you ahead of time for anything you can offer. Otherwise, I'll continue to have a sizeable and long overdue UFO sitting around and a small readership waiting for me to make good on a goal I set in front of their eyes.

Japan Quake Appeal Raffle, the goods

I got it! I got it! My raffle winnings from Diane at Monkey Magic arrived! (Yes, I am yelling, and yes, I am doing the Snoopy dance, and yes, I'm using lots, and lots, of commas.)

an endless queue of stamps!

The packaging itself was exciting and fun, which tickled me even further.

they just keep going... and going...

Here are the contents:

I love the kawaii animal prints--toadstools, roosters, rabbits, and hedgehogs for everyone! :) And yes, I know that toadstools aren't animals. They're still cute.

Here are my favorites though:

Now it should be noted that I just ordered myself some cute fabrics from kawaiibeads on Etsy, after my sketchfest for that tsunami/quake appeal quilt I had briefly mentioned before. I don't know why I ordered them, because I knew this package was coming in the mail any day. But part of the proceeds of the fabric are going to the tsunami relief fund, so I suppose it's never a bad thing to contribute.

I think that the main issue here is that I'm so intrigued by this project that I am buying things for it. *Sigh* I sketch like my dad, and buy supplies like my mom.

And for those wondering, these are the fabrics that I ordered:

Japan Quake Appeal Raffle, follow up

Sooooo, no one bid on my raffle. I guess I should keep a stash of nice finished products to use for just such occasions. This is when it helps to have a fabric stash, I suppose.

I only feel bad that I wasn't able to solicit any donations, really. The items I put on raffle will easily find other homes, I think. Or return to the creative chaos that is my craft room, later to emerge from the ether as something altogether unexpected.

Actually, the origami paper may be going to a Girl Scout troop to make a care package to send to Japanese Girl Scouts. Even if they don't need it anymore, I can always find homes for little paper cranes.

And inventorying the fabric has inspired me to possibly make a quilt of sorts. I'm not much of a quilter, as I never actually do the quilting part. And I measure out things quickly and inaccurately, which is always a bad recipe for quilting.

But wouldn't it make for a cute quilt? All blues and Japanese prints. I'd likely make the rabbit the centerpiece in the composition, as it's the year of the rabbit. I am thinking of ways to incorporate other elements to refer to the earthquake/tsunami event.  I'll post more on it as it develops. In the meantime, go donate to the cause (whatever cause you see as important), or volunteer somewhere and do something meaningful for the community!

My Mama Always Told Me I Was a Winner

You may have actually looked at my recent raffle, or you may not have. Either way, most of the raffles/auctions that A Bit of This & A Bit of That helped to organize for her Japan Quake Appeal, finished up yesterday. Because I was a late comer, mine won't finish until Monday, but I don't have any raffle entries yet, anyway, so it's just as well. (Besides, I was told that there may be some school children looking for some origami paper to use for gifts to Japan.)

Anyway, my point here is that I woke up to this message this morning:

Diane said...


Hi there and congratulations! You were the winner in my Japan quake appeal raffle!

Please let me know your mailing address, and any fabric preferences - do you like traditional Japanese designs, cute kawaii things, particular colours? Also, the prize is 25 fat quarters but if you'd prefer the odd half yard or even full yard I can do that too, as long as the total is the same.

Again, congratulations, and thank you for your generous donation!

3/26/2011 2:31 AM 

Sweet!

Diane has closed her shop because she's about to give birth to her second child, so I cannot direct you there to show you what I might get. Here's a picture that she posted of some of the possibilities though:

(If you are really interested, her sold fabrics may also give you an idea.) 

Since I don't quilt, I'm going to see if she'll send me 5 yards and 5 fat quarters instead of the 25 fat quarters. I won't have as many sewing options with just the quarters, if I am making clothes or bags.

Now, if I'm going to be set to tackle a whole new stash of fabric, I have to go and actually get some sewing done on existing projects (hint: expect a new post soon)!

Also, apologies for the bold at the beginning of the post. It just won't format correctly.

Japan Quake Appeal Raffle

RAFFLE is CLOSED. Feel free to still make donations, though!

I'm not sure which blog linked me to Jojoebi's Japan Quake Appeal, in which various bloggers are putting their goods up for a raffle or auction in order to drum up aid for Japan. When I found out about this organized response to the disaster, I wanted to get involved.

