Umbrella Prints entry: The scatter pillow

The Umbrella Prints Trimmings Competition is happening, people! It's the fifth year running and this year I'm taking a stab at winning the fame and glory!

Each year, Australian textile house Umbrella Prints challenges creative folk to grab one of their trimmings packs and create something original using their luscious fabrics. They then pin everyone's entries onto Pinterest and let the voting public decide on the popular winner. They also have a panel of lovely (I'm sure) and most talented (no doubt) industry judges that will ultimately decide the grand prize winner who will receive not just prestige and honour, but also $500 - and even better - FABRIC!

For my entry, I snagged one of the Umbrella Prints mixed trimmings packs and set out with absolutely no plan in mind. Seriously...I just sat there and stared at all the yummy fabric for AGES before finally cutting into any of it. In the end, I went with teeny, tiny half-square triangles which I tried to mix and match as randomly as possible to create a block that finished about 12" square. What I wound up creating is a random pattern that looks like an abstract representation of Texas (I can't be the only one that sees that, can I?)

Once my block was finished, I had no idea what to do with it...and then I spotted a long-forgotten pillow form tucked under my desk. And thus, my scatter pillow was born and I had my entry for the competition (plus a really comfy pillow, too!)

The competition is based on comments over on the Pinterest competition board, so please, please, pretty please, pop on over there and comment on (and re-pin) my pillow once voting starts on 1 June. I'd be ever so grateful!

If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen a few pics as I worked on this project a few weeks ago. In case you didn't see them, here you go! I really love that one with all the HSTs piled up and neatly pressed.

Tutorial: Quilted tea cozy

I've got a quick and easy quilted tea cozy tutorial up on imagine gnats today (or, actually, I guess it was yesterday - I've been busy, okay?!) It even got picked up on CraftGossip.com as well! Woo hoo! The design was originally concocted for a recent charity auction and I loved it so much I wanted to make another one to keep and thought others might like to make one of their own.

Speaking of sewing for a good cause, have you seen that the Hottie Project 2014 has just kicked off on the Big Little blog? I've been following Lisa's blog since just after last year's project and I was so bummed to miss out the first time around. So excited to start making a few hottie cozies! I'm sure Lisa won't mind me sharing her own words about the project:

It started with a simple idea... and after an incredible response last year from kind and generous crafters around New Zealand (and the world!) we are excited to launch "The Hottie Project 2014"

With your help, we are hoping we can make winter a little cosier and warmer for a bunch of lovely children by creating a BIG stack of lovely warm hottie covers to keep Christchurch children cosy this winter. 

The cozies are due at the end of June so there's plenty of time to get sewing if you'd like to participate, just pop on over to the Big Little blog for all the details or click the button below. They even provide tutorials and templates if you don't know where to begin!

Tutorial: patchwork doorstop

Today I'm sharing a sweet little patchwork doorstop tutorial over on imagine gnats as one of Rachael's new contributors.

I am loving how these turned out and think you should all give the tutorial a try. You'll learn a handy technique for piecing small squares and it's probably the only time you'll get to make a trip to the pet store to finish a sewing project. [Read the tutorial - it will all make sense. Trust me.]

Seriously, aren't those colourful little x's just too cute for words? The monogrammed version I made for Abner is doing its thing holding our lounge door open as I write [and doing a mighty fine job I might add.] The little heart one was made specifically for the wee little girls who live across the road from us. I'm told the younger of the two has taken to sleeping with it each night. Say it with me now....awwww!

imagine gnats indiegogo campaign and giveaway

Earlier this year, I set myself a few unofficial goals to work toward this year. I did the whole goal-setting thing a few years back when we moved to the Prairies and can proudly tell you I achieved every one of them.On my list this year:

engage more with the online sewing community    |    blog more regularly (I used to be so good at that one!)

update my shop more frequently    |    finish all the projects I've started

make (not just ogle) the stuff I see on Pinterest    |    sell my wares in some shops

In the spirit of that first one on the list, I've been making a few new internet friends lately. One of them is Rachael from over at imagine gnats. If you're into reading sewing/crafting/stitching blogs, chances are good that you've stumbled across Rachael's work already. She's well known for creating amazing patterns that are easy to sew and can help even novice sewers learn some new tricks. Personally, I've had my eye on her bess top pattern for ages and I can't wait to make the meridian cardigan. Her blog has some pretty fantastic tutorials and DIYs on it if you'd like to get a taste of her awesomeness. I highly recommend her infinity scarf DIY...I may have made one (or six) myself.

