Some More Winners - I'm a little late :)

I avoid all responsibilities (except with the kids).  Sooooooooo, forgive me for not picking winners along the way.  
Here are the winners of the County Fair bundles.

The reds go to  #193 Megan

The blues are for #287 - The Sterks

The Anna Maria Horner "Bohemian" is for #361 Simply Ec

and the Heather Ross "Mendocino" is for #393 Miss M

This is just too much fun!

And it's Auntie Scoobie's birthday today.  She is only getting pictures of her quilt for her birthday.  She'll have to wait until I have a moment to mail it!! XOXO  love you auntie Scoobs!!

My Treadle Serger

or Why I Want To Win A Serger From Sew Mama Sew

That's my treadle serger, buried under stuff :)
I won't be home in time to take a regular pic before the deadline!

I bought my serger used.  I've had it since early 2008 and have only been using it on a regular basis for about a year now.  It is a Pfaff, like my regular machine.  I just absolutely love using it and learning to sew knits has been very exciting.  But it has a little issue that has forced me to name it the "treadle serger."  I know, I know, not for real, but it can be such a pain in the rear to use. 

It has this little sensor thingie that won't let you sew if it is not fully pressed in.  It is connected to closing the front "door" after threading.  So depending on what I'm sewing, I will have to whack the side of the machine and sort of pump the food pedal in order to get it to go.  I can't just close the door and hold it, I have to whack it over and over again.  It is quite ridiculous.   If you saw me sewing with my serger, you would laugh.  There are curse words flying out of my mouth as I consistently slap the machine.  And my foot really moves as if I were sewing on a treadle. 

I have tried to fix it by making the sensor button thingie longer- I took some blue tape and smooshed it into a little ball and then taped on the end of the sensor.  It works most of the time, but the tape flattens out after a while and I have to make a new little tape ball. 

I really want to start selling more kids clothes and contributing to the family bank account instead of just draining it, ya know.  A new serger would be supreme!!  Treadle serging takes a bit longer than regular serging, so I would be able to whip stuff out soooooo much faster.

Crossing my fingers!!

Road Trip

Oh Fransson- New Wave quilt - almost done

Been trying to finish some things before our/my big road trip from Santa Barbara to Canada.  It's going to be a long drive.  We don't really go to Canada, but you can see Victoria from my Gramma's living room window in Port Angeles, WA.  I think it's close enough to say we are going to Canada.  Hehehe.

My first stars ever - we shall see how this one goes......

 Me and a 3 3/4 year old and a 1 1/2 year old.  Woohoo........  Let's all hope I don't lose it.  I've been trying to change my attitude towards this trip, trying reallllllly hard.  If you want memories with the kids, you have to make an effort to make memories with the kids - this is my mantra for the trip.

I am bringing a featherweight and a crap-ton of fabric, lots of WIPs, and a bunch of bindings to sew on.  I will also buy as much fabric as possible, because Portland and Seattle have some rad offerings.  I cannot wait!!!  My twin sisters are both in Seattle, so that will be fun to see them (eat at Blue Dog Kitchen - they both work there!!)

Can't wait to be in the northwest.  I think it might be my favorite place.  I am so in love with Portland and Seattle!  And everywhere in between.

I am so grateful to all the donations.  I can't tell you how awesome it is to help out something I feel strongly about.  And the birth center needs to be opened.  Our town needs it!  Thank you so very much and I will pick fabric winners and mail everything out when I get back.   I was told that a lot of people donated more than the $5.  So cool!!
:)

Longtitude Quilt

RAFFLE POST HERE:  Featherweight Raffle Page

This quilt was made from the rest of my Old Red Barn Co original quilt - along blocks and scraps.  It's all Katie Jump Rope by Denyse Schmidt with some white sashing and bound in a Kona Orange.  I backed it with this awesome world fabric.  I have an obsession with maps and atlas' of any sort, so when I saw this fabric I had to have it.  It matched the front pretty well, so I went with it.  I think it makes a nice baby boy quilt.

If I had quilted it the other way, it would have been called the Latitude quilt.  Heeheehee.  I know, well thought out title, huh?  :)

It measures 46"x39"

I think this might be my first one for sale.......I'm sure someone I know will get pregnant with a boy soon.  Maybe I should just put it aside and wait.

:)

Santa Barbara Modern Quilt Guild Challenge

Please click here for the Featherweight Raffle Post

At our June meeting of the Santa Barbara Modern Quilt Guild, we all purchased a bundle of fabric.  All the bundles had the same fabric(one exception/2 colors) and we all had to make something around the 15" by 15" size for the July meeting.  We didn't have to finish, but some did.  There were some awesome variations and I think we were all a little challenged to have fabrics "forced" upon us.  For me, it was amazing and so fun to see what other quilters "see" in the same fabrics

Here are the fabrics ( yes, that IS a velveteen)

It took me a while to embrace these fabrics.......I definitely cursed them a few times.  What?  Velveteen and sateen-y purple.  Weird brown ovals?  Red and white?   

But I love the result - my very first Dresden!  I even did some fancy math to figure out how to get the green stem in there.  It's sort of a flower!  I finished the back with the left-over scraps for an envelope closure  :)

Here are some of the others:

Aren't those cool! 

Another Dresden and "dream big"

The white in the center square(left) is all cut from the center of the red/white fabric!  I know!  Cut out and sewn together - no bigger than 1" squares!  RAD!

Another member and I picked out 4 new fabrics yesterday, for the August meeting.  It should be fun!  It's hard to pick fabrics with another person, yet it is so interesting to see how we all choose fabrics and coordinates based on different things. 

Wow! So exciting!

