FREE FRIDAY GIVEAWAY

Nothing like winning something beautiful for free!

One of my very favorite online Fabric Stores is sponsoring a giveaway today!
The name of which is Hawthorne Threads.  Click to enter for giveaway.

Hawthorne Threads
is an online fabric shop run in Upstate NY by a husband and wife team, Charlie and Lindsay.  #hawthornethreads 

www.hawthornethreads.com

They have the greatest selection of  beautiful fabrics in cotton or whatever you are into.

I received word of this giveaway in their  weekly Newsletter:

"Hawthorne Threads on Instagram
Hi Folks! We've hit a fun milestone over on Instagram! We're so grateful for all of your support in following along with our sewing adventures, and sharing in our excitement for making beautiful things. As a thank you, we are giving away 10 yards of fabric - see our recent IG post for details on how to enter and win!"

TO ENTER CONTEST PLEASE CLICK THIS LINK

Re-purposing Old Wool Sweaters

As recently as two days ago I inherited some older "felted" sweaters from my sister. I just love wool, for knitting, as a fabric, and for felting.

I set about thinking about what to do with these treasures. After searching , I found several ideas to turn these beloved old sweaters into a felted wool purse, thus giving them new life or "repurposing" them.

I would like to share with you ,the blogs with tutorials that I found, in case you would like to try this yourself.

1. "Make It and Love It.com" Posted by ASHLEY, 9 NOV. 2010
"Fall is the time that I start looking through the piles of old sweaters. Do you have a big stash like I do? Even if they are outdated, stretched out, shrunk in the wash, etc.? It’s time to give those old sweaters a new life. And turn them into something new......"
To read the rest of the article please CLICK on this LINK, or the one to the right of the picture.





2. Upcycled Purse From A Ruined (shrunken/felted) Sweater by MaryT8M in sewing on instructables.com website. Mary in Sewing says, " I've discovered the thrill of making something WONDERFUL from a mistake! I washed a sweater a while back that I could have sworn said it was machine washable only to find out it was dry clean only. Before I tossed it in the Goodwill bag, I checked the Internet and found several ideas for turning felted/fulled (shrunken) wool sweaters into other items....."
To read the rest of the article and see tutorial, please CLICK on this LINK, or the one to the right of the picture.

Last but not least, a GREAT printable tutorial.

3. FELTED PURSE INSTRUCTION SHEET from the website JANES SEW AND SO FOUND AT http://janessewandso.com 

It really is very handy to be able to print out the instructions to follow them more easily. I prefer to do this. Here is an excerpt from the tutorial:

Janes Sew and So says "Sew, what's up? My daughter Chanel and her friend Camille were shopping for cute purses on the Internet, but they couldn’t find any that didn’t cost over a hundred dollars! I showed them how to make their own, one-a-kind purses out of wool thrift shop sweaters for fewer than five dollars. ....."
To read the rest of the article or to print it out please CLICK on this LINK !

WELL THAT WRAPS UP MY THURSDAY MORNING POST ON FINDING WAYS TO RECYCLE, RE-PURPOSE, REUSE WHAT WE HAVE AROUND US INSTEAD OF THROWING IT INTO THE LANDFILL. HAVE AN AWESOME WEEK FRIENDS! PLEASE THINK GREEN.

Home Sewing is Once Again Gaining Popularity, Thanks to Social Media

Home Sewing is Once Again Gaining Popularity, Thanks to Social Media.

 Home sewing was so popular in the 1950's and 1960's that high school offered courses in Home Making which taught you ,aside from cooking, sewing skills.

Some points to ponder:

•  Let's face it, even today there are a lot of SINGLE people out there, and sewing, at least repairs is one skill most of us, even men, can use. 
•  Mom will not always be around to sew your buttons back on, or mend that tear in your favorite pair of jeans that you wear around the house. 
•  It is also very satisfactory to be able to make something exactly as you want it to be, not having to accept something other than perfect off a rack in a store.
• Working with one's hands can be very satisfying.

The News and Observer, an online newspaper has a great article written and published Sept. 30, 2016, By Debbe Geiger.

