Indian Summer Maple Leaf Quilt and a Giveaway!

Today I am participating in the Benartex Feels Like Fall blog hop. Check out my tutorial for this Maple Leaves Quilt on their blog Sew in Love {with Fabric} using their Indian Summer and Burlap fabric. Don't forget to comment here to enter to win a fat quarter bundle of the fabric!!!

Be sure to check out the other great projects by these talented folks on the blog tour!!!

Day 1: Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation featuring the Harvest Song collection
Day 2: Christina from Sometimes Crafter featuring the Spooktacular collection
Day 3: Melissa from My Fabric Relish featuring the Daily Zen collection
Day 4: Benartex blog design team featuring the Fall Festival collection
Day 5: Debby from Debby Kratovil Quilts featuring the Spooktacular collection
Day 6: Erin from Why Not Sew featuring the Indian Summer collection


Happy Sewing!
xo Erin

Fun Things Going On...

I hope you will join me this week for a couple of fun blog hops I'm participating in.

Tomorrow October 8th, I'll have a tutorial posted on Benartex's Sew in Love {with Fabric} blog with a fat quarter bundle giveaway on my blog.

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Thursday October 9th, I'll have some super cute blocks to show you for the Christmas Keepsakes Blog Tour for Shabby Fabrics and a $25 gift certificate giveaway.

I also wanted to mention Fat Quarter Shops new 2015 Quilt-Along. The Snapshots Quilt-Along will be benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Their Quilt Along has 12 traditionally pieced picturesque (novelty) blocks that capture and celebrate moments of happiness in our lives.

The Quilt Along officially starts January 15^th, 2015 and they will release the first block pattern on the 15^th of each month for the rest of 2015. All they ask from the participants is to donate to St. Jude every time they download their patterns.Fat Quarter Shop and Moda Fabrics will match up to $10,000 from our donations for a total of $20,000. To read more about this quilt along, please visit their blog:
http://fatquartershop.blogspot.com/2014/09/meet-our-2015-quilt-along.html

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a wonderful organization. It's one that I try to donate to whenever possible. So I am loving the idea behind this Quilt-Along.

I hope to "see" you this week for some fun sewing projects! I also want to catch up soon and show you my new baby... she's a featherweight!  Hope all is well where you are. Have a good night!

Happy Sewing!
xo Erin

Heather Ross Far, Far Away Fat Quarter Bundle Giveaway from Fat Quarter Shop

Today I have an awesome giveaway for you from Fat Quarter Shop. They are going to give one of you a fat quarter bundle of Far, Far Away the newest line from Heather Ross for Windham fabrics.
I am such a fan of Heather Ross. This line irresistibly cute. I ordered some for myself and it is even prettier in person. The fabric is soft and feels really nice. I am so excited that this collection was made into quilting weight cotton. The original release of Far, Far Away (2009) was a double gauze material and I wanted to get it back then but was never quite sure I'd use it in a quilt. With this release I knew I wanted to have some of it. Can you really resist the little princess and the pea fabric? I couldn't!

To enter leave a comment below and I'll pick a winner next Friday!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Sewing!
xo Erin

National Sewing and Quilting Month

Good Morning! Did you know that September is National Sewing and Quilting month? Fat Quarter Shop is celebrating by hosting an  "I Love Sewing and Quilting" blog tour. The tour is to celebrate the art of sewing and quilting! How fun is that! Fat Quarter Shop challenged us to make something new to us. I do consider myself primarily a quilter but I have sewn all kinds of things.

There are 2 things that challenge me are darts (eek) and piping! I've tried adding piping to things a few times and it always comes out uneven and kind of bad looking. So I tried piping again on this tote and I think it's better than the piping I did on this bag. It is something I still need a lot of practice with. I do plan to tackle darts again someday.....maybe. Here are a few questions Fat Quarter Shop asked us to answer:

1.       How did you start quilting/sewing?

I started sewing Barbie Doll clothes when I was little. Then as a teenager I would sew patchwork up the sides of my pants and I embroidered everything! I really got serious about sewing when my first baby was born. I started making her dresses and clothes with a sewing machine my mother in law gave me. Then I discovered quilting in 2001 and never looked back. I HAVE to sew often or I get a little cooky :) haha! no seriously! 

That's why I love these little badges FQS made... It's so true! I have to sew something most days and always have to have a project going or I get overwhelmed with all of the creative ideas stuck in my head. Sometimes writing them down and drawing them out helps but a little sewing always does the job!

2.       When was the first time you knew that you were a quilter/sewer?

Oh, this took forever! I'd say about 5 years after I started quilting I considered myself a quilter. That was probably how long it took for my confidence to catch up with the skills I'd learned.

