Sew News

The Day 7 winner of the Christmas ball ornament from Seams Sew Special is Rebecca W. for her answer “I have a 13 month old little girl and I would place lovely keepsakes in there to giver to her when she was older. Not only would it be a gift I made but it would hold all those little things I held so dear!”

What an adorable idea, Rebecca! Email sewnews@sewnews.com with your mailing address to receive your prize!

Our Day 8 prize is the perfect gift for the beginner sewist in your life. Sewing Machine Basics by Jane Bolsover (Cico Books) provides a step-by-step course for first-time stitchers and includes 7 full-size pull-out patterns.

It’s even great for experienced seamstresses to brush up on skills and for reference. You can never have too many sewing books, right? More information is better than not enough.

So post your answer to the question below for your chance to win:

Do you have a beginner sewist in your life?

The winner will be announced on Monday, so be sure to check back quickly and hopefully you’ll get the book in time for Christmas!

Thanks to everyone for all your posts yesterday! I loved reading all the homemade, heart-felt gift stories. My mother-in-law made us a beautiful crochet afghan one Christmas. It happened to be our puppy’s first Christmas and he literally consumed about 30% of the blanket. So, the next year, after our puppy was trained, she made us another one. It’s warm and soft and the puppy loves snuggling up with it!

The winner of our Day 6 prize, Sew the Perfect Gift, is Mama Lusco for her comment: “My husband loves the blue jean & corduroy comforter I made him last Christmas.”

Congratulations Mama Lusco! Email sewnews@sewnews.com with your mailing address to receive your prize.

We have a very special Christmas Giveaway Day 7 for you today. Seams Sew Special is offering a Free project as well as a prize! The instructions for the project can be found here: Wing Needle Poinsettia Bag.

I’m thinking wedding favor bags, but the design is so elegant and understated you could use it in a ton of different ways. What would you use these bags for?

Post your answers in the comments section below and win a Christmas Ball Ornament design from Seams Sew Special.

The winner will be announced tomorrow along with our Day 8 prize. Happy Holidays!

Our Day 5 prize, the Bag E Bottoms, goes to Blossom for her answer, “I’ve sewn a few simple tote bags, but haven’t attempted any handbags yet. These look very useful!”

Thanks to everyone for their comments (and advice). Blossom, email sewnews@sewnews.com with your mailing address to receive your prize!

Our Day 6 prize is perfect for this time of year: Sew the Perfect Gift (Martingale & Company). This cute book is packed with 25 handmade projects from top designers, such as pincushions, bracelets and purses. Not just for Christmas, there are projects for birthdays and ‘just because.’

I’ve been making ornaments for my friends out of scrapbook paper, curled and glued into curly hearts. They’re adorable and not Christmas-specific. So my question to you is:

What was the best handmade gift you’ve ever given/received?

Post your answer in the comments and tomorrow the winner will be announced! We’re already halfway through our 12 Days of Giveaways, can you believe it?

Our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway prize for Day 5 is…

Bag-E-Bottoms from Lazy Girl Designs! We’re giving away 3 different sizes of acrylic bases for making your own bags or giving structure to your favorite shopping bag that always sags in the middle and makes it impossible to find anything.

I tried making my own bag once and it was a disaster. I wanted a million pockets, zippers and buttons. I admit the design was flawed to begin with, and I was winging it without the aid of any tutorials or books or gadgets. These BagEBottoms would probably have helped.

To win this prize, post your answer to the following question in the comments section below:

Do you make your own handbags and/or totes? (got any tips for me?)

The Day 5 winner will be announced tomorrow along with the Day 6 prize!

The winner of the Curtain Grommets from Dritz Home is Jenn M!

We asked When was the last time you got/made new curtains? and Jenn answered “2 years ago I got new curtains for my bedroom. I went to a discount store because I had no sewing machine. Maybe I should consider sewing myself an upgrade”

Congratulations Jenn! Email sewnews@sewnews.com with your mailing address to receive your prize. Happy Holidays!

Our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway continues with the announcement of the Day 5 prize later today!

Yesterday a lot of readers answered that the home-dec project they wanted to make was curtains. Well, check out what we’re giving away today!

Christmas Giveaway Day 4‘s prize is Curtain Grommets from Dritz Home. No tools required, just trace, cut and snap in place.

To win this prize, answer this question in the comments section below: When was the last time you got/made new curtains?

One randomly selected winner will be announced tomorrow!

We’ve got 8 more of these, so keep those comments coming!

A winner has been selected!

On Day 3 we asked: What home dec project do you want to sew?

Linda T. won Sew Up a Home Makeover by Lexie Barnes (Storey Publishing) for her answer: “I have 3 vintage chairs that I got with my husband, 6 years ago. I want to slipcover them for a reading nook in our bedroom.”

Email sewnews@sewnews.com with your mailing address to receive your prize.

Stay tuned for the announcement of Day 4′s prize later today!

Check out this easy, cute serving tray project from Krylon. Can’t you just see a couple mugs of cocoa and a plate of sugar cookies on it at your Christmas party?

Arguably the best part: costs only $18 to make and you can customize it however you want!

Our 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway continues with the announcement of our Day 3 prize: Sew Up a Home Makeover by Lexie Barnes (Storey Publishing). Get 50 simple sewing projects to transform your space. Pick holiday fabrics and voila! You’ve just decked your halls.

To win this awesome prize, answer me this: What home dec project do you want to sew?

Post your answers in the comments section below and tomorrow, one lucky winner will be announced.

Happy Holidays!

Congratulations to our Days 1 & 2 Christmas Giveaway winners!

Our Day 1 giveaway winner answered this question: Would you make a stuffed toy for a  Christmas gift? Who would you give it to?

Shirley C. won Sew it, Stuff it: Cut, stitch and sew 25 adorable soft toys by Rob Merrett (Cico Books) for her great answer: “Yes, I would and I would give some to my grands and some to the other children in the community that won’t have a lot for Christmas.”

I’d like to thank our readers for being so generous. Many of you answered that you would make the stuffed toys to donate this holiday season. Make sure you participate in our Sew Your Support campaign and put your good hearts and sewing skills to good use! The new cause and details will be announced in the February/March 2012 issue of Sew News.

Our Day 2 winner answered the question: How many rulers/fabric tape measures do you have?

Natalya H. won a styling design ruler from W. H. Collins for her answer: “At least 7 rulers and 1 tape measure. This looks like such a nifty tool!”