Here is a link to their article: "Social Media Makes Home Sewing Cool Again" by Debbe Geiger, Correspondant,well worth reading: 

Crafting With Yarn Has Many Health Benefits

Taking part in hand crafts  involving yarn  is both rewarding and relaxing. It is a challenge to your mind, but not to the point that you would feel mentally exhausted. This makes it great therapy for de-stressing. It should come as no surprise therefore, that doing yarn crafting yields health benefits.

Read about the health benefits in the following blog post:

By Kathryn Vercillo. "10 Most Important Health Benefits of Yarncrafting" , Lionbrand Blog, May 20,2014. Web May 24,2014.  <http://blog.lionbrand.com/2014/05/20/10-most-important-health-benefits-of-yarncrafting/>.

10 Most Important Health Benefits of Yarncrafting

By Kathryn Vacillo

Blogger and author Kathryn Vercillo is an expert in the area of using crafting to heal, having researched the topic extensively for her book Crochet Saved My Life. This is part one in her 6-part series for us on the topic of yarncraft health. Read her previous blog posts on the Lion Brand Notebook here. 

 Yarn heals. Whether you prefer needles or hooks or a combination of both, crafting can soothe your body and mend your mind. Anecdotal evidence has shown this for decades and new research confirms it with science. The benefits people report are seemingly endless. Here are the top 10 yarncrafting health benefits.

 1. Knitting and Crochet Relieve Depression
Depression relief is by far the most reported and studied benefit of crochet and knitting. The repetition of the crafts has been shown to release serotonin, a natural anti-depressant. CNN recently reported that “in one study of more than 3,500 knitters, published in The British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 81% of respondents with depression reported feeling happy after knitting. More than half reported feeling “very happy.”
2. Crafting Reduces Anxiety
Yarncrafts helps with various forms of anxiety. It keeps your hands busy and mind focused ......

 Read More

Sewing making a comeback in tough economic times

Sewing making a comeback in tough economic times

This summer is a wrap! The kind of wrap you can use in the shower.

Shower wrap by Kathryn Goodman 

Shower Wrap Project by Kathryn Goodman

Hot summer temps mean more cool showers. And who says you can't look fashionable right out of the bath? This adorable towel is designed to securely wrap up and stay up with the help of Velcro®, so you're hands-and-worry free. Perfect for visiting the spa, after a shower or just lounging around doing your nails.

Follow the link " adorable towel" above to see the video on how to make the shower wrap. 

Find your next sewing project on the
Sewing Republic. They are fast and easy . . . and practical too. Sign up for the Sewing Republic newsletter to stay in touch with what's new.

If you have problems going to  Sewing Republic's website to get this file for download here is direct link to the Shower Wrap pattern file in Adobe PDF format.......http://www.sewingrepublic.com/projectPdf/ShowerWrap.pdf    Enjoy this project and have fun with it. Please check out the other wonderful free projects available at Bernina's website and Sewing Republic's website.
Source is Bernina E-Newsletter of August 13, 2010. The Sewing Republic -Projects Ideas

Looking for Yarn?

I often go to the manufacturer's website directly to look for yarns, sometimes they introduce new, and other times they just might have a good clearance going on.  Bernat, Red Heart, Lion Brand just to name a few. I also sign up for the newsletters by email since you get a heads up on new yarns being introduced , as well as access to  free patterns.

Here is an interesting new yarn that Bernat is introducing... I just love the luscious colors and love working with bright, vibrant self striping colors. 

Introducing Bernat Mosaic - Luxury and Style 

We have a special treat for you today. Introducing Bernat® Mosaic, your new favorite yarn. First - be stunned by the richness of the colors; Second - be inspired by the inventive color combinations; Third - be amazed as the long stripes appear between your fingers; and Finally, enjoy knowing that caring for the finished product is as easy as can be.

Bernat® Mosaic is a worsted-weight yarn, perfect for afghans, garments, and accessories. The color shifts look great in simple stockinette, with textured details, as crochet motifs, and anything else you can come up with. Bright, dark, subtle, bold - jump into your favorite color scheme and go where the yarn takes you. Even beginners can create their own work of art with Bernat® Mosaic. 

 

 

 

There are many yummy colors available to see them click here:

Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Source:

Bernat Newsletter and Bernat Website: 

http://www.bernat.com/index.php