Brr! | Round up and Giveaway!

Over the last few months, there have been some truly gorgeous and amazing projects popping up around the blogosphere that feature my holiday line, Brr! Robert Kaufman was generous enough to send out some advance cuts to a handful of people and we asked them to play with the fabric and show off their creations. I was simply astounded and tickled at the enthusiasm and excitement around the line. Thank you for all of your wonderful emails and comments about the little bears!


I know you've been waiting patiently for Brr! to make it out into the world. And now the time has finally come!! Yea!! The line has begun shipping and you should start to see it start to appear in your local quilt stores and in online stores within the coming weeks.  But to keep you tied over until then, I have 2 full FQ packs (with both the green/red and aqua/red color stories) that I'd love to share with 2 lucky winners! 

But first let's just take the opportunity to gush over the fabulous and unbelievably creative quilts and projects that were already created, shall we? Sigh. Squuee. Sigh. So very, very lovely, right? And they are all so unique and different!

1. Converging Corners Quilt by Film in the Fridge, 2. Triangles Quilt by Blue Elephant Stitches, 3. Paw Paw Quilt by Sew Take a Hike, 4. Star Quilt by One Shabby Chick, 5. Improv pieced blocks by Polka Dot Zombie, 6. Hand quilted Swoon by Cut to Pieces, 7. Chevrons Quilt by From the Blue Chair, 8. Converging Corners Mini Quilt by Film in the Fridge, 9. Rocket Ship Pillow and Quilt by Teaginny Designs, 10. Many Hands by I'm  a Ginger Monkey, 11. Timber Quilt Top by Film in the Fridge, 12. A Polar Bear Quilt by Red Pepper Quilts

And even more lovely goodies!

1. Nite Before Christmas Collection Pattern by Nite Owl Quilting (free pattern download), 2. Mini Quilt (and free embroidery pattern download) by Little Miss Shabby, 3. Tree Skirt detail by Yellow Plumblossoms, 4. Box Bags by Apple Cyder, 5. Gift Bags by Blue Elephant Stitches, 6. Brrr! Rocket Ship wall hanging by Teaginny Designs, 7. Sleepover Pajamas by Cut to Pieces, 8. Pillow by Sew Deerly Loved, 9. Jar covers by Apple Cyder 10. Quilt detail by Red Pepper Quilts

And now onto the giveaway! 

• Leave me a comment here and tell me what you plan to make with your Brr!
• Make sure I have a way to contact you (check your blogger profile and double check that your email address is listed)
• I'll choose 2 winners this Sunday evening, July 1. 

Have a wonderful rest of week and weekend everyone!!
xo
--laurie

Finally finished

The pile of 'to be finished' projects shrunk by 2 this weekend. Yea!! I've had these two little things in process for what seems like months. So it was even more fun to get them finished this weekend since the anticipation has been building. Lately, its been hard for me to carve out much time to sew, so it always feel like its really special to get to actually sit down in front of my machine and make something.

When I started my my Next Stop London pajamas a few weeks ago, I took it upon myself to make them a bit more fitted, but ended up cutting way too much out the length in the top so they were a bit snug  :) Once I realized they were going to need some surgery, into the 'to be finished another day pile' they went. But I really wanted to get some use out of them, so yesterday, out came my trusty seam ripper... I needed to add back in about an inch or so in the length in the waist, and decided to go ahead and add a contrasting waist band from some stripes I had in my stash. In addition to the elastic, I added the adorable union jack ribbon that Laura of Craftstorming was so sweet to send me. And I even got to wear my PJs last night. I did write myself a note on my pattern to NOT shorten them again. Just in case my memory fails me and I get 'smart' about my pattern again.

I also made a new cover for my ironing board. As soon as the colors for Perfectly Perched were finished and that lovely raspberry and chartreuse was delivered, I knew exactly what that fabric was destined to become. I love how it turned out and it makes my already bright and cheery studio, even more cheery.

And keep an eye on my blog this week. A Brr! giveaway is in the works... (I think I heard a few of you shriek 'oh goodie... polar bears!')

And Olive the Ostrich is back! Hello old friend!! I have a new collection with Robert Kaufman that features Olive which will release this fall. I leave you with a quick sneak peek of a few patterns from the collection which I hope make you smile. How much do I love that selvage?

