Here's hoping that Spring has finally sprung here in Chicago - the snow has all melted, the grass is looking greener (or maybe that's my wishful thinking?) and the birds are out chirping their little songs!

Let's kick off spring with the announcement of last week's Charm pack and Mini-Charm pack giveaway hosted by myself and sponsored by Shabby Fabrics!

We had 181 entries, and by random number generator, the winner is:


Kathryn!

I'll be emailing you shortly! Check your inbox. And to Kathryn and the rest of you - thank you for following along with all of the shenanigans here at Sew at Home Mummy, and stay tuned for more easy peasy (free!) quilting, sewing studio and home DIY tutorials and giveaways! As always, thank you to my readers and my sponsors for your continued support. Much love.

Good morning everyone!

I am so happy to announce that Shabby Fabrics and I are teaming up for another year of fun here at Sew at Home Mummy!

shab·by: adjective \ˈsha-bē\: A style of design where fabrics are chosen for their appearance of age and signs of wear. They are typically floral with a very feminine, soft, romantic feel.

Shabby Fabrics is an online quilt shop specializing in floral quilt fabrics and unique quilt kits made from the best manufacturers of today’s popular quilting fabrics.

They provide great prices on fabric quilting fabrics and precuts from all of the major fabric companies, including an extensive collection of Christmas, batik, patchwork, floral and cotton.


They also have a fantastic Loyalty Points program which gets you 3% back on every purchase you make, and, make sure to add your birthdate to your account when you sign up on their site so you get your 20% off coupon emailed to you on your birthday!


Shabby Fabrics offers over 1000 unique quilting patterns and quilting books to keep you inspired including several applique quilt titles. You will be sure to find something new to quilt or sew every day.

Shabby Fabrics also has Block of the Month quilts and programs that are affordable and fun. They also offer pre-fused and laser cut quilt kits that are quick and easy to complete. I've had lots of fun with Shabby in the past - here's a project I completed with them a few Christmases ago - a Holiday Mug Rug from their laser cut pre-fusibles and it was sooo fun!


They also have a fantastic YouTube channel, with have over 150 free DIY, quilting, and crafting tutorials with more released every week!

I have more information about Shabby Fabrics here on my Gorgeous Sponsors page, and you can sign up for their catalog to be delivered to your mailbox by clicking the button below!

I’m really excited to have Shabby back as a sponsor – they are such a great company – and they want to show my readership some love this springy March morning by offering up a giveaway of one full-sized and one mini-charm pack, winner’s choice!


To enter:

1. Visit Shabby Fabrics Laser Cut Kits section here and let me know in the comments below which is your favorite!
2. Sign up for the Shabby Fabrics catalog, free to your mailbox (button above) and leave me a comment to tell me you did so - optional extra entry!
3. Leave me a comment telling me how you follow along with my shenanigans (Bloglovin’, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Email,) - optional extra entry!

Good morning all!
Ahhhh. Is Spring in the air where you are? I have to say, here in Chicago we had a pretty good run of warmer weather early last week and then BAM! Winter hit again. We are back down around the freezing mark having been teased with mid-70’s and sunshine seven days ago.

Today I’m playing along with the Fat Quarter Shop and their Jolly Jabber blog hop for the Scrappy Project Planner Sew Along and have a cheery, spring-inspired table runner to share with you as my Checkerboard Quilt project from Lori Holt’s Scrappy Project Planner!

This Checkerboard quilt is a really great way to use up your smaller scraps as it uses a lot of smaller pieces -

This is a really fun planner, with lots of ideas on how to use up your scraps and at the same time, keep your life totally organized. Here are some example photos of the project patterns included and the types of accessories available for you planner (images from Lori Holt’s website):
I chose to use two mini charm packs (perfect for this project!), one each of Bonnie and Camille’s Vintage Picnic and Marmalade fabric lines and paired them with coordinating Peppered cottons in red and navy from Studio E -

I had a lot of fun with this project and I love how the finished runner looks on my dining room table.
As part of my appreciation for being able to participate in the Fat Quarter Shop’s awesome Sew Along, I’m giving away my left over B&C mini charms and my unused copy of the Scrappy Project Planner the Fat Quarter Shop sent me to one of my lucky readers – let’s pay it forward here, right?

To enter,

1. Leave me a comment: would you have used scraps to complete this project, or, visit the Fat Quarter Shop (here) and tell me which mini charm packs you would pick up to make this quilt!
2. For an extra entry (optional): tell me how you follow along (Bloglovin’, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, Email) and make sure to leave your profile name so I can follow you back! (I’m always looking for more feeds to follow!)
3. For a third and extra entry (optional): tell me what you love about the Fat Quarter Shop!

