Gift Guide for Makers

Gift Guide for Makers

Let It Snow pillow pattern by Sharon Holland

Nothing beats a handmade gift like these all-winter decor pillows made from my free Let It Snow pillow pattern. But let’s be honest, sometimes it’s hard to find the perfect gift (handmade or store bought) for a fellow creative person or ideas for what you’d like to put on your wish list.

This year I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to work with several fabulous companies either as an affiliate (I get a small kickback on sales made from my affiliate links from this blog as a thank you for my promotion and time) or the company is a sponsor (company sends me products and I, in turn, offer giveaways on this blog or Instagram).

I only affiliate myself with companies and sponsors that I endorse 100% and feel their product or service is a true value and outstanding product. So, with that said, this Gift Guide for Makers blog post is mostly a product review of these amazing companies I’ve become an ambassador for and some of the links provided are affiliate links in which I will receive a small return from any sales made from those links.

The Quilter’s Planner

Photo courtesy of The Quilter’s Planner

I had the great opportunity to make a quilt for the 2018 Quilter’s Planner calendar and magazine. You can read about my quilt in the Share the Love: 2018 Quilter’s Planner blog post. Founder Stephanie Palmer and her amazing team not only produce an outstanding quality calendar and magazine they but host a block of the month sew along where the blocks are part of the fabulous magazine, they are a wealth of quilting information, tutorials, and support on their website, and they are all passionate, talented sewers themselves and truly lovely people!

Photo courtesy of The Quilter’s Planner

Wether you grab a calendar for yourself or for a quilting friend you’re getting way more than just a calendar. Check out all the features and options with this affiliate link HERE.

The Dutch Label Shop

The Dutch Label Shop asked if they could send me labels and in return, I would write a review of their product—nice! I was just about out of my old labels anyway so the timing was right but I didn’t just want any old labels and had to check them out before accepting the offer. I was impressed with what I saw on their site and images of the tags and labels printed so went ahead and placed my order.

I chose a Woven Logo label that center folds (the raw edges are sewn into a binding or garment seam). If you like the size I selected, here’s a screen shot of how to select this type and size of label (below). I uploaded my Sharon Holland logo design for a custom label but you can also work from their templates and fonts to create a label on their site.

When ordering a center fold tag like mine you want to know what size the tag will be once folded in half. I ordered a 2” high tag so when folded in half it becomes a 1” tag. If you sew it into a binding you will loose 1/4” on the raw edge side, so keep that in mind. The width of my labels are 2-1/4” wide.

I am slightly disappointed in the peach color I ordered but the color may have been affected by the blue thread used for the logo since this is a woven label. I did not opt to have a photo proof so I cannot tell you if the colors would have been true looking or not with a proof. Regardless, the labels are a fine quality and should do extremely well when laundered.

The customer service from this company is excellent but shipping is a bit slow so order early if you want labels for Christmas. I am please to be able to offer you a 15% discount on your order if you use the promo code: sharonhollanddesigns15 when ordering.

oliso

There are definitely many perks that come with my line of work and getting an iron from oliso is one of them!

Let’s face it, most of us don’t give much thought to our irons and pretty much dread that aspect of sewing. This pink cutie makes ironing almost fun! I still have yet to add any water to my oliso pro because I prefer to iron without steam for the most part. As long as the iron gets HOT enough like this model does I don’t feel the need for adding steam.

The outstanding and innovative feature of an oliso iron is the hydraulic lift system. It takes a bit of getting used to—to leave the iron flat but you soon adjusts your muscles memory of standing the iron on-end. Soon you also realize you’re not nearly as fatigued by all the lifting of that old iron.

The biggest selling point to me of this oliso iron is the safety. I’ve always been nervous about a traditional iron falling over if the ironing board is bumped. And as one that has always had kids or dogs under foot as I sewed it was a constant concern. This iron is so steady and responsive to lift the hot plate up off the surface immediately after your hand is off the iron—it’s a dream to use!

Side note: I just went to their site to get you the link and oh my goodness, saw they have a OLISO SMARTHUB™ that looks pretty amazing! Are you familiar with sous vide cooking? Well, check it out—it’s such a smart way to cook.

I get no affiliate kick backs from these links but oliso is now a sponsor of this blog which means in the future I will be hosting oliso iron giveaways for the oliso pro and for their new mini iron!

Skillshare

Give the gift of learning to yourself or someone special. Skillshare (affiliate) is an amazing resource for whatever you want to learn or improve a skill. I’ve had a membership with them for two years now and I’ll never have enough time to view all the incredible courses—there’s so many of them and so many being added! The beauty of a membership is you can watch an unlimited number of courses!