Lovely goodies in my mailbox

I have been wanting to get this post up for over a week and my days just keep getting ahead of me. So I'm just stopping everything for a bit today and getting caught up. Phooey on my scheduled work for a few minutes! I received some super lovely goodies in the mail recently and just can't wait any longer to share them!

When I recently did a Next Stop London giveaway, Laura of Craftstorming was one the winners of some fabric. And lickety split she whipped up the cutest little PJs for her gorgeous son Casper. I mean how unbelievably adorable is he?

Soon after, Laura surprised me with a little mailing of London themed goodies of my own!

Squeeee!! The post it notes are in full rotation and being well loved here in Austin. And the ribbon is waiting patiently to be used in my own PJ pants. That's of course assuming I can ever, ever get them done!... There's some seam ripping to be done (as is characteristic with all of my sewing these days!) that's keeping me from adding them to the a list of finished projects. Soon I hope!! Thank you again Laura, I love everything and it was so incredibly sweet to think of me and I can't wait to show off the finished PJs.

Then there was the amazing package from the delightfully sweet and very talented Penny of Sew Take a Hike. And the package was so pretty with the Birdies and Chairs tape from my store coupled with tape from Lucie at Summersville!

Penny shipped me the most phenomenal tote as surprise! ( Penny and I have gotten to be friends via our blogs and I was just so touched when she made me this amazing tote. All of the fabrics were hand selected for me and there are even little bits of Laurie Wisbrun fabric worked throughout. I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it and was just so touched. Thank you sweet Penny! Your creativity never ceases to surprise and delight me. And the straps :) You are amazing.

Jack and Jenny Giveaway winner

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I'm a bit delayed in announcing the winner of the Jack and Jenny FQ set. It was one of those weekends here! 

I'll be back later this week to show off some fun goodies I've been sewing (fingers crossed to get them finished!) and some great mail surprises I've received recently. 

Wishing everyone a great Monday!

Congratulations to #23 - Johanna who said: 

My whole family loves this fabric - even my husband approves it. He isn't easy to please!

Johanna - I hope you enjoy the Jack and Jenny!!

Wonky Donkey 2 Quilt...And a giveaway!

For those of you who have been following me for a while, you likely remember the wonderful Wonky Donkey quilt that Kate Conklin made last year from my original Donkeys in Wellies fabric? And who could really forget Fizzy, who was Kate's quilt model? :)

So I was tickled when Kate let me know that she was going to be re-doing her pattern using my new Jack and Jenny line. She's just revealed the new quilt on her blog along with the news that the quilt will be making its debut at Australian Quilt Market in the HQW Distributors booth in a few weeks. Congrats Kate!! Pick up a copy of the Wonky Donkey 2 quilt pattern here from Kate's store. Its a fantastic pattern and it looks like it would be really fun to sew. 

And although Kate's no longer living near Fizzy, she was able to track down Cocoa, who was her obliging quilt model for the new Wonky Donkey 2! How wonderful is this shot? And Cocoa looks really soft doesn't he?!

To kick off the weekend (TGIF!) I'm giving away a FQ set of the entire Jack and Jenny line. All you need to do to be registered is leave a comment here on this post. I'll draw a winner this Sunday evening, 5/20. 

And if you have any ideas to share when you leave me your comment, Kate's wondering if she should keep the quilt pattern named Wonky Donkey 2 or change it to something else. Hop over to her post and read through her Wonky Donkey story. It will definitely make you giggle and maybe it will inspire you with some naming ideas. 

Shop Update | Llama Journals, Packing Tape and Pillow Panels

Super excited to share that there are bunches of new goodies in the shop and they are all in stock and ready to ship.

Llama Journals in two styles. Available here.

• Canvas Covers are resilient, durable and water-resistant
• 80 pages with dot grid– partially recycled paper
• Stitched binding 

Llama dude with Flapdoodle hats on the inside cover 

Someone recently commented that he looks like Michael Kane with completely cracked me up...

Llook! Llamas with Peruvian blankets on the inside cover

Fancy Packing/Shipping Tape in 4 styles. Available here.

