End of the Year Pattern Sale

Now through New Year's Day you can get Mod Pop on sale for 20% off the regular price.

This sale also includes the templates and the pattern/template bundle.

You can find the pdf version available for instant download in my Craftsy store here:

http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/home-decor/mod-pop/25716

Or you can find both versions of the pattern and the templates in my Big Cartel store:

http://juliepickles.bigcartel.com/

Keep in mind that if you order the pdf through the Big Cartel store that I have to manually email the pattern to you and it may be a few hours before I know it's there and can send it. I send instantly once I receive the notification, as long as I'm home and awake!

Thanks so much for all of the support with this, my first, pattern. I have big plans for more patterns in the very near future (some of them utilizing these same templates!) and hope you like them as much as this one!

Post Christmas Catch Up

I have been trying to sit down and write a post about my holiday sewing every day for the past week but just couldn't seem to make it happen. I don't usually make handmade gifts and now I know why I have always stayed away from that in the past. It is SO stressful! What should I make? Will they like it? Can I finish it in time? This year I decided I was going to tackle a tree skirt, stockings, and a quilt. 

I only managed to finish the tree skirt. It sure is pretty though!

The stockings and quilt will just have to wait another year. It got to the point where it was Christmas Eve, the stockings still weren't done, the presents weren't wrapped, I realized I didn't have enough wrapping paper and it was already 10:00pm. I remembered my word of the year and did just that, I breathed. Then I walked away from the sewing machine, ran to my sister's to pick up some paper, wrapped the gifts and then went to bed. And we survived without the handmade stockings, imagine that!

I decided I wanted to have at least one handmade gift for each kid under the tree this year. This of course was decided after I already had the list of things to make, but they suddenly became priority.

For Moose, the dog shaped raggy quilt that I've been wanting to make for him for quite some time now. His sister has a pig shaped one and she won't sleep without it. 

I used all stash for this, which is quite a feat considering I rarely buy cuddle fabrics unless I need them for a specific project. I also used some his old receiving blankets. I particularly like this part of the ear.

Bug was getting the Fisher Price Servin' Surprises table from mom for Christmas. I added to it with the highchair and baby feeding set. Well, that meant Bug needed a baby to feed! So Silly Willy got a baby sister.

I think her arms are a little weird and one of her eyes is a bit wonky, but Bug loves her and that's all that counts.

My older two constantly have little things that need to be carried around like spare change, school behavior tokens, beyblades, etc. So they both got some small pouches. Naturally I forgot to pick up some carabiner clips so they can clip them to their belt loops. They still loved them, I'll get clips next time I'm at the store. 

And for my step-dad. You all had some really great suggestions for him. Our exchange budget was $50 so some of the suggestions were too expensive unfortunately. Many of you suggested I make him a pouch for a tablet if he had one. He doesn't, but the Idea Pouch by Michelle Patterns was a great option. It's not technically a tablet pouch, but can be used as one. 

I made it gender neutral because my mom DOES have a tablet. I figured if he couldn't use or didn't like it, that she could use it. 

It didn't cost me anything to make because I used all stash so I went ahead and got him a gift card to his favorite motorcycle gear store as well. 

I still have lots more to share. In addition to all of this I also managed a couple of baby quilts and the outside shell of a weekender bag. The kids are calling so I'm off to play some more and get back to work on reclaiming my house. Hope you and yours had a great Christmas!

Linking up to Finish it Friday!

Giveaway Day Winner!!

Holy Smokes you guys! 605 comments?! That's gotta be some kind of record. Well, for us it is anyway!

Thank you all so so so much for making this giveaway day so much fun. Welcome to all of our new followers, we hope you like us enough to stick around. We'll try to keep things interesting for you ;)

And thank you so much for all of the fantastic gift ideas for my step-dad. I have been a googling fool the last week, checking out all of these fun things you guys have suggested. Our budget is $50 (sorry for forgetting to mention that before!), so some of the suggestions were out of my price range, but there were some seriously awesome ones that I wish I could get him. You guys really made me think outside of the box, that's for sure. 

Now, on to the winner!

Random.org has spoken and lucky #65 will be receiving the stash builder bundle.

#65 belongs to Kristin!!

Kristin, I will be emailing you for your address.

Thanks so much for playing along everybody!

Knocking Out the List

I've been finally knocking out my list, too bad it's not the list that's supposed to be done by Christmas. Oops!  Remember when I said the other day that I was going to start on stockings to attempt to get back into my sewing groove? Yeah, that didn't happen.

