Scrappy Monday

It's giveaway time again!  I have been trying to weed out my overflowing scrap bins in the studio.  So, to celebrate all of my new followers & friends, I want to share some vintage goodness.

One lucky winner will be a recipient of another vintage sheet scrap pack!  Simply leave me a comment & let me know what small project you would make with these vintage scraps.  I will choose a winner by picking my favorite from all of your responses :)

The giveaway is open to everyone (even my international readers) & comments will be open until Wednesday at 9pm EST.  Have fun dreaming up some creative ideas!

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED

It's Time To Pick A Winner!

Wow!  Thank you to each & everyone of you that stopped in to visit during the Sew Mama Sew giveaway day!  I have been overwhelmed by your kind, encouraging, & very sweet comments.  Initially, I hoped to respond individually to every comment, but I didn't anticipate a response this big!  So if I can, I would like to extend my sincerest thank yous to all of you collectively & for those who left questions I will send you a personal email before the end of the week! 

So, without further delay, it's time to announce the lucky winner!  There were a few duplicate comments, so I edited those out to get our new field of 215 coments. I plugged everything into the random.org generator (couldn't get that pretty widget to work on my page - hmmm) and presto:

True Random Number Generator
Min:Max:
Result:20
Powered by RANDOM.ORG
Lucky comment #20!

Dulce said...

Hi Im a new follower and thank you for the giveaway :D

May 23, 2011 11:52 AM

A big congratulations to Dulce!  I have sent you an email, please contact me with your shipping info!

To the rest of you runner ups, I have something special coming up on Monday - so please be sure to check back. *Hint - my scrap bins are overflowing & I am feeling generous :)

Have a great holiday weekend!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

It's time for my Sew Mama Sew giveaway!  If you are a first time visitor to the Pink Fawn blog, a big warm welcome & I hope you will take some time to look around.

Since I am in a summer sewing mood, I have come up with a giveaway that will get you started on your next small patchwork piecing or handstitching project.  The lucky winner will receive two items from my store that will be sure to please any vintage fabric lover. 

First, a Vintage Sheet Scrap Pack:

Lots of bits & pieces of vintage sheet goodness!

The scrap pack is 3oz of vintage sheet scraps selected from a variety of prints. These are perfect for paper piecing or any small handstitched patchwork project (doll quilts, coin purses, pillows, pincushions, aprons - just to give you some ideas).  The second item I've selected is for adding a finishing touch to that project:

A little icing on the cake.

Handmade vintage linen covered buttons - these are in the 1/2" size.  A cute & decorative way to finish your project.

To enter, simply become a follower of my blog by clicking the "follow" button on my sidebar.  Then, leave me a comment on this post.  If you are already a follower, you just need to leave me a comment :)  If you would like an additional entry, grab my blog button, add it to your blog's sidebar, come back & leave me another comment to let me know.  Pretty easy!

My giveaway is open to US & Canadian residents (sorry to my international readers) & will be drawn at random.  The giveaway is open until May 25 & the winner will be announced the following day.  Please be sure that your blogger account is set to receive replies or that you leave an email address so I can find you! Good luck to everyone & don't forget to check out all the other blogs who are participating in the SMS Giveaway by clicking on the giveaway button on the sidebar!

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!

Vintage Hexagons

First things first, I would like to send a big thank you & hug to all of you that left sweet birthday wishes yesterday!  Now that everyone has had their fill of virtual cake, it's time for a giveaway!  Ok, well you have to wait a bit, onto some sewing first ;)

Sometimes it's nice to slow things down a bit - even in sewing. Maybe it's the vintage influence, but I really enjoy the process of handstitching.  There is an organic beauty in stitches that are slightly imperfect & not machine uniform.  It's also nice to have a sewing project that is compact & can be carried from one space to another.

My latest project is a mish mash of vintage prints that are being sewn up into jumbo hexies.  There isn't any order or preconcieved ideas of color.  I am simply using a rainbow of colors & prints to make a happy collage :)  Perfect summer sewing!

Summery sewing!

I know many people use paper hexagons for their templates, but I choose to use my own handmade mylar templates.  There are a few reasons for this: 1. Unlike paper, they are reusable. 2. They are sturdier & easier to form the fabric on. 3. Mylar is thicker & gives a straighter edge for stitching the hexagons together. 4. I can make a whole variety of sizes out of a single sheet of mylar.  These hexies are a 1.5" hexagon which is quite jumbo in size & should make a nice pillow cover.

Now that you have the basics of piecing with mylar templates, it's time to get on with less technical things.  That means - drumroll please, GIVEAWAYS!  I am participating in Sew Mama Sew's giveaway day which is being held on May 23.  I am teaming up with a huge list of other bloggers who will all be hosting individual giveaways on their blogs.  Think of it as the grand slam of giveaway events :)

I have posted a button link on my sidebar to the giveaway day details.  On the day of the giveaway this link will take you to a list of all participating blogs with their links.  Simply click the links to visit them & enter for your chance to win!  It's simple & fun!

