makelifesweet

The Patterns...

for Mama Said Sew are finished.  Almost.  At least the covers are finished.  Here they are.

Mama's China

The fun thing about this pattern is that you can make all 3 quilts (one red, one black and one grey) using one Jelly Roll.

Mama's Garden

Mama's Strawberry Pie

Mama's Spools

Mama's Stuff (Sewing Kit)

We are giving away a complete set of these patterns.  If you would like to enter, simply leave us a comment and let us know which of the Mama Said Sew patterns is your favorite.  I know which is my favorite, but it is fun to find out yours.

As we said before, the fabric for these won't arrive until August.  However, we are taking pre-orders for the quilt kits now.  BUT- if you want a kit, you only have until Tuesday, May 15th to reserve one.  We need to place our order for this collection next week, and we want to make sure we have enough for everyone who wants a kit.

A few months ago, we did the same thing with our Reunion patterns and it seemed to work well. Except one small thing. Which really wasn't a small thing.   We were expecting the fabric weeks earlier than when we actually received it, so those that purchased the kit had to wait longer than what we intended.   The kits were completely pre-paid and we hated the fact that they were late.  So this time, we are going to do it a little different.  Instead of purchasing the entire kit now, you will only have to pay for half of it now, and the other half when the kit is shipped.   We think that is more fair to those of you who want a kit.  

We are also offering backing for each of the kits, and they can be purchased separately from the quilt tops.  

They are available in our shop now.  Please remember you only have a few days to reserve one.  The patterns will be ready to ship as soon as we get home from Quilt Market (which is next week), so we will list the patterns then.  

We will choose the winner of the pattern set in a few days.  Good Luck!

83 degrees and ready for....

Summer!  Yep, as I write this, the temperature reads 83 degrees.  In April. In Colorado   And no wind.  Something must be wrong.  But I hear it's snowing in Pennsylvania.  So sorry.  But  our new Label Crew project may get you ready for my favorite season of the year.

This table runner will be perfect for summer.  On May 1st, we will offer the fabric kit in both Lucy's Crab Shack and Reunion.

For more information on our Label Crew, click here.

We have been very busy creating new things with Lucy.  Look for our new ideas here this week- they should give you great ideas for Mother's Day gifts- which is quickly approaching.

Our first project is an adorable Heart Favor Bag.  

There are so many possibilities for these- favors at a Mother's Day brunch, baby shower or birthday party.  You could also tuck in special treats and use it as a gift bag.

The labels on the bags can be customized with any word or name.

The kit includes the fabric, pattern and labels to create 6 favor bags.  They are available in our shop now.  Now for the best news:

Because we will have several new projects and items in our Etsy shop this week, we thought it would be a great time to do another Random Acts of Kindness  week.  You may remember us doing this several months ago- and we thought we would do it again.  If you don't remember- every order that is placed in the next week will receive something fun for free!  It could be a pattern, sheet of labels, maybe a canvas print or book.  You will be surprised with what you get- hopefully you will love it!

One more thing.  We have a winner!  Congratulations to:

Allison, who wrote:

This is my new favorite line!!! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the colors yall chose! Oh how I hope I win some!!!

Congratulations, Allison.  Just e-mail us at info@sweetwaterscrapbook.com with your mailing address and a pre-cut of Lucy's Crab Shack will be on it's way!

Thank you so much to all of you who entered.  We love reading your comments.  Have a great Monday!  

I Missed It...

You may remember that last year in March the fun people at fatquarterly.com came up with what I thought was a brilliant idea:  March Madness for fabric.  Mostly because I love, love, love sports (if you have been reading this blog for a while, you get that).  And what could be better than combining fabric with sports?  So I was all over it.  Last year I blogged about it- even my most favorite fabric collection, Sunkissed made it to the final four (I think, anyway).

Which brings me to this year.  A few weeks ago, when the real basketball March Madness began, I sort of thought about that fatquarterly contest from last year.  A while ago, I had heard just a few bits and pieces about problems that arose from the contest, and for some reason I assumed they weren't doing it again, expecially since I hadn't heard anything about it.

