Stumbles & Stitches

WIP: Quilt Blocks

2012-05-28T13:21:00.000-07:00

Hi Angel!

So great to see you and catch up for a while yesterday. It's so fun -- and surreal -- to be back in Nashville for a bit. I can't wait to get together again in a few days and get our craft on!

I finished a bunch of projects before heading out of town and wanted to share some sneak peeks and works-in-progress, all things I made with the Quilt Blocks fabric by Ellen Luckett Baker (purchased from our lovely sponsor Fat Quarter Shop). I am hoping to participate in Ellen's Quilt Blocks Shop Challenge. Once I sort through and edit the meeellion photos I took of my finished projects, I will share more!

Dear Jenny: Your mission, if you choose to accept it

2012-05-23T07:42:00.000-07:00

Jenny, I only have a minute b/c Kristina is on her way over, but I wanted to post some photos so you could put your thinking cap on. This baker's rack is old, and it's been outside for about a year next to the chicken coop. Surprisingly the wood is in pretty good shape still, but the finish has flaked off. Do you think you could help me revamp it when you come visit next week? I need it to function as a full service craft storage area, I don't need the wood part to be a full time work surface but I'd like to keep it cleared off so I can use it if I need to. Any ideas?

Recent Custom Projects

2012-05-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Man, I'm so creative with post titles sometimes, ha ha! Sorry I couldn't come up with anything more clever. I did, however, want to show you a few custom projects I recently finished. I posted about them in more detail on my website, but here is a little overview.

For the anniversary of her friend Ann's sister's death, my wonderful and loyal customer Alli asked me to make a custom piece to commemorate that sad event. It was an emotional process, but I love the upcycled burlap art piece that resulted.

[More photos and details here.]

A friend of mine from grad school recently moved back to New York and asked me to make a cloth pad for the antique desk in the studio she's renting. She requested Marimekko fabric and we selected a bold red print. It was such fun (and a bit nerve-wracking) to work with this beautiful fabric.

With each new binding project, I improve my skills and the mitered corners are near perfect on this one. I was really pleased with the result. It's so striking, it could be hung as wall art, don't you think? I kind of want one for the huge white wall in our stairway.

[More photos and details here.]

The most recent e-reader cover I made was for a lovely lady named Lindsey who showed extreme patience while I dealt with sewing machine troubles (and an exchange for a brand new one!). To thank her for her graciousness, I made her a matching little zipper pouch.

[More photos and details here.]

I love custom orders! They are challenging and push me to think of out my usual creative box. However, it's time to focus on making things for my shop on Etsy which has been pretty quiet for the last couple of months! I'll share some works in progress very soon!!

If you feel so inclined, please visit my website/blog Jenny Bartoy ~ Handmade Designs or "like" me on Facebook. I'd love to make some new friends!

And if you haven't yet, go enter our giveaway for the Stash Happy book trio along with some fabric and felt here, part of the wonderful Giveaway Day on Sew Mama Sew!

Giveaway Day: Stash Happy Trio and more!

2012-05-21T08:58:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday!

It's Giveaway Day on Sew Mama Sew! and Stumbles & Stitches is participating by giving away books, fabric and felt to one very lucky winner!!

First, our friends at Lark Crafts are being super generous and giving away the whole Stash Happy collection! That is a trio of lovely books, perfect for using up your stash and creating super fun projects.

The winner will receive the following 3 books courtesy of Lark Crafts:

Stash Happy: Applique by Cynthia Shaffer (Check out our review coming up soon!)
Stash Happy: Patchwork by Cynthia Shaffer
Stash Happy: Felt by Amanda Carestio

And to sweeten the pot (and your stash!), we're throwing in some fabric and felt!

The winner will receive an assortment of large fabric scraps, ranging from roughly 5 x 10 inches to a few full fat quarters, lovingly cut from our stash! They are perfect to make many of the Stash Happy projects and include prints from the Echo collection by Lotta Landsdotter, Quilt Blocks by Ellen Luckett Baker, some Botanika, some Denyse Schmidt and more (also 2 small scraps of Kokka linen robots -- too cute not to include!).

