Win a quick and easy, but fun quilt kit from Benartex – Color Me Happy! – a $50 value!!

100% cotton fabrics by Benartex from the Baby Genius collection.

Are those real crayons lining the border? They’re so realistic it’s hard to tell. This adorable 40″ square play-mat will truly stimulate your baby’s imagination with the bright colors of Linda Carlson and Diana Henage’s Baby Genius fabrics.

This collection of bright colors combined with black and white stripes and shapes is said to stimulate the mind of young babies. Color-bright swirls, wiggles, dots and happy faces to tickle your baby’s imagination and to help develop their natural baby genius!

40″ x 40″ when complete. Included in kit is the pattern and all fabrics for the top plus binding.

–To be entered in this giveaway, just leave a comment on this post with your name.

–Post a link to this giveaway on your blog and leave a second comment with the blog post url and you will be entered twice in the giveaway.

–Comments will be open until next Monday, August 30th and the winner announced that same day.

–This giveaway is only available to US residents.

–You must leave an email address in the comments or link back to a blog so I can contact you if you win. If your name is selected and there is no way to contact you, another name will be chosen.

–You have one week to claim your prize. If the prize is not claimed, another name will be chosen.

Win this set of 5″ squares from the popular Fossil Fern collection from Benartex!

Package includes 100 5″x5″ squares; one square from a selection of over 110 colors.

–To be entered in this giveaway, just leave a comment on this post with your name.

–Post a link to this giveaway on your blog and leave a second comment with the blog post url and you will be entered twice in the giveaway.

–Comments will be open until next Monday, August 2nd and the winner announced that same day.

–This giveaway is only available to US residents.

–You must leave an email address in the comments or link back to a blog so I can contact you if you win. If your name is selected and there is no way to contact you, another name will be chosen.

–You have one week to claim your prize. If the prize is not claimed, another name will be chosen.

Win this set of Cider Mill Road 5″ squares from Benartex Fabrics!!!

Package includes 37 5″x5″ squares; one square from each piece in the collection.

–To be entered in this giveaway, just leave a comment on this post with your name.

–Post a link to this giveaway on your blog and leave a second comment with the blog post url and you will be entered twice in the giveaway.

–Comments will be open until next Monday, July 5th and the winner announced that same day.

–This giveaway is only available to US residents.

–You must leave an email address in the comments or link back to a blog so I can contact you if you win. If your name is selected and there is no way to contact you, another name will be chosen.

–You have one week to claim your prize. If the prize is not claimed, another name will be chosen.

A couple weeks ago, my sister who lives in Kentucky got married! My other sister and myself were bridesmaids in addition to numerous other jobs during the week of the wedding.  It was a fun week spent there–laughing, smiling, chatting and spending time with one another! I’ve traveled back and forth to Kentucky a couple times over the last couple of months helping with wedding plans and sewing/altering dresses and it was wonderful to see the day we’ve been waiting for finally arrive!

Great times! Fun memories! :)

All six of us bridesmaids!

Sisters!!! — Jena, Krissa, Serena

Jena and I!!!

Ryan & Krissa!!!
(Photo credit – http://www.conrhodzonio.com/)

Win a quick and easy, but fun quilt kit from Benartex – P is for Play! – a $50 value!!

Children will be delighted with this 52″ square fun quit that doubles as an educational game boards. The perfect bedtime quilt for quiet play and snuggling before drifting off into dreamland. Not only can you make a fun little quilt, but also some neat game pieces that match the quilt!

Directions and fabrics for making quilt top, games pieces and a soft rolling die are included.

Uses fabrics from Baby Geniuses Grow Up! by Linda Carlson and Diane Henage

Kit includes pattern and fabric for complete quilt in a nice zippered clear pouch.

–To be entered in this giveaway, just leave a comment on this post with your name.

–Post a link to this giveaway on your blog and leave a second comment with the blog post url and you will be entered twice in the giveaway.

–Comments will be open until next Monday, May 3rd and the winner announced that same day.

–This giveaway is only available to US residents.

–You must leave an email address in the comments or link back to a blog so I can contact you if you win. If your name is selected and there is no way to contact you, another name will be chosen.

–You have one week to claim your prize. If the prize is not claimed, another name will be chosen.

After I created my quilted fabric and cut out the purse pattern, I started digging for embellishments that would work. I had decided to use burgundy with the ivory fabric, so I found some sheer burgundy ribbon that would work perfect.

One problem: it was only 1″ wide. Too narrow for the pleated satin I wanted to stitch on top of it. Solution: Stitch two pieces of ribbon together to make it wider. Perfect!

Then stitch the pleated shiny satin trim on top of the ribbon. I found this pleated trim on one of my fabric shopping trips and loved it. It turned out beautifully on the ribbon.

Then this ruffled velvet trim fit perfectly right down the center of the pleats. Stacking trim and ribbon is fun and creates a neat layered effect. I should do more of this to use up the huge stash of ribbon I now own.

I stitched the layered ribbon down the center of the cut-out pattern and then stitched the binding to the outside edge.

After I stitched the bias binding to the edge, I then encased the raw edge in it and tacked it to the inside edge by stitching in the ditch around the edge. Perfect edging!

The last step was to stitch the purse sides together and add the magnetic closure.

Add a ribbon/corded pin I found at the Houston Quilt Market one year and it’s finished! Quite stylish and unique! And every single bit of it used from my collection of stashes!

It’s at times like this that I’m so glad I have those little (or rather large!) stashes!

Be sure to take a peek on April 26th for a chance to win next month’s giveaway!

The solution: create it!

I sandwiched a piece of batting between two layers of poly satin. Using my software, I selected the one little flower from this OESD design. I then copied and pasted it multiple times on my screen to create an area large enough for my fabric.

Then (this is the really great part!), using my Bernina jumbo hoop for my 830, all I had to do was hoop the piece of fabric twice to stitch the entire 15″ x 20″ rectangle. Whoohoo!!! That makes it simple! I hooped the first half of the fabric and stitched it, then hooped the second half and stitched it.

Then my fabric was created!! Lovely!!

Then I could pin on my pattern and cut it out.

It’s simple to create your own fabric! Give it a try!

More on finishing this project coming next week…

Win Olfa’s most popular 45mm rotary cutter – a $20 value!!

The most popular size available, this 45mm Olfa rotary cutter features a blade safety cover and its handle is designed to reduce hand fatigue. The cutter is a rolling razor blade used to cut multiple layers of fabric into shapes, strips and pieces for sewing, quilting and craft projects. Accommodates both right- and left-handed users. Handle Guaranteed Forever.

–To be entered in this giveaway, just leave a comment on this post with your name.

–Post a link to this giveaway on your blog and leave a second comment with the blog post url and you will be entered twice in the giveaway.

–Comments will be open until next Monday, March 29th and the winner announced that same day.

–This giveaway is only available to US residents.

–You must leave an email address in the comments or link back to a blog so I can contact you if you win. If your name is selected and there is no way to contact you, another name will be chosen.

–You have one week to claim your prize. If the prize is not claimed, another name will be chosen.

This giveaway is closed!!!

I’m not sure I would want to stand for hours on end sewing, but for a few hours here and there, it worked just fine!