i heart linen

Win some Washi!

Hey! Happy Tuesday! 

Did you know that there's a 'Washi' giveaway?  You didn't?  Well now you do. ^_~

 

 

Super, awesome, sweet, gracious Lindsey of LRStitched.com is having a giveaway.  I have the distinct pleaseure of seeing her whenever I visit with the lovelies of the ATL Modern Quilt Guild.  She was at the meeting this weekend and bought some of my new collection 'Washi' (which is sold out in many shops btw.....*faints*) and is sharing some of her stash with one lucky reader over at her blog.  A super fat quarter bundle featuring 8 prints! How sweet is she?? ^_^ *does the washi is wonderful running man*

Comments will be open until Monday, Feb. 13th at 10pm EST. So get your booty over there and comment! 

Supercali-fabric-listicexpialidocious!

**Comments Closed** Keep an eye out for the winner announcement! ^_^

 

Hello all!  Long time no see.

I hope all is well with you.  I've been busy, busy, busy with my wee ones, little Matthew especially.  As you some of have seen he is doing tremendously!  Such a healthy little chunky bundle of love is my baby boy. And yes, he is REALLY good at keeping secrets. Which leads me to why I'm posting today.

A lot has been happening here in my crafty neck of the woods.  If you're a follower of my twitter or facebook, you've already gotten to hear some of this news, eons ago.  But I thought it was important to let my bloggy buddies know about it as well.  If it weren't for all of you none of this would be happening!

So here it is........

I have been blessed with the most awesomest of awesome privilege of........

writing a second book!  Eeeeeeee!  *faints*

I can't really give too many more details about it as you really have to be Secret Squirrel in this industry.  But I can tell you it will be published by C&T Publishing and will be a part of their Stash Books - Design Collective with yours truly as the author and there will be 25 contributors. ( I can't tell you who they are just yet. :P )

I truly love and admire Stash Books new authors, Kajsa Wikman of Syko, Camille Roskelley of Simplify, and Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson to name a few.  Yay!

and my SECOND bit of news.......

I have been blessed with the most awesomest of SUPER awesome privilege of........

...........Designing my own line of fabric! Double Eeeeeeee!  *faints again*

I've been working on some designs on the low and shopped them around and Timeless Treasures has expressed interest in little ol' me.  Yay!  They will be 100% cotton and yup, yup there will be some linen to be had too.

The first collections will debut next year at Spring Market and my cutie pie little Robots will also be in included in one of the collections.  I'll have exclusive sneak peaks and more information to share with you as the months go along.  So exciting! Yay, yay, yay!  *Jumps up and down and claps hands like a school girl* ^o^

I've been receiving oodles and oodles of fabric samples from Timeless Treasures since signing with them. Some haven't even been seen by peeps outside of the company yet.  Can I just say, you are in for quite a treat when their new lines debut in the Fall.  They've really revamped their offerings with a lot of wonderfully fresh, fun, and modern designs.  They have a cotton lawn collection that is. to. DIE. for. and tons more.  I'm so honored to be included in their list of designers.

To celebrate my good news, I thought it only fair to share some of the fabric booty that I've been receiving with you by having a....you guessed it homegirls(and boys)...a GIVEAWAY! *dances the cutie pie Robot fabric dance*

First up from Timeless Treasures designers 21...yup I said it.....TWENTY ONE fat quarters.  5 from Momo by Alice Kennedy and 16 from Dear Dorothy by Karen Snyder.

Second from one of my most favorite fabric stores ever...Fabricworm because Cynthia is super-awesome and super generous!  She's offered a selection from Ann Kelle's Metro Market collection!  I believe it is out of stock at her store. So yaaaay!

All you have to do to win my booty....wait let me rephrase that....teehee.....all you have to do to win all these supercalifabriclisticexpialidocious goodies is comment on this post and tell me about your absolute favorite fabric from your stash.  What's it look like?  What colors are in it?  Have you used any of it yet?  Do you plan to use it?  What are you going to make with it?  Tell me, tell me and you could win, win, win!

I'm going to leave this post open until next Wednesday at noon ET.  I'll announce the winner here and on my twitter and facebook.  Good Luck! ^_~

Hey.....

   

"Pssst....Guess what."

 

"I'm FOUR today!"

