Tufted Tweets - Pin Cushion Winner

I'm so happy to have been able to host such a fun giveaway with Cindy from Around the Block Quilting. When she offered to make some of her adorable pincushions from Tufted Tweets selvage I was so excited to see how they would turn out. And she certainly didn't disappoint. The very lucky winner of the red Tufted Tweets pincushion is:

#46: Upstate Lisa

Congrats Lisa!!!

And if you didn't win, make sure you check Cindy's blog because she is giving away the purple pincushion today.

Have a wonderful Sunday everyone!

Tufted Tweets - Pincushion Giveaway!

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you know that one of my big 'dork out' moments surrounding Tufted Tweets came when I first saw the selvage with my name on it. It was the thing that finally made the whole collection seem really real. That selvage really set me into a fit of giggles and grins!

So I was thrilled when Cindy from Around the Block Quilting offered to make a few pincushions from Tufted Tweets selvage. How adorable are these?! And she is ever so kindly giving two away to two lucky people. Just leave a comment here on my blog for a chance to win the red and orange pincushion. And for a second chance to win (the purple and green pincushion), visit Cindy's blog and leave a comment there. We'll each draw a random winner on 6/6. Good luck!




Make sure you visit Cindy's new store too. It called Sewing on the Edge and she has some super cute goodies over there. She's making the "themed" pincushions like the ones being given away. And in the near future she'll be adding more items goodies like journal covers, cup cozies and aprons.

p.s. I hear that Tufted Tweets has started arriving in local quilt stores! Wahoo!!! It hasn't arrived here in Austin yet, but I'm anxiously awaiting its arrival too! So keep me posted and as soon as you get your hands on it and start sewing up goodies, I hope you'll post pics in my Flickr group.

Tufted Tweets goes to Quilt Market

I know I'm a bit delayed in getting this posted, but I wanted to show you what Tufted Tweets looked like at it's big debut at Quilt Market in Minneapolis. Sadly, I didn't get to attend Market as it was 2 days after Surtex and I just couldn't swing the trip.

But my dear friend Margaret, was nice enough to snap some photos for me. And by the by, Margaret is opening an online fabric store, Form and Fabric, that is going to be AMAZING. Some very cool stuff she's working on indeed. Make sure you sign up to be notified when she has her grand opening. I can hardly wait for a fabric infusion for my stash!

If you remember, Ashley at Film in the Fridge designed the gorgeous Unfurnished quilt using Tufted Tweets and it looks like it was beautifully displayed in the booth. The pattern for the quilt will be available for download from Robert Kaufman in June so I'll keep you posted on when you can get it. And of course I'll keep you posted on when you can get the fabric! It's shipping in June so start checking at your local quilt store for it very soon! I'm hoping to get a list of stores that will be carrying it and when I have one I'll get it listed here somewhere.






And on a totally different note, some of you guys have eagle eyes and noticed the laminate trays in my Surtex booth with my patterns on them. I had those mocked up for the show to demonstrate what my patterns would look like on trays and dishes. So keep your fingers crossed that some fabulous company wants to get more of those made! For now there are 3 of them in the world...

Surtex - Wrap Up

Every single day for the last 4 months leading up to Surtex, I've spent time getting ready to exhibiting in NY. Some of those days were a full day of prep and others were just a few minutes. But getting ready for Surtex has been a part of my life every day since I made the leap and signed up for the show.

So once we finished setting up on Saturday, it was a really strange feeling to know that there was nothing left to be done.





I just had to put faith in my work and pump myself up for the next morning when the show started. It was a very strange feeling but also very liberating. I had hoped to spend the afternoon knocking around the city and visiting the Museum of Art and Design (my FAVORITE museum in the city). But after lunch I was completely pooped. Not an ounce of energy left, so I took some time out alone and went back to the hotel and took a glorious and rejuvenating nap! It was fantastic and I woke up ready to conquer the world. We had a great dinner and then saw Wicked. I love big splashy, broadway musical productions and that one certainly didn't disappoint!

We woke up bright and early on Sunday and made our way over to the Javitz. Walking in that morning and seeing it all still standing was such a thrill. I'm really happy with the way my booth came together and it was such fun to get to see everything so BIG. :)



The 3 days of the show were everything I hoped for and more. I made some really wonderful contacts, met manufacturers in all kinds of categories and received such positive feedback on my work. I'm really, really excited about the possibilities for what's next and the projects I hope to get to work on.

