the haystack needle

whip up mini quilts + giveaway!

Today I'm doing a different Friday post, as I'm part of the Whip Up blog tour. And Chronicle Books is so kindly giving away one copy of this lovely book by Kathreen Ricketson, Whip Up Mini Quilts, to one of you! Simply leave a comment below by June 17th for a chance to win. 

I've personally never made a quilt, yet. It's on my list of crafting projects that I plan to accomplish at some point soon. But for a novice like me, whipping up a queen-size quilt seems beyond mission impossible. The skills, the time, the patience. Crafting is all about pleasure, but I for one revel in that feeling of finishing a project you love. That's why this concept of mini quilts is so appealing to me: a quilt that can be finished as a weekend project. 

 

I asked Kathreen about decorating with mini quilts, and how to display them as wall art. I love the way her mini quilts look hung up on the wall in the book. And if I finished a quilt, the first place I'd want to put it is prominently displayed in a look-how-amazing-I-made-a-quilt gesture of satisfaction. But I couldn't figure out what the invisible mounting trick was, so I asked Kathreen. Here's what she said:

 

+ Decide where you want to hang the quilt. Be sure the quilt is not in direct sunlight, since this will fade the fabrics. Avoid areas near heating vents, fireplaces, and walls that may heat up in the summer. Moisture is also bad for textiles.

+ Wherever you hang it, you should change your quilt's location every six months in order to protect it.

+ When hanging your quilt, you need to distribute the weight evenly so you don't put any stress on the seams or the fabric.

+ Never piece them with nails or use metal clips to hang them — this would damage the fabric.

+ To hang your quilt, attach a narrow sleeve to the back of the quilt and hang with a dowel or curtain rod. This distributes the weight evenly and will not damage the quilt. For a small quilt, you can use a picture hanger: just sew two buttonholes into either end of the sleeve, insert a flat strip of wood in the hanging sleeve, and attach the two ends of a picture-hanging wire to the ends of the wooden strip. Hang as you would a painting.

 

Kathreen shared how to make a hanging sleeve:

+ Measure the width of your quilt and cut a strip of cotton or muslin fabric that is the same width as your quilt.

+ Hem the short edges by folding 1/4" under and under again; then pin and sew. 

+ Fold the strip of fabric lengthwise, Wrong sides together, and sew along each of the long sides, making a tube. Lay it out so the seam lies in the center and press it open. You won't turn it Right side out. Instead lay the open seam against the back of the quilt, about 1/2" below where the binding finishes, and whipstitch, or blind stitch through to the quilt front.

And she shared a no-sew method, too!

+ An alternative for short-term quilt hanging that doesn't involve sewing anything to the quilt is to securely attach a strip of stainless steel to the wall, just the width of the quilt. Then use tiny rare-earth magnets all along the front of the quilt, attaching it to the stainless steel strip on the wall. (I also think this would work with a magnetic tool bar if you can't find a strip of stainless steel.)

 

Kathreen did a fantastic job of making this book an easy-to-follow primer for people like me who've never made a quilt.The pretty projects are inspiring (my favorite is the Shibori Sampler, above, which uses a Japanese dyeing method. So cool!) If you like to make things by hand, I think you'd love this book.  

Thanks so much to Kathreen for sharing her quilt-hanging secrets and a big thanks to Chronicle Books for the giveaway! Just leave a comment below for a chance to win the book. I'll pick a random winner on June 17th.

Have a great weekend!

ps. Here's the rest of the Whip Up blog tour, if you'd like to follow along.

UPDATE: I used Random.org and goosie is the lucky winner! Thanks for playing everyone! It was so fun being a part of this blog tour. 

June 1 - Craftzine – essential quilting tools
June 2 - Crafty Pod – book review + giveaway
June 3 - Chronicle Books – Behind the making of the book
June 4 – Indie Fixx – Designing your own mini-quilts
June 7 – Craft Sanity – Piped binding tutorial
June 8 – Hand Made by Alissa chatting about mini quilts
June 9 – My Love for You Background on Mini Quilts
June 10 - Film in the Fridge
June 11 - The Haystack Needle Decorating with mini quilts
June 12 – West Coast Crafty

(Photography by Leigh Beisch for Whip Up Mini Quilts, courtesy of Chronicle Books)

 

appliqué your way + giveaway!

Do I have a Friday treat for you, my dears. As part of her blog tour, the super talented Kayte Terry is popping in, and Chronicle Books is doing a giveaway here of her new book, Appliqué Your Way!  Leave a comment below for a chance to win. I promise this is one inspirational craft book you'll want around this winter — you can dive into the projects simply using the scrap fabrics you have lying around. Kayte's done an amazing job of making appliqué accessible to the beginner — and making it modern in style. She's included templates for the 35 sewing projects in the pocket at the back of the book. So smart. Because if you're anything like me, needing a trip to the copy store is a sure way to derail any ambition to start a project. Oh, and Jennifer Causey is the talent behind these gorgeous photographs — another reason I adore this book. I'd like to step inside the cover image and live there. But I digress.

