Super Sunday: 1st Year Blogiversary GIVEAWAY!!! Woo-Hoo!!!

Hi peeps! 

As you have probably guessed from today's title…today is my 1 year anniversary of starting to write the Quilt, sew Happy! blog!!! Wow! I never imagined what kinds of things would come my way just from writing a quilting blog!

My great sponsor, Connecting Threads is offering a 29-piece fat quarter bundle of their newest collection, called Line Dried, (shown above and below) to one lucky blog follower. This line, like most of their in-house fabric collections, is a great value too: Only $5.96/yard!

The Line Dried collection reminds me of those lovely vintage aprons and table linens that you can come across while at the thrift store or country estate sales. So sweet! 

Connecting Threads also shows you which of their "basics collection" and Essentials brand thread coordinate with this line when you go to the Line Dried page under the Fabric tab on their website.

*Giveaway has ended and the prize has been claimed*

Now for the GIVEAWAY:

I am going to make it easy for you to enter to win this lovely fat quarter bundle;

-just follow this blog by email or with Bloglovin' and tell me how you do. There are windows to follow by email and Bloglovin' just below my profile blurb.

Note-If you choose to follow my blog via email you will receive a confirmation email from Feedburner(the email delivery company). This is not spam. You need to click the link in this email to activate your email subscription to this blog. If you don't, you won't get any of my posts and you won't be eligible to win this giveaway.

I only write 2-3 posts per week so I won't be clogging up your inbox!!!

That's it! Easy-Peasy!!

The giveaway will be open from today, Sunday, May 17, 2015 to Thursday, May 21, 2015. I will have The Hubs draw a number(the comment number) on Friday, May 22nd.

Please, please make sure I have a way to contact you. Most people don't even know that they are a "no-reply blogger" which means that their email address is not visible to anyone. So, if you are not sure if you are a "no-reply blogger" or not, please leave me an email address so that I can contact you if you are my winner. You could type your email address out this way: 

youremail at yahoo dot com, so that you won't get hit by scammers. I would never sell, share etc. your email address with anyone!

Remember in the Country Village QAL, Part 3 post where I made a boo-boo? …Well I did fix it and here's the photo. This is how your block should look; main fabric, then your center fabric and another fabric, for the center of the block.

After I got all of my block centers done, I laid out each pile of cut squares in the 25 different prints for the 25 blocks. Then I chose a center block to contrast with the main fabric and made little piles so I wouldn't mix them up like I did on the Part 3 post!

Sharing is caring!!! 
Don't forget that I am happy to share with your friends…feel free to pin to Pinterest, post on Google+ and Facebook, and Tweet away! Just please play fair and make sure your posts link back to this blog. 

*If you mouse/hover over the top right corner of my photos, a red "Pin-it" button will show up and all you have to do is click it to be taken to Pinterest. There is also another red button right beside it for posting to Facebook and Twitter. Or, you could always use the little square grey buttons at the end of this post. 

Thanks for reading and have a great day! 

Quilty Huggs, 

Jacqueline 

PLEASE NOTE: This blog accepts forms of compensation such as, but not limited to; fabric/notions/patterns/books in exchange for a posted review and/or tutorial. All comments/critiques/opinions are completely my own and are not those of the provider. This blog may also contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of my links. Thanks so much!

SEW MAMA SEW GIVEAWAY IS HERE!!!**INTERNATIONAL** YAY!!!

Hi peeps! 

This is my giveaway package!

Welcome fellow travellers, to my stop on the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway train!!! Thanks for coming to my little blog, Quilt, sew Happy!  ;-)

For those of you who don't know, the Sew Mama Sew blog hosts a semi-annual(May and December) giveaway spree each year and that means there is lots of swag to be won!!! Woo-hoo!!! 

The Sew Mama Sew blog allows us blog writers to post a photo of what we are giving away as well as a link to our blog, on their website. This helps all sorts of new people to get to know different blogs and hopefully the participating blogs will gain new followers…so it's a win-win situation for everyone! 

We can choose to offer quilting/crafting supplies(like me) and/or a homemade item like a quilted pouch or mug rug. There is a USA-only mailing section, for those who prefer to mail the winnings to USA addresses only, and an International section…which is where I am, as I am a Canadian blogger! 

I have won a few prizes offered by several individuals over the last few years, and this is the first time I am offering a prize! I hope you'll agree, it's a goodie!

This is my one and only award-winning quilt, called "Kitty-Cat Chat"; I won a third prize ribbon at our local fair! I bought the cute cat print while on vacation visiting an Aunt and Uncle.