And I had some of the nicest and most fun booth neighbors. I really lucked out to be next to such dynamic, talented and genuinely nice people. A big shout out to my Surtex peeps: Cathy Heck, Sandy Gervais, Deidre Mosher and her sister Katherine, Teresa Woo, Debra Valencia, and the whole gang at Julie C. Design. Thanks for all the laughs and the fun!

Would not have been able to make it through the show without Danielle. Thanks D! I will be eternally grateful for your help.

So what's next? Lots of wonderful contacts to follow up with and some new designs in the works.

But today, I'm taking the rest of the day OFF and am going to take Clara dog to the park. :)

Surtex bound!

Well I'm off in a cloud of dust! I head out Friday for NYC and Surtex. My nerves have calmed and now I'm just brimming with excitement. Thank you all for your emails and your comments with words of encouragement and positive feedback. You have each made me feel very special and I really can't express to you how much your support means to me.

I was able to squeeze in a tiny bit of sewing time in the last few days and made a super cute new top. I've been reading on some of your blogs about how wonderfully clear Sew Liberated's Schoolhouse Tunic pattern is, so I was keen to give a try. I'm not great at following directions (I tend to want to skip ahead...), so I was a bit skeptical. But I have to agree that it is a wonderful pattern and easy to follow!



It didn't take too long at all and I'm so happy with how it turned out. Of course, it would have taken less time and a whole lot less seam ripping if I had actually read the instructions in the last step more carefully. When you are rushing and sew the skirt part of the tunic on inside out, it takes more time to actually finish. :)

I unfortunately didn't get a chance to have someone snap a picture of me wearing my cute new top, so I'll make sure I get one when in NYC. I made it from Sorbet Birdie Dots from my new line for Robert Kaufman and think it turned out pretty darn cute! IOU one photo of me in my Tweets top. :)



My store will be open while I'm gone, but orders won't ship until after I return. I'll start shipping again the week of 5/24. Wish me luck!

Having mild anxiety attack...Surtex countdown...

How can it be that I am leaving for Surtex in just over a week?!? Holy cow. Taking a big deep breath now...

What's left to do? I'm putting the finishing touches on my portfolio and wrapping up a few final things for the press kits and then all the stuff gets shipped to NYC. It's almost all boxed and ready to go! I would love to share some of the show experience with you, so I'll make sure to take picture of the booth and I'll post a recap when I get back to Austin (or maybe from the big apple if I'm still able to spell after the long show days).

Thankfully I didn't know how much work it was going to be to get ready and how many little details there would be to take care of. Had I known, I never would have been brave enough to sign up to do it. This time, ignorance was definitely bliss. :)

Even though I'm terrified to do the show (yes I think perhaps I have moved past nervous to mildly terrified), I'm also really excited. I am really happy with all the new designs I've done for Surtex and can't wait to get the work in front of some new contacts. Such big dreams I have for these little designs! And, there's a possibility (tee hee, I'm such a tease...) that you just might be seeing a few of my new favorites make their way onto fabric and into my Etsy store by sometime next month! :)

Finally, if any of you are going to be at the show, please come and say hello! My cousin Danielle and I will be in booth 553 and we'd love to say a quick hello! I think it is super fantastic that's she's travelling all the way from Colorado to help me at the show! Thanks D! You are amazing and can't wait to see you next week. xoxo

Giveaway Winners Announced + BHG DIY Magazine!

To say that I am totally blown away by the response to this post would be the understatement of the year. WOWZEE. Thanks so much for making last week so very, very special for me. I have been so excited to be able to share the collection with you and this was such a great way to get the launch off to a really wonderful start. The stories about your favorite things, your personal stories about quilting and sewing (and chairs!) and the ideas you shared for projects really touched me. I am beyond thrilled that you guys are so excited about the fabric! Thank you!

And since everyone is anxiously awaiting the announcement of the winners, I won’t delay any longer! Congratulations to piecemealquilts and rsilandcrafts who have each won a FQ pack of Tufted Tweets! :)

piecemealquilts said:
Wonderful fabric! My favorite chair is an old metal-frame recliner that belonged to my great-great grandfather. It has a little lever on the side and you have to adjust it to just the right position, then you can slide the feet up and the back... back.

