Bari J.

My Loss of Brain Cells? Your Gain!

I wanted to give-away one of these Springtime in Paris Pocketbook kits during the Sewing Summit, and wouldn't you know it, I totally forgot. I'm 42 years old, and apparently my brain has reached it's capacity, thus anything extraeous spills over. It's problematic, really.

The good news is, because I didn't give away a kit when I meant to, and I love to give stuff away (always better than winning), I'm thinking I'll give the kit to a blog reader. I'm sure you agree this is a good idea.

The kit holds about 3/4 yards of fabric combined, interfacings, a zipper, a magnetic closure, ribbon, plastic canvas and a Springtime in Paris Pocketbook sewing pattern. I'm offering up the kit in the orange Paris Apartment fabric colorway in the 14" size.

(This cover was the alternate that didn't get printed... in case you are wondering.)

What you need to do to win is simply leave a comment here. Your comments are numbered. I'll be picking a winner using random.org on Friday, no later than 8PM PST.

Thanks for entering!

And now, for your viewing pleasure, a silly little video I made for Sewing Summit. This video played prior to class starting as people walked in. I wanted to get the party started, you know. I also plied students with chocolate. That's the secret to a good class. Silly songs and chocolate. 

 

The song on this video is called My Pocketbook ...  iTunes. I think they have a bunch of great kid's music.

 

 

UPDATE: OCTOBER 14, 2011 8:10PM PST

AND THE WINNER IS...

#31, Lisa

If this is you, hit contact at the top of this page to send me your address!

COMMENTS ARE NOW CLOSED. PLEASE DO NOT COMMENT ON THIS POST.

 

 

 

Free Project and Kit Giveaway at Sew4Home

I was away when this project made it's appearance on Sew4Home so I'm sorta' late to the party, but if you make your way over there, you can still download it and comment to win a kit. Good luck!

(... or is it part of my evil plot to get you stitching this Summer?)

I'm so honored my friend, Natalie, asked me to be part of the blog tour for her first book, Cotton Floss. Natalie is an expert stitcher with such an unmistakeable style. I'm crazy for her work. And I know if you are not already a Cinderberry Stitches fan, you will be momentarily. You'll need to find out her other exciting news over at her blog, but here's a hint... she's has something in common with Monica, Lynette, Denise, Sarah, Meg, Brenda, Rosalie and moi.

But with out further Adieu... here it is! Do you love the owls as much as I do?

The dreamy cover leads to super fun projects that feature simple stitches and great ideas.

I particularly love the way Natalie tells a story with each of her designs. This is Lizzie. She's got a "cheeky" and charming personality like her adorable creator.

I couldn't resist diving right into this book. So I started with one of the blocks above. It is also featured as a cover you can make for your books, which is what I'm planning on doing with my block. I framed it with a little Paris Apartment ("le salle du Soleil" or "sun room" in the coral colorway).

I bet you'd love a copy of this book. Natalie generously sent one for me to give away. AND... I'm also throwing in a Paris Apartment charm pack, which by the by mixes quite nicely with our friend Monica's Happy Mochi Yum Yum. (M gave away a charm pack on her end of the tour... I totally copied her for this give-away. You can't blame me, can you? She's got some rockin' good ideas.)

Here's the dealy if you want to win... leave a comment here swearing on your life that if you don't already embroider, you'll start.

Alright. I'm just kidding. But really. Stitch, K? And leave a comment here to tell Natalie that she is the queen of stitches and you love her dearly and that if you don't win, you'll purchase the book straight away.

That's all. I'll pick a winner on Monday. Deal?

Thank you! 

Oh, and also, go to all these stops on the blog tour if you haven't already. You'll find not just the tour but a slew of incredible talent.

Sunday 6/12    Monica 
Monday 6/13    Amanda
Tuesday 6/14    Pam
Wednesday 6/15    Sarah
Thursday 6/16   Krista
Friday 6/17   Yours Truly... you are here already.
Saturday 6/18    Shari 
Sunday 6/19    Paige

 

 UPDATE: JUNE 20, 2011 -- The winner is #114

Indianna, please email me at bari at barijonline dot com to claim your prize!