Bad assumption.  Maybe I should have checked the blog.  Yep, they had it alright.  And I missed the whole thing.  Well, not the whole thing. The finals are going on now- check it out here and vote for either Bonnie and Camille's Ruby or Echo by Lotta Jansdotter.  Love both of those.  I'm just an itsy-bitsy, teeny-weeny bit upset that I didn't know about it.  Which is totally all my fault.   Not because we didn't win- but just because I didn't even keep up with it and check things out.   They start out with 64 fabric collections.  Sixty-four.  That's a lot.  My cluttered brain couldn't even come up with four.  But I love looking at all of them.  And reading the names of the collections.  I think that is super interesting.   There are so many different,  wonderful collections out there- one to suit every style.  Because we all have a different style- we may have different likes, dislikes and tastes, but I sure appreciate the variety of fabric that is offered in our industry.   

And that is why I so enjoy fatqurterly.com's March Madness.  And because I'm a super-duper, ultra competitive, don't like to lose anything kind of person.  So, truth be told, when I found out they actually did hold the contest, I rushed right over there to see if we were even in the contest.  And we were. Well, actually, Reunion and Hometown were in the contest.  And I was proud of our Hometown.  It made the "elite eight", which is totally cool.  So, for everyone who voted for us when I didn't even ask, beg or promise you my next child, thank you.  You would be surprised how much joy I get out of doing well at games.  Just ask my brother.  I clobber him at "Words With Friends" daily.   

Ok. I'm done.  But next year, I'm definitely looking at the blog.  

On to something else.  We are so excited about next week.  My mom and I will be going to the Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe in Portland!  They are holding a very exciting event on April 14 called SPRUNG.  If you are anywhere near Portland, please, please, please come see us.  For more information on the event, click here.

We will be teaching a couple of classes- we aren't supposed to let you know exactly what we are doing, but we can give you a couple of peeks:

We will show you the full projects when we get home.  

One last thing.  Our Label Crew kits went out earlier this week- the fabric kits are now available on our Etsy site!  

Have a great Tuesday!

A Whole Bunch Of Things

We have lots to share with you today- but before the new stuff, let's pick a winner of our Mama Said Sew contest.  

Our random winner is:  Terra who wrote:

My first thought was ric rac. I absolutely LOVE the grey with the large white circular pattern. SOOOO pretty. You gals did it again!

Congratulations, Terra- just email us at info@sweetwaterscrapbook.com so we can get the fabric to you.

The winner was totally random- she didn't even get the answer right.  Lots and lots of you picked ric rac for the name of the zig zag fabric.  Good guess. But not quite right.  Lots and lots of you did get it right, though!  Pinking Shears is the name of that print.

And just in case you are curious to what the names for all of them are, here is the list:

The gingham is called "The Bias"

The circle/medallion print is called "Hoops"

The pinwheels are easy- they are just "Pinwheels"

The subway art with the quilt block names is called "The Block"

The large dots are named "Snaps"

The newsprint is "Sewing Guide"

The flower is "Lazy Daisy" and my favorite name:

The "Sew" print is called "Tangled Threads".

Ok, now for some new things.  We always design accessories that go with each collection- usually canvas prints and charms.  This time we have a plate:

There are also a lot of black and white plates that coordinate with this line.  We have already showed them, but if you haven't seen them, you can check them out here.

We do have 3 new prints.  Sewing Defined:

Mama Said Sew:

And if you missed our recent handpainted number sign, we have it in canvas form (so much easier for us!)

All three of the new prints come in 2 sizes: 8" x 10" and 16" x 20".  We decided to add the large size to this group because we think the larger size would be stunning in a sewing room.  We also think all three hung together would be adorable.

The prints and plates are available in our shop.  We do have charms planned, but haven't gotten that far yet.  We will show you in the coming weeks.

The final thing we need to show you is our Label Crew project for this month.   We call it a "Grab Bag".  Lots of things will fit into this- magazines, books, your ipad.  

I think the cutest part is the braided handle.

These kits will ship in less than a week!  For more info on the Label Crew, click here.

Thanks to all of you who participated in our contest, we so appreciate your nice comments.  Have a great day!

One More Thing For Easter...