 

"Yup and my Mommie made me this super awesome outfit and I love to twirl in it!"

*twirling,twirling, twirling*

 

*more twirling, twirling, twirling*

"What?  Nope, I'm not dizzy.  Because........."

".......it's my birthday and I'm FOUR!" 

^_~

Vintage kind of mood.

A lovely gift I received  in the mail from Petits Details. Thank you my dear! Some wonderfully vintage goodies all the way from France!  I'm especially in love with the tape with my initials on it. C'est genial! ^_^ She has such good taste and I'm inspired by her every time she posts to her blog.  I wish I could live in those photos!  Be sure to pop by her Etsy shop as she actually sells these type of pretties there from time to time. 

The thread and needles in my package made me think of my dear Grandpa who just passed.  He was a tailor back in the Caribbean.  He used to make his own clothes and would fashion them after Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.  He said he would go the the movies to see what they were wearing.  I wonder if he had items like this in his sewing arsenal back in the day.  I remember that I would show him things that I made and he would inspect every single stitch and seam making sure that it was up to his standards.  He liked to see all of my sewing 'perfect' and would make me get the seam ripper if something didn't look right to him.  I'd secretly be really upset and I'm sure grumbled to myself, but I'm grateful for his instruction as I suppose he influenced me more than I know.

Grandpa grew up in the Dominican Republic in La Romana, but was born on the island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean.  He spoke Spanish fluently, which he had learned from his time in the DR.  He always wanted me to learn Spanish, but I was never very interested in the language.  Japanese and French always managed to take my attention to his disappointment. I'm thinking it may be worth looking into now though.  Between Mel and me there's a huge melting pot of cultures that make up our lineage. Dominican, Puerto Rican, Portuguese, French, even Irish! It seems fitting to explore our Latin roots I suppose.  

My Grandma let me take some of his belongings to keep and I thought I'd share a few with you. 

 

His mother never got rid of anything and was almost a pack rat, he found some of his school books in her home some years back in St. Kitts.

This book is titled "Libro Segundo De Lectura" published in 1944.  I'm not sure what part of her house he found this book, but the outside is terribly damaged.  The pages are still legible though, and some of the illustrations even have color! 

The second is a Royal Star Reader from 1948 with lot's of stories, poems, English grammar, general information about money, cleanliness, and air.  Air?   Yes, air.  :P

 

 

And finally his pipe.  But I remember wanting to play with it when I was a little girl.  It reminded me of one of those pipes you used for blowing bubbles and thought, how cool would it be if I could blow bubbles with this too!  I would always get caught trying to pick it up.  I guess it's a good thing I never got a hold of it! ^_^

It's funny, he never smoked this pipe.  At least not to my knowledge.  It sort of just sat there on display all the time.  Every now and then he'd pick it up and dust it off and right back it would go to it's little spot on the shelf.  *sigh* Those were the days. Miss you Grandpa. ^_^ 

All Work. No Play.

First things first...I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for your support. Especially for your kind words in my last post.  I'm not sure what I would do without my blog buddies.  You guys are the best!  

I've been super tired these days.  The third trimester is sucking the life out of me!  Can I be all dramatic and sigh and faint all over the place now?  lol  I just want to sleep!  I'm falling asleep as I type this and it's 9:30 in the morning. jaklgsssssssssssseior;ay8it'''''g8se' 3t   See.  My face just smashed into the keyboard.  :P

Looks like a lot of play around these parts doesn't it?  Nope.  All work my dears.  Work, workety, worky, work.  Just taking a little breaky break to say "Hola".  I'm quite sure the children are tired of seeing the back of Mommy's head with her face buried in the sewing machine these past few days. (So sorry my sweet pumpkins. *kisses their foreheads* Tis a necessary evil I'm afraid. xoxo )  Being busy is a good thing though, so woot!

These pics are just little peek at some of the fabric I've been using lately. I bought most of these lovelies from FabricWorm.  Cynthia is such a doll. Go and cruise around her store.  She's got loads of lovely Japanese polka dot fabric, a stash necessity.

