Sanibel Summer Candy with a Giveaway

Good Morning and Happy Monday my friends! I hope you had an excellent holiday weekend.

Today I have a special treat for you! It is my stop on the Sanibel Blog Hop. This line of fabric by Gina Martin (a Moda designer) is super summery and it makes me want to go to the beach. It has sunglasses, adirondack chairs, bright flowers and gorgeous summer colors.

I had such tough time deciding on what to make with my stack of fabric. Then my bestie Lee of May Chappell sent me a bunch of her patterns and I fell in love with her Eye Candy Pattern. It was perfect to show off the beautiful focal prints and blenders from Sanibel. I think you will agree.

I fussy cut those summer flowers and lined up some of my favorite chair prints. I love those basket weave prints, they remind me of lawn chairs my parents had growing up. This line is nostalgia made bright and modern. It is perfect for beaches, picnics, and cuddling by the bonfire.

The Eye Candy pattern is also pretty much amazing. To get real life all on here for a second. I have been super busy with work and my husband and I are house shopping and he is busy with work and I have been traveling a ton (a run on sentence for my run on life). Shocking no one, I got super sick the weekend I was supposed to work on this project. I am telling you all this because I ran low on time and I made this throw quilt top in two sittings. One night after work, I cut the whole thing. Then I sewed up the whole top in 3 hours on a Sunday! Stay tuned for a complete quilt top to come very soon. I need to finish it in time for summer concert season. This will be the perfect picnic blanket. 

I wanted to give you some tips for sewing up this pattern. The pattern itself is great and doesn't need too many tips, but I have a couple of general pointers.

- This pattern is really ideal for chain piecing. I recommend cutting all of the pieces in one sitting and labeling each of your cut types.

- There are three types of blocks you make for this quilt: flying geese, hourglass blocks, and your center "candy" squares. I recommend making all of each type of piece in batches.

- Once you have made all of your blocks you can decide how you want to place your "candy" blocks.

- I had fun with my center fussy cuts. This pattern is great for showing off those focal prints you fall in love with. I think it is great for showing off a fabric line or specific color story you love too.

- Try a fun background. I decided to go bold with Moda Bella Summerhouse Lime, but you could try anything. I tried to think outside my comfort zone with this one.


I saved the best for last, I am giving away a Sanibel Jelly Roll and a PDF copy of the Eye Candy pattern right here right now! All you have to do is comment on this post and tell me where you go for your favorite vacation. This summer I don't think we will get a long vacation (buying a house and all), so I need to live vicariously through you. I will choose the winner via random number generator on Sunday, April 12th. International winners are okay! Make sure you are not a no-reply blogger.

That is not all, nope! I am doing a bonus giveaway. I am giving away this bundle of 10, 1/3 yard cuts of Sanibel and another PDF copy of Eye Candy on Instagram. Incidentally, this is exactly what you need to make your very own Eye Candy quilt (minus background). Click on over to my instagram (@stitchingandbacon), follow me, and comment on the contest photo for another chance to win a bundle and pattern! For this giveaway I can only do U.S. winners, I am so sorry friends. 

There are two chances to win two prizes! Once on this blog and once on instagram. 

The winner of the blog post was comment number 3! Cassandra, who is headed off to Myrtle Beach this summer! I have already emailed Cassandra. Thanks for playing my friends!

Be sure to check out the other blog hop participants this week for more precut giveaways and fun project ideas.

Monday - April 6th

Stitching and Bacon - That's me!

Crafty Tammie

Tuesday - April 7th

DonnaLeeQ

Sally's Angel Works

Wednesday - April 8th

Jess Toye Quilts

I am a Quilter

Thursday - April 9th

Silly Mama Quilts

Friday - April 10th

Hadley Street Quilts

Gina Martin at Pattern and Hue

Christmas in July Sewing Challenge. That's Right, I am DOING This

This post has to start with a story. 'Cause it is me and I am feeling a little punchy tonight. Don't worry it ends on a high note.

I went to Sew South this spring and I had a ROCKING good time. I found out my sewing people are even cooler in person than online. Some of the awesome ladies and I are doing a traveling medallion along, we call it the Drunkard's Medallion Along.

Remember my blue bear? It is the center of my medallion.

Two of my fabulous, beautiful, talented medallion companions are Christen (Love By Hand) and Chrissy (Sew Lux Fabric). These ladies and I bonded when we finished out infamous duffels together late one evening (with the help of some wine, trust me it was that kind of duffel).

Anyway, Christen wants to get all of us started on our Christmas sewing. Real talk: last Christmas I finished my projects approximately 5 minutes before they need to be gifted. I sewed through my finger the Saturday before Christmas. Scary, I know! This is a public service announcement. START SEWING GIFTS AND DECOR EARLY (and keep your fingers far away from your needle).

I have vowed to be better this year.

Christen has recruited a group of bloggers (me too!) to come up with tutorials for Christmas projects using three new Christmas lines from Moda provided by Chrissy and Sew Lux. My tutorial is going live on July 10th and you don't want to miss it, it is going to be adorable.

