And the winner of the Pattern Giveaway is...
Tina F. Andersen
Congratulations! Please reply to my Facebook message with the pattern you would like and your email address. The Owl pattern will be available next week if you would like to wait.
Thank you to everyone who entered. It was fun to see all the inspiring quilted crafts made using my patterns! If you want to show me what you made, please post your pics on my Facebook page any time.
Hop on over to my Facebook Page for a free pattern Giveaway!!
Add an image of your PatchworkPottery creation in the comment section of my Giveaway post to be entered in the draw for a FREE PDF PATTERN of your choice! The Giveaway ends Thursday September 15, 2016. I will draw the name of the lucky winner on Friday!!
*If you would like your work added to my Pinterest Fan Board, include a link to your image outside of Facebook because Facebook doesn't allow pinning.
As her first important job, my happy Tomte (brownie) helped me choose two winners for the Scandinavian Stitches blog tour giveaway!
Congratulations! The book goes to Melanie and the cards go to Jo! Thank you to everyone who followed the Scandinavian Stitches Blog Tour!
Recently, I was given the chance to review Scandinavian Stitches by Finnish designer Kajsa Wikman. I met Kajsa four years ago through Flickr when her whimsical appliqués caught my eye and have been following her blog Syko ever since. I am surrounded by her handmade goodness every day. She has been a huge inspiration to me so I was very excited to talk about her first book!
I was pleasantly surprised to find more than just projects inside Kajsa's book. There are sections about inspiration, organization, choosing fabrics, designing your own appliqués, embellishing, appliqué techniques, and free-motion quilting. My favourite section in the book was "I just don't get it!" which lists problems and solutions to ease our frustration when things go awry! Thank you for reminding us that we're not the only ones who have quilting disasters! I was thrilled to find that the book reflects Kajsa's design style and her creations to the "tea"!!
The simple & playful projects encourage creative freedom making it easy for the quilter to add their own flair. Each pattern is easy to follow and accompanied by clear diagrams paired with full-size templates! I was so excited that I immediately whipped up a few of Kajsa's projects that I have been eyeing on flickr and her blog for years!
The first project that I absolutely had to make was the Syko Teapot pillow of course!!! The colours I used reminded me of the taste of Earl Grey tea so I decided to add some free-motion writing at the top. It looks great on my wicker chair in the tea room! I think the result is a very happy blend of Kajsa and Laurraine!
I have also had my eye on the Tomte Stuffies since last Christmas! A tomte is described in the book as "the Scandinavian relative of Santa’s little helper". My tomte is made using non-traditional Autumn colours! I added a flower to her hat and she happily helps me in my craftroom (an army of these little helpers could come in handy all year round)!
Kajsa's description of Autumn in Finland is also my experience of Autumn here in British Columbia. This quilt will remind me each day that my friend is not so far away! I had a few extra leaves so I added them under the tree. My smaller version of the Ruska quilt now decorates my kitchen table :o)
Here are a few things I asked Kajsa...
What is the proper pronunciation of your first name (for all of us foreigners)?
For all of you English-speakers - if you say Kysa I think you will get it right! (I can hear everyone saying AHA! now) It is a long "i" sound as in KITE!
What was the first thing you ever designed?
I was 15 and it was a sweater. I asked my mum to knit me something and she told me to do it myself! So I learned how to knit! It was very wide and colourful, a one of a kind piece for sure, a pity I didn't save it! I do have pictures of my fist appliqué designs, I did my first appliqué on clothes for my daughter, some 7 years ago now, luckily I now have a digital camera!
Do you belong to any quilting or craft groups?
No quilting groups, but I would love it, I might start my own when the kids are a little older! I do belong to a local craft organization. We are having a show this December.
When did you realize that you wanted to make a business out of your crafts?
I think the seed was planted when I participated in my first Christmas market, but it was Etsy that made me think about my options seriously. Etsy gave me an affordable sales channel for my first creations. All the positive feedback I got on the pictures I posted on flickr was very valuable and also helped me with the decision.
Have you taken any craft business courses and were they helpful?
I took a course for starting businesses when I was starting up and I wouldn't have managed without the things I learned about taxes, book-keeping etc. Right now, I am participating in a project for craft businesses. We meet about once a month to learn about things like pricing and product display. I spoke about social media (blogging) and Etsy for my fellow students last month! It felt great to be able to share my experience and it made me realize how much I have learned along the way!
Have you ever thought about hiring someone to help you sew? (I know I have!)
YES! And it will probably happen soon, I need someone to help me with the sewing. I can't keep up with the demand anymore and with so many different projects the time dedicated to sewing is shrinking all the time!
GIVEAWAY TIME! (now closed)
Stash Books is giving away one copy of Scandinavian Stitches per blog and Kajsa is giving away one set of Syko Design cards per blog. Simply leave a comment on my blog for your chance to win! Giveaway closes on Saturday, November 27 at 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time.
Thank you for choosing me to be part of your amazing online book tour! The blog tour will end off tomorrow at Allsorts. Please see the previous post for the complete list of participating blogs.
If you don't win or can't wait to purchase some of Kajsa's work, please visit the Syko Shop.
Out of a fantastic total of 195 new e-newsletter subscribers, #97 was randomly chosen. And the winner is...