I made potholders instead. 

In my defense, these were on my list. This one in particular was on hubby's list. Remember when I made one for my mom? He requested one for us too. 

I bought some Insul-Bright but never did get to work on them. Then I used the Insul-Bright to make my table top ironing board, oops again. I ordered more during JoAnn's Cyber Weekend sale and it arrived over the weekend. Well, tired of having to hunt for a towel because our other potholders have fallen off the face of the earth, I finally set to work and knocked these out.

I made some basic square ones too, then forgot to add the loop to hang them. Oops for the third time.

I'll just buy a little grommet kit and add grommets to them. For now they're just hanging out in the pockets of the bigger one as it hangs on the wall. I may make a glove too, but the hubster doesn't like those so much so I might not bother if I'm the only one who will use it. 

I had a lot of fun finding fabrics that matched the colors in that Melody Miller print and really love how bright this is. I kind of wish I had bound them all in that teal color, but I didn't have it my stash and I wasn't going to buy some, it wasn't that big of a deal.

Today I started yet another project that's not on the Christmas list, but on the "I've been meaning to do for X amount of years" list. I'll share more of that one later. I wanted to share something that I discovered while working on it real quick though.

Have you ever attempted the continuous method of making bias binding? The kind where you mark the cutting lines on your fabric and then sew it into a tube and cut it apart with scissors? It's very tedious to say the least and I can NEVER get my cuts nice and straight with the scissors.

Well, tonight I was trying again. I was using the "turn a fat quarter into 5 yards of bias tape" tutorial, figured it was a small amount and I could cut that by hand. I put it all together, grabbed my scissors, cut about 6" and was already having trouble keeping it straight. 

Then I remembered my skinny little cutting mat. It's the first one I ever bought and measures about 6"x18". I slipped that sucker inside my fabric tube and grabbed the ruler and rotary cutter and got to work!

At first I just cut one piece of a strip at a time, rotating the fabric tube around the mat little by little.

It was working great! But man it was taking some time.

Then I got smart.

 I cut all of the strips that were on the mat all at the same time, then rotated the tube, cut all the strips again, so on and so forth until they were all done! I did have to be careful not the let the rotary cutter slip off of the little mat onto the big one or it would have possibly sliced through the fabric underneath. 

I will definitely be making more use of the continuous binding method in the future. This was way better than sewing together a ton of strips and better than having to cut a big tube into strips using scissors. 

Remember the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway is still on, tomorrow's the last day to enter! 

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day is Here!

Hey guys, welcome to our giveaway! We'd love for you to take a look around while you're here. The "What's in a Name?" page will tell you more about us. We have a couple of free quilt patterns available on the quilt along pages and also a whole page full of tutorials!

Up for grabs today we have a stash builder fat quarter bundle

You will receive a fat quarter of each of the fabrics pictured, a nice little rainbow to enhance your stash!

How do you win? Just leave us a comment telling us what's on your holiday wish list. Or give me an idea for a gift for a 52 year old man who likes motorcycling and technology. I drew my step-dad's name in this year's gift exchange and I'm stumped!!

That's it, real simple!

There is also a second bonus entry for our followers, old and new. Just leave a comment telling us you're a follower to be entered for a second chance!

Giveaway is open until 11:59 pm on Friday December 7th. We'll draw a name using Random.org and announce the winner on Saturday. If you're a no reply blogger, please be sure to leave an email address so we can contact you if you win.

But wait...there's more!

In celebration of Giveaway Day, We are offering our patterns for sale for 15% off. The sale will run for the duration of the giveaway and the patterns will go back to regular price on Saturday.

Gypsy Dance is available in Bree's Craftsy Store

Mod Pop is available from Julie's Big Cartel store

Links are always available on the sidebar as well.

Thanks for visiting and good luck!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day

Toasty Toes

Things have been a bit slow in the crafting department lately, I seem to have just completely lost all motivation. Not so great with Christmas fast approaching. Especially considering this is the year I finally decided to actually make that tree skirt I've been wanting to make, plus stockings for the kids AND a quilt.

Sigh....

I did manage a small finish though.

I somehow found myself without a pair of fuzzy slippers and my toes were cold! I happened upon this pattern by Ayumi one day and couldn't stop thinking about it. Eventually I bought it and then gathered supplies and got to work. 

I made a small change in that I added peltex to the bottom of the slippers to give them some structure. I also did a layer of fusible fleece and a layer of batting in them for extra warmth and lined them with fleece instead of linen. 