Besides buying lots of raffle shares for some fabric and bidding on some moving family art, I also want to join in on the cause with my own raffle. I do not have much to offer, but I hope you will find the little package worth bidding on. Apologies for the grainy pictures. My camera doesn't do so well with indoor lighting.

The first item is a puzzle wrap that I made from a thrifted jersey sheet. It's a little tricky to figure out how to put on at first, but I'll send pictures and directions.

It can fit a variety of sized folks, according to the pattern, but it may be tricky for those with broad shoulders. If it doesn't fit, I don't mind exchanging either. It will likely be another fabric, but it's better to fit well than to be a specific fabric!

The other items in the package are shown below:

It consists of four different Japanese cotton fabrics of various amounts. They have all been prewashed once, so there may be some shrinkage upon the second washing. They're not the standard measurements, all with the width of 14", and three of them are really just remnants. That doesn't mean you can't make many a wicked cute craft out of them, though!

I'll go in order of the smallest (also the cutest) to the largest:

The rabbit print I have is quite small, but darling. It measures 14" x 10", which would make for a nice little purse, pincushion, eye pillow, sachet, quilting, etc.

I just read Tilly and the Buttons' tutorial on making a fabric necklace on Elegant Musings. I think any of these fabrics would suit that kind of project well. :)

The second print is my favorite, featuring a brightly colored japanese floral print. This one measures at 14" x 28", so opens up some larger scale crafting possibilities.

I made some Colette bloomers out of this fabric, which I just find awesome and cute. You can see them at my Burdastyle page. There's not enough of this left for that kind of a project, but I'm pretty sure that whatever you come up with will be adorable.

This third print is on cotton seersucker fabric. I can't describe it beyond Japanese graphic print, in blues, green, and greys. This piece measures at 14" x 44". I made a second pair of bloomers from this fabric, and they turned out really well too. It sewed easy, and could be used for any number of small projects.

The final piece of fabric is the most sizeable. I was saving it to possibly use for the romper/playsuit I had mentioned earlier. It's got a variety of blues and grays wide stripes, shot through with narrow red and yellow stripes. This one is a more substantial amount of fabric, measuring at 14" x 5 yards 6". Maybe it'd be a good fabric to try out Indietute's new flat front trousers for little ones?

There are other items in this raffle as well, that I do not want to forget.

I've got some plain origami paper that I'm throwing in because there's always a good excuse to make something out of paper! It's a motley set of colors and sizes, 7 small squares, 11 medium, and 9 large. There are some metallic squares in the large size, besides the bright colors.

And finally, I am including a book from one of my favorite authors, Haruki Murakami. The book is South of the Border, West of the Sun. I sincerely love this man's work, and the existential themes he plays around with. If you haven't read his stuff, I recommend it highly.

UPDATE: For those of you who are not craft/sewing minded, please feel free to still bid. Should you win, I will gladly talk to you about crafts that I can make for you with these materials. You can use them for yourself or for gifts for other folks, so please don't think this isn't a raffle for you!

How to enter:

Go to GlobalGiving.co.uk (United Kingdom) or GlobalGiving.org (United States) and make a donation.

• Every $5 donation or 3 pound donation entitles you to one raffle ticket. You should be aware that Global Giving requires a minimum of $10 as a donation. So you automatically start out with two chances to win!
• After you have made your donation, come back and leave a comment on this post, telling me how much you donated (ie how many tickets you have bought) and your receipt number.
• Don't forget to leave your e-mail address in the comment too - you can write it as name 'at' yahoo 'dot' com if you are worried about spam.
• If you make a mistake or need to change your comment, please go back and delete your first comment and rewrite it. If you have any problem with this portion, just let me know via my profile email.
• Open to anyone, anywhere in the world!
• I am joining this appeal late, so the raffle will close at NOON (Eastern Standard) on March 28th and the winner will be drawn at random and contacted by email.

Let me know via email if you have any issues with this arrangement. I'll see what I can do to address it.

For Japan, With Love

Other ways to help:

American Red Cross/Japanese Red Cross

Global Giving

Japan Quake Appeal

Handmade for Japan

Give2Asia (these folks also help manage a school in the Philippines that my family is very involved with)

Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California

Wisecraft, and Not Martha also offers some other listings.