I thought you might like to get to know a little about me: 

I am a late-40's Christian wife and mother who loves to quilt, cook, and go thrifting/garage-saling for vintage finds. We live in a small town about an hour east of Vancouver, BC and have 2 sons, aged 24 and 16. The eldest is going to University in Eastern Canada and my youngest is enjoying having his first job!

I have been blogging for just under a year(my 1st blog-iversary is May 17th!); I've made more than a few beginner mistakes! Eek! Would you believe that I actually started this blog without owning a digital camera??? Ha ha ha!

Part of the over 4,000 x 1" hexies I made for a new quilt for my youngest son.

I am really enjoying getting to know the people that I come into e-contact with through this blog and have already held several giveaways(there might be another one coming on May 17!!…hint hint!)!

I guess you could say that my quilting style is Traditional-Modern. I love colour and have slowly begun to embrace solids, but my true love is scraps and scrappiness! I love all scraps equally; mine, from pen pals and scrap bags from thrift stores!

I like to make quick things, but am not deterred by a longer project. I have made so many quilts, including 6 full-sized ones for a women's shelter, but rarely photograph them(didn't have a camera). Everyone in my family and my in-laws have a bed-sized quilt that I made especially for them.

Wall-hanging I made with blocks from a block raffle at the Lions Gate Quilt Guild(I made the top right one). I got the little red sailboat buttons from a pen pal in France!

Come have a look around my blog! Under the various tabs you'll see I like vintage things, sharing recipes, thrifty tips and even have a few tutorials under my belt…yay! 

Last Wednesday, I started my very first quilt-a-long, with a block I designed, above. I'm so, so excited that one of my designs will actually be published, even though it is only being self-published!

Maison de Provence…the prints are so beautiful in person that it was hard to cut them up!

Here are part 1 and part 2 of my Country Village Quilt-A-Long, featuring the Maison de Provence fabric collection by Connecting Threads.  You can also find all the steps as they are posted under the QAL tab just below my blog name header.

So, without further ado, let's get to the giveaway!!!

GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED AND PRIZE HAS BEEN AWARDED

*Just to remind you!*

This is what one lucky individual will win from me:

-half-yard of the pink/black floral fabric with gold accents that is the background of the above photo,
-2 spools of Essentials-brand thread by Connecting Threads(black &white),
-Olfa-brand rotary cutter(45 mm blade),
-pack of Olfa-brand replacement blades,
-6-pack of handy Craft Clips(I use these to hang orphan blocks up in my sewing room),
-mini screwdriver with a big, chunky handle,
and,
-pair of metal thread snips.

…gee, I wouldn't mind winning a prize like that!!! Hee Hee Hee!

Here's the rules:

1. I am always very curious as to where my blog-readers are located(especially which country)…so, for your first entry, please tell me where you live, for ex: Vancouver, BC, Canada.

2. For a second entry, you can follow my blog via E-MAIL* or BLOGLOVIN' only and tell me how you do so. There is a follow-me window to enter your e-mail address and a follow by Bloglovin' button near the top right area of this blog, just below my profile blurb. 

-Those who follow my blog elsewhere(G+, Tw, FB etc.) must sign up to either above-mentioned method, to gain this second entry. 

*If you choose to follow me by e-mail, you will be sent a confirmation email from Feedburner(the e-mail sender). This is not spam. You must click on the link provided to activate you subscription to Quilt, sew Happy!, or you won't get my blog posts. I usually post only 2-3 times a week, so I won't be flooding your inbox!!!

(I know that most of you are here because of the SMS giveaway, but it would be great if you continue to be a follower of Quilt, sew Happy! even after the giveaway is over). ;-)

****2 entries ONLY per person, please****

This giveaway runs from Wednesday, May 6, 2015 to Sunday, May 10, 2015 at midnight, Pacific Time. My Hubs will choose a comment number as the winner on Monday, May 11, 2015. I will email you to let you know that you have won my prize and ask for your full name and snail-mail address.

***Please, please make sure I have a way to contact you, or you can't win. So many people are classified as a "no-reply blogger", which means there is no e-mail addy connected to their profile. If you are not sure, please include your email(I promise I will never use it, share it, sell it, whatever!!!). An easy way to type your email would be "your e-mail name (at) yahoo (dot) com", that way you shouldn't get anyone spamming your e-mail address.

Thanks for entering and good luck!

Sharing is caring!!!
Don't forget that I am happy to share with your friends…feel free to pin to Pinterest, post on Google+ and Facebook, and Tweet away! Just please play fair and make sure your posts link back to this blog. 

*If you mouse/hover over the top right corner of my photos, a red "Pin-it" button will show up and all you have to do is click it to be taken to Pinterest. There is also another red button right beside it for posting to Facebook and Twitter. Or, you could always use the little square grey buttons at the end of this post. 

Thanks for reading and have a great day! 

