september gypsy wife quiltalong giveaway link party

it's my turn to host the gypsy wife qal monthly giveaway! this month's winner will receive a $25 gift certificate from the fat quarter shop. free is always nice, but free fabric of one's own choosing is extra nice.

how are your gypsy wives coming along, anyway? mine is looking something like this:

 the pile of fabric i pulled to use for my quilt, taking up room on the couch in my sewing area . . .

and a much smaller pile of finished blocks, removed from the design wall to keep out of the light until i can get back to them. i had to put my gypsy lady away at the beginning of the summer because there was just not going to be time for her. i thought my month for the quilt along post was november and i'd have time to catch up, but here we are and i'm caught.

according to the schedule, the blocks for september are

Puss in the Corner (2)

Square in a Square (7×3″),

9

i was able to complete the 7 - 3" square in a square blocks, aka: economy blocks, which is much faster to write and currently more trendy.

here's my first tip for making these: follow the pattern cutting directions. i got through 4 squares before i realized i was cutting the center square at the finished size rather than at the size the pattern told me to cut. that was painful because it took me a long time, and now the smaller squares are useless because the pattern only calls for one of them and since i cut the smaller corner squares at the size the pattern called for, my center squares are extra tiny. i was wondering why so little of the center fabric was actually showing! the blocks look much better cut the way the pattern called for.

a few other tips i discovered along the way follow.

tip #1: don't use your default 1/4" seam guide foot since you are stitching on the drawn line rather than at a 1/4" out from anything. i noticed my guide foot was causing a little bunching as i sewed. just the regular old foot works best here. (this may only apply to me who can't sew without her training wheel foot on.)

tip #2: if you are using a print for the corners, you can determine which half of the print will show in the corner by placing that half on the inside of the square rather than along the edges. if you look you can see my drawn diagonal line that directs where i sew. this forms two triangles. the lower triangle on the bottom right is the portion of the print that will show up after all is cut and pressed in place. i wanted as much of the green vs the navy showing in my block so i put most of the unwanted navy in the upper corner along the edges so it would get trimmed.

 this is the above piece after it's been sewn, cut, and pressed. the triangle to the right is the bit cut off and the small square on the left is the piece for the other corner. (it's not helpful that i switched the block around when i photographed it the second time, but hopefully you follow along anyway.)

 now i've laid the last corner piece on with the corner i want showing facing in toward the center of the block. (wrong! actually, if you look, i've got it turned around. this is a sample of how not to do this.)

 as soon as i began sewing i noticed what i was doing. see how my upper right and lower left corners don't match like i had intended? time to unpick.

 take two: the triangle that is going to look like the piece i cut is now placed along the outer edge so we are lined up properly for matchy-matchy corners.

and now you see why sewing takes me so long. i only seem to learn by trial and error.

 tip #3: when trimming up your block, if you tilt it on an angle, sort of "on point", you can trim two sides without having to move your block or ruler. just zip up that lower right side and then back across the top.

 then just flip the ruler to the other side and you can trim the other two sides without moving the block at all. just make sure you are making the correct size block or none of this will matter at all. (3" finished, not cut!)

 tip #4: instead of drawing a pencil line, you can also just fold that triangle in half and finger press it to get a guide mark. the amount of lighting available as you sew will determine if this is actually helpful or not, so you'll have to try it first.

 tip #5: when cutting the seam allowance on the first two corners, you can gain yourself the tiniest bit of wiggle room by cutting the seam at a scant 1/4" rather than a true or generous 1/4".

wrong

if you put the 1/4" mark to the right of the seam, you'll be cutting it generous. don't do this. and let's just all pretend we don't see that my corner block shifted and isn't perfectly lined up with the other corner, okay? who needs accuracy, anyway?

correct

by placing the yellow cutting guide mark to the left of the seam, you've now got a scant 1/4" seam allowance, which means you have given yourself just a bit more fabric for when you sew the next two corners on. this seemed to help with my accuracy.

as for tips for the puss in the corner block, you're on your own. i haven't done it yet. also, anyone know where that name came from? i just don't get it but i'm sure there's a fascinating story behind it.

if you have any tips at all for either of these blocks, please share in the comments!

for participants who did complete your blocks for september, please join the link up to enter for the $25 fat quarter shop gift card giveaway.