Please leave raffle comments here: OFFICIAL RAFFLE POST

Wow!  I can't believe how well this is going! Thanks to everyone who has donated.  This is very exciting!  I really appreciate the donations and all the very kind comments.   And to those blogging about it or spreading the word other ways - a big big thank you! 

I'm a little behind at picking numbers for the first two prizes!

The first prize is Weekend Sewing by Heather Ross.  Random.org: 1- 150 picked #97 - Charise Randell

Second prize: Funky monkey fabric, spool holder, quilt clips and some machine needles
Random.org: 1-200   #57 -Tina@SquirrelAcorns.   

Third prize: one yard each of Tula Pink Flutterby ladybugs, blue on brown, and some Pink Flea Market Fancy leaves

Random.org:  1-300   picked # 282  kate_erbach

I'll be emailing everyone shortly!  This is toooooo fun!

Only a few more entries until 400 and I can give away these two bundles to two more people

Thanks again!! :)

OFFICIAL FEATHERWEIGHT RAFFLE POST!!

Please the rules and regulations here: PREVIEW AND RULES


Then donate here:  Santa Barbara Birth Center


Then come back here and leave your comments: remember 1 for every dollar - up to 5
Remember to make sure I have a way to contact you!

Singer Featherweight Raffle Preview - Prizes and Rules

Please don't leave entry comments on this post. 

 Leave them here:  OFFICIAL ENTRY PAGE

There she is....... :)

This is a preview of the prizes I will be raffling off.  I want to raise money for the Santa Barbara Birth Center and the midwives who are trying to open the facility.  The help they gave me during my miscarriage is priceless.  My way of saying thank you to them is to raffle off one of my dear Featherweight sewing machines and a bunch of my hard-to-find and out-of-print fabric.  If I sewed everyday, all day, for the rest of my life, I still don't think I would be able to use all my fabric.  It should be getting chopped and sewed, not sitting in a bin in the dark..........

TO ENTER: you will need to go to the Santa Barbara Birth Center website and donate $1 to $5.  In the comments section on the donation/paypal page, please state that your donation is for "Baby August/Oversewn". 

 After your donation is made, please return to the Official Raffle Post (NOT this post) and LEAVE A COMMENT FOR EACH DOLLAR DONATED.  If you donated 3 dollars, leave 3 comments.  Please put 1/3 in your first comment, 2/3 in your second comment and 3/3 on your third comment.  MAKE SURE I CAN CONTACT YOU IN SOME WAY!!   If you do not have a blogger account, please make sure you leave your email in each of your entry comments.   I would hate for someone to donate and enter and win - but then lose because I can't contact you.

I intend on keeping the raffle going for the month of August.  I will end it early if an insane amount of money is raised.  I have an idea of what I would like to see donated, so if y'all help me get there sooner, I will close the raffle early.

If you have a blog and would like to help spread the word that way, you may post about my raffle.  If you do this, please leave an extra comment stating that you blogged about it, with a link.  This will earn an extra entry into the raffle.

I have no official affiliation with the Birth Center, other than wanting it to be open and running in case I ever have another baby :)   I do have contact with the director of the center, so I will be confirming that winners have donated money. 

Awesome green case- very sturdy!

See the little pin marks -  still gorgeous :)

The Featherweight is the "Grand Prize."  I will give the machine a 9/10 in performance and a 7/10 in appearance.  There are a few pin marks on the front of the machine, but it's still damn cute(below).  Okay, maybe a 7+  :)   I personally cleaned this machine up, oiled and pretty much refurbished the whole thing.  The motor runs great.  It's a fabulous little machine.  I did break the little plastic bit on the motor that holds the belt on.  I replaced it with an "indestructible" piece ordered from Mr. Featherweight himself.  The belt is brand new.  It came with it's original manual.  Not many feet with this one, so I might have to add some from my stash.

  The fabric bundles are "in-between" prizes and will be given away when specific amounts are reached.  The first prize of the Heather Ross book, spool holder, and some quilting stuff will be given to one of the first 150 people to donate and leave a comment.    I will choose someone at random from the first 150 comments.   The next prize might be around 300-400, and so on.  If anyone wins a smaller prize, they will still be eligible to win the Featherweight, but not another fabric prize.   

Heather Ross book and some hand sewing needles

Spool holder, quilt clips and needles, a bunch of Funky Monkey
Lots cut up, and 1.5 yds of the monkey faces

1 yd brown/blue lady bugs- Flutterby
1 yd pink flag things - Flea Market Fancy

Denyse Schmidt, County Fair 1 yard cuts, 8 yards

yellow/blue combo

Denyse Schmidt, County Fair 1 yard cuts, 8 yards
yellow/red combo

Anna Maria Horner's Bohemian - 20 prints, 6 yards

Heather Ross -Mendocino Bundle - 29 prints, 12.5 yards

Heather Ross - Lightening Bugs(some West Hill) - 25 prints, 11.75 yards

FINE PRINT:  Blah, blah, blah - this is me- doing this all on my own.  I simply want to do something good and nice for others and the Birth Center.   If you don't want to donate money - then don't.  If you donate money and don't win a prize - I'm sorry, that's how raffles go.  If you donate money and forget to leave comments on my Official Raffle Post, I'm sorry too, but you didn't follow the rules.   I know it's silly to have to state that, but I just want to cover my bum. 

INTERNATIONAL:  I will pay to ship fabric anywhere.  I can't afford to ship the machine anywhere but the US.  It's just too expensive, and I don't think you can plug it in anyway :)   So if you donate and enter, it will be for the fabric bundles only. 

If you have any questions, please ask!  I know I am scatter-brained.  If I've left anything out, in terms of explanations, please let me know.  Thanks :)  I hope this goes well ....