Good morning, quilters, sewers and crafters!


Today I am so happy to have the pleasure of introducing my newest sponsor, June Tailor, Inc. June Tailor was originally established in 1961 as a manufacturer of pressing boards and notions for home tailoring needs.  Their company has grown substantially over the years with the introduction of premium home décor products, quilting rulers and templates, ink jet heat transfer products and other sewing notions.  

The current June Tailor line consists of over 210 unique products and most of their products have been developed with the intent of make quilting, sewing and decorating easier for the busy consumer and offer unique features to differentiate them from the competition.  

June Tailor designers strive to offer tools that perform many functions or cut in many sizes - who doesn't love multi-purpose items in their quilting toolbox?! 

What I really like about June Tailor is that they design, create and manufacture innovative products in Richfield, WI - right here in the USA! 

And, I love that their website has YouTube demonstration videos listed below a lot of their products, showing you how to use each item.

The Quilt Binding Express tool from June Tailor Image courtesy of JuneTailor.com

I was fortunate enough to receive a few products to review from June Tailor, one of which is their Quilt Binding Express tool. The tool allows for quickly creating binding in 3 different sizes: 2", 2.25", and 2.5". The tool is compact and has a convenient hang-tab to allow for easy storage.

The tool is really easy to use, and definitely speeds the tedious task of creating yards and yards of binding (a job I really hate - who likes standing at their ironing board for that long? and for me, I sew in the (unheated) basement of our 1890's rental on a cold tile floor - so speeding the process is pretty fabulous!

It's nice and compact, so it doesn't take up a lot of storage room, and it's easy for me to take it along to guild meetings and sew-alongs. I love how I can use it for not only pressing bindings on, but as a general-use mini ironing surface, too! (again, great for Guild meetings, retreats, and anywhere space is limited).


Here's a how-to video on the June Tailor Quilt Binding Express:
Basically, you create your binding strips as you normally would. Press your joining seams open. Then pull out your Binding Express, fold over one end, slide it through the slot, and start pressing! Easy peasy lemon squeezy.


The Quilt Binding Express has a 5* rating on Amazon.com and really positive reviews and comments. I can see why - I, personally, am in love with this little tool! If I had to estimate, I would say it cut my pressing time in half.



If you're interested in purchasing a Quilt Binding Express, you can purchase one, and other June Tailor products, from your local quilt shop and the following craft stores/online sites:
               

• Visit the June Tailor online store and leave a comment below telling me what other June Tailor gadget you'd like in your quilter's tool box

• Bloglovin' followers of Sew at Home Mummy get an extra entry - leave a second comment if you're a follower (and I like to follow all of my followers - let me know if you're on Bloglovin' too and I'll follow you!)

• I'm shipping the item from my house - so I'll cover the shipping to any U.S. winner. International residents are welcome to participate if you're willing to pay for your shipping (sorry to do this, but money is really tight for us right now!)

• Make sure to leave your email address if you're a no-reply blogger. Don't know if you're a no-reply blogger? Here's a tutorial on how to find out, and how to fix it.

• Winner will be announced a week today. Good luck!

Welcome to the first ever Sew at Home Mummy "My Favorite Things" themed giveaways!

I'm so excited about this line-up I've got for you all - these giveaways will run daily from December 1-4, with each day being sponsored by my FAVORITE companies.

See Monday's Aurifil giveaway {here}.
See Tuesday's Patchwork Threads giveaway {here}.
See yesterday's Havel's Sewing giveaway {here}.

I really do take serious consideration when taking on sponsors here at Sew at Home Mummy. I never promote products or companies I don't believe in and use myself, and I don't ever suggest products I'm not absolutely in love with.

So. That said. Have you ever seen Oprah's "Favorite Things" week? You know, where she gives her audience cars/cookbooks/fabulous trips/kitchen gadgets/{insert fabulous gifts here}?

I always wished I was sitting in that audience.

I thought to myself - how fun would it be to have a series of giveaways here to kick off the month of December?

So I contacted some of the wonderful companies who sponsor me to ask whether they'd consider sponsoring a giveaway for my readers. Today's giveaway is brought to you by the super awesome company June Tailor.

