Blithe Blog Tour has Started!

I'm excited to announce the Blithe Blog and Instagram Tour.

On the first day we have Katarina Roccella the designer of the Blithe Collection for Art Gallery Fabrics.
Her blog post can be found here, Like Flowers and Butterflies , also be sure to check out her Dear Deer Quilt  and her cute Christmas Stockings, a free pattern.

 I have copied this Instagram list from Katarina Roccella,  (I will be linking the blog posts after they are published, too):

1. Erica Toole - January 18: Instagram only @ skynme2

2. Mariana Diaz - January 19: Instagram only @ sewMariana

3. Ashley Herrmann - January 20: Blogged at Petite Stitchery @ petitestitchery

4. Isabelle Selak - January 21: Blogged at Teach Sew Love @ southbaybella

First weeks makes, all beautiful!

5. Stacey Derksen - January 22: Instagram only @ sweet_finnagin_boutique

6. Eleri Kerian - January 23: Free Tote Pattern @ sewandtellproject

7. Hemamalini Elumalai - January 24: Doll Mini Quilt @ helumalai

8. Paola Baker - January 25: @ loveoffabrics

9. Sue Stone - January 26: Really lovely Linen shirt @ needleinafabricstash

10. Cassie and Alexis - January 27: Great Girl's dresses @ lilyshineforlittlelizardking and myysweetsunshine

11. Carolina Moore - January 28: EPP Pillow @ craftmoore

12. Lesley Storts - January 29: Mini Quilt and Pincushions @ lesleystorts

From Week 2, links above

13. Ali Brorsen - Beautiful dresses and even a shirt for a boy!! January 30: @ becauseofbrenna

14. Kimberly Baird - January 31: Instagram only @ monkeykimberly

15. Rebecca Makas - Half Rectangle Triangle Quilt February 1: @ restitcherator

16. Natalie Santini - February 2: Yoga Mat Case and Essential oil case @ sewhungryhippie

17. Anna Durocher - February 3: cute girl dresses @ bizzy_bean_clothing

18. Sharon Mcconnell - February 4: Baby quilt @ colorgirlquilts

19. Laura Scaramella - February 5: Instagram Only @ petitestitchery

From Week 3, links above

20. Audrey - February 6: Awesome Canvas vest @ skirtfixation

21. Terra - February 7: the most adorable socks @ mamasayssewblog

22. Nichole Vogelsinger - February 8: The most beautiful hoops @ wildboho

23. Mara Capron - February 9: That's me, your here! @ mara.creates

24. Anne Boundy - February 10: a really cool 3D mini @ anneboundy

25. Heather Hatch - February 11: Instagram only @ tanglewood_lane_dolls

26. Michael Caputo - February 12: Baby Quilt @ patchworkandpaper

Week 4 of the Blithe Blog tour, links above.

27. Julia Liebl-Fern - February 13: Quilt and Tote @ finefabric

28. Nicole Young - February 14: Cathedral Window Pillow @ lillyellasworld

29. Karly Nelson - February 15: Girls dress and Cardigan @ paisleyroots

30. Ines Hilsberg - February 16: Woman's Voile Blouse @ naehzimmerplaudereien

31. Geraldine Wilkins - February 17: Lap Quilt @ livingwaterquilter

32. Deanne Chambers - February 18: Philosophers Thoughts Cowl Dress and Deer dress @ wildforesthandmade

33. Mathew Boudreaux - February 19: Hexagon Sewing Box @ misterdomestic

Week 5 creations, blog post and IG accounts, linked above!

34. Judith Posdziech - February 20: @ septembers_delight

35. Elise Baek - February 21: @ eliseandemelie

36. Marija Vujčić - February 22: @ mvquilts

37. Elina Temmes - February 23: @ elinatemmes

38. Maja Wlusek - February 24: @ betyipiernaty

39. Jennifer DauFerermany - February 25: @ petitestitchery

40. Jacky Ayres - February 26: @ jackyayresdesigns

41. Yuliya Reshetnikova - February 27: @ yureshetnikova

42. Christine Bacquer Joubert - February 28: @ lopolokko

43. Katrin Umlauft - March 1: @ puppilalla

 My Day is on February 9th, can't wait to show you what I am making with these beautiful fabrics, along with some gorgeous Brillo Aurifil threads!

Luna Sol

I recently got a Fat Eighth bundle of the lovely Luna Sol from the designer Felice Regina
OMG!  I just love this fabric, the colors are fantastic, the little bunnies are cute.

