Giveaway

I'm holding a giveaway for each of these items -- three pocket tissue covers and a bag dispenser. They are leftover Christmas gifts, all lonely and looking for a home. Do you need a gift for yourself? Here's how you can get one.

1. Read my article about crafting gifts vs. buying gifts here. Then comment at the examiner site or here on this blog, telling the amount (percent) of gift crafting you do and which of the four items you would like to win.

2. Subscribe to my examiner articles, then leave me a comment about it here for another chance to win. If you already subscribe, tell me in the comment area below.

3. Tweet or Facebook about my giveaway for a third chance on a gift. Leave a comment so I  know you did this. Copy and paste: RT @threesisjulia Julia is having a handmade giveaway. Visit http://wanderingknits.blogspot.com/2009/12/giveaway.html

I will choose a winner using random.org in one week. NO DOUBLE DIPPING -- I will not accept duplicate comments made on my examiner site. I will ship only to the lower 48 states. Winners will be notified by email and contacted privately to discuss mailing addresses.

The bag dispenser has honeybee fabric. My oldest always drew on everything until she was 8 years old, so if you want this bag dispenser, you'll see toddler doodles on the bee fabric.

Bag dispenser

My scraps, lovingly saved but forgotten (which means they weren't valued or treasured) are shown here, pieced into a nice array. The bag dispenser that my family uses came from Mr. GAIN's aunt. She used a kitchen towel and elastic; the handle was made from eyelet trimming. We use our bag dispenser ALL the time. Put the old bags in the top for storage, pull out through the bottom when you want to use a bag. It seemed like such an odd gift when we got it. It currently hangs from a cabinet handle in an out of the way, yet handy place. It could also hang from a doorknob, but that's not handy for us.

The tutorial. Very easy to follow. I changed the example in the tutorial from something rather small to something the size of a kitchen towel, roughly 14" x 20" -- the one we have is larger, maybe 15" x 25". I also used much smaller scraps, only 3" high, and I didn't use coordinating colors. You see a bag dispenser here and it

is more on the "crazy quilt" side than the "designer shabby chic" side of sewing because I didn't coordinate.

The current dispenser under the needle uses pieces that are 7" high, and they are color coordinated. The next one will also be color coordinated. This brings questions like, "Do we really need a color coordinated bag dispenser?" and "Why would anyone decorate?" But I digress.

When you use smaller scraps, you have more labor, but you have potentially more scraps to use. When you control the scrap size, you control the amount of time consumed in this project. It is very fast. You don't need to use scraps, either. You can have one solid color with contrast or matching lines for quilting/stitching, for an even faster time (if we're talking about a race or very last minute gift).

Sew, Mama, Sew!'s Scrapbuster month has brought a few ideas that I would like to use. The scrap houses are adorable. I will still have scraps once I'm done constructing the in-progress bag dispensers. Not oodles and oodles, though. I don't know that the goal of no scraps is feasible. Example: my oldest is constructing a costume from a former angel costume. She will have white fabric left. It will go in the scrap drawer. Such is my life.

more scraps

ok, i found a box of MORE fabric scraps in the basement. oct. happens to be scrapbuster month. I found this idea, and started it today. I had been wanting make one out of a kitchen towel (we have one that Matt's aunt made) for a gift. Bag dispensers are very handy. They keep bags out of the way in a neat, well-kept manner. And I can take out one at a time for our small trash cans and other little everyday uses. Our lighting is poor right now, being dark outside and all, but I will get photos up.

I've pretty much been on a fabric spending freeze for a year, but I haven't stopped stitching. How cool, what a great accomplishment! I feel good that I have more space in my sewing desk drawers. Lots more space, hallelujah!

Side note: If you can get to the national cup fencing competition, it is pretty cool. HyVee Hall for fencing, followed by the Hall of Pride, is a pleasant use of time. Many good additions have come to the Hall of Pride. Except for the amount of tokens going from ten to three, everything about the museum is great. It's not all sports.