The winner will also receive 7 pieces of wool-blend felt (30% wool, 70% rayon) in a range of colors.

See the details below for a chance to win this fabulous Stash Happy package!

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How to enter:

For a chance to win this prize, simply write us a comment. If you'd like, tell us about a successful project you made with scraps or your favorite way(s) to use up your stash.

This giveaway is open to everyone. If you're a no-reply blogger, please make sure and leave an email address in your comment so we can contact you if you win.

We'll keep comments open until Friday, May 25 at 5 p.m. PST. We'll choose a random winner, will announce the name here, and will email this lucky person by Sunday, May 27. (Total value $75. Void where prohibited.)

Comments are now closed, thank you to everyone who participated!

Our lucky winner is Jeannette. Congratulations! We'll be emailing you shortly.

* * *

A huge thank you to Lark Crafts for this awesome giveaway, and to Sew Mama Sew for organizing Giveaway Day! Make sure and go check out all the lovely people giving away supplies and handmade goodness all over the blogosphere.

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If you're new to Stumbles & Stitches, a very warm welcome to you! We are so glad you're here! We hope you'll stick around, subscribe and connect with us:

Facebook ~ Twitter ~ Flickr ~ Pinterest [Angel/Jenny] ~ Etsy [Angel/Jenny]

Good luck to everyone entering the giveaway!

Friday Fun and Lots of Piles

2012-05-18T16:06:00.000-07:00

Hi Angel!

It's Friday and I can hardly believe it. Where did this week go? It flew by in a blink and I find myself overwhelmed with too much to do, not enough time, and no clue where to start. It's a familiar feeling, really. But life is good and things are going pretty well around here. I took my camera around the house over the last few days and thought I would share a few glimpses of what we're up to lately.

- I won my first giveaway EVER: this charm pack of Kona solids from the lovely blog Pile o' Fabric. It just arrived today with a super cute handmade card.

- Speaking of piles... This stack of book has been sitting near my desk, and growing with every new (and fabulous!) book shared by Lark Crafts for review. A bunch of these were purchased with a birthday gift card, but I have yet to really dive into them. I'm itching for some quiet reading time!

- With all the sunshine we've been enjoying, our potted garden is doing great. I trellised our peas, planted our tomato starts and harvested the first batch of kale! Can't wait to taste it, yum!

- Ben had his TV privilege taken away for bad behavior (4.5 years old has been quite the challenge...). Instead of watching morning cartoons, he's been drawing like crazy, writing books (thanks to these awesome blank books my mom sent him), and has been on an all-around super creative kick. Yay for no TV!

He added a carrot to this embroidery project yesterday.

Turning a cardboard box into an airplane

I LOVE how creative he is, and that he takes initiative in his crafty and artistic endeavors. I often find him deeply absorbed into some project when I get up with Henry in the morning, or when I return from starting a load of laundry in the basement. However, he doesn't know how to put things away and we need to tackle the monster that has become his craft area (a.k.a. the disaster corner of our dining room).

- Meanwhile, his little brother is usually found doing things like....

Rolling around on the couch and giving Mommy heart attacks by almost falling face first on the floor

Finding something to climb on to watch the trucks and backhoes working on the house remodel across the street

- I have so many works-in-progress, most of which I need to finish before the end of May: custom orders, Craft Hope aprons, Quilt Blocks shop challenge, wedding quilt, and more. Here's one of my piles -- see if you can spot a quilt top, a custom Kindle cover awaiting a button, and some Quilt Blocks quilt blocks.

LOTS of piles around here, it seems. Here's wishing for those to all get tackled and weeded down this weekend!

I hope you've had a great week. What are you working on this weekend? What kind of piles do you have around your house?

By the way: Happy Mother's Day almost a week late! I hope you had a wonderful day. Here's a little pic of me with my two distracted boys last Sunday at a nearby park. It was a beautiful day!

