Snowflakes & Lace Series Wrap-Up

Thanks again to all of our very talented guests this past week who made some terrific projects with lace for our Snowflakes & Lace Series!  If you missed any of the posts from my blog or Sewing Mama RaeAnna's blog, please be sure to check them out.  All the post links are below.

Crochet Racer Back Dress by Sew Like My Mom

Add Lace to a Sweater Sleeve by Kid Approved

Eyelet Lace Lillian Pintucked Dress by Welcome to the Mouse House

Refashioned Lace Tee by House of Estrela

Vintage Lace Shoe and Bag Clips by RanaMama Designs

Ruffles and Lace Skirt Tutorial by Handmade Martini

Lace and Leather Clutch by sewVery

Polkadots and Lace by Get Your Crap Together

Lace Track Suit by Paisley Roots

Three Lace Projects by the Shaffer Sisters

Ballerina Lace Dress by Ali Cat & Co

Snow Inspired Dress with Treasure Pocket by Climbing the Willow

Lace Arm Warmers by The Berry Bunch

Lace Snowflake Sweater by Sewing Mama RaeAnna

Now to announce the giveaway winners!  Thanks to our generous sponsors shown below, we have three awesome prizes to give away today.  Prize Packs 1 and 2 are for US Residents only while Prize Pack 3 is open to all entries (US and International).  Winners have been emailed and have 24 hours to respond or another winner will be selected.

Prize pack 1 (US Residents Only)- Lindsay Conner of Lindsay Sews and Craft Buds recently published a quilt book, Modern Bee.  She will send the winner a sewing kit that includes fabric, thread, and notions!

Michelle of Handmade Martini will be sending 2.5 yards of vintage lace trim!  And Heidi of Elegance & Elephants will send the winner one pdf pattern of their choice from her shop.

Prize Pack 1 Winner: Stacy

Prize pack 2 (US Residents Only)- Brianne of Ali Cat & Co. has a license to sell the Buttercup bags and has an adorable finished bag to send to the winner!

Chelsea of Get Your Crap Together has a great bundle of organization patterns for school!  And RaeAnna from Sewing Mama RaeAnna will send 1 yard of vintage lace trim and the winner's choice of either the Bumblebee Dress pdf pattern or the Cupcake Top pdf pattern!

Prize Pack 2 Winner: Carrie

Prize pack 3 - Karly of Paisley Roots will send the Saffron Twirl Dress Pattern!  And Hayley of Mouse House Creations will send a pattern of choice to the winner!

Prize Pack 3 Winner: Nicole

Thanks again!  Please be sure to let us know what you thought of the series and if you'd like to see it again in the future!

Have fun sewing!

Snowflakes & Lace with sewVery

Wow!  What an exciting week!  Co-hosting the Snowflakes & Lace Series with my friend, RaeAnna from Sewing Mama RaeAnna, has been such fun.  I've truly enjoyed seeing all the projects our guest bloggers contributed to the series, and I've discovered so many new ways to use lace from those that joined our linky party and pinned to our Pinterest board.  Thank you so much for making the series a success!

As promised, RaeAnna and I are both sharing with you today our ideas for using lace.  For me, I knew immediately what I would make for this series--a Lace & Leather Clutch!

About a year ago, I visited my local Goodwill Outlet Store where you literally rummage through bins to find treasures, and that is where I found this beautiful piece of vintage lace!  The original piece was roughly 18" long, and I found a similar green lace piece that is over a yard long with it.  I assume both pieces are vintage since they were in a pile with several old patterns and other notions from most likely the 1970's. I knew I couldn't let these beautiful pieces end up as trash, so I snagged them for mere pennies!

Months pass and I'm watching Project Runway All-Stars when I see a clutch with a hand strap used with Christopher Palu's Bonnie & Clyde look.  I thought that was such a neat idea, so when I was deciding what to make for our Snowflake & Lace Series, I knew I would sew the same style of clutch.

Since the cream lace I had rescued at Goodwill was wide, it was a natural choice to use it to embellish the hand strap on the clutch.  The clutch itself is just a basic zipper pouch made from wool suiting material I had on hand.  I topstitched leather to the bottom corners of the clutch to add even more texture and color to the bag and then sewed the lace to a strap that is attached across the front of the bag.

