Fat Quarter Shop WINNER!!!!

Ok, I won't dilly dally!

I know what you are here for today! :)

You want to know who won the amazing fabric bundle from Fat Quarter Shop don't ya???

And the handy dandy Rafflecopter has randomly selected LUCKY Entry #9

TAMMY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations!!!!!

Check your email for a message from me and please respond within 48 hours to claim your prize. 

Have a great day all! 

I'll check in again later to see where we are with numbers, and will share the official GRAND TOTAL of dresses sewn tomorrow along with the announcement for our May Project! 

Crazy, sewing fun!!!!!

Kristy

Birthday Set for my Princess!

I got it done!!! :)

 And I'm absolutely tickled with it!!! 

Now...if she'll just keep the crown on for her party, she's going to be the cutest 2 year old Princess on the planet I'm certain! 

I used the fun & easy to sew Gemini Jumper pattern again, this time doing one of the variations the pattern offers. It's still reversible, just using additional prints and trims to make it one of kind....like my little bit! 

I'm leaning toward Side One pictured above, but Side Two here is super cute too...

And the crown, OH MY GOODNESS!!!

 I'll have to write up further details about it later, but it was so much fun to make!

I knew exactly what I wanted and was thrilled when it turned out even better than I had imagined! Sometimes what's in my head doesn't always show up at the end ya know. ;) But it sure is satisfying when it does! 

I can't wait to see her in it!!!!

Keep your fingers crossed with me that she cooperates for all the cute pictures I've planned in my head now! ;)

Happy Birthday Sweet Princess!

It's your day to SHINE!

Love, Mommy

(who had a ridiculously fun time making this special birthday set just for you!)

Come see me at the Quilting Gallery's Learning Center!

 I'm so excited to be sharing about Hopeful Threads, how it came to be and my love of sewing and hand-crafting over at the Quilting Gallery's Learning Center today! Direct link to the post here.

Come over and say "Hi!" ok???  :)You'll be glad you did! This site is a WEALTH of information & inspiration! Kristy

2 More Makes 10!

Like one of the dress seamstresses said on facebook the other day, once you get started it's hard to stop! Well, I was having so much fun with the Little Comet Tails Gemini Jumper that I had to make a couple more. These 2 round out my contributions to this months' project as #9 and #10.

And I'm thinking this one might just be my favorite one I've made yet...

What little girl (or big girl for that matter!) doesn't love Strawberry Shortcake!? 

I know I do! :)

And I was so pleased when the little stripe coordinated so well, it's what the reverse side is made of too.

And I had just enough of this red eyelet trim for one dress and I love how it finished it off!

Dress #10 is a cheery gingham with ladybug pocket.

 

 The reverse side is the same Strawberry Shortcake as above.

I'm having a blast sewing with this pattern!

One more dress made using it yet to share....my little sweetie's birthday dress, and OHHHHH!!! It's so sweet! This pattern allows so much room for added details and embellishments the possibilities are endless!

5 DAYS LEFT of our 

Dress A Girl April 2012 Project!

I can't wait to see how many dresses we end the month with in our album!

Happy Sewing!

Kristy

Fat Quarter Shop - 5y Bundle Gypsy Caravan GIVEAWAY!!!

My! My! My!

Look at this lovely fabric collection!
I think it's absolutely stunning, don't you?

And guess what??? The amazingly generous Fat Quarter Shop wants to reward one lucky dress seamstress a 5y BUNDLE from this collection to help rebuild that stash!

Haven't sewn a dress yet? There's still time! Get all the details about this month's Dress A Girl project here.  Already been sewing? Great! Follow the Rafflecopter prompts to get entered!

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

I'll announce the winner of this yummy fabric giveaway on Monday, April 30, 2012 as part of our Project Finale! We WERE are aiming for 200 dresses ready to donate by that day, but have already passed our DOUBLE GOAL!!!! But Keep Sewing!!!! and come help us be a part of dressing little girls all over the world! What a special thing! 

Thank you Fat Quarter Shop!!!

Good Luck to you all!!!

Kristy

Girl's World WINNER!!!

Was this an awesome prize or what????

Thank you Sis Boom for providing this gorgeous book to inspire our creativity and then offering this one as a giveaway at Hopeful Threads!!!!

  Now, for the lucky number selected by the random number generator as the WINNER was

Entry #24Theresa A.

Congratulations!!!!You are in for quite a treat! I love this book!
Please check your inbox for a message from me and respond within 48 hours so I can get your lovely prize on it's way to you!
Oh, and all you dress sewing maniacs.....come back tomorrow to see what Fat Quarter Shop has to offer you! You aren't going to believe it!!!!
Until then....Sew On! :)Kristy

This week.....

....is going to be a busy one!

For Hopeful Threads:

Monday, 23rd - Girl's World WINNER announced!

Tuesday, 24th - Awesome NEW giveaway opens!

