LRstitched :: a journal of stitches

Friday Randoms…

LindseyR — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:04:45 +0000

1. Colorful churn dash blocks on my design wall! I’m getting ready to figure out the layout for my month of Do. Good Stitches. I am so in love with these little 6″ blocks.

2. Only 3 days left of school! ack. This year has completely flown by and I can’t believe I will have a 1st and 2nd grader next year.

3. Tomorrow I’ll be at Bless My Stitches quilt shop in Murphy, NC. Sweet Dana from Old Red Barn Co. and the shop owner, Karen, invited me along to the book release party for Modern Baby. Dana is SO wonderful and I loved getting to met her at Sew South. She’s the cover girl! Isn’t her fishy quilt cute?? The party starts at 2pm, so please come say hello if you’re local.

Have a great weekend!

Lindsey

Belated winners!

LindseyR — Thu, 16 May 2013 01:47:05 +0000

I am crazy late sharing the winners from the Quiltmaker and Modern Baby giveaways. SO SORRY!

A lot has been happening in my personal life that has kept me away from sewing and the computer so I’m trying to play catch up.

I have an extra copy of Quiltmaker’s, so I’ve drawn two winners for a magazine!

Winner #1 is Shirley:

shirley tener

May 1, 2013 at 2:44 pm (Edit)

I love all the artist/bloggers I follow this is like a photo journal of all I love. xoxo

Winner #2 is Hadley

Flying Blind

May 1, 2013 at 6:13 pm (Edit)

Congratulations. Another brilliant magazine we do not have in the UK

And the winner of the copy of Modern Baby is Deb:

Deb

May 6, 2013 at 11:12 am (Edit)

Your quilt is great! Nice that it can grow along with baby.

Thank you all so much for the wonderful comments and encouragement. It makes it so much sweeter to have people to share the excitement with!

I hope to get back into the swing of things soon. We are approaching the start date to the Patchwork Please sew along and I’ll be sharing sources for supplies next week!

Big hugs! Lindsey

Modern Baby Book Tour + giveaway

LindseyR — Mon, 06 May 2013 03:30:32 +0000

Today is my stop on the Modern Baby book tour, welcome!

The theme for the book tour is Modern Baby Shower and I actually just threw a baby shower for my sister.

and just 11 days later her babe was born on May 1st! He was 4 weeks early but both mama and baby are doing well.

This is Noah. He is teeny and so sweet!

He arrived before I could make him a quilt, ahhh! I need to get to work!

Speaking of baby quilts, this is my design in Modern Baby.

“Square Dance” can be found on page 66. I was inspired to make a quilt that not only worked for a baby, but one that would grow with your child.

What I love about the book is that it’s beautifully put together and full of a diverse selection of quilts. You are sure to find a design you like for a new baby in your life!

Martingale is offering you a chance to win an ebook copy of Modern Baby. To be entered to win, just leave a comment.

Giveaway is open to all readers and will stay open until Friday, May 10th.

The tour ends on Tuesday, but many giveaways are still open. Visit the other stops for a chance to win and to hear a little more about each contributors quilt.

xo, (Aunt) Lindsey

April 18, Thurs Jenny, StitchThis! http://blog.shopmartingale.com/

April 19, Fri Shea Henderson, http://emptybobbinsewing.com

April 22, Mon Jake Finch, http://generationqmagazine.com/

April 23, Tues Audrie Bidwell, http://blueisbleu.blogspot.com/

April 24, Wed Carolyn Friedlander, http://carolynfriedlander.com/blog/

April 25, Thurs Melissa Corry, http://happyquiltingmelissa.blogspot.com/

April 26, Fri Jen Eskridge, http://reannalilydesigns.com/blog/

April 29, Mon Sarah Flynn, http://fairyfacedesigns.blogspot.com/

April 30, Tues Dana Bolyard, http://oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/

May 1, Wed Amy Smart, http://www.diaryofaquilter.com/

May 2, Thurs Carrie Bloomston, http://suchitysuch.blogspot.com/

May 3, Fri V Findlay Wolfe, http://www.bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/

May 6, Mon Lindsey Rhodes, http://lrstitched.com/

May 7, Tues Pippa Armbrester, http://www.pippapatchwork.com/blog/

Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks :: Vol. 7

LindseyR — Wed, 01 May 2013 04:23:27 +0000

I’m so excited today to share a block I have in the new issue of Quiltmaker’s 100 Blocks!

Today is my stop on the blog tour and I have a copy of the magazine to give away too.

My block is called Square Crossing and can be found on page 66.

Quiltmaker also put together a sample idea for a quilt using the block:

I love all things scrappy, so that’s where my quilt design would head. With polka dots of course.