Robin (rsislandcrafts) said:
Congratulations! I love the purples :) My favorite chair will always be a rocker recliner that I used to sit in way back when. I haven't found one like it since though.

I hope you really love the fabric and I hope you’ll share pictures of what you make in my Flickr Group. Come show off your creations! (That goes for everyone!)

And if you didn’t win, don’t forget that Robert Kaufman is giving away a FULL yard set today too so jump over there and make sure you leave a comment before they finish their giveaway. Ashley at Film in the Fridge will also be hosting a giveaway for some FQ packs soon too!

One more fun thing I wanted to share. MONTHS ago (way before Tufted Tweets was licensed by RK) and I was still printing it myself, I was producing a yellow and grey color way. And it was used in a project by Better Homes and Gardens DIY Magazine! The article kept slipping from one issue to the next, but lookie here!

Birdies and Chairs on a chair. :)



I love the way it turned out. I think the chair is from Ikea , so perhaps this will be good inspiration for a Tufted Tweets chair for one of you?

Giveaway day - Tufted Tweets

Tweet, tweet!!! Giveaway day is finally here!! I have several FQ packs of Tufted Tweets and one of them might have your name on it!

Comments are closed.

GIANT update 4/30: Robert Kaufman is giving away
a 1 yard SET of Tufted Tweets. After you leave a comment here for my giveaway, FLY over to their blog before 5/3 and leave a comment to register to win a full yard set!!!

UPDATE 4/28: Hello my tweets (sorry... I really can't control it). I am reading every single comment as they come in. I love your sense of humor and that some of you also have design crushes on chairs in your life too. Thanks for being a part of this release with me!

UPDATE 4/26: You guys are incredibly wonderful. I truly cannot believe how many entries there are! Thank you a million times over for all your kind words, your love of birds and chairs and for all of your support. Keep those entries coming and I'll draw the winner on Monday 5/3!




Robert Kaufman is going to start shipping Tufted Tweets in the next few weeks. So very, very soon you'll be able to go visit your favorite fabric store and get some Tweets for your stash. I personally can't wait to go visit a store a see the bolts on the shelf. It's still a pretty strong possibility that I will dork out and shed a few tears when that day finally arrives. It's been an amazing journey to get here and I am so happy to have been able to share it with you! :)

So... the FQs I'm giving away are some of the very first ones to make it out into the world. Fly and be free little tweets!!

For your chance to win, just leave me a comment and tell me:
- What you'd make using the fabric
- Or, tell me all about your favorite chair/couch/seating apparatus
- Or just say hello!
Just make sure that there's a way for me to contact you when you leave your comment.

Next Monday 5/3, I'll select 2 lucky winners at random and the fabric will soon be winging it's way to you (sorry...couldn't resist). Thanks to everyone for all of your words of encouragement and support. You have no idea how much all of your posts and notes mean to me. :)

After you leave your comment, you MUST go visit Ashley over at Film in the Fridge. She is unveiling the gorgeous quilt she made using Tufted Tweets. I think it is truly, truly gorgeous. I think all of Ashley's quilts are pretty amazing but this one is obviously pretty close to my heart.

AND how fabulous is this? Ashley's pattern for the Unfurnished quilt will be available as a free download from Robert Kaufman's site (and from mine and from Ashley's) in the next few weeks!

AND... a little birdie told me that Ashley has a few FQs of Tufted Tweets to giveaway in the next few weeks. So if you don't win my giveaway, stay tuned to find out when Ashley's giveaway will happen.

Good luck peeps (sorry... sometimes I just can't contain myself...)!

Getting ready for a giveaway - Mon. 4/26!

Who's ready for some Tufted Tweets?!? The folks over at Robert Kaufman have been nice enough to donate some fabric for the giveaway that starts this coming Monday! The fabric will start to arrive in stores in May, (correction: arriving in June) so these FQ bundles will be the first ones to hit the streets. :)

Everyone have a great weekend and come back Monday to register to win. Can't wait to see what everyone will make!
xoxox
--laurie

Counting down to Surtex

I can hardly believe that Surtex is 3-1/2 weeks away. I have been furiously preparing materials, putting together my press kit, getting signage made, designing new work, figuring out shipping logistics, and generally running around like a chicken with my head cut off. And today I think I've crossed some sort of threshold. I realized that I will never *feel* ready. But the reality is that I *am* ready. Well, almost ready... :) So I've decided to just try to let go of some of the anxiety I'm feeling and just ride this crazy ride!