Aurifil (left to right) 2255, 1133, 2120, 2805, 6738, 2510 Variegated 4658, 4663, 3840, 4660

I immediately had to make a project from them, so I decided to try out Sonic Stitches one hour basket hack, the Eliza Basket with Foundation Paper Pieced geese.  And also Karen's Orange Peel Pincushion, both are free tutorials (links will take you to a new page, so click away)

First for some fussy cutting 

I used all 19 prints when making the Orange Peel Pincushion

The little blue bunnies hopping is my favorite print and I used that on the back.

The reason the pincushion isn't filled is that I was going to mail it as a gift, so it's flat :)

I couldn't leave the back side plain, and had to use my favorite designer, Alison Glass!

The basket is of course filled with Rainbow goodies from AG!

I did keep the original One Hour Basket, corner cutting dimensions of 3", 

instead of the Eliza Basket 2.5" suggestion.

My FQ's fit better in the 3" boxed corners, but this did make the flying geese go right to 

the edge of the basket, but I still love it and plan on making more.

Do you need to pick up some Luna Sol, Janum sells them in F8 (what I got, but wish I had gotten more) 

Also FQ bundles, 1/2 yard and 1 yard bundles.

She also has the matching Aurifil Thread small box available.

Also @iamlunasol Is doing a giveaway in regards to her Kick Starter for some Enamel pins

So be sure to go check that out.

Linking to Sunday Stash

Sunday Stash

This week I got a wonderful bundle of fabrics from Janum fabrics.  My most favorite, the stunning metallic bundle of Luster from Zen Chic.

Luster fabrics with Aurifil (left to right) 2021, 6072, 2600, 6736, 4241

Inspired by last weeks Sunday Stash to take a picture like this, it doesn't look as good as My Go-Go Life's though :)

I just love the metallics in this!
In the same package was her Tuesday deal's from Instagram, which are really good, you should check it out.

On the left the Cat's Meow and of course I just had to get a charm pack of Handmade.  She also always includes the cutest buttons in your package.
I showed off my new Aurifil threads last week, along with a giveaway, it's still going on till Monday night.

Linking to Sunday Stash episode #200

Pretty Perfect Fabric and Patterns

Pretty Perfect Fabric is Art Gallery Fabrics!  "Feel the Difference" is their motto, and it is a good one, love the feel of their fabrics, I can even tell when it is AGF fabrics and they don't have their selvedge, just by the feel of them.
AGF is having a giveaway of 100 yards,  in order to enter the giveaway you must post a selfie of yourself with something you have made with AGF.  A selfie is a “photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically with a smartphone and shared via social media”
How good are you at doing Selfies? 
I am NOT very good at taking selfies, so difficult, eekk.. you can see my nose hairs, oh now you can't see my nose at all, talk about double chin, hey where'd the bag go?  so on and so forth, I took about a dozen different selfies.

So I made 2 items to enter, one is the Pretty Floral Divided Tote by Thread Riding Hood.

I made it out of the new Skopelos fabric designed by Katarina Roccella, these are the 2 exterior fabrics, Paparounes Pastel (that's poppies in greek) and Greeka Skouro (the greek key like symbol in Dark -Skouro) and for the Interior I used Underground Route from the Jungle Ave collection by Sara Lawson.

I took these pictures at a girlfriends shop, she sells Greek trinkets.

Paralia means beach in Greek, but it is also a place here in Greece.

 I tried to take some selfie pictures at the outdoor market or in Greek - Bazaari, but was feeling pretty exposed with everyone walking around and several neighbors were asking what I was doing, the Greek community always wants to know what that strange foreign women is up too.

I used some hardware from Emmaline Bags, the handmade bag label and a magnetic snap inside.

I picked up some strawberries at the market and picked up 2 birthday packages from the post office.

I also made the Perfect Petal Purse for my daughter a pattern made by Fenna from a Fabulous Home Sewn. out of Art Gallery Elements, Floral and Nature, I love basics and just love AGF Elements, can't wait to get my hands on some of the newer Prisma ones.
For that selfie you will need to go see it on my Instagram account :) -link on the side bar.

 I made a little stumpwork bee for the center of this sunflower purse.  I even made him wings out of some AGF fabrics, but decided that they were a little too big and was afraid they might get caught on things as my daughter wore her new purse.

So no wings for the little guy, but surrounded by delicious french knots representing the center of the sunflower.

The zipper has some bag bling with an Emmaline bags handcrafted zipper pull

See a Pretty Perfect Fabric and Pattern Pairing!
Did you make anything out of AGF?
#ShowUsHowYouAGF, #artgalleryfabrics & #wearefabrics

All The Skirts

Hello All, I whipped up a skirt for my daughter over the weekend, I have been meaning to make one for a while out of this fabric that I bought from the Fat Quarter Shop.