An InLinkz Link-up

post 200 celebration and giveaway

where i stand currently

it's arrived - my 200th post!

this is going to be a long post with some reminiscing, current blogosphere happenings, a blogging tip, and the celebration giveaway. stay for a while for the whole or just pick what you want - your choice. along with all the words, i'll intersperse some of my favorite sewing photos to highlight my sewing journey.

reminiscing

binding my first quilt

it's taken me 2 1/2 years to get here from my first post. this blog began late one night when i realized my sewing was taking over my private personal blog, which i was keeping as a family journal. sewing needed it's own space on the internet as well as in my home. also, i wanted a place to connect with other sewers. with the decision to have a sewing blog made, i fell asleep dreaming up names. then the next day, my youngest child fell seriously ill with some respiratory issues and i kept awake through the around-the-clock ordeal by working on this blog. it was a life-saver and therapeutic distraction during that experience.

my very first sewing project as an adult - headbands at girls weekend 2010

i managed to bribe a few friends to follow me, but none of them were sewers and they were just doing it to be kind. i did make one or two sewing friends through those non-sewing friends, becky being the one person who regularly talked to me about sewing. then i got pregnant and lost all interest in sewing for several months. the blog limped along. by the time i was put on bedrest (standard for me since i don't carry full term), i was interested in sewing again, but couldn't get to the machine. oh how i wish i'd known about epp at the time!

finishing touches going into "out on a limb", my first self-designed quilt

baby came and dominated life as babies will. i posted occasionally as i slowly got back into sewing. but no one was reading at all. i accepted the fact that my sewing just wasn't frequent enough or interesting enough for anyone to seriously follow. this became my sewing journal and that was okay. i did still crave interaction and dialogue because aside from jill, my friend who comes over friday mornings, no one i know sews or quilts! i got one-sided "interaction" by reading the big time blogs i admired. but there were several times when i thought about just shutting the whole thing down.

once baby was old enough and my sewing picked up, i blogged more regularly. i like photographing my sewing and talking about it, too, even if i'm only talking to myself. (anyone else read their old posts sometimes just for fun?) despite the fact that this was just for me, i decided to clean up the look of the blog a bit because i was sick of it. more than anything, i wanted a personalized banner. i came across an online class {blog (design) love}  that helped me learn how to use my photoshop elements (an unused christmas gift) and even do some html work - scary. so i went from the basic red & blue look i had to what you see now. i did have some other plans for more changes, but posting takes enough time already. i'm sure i'm not the only sewing blogger that feels they've spent time blogging about sewing they should have spent actually sewing. they are 2 interconnected yet separate hobbies.

where it began to change - linking up "plus a diamond" as a wip

in may of this year i was again on the brink of giving up blogging when some craziness possessed me and i linked up to a wip wednesday at freshly pieced. low and behold, someone, more than one actually, visited me and commented! i had found the key to connectivity. i happily remain a small blog, but a small blog that now gets me the dialogue and interaction i was seeking. and i have friends literally around the globe, posted about here.

i have found i like the intimacy of small blogs much better than the big ones. i don't fault the big blogs - they serve their purpose and are quite inspiring. however, "little" people will talk to you because they have the time. it's much more personal.

as for me, i really do like being a small fish in a small pond. it takes a lot of pressure off and allows me to continue blogging for fun. not that i have sponsors beating down my door or anyone begging me to go professional - not at all. i'm just saying i'm happy where i am in this community and with this space. quilting and blogging are a small part of my life so the blog needs to remain small. i absolutely appreciate everyone who visits and comments here but i don't have time to make a life out of sewing and blogging. i've already got one of those focused elsewhere right now. so i happily stay small.