Rules:

1. Must not be a no-reply blogger – if you’re not sure, make sure to leave your email address so that I can contact you if you win.
2. Open internationally.
3. Closes March 12. Good luck!

a pretty little jadeite Singer 185k-3, and it arrived in the mail smashed to bits -


For the longest time I have wanted a Singer 221 – better known as a ‘Featherweight’ – it’s a vintage machine, made from 1933 – 1966 by Singer Manufacturing Co., and it was their answer to the age old problem of portability (or lack thereof):

courtesy of ismacs

Singer’s Featherweight machine allowed ‘little ladies’ to tote their machines around with ease as it weighed in at only 11lbs – something I found particularly appealing for my late night kitchen table sewing and retreats and Guild sew-in events. Something that I could tote more easily, something with a gorgeous straight stitch for piecing, and something that wouldn’t break the bank if I dropped it/broke it, etc. – something I was very concerned about doing dragging my big Janome 6500 (aff link) along with me everywhere (especially since that’s the machine I use for my little Etsy business).

The problem with the Featherweight is that they are very sought after and have become quite popular in recent years. Which has driven the price up. And I just couldn’t justify spending $3-400 on a little machine like that for just retreats and sew-ins, as much as I really want one.

Enter what I like to call “the poor man’s Featherweight”. Or I should say: “the poor WOMAN’S Featherweight”.

Just as cute. With a stitch just as nice. Not as lightweight. (Ha!) - the Singer 185 - a 3/4 size portable, low shank, oscillating hook machine that takes class 66 bobbins - and rings in at about $50.

...my little machine after weeks of cleaning and fixing and replacing parts - isn't she pretty?

I researched this machine for several months; watched for one for months at garage sales and estate sales and the like with no luck, and eventually gave in and asked at Christmas for hubs to buy one off eBay – play the online-auction-sewing-machine-buying-Russian-roulette-game. Ugh. We lost.

They had no idea what they were doing with respect to packaging a sewing machine – one piece of bubble wrap (literally) and a few sheets of newsprint in a box that was miles too big, and the machine arrived with the bakelite case smashed to bits, the bobbin winding mechanism destroyed – it had been punched through from the inside to the outside of the case, the original green tire visible when I opened the box from the outside of the case (not a good sign); the spool pin had snapped off flush with the body; the light broke; and the list went on.

Luckily eBay’s return policy is fantastic and the seller was good to deal with and I received a full refund as the machine was just not useable in the condition I received it in.

A few weeks of dismantling the machine, tinkering, replacing parts, cleaning, and more,

top L: the handwheel, bobbin winding mechanism dismantled for cleaning; top R after cleaning bottom L: bobbin case before clean, bottom R: after cleaning

and I managed to get it turning-



and then stitching its first few stitches -



Next up to rewire it, which is always fun. I’ve done a few machine motors, pedals and lights now, and I’m excited to do it. It’s just a matter of trying to find the time. The other pretty major problem is that I have neither a box/base or a table to put it in. Which means that for the time being, any tinkering is just that. Tinkering.

I can’t use it until I save up even more pennies to buy a base or case for it. Here I have one of two options - buy vintage (which means I run the risk yet again of receiving something smashed in the mail from an online auction site, or something old, smelly, and not worth the money) or buy new (which means I'm buying something custom and handmade (no doubt gorgeous but costly, and the ideal option) or plastic and ugly).

 My friends say I should just make a case – why not? Oy. TIME. I NEED MORE TIME. Plus, who are we kidding - anything I make just isn't going to be as nice as what I can buy from a professional woodworker.

Sharing my pretty green machine today with Molli Sparkle’s Sunday Stash Share. I’m so proud of my little machine!!!

Make sure to pop over to see what he and the others are sharing from their stash acquisitions this week, there's always lots going on over there. Lots of juicy eye candy :)



Oh! And, don’t forget to enter my giveaway if you’re visiting here today from Stash share and you haven’t yet entered

 – you can enter

Blog Post- Giveaway
Twitter - Enter Giveaway on Twitter
Instagram - Enter Giveaway on Instagram

Quick post today!

A little giveaway from my own personal stash today -

GIVEAWAY CLOSED! Check my Instagram feed for the Winner announcement shortly!

Thank you all for entering - and good luck!


To enter, please be a follower, and let me know how you follow in a comment - each type of follow gets another comment and another entry!