"Pepe in Paris" by Riley Blake Designs and the text print is "Surrounded By Love" by Deb Strain for Moda

When I ordered this fabric I knew I wanted to make something for my daughter with it and along came the Skirt Fixation link up of "All the Skirts" and all of the pretty skirts made using Oliver & S patterns, I really need some good patterns, but I do love what I whipped up.

The skirt, an appliqued shirt and a purse to match!
I designed all of it myself based off of my daughters measurements, she is a little chubby compared to patterns.

The purse is felt with the fringe at the bottom, I sewed up the sides with a zigzag stitch using Aurifil Variegated Thread #3840

I made some pockets for the skirt, because as we all know little girls love pockets.

One on each side, the text print peeks out just a little on the top and is also used as the lining of the pocket.
I really hate hemming clothes so I did something to the bottom of the skirt so I wouldn't have to hem it, not sure what it would be called, but I just used the text print again and then added the trim.

But my daughter doesn't like the trim so much now because it keeps getting caught in her shoes, so I will be taking it off, but it will be okay cause the text print is what made it easy for me not to have to hem the skirt.

I need to learn the trick on how to get kids to stand still for photography shoots, bribery does not work on this child of mine.

It's still cold here in Greece for the morning walks to school.

running ahead of her, maybe I can get a front shot, just made her run faster :)

So on a hanger will have to get you a better picture of what the outfit looks like.

Linking up to "All the Skirts" with Skirt Fixation!

Low Volume Deal

It's been awhile since I have participated in Sunday Stash, has stash been coming in, YES, have I blogged about it, NO, bad blogger...

Today though I just have to share with you a really, really good deal!  And you have to act fast.
Sew Me A Song (all my links open in new windows, so click away) is having a shipping deal, $12 International!  $2.50 US and $9.00 Canada, ends today March 22, Sunday!  She can fit in 10 yards to a Flat Rate Envelope.
She has some really cute bundles, like the Texting While Sewing Encouraged.

But here is a really fantastic and fun swap, Simple Sew is doing a Fat Eighth Swap, you send as many F8's as you want and she will swap them out for different ones, so here is what I did, I ordered my fabric from Sew Me A Song, go to Shirley's blog for a discount code of 25% and since shipping International was so cheap, I just had everything sent here.  When it arrives I will cut out 6 Fat Eights and keep a Fat Quarter for myself, I ordered 4 different 1 yard fabrics, (well technically I ordered 10 yards, but some are for other things, hehe, got to fill up that package) so I will be sending Shirley 24 Fat Eights and I will get 24 F8's back!

This is what 24 F8's look like!

This is already in my stash!

 Of course if you want you could always just say order 4 half yards and have them shipped directly to Shirley for only $2.50 and she will do the cutting for you and send you the 4 you purchased plus 12 different Fat Eights or you can do it how ever you want, but it is a good deal and I love good deals!

Be sure to head over to Flickr to see what other members are contributing, you might see something you just have to have and will want to join in on the fun.

Go here to sign up!

Read what Low Volume means here!
Linking to Sunday Stash.

I'm on Instagram

I am SO SEW EXCITED!  I am on Instagram!!!! WooHoo!
My older brother got me a tablet for Christmas and my younger brother got me fabric for Christmas, do my brother's know me or what?

My husband has been dead-set against me having a tablet but the only reason I wanted it was for Instagram.

It's very nice I am getting used to typing on a screen and I love the feature where they try to think of the word you are going to use next.  Still trying to figure out the camera..... it sometimes cut's things out or the picture goes a little sideways.

Come say Hi to me on Instagram I am @mara_makes, who would have thought that grecomara, my normal name for things would be taken.... So I am slowly changing things over to Mara Makes, like Pinterest.
I love entering in giveaways, but don't want to always have my personal Instagram account where I show what I am working on and finishing with reposting's of giveaways, so I made a seperate account for entering in those giveaways, @acrafty_giveaway, so if you want to follow me there you can do that too.  I will also be making one for our rooms to rent in a couple of days.
Question:  Does anyone know an easy way to repost on Instagram, I got a repost app, but then it stopped working?
I also already joined my first IG swap, the #alisonglassminiquiltswap over @reapwhativesewn, the last time I saw her post there where 338 participants and she only needs someone from Louisianna, Mississippi, Rhode Island, North Dakota and Vermont, to have one person form all of the 50 States.  And over 15 countries are represented.

Some yardage of her handcrafted, and a mini charm pack of her new fabric line.

 
I am so glad I got my huge Alison Glass order in a few weeks ago, I am set and ready to go for when partners come out, and the deadline for entering is Feb. 1st so you have plenty of time to join and the time to post your mini isn't until June so plenty of time to sew it up.

Plus her new book SIGNED!! and some of the wool and threads she loves.