Now you all have to wait until the 23rd to see what my giveaway is :)  A hint: something to get you started on your own piecing project!

Today

I am celebrating my birthday!  That means my favorite dessert of all time - CAKE! 

I mean, who doesn't love cake?  So my little deer friend is serving up a virtual slice to all of you & it's the vanilla, buttercream & coconut kind with pink frosting :) 

Have a happy Tuesday & I will be back tomorrow with some sewing!

Made In America

I was listening to talk radio the other day & was engrossed by a discussion about manufacturing in the USA.  The guest was Tina Polito, the insightful author of a blog humorously named China Ate My Jeans.  The blog is an engaging journal of a specific goal - in her own words: "My goal, inspired by my entrepreneurial, idealistic, patriotic dad, is to seek, find, and buy only products made in the USA for a year."

Tina's experiences are amusing, but they are also thought-provoking.  The undercurrent of her writing points to a dwindling of america's manufacturing industries & the subsequent rise in unemployment.  The question is, if we keep sending all our manufacturing overseas, how will we ever be self-sustaining?  How can our economy thrive when most of our consumer goods are imported?  These are some of the questions that Tina tackles through her shopping experiences & quest for goods made in the USA.

This is something that has been on my mind from the moment I became an entrepreneur.  Quality handmade american goods are being overshadowed by cheaply mass-produced "handmade" junk from China.  Just a short browse on Etsy is enough to see that these industries have wedged their presence into what was once a unique community of cottage industries run by artists & craftspeople.

So what can we do to encourage more made in america products?  It's pretty simple: change our buying patterns.  For instance, I just recently changed my shipping envelopes to biodegradable poly mailers from Ecoenclose.  This is a fantastic company that produces 100% biodegradable shipping supplies & they are based entirely in the USA!  Making the purchase even sweeter was the fact that their mailers were cheaper than my other source - score!

I have also mentioned my fanatical love of Divine Twine in previous posts.  All those pretty packages that you receive from my studio, are bundled up in 100% cotton, made in the USA baker's twine!  It's so much more lovely & environmentally conscious than cheap, mass-produced synthetic ribbon.

If this post inspires you to make some changes in your own purchasing habits, then I encourage you to check out Tina's blog.  Among her useful resources is a list of US based industries & what they produce to help you with your search.

Of course, you can also stop by my shop for great american vintage finds!  Here is a little eye candy that was just posted for sale:

Summer dreaming!

Wishing you a great Thursday!

Buttoned Up

Cute vintage notions are a must when working with vintage fabrics.  These little finishing touches pull the project together like frosting on a cupcake.  I like mine with sprinkles:

Little vintage fabric buttons!

Ok, well they aren't actually sprinkles - but aren't they yummy?  I can think of a bunch of projects that would look great with these as fasteners - pillow covers, purses, a summer blouse, or even a cute sundress.


All carded up - what a cute sewing room accessory!

These are 1/2" buttons covered from my selection of vintage sheets.  I also have 3/4" buttons that are a bit bolder in scale:

Pretty aqua rosebuds!

Sweet meadow flowers!

All the buttons have a wire shank on the back for fastening.  If you would like to use these for a non-sewing project (scrapbooking, embelishment, magnets,etc.) you can simply pull out the wire on the back so they will lay flat.  Pretty nifty, don't you think?

These cute vintage buttons are now available in my shop.  I will be updating with new listings too, so keep checking in!  Have a great weekend!

Weekend Sewing

Last weekend I finally sat down to my sewing machine & indulged in a project for myself.  Tucked away in my pattern tote, I had a sundress pattern that was begging to be sewn.  So I dug it out & went to work!

A free pattern from the lovely Heather Ross.

I have worked with Heather Ross' patterns before from my copy of her book Weekend Sewing.  I love her clothing designs because 1. They are easy, 2. I like her unique hand drawn diagrams, & 3. The designs are comfortable & easy to wear.  Often when I finish one of her patterns, I want to do another (or even a whole closetful) in different fabrics.  Yes, they are that good!

The Mendocino Sundress is a perfect addition to any wardrobe.  I imagine it with a cute cardigan in the spring on cooler days.  In the summer it would be pretty & versatile - as a swimsuit coverup, a cute sundress for running errands, or paired with strappy heels & jewelery for an evening out.  Lots of options & lots of different looks with this one dress!  Here is mine:

A bright & modern print!

I used one of Amy Butler's Midwest Modern prints.  It's a little bold & I like that it's something different than the typical floral sundress.  The top of the dress is shirred with rows of stitching backed in elastic thread.  I went through 2 regular spools of the stuff - so heads up if you plan on making one of your own!  Some people find elastic thread intimidating, but it's really quite easy.  My tip is to hand wind the bobbin so that the thread is taut but not tight.  If you make it too tight you will end up with a bird's nest of thread from the elastic not moving smoothly through the feed.

If you would like a copy of Heather's Mendocino Sundress, visit her link here.  I would love to hear about your own creations or tips from sewing with this cute pattern!  Happy sewing!