It's my birthday and I can do whatever I want to. So I'm celebrating by doing a giveaway of my book, "Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tale Puzzle Quilts", over on my facebook EPQD page (www.facebook.com/EvaPaigeQuiltDesigns).
Just leave a comment regarding what quilty item you would like to find under the tree this year, and be entered to win! Become a fan and be entered twice. Comment here and be entered a third time. I'm just feeling extra generous and loving today.
Just don't wrap my birthday gift in Christmas paper and ruin my good mood.
Quilting Hottiedom. It's not a look. It's an attitude.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
American Girl hoodie towel tutorial....aka "For the Doll Who Has Everything"
With Christmas a mere week and a half away, I thought today I would share a tutorial showcasing some gifts I am making for my daughters' American Girl dolls. With three little girls ages almost 8, almost 8, and fully 4, we anticipate another Christmas wherein the entire living room is covered in little red boxes and the dolls end up better dressed than we are. As much as I enjoy shelling out $25 for a pair of shoes for a doll (times 3), I also enjoy getting creative, and that is where this tutorial comes in. It was inspired by an actual hoodie towel a friend made my youngest daughter as a gift, and I just miniaturized it. So if you need a last minute gift idea for the American Girl lover in your life, sit back and take in the wonder of this quick gift. And I do mean quick. Including taking photos, changing a needle, filling a bobbin, and changing thread color three times the entire project took me less than 20 minutes.
Supplies:
One hand towel
One washcloth, which here in New England we call facecloth. I have no idea why. We also say "down cellar" rather than "in the basement". It drives my Midwestern husband batty.
Scraps for applique
Threads for applique
Draw your desired applique shape(s) backward on the fusible. Fuse to the fabric, and cut out along the lines. Fuse shapes to the middle of the hand towel. (Quick quiz- which American Girl is this for? That would be Julie, about whom my daughter once said to a friend during a playdate "Julie is from when my mom was 4, so she'd be 45 now. If she's even still alive." Remind me why I am making these for my darlings again???)
Once the shapes are fused, satin stitch around them with some pretty threads. Because American Girl stuff is all about being pretty. I have no idea why this photo is sideways, but just tilt your head and you'll be fine. I can't be bothered to fix it, truly.
Set the towel part aside and locate your face/wash cloth. I like to slice off the binding at one end and then zigzag the raw edge so it isn't so bulky. This is especially important to do if you are making a hoodie towel for an actual child; the AG dolls in theory shouldn't be too picky and probably won't complain about the bulk on top of their heads, but why take the chance? If you've seen Toy Story 3, you know why I didn't hesitate to do this for the towel I made Greta's Bitty Baby.
Fold the face/wash cloth in half and sew a 1/4" seam along where you zig zagged. This will form the hood.
Turn hood rightside out and flatten the end opposite the end you just sewed. Pin the hood to the towel as shown, centering the hood as best you feel like doing. This is for a doll after all. I don't ever measure, I just eyeball it. But we all know I am about fun over fuss. Measure if you must and I promise I won't make fun of you.
Here's a close up shot of how I pin. It also shows the towel binding, which is where I sew the two pieces together. Right along the bottom of the binding, stitch. That's IT! You are done.
And here is Julie, relaxing after her bath. Isn't she stunning?
Here she is from the back, looking like she's having a little time out. But there you go, front and back views.
Even if you don't have the required 20 minutes to whip one of these up before Christmas (plus 3 hours to get to Target, find a parking spot, stand in line, etc), these make great birthday gifts - and those happen throughout the year.
Supplies:
One hand towel
One washcloth, which here in New England we call facecloth. I have no idea why. We also say "down cellar" rather than "in the basement". It drives my Midwestern husband batty.
Scraps for applique
Threads for applique
Fusible for applique (I'm a Heat N Bond lite junkie, but whatever you like will be fine.)
As you can see, I have chosen a lovely shade of lime green for my towel that gets completely washed out into a sagey color by my camera. But trust me, it is lovely. I bought the towels and facecloths at Target where they were about $3.50 for the set (on sale).
Draw your desired applique shape(s) backward on the fusible. Fuse to the fabric, and cut out along the lines. Fuse shapes to the middle of the hand towel. (Quick quiz- which American Girl is this for? That would be Julie, about whom my daughter once said to a friend during a playdate "Julie is from when my mom was 4, so she'd be 45 now. If she's even still alive." Remind me why I am making these for my darlings again???)
Once the shapes are fused, satin stitch around them with some pretty threads. Because American Girl stuff is all about being pretty. I have no idea why this photo is sideways, but just tilt your head and you'll be fine. I can't be bothered to fix it, truly.