Happy Birthday, Angel!

2012-05-15T11:28:00.001-07:00

Happy birthday to you,
Happy birthday to YOU!
Happy birthday, dear Angel,
Happy birthday to yooooouuu!

I hope you are having a wonderful day and that your three dudes are spoiling you rotten. I am wishing you some delightfully uninterrupted craft time.

I am so thankful for your friendship, support and encouragement. You inspire me daily with your kindness, connection to the nature and world around you, and out-of-the-box thinking -- among many other things. I couldn't ask for a better mama buddy and blog-mate. Here's to many more years of connecting, creating and growing our friendship.

Pssst, I am working on your birthday gift:

And I can't wait to see you VERY SOON so we can do some of this:

a.k.a. get completely absorbed in stitching and chatting, while the husbands watch the kids (I hope they're reading this).

Much love to you, dear friend!

Link Love: Feather Your Nest Edition!

2012-05-14T17:18:00.000-07:00

Hi Angel!

I hope you had a lovely Mother's Day. I have been mostly off-line for nearly a week and it feels so good! The weather here has been spectacular and after all the crazy busy-ness of Feather Your Nest, it's been so nice to unplug -- both the computer and the sewing machine -- and spend time outdoors with my family! It is in the mid-70s today, with a bright beautiful sun up high in the sky. Just wonderful.

I do have some projects to share with you and will be back on a regular posting schedule very soon. Today, I want to take a minute to focus on some of our Feather Your Nest participants. It's such fun to organize these series and "meet" the amazing people who participate. Last year, I discovered several blogs through our Spring Runner Sew-Along, including the inspiring Heartbreak Homestead written by our winner Hannah. This year with Feather Your Nest, I was amazed by the fabulous blogs and shops of our participants.

Here is a small selection. If you'd like to see more, please go browse the Feather Your Nest Flickr pool and click on the links shared under the photos! SO MUCH to check out and such inspiration!!

First off, our big winner Jane of Buzzmills has a great blog! Do yourself a favor and pay her a little visit. She shares all kinds of creative projects from kid crafts to upcycled projects and sewing experiments.

Svetlana of s.o.t.a.k. handmade submitted her lovely Happy Corner for Feather Your Nest and her blog is full of beautiful modern quilts and patchwork with bold colors.

Jenelle, the talented gal behind Echinops & Aster, submitted two incredible pillows to our contest: Hello Spring Cushion and "Have a Hoot" Embroidered Owl Cushion. I've really enjoyed browsing through the gorgeous and crisp modern projects on her blog. And, I might get to meet this lovely lady soon (if I ever get around to answering my email... Sorry Jenelle!!) since she lives in Seattle!

Read more »

Pillows, Pillows

2012-05-10T12:01:00.000-07:00

Hi Angel!

I am getting SO excited about our upcoming trip to Nashville in a few weeks. Can't wait to see you, Lee and the kids, and meet the chickies!!

Spring finally seems here to stay in Seattle (I always fear I'm going to jinx it by saying this kind of thing...). We've had a lot of sunshine and temps above 60F the last couple of weeks. The forecast for this weekend is all sun and 70s!! I am GIDDY!

The arrival of the nice weather coincided with the tail end of Feather Your Nest and I've been spending a lot of time outside with the kids instead of showing you the last of the projects I worked on in April. Oops! Here are some pillows I knocked off my to-do list.

I made two envelope-back pillow covers to complement the new duvet cover in our bedroom. I purchased this two-tone greyish brown cover from Ikea. After loving our old cover for many years, I was tired of the color scheme and wanted to shift to neutrals and blue. The duvet cover and new pillows work really well with the burlap art on the wall, don't you think? I'm pretty happy with the overall look (and sorry for the wrinkles, I just can't be bothered to iron bedding -- who's with me?).

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The Nest has been Feathered: Thank you!

