How often do you find time to sew for yourself? Usually I find myself making something for a birthday, baby shower, wedding or other upcoming occasion. Even when I come across fabric that I’d love to turn into something to wear, it usually ends up as another UFO at the bottom of the project pile. The new book Sew Serendipity by Kay Whitt has inspired me to change that!

Sew Serendipity is accompanied by three full-size patterns that can be modified and adjusted in dozens of ways for lots of different body types and sizes, and the beautiful photography has me itching to create something new. In the spirit of spending some quality time sewing just for you, we’re giving away a free copy of Sew Serendipity to one lucky reader! To enter, simply leave a comment on this post by Monday 3 PM Eastern time, telling us about the most recent project you’ve made for yourself–and if you’ve had the time to finish it!

Check out this exciting opportunity to refresh and enhance your sewing skills. Coming soon to a Husqvarna Viking dealer near you is Sew Trendy Techniques, a 6-hour class designed to show you how you can use your sewing machine to incorporate the latest trends and techniques into your garment, home-decor and quilting projects. You’ll learn creative piping techniques, fun effects with ruffles and pleating, surface embellishment ideas and much more. To learn more and to find a class in your area, visit sewtrendytechniques.com.

Set your TiVo and cheer on Colorado’s own designer, Mondo Guerra, as he takes on the fashion world in season 8 of Project Runway, premiering July 29 on Lifetime. I realize many of you aren’t from Colorado, but for us here at Sew News, having a Coloradan on the show is exciting. It’s like cheering for the home team!

Last August, Beth was a judge at the Style Wars contest that took place at the Denver Art Museum. The local designers, including Mondo, were challenged to create cool garments for the runway. Mondo won! Read Beth’s blog for more details.

Because of his amazing talent, we believe Mondo could go all the way!

(And if that wasn’t exciting enough, according to this article, each episode will now be 90 minutes of fierce competition.)

Watch with us this season and post your comments and likes/dislikes on our Facebook fan page!

This week, Kari, Colleen, Kim and I are attending the Rocky Mountain Sewing Expo here in Denver. Here’s Colleen (right) and me getting ready for a stitch-filled day at the RMSE in February:

Sewing shows are a fun way to check out the new products and learn new tips and tricks–all of which we love sharing with you! Have you ever attended a sewing show in your neck of the woods? With a little research, you can find inspiring sewing events, expos and classes without having to venture far from your own backyard. Here’s a list of events in the coming months that will be taking place all over the country. If you know of any other sewing happenings, be sure to share them in the comments section!

• Martha Pullen School of Art Fashion: July 19 – 25, Huntsvill, AL
• CHA Craft SuperShow: July 30 – 31, Rosemont, IL
• American Sewing Guild Conference: Aug. 4 – 9, Atlanta, GA
• Quilting, Stitches & Craft Expo: Sept. 9 – 11, Cincinnati, OH
• Quilt, Craft & Sewing Expo: Sept. 16 – 18, San Mateo, CA
• American Sewing Expo: Sept. 24 – 26;  Novi, MI
• Original Sewing & Quilt Expo: Sept. 30 – Oct. 2; Chantilly, VA
• Creativ Festival: Oct. 20 -22; Toronto, ON
• International Quilt Festival: Nov. 4-7, Houston, TX
• Creative Embroidery Conference: Fall 2010 (check back for specific dates); Reno, NV
• Sewing & Stitchery Expo: March 3 – 6, 2011; Puyallup, WA

The 4th of July is one of my favorite holidays! To me, it means beautiful weather, family, friends, camping, relaxing, fireworks, baseball games, cookouts, and celebrating the Declaration of Independence. We live in a great country!

What are your holiday weekend plans? Anybody going to be sewing this weekend? I probably won’t have time for projects this weekend (I’ll be relaxing in the sun), but I’m going to get a head start on sewing Christmas gifts next weekend. July is a great time to start thinking about Christmas gifts! By the way, I can’t believe that Christmas is only 6 months away!

If you are ambitious enough to get sewing this weekend, check out some of the cool projects from our newest issue! With so many great ideas, you might be inspired to skip the barbecue and stay in your sewing room… (If not, that’s OK, I won’t tell).

