Well, these gorgeous bolts have been arriving at my house for the last couple of weeks, and I finally have a bit of time to sew! Hooray! To jump off all this sewing fun, I’m giving away a Love Nest™ fat quarter set. All 12 luscious fabrics mailed right to you…how’s that for fun? Leave me a comment in this post to get entered into the drawing. Winner will be announced in a week on January 17th.
Happy Sewing!
Carina
2010 zipped by, didn’t it? Looking back, it was such a big year for me: a little first grader, a brand new preschooler, my first fabric line, getting comfy in our new home…it was a fun year and to celebrate, here are some of my favorite blog moments from 2010. Enjoy!
1 – Iron-on graphics on T-shirts for Siri’s Birthday Party favors
2 – How to Create a Layout From a Quick Page or Album in Digital Scrapbooking. My first freebie video tutorial!
3 – I still love and use these cute canister labels!
4 – It was the Designer Blog Hop with a super fun free digital scrapbooking download for International Scrapbooking Day!
5 – My Chinese New Year Party revisited!
6 – My first free pattern download – the Felicity Fabric Flower
7 – My first Quilt Market! Back to Minneapolis!
8 – Sew Important – My mom gives my daughter a lesson in sewing.
9 – CHA in Chicago along with fun at Spraguefest! A boat tour of the city, sewing fun, and a trip to Navy Pier I’ll never forget!
10 – The first CG Newsletter is released! Eye candy for all!
11 – Download for the Halloween Banner for my paper line Haunted™. I’ve been asked if that piano is just for display, but the answer is “no.” I actually play that thing!
12 – My first downloadable quilt pattern using Coquette™. A great beginner quilt!
13 – My move to Jessica Sprague.com. A new Desktop Calendar Class, Hybrid Project Fridays and One Dollar Wednesdays!
14 – A quick ballet bag using Love Nest™.
15 – A Partridge Pattern
16 – A Merry Christmas to You!
I woke up this morning and ached for a bit of sewing. Just a little. I just wanted a quick little project that would brighten my two little girls’ day. Here’s what I came up with:
Using the samples I have from Love Nest™ (due out Jan 2011), I made both Siri and Flissa a reversible ballet bag. It was ever so easy and would also make the perfect church handbag, travel bag, goodie bag,… (you get the idea).
You don’t need much fabric (remember, all I have are tiny samples). It does help to have two fun coordinating fabrics so that you can flip the bag inside out for a little change-a-roo.
When I say “simple” I really mean it. You basically need 4 pieces of fabric (a piece for the outside, a piece for the inside, and two straps). My girls love it and I loved getting in a little project this morning.
Here are my little notes if you want to make this bag with a few extra pieces of fabric you have lying around your house:
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Here’s a picture of the birdie-brown bag reversed out (the blue flower calico print) and a peek into Flissa’s heart-circle baggie.
I think I counted 10 straight lines to sew to make this bag. In the words of Ina, “How easy was that?”
XOXO-Carina
It’s taken me a little longer than I wanted it to, but here it is! Instructions for putting together the Coquette™ Quilt. It’s meant for the beginner to intermediate quilter. I love this quilt because it is very forgiving for us newbie quilters. None of the seams line up and all of the blocks are nice and big.
The final patchwork is very pretty and sweet without being pink. Not that there won’t be a lot of pink in the future….
I have to admit that this is the first big quilt I’ve made. I desperately have been wanting to make a queen-sized quilt for my own bed and have been waiting for Coquette™ to come along.
What a little flirt of a quilt! The two of us snuggle very happily now as I watch Glee or Project Runway (I’m so excited about tomorrow’s finale!)
Of course, you can mix and match fabrics (especially if you are having trouble finding Coquette™ at a local quilt shop near you). It’s a very easy patchwork with fairly large blocks.
Download the instructions for this quilt below. I hope you have as much fun with it as I did!