what's current in the blogosphere

the sewing and quilting blog world, however, is huge! there is so much going on out there, even in the small circles. earlier this week i was woken up at 2am by a sick baby. she went back to sleep after some care, but i was unable to. after an hour of tossing and turning, i gave in and got on the computer. that allowed me several uninterrupted hours of browsing, a rare occurrence. there is all kinds of fun going on out there. here's a bit of what i decided to get involved in:

for starters, i have my own link party going. it's a monthly link to highlight english paper piecing (epp) projects. there is already a large handful of great epp links joined up. check them out!

rachel at stitched in color asked a few days ago if anyone was interested in a quilt-along for her beautiful vintage tangerine quilt. i said, "absolutely" because i love that quilt, would like to learn the dogwood quilt pattern, and have a stack of fabrics that i think would be perfect for it. only problem here is she has set the qa up immediately with a schedule to be done by christmas! i wasn't expecting it that soon. and i have a load of projects i need done by christmas.

which makes the next party exciting . . .

it's a blog hop and link up to help move along our holiday makes, prize included. i've got my ambitious, crazy-idea list made and it will be posted next. thanks to rebbeca lynne and janine for the motivation and inspiration.

that rebecca lynne is one busy gal because she's also hostessing another great link:

i've joined in the favorite fabric swap just in case there is some more meadow dot out there. the party is working for some people because i know i was able to help one person find some of her fabric request on-line at cia's palette.

i think that's all the parties and buttons i found this week so far. as if that isn't enough! but one other post greatly touched me and is worth mentioning: laura's post at little and lots about being a small blog. she's gained some real wisdom about the blogging experience. i've got a "healthy blogging" post in mind myself, but it'll have to wait for another day.

a technical blogging how-to

blogging can be daunting for those not tech savvy. there is so much to learn. do you even know what html means? i kinda do. now.  i've come a long way from my tottering baby steps into the blogging world, but i've had plenty of bumps and bruises along the way. i've really appreciated other bloggers out there who not only share their skills and knowledge with a needle, but those who help bloggers out with technical advice and photography tips. beth at plum and june is especially generous this way. she really helps baby bloggers get started.

so in honor of my 200th post, i'll share a tip i learned lately about blog formatting. i realize many people know how to do this because i've seen the widgets in your posts, but i'm betting there is at least one other person out there who this might benefit. for a while i had no idea how to insert widget buttons into my post text. i could get them on my sidebar, but i couldn't get them in my text. it's an html thing, which explains why i didn't know how to do it before. i only wish i knew how to take screen shots so i could show rather than just explain how to do it. (anyone have advice?) well, dang it, i decided to google the screenshot thing so you get a bonus tip now. go here to learn how to take a screenshot. this page will help you get it on your clipboard. i then pasted it into my photoshop to make it an image i could resize and use. pasting directly into the post didn't work.

did you ever wonder how to utilize the link button info you might see that looks like this:

<div align="center">
<a href="http://hydeeannsews.blogspot.com/p/in-hand-link-party.html" title="splish splash stash"><img src="http://i877.photobucket.com/albums/ab336/ab123photos/blogshare/inhand1a_zpsfab2c722.jpg" alt="splish splash stash" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

well, i know how to do it in blogger.
1. you select and copy everything in that grey box under the button image above.

2. go to the composition screen of the post where you want to insert the button and select the html button in the upper left corner under the orange blogger button, next to the "compose" button. when you push "html" your composition screen will change from the text you normally see to technical code/computer language.

both those screens are the same post seen in compose mode and also in  html code mode. you do have to be a little careful with html because you can permanently alter stuff and be stuck if you don't know html very well. i only mess with it with instructions. most of it is gibberish to me, but after you look at it a while you can start to make out where certain parts of your post are.

