Sneak Peek

 

'Twas a dreary Christmas Day, with slush and rain decimating the snow on the ground. Gloomy weather and nothing else to do (finally!) made a perfect day for cooking and quilting. Bright colors seemed best, so I played with lots of them, probably more than I ever have before in one quilt.

Perhaps I should have spent the day learning how to use my new camera (thanks Mom and Dad!) since my current dying one produced this image, which is, I suppose, "artistic" in some way. But I really need to take out the manual to the Canon G10 and learn how to use it so I can take nice pictures of the things I'm making.

More to come soon!

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Winners, the Dog, and Happy Holidays

Apologies for disappearing. I'm still buried under a paper-writing mountain, but hoping to see the summit soon. In any event, it is past the deadline for announcing a few winners, so....

Fabric Winner: hands_of_gold
Scarf Winner: Vickie

In other news...a little story.

On Sunday, a few minutes after talking to my parents, the phone rang. I looked to see who it was and the screen said "Home." I couldn't figure out what my parents had forgotten to tell me or why they were calling me again so soon. "I see that my good dog made it on to your blog," said my dad (an irregular blog reader who has knighted the dog who is never delinquent but merely does "dog things" as Sir Seagrams). "But no one commented on him." After fumbling for an acceptable explanation (people don't comment on everything, this isn't a dog blog, etc), I said I'd post his concern for him. So here, Dad, is another picture of your dog. Maybe someone will make a remark. Or perhaps you'll have to comment yourself :)

And finally, Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it!

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Fabric Odds and Ends for the Last Night of Chanukah Giveaway

I'm going to post this a little early since I have an early Shabbat dinner to attend and Chanukah does start early, given the short days and early nights of winter. I'm going to keep this giveaway and the scarf (click here or scroll down) giveaway open until Monday because a) I should be writing a paper all weekend and not paying attention to anything else and b) I figure this opens the giveaways to more people.

This last giveaway consists of an assortment of fabric odds and ends from the quilts I've made over the past few months. Most of them are less than a fat quarter but some are almost a quarter yard of fabric, or a decently thick strip. This package might include some of the following, plus some smaller scraps:

Some, like the top 2 pictured, were used in Beth and Harley's chuppah. Others, like the bottom, found their way into several aprons I made last spring and summer.

I realized that I bought, at different times, months and years apart, three fabrics of similarly colored stripiness -- shades of blue, yellow, and white, with either a dark brown or black. sometimes the stripes are sharp and straight, other times wavy and watercolory.

Some other fun fabrics from my collection will find their way into the winner's package.

To win, these fabrics below, comment with an idea or link to a quilt (pattern) you really like. I'm going to be making loads of baby quilts soon (lots! But none for me, lest you have any silly ideas about the current trajectory of my life. But many, for several wonderful friends and their already-here or sort-of-soon-to-arrive children), so I'd love some inspiration and fun ideas. You can point me to a blog, a pattern maker, a flickr image....whatever you think might be cool to make.

Plus...one extra entry if you blog about the giveaway and link to it.

This giveaway is open until Monday and open to international commenters. The random number generator will probably pick the winner unless one of your comments mesmerizes me so I have to pick you. Mesmerization techniques will remain undisclosed, though creativity is always appreciated.

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A Seventh Night of Chanukah Scarf Giveaway

...and I have a scarf to give to one of you.

It's reversible, with red/oranges/purples and a bit of blue on one side.

And has fun blue/yellow/brown stripes on the back.

You can wear it as a scarf, or as a sash, or any way you please.

To win:

Post a comment below with movie suggestions for me to watch when the semester is over, my work is complete, and I have time to relax. The movie can be in the theaters or on video. Dramas, comedies, documentaries, indie films...just no horror or sci-fi.

And, before I forget, the winner of the mystery giveaway is Erin,

who requested some scraps, a wish I can certainly fulfill.

Happy Friday!

p.s. some other giveaways to check out:
pretty jewelry over at Missie Krissie
lovely fabric over at buttercuppity
 and a copy of sew liberated over at grograin

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Chanukah Disruption/Giveaway

You might wonder what happened to the 5th Night of Chanukah.
The short answer: Comcast ate it.

The long answer is that the internet disappeared on Monday night and, upon calling Comcast, my roommate learned that they had no idea what the problem is but that they couldn't send anyone until Thursday. So I have no internet at home until tomorrow, assuming a) the Comcast technician comes and b) said technician fixes things.

Because the pictures for the giveaway are at home where the internet is not, I'm going to combine the fifth and sixth night giveaways into 1 surprise giveaway: a mystery package for crafters of either fabric-related supplies or scrapbook-related supplies (you choose).