Set the towel part aside and locate your face/wash cloth. I like to slice off the binding at one end and then zigzag the raw edge so it isn't so bulky. This is especially important to do if you are making a hoodie towel for an actual child; the AG dolls in theory shouldn't be too picky and probably won't complain about the bulk on top of their heads, but why take the chance? If you've seen Toy Story 3, you know why I didn't hesitate to do this for the towel I made Greta's Bitty Baby.
Fold the face/wash cloth in half and sew a 1/4" seam along where you zig zagged. This will form the hood.
Turn hood rightside out and flatten the end opposite the end you just sewed. Pin the hood to the towel as shown, centering the hood as best you feel like doing. This is for a doll after all. I don't ever measure, I just eyeball it. But we all know I am about fun over fuss. Measure if you must and I promise I won't make fun of you.
Here's a close up shot of how I pin. It also shows the towel binding, which is where I sew the two pieces together. Right along the bottom of the binding, stitch. That's IT! You are done.
And here is Julie, relaxing after her bath. Isn't she stunning?
Here she is from the back, looking like she's having a little time out. But there you go, front and back views.
Even if you don't have the required 20 minutes to whip one of these up before Christmas (plus 3 hours to get to Target, find a parking spot, stand in line, etc), these make great birthday gifts - and those happen throughout the year.
Merry Christmas to all the American Girls!
Sunday, December 12, 2010
QPM blog tour giveaways!
I sincerely hope you are all enjoying the blog tour countdown. Who knew the quilting world had so many great writers other than me? Ell oh ell. (Sorry Hotties - If you come to QHH looking for seriousness and professionalism at all times, I do apologize as that likely ain't happenin', especially when I post at the decidedly punchified hour of 10:30+. If you come here looking for me to have an ego trip now and then, you'll get lucky sometimes, and you just did. :))
Anyway, I forgot to mention in my blog tour countdown post that I am doing a giveaway of my own to two lucky people who comment on that post. One commenter will receive a copy of my book, Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tale Puzzle Quilts, and the other will receive a kit of my original design "Sunflower and Sky". But you have to comment on the correct post, which would be the one titled "Pardon me Hotties, is that the Quilt Pattern Magazine" to qualify. Otherwise QPM might get mad at me. They seem like lovely women to work for, but I don't want to push it.
I am so excited about the two patterns I will have in QPM, tentatively scheduled for spring/early summer but you know I'll let you know for sure when I get a date! (For publication, that is. DH would be very unamused if I got other kinds of dates...OMG, it's way too late for me to be blogging.) One of my testers sent me some photos today of one of the patterns and seriously, this project is just so gosh darn CUTE! Perfect for quilters with kids who like to eat, who like quick projects, and are too cheap to use expensive quilting fabric for a project involving kids and food. I've thoroughly confused you I know. But it's yet another reason you will just have to get the subscription and tune in to see my projects.
Good luck winning!
Anyway, I forgot to mention in my blog tour countdown post that I am doing a giveaway of my own to two lucky people who comment on that post. One commenter will receive a copy of my book, Once Upon a Time: Fairy Tale Puzzle Quilts, and the other will receive a kit of my original design "Sunflower and Sky". But you have to comment on the correct post, which would be the one titled "Pardon me Hotties, is that the Quilt Pattern Magazine" to qualify. Otherwise QPM might get mad at me. They seem like lovely women to work for, but I don't want to push it.
I am so excited about the two patterns I will have in QPM, tentatively scheduled for spring/early summer but you know I'll let you know for sure when I get a date! (For publication, that is. DH would be very unamused if I got other kinds of dates...OMG, it's way too late for me to be blogging.) One of my testers sent me some photos today of one of the patterns and seriously, this project is just so gosh darn CUTE! Perfect for quilters with kids who like to eat, who like quick projects, and are too cheap to use expensive quilting fabric for a project involving kids and food. I've thoroughly confused you I know. But it's yet another reason you will just have to get the subscription and tune in to see my projects.
Good luck winning!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Pardon me, Hotties....is that the Quilt Pattern Magazine?
It's December 6, so that means it is my turn to tell you of the wonders of the new e-zine for quilters launching soon, Quilt Pattern Magazine, http://www.quiltpatternmagazine.com/.
Now, if you have been keeping up with the blog tour, you know that this is a totally online magazine, and being a person who likes to hold things in my actual hands, like books (I will NEVER own a Kindle! Ever! Or so I think now-but I don't see changing my mind!) or quilt patterns, I honestly have historically been a little bit skeptical of exclusively downloadable things. (QPM powers that be, please read on because I am going somewhere good with this, I promise!) Those who know this about me are probably a little suprised to see me advertising this product, but I am thinking there might be several of you out there in bloggerland who might be reading about this magazine on the blogs but may still be a little skeptical about a magazine that doesn't allow you to wait by the mailbox bi-monthly for your little bit of quilting heaven. You are to whom I dedicate this post, because I understand you well.