Here’s some screen shot examples (not linked) of courses but just about everything under the sun is a Skillshare subject:

Fundamentals of DSLR Photography with Justin Bridges

Watercolor Winter Illustrations with Olga Bonitas

Insta Creative | Documenting Your Creative Journey on Instagram with Linda & David

How to Sell Your Art on Etsy in 2017 with Melanie Greenwood

Beginner’s Guide to English Paper Piecing with Kylie M. Kelsheimer

The Beginner’s Guide to Fashion Fabrics: Wovens with Caroline Somos

Okay, those all look amazing, right? Many of these I have in my Class list and am currently watching. The great part about being a Skillshare affiliate is I can offer my followers a 2 month free membership! This allows you to watch as many course as you’d like for FREE when you use this Skillshare affiliate link. If you end up purchasing a membership after your free 2 months I will get a small commission from your purchase.

Color Master Designer’s Palette

I first introduced you to the Color Master Designer’s Palette bundles in my October 18th blog post HERE along with a free quilt pattern for the fat quarter bundle.

Art Gallery Fabrics has made gift giving easy with these beautifully packaged box sets or paper label bundles. You can give a gift of your favorite AGF fabric designer to yourself or a friend. Each fat quarter or half yard set contains 10 prints from across the designer’s fabric collections and are expertly matched to create a new curated palette. My Sharon Holland Designer’s Palette contains prints from Signature, Coastline, and Sketchbook.

Download the free Feathered Nest quilt pattern HERE.

For shops that carry my AGF Color Master Designer’s Palette boxes and bundles, see listing on my Fabrics page.

Bloc_Loc Rulers

As you remember from the Community Sampler sew along Bloc_Loc Rulers has been a wonderful sponsor on this blog. I only recently started using these rulers with our sew along and have no idea how I’ve lived without them all these years! I you’re going to ask for Santa to bring you anything this year and don’t already own some of these rulers you better put them on your list and be on your best behavior!

I just recently splurged for the Blooming Cogwheels templates and pattern book. You’re looking through the back of the templates because I haven’t even removed the paper on the templates yet. I also received a Pineapple template and am excited to test these babies out early next year. I just wrapped up my spring fabric collection (coming in May) and want to make some special quilts with these templates.

Hopefully you have a few gift giving ideas or maybe ideas for what you’d like to receive. It’s been a wonderful year and I want to say thank you to all of you that have been following along with my blog, sew alongs, and creative pursuits throughout the year. I’m hoping to make at least one more post before the end of the year and fill you in on some of my goals and aspirations for 2019.

Happy sewing everyone,

Sharon

My Signature Sampler Week #10

My Signature Sampler Week #10

Hi everyone! Here we are at week ten of our sew along and over halfway done. All the blocks being posted to our #MySignatureSampler hashtag pool on Instagram have been phenomenal! You're such a creative and inspiring group of makers, thank you for taking part in this sew along!

If you're just joining in on the fun, take a look at my first post for this sew along and pick up the quilt layout and color book page to start planning your sampler! The My Signature Sampler is based off block instructions from the Sewcial Bee Sampler (SBS), Community Sampler (CS), AGF Quilt Block Collection (AGF), and the blocks from the Quilter's Planner 2018 magazine (QP). If you have different favorite blocks and would rather include them in your quilt, please feel free to make this sampler with your own signature-style. 

If you need extra help with your patchwork or would like to learn how to control the direction of your prints in half-square triangle units and other piecing techniques, visit my Tutorials page for lots of great tutorials all in one place. Also, when making any Sewcial Bee or Community Sampler blocks you can access the original blog posts for each block and find additional tips and tutorials for piecing. If needed, just use the search bar at the top of the this page on the right and simply type in the block name.

Don't forget our blocks will be set on-point so if you have a fussy cut center, cut it on-point for best results. Note: I don't recommend cutting any other pieces of the blocks (other than a center square on-point for fussy cutting) because it will create bias edges along the outside of the block and increase chances of distortion. Keep any bias edges in the center of the block.

This week's block is called See Saw and is a block from the Art Gallery Fabrics Quit Block Collection. Be sure to click the Read More to expand the instructions text if you'd like to read the instructions along with the You Tube video. 

Because the AGF Quilt Block Collection See Saw block finishes at an 8" square block I had to add a frame onto it to bring it up to a finished 12" square for our sampler. To get it up to size, cut:

• Two 2-1/2" x 12-1/2" strips 
• Two 2-1/2" x 8-1/2" strips

My blocks are made using Art Gallery Fabric Pure Elements for the solids together with prints from the Signature fabric collection that I designed for Art Gallery Fabrics. For stock lists of online shops that carry my Signature and other collections I've designed for AGF, visit my Fabrics page or the Where to Buy page on the Art Gallery Fabrics site.