The block would also be pretty by itself as a pillow front or pieced in to a bag or tote.

There are lots of beautiful blocks in this issue. I know you’ll like it!

If you’d like a chance to win a copy, just leave a comment and I’ll pick a winner on Monday, May 5th.

Be sure to visit the Quiltmaker blog as well, they have lots of fun things to give away and you’ll get more sneak peeks into the magazine!

xo, Lindsey

Sewing Summit, Pellon Projects, Etsy, oh my!

LindseyR — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 22:49:08 +0000

I have several things to share and felt a bit silly doing a separate post for each.

So this is a random mash up post to get it all out there! If you ever meet me in person, this is not unlike my personality. Once I start talking I tend to word vomit on a zillion topics.

I don’t get out much, lol.

(1) Sewing Summit!

I’m super excited to share that I’ll be teaching this year.

My class will be on Sewing with Leather and will be a 2-part lecture + hands on class.

The lecture will go over sourcing, sewing, and caring for leather/suede in your sewing projects along with inspiration, tips and tricks.

In the hands on class we will take what we learned in the lecture and put it to use in making a tote bag with suede accents.

Tickets go on sale tomorrow, April 16th at 10am MST!

It’s going to be lots of fun, I hope to see you there!

(2) Pellon Projects

I signed on last year to be a Pellon Projects Designer and I turned in my first tutorial a couple weeks ago.

It’s for a roll up cosmetics case. I made these for swap gifts at Sew South and just loved how the pattern turned out. I can’t wait to share it with you.

I’m still waiting to hear when the tutorial will go live, but I will be sure to keep you updated. The Pellon website was just given a fresh new look, so pop over and peek if you haven’t been by in awhile. It looks great!

(3) I finally updated my Etsy shop, and have large and small clutches and key fobs available. Use coupon LR15OFF for 15% off, cause I love ya!

(4) I’m thankful to welcome a new sponsor, Lima Sews!

Linh has a gorgeous Etsy shop full of modern fabrics and also offers long arm quilting too.

What else…

I’m way behind on sharing about Sew South. I got home, then it was Easter, last week was Spring Break and this week I’m planning a baby shower for my sister’s first babe. Feeling a little cuckoo lately. I also finally got with the times and joined Instagram. You can follow me @lrstitched if you’d like to see my bits of randomness.

I think that’s it. Hope you’re having a great start to the week and that you and your loved ones are safe. I just read about what happened in Boston and am so sad. I just cannot understand the why behind this. Trying to remember that there is more love than hate in this world and focus on that. Thoughts and prayers are with these families.

xo Lindsey

Patchwork, Please Book Winner!

LindseyR — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:57:20 +0000

Congrats #90 AmanadaK @ Whatthebobbin!

amandak@whatthebobbin

April 4, 2013 at 9:06 am (Edit)

This book is on my wishlist. Nice giveaway.
thanks!

And I realized that I actually had 2 books to give away, so I drew another number. Congrats #128, Melissa!

Melissa

April 4, 2013 at 9:02 pm (Edit)

Ooh! This will be such fun! Thanks for the chance to win a copy of the book!

There are 2 other give aways going on right now, so pop over to Debbie and Ayumi for another chance to win a book! Debbie’s give away is for US readers and Ayumi’s is open to US and International readers. Good luck!!

Zakka 2.0 :: Patchwork, Please

LindseyR — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:00:10 +0000

So excited to finally share about this ‘officially’! I know many of you have been involved in the buzz on flickr.

I am thrilled that we are doing another round of the Zakka Along. Last year was a success as we stitched through the book Zakka Style and many of you wanted to do it again.

We’re doing it again, yay!

This year we will be stitching through Ayumi Takahashi’s new release, Patchwork Please.

This book is ADORABLE. If you follow along with Ayumi’s blog Pink Penguin, then you know what a unique and whimsical sense of style she has.

Her book directly reflects that in every way. The projects are delightful and her fabric choices are inspiring.

We are going to have a blast and I’m grateful to have Debbie from A Quilter’s Table as my partner in crime this year!

Ayumi helped to pull together 19 of her blogging friends to host the stops on the sew along.