 You'll see these babies together again eventually.  Probably not for a few months though and even longer for some.  You know, I think my favorite part of the creating process is choosing the fabric.  I love to see them all stacked together, patiently waiting to be made into something special.  I wish I could just lay them around the house as decoration. I think maybe I love it even more than the finished product sometimes.  Is that weird?  ^_^

 

Speaking of busy, I Love Patchwork has kept me busy over the last month.  (Are you tired of hearing about my book yet? :P)  There are a two giveaways that feature my book that you should know about.

First, for my Canadian peeps there's a nice little review and giveaway of 'I Love Patchwork' posted over at Canadian Living.  Comments will be open until January 10, so run over and leave a comment!

The second is at Craft Sanity!  I had the absolute pleasure and privilege of having a little chat with Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood this weekend.  Can I just say how that I've been a fan of Jennifer and her podcast for quite some time.  I've listened to my sewing idols tell their story over the years and feel so overwhelmed that I've been included in such an elite group! *blushes*  I never thought in a million years I would get to be a guest on one of my favorite crafty shows! So exciting!  

 I really enjoyed my talk with her, it was like talking with one of my girlfriends, she's got the best stories and we laughed a lot. Jennifer's podcast of our little tête-à-tête is up on her site and on iTunes now, so please have a listen if you feel so inclined.  She's also hosting a giveaway of 'I Love Patchwork', so head on over and leave a comment for a chance to win! Thanks Jennifer! ^_^

 

Please also join my Flickr Group for the book!  I'm dying to see what everyone is creating and would LOVE for you to share. 

Also, I post about news, giveaways and updates to the 'I Love Patchwork' Facebook fanpage and on my Twitter since I don't always get to post here on the blog.  So to keep in the know, please join one or both if you like!

Designer-to-Designer Interview with Meg McElwee!

Hello all!  Nice holiday?  I hope so!

Well, Meg and I had such great holidays, we didn't get a chance to post our designer-to-designer interviews for our blog tour!

I had the pleasure of having a little chat with fellow Interweave author, Meg McElwee, designer of the uber-awesome Sew Liberated line of patterns and author to the new book Sew Liberated - 20 Stylish Projects for the Modern Sewist.  

 

I've been anticipating having her book in my possession for quite some time and as expected it doesn't disappoint.  Well thought out and beautifully put together, Sew Liberated has absolutely secured a spot on my list a favorite sewing books.  Meg's projects are fun, functional and simple to create and beautifully embellished with applique, embroidery and the like.  This book is a must have!  

I'm especially loving her projects for babies and children and I've learned that she has a second book that she's working on with focus on just that subject.  I'm eagerly awaiting it's release, Meg! ^_^  

Check out our chat below!

Rashida - Congratulations to you on 'Sew Liberated' being published!  You did such a wonderful job with it and there are several projects from it that I've added to my to do list.  

When I first saw 'I Love Patchwork' in print it was the greatest feeling ever!  It was almost like seeing my children for the first time when they were born.  I even shed a tear or two.  What was the experience like for you when you received your copy of 'Sew Liberated'?

Meg - I totally know what you mean about the feeling of holding your book in your hands – it's so surreal! My own feelings about this book are very intertwined with my first pregnancy and birth of our son. The final edits were due just a few months after he was born, and that was, perhaps, the most difficult part of the whole process for me. I just wanted to nurse in peace, but instead I had a red pen in hand! By the time I actually held my advanced copy, I was both elated and relieved, just like at the end of a long pregnancy and labor.

Rashida - I understand you're working on your second book.  So cool!  Congratulations!  Were there things that you did while working on the first book that you've done differently this time around? What can we expect from your second book?

Meg - Oh, definitely! I'm much more regimented about getting projects completed, written, and illustrated on a schedule. Looking back, it seems like I had all the time in the world to write the first book (pre-baby) but now? Now I am just barely squeezing it in! I don't know how you wrote your book with two little ones and a baby on the way!

The second book is tentatively titled “Growing Up Sew Liberated: Over 30 Sewing Projects for the Daily Rhythm of Childhood.” I'm so excited about it – I've actually been writing it in my head since long before I even had a book deal. The subject matter is so close to my heart, and I'm really pouring myself into it – it's not often that I get to work on a project that encompasses all of my passions – early childhood education, parenting, and sewing! You can expect a lot of sewing projects the run the gamut from comfortable clothing for babies and children of all ages to items that encourage imaginative play in older children. I'm loving writing this book, and I hope that creative mamas (and daddies!) of all types will find it inspirational. Most of the projects are simple enough that even beginning sewists should be able to tackle them with ease.