Tiny Birdie Dots

 Campers

Birdies and Chairs

Elephants

And finally, if you're in the mood to make a bit of a political statement with a modern twist, I've designed some DIY pillow panels with my take US political system mascots. Available here.

Giveaway winners and store sneak peek

So many fabulous 'to learn' lists. Thanks so much for sharing with me! To kick off today's post, lets first start with the 2 lucky winners. Congrats and I hope you really love Perfectly Perched!


#219 - Kim of One Krafty Kitty Momma
I love, love, love this collection! The prints and the colors are wonderful. I have many skills to improve---hmmm..organizing, time management...oh sewing? I would like to try machine quilting and paper piecing.

#37 - Ella of throw a wench in the works
I still want/need to learn free motion quilting. Thanks for a chance to win some of your lovely line!

One of the things I've recently been focused on is actually learning how to run properly. I was watching a comedy show on TV a while ago and heard someone describe their running style as '3rd grader with a giant backpack on'. Made me laugh like crazy and I'm pretty sure that's what my form is like.

So over the past 6 weeks I've been switching up my workouts to add in some running on the treadmill and signed myself up for a 5K with some fun obstacle courses thrown in. The race was a few weekends ago and I ran it with a group of girlfriends. It was my first 5K and the hills and uneven terrain were a bit of a surprise (aka I couldn't really use my calves the next day) but I ran it and finished! And it was actually pretty fun! I still think my form is pretty likely '3rd grader with a giant backpack on' but I'm considering taking a proper running clinic at some point. Here's a pic we snapped at the beginning of the race (on a cell so the quality is lousy) but loads of smiling faces on Team Awesome. That's me in the sunglasses towards the left. The rest of the ladies shall remain nameless to protect the innocent :)

In store news, I'll be listing some new goodies in the next week. Here's a few sneak peeks. I'll post here when they're up and ready to ship :) I hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Coming Soon: 2 styles of Llama Journals!

The insides feature the little hats pattern and the peruvian blankets. 

I am just thrilled with the way they came out :)

Coming Soon: 4 styles of box tape

Perfectly Perched Giveaway!

Perfectly Perched has started making its way out into the world!!Yipeee!!! And as usual, I am simply stunned by the lovely creations I'm starting to see popping up. And to celebrate, I'm giving away 2 FQ sets to 2 lucky winners!

One of the things I've been thinking a lot about lately is expanding my skill set. I love to learn and am always excited to try something new. How about you? Is there something new you've been itching to try? To enter to win some Perfectly Perched, just leave me a comment here on this post and share something about something new you'd like to try. And it doesn't have to be sewing related (although my list of sewing skills to improve is certainly long!!)

To recap:

• Leave a comment here and tell me about a new skill you'd like to learn
• I'll draw 2 winners this Saturday, May 5, 2012
• The winners can choose from any of the 3 color stories
• Make sure I have a way to contact you in your entry

And to close off this post, I've included some gorgeous eye candy of Perfectly Perched quilt tops...Sigh (insert dreamy look here)...So scrumptious!

Perfectly Perched in Red and Aqua

Perfectly Perched in Lime and Aqua

Perfectly Perched in Raspberry and Lime

And now let the eye candy commence!

I am totally in love with this 

phenomenal snowball quilt from Vanessa at Lella Boutique. 

She's also posted a tutorial here.

Yet another stunning quilt from Ashley at Film in the Fridge 

using the Perfectly Perched in the and raspberry and lime. 

I have no idea how she keeps creating such lovely quilts one right after the other!

Everyone have a great week!

Comments are now closed

More llama llove

You guys all know that I simply love to see pictures of what you make with my fabric. So when I got an email the other day from Daria from Kamloops BC of the llama baby quilt she'd made, I was beyond tickled. How brilliant is this quilt?!  There are so many things I love about it: keeping the baby's birth information prominent, the pinwheels in the corners (love, love), the yellow sashing that just makes it pop, and of course the 4 llamas standing watch in the corners. It's just adorable Daria!!

One of the things I find the most special about quilts are their enduring quality and the idea that they will be held onto for so many years. Especially baby quilts which will have so many memories associated with them. I hope Benjamin and his family will get many a giggle from the llama keeping them company!!

If you're interested, I still have llama panels and fabric available in my Etsy store here.