2012-05-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

Oh my. When I mentioned something about a "Feather Your Nest" series to Jenny some time last year, I had no idea it would turn out to be such a wonderful collection of original tutorials (from some amazing contributors) AND that we would have over 70 projects submitted for our upcycled home decor project contest.

I have to tip my virtual hat to Jenny for this one, she took the concept and orchestrated almost every post this month, in addition to sharing her super cute French Press cozy tutorial. I do not know what I'd do without her, she is what keeps this website going!

Feathering the nest, photo by gecko47 on Flickr

Part of what makes this blog so important to me is talking with Jenny every day (sometimes, many times a day!) to discuss the behind the scenes workings of Stumbles & Stitches. I am terrible at keeping in touch with friends, and the blog provides an "excuse" to stay connected.

Jenny and I write the blog to share things we've made with each other, too. But the daily support, inspiration and commiseration from all of you "makers" out there is an integral part that can't be overemphasized. So, while I did literally "Feather My Nest" by dyeing some curtains (yay!), YOU virtually "feathered my nest" with every single comment, project and vote you shared with us.

Speaking of "making"... If you entered our little contest, and your entry did not get chosen for any prize, please know this: I understand all too well that line between sitting in front of the computer looking at Pinterest, and actually sitting down, supplies gathered, putting your two hands to work to create something new. Sometimes that threshold feels impossible to cross, doesn't it?

But each and every one of you DID cross it, and that is no small thing. It's so easy to take making things by hand for granted when you are part of the "crafting world", and easy to forget that the large majority of folks don't make much of ANYTHING by hand. You my friends are special! I hope you remember that each and every time you see what you made for your home during Feather Your Nest.

Thank you to the judges that helped us narrow down the entries and choose a winner, it was so fun working with all of you! (You can see them all listed here).

And, one last huge thanks to all the folks that donated prizes: Fat Quarter Shop, Drygoods Design, Lark Crafts, Imagine Gnats, Sew Mama Sew, Jenny Bartoy ~ Handmade Designs and Demeter Rising Designs.

If you found Stumbles & Stitches through Feather Your Nest this past month, welcome! And to all of you, thanks for visiting and reading our little blog. We have some fun things coming up in the next few months, so stay tuned!

Feather Your Nest: Judges' Choice!

2012-05-07T10:31:00.000-07:00

Do you hear the drum roll...? It's time to announce the big winner of our Feather Your Nest competition: the one project selected by our 10 judges in a thoughtful and challenging nominating and rating process.

And the winner is...

Recycled Paper Bird Mobile by Jane of Buzzmills!

Congratulations Jane!!

Jane made this bird mobile with paper from her recycling bin. Birds were cut from paper and then stitched together with the sewing machine. Fun, whimsy and decoration -- this mobile is an upcycled home run! Jane blogged about it here. (If you don't know her blog, please check out Buzzmills!)

This project is a perfect example of the clever ideas exhibited in this competition, and how stitched and repurposed does not have to include fabric! The shape of the birds, the choices of prints on paper, and the overall flow of the mobile -- making it look as if a flock of birds is flying by the window -- made this project a winner.
Read more »

Feather Your Nest: Popular Vote Winner

2012-05-07T09:50:00.000-07:00

What an exciting day!! Here we go with the 2nd winner announcement.

We received 73 beautiful entries in the Feather Your Nest competition. Nearly 900 votes were cast in the first round of popular voting, narrowing down the pool to 10 finalists. Over 500 votes were cast in this 2nd round's neck-and-neck race. When the poll closed at midnight last night, the lucky elected project was....

Ironing Board Cover by Stephanie S.

Congratulations Stephanie!

This ironing board cover is made from all recycled and upcycled fabric: the prints are from Lily Pulitzer dresses and pants, the checks are from men's shirts from Gap and Macy's, the dots were a pair of pajama pants, the backing of the cover is an old sheet. Proof that green can be gorgeous! Stephanie's inspiration was this Moda Bake Shop recipe.
Read more »

Feather Your Nest: Random Winner

2012-05-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday!