Sewing the jiffy grip fabric was a chore. The grip is so good that it stuck to the sewing machine. Tissue paper would be your friend in this instance and I will definitely be using it next time I sew with this fabric. The husband and my oldest son have both requested a pair so that will be sooner than I thought it would be!

I'd like to find a way to make the bottom cushier, but for now they'll work. They are far from perfect, but they're warm, that's for sure!

I'm going to attempt a bit of sewing today on those Christmas stockings. Maybe they'll help me find my groove again.

P.S. Tomorrow is Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day. Be sure to come back and enter to win this little stash builder fat quarter bundle!

It's Small Business Saturday!

Hey Y'all!
Just letting you know I have a Small Business Saturday special up in my shop.
My Bent Rainbows quilt is listed at $200+ shipping, but today only, you can get it for $175 +shipping! That's $25 off!
Click on the shop link to view and order it today!

And don't forget, Julie's pattern is on sale through Monday!

Holiday Pattern Sale

Hey Guys! I didn't want to miss out on all the fun of the Thanksgiving sales so I've put my Big Cartel shop on sale for 25% off through Monday, November 26th. 

You can get the 

Mod Pop pattern for $6.75

Template set for $8.25

Combo set for $13.50

Grab it while it's hot!

You can get the pdf pattern here for INSTANT download:

Mod Pop on Craftsy

And you can get either the pdf or the printed version and the templates here:

Julie Pickles Big Cartel Store

Please keep in mind that any pdf orders through the Big Cartel store have to be manually emailed by myself after purchase and can take up to 24 hours before I can send it to you. I usually send right away but I have to be at my computer to do it and if I'm out and about it can take a bit longer. So if all you are ordering is the pdf and you want it instantly, best bet is to use Craftsy. 

Thanks so much for your support everybody, it means so much to me. 

Have a Happy Holiday!

Donktober!

Have you guys checked out Donktober yet? Our good friend the Fabric Donkey is a part of it, and it's hosted at Missy Mac Creations.



Well, I've been hoarding a half yard of Laurie Wisbrun's Jenny and Jack... you know the ones. The donkeys in galoshes? Who can resist?!

Pair that with Anna's wonderful gathered clutch tutorial (Noodlehead)... and i'm totally in love.

For freaking real. It's super adorable!! I paired it with a pretty plaid lining and a bit of Riley Blake ric rac for some accent, and BAM! A meant-to-be-a-christmas-gift-that-I-can't-part-with!

I'm linking up to Donktober - go check it out!

Traveling Stash Winner!

Random.org has spoken 

and the winner of the Traveling Stash is #10, Melinda!!

I'll be contacting you Melinda for your mailing info.

Thanks so much everybody for participating in the giveaway. Be sure to check out Melinda's blog for a chance to win it again!

Time to Vote and Some Sampler Catch Up!

No, I'm not referring to the BIG election that's happening today. Whether or not you vote and who you vote for is none of my business. I'm referring to the Blogger's Quilt Festival!

I was lucky enough to be chosen as a finalist in the throw quilt category for my Mod Pop quilt and I am seriously over the moon about it! When I sketched up the pattern for this quilt I really didn't expect the feedback that I've gotten from it and I can't tell you what a big smile it has put on my face that it's been so well received and loved. You guys have all totally made my year!!

Voting is happening here:

Blogger's Quilt Festival Voting

I'm not asking you to vote for me, just to go take a look and vote for what you like. And if your finger just happens to click on the vote button that's under my picture, then that's totally ok too ;)

Now for some catch up!

I'm still chugging along on my Cathedral Window Sampler blocks. I was completely caught up all the way until the last two blocks. Making them is actually quick and easy, it's the fabric selection for each block that slows me down!

I'm using my rainbow layer cake from the swap we hosted this past spring, along with the rainbow charm packs I have from other swaps to make this work.

Here's block one again

Block 2 

There are supposed to be 5 horizontal "spokes" and 5 vertical ones, but because I was downsizing the block from 12.5", I went with less. It didn't occur to me until after I was done that I could have also downsized the width of the spokes and still had 5 each, oops!

Block 3

This one was really fun, like putting together a puzzle. I didn't think to fussy cut the window pieces on point though until after it was too late. 

Block 4

Quick and Easy, I really love how bright it is!

Block 5 is missing because it looks very Halloween-ish and I'm just not digging it. I'll post it later after I remake it!