I already have quite a bit of her first Sun Prints line and her second Sun prints line is just as fantastic.
I can't wait to find out what my partner likes, I sure hope it's the sun prints, lol.

Don't forget, to come and say Hi to me on Instagram, @mara_makes

My American Fabric Hoarders and a Giveaway!

I live Internationally, in Greece, and everyone knows that all of the good fabric deals are in America and shipping is crazy.  SO I have some lovely friends that have become my shipping hoarders, Thank you to my awesome quilty buddies that hold on to fabric for me.  When I am in a fabric swap, I always like to "fill up" my package, so I will do my yard or two for the swap and then I ask the swap mama if I can send some more fabric her way so she can load up the package.  This is when I shop at shops that give free shipping so there is no more shipping cost added.  These 3 gals have done this recently for me, Erin of "Sew At Home Mummy" (currently doing a whole Cotton and Steel fabric swaps), Amanda of "What the Bobbin?", she does some really fun swaps (open right now is Round 2 Christmas Brick Swap), and Mel of "Missouri Mel" she does a 1930's continuous fabric swap.
But my Bestest Fabric Hoarder Buddy is Shirley Tener of SIMPLESEW!  Anytime I come across a really, I just can't not buy it fantastic fabric deal, I purchase it and have it sent to Shirley's house.  Now if you are International and don't have a fabric hoarding buddy, you are missing out, get yourself one right away.  Look what Shirley hoarded for me in a recent Southern Fabric $25 Layer Cake deal.

5 Layer Cakes, Weeds, Bee My Honey, Wishes, Color Me Happy and Solstice.
the Kona Jelly roll (Ash) is from Pink Chalk.

Plus 2 Charm Packs, 25th and Pine and New Muslin Mates and my first ever Honeycomb in Simply Style.

To share the love I am giving away a $25 Gift Certificate to Southern Fabrics, who knows when they will have another $25 Layer Cake deal, or you can check out their Tuesday charm pack $2 deals.  Buy whatever you want if you win, use the Rafflecopter widget below.

Do you want to see what else both Shirley and Erin sent me this week, oh yeah I got 2 packages this week.

From Shirley a Big Ass Box, filled with yummy fabric and books.

Pink Chalk was having a big birthday sale so I got my first Voile.

And some Free Spirit Linen, this has an amazing feel, not harsh at all, will definitely be buying Linen from Free Spirit again.

I bought a whole bunch of yardage of this "Rosey" by Tanya Whelan print to add it to some "Country Girls" to make a dress for my daughter, this is a minty blue color and it's almost a perfect match for the blue in Riley Blakes "Country Girls" line.

see the little blue barn, the "Rosey" has more of a green tint to it, but it will do.

Shirley also sent some extra goodies, books, patterns and magazines.

Cording, Clear Plastic (yes I so need this!) and a doo-hickey, (what am I supposed to do with the blue thing Shirley?  I have no idea what it is?)

And even my kids got some fabric!

One of my favorite designers Ann Kelle, mermaids, and girl and boy superheros.

She also sent some other little gifts for my kids, but they didn't want me to take photographs of them.

Oh and this bundle of Rainbow of Riley Blake Chevrons goes perfectly with the bundle of Rainbow Spot On Tiny Dot Robert Kaufman, that Erin sent!

My first Pearl Bracelets Purchase!  Tone on Tone, lovely additions to the stash

Erin packed these items up for me during the recent American Made Brands Solids Swap.

You can still make something for the Farm to Fabric Challenge.

All 50 American Made Brand Solid Colors in Brick Charm form (5"x10")

She also sent me some extras, machine needles, sewing needles, 2 FQ's of Liberty Tana Lawn, and 2 Half Yards of AGF!

Now this is where you can win, you see I made some shorts for my daughter with the Liberty Fabric, but so sad they are to small, you can read about my experience and the book review here.  Good news Erin's daughter is smaller than mine, so this pretty little fabric is now going back to Erin all sewed up.  I would like your vote in the "Shorts on the Line" challenge.

You will need to log in, to "Heart" my shorts and I hope you don't mind doing this, voting continues until 6pm EST on Thursday, August 14th.

I also want your vote on my Singer Sewing Machine Block, this vote is easy, you don't have to sign up for anything and you can vote EVERYDAY!  till August 31st!  (the link for that is on my side bar, you can also add this link to your blog by going here and at the bottom in blue is a "Vote For Me" widget that you can copy, go to layout on your blog and enter it in the "Add a Gadget" HTML code area.  If you DO want to sign up, you can be entered in a contest to win a Singer Iron from Quilting Daily.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Vote for the Liberty shorts
Vote for the button jar
Linking to Sunday Stash