Wednesday, 25th - Puts us 5 days away from our Project Finale and goal of 200 DRESSES

Thursday, 26th - I'm sharing on an incredible sewing/quilting forum! 

So excited to share with you all too!!!

Friday, 27th - Hoping to share my sweetie's birthday sewing I've been doing (gotta finish!!!) and the Handmade Olympics winners announced.  

Saturday 28th/Sunday 29th - Final weekend for dress sewing this month!!!

...........

And then for me & my family....

Strawberry picking....prepping, canning, freezing and cooking! YUM!

Visits from Grandma, a lovely Great Aunt and my awesome brother and his family, all from out of town. 

A day trip to the local theme park with the kiddos as part of our spring break fun.

Finish sewing my sweetie's birthday set! :)

Overnights at a friend's cabin.

Birthday party and family gathering.

OH JOY!!! It's gonna be fun!!!

Sharing all to say....I might be sporadic with my response to facebook, email, and flickr album comments, but I will definitely check in throughout the fun!

Hope you all have a fabulous week too! :)

Kristy

Mysterious.....very Mysterious! (giveaway) :)

So in case you hadn't noticed, all the dress making around here is getting some pretty amazing attention about the web. I mean, have you seen our album overflowing with beautiful dresses? We are well on our way to our DOUBLE GOAL of 200 dresses in April for Dress A Girl Around the World and I don't doubt for a minute that we will reach it....possibly even surpass it!

Well, I received an email from a very kind and generous person who wanted to anonymously offer a gift of sewing goodness to one of our dress seamstresses this month!

HOW COOL IS THAT???

The seamstress of one of the dress entries in our April Project Flickr Album will be chosen to receive a surprise package of fabric and sewing supplies, shipped internationally!

So keep sewing those beautiful dresses for Dress A Girl! All the details about our efforts are at the top of the sidebar and there is still plenty of time to participate and be part of this exciting outreach!

And remember, there will also be a winner of a beautiful dress made just for that special girl in your life! You can see that post here. Winners for both the dress and surprise sewing supplies package will be selected and announced Monday, April 30th as part of our FINALE celebration.

I love watching this awesome community come together in support of using our gifts and talents to give back. Whether it's by sewing or offering gifts to those who are, it's such a touching and encouraging thing to witness!

Remember...

Every Stitch Matters!

Kristy

Be Informed

Invisible Children

Pattern Review - Gemini Jumper by Little Comet Tails

This is the Gemini Jumper by Little Comet Tails. 

I've chosen this darling pattern to make my sweet girl's birthday dress with....will share that a bit later....but I had to make one for our Dress A Girl project too.

And, OH MY!!! I can't say enough good about this pattern!!!

Gemini Jumper - Little Comet Tails

The pattern covers sizes 0/3month - 5T and offers four, YES 4!!! variations....3 of which are REVERSIBLE! So you get all kinds of bang for your buck here!

The pattern comes in paper format and is professionally created. I can't stress this enough...very, very well written, detailed, easy to follow instructions with neat & clear illustrations to guide you. This would be a PERFECT beginner pattern, but also offers some fun alterations for the more confident seamstress. This is a high quality pattern and makes it easy for you to create something you're gonna love and want to sew again and again. The finish is flawless and the drape of the dress is a perfect A-line. I am very pleased!

Another bonus...if you use snaps for the closures, the reverse side work is done for you! She includes instructions for adding buttons for those who prefer.

This one will make dress #8 for me for our Dress A Girl project!

Have you seen all the beautiful dresses in our album?

Absolutely amazing! I might just make it to 10....

:)

Kristy

Pattern: Gemini Jumper by Little Comet Tails

Fabric/Supplies: Some "groovy" cottons from my stash, coordinating snaps

VOTE for Hopeful Threads!

 WOW! I received a surprise email that a super nice person had nominated me for the 2012 Handmade Olympics at the rikrak studio! If that wasn't thrilling enough, Hopeful Threads made the judge's SHORTLIST! The best part yet.....the event I've been nominated for, Event #5, is all about using your craft and talent to give back! LOVE IT!!!! What an honor!!!

Voting closes April 27th.

There are actually 7 Events to vote in, so you'll want to take a look around. LOTS of creative inspiration to be found!

And if you want to vote for me in support of what WE do here at Hopeful Threads, you can do so here, in Event #5.

A huge, humble and heart-felt thanks for the nomination and recognition! What an honor!

 I am blessed to be a part of this giving community and am blown away that I have the amazing privilege of being able to give back while doing something I love as much as sewing!

Blessings & Gratitude,

Kristy

LAST DAY of the Love Without Boundaries Auction!

Don't forget to stop by and show your support for this amazing outreach!
Find the auction here!

Love Without Boundaries

 

Girl's Word GIVEAWAY!!!!

OH BOY!!! Or maybe I should say OH GIRL!!!!!! You are in for a TREAT!!!