The inside is lined with a neutral duck cloth and the wool fabric is fused with Pellon Shape Flex 101 for added structure.

This bag took me about an hour to make, and I just love it!  I have enough of all the materials to make one more identical bag which would make a perfect gift.

Front

Back

Since we started this series, I have had lace on the brain and am beginning to use some of your ideas to incorporate it into my sewing more.  I hope you found some inspiration too!

Please be sure to visit RaeAnna to see the adorable Lace Snowflake Top she made her sweet little girl. Her project makes we want to crank up the embroidery machine again!

Also, you have just a few more hours to enter our giveaway.  We have three awesome prizes up for grabs!  Enter below.  Winners will be selected and announced in our wrap-up post on Sunday!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks again to you and all our guests!  Have fun sewing!

Snowflakes & Lace Day 5 - Handmade Martini

I'm sad to say today is the last day of our guest posts for the Snowflakes & Lace Series.  I've so enjoyed getting to know all these wonderful bloggers better and discovering so many new ways to incorporate lace into my sewing projects!  Tomorrow, Sewing Mama RaeAnna and I will do a final recap of the series and share with you our own lace enhancing ideas!

If you missed our guests yesterday, be sure to visit House of Estrela, RanaMama Designs, Ali Cat & Co., and The Berry Bunch to see what they made.

Up today is Michelle of Handmade Martini.  Sewing is in Michelle's DNA--seriously!  She has two great-grandmothers that sewed professionally, so it's no surprise to me that she loves to sew and feels an internal need or calling to create with needle and thread herself.  Lucky for her she has three little ones--two boys and one girl--to sew for when she's not busy homeschooling or running marathons!

For today's Snowflakes & Lace project, Michelle's daughter is the recipient of her time spent sewing.  Be sure to visit Handmade Martini for her Ruffles and Lace Skirt Tutorial!  

It's not too late to still join in on all the lace fun! Click HERE to add your lace inspired projects to our linky party and to enter the giveaway for a chance to win 1 of 3 super prizes!  Winners will be announced on Sunday!

Thanks for stopping by today and be sure to visit Sewing Mama Raeanna to meet our other Snowflakes & Lace guest of the day!  See you back here tomorrow for our round-up of the series and to see our own Snowflakes & Lace inspired creation!

Have fun sewing!

Snowflakes & Lace - Day 3 Welcome to the Mouse House

We are half way through the Snowflakes & Lace series as of today!  I have been so amazed by all the lace projects our guests are sharing this week.  If you missed yesterday, be sure to visit Kid Approved and Paisley Roots to see what they made.

Today's guest is Hayley from Welcome to the Mouse House.  Hayley has a keen eye for designing vintage inspired clothing patterns as well as the skills to fully redecorate (including new paint, wallpaper, accessories, furniture, etc) a room in a matter of days! Plus, she has two of the most adorable kiddos that she sews for and who help model all those amazing outfits on her blog.

In addition to all that, Hayley recently started designing pdf clothing patterns that she sells at Mouse House Creations, and she is one of the designers for the soon to be released Willow & Co. collaboration.  I just want to know how this woman finds time and energy to get all this done! Whew!

For our Snowflakes & Lace series, Hayley has a gorgeous pin tucked eyelet dress to show you. I'm guessing hoping there is a future Mouse House Creations pdf pattern so I can sew this one myself?! Just head over to her blog at Welcome to the Mouse House to see more pictures of her lace inspired creation.

Want to join in on the fun?  Then click HERE to add your lace inspired projects to our linky party and to enter the giveaway for a chance to win 1 of 3 super prizes!

Thanks for stopping by today and be sure to visit Sewing Mama RaeAnna to meet our other Snowflakes & Lace guest of the day!  See you back here tomorrow when I introduce 2 new guests for the series!

Have fun sewing!

Snowflakes & Lace Series - Day 2 Kid Approved

Welcome back for Day 2 of Snowflakes & Lace!  Melissa from Sew Like My Mom and Chelsea from Get Your Crap Together knocked it out of the park with their amazing lace inspired projects yesterday! If you missed those, please be sure to visit their blogs and catch up!