3. find where you want to insert the button image. to make this easy on myself, i insert the button immediately when and where i want it in the post without going any further. this way i know it will show up at the end of the text i already have. also, i hit the return key twice to give myself some space to work in and to make recognizing the spot easier.

every time you hit the return key for a line space, it looks like this in html code:   <br />

see down there in the bottom left corner, just above the windows button, where i've highlighted it in blue? that's where i'm going to input my copied html code.

i put my cursor behind the first <br />, click with my mouse, and then hit return to open up a new line.
once i've created a space between the 2 breaks, i paste my code i copied from the button window in there.

switch back to "compose" and you should see the button image. voila!

celebration giveaway

one of the best parts of blogging has been the generosity out there. the sharing of ideas, compliments, and actual stuff. giveaways are a big part of the sewing and quilting blogosphere. i enjoy sharing just for the fun of it. it's seems to be part of the nature of people who are attracted to quilting. so in honor of this 200th post, i'm going to offer 2 different giveaways that celebrate blogging and the crafting community out there.

i realize not everyone will want or be able to use both prizes, so i'll put them in two separate posts to allow you to enter for only the prize you are interested in. you are welcome to enter for both, if you'd like.

first up, a book because i love books about quilting and crafting just as much as i love quilting and crafting. modern quilts from the blogging universe is full of modern quilts from a variety of quilt bloggers. i think it's appropriate for a 200th post celebrating blogging and quilting. i like that it not only has the patterns but also has a bio on each blogger.

second, the e-course, blog (design) love,  for anyone who's interested in jazzing up their own blog or simply starting a new one. i found this course super helpful. don't judge the course based on my blog's design alone, either. i only used it a bit. there is tons of information here for taking your blog to a whole new level. eventually, i'd really like to get a tablet so i can use my own handwriting in this space as they demonstrate. maybe a christmas present? anywho, the course covers all 3 major blog platforms: blogger, typepad, and wordpress.com.

links to the giveaways:
to enter for the book, go here.
to enter for the e-course, go here.

you are not entering the giveaways by leaving a comment on this post.
but you are welcome to leave me comments on the content of this post. =)

thanks, everyone, who has been a part of this quilting and blogging adventure of mine. i look forward to the next 200 (or whatever) posts.
happy sewing, y'all!

linking up to wip wednesday at freshly pieced, thursday threads at 627handworks,  and needle and thread thursday at my quilt infatuation.

200th post e-course giveaway

blog (design) love is an e-course designed to help bloggers design and code their own custom blog design. Whether you blog on typepad, blogger or wordpress.com this course can help you dive into the world of web design.

as part of my 200th post celebration, i'm giving away one spot in this self-paced blog design e-course for anyone interested in improving their blog design or even diving in and starting a blog. to enter the giveaway, leave me a comment in the post below.

if you are a no-reply blogger, please make sure to enter your email address in the comment or i will have to select another winner since i'll have no way to contact you.

giveaway closes wednesday october 30th at 11:59pm MST.

free fuglies

my friend lucy-angel of charm about you has organized another fugly fabric swap. if you have any fabrics that have been sitting around unloved and unused for too long you can help them find a new home anywhich way you choose and link up to the party to offer them to other sewers/quilters who can love them more than you could.

my offerings were internet orders that didn't look the way i expected when they came or some joann sale purchases before i really sewed at all. i know someone else can do something cute with them, i am just not interested in holding on to them. getting the shelf space back would be nice!

Chinese takeout - there is at least a yard each of these

merry Christmas! - 1 yd ea
found a home



a lonely piece that is cute but has no mates. looks a bit dark and grey here, but is more of a light blue. the print is large (see snips at top for reference)

i would like to send them off at least in the groups they are photographed in, but if you really are dying for something, i'll break it up. am offering each individually or collectively, whatever you want, to anyone in the domestic USA who asks for them. sorry, but this time i can't ship international (unless you are Lucy b., Liz g., or Deborah g. and really want something) because i don't want to pay big bucks to dispose of them. i don't mind sending them regular US postage, though.

so if you see something you like, ask away! please make sure you are not a no-reply blogger or that you leave me your email or i won't have any way to contact you and will have to offer them to someone else.

even if you don't have any fuglies or want any, stop by and wish lucy-angel a happy bloggy 2nd birthday. she's got some great giveaways going to celebrate. tell her "hi" for me!