(Don't already follow? Here are all of those fancy buttons - 




As a bonus entry, or if you don't want to follow along in any way (and that's okay too!) let me know what your favorite part of Spring is!

Also make sure to check my other social media accounts to increase your chances of winning!

Facebook
Instagram
Twitter

Rules:

-Open internationally.
-Not sponsored by anyone but me!
-Good Luck!

Heads up!

I'm currently having a giveaway on Instagram - Tula Pink, Aurifil, and more!

Included in the giveaway*: Tula Pink jelly roll | 75 Fun Fat Quarter Quilts | Aurifil Thread, 50wt |  Riley Blake Designs fat quarters | misc. fun office supplies

Head over to my IG page to enter - 

So I'd include a screenshot of the winner if I could figure out how to do that with Windows 10 -

...but it was comment #25, Bluefigquilts!

I'll be emailing you shortly - congratulations!

This week I finished up another commission project for a friend.

I have decided that 2016 (and 2017, for that matter) will be the year of saving. Saving for a longarm/midarm. I'm a woman on a mission.

So - I've been working hard at making money (I wrote up my 'techniques' on how I do that as a stay at home mom in this previous post) - offering my services to friends and relatives, plugging away at my Etsy shop, and squirreling away gift cards from doing online surveys (don't laugh - I make good coin at it...).

One of the projects I've been really lucky, and honored, to create was a commissioned set of pieced and quilted tie pillows for one of my friends from her dad's old ties. A way she and her siblings could remember him by.

It was fun to work with a different textile; and even more fun when she told me not to wash out the coffee stains and food remnants - all the more to remember her dad by.

Very cool.

Also very unnerving cutting into someone's memories. Oy.

But they turned out well; this set are 10x10; earlier in the summer I made another 4, almost double the size, and they turned out well too.

They are backed with a silk, chosen by the customer.

The recipient wanted me to cut the ties open, remove the interfacing, and cut the ties into smaller strips - unlike other tie pillow tutorials out there.

I used a QAYG (quilt as you go) method to assemble the fronts, stitching the cut tie strips onto a batting and Osnaburg foundation.




Sew at Home Mummy Tip:

Ties are cut on the bias - therefore very stretchy, and wriggly!
When using the QAYG technique use plenty of pins or a quick spray of quilt basting spray to keep the pieces from shifting as you piece.



I placed YYK zippers in a side seam on each of the pillows.

Sew at Home Mummy Tip:

For puffier pillows, make smaller covers.

Make your cover 1/2" - 1" smaller square than your form/insert. 

These covers are 9" square for a 10" form.


Pillows are off to be with their new owner(s) now! Today I'm linking up with Thank Goodness it's Finished Friday!

This week TGIFF is being hosted by M-R of Quilt Matters - head on over there and visit her linky-party, and check out what she and others have been up to!


**And, as a side note - check out my post {HERE} for a GIVEAWAY! for Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!!**

**********Giveaway Closed**********

Welcome to Sew at Home Mummy on your next stop for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

WAHOO!!

If you've never been here, welcome! I'm a stay at home mom who loves to quilt, craft, and DIY. I'm just a maker!

I've had this blog for a few years now, and have had a few swaps, quilt-alongs, and written several tips and tricks posts on quilting, blogging, and my most recent one, on how I fund my #fabricaddiction and #aurifiladdiction (heheh) as a stay at home mom.

I love blogging, I love instagram, and I love love love quilting. And giveaways are AWESOME too (I'll be hopping around today as well, visiting everyone participating - because, you gotta be in it to win it)



So, 'nuff about me. On to the giveaways!

I'm having 2 giveaways today: one here, and one on Instagram.

The Instagram giveaway is over on Instagram {click here} and looks a little like this:

You can enter over there today as well!

The blog giveaway is for this bundle of goodies from my personal stash, including:

• Aurifil Thread Color Card
• 2 Spools of gorgeous Aurifil
• 1 5" Charm Pack
• 5 FQs of Cotton Lawn Quilting Fabric
• English Paper Piecing Hexies!

To enter:

1. Leave a comment for me answering this question: Does it snow where you live?

2.  If you follow Sew at Home Mummy on Bloglovin', Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media, you can leave comments below for additional entries. One entry per social media account! Make sure to include your username so I can follow you back. (Example: If you follow on Pinterest and Bloglovin', leave two comments, one saying "Pinterest! (and your username)" and one saying "Bloglovin'! (and your username/name)"

3. Don't follow me, but want to? Click the appropriate coffee cup below to be redirected to the corresponding social media account! Each follow earns you another entry :)