Invited to Dinner

You are ALL Invited to Attend

Moda BAKESHOP's Progressive Dinner

Come Meet and Greet 15 Chefs from Moda Bake Shop

Trust me! You won't want to miss out on the FEAST!

so.....

Make sure to MARK your CALENDAR.

There will be LOTS of SURPRISES coming your way!!!

Date:

January 19-26, 2001

Time:

All Day Every Day

Place:

on January 19th visit: Stash Books

on January 19th visit Moda Bakeshop

on January 20th visit Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts

on January 20th visit Roslyn at Bloom & Blossom

on January 20th visit Vanessa at V & Co.

on January 21st visit John at Quilt Dad

on January 21st visit Monica at Happy Zombie

on January 22nd visit Kim at bitty bits & pieces

on January 22nd visit Melissa at Polka Dot Chair

on January 23rd visit Natalia at Piece N' Quilt

on January 23rd visit Vickie E. at Mid Ohio Knitter

on January 24th visit Rachel at P.S. i Quilt

on January 24th visit Lissa at Moda Lissa

on January 25th visit Julie at Jaybird Quilts

on January 25th visit Sweetwater

on January 26th visit Angela Yosten

on January 26th visit Jenny Garland

50th Birthday Giveaway Winners

Congratulations!

To the following Winners of

my 50th Birthday & Moda Giveaway!!!

#1 Robin from Quilty as Charged

#2 Sherri from A Quilting Life

#3 Leah from Quilted Delights

#4 Mimi from Q is for Quilt

#5 Doina from Doina Quilt

#6 Jackie from Jackie's Stitches

I've sent emails to all of the winners. Please respond with your mailing address and I will get the prizes in the mail this week. Thanks to everyone who left a comment here on my blog and at Moda Bake Shop.

Handmade by Me

Several bloggers have been searching on the internet for a bag called "Handmade by Me" and I thought it was really cute that you thought there was a pattern "Handmade by Me". . . I simply used that wording to say that instead of buying the sewing bags already MADE by someone else I meant that I had actually Handmade the bags for my friends and one for the giveaway using my own two little hands . I hope that makes a shred of sense. lol.

Anyway, this is the pattern I used and then I changed it to suit my needs. You can see the flying geese bag in the lower right hand corner of the picture below.

Click HERE to buy the pattern.

I also made the flying geese pinwheel bag but it was a bit big for me and I didn't like how the bottom pinwheel wrapped around to the bottom seam.

I'm just picky that way and hated losing part of the flying geese to the bottom of the bag.

It's a darling pattern and I do love it or I wouldn't have bought it. I especially love that cute sewing machine, too!!!

Here's the basics on how I changed the pattern. . .

(I'm sorry there are only a couple pictures but hopefully that helps)

• I only made 4 flying geese for the front and omitted the 4 flying geese for the back.
• I sewed a 9 1/2" square to the bottom of the 4 flying geese.
• I cut out a 9 1/2" x 14" piece of batting and put it on the backside of bag.
• I quilted it following the lines of the seams and a 1" grid on the black polka dot.
• I cut out a 9 1/2" x 14" piece of fabric for the bag lining.
• I added fabric ends to each side of the 9" zipper to make the zipper smaller.
• I attached the zipper.
• I turned it right sides in making sure the zipper was unzipped for turning later.
• I sewed up both sides of the bag.
• I opened the corners by matching the side seam and the bottom and then measuring up 1" from the corner tip and then sewed across the seam.
• Then I turned it right side out and pressed it.

Mixed Bag

This holiday has been a mixed bag of birthdays, anniversaries, shopping, cooking, cleaning, taking care of grandkids, movies, wedding receptions, a big dental procedure on me, and several doctor visits for my husband. I'm exhausted and have to apologize for my inability to respond to all of your wonderful comments. The response to my giveaway has been amazing and I want you all to know that I've read every single comment in between all of the chaos in my life plus my carpal tunnel has been acting up quite a bit.

I really appreciate all of the wonderful birthday greetings and comments you left on my blog and at Moda's Bake Shop. It's brightened each day as I read your comments. Thank you too, to all of my new followers and I hope you've enjoyed your time here and will stop back in from time to time.

I had every intention of picking a winner today but alas, it hasn't happened and I'm going to fall in to bed after I publish this post. I've been at the insta-care with my husband who has another kidney stone causing him grief while trying to drop in on my dad's 80th birthday dinner during our wait at insta-care.

