Pin it to Win it!

I'm not sure that Randi from Fresh Squeezed Fabrics knew what she was getting into when she decided to run a Pinterest competition.. I'm pretty sure that she's going to end up going broke from all the free fabric that she'll be posting out! Free fabric did you say? What are you talking about? Haven't you heard?

Well, the deal is this: Check out Randi's etsy store and pin any of her fat quarter bundles onto one of your pinterest boards. Get your friends to re-pin it so that you end up with a number of re-pins equivalent to the $ value of the bundle (eg $15 = 15 re-pins), and then you receive your bundle for free! Seriously? Seriously. The catch? You've only got until the 27th September (Thursday). Totally achievable!

The two bundles I've got on my wish list are (sadly, I can only "win" one! But I'll be happy either way):

Please re-pin:  http://pinterest.com/pin/150237337540556582/ 

A gorgeous berry coloured FQ bundle featuring:

Quilter's Linen in Lavender, Robert Kaufman
Number Games in Bikini Pink
Empire Weave in Garnet, Heirloom
Foliage in Outplayed, Outfoxed
Tufts in Outsmarted, Outfoxed
Dumb Dot in Candy
Jewel in Dark Blue/Purple, Outfoxed
Kona in Candy Pink

Please re-pin:  http://pinterest.com/pin/150237337540556637/ 

The "Perfectly Perched" full line of fabrics by Laurie Wisbrun for Robert Kaufman. Super cute, and I just can't get enough of those chairs!

If you have your own pinterest bundle you're hoping to win, please leave me a comment with the link to your bundle and I'll re-pin yours too :)

Here's to free fabric, ladies and gentlemen! (And thank you for running an awesome incentive, Randi!)

Getting things done..

I pieced my July & August Craftsy BOM blocks simultaneously so that I could save time and feel like I was being really productive. I really like the effect of the traditional dresden plate (especially with the pointed ends on the inside too) but they were very fiddly due to their size. If I was making another one I'd probably have fewer wedges that were a little fatter.

July Block #1 - Traditional Dresden Plate

July Block #2 - Modern Dresden Wheel

I used the "mock needle turn applique" technique that we used for the May QCA bee blocks with the dresden wheel instead of using homespun to back the wheel in order to give the nicely turned edge. The added bonus being that I was able to use the interfacing to fuse the dresden wheel & centre circle onto the background fabric/wheel and then simply top stitch around the edges. Perfect!

August Block #1 - Ohio Star

August Block #2 - Double Star

The August blocks went together quickly and easily. I actually ended up completing them before I finished the July blocks. I love the double star block - this one turned out gorgeously light and pretty, contrasting with the equally gorgeous but darker and more mysterious block that I made for Anorina's July bee block. Definitely a block I'd use again. The Ohio star was very quick and easy to piece, and I  loved the symmetrical effect I was able to achieve with the striped fabric in the hourglass blocks.

August QCA Bee Block for McKenna

Thank goodness the Feathered Star block is finished! It is such a beautiful looking block, but gave me such a hard time! Both Phillipa and I spent a lot of time cursing during construction, and even though I "completed" the block weeks ago, it looked terrible. I had to deconstruct it, adjust it and reconstruct it... and initially I just couldn't bring myself to do all that unpicking. This week I put my action pants on though and I'm pleased to say that it is now in McKenna's hot little hands. 

My test block for the Something Wicked This Way Comes blog hop :)

I finally managed to get a design banged out in EQ7 that I thought was able to be pieced, so I printed out my foundation templates and set to testing. Overall it went together exactly the way I'd hoped, and I just have a few lines to tweak before I make the second test block (hopefully the final block!). My husband thinks I should make some with different facial expressions... which I'll just knock up in all the spare time I have..... no worries, honey! Having said that, I have a couple of ideas on how I could tweak the block a little to give me atleast one more facial expression without a major redesign.

Giveaway winners

Thank you to everyone who entered my Practically Paper Pieced/Quilting Gallery Blog Hop Giveaway and my Blogiversary Giveaway! I really enjoyed reading about your paper piecing efforts and what fan related paper pieced blocks you'd like to try.

I'm still working on my first paper pieced pattern for the upcoming Halloween paper pieced blog hop - it's nearly ready for testing.. I think! I'm excited and apprehensive at the same time.. what if it doesn't work?! At least I've got another month to get it right, right?

But you want to know who won the Aurifil Thread Card and the Thimbleblossoms pattern, don't you? Well, without further ado:

The winner of the Aurifil Thread Card, according to Mr Random Number Generator is Karen from Sew Well Maide!

 And the winner of the Thimbleblossoms pattern is Laura, who chose the ever popular Swoon pattern!

Both winners have been contacted. 

Congratulations, ladies!