3.       Do you have any sewing/quilting horror stories or faux pas? Yes! my first quilt, it's was a mess! It's here.

4.       What advice would you give to someone who’s just starting out in sewing/quilting? Enjoy the process, don't rush it. Be confident in your choices and have fun. Practice is also the key to learning any new skill so Sew often, I recommend everyday :) 

Be sure to catch up with the other sewers and quilters on the blog tour and see what they made for the challenge!

Sherri of A Quilting Life

Amy of Amy's Creative Side

Alyce of Blossom Heart Blog

Charise of Charise Creates

Lucy of Charm About You

Erin of Dog Under My Desk

Amy of During Quiet Time

Rachel of Family Ever After

Anne Marie of Generation X Quilters

Marni of Haberdashery Fun

Melissa of Happy Quilting

Katy of I'm A Ginger Monkey

Elizabeth of In the Boon Docks

Jana of Jana Machado

Lynne of Lily's Quilts

Maureen of Made by Marzipan

Barb and Mary of Me and My Sister Designs

Melanie of I Heart Stitching

Kaye of Miss Print

Dana of Old Red Barn Co.

Natalia of Piece N' Quilt

Denise of Pieced Brain

Stephanie of Quarter Incher

Jane of Quilt Jane

Heather and Megan of Quilt Story

Cheryl of Quilter Chic

Michele of Quilting Gallery

Allison of Quilting Mumma

Teresa of Quilting Stitching & Sew On

Leslie of Seasoned Homemaker

Kelli of Seriously.. I Think It Needs Stitches

Liz of Sew4Home

Erin of Sew At Home Mummy

Sara of Sew Sweetness

Leanne of She Can Quilt

Vickie of Spun Sugar Quilts

Amy of Stitchery Dickory Dock

Tonya of The Crafty Mummy

Julie of The Crafty Quilter

Paula of The Sassy Quilter

Erin of Why Not Sew?

So Fat Quarter Shop wants to challenge YOU to try a new project new with them! Share your projects on their Facebook, Google +, and Instagram using #fqschallenge !

They also have the cutest free quilt pattern to celebrate the occasion! You can find the PDF here . Enjoy!

Thanks for visiting!

Happy Sewing!

xo Erin

P.S. the tote is free pattern from Crafty Hipster made especially for a featherweight.

Fat Quarter Style Winner!

Congratulations Heather! I'll get the book out to you ASAP! and thank you to all who entered.

:: Fat Quarter Style Book Tour and Giveaway ::

Hello! Welcome to my stop on the Fat Quarter Style book tour. Fat Quarter Style is Fat Quarter Shop's new book published through their pattern company It's Sew Emma. I was so honored and thrilled they asked me to be apart of the tour.

My block was Lattice and although I only had to make one block this pattern was so cute and really quick I decided to make the crib-size quilt.

I used Lori Holt's Vintage Happy line and it worked out just perfect because this book gives cutting instructions for fat quarters and Lori has these wonderful prints in her lines that are already fat quarter size. So if you purchase 1 yard you get 4 different fat quarters and that's what my pattern called for, see...perfect!

I was having so much fun making this quilt that I made half-square triangles right away from my leftover block pieces and I used them on the back along with some yardage. 

The book includes 12 quilt patterns in 4 different sizes, Crib, Twin, Lap or Queen. The instructions are really clear and easy to follow. I think all of the quilts are really fun and they go together so quickly.

Fat Quarter Shop has generously given me a copy of the book to giveaway to one of you! Just leave a comment here and I'll pick a winner Monday, September 1st! (September already, really?) As always you can just say hi or hey or if you want tell me what blocks you've seen so far and what fabrics you might like to use to make them. I think that everyone has done such a great job and they all have put their own personal touch on them. It's so much fun to see. Good Luck!

 Visit these other stops on the tour to see more blocks from the book!

August 2^nd: Fat Quarter Shop Kick off

August 4^th : The Sassy Quilter http://www.sassyquilter.com/

August 6^th : My Quilt Infatuation http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.com/

August 8^th : Leigh Laurel Studios http://www.leighlaurelstudios.com/

August 11^th : Sew Can She http://www.sewcanshe.com/

August 13^th : Jana Machado http://janainamachado.blogspot.com/

August 15^th : Stitchery Dickory Dock http://www.stitcherydickorydock.com/

August 18^th : Freshly Pieced http://www.freshlypieced.com/

August 20^th : Bijou Lovely http://www.bijoulovelydesigns.com/

August 22^nd : Film in The Fridge http://filminthefridge.com/

August 25^th : Why Not Sew? http://whynotsew.blogspot.com/

August 27^the : Pretty By Hand http://prettybyhand.com/

August 29th : Diary of A Quilter http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/

August 30^th : Fat Quarter Shop closing of tour

Happy Sewing!

xo Erin 

P.S. I had to include this pretty picture from the photo shoot!

and this one!

Miss Kate Winner!!!

Thank you to Green Fairy Quilts for this wonderful giveaway and thank you to all who played along!!! Have a great weekend!

Happy Sewing!
xo Erin