It's time to announce the 3 lucky winners in the Feather Your Nest contest and series. Over a hundred people signed up to participate in this competition, and we received 73 wonderful entries. (Go browse the Feather Your Nest Flickr pool if you haven't yet!) Our judges worked hard to determine a winner, and many of you voted to select your favorite(s). We'll announce those 2 projects and lucky prize recipients a tiny bit later today.

Right now, let's start with the winner selected by random.

Congratulations Amy of form*work!

Amy's pillow was made with white wool fabric upcycled from a pair of her grandmother's trousers, Joel Dewberry wood grain fabric from her stash for the branch, and scraps of felted wool sweaters for the bird and leaves. What a perfect way to upcycle materials to create a beautiful project! You can read more about Amy's pillows and her other crafty projects on her blog here.

Read more »

Welcome May Sponsors!

2012-05-05T12:39:00.000-07:00

Happy May! Say hello to our lovely sponsors. Here's what's new:

Fat Quarter Shop recently launched their own pattern line, It’s Sew Emma, and new in stock are Little P’s, named after one of Emma’s little brothers, Peyton. They also stand for “little pattern”: excellent for anyone short on time, great for beginners, use just a few fat quarters and one background print, inexpensive at just $5.99 each -- and just plain cute! Go check them out! And of course, visit Fat Quarter Shop for fabulous fabrics, precuts, patterns and block-of-the-month clubs.

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Drygoods Design Online just opened its brick-and-mortar location in Seattle (go check it out, you locals!) and May will be a fun month. There are tons of new arrivals: Quilt Blocks from Ellen Luckett Baker, Kokka, Kei Honeycomb Dot restocks, Happy Drawing and some great Free Spirit collections.

May 19th will be the first day of the Drygoods Design Anniversary Sale and the true anniversary for the site! Folks should expect some great deals with discounts to be had on new and sale items. The sale will run until Memorial Day, May 28. Make sure and swing by Drygoods Design for some beautiful modern fabric and some GREAT deals!

* * *
Both Fat Quarter Shop and Drygoods Design are sponsoring Feather Your Nest with amazing prizes. Owners Kimberly and Keli are also judges for the contest. We'd like to thank them very much for their participation. (Have you voted for your favorite in the Top 10 popular entries?)

* * *

May Sale!

Purchase an ad spot on Stumbles & Stitches for the remainder of May AND all of June for just $20! Contact us at stumblestitches AT ymail DOT com.

We're currently booking our 3rd quarter ads for July-September. Let us know if you'd like to reserve a spot! You can find out all the details on our Advertise page. We've got a LOT of fun stuff planned for the coming months, it's a great time to advertise! Thank you so much for your consideration.

Have a lovely weekend!

Feather Your Nest: Top 10 Vote!

2012-05-04T11:14:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! (Apologies for the latte-spilled-on-the-laptop technical difficulties and delay!!)

We received so many wonderful entries in the Feather Your Nest contest, and so many of you came to vote for your favorites. Wasn't it hard to pick just a few? We've been SO impressed with everyone's projects. Meanwhile our judges have been busy working hard to narrow down their finalists. They're currently rating 20 entries they nominated in the first round.

Along with the judges' winner, and a popular vote winner, one random winner will be drawn from the pool of participants. Stay tuned, the 3 lucky names will be announced on Monday, May 7. They will each receive one of 3 amazing prizes.

Let's take a minute to thank our awesome sponsors and prize donors: Fat Quarter Shop, Drygoods Design, Lark Crafts, Sew Mama Sew! and Imagine Gnats. We hope you'll give them a click and a visit.

But, without further ado: the votes are in! 888 votes to be exact! Here are the 10 finalists of the popular vote. Please check them out below, and scroll down to cast your vote for a favorite. Voting will be open until Sunday May 6 at midnight PST, one vote per person please.
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Technical Difficulties

2012-05-04T10:36:00.001-07:00

Hi Angel! Hi friends!