Like me, Rachael has been setting herself some goals lately. One of them is to see her beautiful patterns in print. She's recently launched an indiegogo campaign to help raise funds to make it happen.

Here’s what Rachael has to say about her business and campaign:

imagine gnats started as a little etsy shop, selling small sewn items to help support my family and also to give me a creative outlet in a corporate world. it’s come a long way in just five years… from a hobby to a full-time job. my love of sewing and design has grown as well, and now my own sewing patterns help and inspire others to create.

i am proud to have created patterns for garments that are easy to sew and easy to wear. imagine gnats patterns feature classic silhouettes with a modern twist that incorporate clever details and practical techniques.

currently, my patterns are all offered as printable pdfs. the money raised on indiegogo will help cover the costs of an initial run of paper patterns, which means sharing my designs with even more sewists and inspiring more people.

for the cost of one pattern, you can help me reach my goal AND be one of the first to get the printed pattern of your choice. for a little bit more, you can get a full set of imagine gnats printed patterns. plus, early bird specials offer even better deals for the first contributors!

my initial print run will include 500 each of my existing five garment patterns. all of the money raised will go directly to that effort. once patterns are printed, i begin the selling and distribution phase.

If you like the idea of helping someone achieve their goals and would like to contribute to Rachael's campaign, you can do so at the bottom of this post.

But wait! Not so fast there, clicky finger...there's more!

Rachael has kindly donated a complete set of her five garment PDF patterns for me to give away! How awesome is that?!?! To enter, just leave a comment here on this blog post or on the Milkybeer Handmade Facebook page telling me about the first thing you ever sewed (feel free to make something up if you've never sewed a day in your life - be creative). Any and everyone is welcome to enter. I'll pick a random winner from all entries at noon on Monday, 17 February (that's NZ time, so a day earlier for most of you). The winner will be announced here on the blog and on Facebook.

-- The giveaway is now closed. Thanks to all who entered. The winner was AngieB who has been contacted and is hopefully happily sewing her new patterns by now.  --

OK, now you can go ahead and contribute to Rachael's campaign.

A little housekeeping

Sorry to pause all the crafty awesomeness with a boring old administrative post, but there are a few things you really ought to be made aware of.

First off...did you know that Google Reader is going bye-bye on July 1? Yup. It's true. If that's how you tend to follow along with Milkybeer Handmade blog, please take some time to switch your allegiance to some other reader before it's too late! To make it easier, I added a Bloglovin' block a few weeks back over there in the sidebar. Bloglovin' is just one of dozens of options available to replace Google Reader, but it does seem to be a popular one around the craft blog scene. Go on...click the button...all the cool kids are doing it.

Secondly, I'd like to remind you of my other social media homes: Facebook and Pinterest. Lots of great stuff happening on both those sites. I try to keep things interesting and not simply post the same things you find on the blog, so it's worth following along there too. Don't be afraid to comment on anything you see here on the blog, on Facebook or over on Pinterest. I LOVE hearing from readers.

And finally...the shop...remember my shop? Sigh. It's been so long since it was last open. No firm date in mind just yet, but I do promise to clear away the cobwebs and freshen up the inventory for a grand re-opening sometime in July. Yippee!

As a reward for getting through all that administrative boringness, here's a picture of Abner dressed as a chef and stuck in a box. TDSH and I are so proud.

Goodies by mail

I think there should be some law which says posties can only put junk mail in your mailbox if they are also delivering some real, actual mail. Wouldn't that be nice? I'm SOOOO tired of checking the mailbox only to find irrelevant junk. What a pleasure it was last week to find each of these gems instead!