Today, my co-host, RaeAnna, and I have two more bloggers to introduce.  First up is Olga from the blog, Kid Approved.  Olga is a mom of 4, who like most of us, loves to sew for her kids and occasionally for herself.  I first "met" Olga through linky parties and other blogger circles, and I often see her participating in the Project Run & Play sew-along.  She always has a project that catches my eye and makes me want to see more.

Also, Olga is one of the designers for the new pdf pattern collaboration group called Willow & Co.  Are you as excited as I am to see what she and the other talents from the group have to offer? Their debut in the spring can't get here fast enough!

So to tie us over until then, she's put together this really simple tutorial on how to add lace to an existing sweater sleeve.  What a neat idea!  Click HERE to visit Kid Approved for the full tutorial.

Oh, and don't forget to add your own lace inspired project to our linky party and enter the giveaway for a chance to win 1 of 3 super prizes!  To enter the party and giveaway, click HERE.

Thanks for stopping by today and be sure to hop over to Sewing Mama RaeAnna to meet our other Snowflakes & Lace guest of the day!  See you back here tomorrow.

Have fun sewing!

Snowflakes & Lace Series Day 1 - Sew Like My Mom

To kick off the Snowflakes & Lace Series co-hosted by Sewing Mama RaeAnna and sewVery, I'd like to introduce you to Melissa from Sew Like My Mom. 

Melissa's a good ol' Southern girl like myself.  She has four children, which you might think would keep her too busy to do much sewing or blogging, but not Melissa!  She's been blogging since 2010 and has created an amazing collection of free tutorials for all sorts of children's and women's clothing, recipes, sewing techniques, and even a category of "fun stuff" projects!

Plus, she has ventured into pattern designing and recently released three children's clothing pdf patterns for sale in her Etsy shop:  the Darling Daisy Dress, the Busy Lizzy Dress & Shirt, and the Kudzu Coverall & Dress patterns.  I've tried out the first two patterns and can honestly say they are outstanding!  I just finished the Busy Lizzy dress for Ella--you may have seen a sneak peek of it on my Facebook page.  I love, love, love it!  Keep your eye out for it on the blog later this month.  

Melissa has put together a terrific project for our Snowflakes & Lace Series--a unique, crochet-racer back dress!  I've never seen anything quite like it.  To read her entire post on what inspired her to make this and how she did it, head over to her blog, Sew Like My Mom.

Be sure to link up your projects in our link party and enter our giveaway below to win one of three prize packs HERE!

Oh, and don't forget to visit Sewing Mama RaeAnna, too, for her introduction of another series' contributor.

I'll see you back here tomorrow morning for Day 2 of the Snowflakes & Lace Series.

Have fun sewing!

Snowflakes & Lace Series

Tomorrow is the big day!  The start of the Snowflakes & Lace series that I am co-hosting with my good friend, RaeAnna, of Sewing Mama RaeAnna!  This is going to be so much fun!

Adding just a little lace to a project--whether it be a piece of clothing, home decor, or even a craft--can take it from good to great with minimal effort.  Plus, I love the feminine, delicate touch lace gives an item.

Each day this week, RaeAnna and I will be introducing you to the fabulous bloggers listed above as well as linking you to their projects using lace.  We have some super serious talent here, so expect total awesomeness!  RaeAnna and I will finish up the series on Saturday when we post our own lace inspired creations.

We also want to see what you can do with lace!  RaeAnna has set up a linky party for you to share your blog post link and picture.

We also have a Pinterest Board called Snowflakes & Lace where we are repinning projects you find and tag with #SnowLaceSew.

 

I've already seen a lot of projects with lace on the Pinterest board that I now want to try.

Want even more fun?!  We've also put together a giveaway for the series that includes 3 prize packs!

Prize pack 1 (US Residents Only)- Lindsay Conner of Lindsay Sews and Craft Buds recently published a quilt book, Modern Bee.  She will send the winner a sewing kit that includes fabric, thread, and notions!