I was working on the Top 10 finalists post this morning, while Ben was at his speech therapy appointment, then spilled coffee all over my laptop and it quit working. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!! I am home now, drying out the laptop (I popped the keyboard off!) and have access to our other computer. So the post should be up soon. Stay tuned, and sorry for the delay!!! (Please send healing thoughts to my poor laptop...)

Feather Your Nest: Dining Chair Cushions

2012-05-02T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hi Angel,

I FINALLY finished those $#%@&* dining chair cushions! This was one of those projects that seemed like a great idea -- simple! practical! cost-saving! perfect for Feather Your Nest! -- and turned out to be a frustrating endeavor. There was much hair-pulling, stabbing of the fingers with pins, and cursing ( I don't think I ever referred to them as anything other than "those damn cushions" in my emails!).

Do you swear when crafting? My husband likes to joke he never knew what a sailor's mouth I had until I began sewing regularly. He also blames all the kids' bad words on me -- which is probably fair, ahem.

But I digress. They're done!!

It's really hard to take photos of all the chairs around the table -- while at the same time cropping out the huge piles of craft- and kid-related messes in the background, ha ha!

We had had our old dining room chair cushions for many years. And they had had stains and missing buttons and torn ties for... many years. (But hidden under the table, so not so disgraceful, right?) Seriously, I am ashamed to think how long this project has been on my to-do list.

When Feather Your Nest came along, I moved this to the top of the priority list and chose a grey and white botanical print from Ikea in my stash to recover the old nasty cushions. I thought the home dec weight and neutral color would be perfect.
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Feather Your Nest: Adventures in iDyeing

2012-05-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

Good morning, Jen!

I am finally sitting down to share my adventures in dyeing, I'm afraid that this month Feather Your Nest has meant things like "put the light switch covers back on so that nobody gets electrocuted" and "clean out the chicken coop STAT so these stinky chicks can move out of my kitchen" more often than not. But, I did accomplish a few things, including conquering my fear of using dye! Today I'll show you the results, and I'll share more about my experience using iDye in a separate post later this week.

You might remember, I had a bunch of plain tab top curtains, 100% cotton. Some were left over from before, and some were from a friend. We busted our budget on the remodel, and I just can't spring for new, premade curtains or enough fabric to make new curtains myself. I researched a ton of options before deciding to try dyeing. These curtains are all too short, so my next project will be deciding how to lengthen them. I'm also going to raise the curtain rod, above the window frame.

Anyway, this is the window in the front room, to the left when you walk in.

Before:

After: Dyed with iDye in Chartreuse.

Feather Your Nest: VOTE!

2012-04-30T10:21:00.001-07:00

Hello friends!

It's time to VOTE for your favorite Feather Your Nest entry! We received a whopping 73 entries into the contest so brace yourself, this might be a tad overwhelming. So many fabulous projects, you guys! We are SO impressed by your clever and beautiful entries, great job!!

Here are the rules of the game:

You can make up to 3 selections, but no repeat voting.
You have until Thursday, May 3 (12-midnight PST) to vote. Then the top 10 vote-earning entries will be up for a second round.
Come back on Friday, May 4 to discover the 10 finalists and vote for your favorite. That round will go through Sunday, May 6.
The winner of the popular vote will be announced on Monday, May 7 and will receive a prize.
A second winner will be determined by our panel of judges. A third winner will be drawn randomly from all participants.

Please go browse the Flickr pool and take a closer look at all the projects and their descriptions (the small square photos below don't do them justice!). Make note of your favs, then come back here to cast your vote. You can also see the full-size entry photo by clicking the numbered link below each pic.

Please share this link with your friends and networks. The more people come vote, the more attention your lovely projects will get!

Note: You might need to be logged into Flickr to see all entries. If you are a participant and your entry is not visible in the Flickr pool, make sure its permissions are set to "public" and that your Flickr account is set to "safe".