Our contributors this year are:

Leila Beasley, Where the Orchids Grow

Amber Carillo, One Shabby Chick

Maureen Cracknell, Maureen Cracknell Handmade

Krista Fleckenstein, Spotted Stone Studio

Amy Friend, During Quiet Time

Anna Graham, Noodlehead

•••

Kerry Green, Very Kerry Berry + Sew Ichigo

Lynn Goldsworthy, Lily’s Quilts

Krista Hennebury, Poppyprint

Lori Holt, Bee in my Bonnet

Debbie Jeske, A Quilter’s Table

Penny Layman, Sew Take a Hike + Sew Ichigo

Jennifer Mathis, Ellison Lane Quilts

•••

Amy Newbold, Sukie, Don’t Ya Know

Tamiko Percell, Patchwork Notes

Angela Pingel, Cut to Pieces

Lindsey Rhodes, LRstitched

Monica Solorio, Happy Zombie

Svetlana Sotak, Sotak Handmade

We are set to start on Monday June 3rd and the sew along will continue for 19 weeks through each project in the book.

The book wasn’t set to release until April 9th, but it was released early and is shipping now.

Book Details:

Patchwork, Please by Ayumi Takahashi

Published by Interweave/F+W Media, Inc, the list price is $22.95

• Amazon

• Barnes & Noble

• Interweave

————

We’re still ironing out a few details, so I will share more info as we get closer to the sew along.

Things will run very much like last year. One of the weekly contributors will share their take on a project each Monday along with any tips or tricks they have to help you.

We will then work to sew up our project that week and will link up anytime between Monday and the following Sunday. A winner will be announced the following Monday along with the new weeks project.

I am floored at the response I have had from sponsors. The list is growing each day for the prizes to be given away each week.

Here are some of the lovely businesses that have joined on, in no particular order.

If you haven’t joined in the flickr group, be sure to go and do that. It’s a great place to ask questions and to meet new people!

You can also grab a button below to share the news of the sew along.

Over the next month I’ll share sourcing ideas for buying your supplies and more details on the sew along dates.

~~I also have a copy of Patchwork Please to giveaway!~~

Giveaway is closed, thank you to all who entered! Winner announced here.

The book will ship directly from Interweave and is only open to US readers. I’m sorry International readers

Just leave a comment below and I’ll choose a winner on Friday, April 5th.

Talk soon! Lindsey

Orbit QAL :: Winner!

LindseyR — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 13:41:29 +0000

Today is the close of the Orbit quilt along, what a fun 6 weeks!

Below are the 12 beautiful quilts that you finished. I am so impressed by how uniquely made each quilt is.

1. Angie @ Sewing With Squeak	2. Rumeysa	3. jennifer @ knotted-thread
4. Mary Moon	5. Fiona@PoppyMakes	6. Emilee
7. Jennie caminada	8. by Mary	9. Lisa Marie
10. Marissa	11. Courtney	12. Kit Little

I’ve used random.org to pick the winner of the Cold Spring Dreams fat quarter bundle.

Congrats #6, Emilee!

I am feeling like a schmuck this morning because mine is still.being.quilted. Straight line quilting is not as fast as my normal stipple I have discovered.

If you’re still working on yours, keep going! We’ll get finished soon!

I’m reopening the link up so that you can share your finished quilt, whenever you’re ready.

I’ve decided to leave the pattern open for free download for a few more weeks, so download it now if you’d still like a copy.

Thank you so much to all who participated!

xo Lindsey

P.S. I’ll be back later today to announce round 2 of a fun sew along happening this summer!

Sew South 2013 :: Part One

LindseyR — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 15:30:30 +0000

I have to admit, in the past it always annoyed me to see post after post about how great XYZ sewing trip was.

“It was like totally amazing”, etc etc.

Let’s be real, annoyance is really jealousy in disguise.

Well, insert foot in mouth, Sew South was like totally amazing! No, really. Like life changing amazing for me.

How can a sewing conference be life changing?

For starters, Sew South is not a conference. It is a retreat.

A pamper you, energize you, relax you retreat where you are surrounded by like-minded people and doing what you love (sewing!) without dealing with the every day of being at home.

Jennifer organized not only a place for us to sew but a place infused with southern charm and attention to detail that made us never want to leave. It was just the right amount of people that we could really get to know one another but also have a wide variety of diversity to keep it interesting.

If you were a fly on the wall at the closing session of the retreat you would see that it was life changing for others too. Pretty much everyone choked up when it was their turn to speak about what the best part of the weekend was. And for most of us, it was not about the sewing!

I’m glad there’s a computer screen between us so that if I start to ugly cry again, you can’t see me!

I am so thankful for the weekend because it pushed me outside of my current comfort zone and back in to the comfort zone I had before becoming a mother. I was reminded of who Lindsey is. Just Lindsey, not mama.

Being a mom is ultimately my calling and I am so grateful for the opportunity to stay at home and raise and love on my kids.

But. In the 7 years and 4 months that I have done so I have gradually lost sight of who I am outside of being a mother. Being a mother is hard!