I hope you all have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend! Please feel free to post pictures and share your weekend fun with the rest of us!

Does your home-dec need a little kickstart? Pillows are a fast and fun way to update any room, and they’re also great for trying out a new technique or color scheme.  Give your living room a summery makeover with three free pillow projects, courtesy of Jo-Ann Fabric & Crafts.

I really like the way that this free-motion stitching looks on the layered organza strips:

Very artsy. This would be a fun technique to use on other projects as well. Which pillow’s your favorite?

Happy Thursday and happy pillow sewing!

I was lucky enough to spend last Friday and Saturday having a crafty and creative  great time at Brini Maxwell’s Crafts for the Masses: Tassel and Pom-Pom-athon, a fantastic event hosted by the Denver Public Library’s Fresh City Life program and Fancy Tiger Crafts. You might know Brini Maxwell from her delightful Style network series, which featured fun domestic advice and lots of fabulous guest stars.  If you’re not familiar, check out some of the highlights from Brini’s show here:

On Friday night, Patty Heath, an editor from our sister magazine, Quilters Newsletter, and I had the honor of meeting Brini at a welcome reception at Fancy Tiger. Here are some pictures from the evening, including the amazing, not-to-be-missed Weenie Tree.

The excited crowd awaiting Brini's arrival...

Me & Brini

Patty, me & Brini

Fancy Tiger Girls

The next day, we all got down to the very serious business of tassels and pom-poms (or pom-pons, if you prefer). Patty and I joined a huge room full of crafters to learn Brini’s techniques.  Brini was an awesome teacher, and it was so much fun getting to learn a new craft alongside so many other enthusiastic people. Here are some pictures from the mass crafting madness:

Getting ready...

Brini making the rounds

Some of our finished handiwork

Patty's finished pom-poms

It's Pom-pomania!

My friend Katie poses with Brini & her pom-pom

Comment on today’s blog post for the chance to win Sue Hausmann’s Happy Sewing embroidery design collection from Cactus Punch! The CD includes 17 designs along with a free project, color chart and special instructions–what a value!

Let us know by commenting below: Do you want to see more embroidery projects in Sew News? If so, what embroidery techniques you want to learn?

One winner will be randomly chosen from the comments below on Monday, June 28.

If you’re considering investing in a new machine, Bernina is now offering a cool way to try before you buy. Experience the top-of-the-line 8 Series on a brand new interactive Web site that includes a downloadable machine simulator, video demonstrations, interviews and free patterns.  Take a virtual test-drive of the machines’ features, including a high-tech color touchscreen, jumbo bobbin and impressive stitching speed, without having to leave home or even change out of your PJs!

Bernina 830

We  need your help! Operation Orphan Education is Sew News’ charitable effort for 2010. We teamed up with American Friends of Cecily’s Fund, and we’re excited for all our readers to get involved. American Friends of Cecily’s Fund (AFCF) is a charity that helps fund education opportunities for Zambian children who have been orphaned by AIDS.

The Challenge: Create a tote bag using the AFCF logo and  your favorite fabric and technique (applique, hand embroidery, fabric paint, etc.). The bags that our readers make will be auctioned at AFCF events. Be creative! Make a one-of-a-kind tote that stands out at auctions. The best bags get the highest bids!

Want to help? Click here to download the FREE tote pattern and instructions. Or create your own tote! Just remember to use the AFCF logo somewhere on the bag.

FREE DESIGN! Click here to download the FREE AFCF embroidery design.

The goal: 1,000 bags by the end of 2010. Encourage your family, friends, coworkers and anyone else you know to make a bag. Or make two! Or three!

Send your finished bags to: American Friends of Cecily’s Fund, 120 Boston Post Road, Rye, NY 10580.

Results: At the end of the year, we’ll reveal how many bags AFCF received and how much money was raised. And you can give yourself a huge round of applause for giving back!

**Upload pics of your bag onto Facebook! We would love to see them!**

For more information on AFCF, click here. Check out page 16 of the June/July 2010 issue of Sew News for a picture of some great bags made by Creative Crafts Group. Don’t have the issue? Purchase it here.