 

Rashida - It's been wonderful having our books launch during the holiday season, which has made this time even more busy than it already is!   Did you managed to find time to do any sewing or creating for Christmas?

Meg - Don't I wish! My homemade gifts this year have been made with yarn and needles. I find knitting to be something that I'm doing more of now than ever before given the plentiful nursing sessions these past seven months. Too bad the sewing machine isn't more portable! I love hand sewing, but the truth is that all of my hand sewing and embroidering energy is going toward the second book. I keep on telling myself that next year will be different – the manuscript is due in April, and after that, my machine will be humming footloose and fancy-free!

 

Rashida - I'm sure this holiday must have been even more special for you since it was your wee Finn's first.  Did you have anything special planned for your little guy's first taste of Christmas?

Meg - Yes, it was very special, but the planning I put into it was minimal as we had a lot of family in town and both my husband and I were busy cooking up a storm. We kept things very simple – a few wooden blocks, a few beautiful board books, and that was all. The low-key first Christmas turned out to be just what the doctor ordered, as Finn's two front teeth were coming in! We did sing that oh-so-appropriate song quite a bit over the last few days!

 

Rashida - Speaking of wee ones, I absolutely love the baby sling project in your book!  I want to make one for our wee babe before he arrives in February, as I never used one with my other children.  Did you use this design with little Finn?  Any suggestions for sling newbies like me?

Meg - Oooh, I love this sling in the winter months! I do use one for Finn – it's perfect for covering up his little leggies on a chilly morning walk. It's the only baby carrier I know of that has this blanket-like feature – most are designed so that the little legs hang out, uncovered. My suggestion for baby carrying newbies is to get on YouTube and watch lots of videos on how to wear the sling before trying it. Also, make sure you have another helper with you the first time you put your baby in it. As many sling veterans can attest, the baby is more likely to respond positively to the experience if the wearer exudes confidence and bounces around a bit at first. Soon enough, babies will come to view the carrier as a secure spot. My little guy regularly falls asleep while being worn.

Thanks so much for the opportunity to chat, Rashida! Best of luck as you embark upon your crafty adventures and the birth of your next baby!

Thank you Meg for dropping in for a little visit.  Warm wishes to you and your family for the new year!  I look forward to seeing what other wonderful things you have in store for us in 2010 and beyond!  

Merry Christmas!

 

   

Wishing you and your families a very Merry Christmas!

Warmest wishes, 

Rashida 

Blog Tour! (Psst....there's a giveaway too. ^_^)

  

We finally found a house and we'll be officially all moved in tomorrow (Saturday)! Yay!  Which is also the day my part of the Blog Tour begins!  What Blog Tour you ask?  Why the super groovy one I'm going to be sharing with the ever so talented 'Sew Liberated' author, Meg McElwee to celebrate our books being released of course!  Check out the press release below and join the fun! 

The Sew Liberated and I Love Patchwork Double-the-Fun Blog Tour: 2 Fabulous Sewing Authors, 2 New Books, 2 Weeks 'til Christmas!

Interweave is thrilled to announce the publication of two new contemporary sewing books: Rashida Coleman-Hale's I LOVE PATCHWORK: 21 IRRESISTIBLE ZAKKA PROJECTS TO SEW and Meg McElwee's SEW LIBERATED: 20 STYLISH PROJECTS FOR THE MODERN SEWIST.  To celebrate in style, Meg and Rashida are hitting the Internet highway on a double-author blog tour.  Follow the schedule and see gorgeous pictures from their books, learn more about their design personalities, gain a chance to win free copies, and more!  During the tour they'll also be giving us a glimpse of their home studios and creative environment on the Studios blog, and at the end they'll wrap it up with a designer-to-designer conversation with each other on their personal blogs, http://www.sewliberated.typepad.com and http://www.iheartlinen.typepad.com.  If you're not already following their blogs, bookmark them now and visit often.  We can't wait for you to get to know them better. 