 

A WINNER HAS BEEN PICKED. NO MORE ENTRIES, PLEASE.

 

 

I've been asked over and over for pdf sewing patterns. I've debated, I've hemmed, I've hawed, but I've finally made the leap into the "wave of the future" with a few downloadables! I'm looking forward to hearing what you think.  So... how about I do a little PDF pattern giveaway? Comment here, letting me know what you think of PDF patterns... Do you use them? Do you prefer them over paper? What do you like about them? What would you like to see from me?

Tomorrow at 5PM(ish) I'll pick a random winner to receive one of the two pdf patterns below for free. Pleeeeaaase don't forget to leave me your email address so I can send it to you, k?

There are two PDF patterns available and you can check them out on my website (scroll to bottom for pdf's) and at PatternSpot.com.

New, and not available on paper:

A long time favorite:

And the winner is, #12, Mary Grace! 

Comments are now closed

I love this book for many reasons, but most of all the projects in are wonderfully creative and totally unique. I've loved Amy's work from the first I saw it, and this book just put me over the top with admiration. WIth Countryside Softies we are allowed to step into a playful land of critters and toadstools. The projects are clever and well thought out from the fox on the cover to a cheeky little otter and a beautiful swan. There's even buzzy little bumblebees that I went crazy over. The photography and layout are beautiful to look at, and the instructions are clearly written. I think this is a book that many different levels of sewers will enjoy. My two teen girls have already been eyeing a couple they want to make. And I will for sure be getting in on the action.

But let's get to it, shall we??? You want to win a copy of this great book!

Leave a comment on this blog for a chance to win. I'll draw a winner on April 23 at 5PM(ish).

Don't forget to visit all of the other blogs where the tour will stop... more reviews and more chances to win!

 

monday 18th april - whip up - http://whipup.net/ (kicking off with a brand new, not in the book, free pattern)

tuesday 19th april - bari j - http://www.barij.typepad.com/

wednesday 20th april - blue nickel studios - http://bluenickelstudios.com/

thursday 21st april - fat quarterly - http://fatquarterly.com/

friday 22nd april - ric-rac - http://vintagericrac.blogspot.com/

saturday 23rd april - skyo - http://syko.typepad.com/ 

sunday 24th april - lucykate crafts - http://lucykatecrafts.blogspot.com

monday 25th april - treefall design - http://treefalldesign.typepad.com

tuesday 26th april - i heart linen - http://www.iheartlinen.typepad.com/

wednesday 27th april - sometimes crafter - http://sometimescrafter.blogspot.com/

thursday 28th april - plush you - http://plushyou.blogspot.com/

friday 29th april - allsorts - http://www.allsorts.typepad.com/

UPDATE: 4/23/2011...

THE WINNER HAS BEEN PICKED it's number 38 who said:

If this is you contact me at Bari at BariJonline dot com with your address!  

PLEASE, No more entries... THE WINNER HAS BEEN CHOSEN. :)

 

Did you sew today? After the gym, errands and a large round of procrastination via Twitter, I ended up with an ounce of afternoon sewing time. I've been wanting to make a spider web quilt even though probably everyone else is totally done with them, so I started that quest. Now, however, I'm thinking of making just this little star portion into a zippy pouch because I don't really have time to finish it and I loathe UFOs sitting around. The Ladies in Waiting (projects I have fabric and ideas for already) own a large enough portion of this studio. So this may be as far as I ever get on a spiderweb quilt. I guess I just wanted to know how to do it, then once I knew, I didn't care anymore. I'm like that sometimes.

Were you inspired to sew today? What'd you make?

In other news...

My good friend Monica asked me to pick the winner for her Inspired to Sew Giveaway...

So here goes... 

Out of 193 (wow!) entries the winner is #19! Nancy, claim your copy of Inspired to Sew!

 

 

 

My lovely twitter friend, Cara Wilson, from Cara Quilts came up with this fun idea: Get people from all over the world together all at one time to talk sewing/quilting. We do this on Twitter. Live on Tuesday evenings 9PM EST! And people really do show up and chat with us from all over the globe.

It's Called Talkin' Tuesdays. All you have to do is search #talknt and then follow along in the conversation. Chime in if you'd like.