We have one more kit in time for Easter.  We've had this Patchwork Egg pattern for a while (it has been really popular), but we updated it with Reunion fabric:

The kits include the fabric and pattern to create 9 eggs.  They are available in our shop now.  

Thanks to everyone who participated in our plate giveaway.  The lucky winner is:  Sarah who wrote:

Oh! I love, love, love the animal plates. I'd pick the monkey for sure!

Congratulations, Sarah.  Just e-mail us with your info and we will get your monkey plate to you.

Have a great Monday!

A Couple Of Things...

We have just a couple of things for you today.  First, our Label Crew fabric kits for March are on our Etsy site now:

We also added another color combination:

We didn't have time to make the apron in the bunting fabric, but I'm sure it will be just as cute.

Next, just a reminder that today is the last day to order this:

And by last day, I mean the very last day!  I'm 99.9% sure we won't be offering it again.  

Finally, if you entered our contest yesterday for Fat Quarter Shop's Mystery Block of the Month Blog Hop, make sure to check their blog to see if you are a winner!

Have a great day!

They're Back....

We are finished with our 2012 edition of "Coundown to Kisses"...but we have a couple of products that we did in previous years that we've been getting requests for.  So we decided to bring these 2 back.  First, our Heart Pocket Kit:

And our Valentine Postcard Kit:

You can use a black pigma pen to address the postcards. Then put a stamp on them (you may want to put a couple of stitches in that stamp) and just drop them in the mail.  

We have a limited number of both of these kits in our Etsy shop now.

Since we are finished with "Coundown to Kisses" (and it is Friday), we thought we would give something away.  Simply leave us a response letting us know what product was your favorite these last 2 weeks.  Here is a reminider of what they look like:

The Heart Towel:

The Valentine Name Label:

The Valentine Canvas Prints:

The Valentine Charms:

The Valentine Pouch:

The 14 Kisses Pillow:

The Heart Tag Wreath:

We will pick a winner next week.  See you then.  Have a great weekend!

A Little Late...

On a lot of things, really.  First, my mom spent a weekend at Hollyhill Quilt Shoppe in Portland over a month ago, and we are just now getting to it on our blog.  She was totally blown away.  And she made me really sad that I decided to stay home.  It was the week after Quilt Market and I have a three year old.  So staying home was really necessary.  My sister stayed home, too.  But she was fine.  She always wants to stay home.  

Anyway, the great people at Hollyhill invited us to participate in their annual "Homespun and Holly" event.  My mom was there with fellow Moda designer Anne Sutton of Bunny Hill.  I think she could have stayed there forever.  She was in definite quilt shop heaven.  She really had never seen a quilt shop like that.  The amount of fabric, the way the store was organized, the marketing, the displays.  Incredible.  Sweetwater even had their own section in the store.  Unfortunately, all our cameras stayed home.  Fortunately, Anne took some photos and is so nice that she is letting us use them.  

There were 8 Christmas Trees in the store.  Each was decorated in a different theme.  Here is just one of them:

Here is a photo from the Hollyhill website.  I wanted to see what the store looks like on the outside.  Just like a postcard!

Just that picture makes me want to go.  So hopefully someday.  Thanks to all at the shop that made my mom's experience so wonderful.  If you are ever in Portland- this shop is a must see!  

The other thing we are late at is choosing our winners for our Moda Blog Hop contest.  If you remember, there were 3 prizes, and you entered with a comment telling us what your favorite one was.  I may rethink that next time.  Because we always choose randomly, I had a few problems.  Every time I came up with a number, that person wanted a different prize than what I was picking for.  So I had to keep choosing to match the winner with the correct prize.  Hopefully that all made sense.  Anyway, here are the winners:

For the Reunion Layer Cake, the winner is:

Carrie Anne who wrote:  I would LOVE to win the Reunion Layer Cake... I already have a project in mind for it! Thanks for the great giveaway.

For the custom printed recipe, the winner is:

Kate R who wrote:  That cookie recipe looks great! Definitely on the list for this Christmas. I do love Reunion, but the printed recipe would be such a unique kitchen decoration so I think I'd choose that!