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It’s happy day when fabric arrives at my door. Today it was samples from my Love Nest™ Collection for Northcott™, which should hit quilting shops in January. You may recognize this collection from it’s Scrapbooking Glitter Pad debut at Hobby Lobby a year ago. Siri and I went through the samples trying to decide which would be for quilts, pillows, and outfits. It certainly gets me even more excited about the sewing patterns that we are developing right now (due out next spring!).
Siri and I are also figuring out fun ways to use up the scraps of Coquette™ hanging around. She’s been begging for Barbie dresses, but I like this alternative better. We got this with the kid’s meal at Burger King. I seem to remember having something like this when I was a little girl. The best part is just cutting out the square fabric swatches and letting her mix and match to her heart’s content.
BTW, if you missed the mailing for my first newsletter, just click on the 
newsletter here. Be sure and sign up for the newsletter here to get any future issues (BTW, this one has a digital scrapbooking freebie download! Check it out).
Last week we had the photoshoot for Coquette™. I was so happy with the photographs (shot by friend Susan Haglund). You can see many of the photos in the first issue of our newsletter.
It took us two-weeks-of-crazy (that sounds like a country song) to get ready for this shoot. I don’t think I’ve sat down and sewn like that in, well, ever!
Now that the marathon sewing is over with, I’m settling back in although that doesn’t mean much since we are preparing for the digital move (hint, hint, you need to read the newsletter). Oh, and maybe a couple of classes.
You’ll see pictures from the shoot peppered across the site in the coming weeks.
Oh ya, and blooper reel to come.
If you saw my studio, you’d know exactly what I mean. There is fabric everywhere! This morning I had a meeting with photographer Susan Haglund as we mapped out the photoshoot this weekend. Lot’s of stuff a-cookin’. This is my quick stop into my blog to say, “hello!” and let you know about a couple of things.
1- First, it’s the beginning of October and I have one more paper pack (and brads and stamps and vinyl) of Haunted™ in my studio. It’s up for grabs, just leave a comment in this post, and I’ll announce the winner next Monday.
2-We’re hyping up in the studio for our brand-spankin’-new quarterly newsletter. This isn’t your typical newsletter…I promise it won’t disappoint! Our very first one will be coming out in a couple of weeks with lots of eye candy. I’ll be sure to announce new classes coming up, new designs, and show you what we have been up to in the studio. Be sure and sign up!
3-You’ll notice that there is a new navigation bar up top! That’s because we have simplified the website in the hopes that you can find anything your heart desires very quickly. Be sure and refresh you blog page to make sure you get the most up-to-date links.
4-I’m anxiously waiting for my Coquette quilt to come back this weekend…I’ll keep you posted!
Hugs-Carina
Hello all! I know you have been anticipating today’s post. I won’t delay it by telling you that I finally finish my Coquette™ quilt and was thoroughly amazed at how long it takes to get it machine quilted. So give me a few weeks and I’ll get the pattern, instruction, and photos up for you.
In the meantime, someone gets to enjoy some of this giveaway goodness. And that person is (according to random.org): Shelly Garcia
Shelly Garcia says:
I love the Coquette fabric! I have the perfect pattern for them. Fall is probably my favorite season of the year but it can be dreary with the leaves falling off the trees and everything getting ready to sleep for the winter. I love this fabric because it will help brighten things up without looking out of place! Did I mention I love this fabric!
Congrats Shelly! email me at info@carinagardner.com and we’ll get you all set up!
Thank you to everyone that entered! There may be one more giveaway for an extra packet of Haunted™ I have lying around the office in the near future…
What IS a lumjum you might ask? Growing up with a Chinese mom meant that we had some pretty weird words for some of our favorite things. However, the most loved item that my mom made each of us was a lumjum, aka a cylinder body pillow.
Growing up, this was the lovie we all took on every vacation with us (skip the pillow, bring the lumjum). My siblings can attest. You didn’t leave home without your lumjum-it would mean a bad night of sleep.
Even today, I take my lumjum with me. When I don’t I have to have 5 pillows to take it’s place (ask Deena and Jen). Ya, more information than you wanted I’m sure.