Sylvia R. of Under the Quilt from UK! Congratulations! You will be receiving a one-year subscription (4 issues) to Quilter's Connection Magazine all the way from Vancouver, BC Canada!!!
Thank you to everyone who participated in my giveaway and thank you to Heather at Quilter's Connection Magazine for providing the free subscription! For anyone who is interested in our new Canadian quilting magazine, please hop on over to Quilter's Connection Magazine to subscribe today!
At the end of my previous post I mentioned a new Canadian quilting magazine and now I finally have a minute to tell you all about it!
If you are a Canadian quilter you may have already heard about Quilter's Connection Magazine. Heather McArthur, publisher & editor of QCM has made her dream of creating a Canadian quilting magazine for quilters by quilters a reality after taking the reigns of the BC newsletter "Connections for Quilters".
In July, Heather asked me if I would be interested in contributing a pattern to the first issue due out in September and of course I was excited! She was also in need of a graphic designer so I mentioned my experience designing business cards, invitations and ads for an Art Gallery where I used to work. We decided to design her business card and she was so impressed that somewhere along the way she hired me as the Creative Director of the magazine!
I am so excited about my new job as it incorporates everything I love and everything I am good at. There hasn't been a boring minute since July! I have been busy doing graphic design, layout, illustration and even some photography, as well as designing my quilting project which is featured on the front cover! I'm really happy with my "Partridge in a Pear Tree" project. The borders at the sides are little pockets that hold all the pears & the partridge ornaments! If you want to try to make one then you will just have to order yourself a copy of the magazine :o)
A big thank you to Heather for making me a part of something HUGE, and thank you to my hubby who is excited even when I'm not, and to my daughter whose Mommy has a computer glued to her face all day ;o)
Many Canadian quilters are looking forward to the first issue of Quilter's Connection that will be available in September. Issues will be available at select quilt shops across Canada and annual quarterly subscriptions are available online to anyone who is interested at www.quiltersconnection.ca
If you want to try to win yourself a copy, I am hosting a GIVEAWAY for a one-year subscription (4 issues) to Quilter's Connection Magazine! To make this giveaway available to quilters from ALL COUNTRIES, I will be paying for the shipping! To enter, all you have to do is to subscribe to the online newsletter by midnight on Wednesday, August 19th (Vancouver time). Please remember to leave your name, e-mail, blog (if you have one), and country. The e-newsletter will be filled with information, great tips for quilters, and fun & easy projects!
Good Luck Everyone!
UPDATE: Thank you! The GIVEAWAY is now CLOSED. I will be posting the winner tomorrow! :o)
Today I was tidying up my magnetic board when I came across a little image of a shepherd woman under all the layers of ideas & inspiration (Please click on the image to see the notes).
About 7 years ago, it had inspired me to start a quilted version. I had lost my inspiration in the project and put it away knowing that one day I would be inspired again. It was forgotten at the very bottom of my basket of WIP. Today when I unfolded it, it was like opening a wonderful treasure! I am inspired once again...
My craftroom wall is much better now. The mold was only on the surface. My landlord cleaned it but not good enough for me so I scrubbed the remaining toxic mold with toxic cleaners and almost all traces are gone now... Life is good again!
And now I would like to thank each & every one of you who left a comment on my Giveaway post. It's really exciting to see how many people visit my blog! And now for the winner...
...and comment number 113 belonged to Jane S from Sweden!
Jane said:
Hi, I am living in Sweden and I follow your blog every time when it is possible. Love the things you do.
It would be great to win one of your birds
Greetings from
Jane in Sweden
Congratulations Jane! The little linen birdie will be flying home to you :o)
As part of the "Birds of Change" Exchange, I am giving away this little Linen Bird! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post by midnight Vancouver time on January 22nd. I will announce the lucky winner on January 22nd through the day.
*Update: The Giveaway is now closed. Thank you to everyone who left a comment. It's wonderful to see how many people visit my blog :o) The winner will be announced later today!
Don't worry, there are more birds in my SHOP.
I am listing Linen Birds, Cupcake Pincushions, House tape measures, Cup pouches and even some books! Please be patient as I will be listing items all day :o)
I still need to take some photos of the Cup pouches that I assembled last night. I was hoping to finish more than I did but the button ran away and that crafty feeling disappeared...
As much as I would have liked to choose a winner the old-fashioned way, 323 names were way too many to write down on pieces of paper and fit in my hat! I was truly overwhelmed by the number of comments... definitely exceeding my expectations of 30-40!
Now it is time to announce the winner! The Random Number Generator chose #300. Comment number 300 belongs to...
Sabine from Hessen, Germany!
Sabine said:
It´s so wonderful, I would be happy to win it. You make wonderful things.
Greetings from Sabine
November 3, 2008 5:39 AM
Congratulations Sabine! The Peppermint pouch will be on its way to you this week! Thanks to each and every one of you who left a comment :o)
I am feeling full of Christmas spirit and thought it would be fun if I give away one of my handmade quilted pouches! For your chance to win this Peppermint pouch simply leave a comment on this blog post by November 3rd. The lucky winner will be revealed on Wednesday November 5th :o) Good Luck!
Update: Giveaway entries are now closed. Stay tuned for the winner!