Quilty Huggs, 

Jacqueline 

PLEASE NOTE: This blog accepts forms of compensation such as, but not limited to; fabric/notions/patterns/books in exchange for a posted review and/or tutorial. All comments/critiques/opinions are completely my own and are not those of the provider. This blog may also contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of my links. Thanks so much!

WIP Progress, Springing and a Tutorial!

Hi peeps! 

How is everybody doing today??? Did ya miss me? Laid low again with a weather-sparked migraine that lasted a week, eek! 

Before I was incapacitated I managed to get my citrus batik table topper put together-border and all! I am still amazed at how pain-free the HST's were…guess I never bothered to measure and trim them before…ha ha ha...it had been that long since I worked with HST's! 

I have spray-basted it to some older-stash fabric and am good to go for quilting…but I am still undecided on which pattern to FMQ(free-motion quilt) with my Pfaff. It will be on our large coffee table and will get spilled on, folded over and generally well-used so I think it should be densely quilted. The one that is on the coffee table now was quilted with a fairly tight meander and while that is the easiest FMQ design to do, I am a little bored with it.

This was made with two packs of Timeless Treasures charms I got from Craftsy during their Boxing Week Clearance Sale. I actually bought 4 from them and don't know just yet what I'm going to do with the other two packs. I had a few squares left over from the above project as I was working with specific dimensions, so I'd like to work them into the next project as well.

I took this picture early last week. This is part of the tree that is in our minuscule back area. This one usually grows so much in the summer months that it ends up touching our kitchen windows! Now, would you believe, the buds are fully open and little leaves are starting to grow.

Home-Made Spray Starch Tutorial

I don't really like to use the spray starch in a can as it has an icky slightly-sweet smell…and of course, the fumes and the ozone layer. This recipe is a mix of a couple I have seen online with a few personal tweaks!

You will need:

2 cups of cold tap water
4 Tablespoons of cornstarch
1 Tablespoon of vodka(yes, really…very important)
5 drops of Lavender essential oil(or a favourite, just not a citrus-based one as even small amounts might cause a stain)
1 spray bottle(got mine at the dollar store)
-mixing bowl, measuring cup for liquids, measuring spoons, fork and a funnel

In your mixing bowl combine the water, vodka and cornstarch and mix well using a fork. Don't add the essential oil yet!

With the help of your funnel, pour the resulting liquid into your spray bottle. Remove the funnel and add your essential oil. I use lavender as it has a nice smell, but you could use a different oil such as peppermint or rosemary...but no citrus-based oils as they can leave oil spots on your items!

Now give your spray starch a hearty shimmy & shake. This helps to mix the essential oils in well. The reason I wait till the end to add the essential oils is that I don't want to waste any of it in the mixing bowl. Just mixing the oil in with a fork will not disperse the oil throughout the spray starch mixture and some of the oil will stick to the bowl's sides, which is a waste in my opinion.

Now, keep your spray starch near you ironing board and spray, spray, spray away, but use sparingly-a little will go a long way! Just remember to give it a good shake before each use as the cornstarch tends to settle to the bottom once the bottle is set down. 

It should stay fresh for a month or two! When not in use, I put mine in the fridge and it lasts longer.

If you find that you have some white residue on your fabric after the spray has dried, just give the area a little swipe with your fingers or a damp cloth. The white residue is just plain old cornstarch!

Why the Vodka you ask? Vodka(or any clear alcohol, but not rubbing alcohol) acts like a dispersant and a binder(emulsifier)-helps the essential oils mix with the water, and will also help the spray starch stay fresh, as it is a preservative.

Enjoy!

Thanks so much to the peeps who commented about my new vintage Singer machine! I was directed to a couple different websites and can now say I know this about her:

Model#15-91

Made in St. John's, Quebec, Canada in 1948

My model was one of the first of these models to come off the assembly line, as I noticed there are some things missing: the face of the stitch lever(on the right) doesn't have any numbers on it for stitch length and there is no gold "Made in Canada" decal situated on the top of the machine head.

I also now know that I put the needle in the wrong way...DUH! While on modern machines you put the needle in with the shank facing the back, this Singer must have the needle shank facing the left! 

I have also started looking on eBay and Etsy for a Walking Foot and a few other things I like to have. Someday I would like a wooden cabinet to store her in, so I could set her up in the living room and not have to move her on and off the kitchen table…Featherweight she is not!!!

Today is the last day of Craftsy's Spring Blowout Sale! Scoot on over for amazing deals on fabric, sewing kits, and quilting kits!

I have been looking longingly at this kit: Letters Home Tea and Biscuit Table Runner since Craftsy first shared it! When you use this link, just scroll down the page to see the kit. It is on sale HALF PRICE for $25.43(this is the price in CA$-it will be much cheaper in US$)!!!