But hotties, unless your mailcarrier is a studly specimen, what fun is waiting by the mailbox? With QPM, you just head to the website from any computerific device you use to get to the internet, and you can view, download and print any projects or pages you like, any time day or night. Instead of magazine organizers full of years and years worth of your favorite magazines, a large three ring binder to put your chosen QPM projects into will be more than enough for several years - unless you are the type who needs to make every last project in every magazine you read. Then you might need two binders. And to you, I ask "When do you sleep, and can I have your stash when you are gone?"
So that leads us to the obvious and very PC benefit of this magazine - it is way green. It doesn't clutter up your shelves now or the landfills later. You really don't ever even have to print hard copies of the projects if you instead save them on a CD and work off the computer, making you a tree saver extraordinaire. If you do want to print but be as green as possible, there is always the option of printing on the back of your kids' homework or on paper that has some random thing on it that you screwed up when doing a print job. Not that I know a thing about that. In any case, this is a magazine you can feel good about because you will be doing your little part not only to beautify the world with your quilts, but save the planet as well.
How many of you have recently bought a single issue of any quilting magazine and audibly gasped at the price? I have. Granted I am notoriously cheap, but still. That experience makes the price of $11.95 for an entire year (12 issues (plus one extra!), 65 projects, BOMs, too many cool articles to count) seem downright obscene for it's reasonableness. Amazing what not having to print thousands of copies of a magazine can do for it's price, huh? And Christmas is coming! Why not give a few subscriptions as gifts to your favorite quilters? You can even win a subscription by commenting on this blog or any of the others in the blog tour. So show us some love, and QPM just might show you some back!
Also, if you are a designer, I can tell you from experience these ladies are incredibly supportive, easy to work with, and really give new meaning to quick turn around time on project submissions. With a monthly magazine, chances are they will be looking for good projects all the time, so don't be shy - send in a query!
So did I convince you? I convinced myself a while back, and have already purchased just the cutest paisley binder to keep my "pending projects" in. Go check it out. www.quiltpatternmagazine.com.
Happy downloading!
Now, if you have been keeping up with the blog tour, you know that this is a totally online magazine, and being a person who likes to hold things in my actual hands, like books (I will NEVER own a Kindle! Ever! Or so I think now-but I don't see changing my mind!) or quilt patterns, I honestly have historically been a little bit skeptical of exclusively downloadable things. (QPM powers that be, please read on because I am going somewhere good with this, I promise!) Those who know this about me are probably a little suprised to see me advertising this product, but I am thinking there might be several of you out there in bloggerland who might be reading about this magazine on the blogs but may still be a little skeptical about a magazine that doesn't allow you to wait by the mailbox bi-monthly for your little bit of quilting heaven. You are to whom I dedicate this post, because I understand you well.
But hotties, unless your mailcarrier is a studly specimen, what fun is waiting by the mailbox? With QPM, you just head to the website from any computerific device you use to get to the internet, and you can view, download and print any projects or pages you like, any time day or night. Instead of magazine organizers full of years and years worth of your favorite magazines, a large three ring binder to put your chosen QPM projects into will be more than enough for several years - unless you are the type who needs to make every last project in every magazine you read. Then you might need two binders. And to you, I ask "When do you sleep, and can I have your stash when you are gone?"
So that leads us to the obvious and very PC benefit of this magazine - it is way green. It doesn't clutter up your shelves now or the landfills later. You really don't ever even have to print hard copies of the projects if you instead save them on a CD and work off the computer, making you a tree saver extraordinaire. If you do want to print but be as green as possible, there is always the option of printing on the back of your kids' homework or on paper that has some random thing on it that you screwed up when doing a print job. Not that I know a thing about that. In any case, this is a magazine you can feel good about because you will be doing your little part not only to beautify the world with your quilts, but save the planet as well.
How many of you have recently bought a single issue of any quilting magazine and audibly gasped at the price? I have. Granted I am notoriously cheap, but still. That experience makes the price of $11.95 for an entire year (12 issues (plus one extra!), 65 projects, BOMs, too many cool articles to count) seem downright obscene for it's reasonableness. Amazing what not having to print thousands of copies of a magazine can do for it's price, huh? And Christmas is coming! Why not give a few subscriptions as gifts to your favorite quilters? You can even win a subscription by commenting on this blog or any of the others in the blog tour. So show us some love, and QPM just might show you some back!
Also, if you are a designer, I can tell you from experience these ladies are incredibly supportive, easy to work with, and really give new meaning to quick turn around time on project submissions. With a monthly magazine, chances are they will be looking for good projects all the time, so don't be shy - send in a query!
So did I convince you? I convinced myself a while back, and have already purchased just the cutest paisley binder to keep my "pending projects" in. Go check it out. www.quiltpatternmagazine.com.
Happy downloading!
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