give me liberty! and the lucy giveaway

happy Independence Day, all! wherever in the world you are, i hope you are celebrating your own liberty today. while i am grateful my forefathers had the inspiration and fortitude to cut the apron strings with the mother country, i still adore mother england. i'm glad we've mended relations and co-exist in extended familial harmony whilst respecting each other's uniqueness and fine qualities.

one of my favorite recent finds from england is the charming lucy. right up there with lucy-angel (as i have dubbed her - hope she likes it!) is english liberty. the kind that comes from london. as fabric. you know: liberty of london!

my fabric obsessed brain modified this local cafe sign when i saw it

i was first introduced to liberty of london through my favorite local variety chain store, target. (i can find just about everything little i need at target. and that red card with 5% off!) target is an odd place to happen upon some liberty, but target periodically does special batches of limited edition designer collections. last christmas it was neiman marcus, for example. a few years ago i noticed this display of colorful and fun floral summer items for girls. i picked up a sun dress and a baby romper with sun hat. if i'd only known the absolute steal those items were compared to "real" liberty fabrics, i would have bought loads more just to cut up. as it was, i liked the rather funky fabrics i got that reminded me of something right out of my 70's childhood. (sadly, i haven't been able to locate the baby romper to photograph! it's just darling with layers of ruffles in ultra-bright liberty florals. this means i'm going to have to dig through the clothing boxes a little more closely and do some editing, i'm sure.)

a while after i got the summer clothing items, i looked up this liberty of london on line to figure out what the big deal was. anyone else remember their introduction to liberty? love at first sight, falling fast and hard, is the normal response, i think. i even considered paying the ridiculous prices for yardage and international shipping just to get my grubby sewing paws on some. but i resisted.

fortunately, there are now american distributors. and in march i got my first bits at purl soho while on my anniversary trip to nyc. i did not ask for anything at tiffany's when we browsed, but i did get some liberty! my tana lawn classics have their own special basket (with my other purl selections) on my sewing shelves, waiting for me to decide how to best spend them.

if you're looking for some, the etsy shop "half baked buttons" has a nice selection of slightly reduced classic tana lawns. and the more affordably priced liberty "stile" collection is all over the place. like at fabric.com.

last month i saw a free tote and pouch class on craftsy.com that featured liberty's "stile" collection. i'm not sure i'll be making a pouch out of it, but i did order the kit just for the fabrics.

this last week i finally delegated some of my sewing budget to some stile yardage at fabric.com. it should arrive any day now and the daydreaming can start! epp seems to be a popular destination for liberty. i'll consider it.

there is also published inspiration for your stash of liberty. my love of books was established well before my general fabric crush, so discovering some books about liberty fabrics was doubling pleasing. i purchased both the liberty love book by alexia marcelle abegg and the liberty book of home sewing, made by the company itself.

liberty love, i love! enough yummy projects to justify keeping.

while the liberty book of home sewing had an extensive history and print identification guide in it, which made it quite attractive, i did not love it enough to keep. the apron on the cover was about the only project i was interested in making. so, uncharacteristically, i returned the book.

some of my favorite classic tana lawn prints:

capel

poppy and daisy

to come full circle on this list of liberty and english things i love - independence day, england, lucy, liberty of london, books - they all equal up to a giveaway i've had brewing in my brain for a few weeks. lucy-angel recently did me a very purposeful act of kindness, which i am going to honor with a pay-it-forward type of giveaway.
i'm offering a copy of the liberty love book to one lucky commenter. if you know it, please share with me your favorite liberty print. or a project you've made with some liberty. or anything liberty related at all!

mitsi in pink

the one i'm loving the most right now is "mitsi"(above) in the spring green color. (i found it all by myself,  liz! on etsy.)

giveaway closes next thursday, july 11th. if you are a no-reply commenter, you must include your email address in the comment or i will have to pick another winner.

happy Indepenence Day!
liberty for all!

linking in with plum and june for let's get acquainted monday!