I picked three of my favorite projects from the book to share, which stirred up that "oh my" feeling. You know the feeling. The one that says you're in trouble because you're in love with what you're seeing but you already have a list of 68 other projects on your to-do wishlist. Look at these doily trivets made from bright wool felt! I want to make these as a housewarming gift for friends. There are only 7 steps to this project — it looks simple even to me (and I'm a bit skiddish about using the sewing machine.)

This project is one big wow — garland sheers! It's like Kayte read my mind and knew I needed something for my window that's pretty and lets in a lot of light. (Don't we all?) These sheers use organza fabric to create the look of festive paper garlands. I love these garland sheers — shot straight to the top of my list of projects to try.

And for me, quilting is something I want to try in the not-too-distant future, but right now I don't have the patience. These quilt square cards satisfy my desire for more instant gratification when it comes to quilting.

I asked Kayte to share a peek at her appliqué toolkit. Check out these photos! Appliqué is a really portable hobby. There are some basics you need, but the tools aren't that expensive. I don't knit or crochet (yet) and one thing that keeps deterring me is the cost. I know friends who knit and see how much the yarn costs. That's what seems so appealing about appliqué — once you have your kit pulled together, you need very little amounts of fabrics to create projects, so it's easy on the wallet.

I happen to love seeing other people's workspace and inspiration boards. Here's a peek at Kayte's inspiration board. Prize ribbons + photobooth photos — so fun.

For a chance to win a copy of this super book, Appliqué Your Way, simply leave a comment below and I'll pick a random winner (be sure to include an email address, or way for me to find you, if you're the lucky winner.) If you post the giveaway on your facebook, blog, or twitter, come back and leave a second comment for an extra chance to win!

The giveaway ends Tuesday, December 22, at 9pm EST. Good luck!

UPDATE: I used Random.org to pick a winner for me, and Andi is the lucky winner! Thanks so much to everyone for playing! I hope to pull together more fun giveaways in the new year.

Thanks to Chronicle Books for the giveaway, and a big thanks to Kayte Terry for stopping by on her blog tour! I'm so happy that through this I found Kayte's blog, This is Love Forever. Her blog was new-to-me and I'm now hooked. It's a really lovely space of inspiration — I recommend popping over.

hello!lucky holiday card giveaway

I have one super giveaway for all of you fellow paper lovers!

The prize: 50 digital photo holiday cards printed on 100% recycled cardstock with envelopes from Hello!Lucky (value - $135). You can choose from any of their holiday card styles, and then you send in your photo for a custom photo card. See a peek below at a few more styles from the Hello!Lucky collection. How cute! I'm so excited that one of my favorite stationery companies is now doing holiday photo cards. 

why holiday photo cards are super:

+ I think if we had kids, we'd be sending regular photo updates to our families. But we don't, so I like the idea of sending one photo that marks your year in some way. Last year, we'd just gotten married and we used this photo as our holiday card.

+ You don't have to write anything! Seriously, major bonus. I love handwritten cards but when I'm sending out holiday cards to our long list of peeps (Dan has a super big family), writing the addresses takes long enough. If I had to write a message on every card, I doubt that I'd ever send holiday cards. But it feels good to send them and I love receiving holiday cards.

+ The photo makes them personal. This year I think we'll be using this goofy photo with the moustaches from our housewarming party. But you could really do anything with the template – it doesn't even have to be family-oriented. A friend of mine always frets about sending out holiday cards to all her clients as a thank you. A stylish photo card would make a great impression.

+ There are FINALLY some creative holiday photo cards out there. Huzzah!

how to enter the giveaway:

Check out the Hello!Lucky holiday card collection and then leave a comment here with your favorite card style. If you twitter, blog, or facebook about the giveaway, come back and comment with the link and you'll get an extra entry to win! I'll pick a winner on Tuesday.

*giveaway ends on Tuesday, November 24th at 8pm EST.

I'll announce the winner next Wednesday, so come back to check out if you won (or be sure to leave your email address when you comment, so I can contact you if you're the winner.) Good luck!

UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. A big thanks to everyone for playing! I used Random.org to help me pick a winner. And Cozette is the lucky winner, congratulations!

giveaway winners

Thanks to everyone who participated in the green giveaways last week! It was fun coming home to everyone's comments. I used the Random Number Generator to pick the winners. I'll be emailing you for a mailing address to send out your prize!

The winner of the Organic Gardening subscription is Tim S.