(THANK YOU TO JUNE TAILOR!)

I am such a lucky quilter to be sponsored by such a wonderful company who creates absolutely amazing products!

Just a few of my favorite June Tailor products include:
This is one of my absolute favorite June Tailor products. I have it sitting beside my machine all the time, pressing side up, so that I can piece and then press conveniently. Then when I need to trim my pieces I flip it to the cutting side and trim! Totally awesome. And it's SO convenient to bring upstairs with me - I sit in front of the t.v. at night squaring my HSTs up, cutting pieces for the next block I'm working on, etc. Really fantastic!

45mm Rotary Cutter with Retractable Blade and Safety Lock
This is one of my go-to rotary cutters. I love the retractable blade with safety lock; it's not often that one of the kids are in my sewing space, but I definitely worry a lot less with this cutter than my others. And, the handle is super comfortable and ergonomic to work with.

I love this rack. I have three of them hung on the walls in my basement - they hold all of my spools and bobbins, and keep them up out of the way. The type-A in me loves how they keep me organized and that they look so fantastic on my walls - thread eye candy!

These are just a few of my favorite June Tailor things!

Alright - on to the good part!

So!! What's up for the win today, courtesy of the wonderful people at June Tailor?

They have a couple of new products they're sharing with us today, along with some oldies but definitely goodies - check these videos out!:

The Charming Circle Ruler:
The T-Shirt Transformation Ruler:

Up for grabs today:


So! How do you win?

More than one option to win:
each of these are completely optional - you can do as many or as little as you like!

1. Leave a comment below telling me:

The summer seems to be getting away from us here in the Sew at Home Mummy household, as we try to make the best of the sporadically good weather and complete exterior home repairs as we can. We have truly become Weekend Warriors.

A few months back the awesome people from June Tailor sent me a bottle of their new spray starch product to try out and then in turn, give my honest opinion on.

I received the product just before the Chicago Modern Quilt Guild retreat, so of course, I brought it along to have a few of my fellow quilters give it a try as well. The reviews were really positive.

I have been using the product now for several months, as I like to do with all products I review (what's a true product review if the Honeymoon phase is still in full swing?), and here's what I have to say about June Tailor's Quilter's Starch Savvy.


About the Product:

This starch was made specifically with the Quilter in mind. It's a fragrance free, flake free formula in a 16oz bottle with a fine-mist trigger. The starch has been specially formulated specifically for quilting cottons to give increased stability and better control of pressed seams.

The starch is clear and does not settle; the user controls how stiff their fabrics are based on multiple applications of the starch.

June Tailor has created a video about their new product:


The Review:

Depending on the project, I have been known to be an avid starcher. I love how starch really makes the fabric do what you want - you can really beat some crazy seamage into submission with the right starch and a hot steamy iron. That said, I've used several brands of starch, both aerosol and trigger spray styles, so I'm pretty well versed with starches and what I've found both good and bad about brands I've used in the past.

Positives:
Well, there are many. Firstly, the bottle is not too large, not too small. Because you have more control over the quantity sprayed, it'll last you a long time without having to purchase a massive, heavy bottle that'll be sure to fatigue your hand and wrist. The trigger is nice and smooth, and fits nicely in my hand and is easily depressed.

This was important to me: the starch is released in a pretty even and fine stream, with very little to no big 'bloops' of liquid (this drives me crazy about other brands, the starch goes on too heavy or huge globby bits come out, not with this). I also like how fine the mist is, which allows me to control how much starch I use. Sometimes a seam just needs a little help, sometimes, it needs a lot.

It is truly scent free. Sometimes I like a scent, but most of the time, especially when I'm creating things for clients, I go out of my way to keep everything scent free. So I love this aspect of this starch.

I have had zero flaking. And I don't have any new scorch marks on the plate of my iron.

The clear plastic bottle means the rust you might incur with the metal aerosol tins is no longer an issue.

Negatives:

Honestly, I had to think really hard about this one. I guess for some who like to have a scented starch, having it unscented is a negative.

A quick Google search indicates that the starch goes for anywhere from $5 - $14 - so make sure you do your homework on where you buy.