Michelle of Handmade Martini will be sending 2.5 yards of vintage lace trim!  And Heidi of Elegance & Elephants will send the winner one pdf pattern of their choice from her shop.

Prize pack 2 (US Residents Only)- Brianne of Ali Cat & Co. has a license to sell the Buttercup bags and has an adorable finished bag to send to the winner!

Chelsea of Get Your Crap Together has a great bundle of organization patterns for school!  And RaeAnna from Sewing Mama RaeAnna will send 1 yard of vintage lace trim and the winner's choice of either the Bumblebee Dress pdf pattern or the Cupcake Top pdf pattern!

Prize pack 3 - Karly of Paisley Roots will send the Saffron Twirl Dress Pattern!  And Hayley of Mouse House Creations will send a pattern of choice to the winner!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
So please be sure to come back tomorrow to meet our first guest bloggers and check out how they have incorporated lace into their sewing or craft project.  Sewing Mama RaeAnna will also be introducing a guest blogger on her blog, so be sure to visit her as well.

Until tomorrow...have fun sewing!

Happy 2014, Updates, and a Project That Will Keep You Warm

Happy New Year, everyone!  Yes, I'm still here.  It's just been rough around my house the last three weeks.  My kids and I all had the flu which started for my son the day before school break. I caught it two days later, and Ella got it a week after me (two days after Christmas while we were out of town visiting family).  My son recovered the quickest (like in 4 days) while Ella and I are still dealing with chest congestion, coughing, and fatigue.

Oh, and did I mention we adopted a second cat during all this?  Well, it's more like he adopted us! He showed up at our back door two weeks before Christmas, and after chasing down a lead on a missing kitty we thought was him but wasn't, we resolved to keep him.  He's named Aubie (surprisingly, my Alabama fan husband came up with it) and sometimes called Pumpkin, and we all love him dearly.  As my son says, "He's the cutest kitty in the world!"  I must agree, Aubie is pretty cute and one of the sweetest cats I've ever owned.  Our 15 year old female cat is not as pleased about this family addition as we are, and we are hopeful that she will finally come to accept him and share her space with him.

The past couple of days, I've finally had the energy to get back into a routine of sorts.  I've managed to sew up two or three things for Ella for some upcoming posts later this month.  Please be sure to check back here often or sign up to follow sewVery through the Bloglovin' button in the sidebar to your right.

One project I'm very excited about is the Snowflakes & Lace series that I will be co-hosting with my friend, RaeAnna, from Sewing Mama RaeAnna.

Starting on January 13th, RaeAnna and I will be introducing at least two bloggers each day with links to their amazing projects that involve lace! RaeAnna and I will share our own creations at the end of the series on January 18th.  The series will include a link-up party so you, too, can share your lace creations, and we'll even have a giveaway for patterns and a little sewing kit!

We'd love for you to help us all find lace inspiration by pinning projects you've made with lace or pictures you've found of clothing, accessories, or home decor that is adorned with lace.  Just be sure to include the hashtag #SnowLaceSew when you pin the item so we can find it and add it to our Pinterest board.  It should be a lot of fun!

 

And speaking of Snowflakes, there are still a few on the ground here and the temperatures have plummeted to the single digits for the high.  Definitely not what we are used to here in the South. Our heat pump is just not designed to heat extremely well in temperatures this low.  As a result, it's running constantly to try and keep the house just barely warm, and my feet are freezing still!

If you are experiencing the same sort of weather right now or even colder temps, then I highly recommend you make up a few of these--my sewVery Simple Hot Pads!

My sewVery Simple Hot Pad Tutorial is my No. 5 most viewed post, and I thought it was definitely worth sharing again today.  It's a really quick project that you can use with rice or dried corn.  I use them to warm up our beds at night or to warm our feet while watching tv or while sitting at the computer to blog. Our new cat is even enjoying the warmth they provide!

There you have it.  An update of sorts.  Sorry for the long absence, but I hope everyone had a terrific Christmas with many wonderful blessings.  I wish you all the best 2014 possible, and I thank you for following my blog and leaving me comments every now and then.  I love hearing from those of you who have used a tutorial of mine!

See you soon, and have fun sewing!