They even have a few of the lovely Aurifil thread sets…but these are going fast.

Question of the Day: 

 How should I machine-quilt my citrus batik table topper? I really need some ideas peeps!

Sharing is caring!!! 

Don't forget that I am happy to share…feel free to pin to Pinterest, post on Google+ and Facebook, and Tweet away! Just please make sure your posts link back to this blog. 

*If you mouse/hover over the top right corner of my photos, a red pin-it button will show up and all you have to do is click it to be taken to Pinterest. There is also another red button right beside it for posting to Facebook and Twitter. Or, you could always use the little grey square buttons at the end of this post.


Thanks for reading and have a great day! 

Quilty Huggs, 

Jacqueline 

PLEASE NOTE: The writer of this blog accepts forms of compensation such as, but not limited to; fabric/notions/patterns/books in exchange for a posted review. All comments/critiques/opinions are completely my own and are not those of the provider. This post may also contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Thanks!

A New Addition to the "Family" and a recipe!

Hi peeps! 

So…can you guess what I just got???

I found this vintage Singer on Craig's List, and my Uncle went to pick it up for me! She was a little bit dusty so I gave her a good clean. The wooden base has that slightly musty smell that wood gets when it is in storage for too long. That doesn't bother me so much, I can always stick a dryer sheet in there, to soak up the smell.

Here you can see most of her decals...they are in excellent condition, and are quite pretty.

Here's a close-up of the decals and her serial number. I had a look online and found a site which can help you date your machine and find out the model number. I think this is a 15-90 model, made in 1948…but I am not totally sure, so I also emailed Singer to see if they could help date her for me.

On the bottom of the foot pedal it says "Made in Canada", but that is probably only where the foot pedal was made.

The box with the accessories in it also said "Made in Canada"…so the mystery deepens! I'm hoping Singer will be able to give me some info on where she was made.

I managed to get her threaded and popped in the bobbin, but the stitches are not completing, so I'm not sure if it is the new needle I put in it, or possibly I threaded it incorrectly. All in all, still a good deal for only $45!!! I don't mind putting some $$ on her to make her run like a dream. 

So many people say how wonderfully these old cast-iron machines run. She sure is heavy though, the Hubs had to oomph a little to get her onto the kitchen table!!!

This recipe was in the Vancouver Sun this past Wednesday,though it is actually from the Portlandia Cookbook. We defrosted a small chicken overnight on Thursday and made the soup on Friday. We all ate a hearty bowl of this soup on Friday for supper and there was enough soup leftover to be an accompaniment to a sandwich on Saturday night for all 3 of us.

Tortilla Soup with Chicken

2 T. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

2 large Poblano peppers, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped*

2 large cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 t. ground cumin

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth

kosher sale and black pepper

4 corn tortillas, cut into 1 inch strips

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for garnish

4 cups cooked & shredded chicken(we used a small chicken and it was fine)

1 cup hominy, rinsed & drained**

Sour cream and broken tortilla chips for garnish

*we used a small can of mild green chilies as there were no Poblanos in the store

**There was no Hominy to be found so we subbed in a can of corn niblets

In a large pot, heat the oil and add the onions, chilies, garlic, cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until softened-about 5 mins.

Add the broth and tortilla strips, cover and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat until the vegetables and tortilla strips are very soft-about 5 mins.

Add the 1/4 cup of cilantro and using a stick blender, puree the soup until smooth.

Add the chicken and hominy and simmer uncovered for 5 mins.

Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and garnish with sour cream, cilantro and broken up tortilla chips.

Note-I would not omit the tortilla chips at the end as they add some needed salt taste to the soup.

This was a fast and easy soup to make and is now a favourite. I hope it will become yours too!

***********************

Question of the day:

Does anyone out there own a vintage seeing machine, and if so, which one?also, what shall I name my new-to-me vintage Singer?

Sharing is caring!!! 

Don't forget that I am happy to share…feel free to pin to Pinterest, post on Google+ and Facebook, and Tweet away! Just please make sure your posts link back to this blog. 

*If you mouse/hover over the top right corner of my photos, a red pin-it button will show up and all you have to do is click it to be taken to Pinterest. There is also another red button right beside it for posting to Facebook and Twitter. Or, you could always use the little grey square buttons at the end of this post.

Thanks for reading and have a great day! 

Quilty Huggs, 

Jacqueline 

PLEASE NOTE: The writer of this blog accepts forms of compensation such as, but not limited to; fabric/notions/patterns/books in exchange for a posted review. All comments/critiques/opinions are completely my own and are not those of the provider. 

This post may also contain affiliate links and I will receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on my link. Thanks!