And, to win prizes, Re-tweet the prize tweets.

Tomorrow night, I'll be sponsoring #talknt with a give-away of 2 signed books,

a 4-pack of sewing patterns and 10 fat quarters of Country Lane. I'd love to see you there! 

The winner is...

Candace Henderson!

Please claim your prize!

You won the copy of Little Girls, Big Style!!!

Edit, Jan 1, 11:43am: the prize has not yet been claimed. A new winner will be picked Monday at 5pm if I still haven't heard from Candace.

Welcome to the last but not least stop on the blog tour of Little Girls, Big Style by Mary Abreu!

I had the honor of being in on the secret of Mary's book writing early on as we are both C&T Stash authors. She's been a friend to me throughout both of our journeys for which I can't thank her enough. And needless to say, with the inside scoop of how awesome this book was shaping up as she went along, I could not wait to see it in all it's glory.

I most certainly was not disappointed. When you take a look at the cover of this book, it's not difficult to fall in love, but open it up and you'll have an all out romance with sewing.

The photography is gorgeous, the instructions are impeccable and you get a ton of bang for your buck with four patterns that create an entire wardrobe of clothing.

This is Mary's debut sewing book and it clearly shows she is no newcomer to sewing. She's an expert, and today, we are lucky to have a bonus guest post from her with her favorite sewing tips, below. 

Oh, and did I mention a give-away? Why yes, I believe I did. Leave a comment at the end of this post, and I'll pick a winner on Monday. 

Without further adieu, here's my friend, Mary Abreu:

I’m so fortunate that I get to do what I love on a daily basis. Sewing truly makes me happy and I love that I get to share that by teaching others how to sew. Seeing my students complete their first project lets me relive the excitement of sewing my first pillow and I get this warm, fuzzy feeling about sparking a love of sewing in someone else. Bari asked if I’d share some of my favorite sewing tips and I’m delighted to oblige with the list I give my Sewing 101 students. Some of these were passed on to me from my mom, while others are gleaned from my sewing experiences. I hope you find them useful tools for your sewing arsenal.

• Invest in the best tools you can. Many times there really is a difference between the cheapest and the not cheapest. It’s worth it to spend a little more if it means it’s more durable and reliable.

• Designate a sewing space and own it. When my husband was in law school, we turned the walk-in closet of our master bedroom into an office for him. Space was at a premium (two-bedroom apartment for four people) and sacrificing closet space was worth it for him to have a designated study area. It’s a lot easier to enjoy your sewing if you have some space you can call your own, whether it’s a spare room, corner of the dining room or even a closet.

• Wind an extra bobbin at the start. I rarely get through a project without needing to replace the bobbin. It’s a lot easier to just drop in a second one instead of unthreading my machine mid-stream and loading a new bobbin.

• Trim threads as you go. I am horrible about doing this but it’s really the easiest way to make sure you snip all those dangling threads.

• Use a different color bobbin thread when you gather. If you use the thread-gathered method, it’s a lot easier to separate your bobbin thread if it’s a different color than your spool.

• Remove pins ahead of the presser foot. My mom taught me to just sew over pins and it’s really been a hard habit to break. If you’re lucky, you’ll just break a machine needle or bend a pin. On the other hand, you can end up with a pointy projectile or mess up the timing of your sewing machine.

• Round the edges of elastic before pulling it through a casing. It feeds through more smoothly with no corners to catch inside the casing.

• An ergonomic seam ripper is worth it. Everybody unsews. It’s just part of the process. You may as well have one that fits in your hand for those times when you sew and serge the bottom tier of a twirly dress right side to wrong side.

• Start a sewing notebook. I use mine for keeping track of the kids’ measurements (note the date you measured), settings on my serger and a shopping list when I’m running low on an item.

• Sew for the ones you love -- but only if they can appreciate it. People who don’t “get” handmade gifts, people who point out flaws — get them gift cards. Your favorite aunt who taught you how to crochet when you were 10 and praised the 8-foot-long bookmark you made? Sew for her.

Two posts in one day? Are you dreaming?

No. It's because I didn't realize Fat Quarterly is giving away a stack of my Country Lane fabrics this week. Or I knew, but I forgot. Something like that. Check it out HERE.