 

And the winner of the Ecostore kit of green cleaners is Suzanne!

 

On a side note, the image above is a super cute tote bag that caught my eye by Melangerie NYC. I'm feeling a bit far from a "sweet green home" as Dan and I just spent another frustrating evening looking at a Brooklyn apartment (that should be called an expensive shoebox) for our move next month. Oh the soul-sucking process of finding a nice, spacious rental you can afford in New York. I'm behind with emails and reaching out to all of you who've stopped by and commented, but I promise to catch up soon! Here's hoping for better luck in the apartment search tomorrow.

q + a: abby of organic gardening + giveaway!

 

I love the way you stumble upon amazing people and sites with blogs. Case in point, I put up my first Green Swap post and later that day received an email from a reader who happens to have a blog all about organic living. Abby's blog, Good N' Planty (cute name!), is green without being preachy and focuses on the conscious decisions you can make to be greener. Abby is also an editor for Organic Gardening magazine — and she was sweet enough to offer a free subscription to the magazine to one lucky reader (more on that below.) Of course, I instantly wanted Abby + her green thumb on Green Swap. So here's Abby!

1. three simple ways you've gone greener in your life
+ Over time, I let my supply of paper napkins run out and started collecting enough cloth napkins to use instead. In addition to being less wasteful, they make every meal feel a little classier.
+ Even though I don’t wear very much makeup, I used to be a cosmetics junkie! I’ve learned to buy fewer quantities of better quality cosmetics (I’ve been happy with every Aveda product I’ve purchased), and I’ve swapped my shampoo and conditioner for baking soda and vinegar.
+ I really try to “continue the life cycle of clothing” by shopping primarily at thrift and consignment stores, swapping clothes with friends, and turning unwearable clothing into rags or crafts.

2. last green purchase
Ecover lemon dish soap. I realized that a bottle of dish soap lasts me so long that I barely notice paying a little extra for a brand that’s biodegradable and smells great.

3. one green initiative you'd like to see enacted in your community
Better public transportation. If I had a better alternative than my car, I’d use it!

4. best green gift you've given, received, or coveted
My sister recently gave me a simple wooden clothes drying rack for my apartment and I love it! It folds completely flat so it’s easy to store and set up.

5. hardest habit to break to be more eco-friendly
Driving my car! I love driving, and aside from that — I live 20 miles from my job and 600 from my family. I really want to be a bike person but I’m too scared of riding on the road! Once the weather is nicer, I can walk almost anywhere in my town so I really want to make a conscious effort to do that as much as possible this summer.

6. three ways you want to be greener this year
+ Since I just got that clothing rack, I want to completely stop drying clothes in a dryer.
+ Buy less pre-packaged food and can/freeze/dry more harvest from my garden this year.
+ Stop, or at least slow, my impulse to consume. I was really inspired by The Story of Stuff and I want to be more thoughtful about what I think I “need” to buy.

GIVEAWAY!

 

Abby is offering a cool giveaway here — a free subscription to Organic Gardening magazine! The giveaway is now closed -- thanks everyone!  All you need to do is leave a comment here for a chance to win this freebie. I'll run the giveaway through Monday, April 27th and announce a winner then.

A big thanks to Abby for joining Green Swap and for the fun giveaway!

photography by abby
{green swap photograph by charlotte jenks lewis}

yesterday's q+a: liz of linda + harriett
Monday's q+a: amy of smock paper
what's green swap? find out more here

giveaway winner

Thanks to everyone who participated in the first Green Swap giveaway. The winner of the Ecostore Fresh Wave kit is Tina! I'll be emailing you, Tina, to get your address. Good news for everyone: I have two Green Swap giveaways coming up! One will be announced tomorrow and I'll share the second next week. Yay freebies!

giveaway: fresh wave kit

I have my first Green Swap giveaway for you today! If you missed yesterday's post, check out what I thought of this favorite cleaning line: Fresh Wave's collection of sprays, solutions, and crystal gels are the best odor removers. Green and effective! I thought a great way for you to see the freshening magic happen is a starter kit of Fresh Wave products — so Fresh Wave is so nicely offering a free sampling of their line.

What's in the kit that Fresh Wave is giving away (total value $105):

(one of each)
2 oz travel spray, 8 oz home spray, 16 oz crystal gel (my favorite for closets), carpet shake, vacuum pearls, pearl packs (set of 5 sachets), soy candle in tin, and their 32 oz all-purpose cleaning additive (which I love for drains + trash cans)

All you have to do for a chance to win this Fresh Wave kit is leave a comment here. Tell me about some way you've gone greener in your life, or let me know what you think of Green Swap. I'll run the giveaway through next Wednesday, April 15th, and announce a random winner next Thursday.

Good luck!