The GIVEAWAY is NOW CLOSED.

I will pick a winner hopefully tomorrow at some point but with church and a big extended family party for my dad's 80th it may have to wait for Monday after work before I can pick a winner. Keep an eye out for the winner announcement post.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

50th Birthday & Moda Giveaway!

Well, the time has finally come to. . .

CELEBRATE my 50th Birthday

And what better way to celebrate than to have a. . .

GIVEAWAY!!!

I will be giving away quite a few things, so scroll on down, have a look see, and enter the giveaway.

PRIZE ONE:

Here's the first thing that I will be giving away. It's a Handmade By Me Sewing/Makeup Bag with matching tissue holder, sewing scissors, and matching pins. This is my newest favorite fabric, too! I made 12 of these bags for several of my sewing friends and while I was at it I made sure to keep one for this giveaway.

Prize TWO:

In addition to the sewing bag I will be giving away ONE Layer Cake of Fruitcake by Basic Grey in celebration of my newest Moda Bake Shop Project which you can see HERE.

PRIZE THREE:

I'm also giving away 4 tissue holders to 4 lucky winners.

Tutorial for tissue holders is located HERE.

It's Christmas time so, I'm going to keep it simple...

Enter Giveaway up to 4 times by doing the following:

• Leave a comment on this post for one chance to win.
• Post about the Giveaway on your blog then come back and leave me another comment for another chance to win.
• Be or become a follower then leave me another comment for another chance to win.
• Jump over to the Bakeshop and leave me another comment for another chance to win.
• I will pick 6 names and the first two names will have a choice of the two top prizes and the other four names will win the 4 tissue holders.

The deadline for entering this giveaway

is January 1st 2011.

Quick & Easy Tissue Holder Tutorial

This quick and easy tutorial makes 6 Kleenex Tissue Holders out of a small amount of three different fabrics. I love making these for friends and neighbors as little thank you gifts or to add to a bigger gift. I have one in my purse and one in my church bag.

What You Will Need:

• 7" of fabric for outside of tissue holder
• 7" of fabric for inside of tissue holder
• 6" of fabric for binding on tissue holder

Cutting Instructions:

• Cut one strip of outside fabric measuring 6" x width of fabric
• Cut one strip of inside fabric measuring 6" x width of fabric
• Cut two strips of binding fabric measuring 2 1/2" x width of fabric

Sub-Cutting Instructions:

• Sub-cut outside fabric into 6 rectangles measuring 6" x 6 1/2"
• Sub-cut inside fabric into 6 rectangles measuring 6" x 6 1/2"
• Sub-cut binding fabric into 12 rectangles measuring 2 1/2" x 6"

Sewing Instructions:

1. Take one inside fabric and one outside fabric measuring 6" x 6 1/2" and place them with the wrong sides together.

2. Repeat process for the remaining 6" x 6 1/2" rectangles making a total of 6 sets.

3. Take the twelve 2 1/2" x 6" strips fold in half and press with wrong sides together.

4. Using a 3/8" seam allowance sew two binding strips with one on each 6" side of the tissue holder.

5. Press binding fabric outward on both sides of tissue holder.

6. Fold the binding up and over to the back of each tissue holder and stitch in the ditch.

7. Repeat on the opposite sides of each tissue holder.

8. Fold tissue holder in half with the right sides together.

9. Press the corners. This is the center.

10. Fold binding edges into the pressed center mark and pin in place. Make sure the outside fabric is in the inside as seen in the picture below.

11. Using a 1/4" seam allowance sew both sides of the Tissue Holder closed. I like to backstitch at the beginning, the end, and over the opening to make sure it's really secure.

12. Finish the inside seams with a serger. If you don't have a serger that's okay. Just use a zigzag stitch on your sewing machine.

13. Turn the tissue holders right side out making sure to push out the corners.

14. Press the tissue holders and you are done!

Kleenex Tissue Holders

~1 for you and 5 friends~

Can You Believe it?

It's my 50th Birthday today and it's been so crazy that I didn't even get to make the post I had planned, but, I have something big coming on the 22nd so be sure to check back in a couple days.

Remember my daughter who went to New Zealand for 4months? Well, she flew in late this afternoon and we picked her up at the airport and then went out to dinner at the Outback Restaurant. What a perfect birthday. I had every one of my kids together after four long months of separation. I sure missed my daughter.

Hope you're enjoying your holiday preparations.