This has been a whirlwind week. I did a radio interview plus a tutorial and a giveaway were posted today!

If you missed my interview on Pat Sloan's Creative Talk Radio you can download the podcast here.  My interview was the one on December 6, 2010.

Check out Sew4home for the how-to on this project and a bit of the conversation I had with Editor, Liz Johnson.

And for a giveaway of my latest four patterns and my "Holiday Traditions" story, visit Where Women Create... There you'll find a giveaway a day and holiday traditions from many designers for their Twelve days of Christmas! They are already on day 9! Run on over there and sign up!

 

 

You've been told that quilt market is all about the fabrics... all about the patterns... the books.

The truth is, it's all about the cute shoes. And this year my friend Mary Abreu, author of Little Girls, Big Style and the designer behind Confessions of a Craft Addict won the cutest shoes at International Quilt Market prize. And the cutest socks prize right along with it. I am the self-named judge of that contest. So what I say goes on that front. 

But you wanted to know about another contest, didn't you... so without further delay... the winner of the group of my newest sewing patterns is: #36, Stina.

 

and the winner of the Little Birds book is Beth, number 13!

Claim your prizes, ladies!

 
Back from market, and I had a fantastic time! It was exhausting but a success and just so much fun. Here's the first round of photos from my booth. Check the end of this post for giveaway info! 

 

More from the rest of the market will be to come soon. But how about a give-away in the meantime?

Let's have two winners. One will get a set of my four newest sewing patterns, and the other will get a copy of Little Birds. And I'll sign my project in it too! 

 

Two ways to win: Simply comment here... and/or tweet about the giveaway and follow me, then come back and comment that you did so. i.e.: the only way to have an entry is to comment, so you'll have to do that to let me know you tweeted and followed (or tweeted and already follow). 

I'll pick a winner using random.org on Monday the 8th of November at 10 PM. You have until then to enter. Good luck!

 
 There's an informal-ish Country Lane Blog Tour going on, and I'm answering all sorts of fun and interesting questions. 

Stop by the blog of my friend, Stephanie at Little Lady Patchwork where I tell you all about how I got started doing what I do. I blab quite a bit of the details over there! And you are going to love Stefanie! Her work is fabulous! 

And while you are surfing... you might (I'm just saying) want to get in on a giveaway of Country Lane over at Quilting/Sewing Mecca, Fat Quarter Shop! 

I'll be announcing stops at the blogs of several other friends in the coming days! Keep your eyes peeled!

 

PS Pictures included are of the upcoming sewing pattern projects mentioned in the previous post... 'cause I have this rule about no posts without pictures. I wouldn't want to bore you. ;) 

The flower at the top is a bonus for the Flower Market Tote. 
 

 

 
 Thank you all for entering my give-away, tweeting, following and signing up for my newsletter!

The winner of the FQ Stack is #23, Marci Girl!

  

 

 
My boxes of Country Lane have arrived, and it's time to give a stack of fat quarters away! You'll win 23 fat quarters in all with a retail value of over $60! 

There are 4 ways to enter to win, but be sure to come back here and comment again to get each of your entry numbers.

1. Leave a comment here and tell me which print is your favorite and what you'd like to make with it.

2. Tweet about the give-away and follow me on twitter. Then be sure to come back and comment again in order to get another entry number.

3. Sign up for my mailing list (link in sidebar). Then come back and comment again for another entry number.

4. Follow Bari J. on Facebook. Then come back and comment again on this blog to get another entry number.

Enter before midnight Sunday, August 22! The winner will be picked using the random number generator and announced on Monday! Thank you for entering!

 

Wild Roses

 

Vintage Lace
 
 

Bed and Breakfast Stripe 
 

Lattice 

Meadow Monarchs 

Prairie Plaid 

 @sewhappyjenn!

 

I realized a couple days ago that I should have told all of you to head back to my blog and say you tweeted, which I didn't so what I did was numbered the tweets after the 114 comments on the blog... ie: the first tweet was number 115 etc. I thought this was the most fair way of doing it. 

1. Barb, who said: 

Barb said:

They are beautiful. I've always wanted to make something like this but I'm sure mine would not turn out quite as nice.