Otherwise, I am really happy with this starch. Really. Like, a total convert.

If you have any questions, please, let me know in the comments below! I'd love to answer them for you (if I can, and if I can't, I know people who can!).

Available at:

I found some online retailers who carry the starch if you're interested in picking a bottle up! It'll be one of those great 'add-on' items for when you're trying to make up your free-shipping totals, he he.

June Tailor Online Store
Amazon.com
Joann.com
Fat Quarter Shop

If you have tried Starch Savvy, and would like to leave a comment below about it, please do!

Thanks for reading this review, happy starching!

image courtesy of JuneTailor.com

Rotary cutting mat on one side. Ironing surface on the other. Ingenious.

The lovely people at June Tailor sent me this notion to play with - the "Quilter's Cut 'n Press II" - and it is awesome.

Sitting right beside my sewing machine to my right, the Cut 'n Press II is always ready to be used, my iron sitting hot and ready on the press side. Flip it over, and I can quickly square up my HSTs and blocks.

And its size is perfect. It's big enough to press a 12.5" sq block easily, but sized so that it's unobtrusive enough to have it permanently sitting on my desk.

working on my Orla Kiely inspired table runner petals on my Cut 'n Press II

Things I was worried about with the Cut 'n Press II (and didn't need to be!):

1. The color of the cutting mat. I was worried that the blue would be, for lack of a better phrase, too hard on my eyes. I have another brand of cutting mat that's reversible - green on one side, yellow on the other. For the life of me, I can't cut on the yellow side, I don't know what it is about that color, it's disorienting to me or something - or maybe it was just because I was so used to cutting on green. But I LOVE the blue of the June Tailor mat. It gives just enough contrast between my fabrics and my ruler. 
2. The padding of the ironing surface causing the mat to 'skate' around as I cut. Not an issue. Seriously. I was really worried that, with my relatively high-gloss, slick Scandinavian-brand budget sewing table, trying to cut without the mat skating on the table surface would be an issue, but it's not at all. The pressing surface has just enough friction to the fabric that your mat stays in place while you cut.
3. The hard surface mat style would dull my blades more quickly. The mats I'm used to using are the soft-top "self-healing" surface mat style, and I was worried that these harder mats from June Tailor may dull my blades of my rotary cutters faster. So far, not at all. Actually, I think I'm maintaining a sharper blade with them. And, you don't have to press nearly as hard while cutting (as the mat provides more resistance) so for me with my wrist and shoulder issues, this mat has been great. I don't feel nearly as fatigued when I'm doing lots of cutting because I don't have to press as hard with each cut. And, according to their website, because your blades are cutting along the surface of their mats and not into the soft plastic of the competition's, your cutting is more accurate and blades stay sharper, longer.
4. The hard surface mat style would gouge more easily. I have to admit, it was a little difficult to get used to not having to press as hard to cut as I have to with my other, soft plastic, mats. I'm happy to report that after several weeks of some pretty intense cutting episodes, the mat still feels great; there are some minor marks on the mat, but nothing palpable.

Things I love about the Quilter's Cut 'n Press II:

1. The cutting mat is a great size (12"x18") especially considering most of the blocks I make are around the 12" size. It's the perfect size to have sitting next to my machine, making trimming and pressing as I sew super convenient and easy.
2. The board has a convenient handle which allows me to carry it easily AND allows me to hang it up on my wall out of the way when not in use. Essential for me, I'm a little bit Type-A about organization.
3. The pressing side is gridded which allows for easy squaring during pressing.
4. It sits nicely on my lap. Instead of using the bamboo cutting board from my kitchen to sit and do a little cutting or trace templates onto fusible, I'm now using a proper sewing tool. Now my husband can't laugh at me. HA!
5. It's super easy to take to Guild meetings and sew-alongs. I no longer have to pack a cutting mat AND a pressing surface. 2 in 1, baby!

11" x 11" Image courtesy of JuneTailor.com

12"x18" Image courtesy of JuneTailor.com

I finally finished re-organizing and tidying my sewing space. A room almost 3 years in the making.