Below are all the entries, in the order they were submitted. Scroll down to the end of the post to vote!

Good luck to all our participants!!!
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Feather Your Nest: TOMORROW Is The Big Day!

2012-04-28T08:40:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

Feather Your Nest is coming to a close tomorrow! Let's go over some important details:

Deadline for submitting your projects is Midnight PST on Sunday, April 29 (TOMORROW).

Please upload your entry photo to the Feather Your Nest Flickr pool (according to the requirements outlined below) or email it to us at stumblesstitches@ymail.com with the required info.

Please make sure your photo is set to PUBLIC if uploading to Flickr! (Some are not showing up in the slideshow below!)

Entries have been steadily rolling into the Flickr pool, and they are so beautiful and creative!

Beginning on Monday, April 30, we'll open a "poll" so you can vote for your favorite entry in the contest and have your friends vote for yours!
Our judges will be reviewing entries and rating them next week as well. (Thank you to our wonderful judges for giving us their time!)
Finally, we'll let random.org pick a winner from the stitch-along participants.
All winners will be announced on Monday May 7.
The prizes are FABULOUS! (Thank you to Fat Quarter Shop, Drygoods Design, Lark Crafts, Sew Mama Sew! and Imagine Gnats for their generosity in providing prizes!)

We're so excited to see what you all have been working on! Such fun!! Happy stitching!

Below for reference are the requirements for your entry in the contest. See more details here. GOOD LUCK!!
Read more »

Tutorial: French Press Cozy

2012-04-26T11:31:00.000-07:00

Hello there!

The second project I finished for Feather Your Nest (after my His and Hers Bulletin Boards) was a cozy for our French press. It was such a quick project and turned out so well I thought I would share a tutorial!

This is a tutorial for an insulated AND washable French press cozy. If you depend on the French press as much as I do (2 words for you: teething toddler *YAWN*), you know those two elements are nearly indispensable in a cozy. I like my coffee HOT and this definitely helps! I also regularly squirt coffee all over the place when pressing, so the washable aspect is awesome.

The idea to use scraps came from my friend Blair who shared with me her vision for making her own scrappy French press cozy. Thanks Blair!

It just occurred to me that you could also follow the steps below to make a mug cozy! The measurements would be a bit smaller, but it is the exact same process. Hmmm. I might have to whip one up now!

Read more »

Feather Your Nest: Deadline Reminder!

2012-04-26T08:13:00.000-07:00

Hello friends!

Here's a little reminder that this Sunday, April 29 is the deadline for submitting your entry in the Feather Your Nest contest and stitch-along. That's almost 4 days left to feather your nest, you can do it!!

You can find out all the details for the stitch-along including requirements for entry and submission process HERE.

How are your projects going? We can't wait to see what you all have been working on. The Flickr pool is expanding every day and we have been wowed by your beautiful and clever entries so far.

If you need some motivation, go check out the prizes here, and the judges here. So exciting!

Another Feather Your Nest tutorial is coming up later today, so please come back and visit.

Featured Nest: Ellen Luckett Baker of The Long Thread

2012-04-25T06:00:00.000-07:00

How's everyone's Wednesday going so far? As part of Feather Your Nest, some inspiring bloggers, designers and artists are inviting us into their homes for a little tour. We've asked them to share photos and thoughts of what "handmade" and "re-purposed" means to them at home.

Today's Featured Nest installment is from Ellen at The Long Thread! If you've been around Stumbles & Stitches for long, you know we are big fans of Ellen's blog, book and brand new fabric collection. It's no surprise that Ellen's home is a reflection of her other creative work: eclectic, colorful and wonderfully curated.

* * *

When my husband and I bought our house almost ten years ago, it had been owned by a slumlord and condemned by the city. The house was built in 1906, but many of the original features had been stripped, so we scoured the internet and salvage yards for mantels and stained glass pieces. The renovation was incredibly stressful and we ended up in a rental house while I was pregnant with our second daughter and on bed rest before the house was finished, but it's all a distant memory and I'm ready to renovate another one!