Want to be a part of the tour?  Here's a fun giveaway open to all bloggers!  Leave a comment with your blog address on Rashida's blog or Meg's blog on Friday, December 11 (The blog post with the tour schedule).  On Monday, December 14 at Noon EST each author will randomly draw one person from the comments to receive a complimentary copy of their book, which Interweave will airmail out.  The winners will then have the opportunity to interview Rashida or Meg and post their interviews on January 4, 2010 as the capstone post of the tour.

Follow The Sew Liberated and I Love Patchwork Double-the-Fun Blog Tour at:

Friday, December 11:           
Meg on TrueUp.net (interview)

Saturday, December 12:      
Rashida on "In the Studio with Cate (studio tour)

Sunday, December 13:        
Meg on "In the Studio with Cate (studio tour)

Monday, December 14:        
Rashida on TrueUp.net (interview)

Tuesday, December 15:       
Meg on Apron-iCity.com (interview)

Wednesday, December 16:  
Rashida on Fabric Shop Network blog (interview)

Thursday, December 17:      
Meg on Grosgrain Fabulous (book review and giveaway)

Friday, December 18:          
Rashida Twitter event - Noon EST on Twitter with @iheartlinen
Meg on Living Life as Art (interview, review, and project)

Saturday, December 19:       
Meg on CraftyPod.com (book review)

Sunday, December 20:         
Rashida on Zakka Life (book review)

Monday, December 21:        
Meg on Craftsanity (podcast interview)
Rashida on Craft Critique (interview and book review)

Tuesday, December 22:      
Rashida on all buttoned up (interview)

Wednesday, December 23:   
Meg on maya*made (interview)

Thursday, December 24:      
Designer-to-Designer: Rashida and Meg interview each other on http://www.sewliberated.typepad.com and http://www.iheartlinen.typepad.com

Monday, January 4, 2010:    
Blog Tour Winners' Post - to be announced

 

And there you have it ladies and gentlemen.  Please leave a comment if you'd like to participate in the giveaway action.  And do join us as we embark on a whirlwind tour of crafty blogland! ^_^

Bye-bye '08. Hello '09.

Hello!  Happy New Year!  I hope your holiday season was joyful!

I love the holidays but I must admit, I'm so happy that it's over.  It's so much fun, but man are you worn out after it's all over.  It's such a busy time of year, filled with friends and family, parties, shopping, gifts, food, oh and birthdays too!  My birthday was on the 29th. Yup, 32 = Me.

2008.  Sheesh, what a beast you were.  But wonderful none the less.  Such a nutty year.  I think I accomplished a lot. Somehow I still feel like I didn't do all that I could have done, though.  Leave it to me to beat up on myself.  Who better? :P 

Throughout the year I sort of just moved full steam ahead.  I put each project on the shelf and sort of forgot about them.  I went through my archives and files and looked at photos of the things I've made this year.  You forget how much you've done!  The time goes by so quickly and so much happens.  I actually found myself looking at photos of projects and thinking to myself," What? I made that in 2008? *scratches head*  Really? Wow. Cool."  What a whirlwind of a year you were, 2008!

2009 promises to be one of those types of years and I'm so ready for it!  Tons of projects to start and finish, new aquaintances to be made, some new beginnings, some dissappointments and some triumphs and just good ol' life in general.  I hope your year is filled with all of these things and more.  Happy New Year to you! ^_^

RandoMonday

• I think I need to move to Toronto just so that I can shop here.  Oh well, I always have the blog.

• My Son + Photobooth + His sister's hand-me-down jammies = Cutie pie

• Uh-huh. I'll be making some of these.

• A vintage orange tea pot I bought on Etsy.  Kawaii. ^_^

• Be nice.

• This blog is loverly.

• This one too.

• Facebook can be fun.  I've connected with some people I haven't seen since the elementary school! You can be my friend too! ^_^

• I think I'm going to make a paper lantern.

• Ever have this tea? It's yum.  It smells so nice and I love the muslin bags.  The box is purty too. But the tins are heaps better!

• How sweet is this pillow?

• Can she just stop it already?  How does Elizabeth just crank out the awesome so easily?

• She needs to stop it too, sheesh.  Always something cute here.

• Let's see.....who else.  Yup, them too.  Just stop.  Loves it.

• Mmm hmm....you too.  I can't take it.  Cute!

• I need this book. Yes, yes, you need it too.

Happy Monday! ^_^