I am raising a child with Autism, another who has a life-threating peanut allergy, all while battling an autoimmune disease myself that occasionally leaves me unable to get out of the bed.

As the years have gone by, I found myself living in yoga pants, sometimes not leaving the house for 2 days except to drop off and pick up the kids from school and rarely having a really meaningful adult conversation. What started out as living in survival mode during some very trying times became my routine. Even after things got better.

Nothing against my husband, because he is AMAZING and supportive, but he is tired too from working hard and doing more then his fair share sometimes to keep our house running.

This was my first weekend away in SEVEN YEARS. What the heck!?

What I realized this weekend is that we need to connect with other ladies who understand the goals we are working towards, who cheer us on, who aren’t competing with us. Ladies to celebrate our victories and cry for our losses. Ladies who understand how difficult being a wife and mother can be with the added bonus of a shared love of creating.

I found 50 of those kind of people this weekend. And I’m encouraged to work harder at allowing the people in my personal life to know me better. To not worry if they see the ugly and the messy that life can sometimes be. To invest in those around me and open up and allow others to invest in me.

This weekend I regained confidence in myself. I would say, gosh I used to be funny, I used to love chatting with new people and now I’m afraid of those things. I’m afraid I won’t be liked or understood.

I threw myself into a weekend and was unabashedly Lindsey. God has given me a love for people, I love caring for and helping others and my tank was filled by having the opportunity to teach in front of 50 amazing women and to get to know them. To find similarities with ladies I had never met and to talk about our lives all while making something pretty.

I solidified my love of teaching and encouraging others to sew. And though my class was difficult (another post, lol) we powered through it and literally cheered each other on as one by one our bags were completed. It took a village to make a duffle bag! And we made a mountain of them!

I have been reminded this week of how important it is to get away from the computer screen and to get face to face. The convenience of texting should never completely wipe out talking to another, or getting together in person. We need to be hugged, sometimes we need someone to hold our hand and we can’t do that from behind a phone or computer screen.

Most of these ladies live no more then six hours away, which means that not getting together more often is unacceptable!

I want to erase my old routine and make a new one. Starting now.

I have much more I want to share. My class, what I made, swapping, swag bags and even the hotel staff. Sew South rocked my face off!

And I can tell you that the next conference you go to can rock your face off too. What made this one different from others I have attended is this:

Get up and meet new people, don’t sit at your table and never talk to anyone else
Don’t judge someone else because they don’t like the same things as you. As Ginny said, “We all speak one language and that is fabric and thread”. You like batiks, I like polka dots. Guess what, both are fabric. I like artichokes, you hate them, who cares!?
If you came with a group of friends, don’t be a clique. Look for someone who came by themselves and pull them into the group. You may miss out on a long lost soul friend just because you’re being a snob.
Mix it up, don’t eat dinner with the same people every night.
Truly get to know the others, even those you think you have nothing in common with. I guarantee you’ll find something!
Smile, belly laugh, be silly, give of yourself and your resources and have FUN!

Seriously big hugs, Lindsey

Orbit QAL Week 6 :: Binding/Finishing

LindseyR — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 17:54:50 +0000

Well I am obviously a late poster this week!

I arrived home from teaching and attending Sew South last night and went back to bed after dropping my kids at school.

I was very tired this morning.

So, thank you for being patient. I can’t wait to share more on Sew South later this week, it was truly the best time I’ve ever had with a group of women. Hands down.

And it’s kind of annoying on my part to leave it at that for now, but more soon, I promise.

———–

Alright, so this week we are heading towards the finish line with our Orbit quilts. woohoo!

I still have a bit more quilting to finish up on mine, so no stressing if you’re not to the binding part yet.

You have until April 1st to link up your finished quilt or just your finished quilt top.

Quilting is about the process, so don’t rush yourself. The QAL is not about getting it done by a deadline, we’re just having a good time!

If you do link up, on April 1st I will use random.org to select a participant to win a fat quarter bundle of Cold Spring Dreams from RJR Fabrics.

I’m enjoying checking in the flickr group and watching these quilts come to life.

Fiona from Poppy Makes has done a concentric circle on her quilt below. It’s motivating me to get mine done already. I love it!

Rumeysa did diagonal straight lines and I love the clean look it gives.

Courtney from Petit Lyons is hand quilting hers. I got to see it in person at Sew South and it is even more gorgeous in person. And soft. I really wanted to sneak it home with me.

If you’re ready to link up, you can do so by clicking on the frog below and following the instructions.

One entry per person please.

I also wanted to let you know that the Orbit quilt pattern will only be available for free download during the QAL. After April 1st it will be available for sale in my pattern shop, so make sure to download now to get it for free!

xo Lindsey