The Drawing Board: sew merry and bright

July 22, 2012

Sew Merry and Bright Giveaway

Thanks so much for stopping by on my day on the Sew Merry and Bright book tour. Such a perfect title, wouldn't you say? Just look at this colorful cover!

This latest book by Linda Lum DeBono, is a fresh, creative celebration of festive, colorful sewing projects for the Christmas/winter holiday season. It includes 21 (twenty-one!) sewing projects, with very clearly written and illustrated instructions: from whimsical stockings, to tree skirts, pillows, placemats, table runners, an assortment of lovely tree ornaments, and several adorable quilt patterns. And, for new sewists, Linda has included a helpful “basics” page, to provide “some essential techniques and product information” for her outstanding projects.

I was so inspired by many of Linda's creative patterns and had ambitious hopes to sew up a couple of the projects using Joy. But by the time i reached for my scissors and thread, they had already been packed and stored! Once i dig them out, i plan on making some of the "It's a Green Christmas" placemats...with a little red thrown in. Maybe something like these?

from left: tannenbaum in holly, winter garden in snow, winter garden in holly, winter garden in snow and peace in holly

from left: peace in berry, winter garden in snow, treeline in holly, winter garden in snow and winter garden in berry

You could also make some matching napkins, roll them together with the placemats, tie with a ribbon and make one of Linda's fun stockings to stuff them into:

design©Linda Lum DeBono photo©Brent Kane

What a cute gift that would be!

Sew Merry and Bright is a book worth giving and a book worth keeping. Want one?! Many thanks to Linda and her publisher, Martingale, who were so generous to share the fun and have provided two signed copies to giveaway. Not only that, i'd love to give you a head start on some of the projects, so i'm also giving away a layer cake of Joy with each book!

Just leave a comment below and i'll pick two lucky winners tomorrow.

And don't forget to keep hopping along...up tomorrow is Lee of Freshly Pieced. Merry merry early holidays to you!
*** Thanks for stopping by, alas, this giveaway is closed.***

July 20, 2012

Settling In

Well, we made it through the first leg of our moving marathon and have finally found all the power cords to get back up-and-running. Before we did anything else, we set up the kitty tower and Franny and Lou are pretty happy with their new view. They've settled in just fine and are on "chipmunk watch" every day.

As we were gathering the few remaining belongings from our house before closing the door behind us for the last time, i snapped a picture of this sweet wall hanging that was there when we moved in. We left it for the new owner who will surely make it a happy home of her own. (Click on the image to make it bigger and easier to read)

Lots to catch up on..

First up, if you've been spending the first few weeks of July trying to find a fun Christmas sewing project, you should hop along with Linda Lum DeBono's fabulous book tour! I was thrilled when Linda asked me to be a part of it because i love her sewing style and designs. In fact, her blog has been on my reader list long before she and i ever met!