Surtex is a big deal. A really big deal! And I can hardly believe that I will actually be exhibiting. (Insert image of me shaking in my boots here...) If you're not familiar with Surtex, it's a tradeshow held in NYC in conjunction with the National Stationary Show and the International Contemporary Furniture Fair. Close to 300 artists will have their artwork on display at Surtex for the 6000 or so show attendees who are manufacturers and companies looking for new art to license for whatever goods they manufacture. So breaking through and getting yourself noticed is no small feat. I'm so excited about the opportunity to meet companies who want to partner together to create products with my art that will knock the socks off consumers.

So that's what I've been a busy little beaver working on for the last few months. That's of course in addition to all the fun fabric in my etsy store and the launch of Tufted Tweets with Robert Kaufman Fabrics.

Speaking of Tufted Tweets, I'm thinking it's time for a giveaway, no?!? :)

Come back Monday 4/26 for a look at the insanely beautiful and totally gorgeous quilt the uber-talented Ashley from Film in the Fridge made to showcase Tufted Tweets at Quilt Market in May!! And the coolest part is that the quilt pattern will be available for download on the Robert Kaufman website in the next few weeks. You will not believe how gorgeous it is. AND I'll be giving away some Tufted Tweets on Monday too!! So make sure you come back Monday, it will be worth the trip!

Comfy bunny PJ pants

It's been a very long day and I'm pretty sleepy, but before I drift off into sleep coma, wanted to show off my new cutey-patootie PJ bottoms.

A few weekends ago I took a class with the immensely talented and super-fun Haley Sayles Pannone at Austin's most fabulous crafty-heaven, Stitch Lab. And what fun to learn that Hayley has her own debut collection of fabric for Blue Hill coming out soon. I love her super mod color palette. Congrats Hayley!

In the class, I got to use a serger for the first time and to say that I have a huge crush on the serger is a mild understatement. Boy do I need want one of those. Anyway...back to the PJs!

Haley was such a help at assisting me with adjusting the pants length (so they would fit my short legs!) and she walked me through how to install my first elastic waistband. Easy-peasy! I used my Lamb Trellis and Trellis Stripes fabric (available for sale in my Etsy Store) and I'm so happy with the way the pants turned out. The pattern we used was McCall's 5989 and we just added the contrasting cuff to the bottom of the pants. I am definitely going to be making some more of them.

But right now those PJs are calling my name and I'm gonna go crawl in them and then crawl in my bed. Nighty night!

Tufted Tweets Projects

What a wonderful weekend I have had! I got to sew a few projects with Tufted Tweets which was just so much fun. I wanted to come up with a few functional and pretty projects I could share with you so you had some new ideas for things you might try to make once the fabric is available (May is just right around the corner!!)

Fabric Covered Containers
A super chic way to recycle some of those containers you have in your recycling bin! I used Tufted Tweets to beautify some old soup cans, a cereal container and an oatmeal container. These cuties can double as either organizers for the bits and bobs you have lying around in your office or craft space. I even tried adding a chalkboard label to a few so they can be neatly labeled. And for the containers that are made from cardboard you can slip a glass container in them and they make super cute flower vase sleeves!
Click here for the tutorial


Tufted Tweets Placemats
I am having a dinner party. Right away. Wanna come? I am in love with the way these turned out. My friend Curlin of Pippingtooth Studios was nice enough to loan me her studio and her patio for my photo shoot yesterday. And it took a great deal of effort not to call all our friends and throw together an impromptu party so we could feast at that gorgeous table!
Click here for the tutorial




And a quick update on when you will be able to get your hands on the fabric...The sales materials for Tufted Tweets are with the Robert Kaufman sales force which means they are showing it off to all the quilt stores. So I hope you'll start asking *your* local quilt stores to carry the line! Fabric should start shipping to stores in May. Yipeeee!! Here's a few more pictures to remind you what all the patterns and colors look like:




And finally...I promised you I would dork out eventually. Here's a quick snap of the selvedge. (Insert huge, goofy, ear-to-ear grin here!)