First up was a little pin I commented on on a friend's blog a few weeks back. She was kind enough to pop it in the mail for me! How sweet is that?!

Almost the next day, this little bundle of fabric arrived from the UK. It's two fat quarters of  the Long Thread's Quilt Blocks fabric sent to me by Katy over at Fat Quarterly. I'm participating in one of their designer challenges and hope to make something FABULOUS out of this fabric in the next few weeks.

They've had some amazing projects/designers featured on their blog, so there's no pressure or anything. Gulp.

Sewing industry reflections + predictions

The folks over at Sew, Mama, Sew are known as a pretty amazing resource in the sewing community. They always manage to stay on top of the trends (yes, there are trends in sewing), provide fantastic tutorials and patterns, and tease us all with an amazing selection of modern fabrics. Part of how they keep so on top of things is to regularly ask industry experts what they're seeing happening in the world of sewing. They're even asking us regular folk to provide our take. So...please, humour me as I pretend to be an industry expert and answer some of their questions myself.

Did you have a favorite fabric collection or print in 2011?
Outfoxed by Lizzy House. The Sly Fox pallette specifically. Love purple and orange together and the whimsy in this line is awesome.

Image via Hawthorne Threads

What did you make that you’re most proud of in 2011?
That's an easy one: the quilts I made for me niece and nephew. I think the pride comes from knowing that even though I did them in relatively quickly, I still made sure to do my absolute best work. Both were my own designs as well which always gives me a little thrill once I see the finished pieces.

Do you have a favorite sewing book or pattern from the past year to recommend?
Indeed, I do! Hands down, my favourite sewing book from 2011 is the Oliver + S: Little Things to Sew. It's become my go-to book for creating projects for my daughter. My fave pattern is definitely the bucket hat, but the messenger bag and little red riding hood projects were excellent as well.

Are there any trends you’re over and done with?
Ummm...owls?

What are your thoughts about social media? How is it going for you? What do you love or hate?
I do love the social media aspect of the sewing world. When we did our big move last year, I was still able to keep in touch with the same great sewists just as easily as I had back home thanks to social media. I've definitely had some successes with the social media thing: seeing tweets retweeted by some big names in sewing, seeing pins of my own work on Pinterest, big uptake in blog traffic this year, etc. What I don't like about social media is just how easy it's made ripping off ideas. Inspiration is one thing, but it kills me to see the same projects repeated on half a dozen blogs, each claiming to be the original designer.Or seeing blogs that do nothing but re-post other people's projects they've found on Pinterest and blogs. Really, what's the point?

Can you tell us what to expect from you in 2012? Any big projects or life-changing goals?
Oh, I have big plans for 2012. You'll just have to stay tuned to find out though!

A new look for Milkybeer

Remember way back in February when I said, "bartering is not dead"? I said as much because I'd traded my sewing services for a little bit of design work from a friend (designers...good friends to have).

She got a beautiful custom-made duvet for her son, and well, one baby (that was the designer, not me) and one move to Saskatchewan later, I finally get to show you the other half of that trade: an awesome new banner for the blog!

The new banner was a great excuse to freshen up the layout and design of the blog. Of all the designs this blog has seen over the years, I think this is my favourite. I love how she took the stitching details from my quilts and integrated it into the banner!

Exciting times around here, I tell ya. There's more to come though. Stay tuned!

My new venture: Baby Meets Trail

It hasn't been the best kept secret, so you may already be aware that I've been working on yet another blog...I've been cheating on my first two blogs you might say. It's taken ages to pull together, but I finally launched Baby Meets Trail this weekend.

For now the content is mostly based on my Urban Baby and Toddler column (new issue on newsstands now!). I did manage to fit in a few additional walks so it's not just a repeat of the magazine. The blog does have a few features you won't find in the magazine: more pictures, links to relevant sites, and maps of each route!

