Bye Bye Blogtoberfest. Hello Brighton Sewing Giveaway Winner!

This post is brought to you through the power of Blogtoberfest 2012

So, ta ta Blogtoberfest.  I didn’t fare too badly, considering it was report writing and exam time! … I missed about a week’s worth of posts, all told.  I enjoyed trying to find meaty things to write about rather than just coasting it with easy posts, but I did slip in the odd quickie.

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Sorry.  Drifted off there.  Quickie.  ... stirs something in my deep and fogging memory.



Anyway, ahem. The real fun of Blogtoberfest for me is in the discovery of new blogs; new writers, new makers.  That temporary flash of discipline that makes us all focus to produce what we can, for each other, for a month.  Gotta love that.  There’ll be a little roundup of what caught my eye, so stay tuned.

The other thing I loved was that I started to wang on about synaesthesia, and I’m looking forward to doing some more posts on it, especially some touchy feely fabricy ones. 

I have to admit there’s been very little sewing going on chez Pings and I’m on day Three of my precious three day half term!

day one – lie in, drink coffee to get me out of the house, run around town to get everything done so can enjoy:

day two – lie in, relaaaaax, drink coffee for pleasure, see people, cook, watch a movie, spend day at hospital


day three – get up late. Listen to rain. Get mojo out of cupboard.  Put it back.  Go to work (WTF!?)  and sort out two term's worth of resources and recycling in peace and quiet and space.

What drives me crazy is that I’ve been up and attem by 7am all three days ... grr to stupid brain.  I'm now utterly wiped out, so hope that I'll be able to just have a nice relaxing weekend before going back on Monday!


This is the bit you came for really, and if you scrolled past all that blathering on, I forgive you.  Fabric desire renders us all impatient and greedy! 



Mrs Random  Number generator has decreed that the lucky winner of 12 FQs of Basic Grey Blitzen is …..













Yay! Congratulations Sarah@ NarcolepticInACupboard ! I can honestly say you are going to love this fabric! Pop me an email with your postal details and the lovely ladies at Brighton Sewing Centre will send it on its way…





I have a serious crush on this print … I even find myself thinking about it during the day.  There will deffo be another project. 



I never buy yardage. I tend to buy FQs;  that way you get four times as much fabric strokey joy for the same price. But this is something I don’t want to run out of.  The harmony of colour and the beautiful surface design just sends me.  I think it’s like william morris was around in the 70s.



<-- I’ve upped the saturation and contrast on this pic to show you what I really dig about these prints – the fine random spatter of dark brown and deep teal flecks.



 

Today I bought the green as well, it's lusherama ...

So, farewell Blogtoberfest … and thank you so much to Kat@ I Saw You Dancing for organising it all so beautifully.

And thank you to Nicole@ Brighton Sewing Centre for giving me such a lovely incentive to take part.

Smitten with Blitzen – Brighton Sewing Centre Giveaway {7/31}

This post is brought to you through the power of Blogtoberfest 2012

If you’ve popped over from my guest post today over at Rhonda's, then Hi!  If you're here because you're Blogtoberfesting, then Yay!  Welcome one and all …

To brighten our Sunday evening a little and add a little soft strokey salve to the week ahead, here we go with my Blogtoberfest giveaway … I missed my 2 year Blogiversary on 24th August and I’m sad about that.  I knew I was a slow blogger, but I hadn’t realised I’d almost drawn to a halt!

My Lovely Local Quilt Store, The Brighton Sewing Centre, is very generously donating 12 scrumptialicious FQs to help me celebrate the 3Bs ...  Blogiversary Blogtoberfest and BloodyC*******s.

That’s three whole metres of wonderful super chic Crimbo fabric, chaps!



The Brighton Sewing Centre in North Road, is the first stop on my favourite leisurely North Laine wandery routine which I savour on non rainy Saturday mornings.

Next stop is the farmers market for great fruit and veg, meat, fish and the world's best scotch eggs - seriously mahusive and delicious.

I bought a bumper box of green tomatoes to make chutney last weekend, which ironically were completely red by the time I got round to it this weekend ... So I made a yummy passata to bottle instead.  Tick!

The final leg of my wander is bit of a snoop round the bric-a-crap street market in Upper Gardner Street, in the hope that Linen Man is there with some delights ...If it's a rainy morning, but not too miserable then I'll just cut out the street market and go have a browse round the indoor flea market in the same street.

Anyway, back to the BSC ... The lovely enablers owners Nicole and Melinda (and in fact all the lovely ladies who work there) offer a knowledgeable, friendly service.  They are always helpful, genuinely interested in their customers and embrace modern quilting with a traditional twist.  There are always sewn samples of blocks or fabrics to stroke and aah at.  They run classes and sell some fantastic machines too ...

The bricks and mortar shop has been around in Brighton, in one form or another, for over 25 years.  It’s not just a quilting store (the clue’s in the name) so all forms of stitchiness (including embroidery & knitting) are catered for in its tiny tardis layout!

In fact, I bought my secondhand Mrs Singer there nearly twenty years ago, as well as my first ever brand new machine last year.  They do servicing, replace pedals, all that kind of useful stuff.

For emergency presents (or a really great way to budget your own stashing!) they also do gift vouchers!

Their growing online shop has a new layout which is easy to navigate, with fast service and good pricing.  Please pop round and have a look … you can leave reviews, which I think is really handy.



So, if you’d like to win this lovely 12 FQ Bundle of Blitzen by Basic Grey for Moda ... 

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED!  Thanks to all who entered ...



... You have 4 chances: 

COMMENTS ON THIS POST ONLY TO ENTER PLEASE!

1.  Tell me who you’d make a gift for with this lovely Bundle of Blitzen, and what you’d make. Please feel free to link to a block or tutorial if you want to help me out with some gift ideas – I mean it – I need all the help I can get!

3 more chances if you do any of these neighbourly social media things and then tell me about it in a comment:

2. Follow (or be a follower of) their blog. 

3. Like their Facebook page

4. Follow me here at Pings (or be a follower)

This giveaway will run for the duration of Blogtoberfest – that is, until midnight 31st October UK time -  I’ll announce the winner as close to November 1st as I can, to give you plenty of time to make a little something for Christmas.

International entries welcome!

Good Luck!

GIVEAWAY OVER!  Thanks to all who entered ...