The best part is that there are awesome prizes. I mean seriously awesome (see below).

All you have to do is make something for Christmas. Get ahead on that Christmas project list, and enter it in the link up by July 30th on Christen's blog.  You don't need a blog to enter! You don't even have to make a project from one of our tutorials, just something for Christmas.

Check it out, link it up, don't save it up for the last minute.

Sarah out.


Christmas In July Challenge Schedule

Each week, two bloggers will use the same 8 FQs to share their own unique project tutorial to inspire you to get sewing.  The blog hop kicks off July 8!


July 8 – Christen, Love by Hand

July 10 – Sarah, Stitching & Bacon (that's me!!)

July 15 – Kelly, Kelby Sews

July 17 – Lyanna, Purple Panda Quilts

July 22 – Tessa, The Sewing Chick

July 24 – Kristen, KD Quilts


Then, during the month of July, start and finish your own holiday sewing project to link up July 26-30 for a chance to win one of three amazing prize packs from these amazing sponsors!

Grand Prize

$40 gift certificate to Sew Lux Fabric

Pearle Cotton Sampler from Sew Lux Fabric

3 Sewing Prints from Pen & Paint

Paloma FQ bundle from Dear Stella

1 pattern from LBG Studio

Second Prize

FQ Bundle from Michael Miller

2 sewing prints from Pen & Paint

Pearle Cotton Sampler from Sew Lux Fabric

1 pattern from LBG Studio

Third Prize

Havana FQ Bundle from Monaluna

1 sewing print from Pen & Paint

Pearle Cotton Sampler from Sew Lux Fabric


Winners will be selected by the judges, which will consist of all of the bloggers plus Chrissy from Sew Lux Fabric. Entries will close on Tuesday, July 30 and winners will be announced on Friday, August 1. 


How To Enter: The Details Enter any project you’ve made during July to get ahead of your holiday sewing. It can be anything (not just the projects we post here) and can include any fabric – it doesn’t have to be Christmas fabrics or colors.


Starting July 26, you'll be able to link up your entry at Love By Hand. You'll have until 10:00 PM EST on July 30 to add your entry – one entry per person. Link a new post from your blog, your Flickr account or your Threadbias account – you don’t have to have a blog to enter!



P.S. - You should also just go check out Christen's Blog. It is the pretty adorbs (yes, that is a word).

Winner! Winner!

The winner of my very first giveaway is Tamie, my neighbor down in South Carolina!! Tamie, I have sent you an email to get your address. This lovely package should be in the mail by Monday. 

Thanks for playing! I hope some of you new visitors stop by again. Happy giveaway day! I am so sorry I have not replied to everyone's comments. It is seriously on my to do list. I am just getting a little overwhelmed by day-to-day life. I promise I read each and every one. 

Welcome to my Giveaway!

Hello new visitors and friends!

I want to start this by telling new people a bit about myself.

I am in my late 20s and I live with my husband and cat in North Carolina. I make my living doing archaeology and spend a great deal of time traveling all over the Southeastern United States.

When I am not working and traveling, I am happiest at home sewing.

I would consider myself a pretty modern quilter. In terms of sewing I love bright colors, paper piecing, solid fabrics, and making it work.

Okay, giveaway time.

I decided to give away a little prize pack of some of my favorite things. 'Cause I like you.

I am including 10 comic book boards. I have recently become addicted to using these to store fabric and I figured this would be a nice way for someone who has not tried this yet to give it a test drive.

My stash, all organized (okay, only part of my stash).

An issue of Generation Q. There are some great things in this one.

A Frixxon pen.

A tiny charm pack of Lario,  by Moda. These adorable charms make me smile, everything small is cute.

A fat eight of this cute flower fabric (I think it is DS quilts) and 2 half yards of these green prints from Joel Dewberry's Notting Hill line.

To enter all you have to do is tell me what homemade gift you like to give your friends and family? Do you make them all zippy pouches? Jam? Cookies? Quilts? You never make any gifts at all? I am looking for new ideas, tell me about your go-to present. Even better if you can link up to a tutorial or recipe. 

Rules (necessary):
One comment per person please. Do not just write a random comment, please answer the question. The giveaway is open only to addresses shipping in the United States. I am terribly sorry about this, but this is my first giveaway and I need to crawl before I walk.

The giveaway will be open until May 10th at midnight (eastern time). I will choose the winner randomly from the comments and announce the winner on May 11th. If you are a no-reply blogger please leave an email address in your comment (you can use the someone[at]whatever[dot]com format to discourage spammers). If there is no email address and no contact information I will choose another winner.

Thanks for visiting! You should stop around again sometime.

For now, go enter more giveaways!

Giveaway Day! Here! Tomorrow!

I have decided to have my first giveaway tomorrow! What! Crazy!

Come back tomorrow to enter to win a "favorite things" prize pack. From me to you.

xoxo,
Sarah