I'm hoping it becomes a bit of a community place where Lower Mainland moms and dads can pop by on occasion to help pick out an outing for the weekend and perhaps leave a comment after completing one of the walks. Down the road I plan to set up Flickr groups so people can post pictures of their Baby Meets Trail walks and I'll also be adding some icons to highlight some of the key information a bit more readily.

I've tagged each post based on its location, type of stroller needed, terrain and whether there are washrooms and change tables or not so it's easy for readers to find exactly the type of walk their looking for. These first seven walks are all pretty easy ones, but I'll definitely be adding more extreme stroller walks down the road. Perhaps a little something like this one on Bowen Island...

Please take a moment to pop on over and check it out...feel free to follow and pass it along to your friends. I hope you enjoy the new blog. Now go hit the trails!

Messed about again

Well, give me a few spare minutes and I'll surely find a way to waste them. This evening I spent time learning how to code a new background on the blog and format a new header using Photoshop skills I haven't put to use in almost 10 years!. Hope you like what I've come up with.

Link love

Not only do I absolutely love writing my own blog - heck, I already have two blogs with a third on the way! - but I also absolutely love reading blogs. With so many out there, how do I decide which ones to read on a regular basis? Well sit right down, and listen while I tell you...

Every few months I go on a blog hunt following links from one blog to the next, to the next and so on. The great thing about bloggers is that most kindly put some of their favorites in a nice little list in the sidebar (cast your eyes to the right for a prime example). It's the equivalent of the "Recommended Reading" list at the library: Someone has already taken the time to check out all of these blogs and has deemed them enjoyable so more than likely, I will too - and usually I do.

On these occasions, it's not unusual for me to have a ridiculous number of tabs open at a time reading through over a dozen new blogs in a single sitting. The ones that tickle my fancy get added to my "Following" list so I can stalk their every post on a daily basis.

If I kept every single blog on my "Follow" list forever, I'd never get any work done for all the blog reading I'd have to do, so every few months I cull through my list. Sometimes I leave it in this leaner, meaner state for a while. Other times, I'm right back at it hoarding blog links like they're going out of style.

I'm currently in a hoarding phase. Here are just a few of my most recent faves:

tollipop A talented, creative Canadian gal living in Vegas. Her storytelling skills are a treat to enjoy as are her adorable paintings. I would love to have one of her paintings in my little sewing space (hint, hint TDSH).

thimble A great source for tutorials and book recommendations. She also shares my obsession with fabrics so she's A-OK in my book!

sleep talkin' man And now for something completely different...this blog is SOOOO not about crafting or kids or about pretty much anything you might associate with my own blog...it's the blog of a woman who records her husband's nightly sleep talking and posts it to the web each morning. I am thisclose to ordering my very own Sleep Talkin' Man t-shirt! NOTE: If you are at all sensitive about foul language, you may want to skip this one.

owl and pussycat From her ABOUT page: "I dabble in sewing, knitting and other domestic arts while using my organizational skills to wreak havoc on my family and co-workers." Sound familiar? A woman after my own heart.

oh, fransson This woman quilts like nobody's business. I love looking at the amazing fabric combinations she puts together. Be sure to check out her "Small Projects" page for some cute project ideas.

giddy goat When I first visited her site she had a post up about Jamie Oliver...I knew this was a blog worth reading. [What? You didn't know I was mildly obsessed with Jamie Oliver? Well, now you know.]

fourth-place medal Sadly, this blog will end on Sunday after the Olympics are over, but if it were up to me, this would be how all major sporting events are covered. If you read nothing else on this blog, you have to at least check this post out. Oh, and maybe this one too.

Golly G!

So, the other day I spotted a fun little game on one of the blogs I follow. Smoothpebble had written a list of ten things she loved that start with the letter N. Why the letter N you ask? Because another blogger told her to; that's why. At the bottom of her post, she invited anyone who wanted to participate in the game and write their own list to submit a comment and she'd send them a letter. Well, it sounded like a fun thing to do so I posted my comment and patiently waited to receive my letter.