When I shared with the amazingly talented Jennifer Paganelli of Sis Boom what we were doing this month, she didn't hesitate for a single second before jumping in! And look what she sent along as a gift for one of the generous dress sewists this month...

 An AUTOGRAPHED copy of the incredibly beautiful 
Girl's World!!!!

This creativity inspiring book is overflowing with girly goodness! It includes 21 sewing projects specifically designed to please any little girl, with gorgeous photography throughout and a pocket that holds all the patterns neatly inside.

You may remember one of the projects I made from the book last month...

This is a gift and incentive for those participating in our April Monthly Project to sew for Dress A Girl Around the World. Haven't sewn a dress yet??? There's still plenty of time! Get all the details in the top right of the sidebar. Entry will be via Rafflecopter to keep it simple, so just follow the prompts below.This giveaway will end at midnight 4/22/12 with the winner announced here and emailed 4/23/12. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

So what are you waiting for??? Keep sewing those dresses and get entered to win this amazing book!

Thanks Jennifer! You are a rare and beautiful GEM!

DOUBLE THE GOAL!!!!

Ok!!! Here it is! You all are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

We have exceeded our monthly goal mid-month!!!!

That's right! There are already OVER 100 dresses in our group album being donated to Dress A Girl Around the World!

So why not DOUBLE our goal?!?!?!

Let's sew 200 dresses for Dress A Girl in April!

Are you in????

I originally offered the challenge of at least 1 dress a week for a total of 4 dresses......I will personally double my offering and contribute a minimum of 8 dresses! Will you take the challenge with me?

Every single dress matters! Every single dress adds to the ultimate goal of providing every little girl in the world at least 1 dress to call her own! Join us in making a significant impact and contribution to Dress A Girl this month! 

On your marks! Get Set! SEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dress Kit WINNERS!!! + NEW GIVEAWAY!!!

Here are the lucky ladies Random.org selected that will get to sew a dress for Dress A Girl Around the World from these kits...

#7 Jodi will receive the gift from Sew BitterSweet Designs

#4 Heidi (Grizz 'n' Dove) will receive the gift from Hopeful Threads

Congratulations!
Check your emails ladies we'll need your addresses to ship.

Enjoy sewing your dresses for little girls around the world!

Thanks again Melissa - Sew BitterSweet Designs, you are a blessing and inspiration!

++++PLUS++++NEW GIVEAWAY!!!++++
Theresa from Grammie's Dolls has been sewing dresses like crazy this month!
Now, she wants to offer all of you sewing along a lovely gift & incentive. :)
At the end of the month, Theresa will select one of the entrants from our Dress A Girl Flickr album to receive a dress like this one in the size of their choice from 1-12!

This beautiful dress was made using the free Simple Elegance pattern by Ellie Inspired! Love it! And love the overwhelming generosity of the online sewing community!YOU ALL ROCK!!!Keep those dresses coming!

WINNER! Vintage Lace Bundle

Kay Hankins the Rafflecopter gadget has told me that it's your lucky day!!!
Congratulations!

You are the winner of a lovely bundle of yummy, vintage lace!
Please check your email for a message from me and please respond within 48 hours to claim your prize and provide shipping information.

Thank you to all that entered!
More girly fun to come, so be sure to stay tuned! :) Don't forget to enter the Dress Kit Giveaway...winners to be announced tomorrow!
And how about those dresses??? Aren't they coming along beautifully!?

 

Love Without Boundaries Auction BEGINS!!!

Today's the day that the Love Without Boundaries "Born In My Heart" Art Auction begins!

Please take a moment to visit the auction and see all the amazing items that have been donated for the purpose of raising money for children in need. Items will begin loading at 3pm EST and may take several hours before everything is posted, so be sure to check often! Money raised is used to fund surgeries for children with urgent needs. 

You'll remember me sharing about Love Without Boundaries last month helping to get the word out about the need for bibs for the cleft surgery team that is in country this week! I'm delighted to say that I was overwhelmed by how many of you stepped up to sew bibs for these sweet babies! You are a blessing!

These are the items I've donated to the auction from Hopeful Threads...

There are many lovely items to consider, so please join me in getting the word out so this auction can be the biggest to date!
Find the auction here.
Thanks!  

On an entirely personal note...

I'm typically very prompt in my response to any contact here. With that in mind, I just wanted to share a brief note in case there is any delay in my response to your comments, questions or photo uploads in our monthly project album. 

The next couple of weeks hold some very important events for our family that include finalizing the adoption of our youngest child (wooooo-hooooo!!!!!), a large family gathering, a very special birthday and some fun Spring Break activities. Yes, GOOD STUFF!!!!!  

Source - Darling Doodles

So, if you don't hear right back from me, please know that I will respond when I am able. And all you Hopeful Threads "old timers" and "regulars" feel free to jump in and answer any questions you see that you can help with. I certainly appreciate all of you!