Big exciting news! Yea!

I have literally been bouncing off the walls with excitement over the last week or so and I can finally share my news with you! But before I get to the actual news, some quick back story for those of you who might not know it...

When I left my job in advertising in NYC a few years ago and moved back to Austin, TX, I knew that I wanted to make some pretty major changes in my life. After spending nearly 20 years in the corporate world, I really wanted to create a life for myself where I could be creative and I had much more balance. I loved my job and my career, but I knew I needed to make some major changes. I really wasn't at all sure what I wanted to do, but I just knew that I needed to take the leap and just dive in head first. 

I spent some time trying a bunch of different things on for size and fit and when I discovered fabric design, for the first time in a long time, I felt like I was in my groove. Once I set my mind to building a business around my designs, I set my sights on signing with one of the major fabric manufacturers and was lucky enough to start working with the wonderful team at Robert Kaufman. I also quickly realized that I really wanted to expand my licensing business to include not only having my designs on fabric, but on a whole range of different goods. Think home decor, gift products, baby accessories, party supplies, stationery. Oh. And melamine dishes... How badly do I want my designs to appear on melamine? :) 

Over the last 2 years, I've been hard at work on expanding not only my range of fabric designs and my design portfolio, but I've been working on building relationships with manufacturers across different product categories. During that time, I also decided that I wanted to partner with a licensing agent who could represent my work and really help me take my designs to the next level in terms of exposure. But I knew finding an agent who I really clicked with and who really got my designs, could take some time. And lo and behold, that time has come. I'm beyond ecstatic to share that I was approached by Mosaic Licensing, who are now my licensing agents! Here's a snippet from our press release:

We are so delighted to be representing Laurie and her collections of over 600 designs,” said Val Adams, Principal of Mosaic Licensing, Inc. “They have a personality and appeal that truly puts her in a special category of graphic art and pattern. We see a tremendous future in licensing for Laurie’s designs on products from home accessories and home décor to gifts and stationery, baby goods, apparel and craft”.


The full release is available here: http://lauriewisbrun.com/press-releases/2012/4/16/represented-by-mosaic-licensing.html

I can't tell you how much its meant to me to have all of you rooting me on and encouraging me as I've been trying different things and sharing my experiences over the last few years. Thank you so much for all of your support along the way.

Working with Mosaic, I'm so excited to see what else the future might hold.
xoxo
--laurie

Giveaway winners!!

I adored hearing all of your Olympic stories. So much fun! :) Loads of things on my to-do list today, so my post is going to be short and sweet. So without any further ado, let's get to the giveaway winners!! Congrats to the winners who will each receive 1/2 yard sets of my new Next Stop London Line. 

Happy weekend everyone!!

kbzelazny 111 said...

LOVE the equestrian and gymnastics events. Hope Friday the 13ths is lucky for me! My daughter is going to London this summer, so I'd love to make her something with this fabric. Thanks so much!

Laura 35 said...

This is such a fantastic line. My 3 year old boy is obsessed with red buses and would love anything made with this fabric. We live in England and are planning to go and see the cycling events but didn't manage to get tickets for anything. The olympic torch will pass 3 miles away so we're going to see that too.

London Olympics countdown... Let's do a giveaway!

I love the Olympics. I mean seriously love the Olympics. I have so much admiration for all the athletes who have worked so hard for so long to achieve their goals. And there's so much pride and kinship. I just get all squishy inside just thinking about it. And that its being held this summer in London. Oh... how I wish I could go!! Only 107 more days until opening ceremonies!

So you can imagine how spastically excited I got when Robert Kaufman picked up my Next Stop London line and when I learned that it would be releasing amid all of the summer Olympics excitement?! Beyond excited about this line. In fact, I'm thinking a little skirt for myself with red double decker buses may be in order to kick off summer. Now just to find the time to get back to my sewing machine!! :)

How would you like some Next Stop London fabric for your own kick-off to-summer sewing? I'm giving away two half yard sets to two lucky winners.

Just leave your comment here on this post and I'll draw a winner this *lucky* Friday 4/13. I'd love to hear what your favorite summer Olympic sport is or have you share a favorite Olympics moment/memory. Let the Olympics and London love commence. :)