And...

2. Mary Ann who said:

Mary Ann said:

These are so pretty, just what I need to finish off my guest room.

 Ladies, claim your prizies!

 Thanks to the generosity of our friend, Emily over at Ravenhill, I have two more of her fabulous dolls made in my fabric, Full Bloom. And these are for You!!!

 Just leave a comment and you are entered! I'll use the random number generator to pick two winners on January 5.

Spread the word! 

 

Wow wow wow! Thank you to all of you who entered in my giveaway! That just left me dizzy!

And I left the giveaway hanging long enough, huh?

But it's finally the 24th and we have three winners!

They are:

Entry number 8: 

Kimberly Shaw!

Entry number 2:

Laura Zarrin! 

Entry number 224:

Jennifer Probasco!

Claim your prizes by emailing me at bari (@) barijonline.com

  

 

First of all, thank you too all of the nearly 700 people who signed up to win a stack of fat quarters! Your support is incredible and I am absolutely FLOORED by it! I keep looking up and thinking, how did I get here? So surreal! 

It's funny, I think there are 700 people who entered because I left the thing open for so long. That's because I've been crazy crazy busy (with more than I can even tell you)! My daughter's bat mitzvah in which she did the most incredible job was last weekend! She was so poised, so together, so grown up I could hardly stand it! I'm so proud of that chicky!

 BTW, my friend, Janis made all three of our dresses! She is a genius. There is no doubt about it. Anna and Emily drew pics of what they wanted, the three of them went to JoAnns and picked similar patterns, and Janis adjusted accordingly. Mine was from a vintage Vogue pattern that Janis endlessly altered because those old patterns can be a bit off for a shorty like me. In the end I wanted to wear my dress all day every day. I love it that much!

Prior to Bat Mitzvah Mayhem, we were at Super Husband's family reunion in Sun River, OR. Wonderful place. We had a great time and the bonus was that the Sister's Outdoor Quilt Show was that weekend, so we got to sneak off to see it! Fabulous. Only problem was it was so crowded, I didn't really get to see The Stitchin' Post (owned by Valori Wells' mom). The pic below is our little cabin in the woods. I wish I could tell you who did all these fab quilts from the show, but alas, I didn't write down a thing. I just drooled.

 

I'm so over the moon today. Went to Quilter's Inn to visit Full Bloom in an actual store. Got a phone call from a store that says it's flying off the shelf. And came home to my very own 22 bolts of Full Bloom. You all have been so incredibly supportive, I can't thank you all enough!

So, let's do a little give-away of 2 stacks of fat quarters.

If you are in, just leave me a comment and tell me what you are thinking of making! I'll use the random number generator to pick two winners on July 24th. Happy sewing!

UPDATE (July 13): So many of you have entered, I've decided to add a third winner. One more fat quarter stack!

 

Lorna. #107! Just email your address to Bari (@) BariJonline.com and I'll send it right out!

Thanks to all for entering!

I just got my apron that was featured in "Apron*ology" from Stampington back. It was also featured in one of their original ads soliciting submissions. I'd forgotten all about it. So, I'm giving it away. Just leave a comment on this post and you will be entered to win it. I'll randomly pick a winner on Friday, March 13 (since 13 is my favorite number) by using this website.

I swear, does anything make you happier than giving stuff away?

 

Arlene from Heart Rocks Home &
Ann from Vintage Whisper.
Email me your addresses ladies, and I'll send you your prizey! bari@barijonline.com

Yesterday I received a package back from Sew Somerset with all three of the pin cushions they featured... Anyone want one??? Just for fun, I'm giving two away. Drawing will take place July 20.
Leave a comment here to be included.

LISA ALSO of Colors Outside the Lines & HEATHER B. of Present Past Collection! Let me know the color and size you would like, ladies!

Thanks for entering everyone! There will be more to come soon!

Another give-away! Yeah, why not? I'm in the mood for a little fun.

This time I'm giving away two quilted patchwork belts. Next Friday the kiddos will randomly pick two names from those of you who enter. The winners will get to pick their own size and color-way: Pinks and Greens, Tangerine, Blues or Black and White.