For the custom name label, the winner is:

Janet who wrote: 

Love your blog, but enjoy your generosity. Thanks for sharing your recipes and the sweet tea block pattern. Love the simplicity of it a lot! Each one of your giveaways would be wonderful; however, I believe I would cherish the name label. Happy Holidays and enjoy the season!

Congratulations to the winners.  Please e-mail us at info@sweetwaterscrapbook.com with your mailing address.  If you won the recipe, please include that, and if you won the name label, please let us know what name you would like printed on it.

Have a great day!

 

 

 

The Moda Blog Hop!

Welcome to our day for the Moda Blog Hop.  On Monday, as I was thinking about what we were going to post, I visited some other designers to see what they are doing.  I laughed out loud when I read Minick and Simpson's blog:

What is the theme you ask? Heck if I know. Besides giving you a free pattern and recipe, I'm not really sure.

The "heck if I know" is what really got me laughing.  Because I really don't know.  And it's not anybody's fault at Moda's that I don't know.  Lissa Alexander does an incredible job of organizing these things.  I'm just a little out of the loop.  Honestly, we are a little overwhelmed from our 12 Days of Christmas event the last couple of weeks, plus we had pattern designs due the same day our Label Crew kits went out last week (so happy last week is over).  Oh, and my sister is in Las Vegas enjoying the National Finals Rodeo. And, yes I'm jealous. How I love Vegas.  And it's fine.  She has stayed home and worked plenty of times on my Las Vegas trips.  But I'm still jealous.

Anyway, back to the blog hop.  I know we are supposed to show our block we did last spring for "Moda's Country Fair".  And post our recipe.  So here it is!

Our block is called "Sweet Tea".  Simply click on the image below to make larger and to print.

 

 

We made both a pillow and quilt from our block:

And about our recipe.  We selected this Sugar Cookie recipe because it has a history with us.  When we were young and in 4-H, we both made these cookies our first year.  And both times they won champion at the county fair.  And a few years ago, my niece made them, and she too won.  But.... I made them the other day with my little boy.  And they were bad.  Really, really bad.  They would have only won grand champion for the worst cookie at the fair.  I have no idea what I did wrong- but it was something.  So, usually these are delicious.  Just don't leave out something.  Or measure incorrectly.  They will end up in the trash can.  

And because it is Christmas, we are, of course, going to give something away.  Or 3 somethings.  First, because this post is about recipes, you can win your favorite recipe custom printed on canvas:

And honestly, the recipe in the above photo is my all-time favorite cookie.  So if you are making cookies from this post, I would suggest the peanut butter.  Just sayin.  It has never failed me.  By the way, if you win this prize, it would make a great Christmas gift.  Of course, if you win this, we would put your favorite recipe in the print.

The second prize is a layer cake of our latest collection, Reunion.

 And our last prize is something from our recent 12 Days of Christmas.  The Custom Name Label:

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If you would like to win one of these, all you need to do is leave a comment and let us know which one of the 3 you would like.  We will choose 3 winners later this week.

If you haven't already, please visit all the designers that are participating in the blog hop.  Here are the links and the dates they post:

December 5th

Minick & Simpson
Bunny Hill
Me & My Sister
Deb Strain

December 6th

Kansas Troubles
Fig Tree
Cosmo Cricket
Lucie Summers
Liz Scott

December 7th:

Cotton Way
French General
Oliver + S
Sweetwater
Ellen Luckett Baker

December 8th

Thimbleblossoms
Kathy Schmitz Studios
Laundry Basket Quilts
Kate Spain
Primitive Gatherings

December 9th

Basic Grey
Jan Patek
American Jane
Sandy Gervais

Have a great day and thank you so much for stopping by!

Our Winner-

Happy Friday!  We are trying to recover from the 12 Days of Christmas- and just thanking our lucky stars there aren't 13!  Just kidding- thank you all so much for the orders!  We are swamped, but so very thankful.  

The winner of our contest is:

Teri M. who wrote:

I love all things you guys make!!! But my favorite this time is the Christmas Name Picture.

Congratulations, Teri!  Just e-mail us at info@sweetwaterscrapbook.com with your address and what name you would like on the label.

Also, a quick note to let you know the fabric kits for the December Label Crew project are in our Etsy shop now. 

Have a great weekend!