To enter:
Comment below, telling me something you'd like to get in the surprise package (no guarantees, but if I can make it happen, I'll try).

Giveaway open until Thursday evening when, hopefully, the internet will have returned.

Nights 3 & 4 Winners

Of the Cats on Quilts book: Tricia
Of Le Petit Elephant soaps: Sew It Up

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Labels, Soaps, and the Fourth Night of Chanukah Giveaway

In case you haven't read the comments on some of the previous posts, I want to share the lovely story an Anonymous poster left here:

My grandmother was a big time sewer, knitter, and crocheter, and she made things for her children, grandchildren, and who knows who else. Everything she made, she sewed a small label on the back that said "Made Especially for You by [her name]." When some family came to visit me in October, people I've knitted and/or crocheted hats and scarves for (between the two of them, they have at least 2 scarves and 6 hats made by me), as a hostess gift, they gave me 40 labels that said "Made Especially for You by [my name]." My grandmother died when I was 11. When I opened up the gift, I was so overcome with emotion that I couldn't even speak to thank them. I make items for my family all the time, so I'm really excited to have these tags.

Since so many crafters (especially those who do needlework of some sort) read your blog, I thought it would be nice to share this idea. Looking at a quilt will forever remind the recipient who made it for him/her; putting a label on it will ramp up the level sentimentality even more, I think. I have no idea where to find such labels or where to get them custom-made, but probably a good internet search engine could help with that.

What a sweet and thoughtful gift! It's so wonderful that your guests came up with a gift so perfect for you. I try to label the quilts I make, but I would love to get some of those labels to put on smaller items like scarves and bags that I generally don't label. Indeed, some internet searching is in order. Thank you so much the reminder!

Speaking of labels, some of my friends have been in the soap business for about 4 years now and have molds that label their soap for them. How cool!

Lavender Vanilla

In their own words, Mark and Anna described their soaps as Hand-milled by others, but crafted from glycerin base and the finest of the earth's ingredients by Le Petit Éléphant. LPE Soaps are soft, creamy, and gentle, and can be made to order. Each soap is between 4 and 6oz, and has wonky marks and bubbles that we find endearing and add to their handmade charm.

Sweet Vanilla Mint Goat's Milk Soap

Even more cool, they're generously donating tonight's giveaway -- 2 bars of handmade soap of your choice from their shop, Le Petit Elephant.

Head over to their shop and then come back here and tell me about your favorites from their shop. Suggesting a new flavor of soap will net you a second entry. I'll select the winner randomly tomorrow night.

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Felines, Quilts, and Books Wrapped Into One: A Third Night of Chanukah Giveaway

A little housekeeping:
Night 1 (Fabric) winner: Katie, who wrote, "I grew up in Virginia Beach, about 20 minutes away from the beach and was very much a beach bum in the summers. I went to college in middle Virginia, about 3 hours away from the ocean. For christmas my freshman year my mom got me a beach-in-a-box, which is a little plastic tray with sand, a mini umbrella, mini chair, mini beachball, mini flip flops, and mini seashells. It was a great gift cause I would always be by the beach. And now 8 years later I still have it on a shelf to remind me of the beach."

Night 2 (Rugelach) winner: Sarah, who wrote, "Two years ago, my refrigerator died on Thanksgiving day. Luckily, I live in Minnesota, where it is cold. We put everything for the meal outside and hoped for the best. Luckily, we were able to eat and no one got sick." Sarah, please email me as I don't have any contact info for you.

Night 3: Cats on Quilts Giveaway
My siblings and I always received at least a few books for Chanukah. I continue to love books -- reading them, cradling them, paging through them, looking at them on my shelves, and relaxing on the couch with them....which is good since much of my daily live revolves around reading books.

If you're looking for books to give friends or family this year, here are a few suggestions. If someone on your gift-giving list loves reading history (or non-fiction in general), Kevin Boyle's Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age is a rich, rewarding, and important read about a murder trial in Detroit in the 1920s.

If someone on your gift-giving list is more interested in fictitious crime or, like me, consumes good thrillers like candy, then Barry Eisler's John Rain series is fast-paced, suspenseful, and, from what I understand, contains accurate descriptions of Tokyo's cityscape (minus the actual crime part). Start with Rain Fall and proceed in the series from there.

And for kids, there is of course The Goat-Faced Girl, which I reviewed here.

There were quite a few cat lovers among the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway commenters. I have an extra copy of Cats on Quilts that I'd like to offer to one of my readers. This is more of a mini-coffee table book than a novel, but it contains some great images, neat quilts, and reflections of cats over a long period of time. I'm happy to send the book to you or as a gift to the person of your choice, so if you know someone who would like it, you can enter on their behalf.