Guest Tutorial: Pin-Tuck Pleated Pillow

2012-04-24T08:16:00.001-07:00

We're so psyched to welcome our dear friend Rachael from Imagine Gnats today with a super-duper awesome tutorial for a pin-tuck pleated pillow. I think both Angel and I said "wow!" out loud when we saw the photo of her finished project. We are so impressed -- and so excited that she is willing to dish about her sewing process here!

We hope you'll pay Rachael a visit on her blog Imagine Gnats where she's constantly sharing her latest crafty adventures. Trust me when I say, the girl never stops and she is talented! You can also find Rachael on Facebook, Etsy and Pinterest. Without further ado, I'll let her take it away!

* * *

Hi! I'm Rachael, from imagine gnats, and I'm here today to share a tutorial for making this pin-tuck pleated pillow cover. The pillows on our couch were in desperate need of a makeover and Feather Your Nest was just the thing to inspire me to recover, well, one of them :) The other five are still on the to-do list...
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Guest Tutorial: Envelope Back Throw Pillow

2012-04-23T09:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! We have yet another lovely guest tutorial for you today!! Welcome our friend Melanie from A Sewing Journal with the simplest, most perfect way to Feather Your Nest: easy-peasy envelope back throw pillows. Look how gorgeous hers turned out!

If you are not familiar with Melanie's blog, please do yourself a favor and go peruse A Sewing Journal, you'll find beautifully curated inspiration galore. Melanie's shop on Etsy is Alice & Dorothy. You can also find her on Facebook, Pinterest and Flickr. Oh and I can't forget the awesome Sewing Trends column she writes for Sew Mama Sew! You can probably understand why we asked Melanie to be one of our judges for Feather Your Nest!

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A really fast and really easy way to spruce up your home is by making simple covers for your throw pillows out of your favorite fabric. Choosing stunning fabrics (like the Soul Blossoms fabrics I'm using) changes the mood of a room in a big way. And, you can whip out four of them (or more, if you choose) lickety-split!

I re-used the boring, micro-fiber pillows that came with our couch (or that I picked up over time from here or there).

Feather Your Nest: Reminders

2012-04-21T16:36:00.002-07:00

Hello friends!

Feather Your Nest is in full swing and we hope you've been busy -- both working on your own projects and visiting us for tutorials, free downloads and inspiration. Next week's schedule is jam-packed with awesome guest posts, tutorials and "featured nests"! Can't wait!!

Let's talk about a few important reminders:

April 22 (tomorrow!) is the deadline for signing up for the Feather Your Nest stitch-along and contest. Check out the details and leave a comment HERE to sign up.

April 29 (next Sunday) is the deadline for submitting your projects. Entries are starting to roll into the Flickr pool, and each one is more creative, lovely and "green" than the last. So awesome and inspiring!

- In case you didn't see them, prizes were announced here, and judges were introduced here. Amazing and awesome, aren't they?

- The requirements for your sew-along entry are here, but here's a quick recap. The project(s) you submit in Feather Your Nest must be:

Made by you, for your own home.
Made with stitches.
Made with some repurposed or upcycled material.
Made in 2012.

- The details for entry submission are also listed here, but here's the gist of it:

Post ONE photo of your finished item(s) in our Feather Your Nest Flickr pool, by April 29 Midnight PST. THIS IS YOUR ENTRY IN THE CONTEST.
Please label your photo "Feather Your Nest ENTRY" in the title line, along with the name of your project.
In the photo description, explain the materials (including the repurposed/upcycled aspect if it's not obvious -- this is IMPORTANT!), as well as your inspiration, the item's purpose, and/or whatever else you'd like to say.
Optional: link to a blog post or Flickr set where you provide more details and images.
If you do not have a Flickr account, simply email us your entry photo with details at stumblesstitches@ymail.com. We'll post it for you.

We're so excited to see what you all have been working on! Such fun!! Happy stitching!