Block 6

I left out a window in the middle of the block because I just wasn't feeling it. I do feel like something is missing now because of it, but it will do. 

Block 7

This was the most fun to make and my favorite so far. I had a hard time getting the color order the way I wanted, and I still didn't succeed completely. It's a little mind boggling to figure out where things will land in the finished product while putting it together. The construction itself was easy though, and quite fun. Some of these blocks are like magic and I was mind blown a few times. 

I have two blocks left to make, three if I do remake block 5, which will probably happen. I'm waiting to see how the final two blocks look with the rest of them before deciding completely.

Deadline for prize entry for the quilt along is November 15th, so I'd better get crackin'!

Traveling Stash Giveaway!

Giveaway is now closed

I was the lucky winner of the Traveling Stash giveaway over at Suebee's World a couple of weeks ago and boy was I excited!

Sue so generously added some Neptune charms and Flutterby fat quarters, and we all know how much of a Tula Pink fan I am! So naturally when the box came in I was anxious to open it up and pull those out and pet them.

Problem was, we were in the middle of painting the living room (FINALLY!). Then there were Halloween costumes to make. So while I did open the box (I mean, who wouldn't at least open it!?), I didn't really get a chance to go through it until this morning. 

The box was stuffed to the gills! This was after I pulled it all out to see what was in there and then had to hurry and put it all back so I could get back to painting! This is a large flat rate box folks.

 

Here is a pile of all of the fun stuff inside. There are patterns, fabric, notions, more fabric...

This is what I pulled out of it to keep. There was more that I wanted, but I felt like it might sit for too long on my shelf not being used, so I left it there in case somebody else can use it now.

This is what I've added to it, hoping to brighten it up a bit. The June issues of American Patchwork and Quilting and fat quarters (from top to bottom) of Power Pop by Jenean Morrison, Hope Valley by Denyse Schmidt and Nicey Jane by Heather Bailey. 

I'm also including a 1/2 yard of this Christmas print, but I'm not sure of it's manufacturer or designer. I got it here and unfortunately it's not the right shade of red for the project I bought it for. Hopefully somebody else will be able to use it!

I'm also throwing in a five piece fat quarter bundle of something else, but I'll keep that a secret for now. A little bit of mystery is always fun! You'll know what they are because they're in the same bag as these other items, sitting right on top. 

Now, there are some guidelines for the traveling stash. If you can't follow these very simple, very easy rules, then please don't enter the giveaway.

Rules:

1. Be an active blogger. Post about receiving the box and the giveaway on your blog in a timely manner.

2. There's a note in the box that logs where the box has been. Please add your info and place the note back in the box.

3. There's a list of Rules and Guidelines in the box. Please read and follow these and return the list to the box.

4. You may take anything you like from the box. Just replace every item with comparable quilt shop quality items equal to the amount taken.

5. Ship the box to the next person in a reasonable amount of time.

6. Due to the amount of postage shipping is only within the USA.

So, how do you win? Real Simple, just follow these rules:

1. Leave a comment on this post. Tell me if you see anything in the pictures that you'd like to take from the stash and what you have that you would like to put into it. I think it will be fun to read what everybody else likes and what they are willing to part with.

2. Follwers, old and new, get a second entry. Just leave a separate comment telling me that you are.

3. For a third chance, blog, facebook or tweet about this giveaway, then leave a separate comment telling me that you have.

There is no pressure to do all three, and don't feel bad if you don't want to. I just like to give lots of chances to win!!

The giveaway ends at midnight EDT on Thursday, November 8th . I will draw the winning number on Friday the 9th in hopes to get the package mailed out by the weekend. If you are a no reply blogger, please be sure to leave an email address so that I can get in contact with you if you win.

Now, you know I can't sign out without leaving pictures of my kids in their costumes! I never ever make costumes, it's so stressful! But this year it somehow ended up that I made them all! 

 Here are Bug and Moose as Dora the Explorer and her pal Boots the Monkey. He doesn't look very thrilled here, but I guarantee that once he realized people were giving him candy he had a blast!

Here are Monkey and Buddha as ninjas. They couldn't decide on ANY of the costumes in the store, but found the toy swords and both decided right then and there that they wanted to be ninjas. I found this fabric for 75 CENTS PER YARD!!!! I bought the whole bolt, all 7+ yards of it. It's a good thing I did because I used all but about 2/3 yard of it! The stress level was high but I made two costumes for less than $7 (not counting the swords of course), and that works for me. 

Ok, that's it for now, good luck with the giveaway!!