Would I get a nice and easy letter like T or A or S? Perhaps she would challenge me with the dreaded X or Z? When her message finally arrived, I excitedly clicked it open to see that she gave me the letter G. Hmmmm...not as easy as T, A or S, but not nearly as tricky as X or Z.

Without further ado, and in no particular order, here is my list of ten things I love that start with the letter G.

1. Grandparents. Sadly, none of my own grandparents are living, but I think very highly of Abner's.


2. Getting things on sale. In preparation for going back to work next month, I bought an entire new wardrobe last week and came in under budget thanks to The Gap/Banana Republic/Old Navy's Friends and Family coupon. Yay me!


3. My homemade granola. I made a batch up a couple of weeks ago and it only lasted three days. [Note to self: do not leave container of granola next to the computer - unable to resist snacking temptation] I really need to sit down and add that recipe on Milkybeer Cooks.
   
   
4. Giggles from Abner. I really must get a recording of her adorable little giggles. Some days she treats us to gales of laughter, and other days all we get is a smile.





5. Good Eats. If you haven't watched Alton Brown's show on the Food Network - you should. I've learned so much and he is damn entertaining.


6. Grandma Rand's overnight bun recipe. I have previously blogged about these delicious (and surprisingly easy to make) buns, so I will refer you back to that post. If you want to take a crack at making your own buns, the recipe is posted over at Milkybeer Cooks.





7. Gnomes. Specifically, the ones found here at my friend Miranda's Etsy shop. Image shamefully stolen from Miranda.





8. Going back to work. Wait! What?!?! How'd that get there? Definitely does not belong on this list. Going back to work. There. That's better.


9. Getting gussied up. I was never particularly fond of getting dressed up before I had Abner; but now I have a new-found appreciation for doing my hair, putting on make up, wearing heels and nice clothes (that didn't come off the floor from two days before).


10. The great outdoors. Not enough of this one happening lately. Stinkin' rain. This shot is from a hike we did with Dan and Kerith near Mt. Slesse back in 2006.





11. A good night's sleep. Not enough of that one happening lately either. Sigh.

If you'd like to play along on your own blog, just leave a comment asking me to send you a letter.

Other possible titles considered for today's post:
"Today's post is brought to you by the letter G"
"Gee whiz"

Shameless blog plug

Yay! My friend, BCIT co-worker and gardener extraordinaire, Andrea Bellamy of Heavy Petal, is featured on Design*Sponge today. How cool is that? It's like I know someone famous!

Textiles, textiles everywhere!

I attempted my first real quilt not too long ago as a gift for our new nephew, Luke. Since then, I have been itching to do another one. I am saving the scraps from the little dresses I'm making for Abner and plan to assemble them into a motley pattern for a one-of-a-kind quilt.

This burgeoning interest in quilting has led me to check out a few quilter's blogs recently. One of my favorites is Simplify by Camille Roskelley. Lovely patterns, lovely fabrics, lovely pictures...well it's just all around lovely. Even better, they're having a giveaway. Check it out! (yippee...just tripled my entries by writing this).

There seem to be more blogs than anyone could possibly have time to read, so below is my list of recommended sites. Whether you're into quilting or textiles at all, you'll have to agree that these are beautiful pages:

• Disdressed
• Paint in my Hair
• Anna Maria Horner
• Joel Dewberry
• HellomynameisHeather
• Portabellopixie

Added a new feature

You may have noticed that I've added a new feature to my blog: music. I sincerely hope your volume wasn't cranked too loud. My apologies if it was. Anyhow...at the bottom of the page you'll now find a little playlist I've created for you to enjoy while visiting my site. Hope you like the music - maybe you'll enjoy it, maybe you'll learn about a few new bands, maybe you'll hate it. Regardless, I'll be adding to it from time to time. Got a song or band you think I'd like? Add it in the comments.

Want to make one for yourself? Check out Project Playlist. It's this totally awesome site that operates like a search engine for online music. You're playlist is basically a list of links to music posted legally (or so they say) on other people's pages. And it's free. Niiiice.