Mine is a little extra long with super easy instructions. You use ever bit of fabric, and it is fun for movie night or a cuddle. You can tell we’ve had some serious sewing time during the last couple of days. Oh yes, all these projects are made with my brand new bolts of Coquette™. The project madness has just begun…
Also wanted to give a reminder that the giveaway for my debit fabric line ends on Friday (a couple of days away) so be sure to put in your comment in the Coquette™ Fat Quarter post soon!
Click on the image below for the downloadable instructions for this easy body pillow.
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photographs in this post by Susan Haglund
Last night, my girls went to a pillow pet party. It was a cousin event and involved (of course) all of their pillow pets. Siri reported that they decorated cupcakes and watched a movie with popcorn. I got there this morning as they had all changed into bathing suits and headed out for some water fun. They are smart to take advantage of the nice weather while they can!
Oh, did I mention the best part about this party? I didn’t host it. (Thank you Liz and Tim!).
If you are checking out the cool filter I have on the photo to the left, it’s an App on my iPhone called Hipstamatic. I wanted to make another ABC Book for myself (as I taught the class), but I have very little time these days. So I’m taking all my pics this time around on my iPhone and scrapping it that way. So far it’s working pretty well, and I love the old-timey feeling I get from these photos.
Finally, I wanted mention that my Butterfly Chandelier Tutorial has been featured on Odeedoh! Thank you everyone for checking this out (and letting me know about it!). It’s such a privileged!
Hope you are all having a good weekend and don’t forget about the giveaway in the post below! Be sure and add your comment for a chance to win my new fabric line!
You can image how excited I was when Coquette™ came to my door today! It actually got dropped off at my old address and has been sitting there for 4 days! I’m so happy to have it at my house now, filling up my tiny studio. It’s amazing!
You can find Coquette™ by going to Northcott’s website and checking out were it is being sold (click on the sidebar for locations). If it’s not near you or you need an online resource, you can check out the Fat Quarter Shop or eQuilter.com.
I’m also giving you a chance to win it here! I have fat quarters (all 13 fabrics!) already cut and ready to be shipped! How’s that for fun! Coquette™ is 100% cotton and will happily be made into anything your heart desires!
What’s better than getting these juicy fabrics? How about a paper pack, epoxy brads, and acrylic stamps from my Haunted™ scrapbook line? I also have a pair of simulated diamond earrings from Diamond Earring.org (they sent me a pair too and they are very cute), and a Picture Keeper USB for you (have you tried one of these? It automatically downloads all your photos from your computer by just plugging it in!). I’m throwing all of it into a package and sending it to someone who leaves a comment on this thread. I’ll do a random drawing and announce the winner on Friday, September 24th. Be sure and comment for a chance at this!
Want to always learn about giveaways like this one? Be sure and sign up for my newsletter either in the post below or the side bar.
XOXO, Carina
I was invited to a craft night with a whole lot of mid-western gals. Who knew there were so many Minnesotan’s in Utah (escaping the cold no doubt)? The theme was t-shirts so I brought T’s for the girls and myself with tons of fat quarters, lace, and buttons. Inspired by Whippy Cake’s headbands (introduced to me by Kari Holt at CHA), I decided to add velcro to all the shirts and make lots and lots of flowers so my little girly-girls and I would switch out depending on our mood. It was an instant hit with my kids, and Siri is sitting next to me learning to sew rosettes as I type. Thanks for inviting me Kelly!
Northcott™ sent me these fun pictures of Love Nest™. I was thrilled to see the first bolt of the line, which goes on sale in a week and will ship out January 2011. Please send the link of the brochure (on the side bar) to your local quilt store to carry this line!!!
Simply copy this link in an email: https://carinagardner.com/studio/freedownloads/lovenest_webbrochure.pdf (Be sure and click on the brochure so you can see the line yourself too:)
That lemony yellow is yummy!
Just taking a quick blog break from getting together not one, but two fabric lines that I’m shipping off tomorrow. One of them you’ll recognize, one of them you won’t. Snicker, snicker…can’t help being a tease!
Sadly enough, I gotta run. No chit chat for me. Promise I have a couple of cool projects around the corner that I’m going to post soon!