To enter:

• Offer a book suggestion of your own in the comment section. 
• Winner will be selected randomly tomorrow night.
• Please make sure to leave contact info -- through your blogger account or an email address in your comment
  

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Latkes, Sufganiyot, and a Second Night of Chanukah Giveaway

Apologies if I confused a few people about latkes and sufganiyot in my last post. They are indeed distinct food items.

image found here

Latkes are potato pancakes (most frequently made with regular white potatoes, but sometimes with the addition of sweet potatoes, zucchinis, or even beets, according to Joan Nathan's Chanukah recipe round-up in this past Wednesday's New York Times).

image found here

In contrast, sufganiyot are doughnuts, usually of the stuffed variety. In America, red jelly of some unknown berry origin usually protrudes. Israel offers a more extensive variety with all sorts of chocolates, creams, and other flavors (scroll to the end of this post for a list of 8 options).

And oil -- lots of it -- connects the savory latkes and the sweet sufganiyot.

Speaking of food, the Second Night of Chanukah Giveaway:

• Home-baked (from my vegetarian kitchen) rugelach. 
• (If you are already stuffed full of holiday food, these are freezable.)
  
• I will be baking them Sunday night and will mail (or deliver, if someone local wins) them on Monday, provided the winner emails me an address to which to send them in time.
• To enter, comment and tell me a cooking or baking story (successes and disasters both welcome)
• Winner will be selected by me, either randomly or by some other undecided selection mechanism
  

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Chanukah 5770/2009, Presented by Seagrams

8 Days of Chanukah Giveaway

...brought to you by Seagrams (the dog, not the whiskey)

Admittedly, Seagrams likes any holiday with food, so that really only excludes the fast days, such as Yom Kippur. But the chanukiah (chanukah menorah/candelabra) chewish toy has replaced gefilte (a fish) as his toy of choice. And latkes (or doughnuts) are pleasing to his palate as well.

Chanukah, or the Festival of Lights, starts tonight. Chanukah is actually a minor Jewish holiday but in America, given its proximity to Christmas, it's taken on a larger role culturally. And while the December holiday season has amplified the gift part of Chanukah (see: proximity to Christmas, above), lighting chanukah candles comprises the important part of the holiday. So on the first night, we light 1 candle, on the second night, 2 candles and so on and so forth.

But gifts do play a role in this holiday, and I'll be doing some giveaways during Chanukah as a result. The offerings will vary between crafting supplies (mostly fabric) and finished products, as I want to make sure my readers who don't spend their free time at a sewing machine can also get a treat. Growing up, we received small Chanukah gifts, like socks. But small can be fun, such as funky smartwools such as these, or:

Gelt (Yiddish for money) for the fabric lovers:

2 pieces (fat quarters or close to it) of fabric --

the brown flowers peeking out from above and the Alexander Henry Egypt print below

To win this fabric:

Tell me the best small gift someone has given you (define small as you wish!).

One entry per person.

Make sure I can reach you.

Giveaway open until I post tomorrow night's gift.

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A Spirograph Quilt

I finally finished the primary quilt for the Miracle Foundation. After deliberating the layout, the actual quilt came together pretty easily.

This is what it looks like altogether. Perceptive eyes might notice that one block got reoriented from the initial version. Good thing I noticed my error before sewing. I'm good enough friends with my seam ripper scissors and don't really need to spend any more developing that relationship. As it is, we're quite close.

This is one of my favorite blocks, and I'm not even a fan of pink. But I'm becoming more tolerant of the color, albeit generally in its more magenta-like hues. Nevertheless, the partial flower at the center plus the other fabrics work well for me here. As for the quilting of this quilt, I quilted all the non-red areas with zig-zaggy lines. Basically, I sewed a straight line until it hit a border with red and then let the line "bounce" off that "wall" between the colors and head off in a new direction. It's not my favorite, but it was fun to do. It reminded me of those straight-line spirograph toys -- I've surveyed my office and while my officemates know what I'm talking about, none of us could name this toy. Any of you know what I'm talking about?

 

Inspired by Red Pepper Quilts' gorgeous quilts and backs (see here and here, for example), I pieced together big squares. The little yellow square lists all the people who generously contributed fabric: Michelle, Jen, Jocelyn, Lise, Grace, and Sandi.

I went with an orange binding, machine-sewn as usual. I tried a new technique that I'm not totally happy with, but experimenting has value unto itself. I still need to finish the third quilt for the Miracle Foundation so I can send them off to Jade who will deliver them. I had hoped to squeeze that in this past weekend, but it was not meant to be. It may be a couple weeks before I have time for that.

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