I've been adding my setting triangles to my finished blocks as I make them and have been sticking to original layout in the first week handouts. I'm using a combination of my Perennial print from Printemps Fusions and Untamed Beauty Daybreak from Signature as the background setting of my quilt but because this block will be in the middle of the quilt it only uses the Untamed Beauty print in the setting triangles. 

The setting triangles are made by cutting a 9-1/2'' square on the diagonal to make two setting triangles. Be mindful of print direction, if applicable. See Community Sampler Week #13 for block setting instructions. 

If you're interested in adding a chevron border to your sampler quilt, take a look at the week #6 blog post and pick up the border supplement PDF. I'll review the border option closer to the end of this sew along but just in case you wanted to sew or plan ahead, you have the information now.

GIVEAWAY

Every Friday when I reveal a new block to My Signature Sampler, I'll also be posting the weekly giveaway. This sew along is being sponsored by the most amazing companies and have generously donated incredible prizes to share with you. 

OUR SPONSORS

Art Gallery Fabrics | Hobbs Batting | The Quilter's Planner | Quilters Candy Box | Bloc_Loc | Dritz |  Omnigrid | Fat Quarter Shop

THIS WEEK'S GIVEAWAY SPONSOR IS: Omnigrid

Omnigrid® is a family of measuring and cutting products. When Omnigrid® tools are used together they provide quilters, sewists and DIY aficionados with unsurpassed accuracy and quality. A product concept born of the genius of Peggy and Randy Schafer, Omnigrid® products work behind the scenes allowing makers to flawlessly bring their creations to fruition. - See more at: Omnigrid!

Products  *  Projects and Patterns  *  Instagram  *  Pinterest 

For this week's My Signature Sampler Giveaway, Ominigrid is offering an incredible prize! Both the blog and Instagram winner will receive these wonderful Omnigrid sewing/quilting products shown below! This prize will be to limited to winners within the United States only (see entry rules).

THIS PRIZE PACK INCLUDES:  

The Tote Size FoldAway | 8-1/2" Fabric Scissors | Marking Ruler Trio

These fine Omnigrid products are the perfect size for travel and fit into a tote with ease, making them great for taking to workshops and sewing on the go! 

Thank you Omnigrid for this generous prize!

Giveaway now closed. Congratulations to Rosemary B!

Note: This giveaway is open to US address only for this prize. If you're a "no reply" or anonymous commenter, please remember to include your email address in your comment--you can't win if I can't get a hold of you!

1. Simply leave a comment here under this post! (First comment entry).

2. Follow Omnigrid on any of their social media platforms (see links above). Just let me know that you did by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (Separate comment-second entry). 

3. My followers get a third entry! If you follow me via subscribing to my posts, on Pinterest, and/or Instagram, just let me know by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (Separate comment-third entry).

4. Help spread the word!! I know that many of you already do, so I thought it would be nice to add that as another way to enter! Spread the word about the My Signature Sampler sew along on YOUR instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest by pinning any of my pretty images in this post, etc... (separate comment-fourth entry). 

That’s FOUR possible entries! Enter now through Monday, August 27th! The winner will be picked at random around 4pm Eastern. I will post the name of the winner on this post once they've been notified and responded to my email.

Don't forget to enter into this same giveaway on Instagram by posting images of your sampler inspiration, sampler fabric pull, or blocks. Use the official #mysignaturesampler hashtag every time you post your My Signature Sampler makes (to a public account) and you're automatically entered into the weekly IG drawings as well! See my Instagram giveaway posts @sharonhollanddesigns for full details. 

Happy sewing!

Sharon

A New Way of Ironing

I never gave much thought to my iron until this spring. At spring Quilt Market I saw a demonstration of the LauraStar Lift steam iron in the Joya Distributing, Inc. booth. I was given my unit to use and review. I know it's taken me awhile to get to the review, but I've also had several months now to use the product and I'm in love!

Think about it, as a quilter or maybe you're more of a garment sewer? When we are sewing, other than our sewing machine, what other tools do we use the most? Our irons! Mine is on for the entire day sometimes and is an integral component in every step of patchwork but possibly to most overlooked tool in our toolbox.

The Laurastar Lift is a steam generator iron. In the past, I was not one to use the steam function on my regular iron because I felt it distorted the fabrics, spotted, and leaked all over the place. I certainly was hesitant when I heard during the Quilt Market demo how this Laurastar Lift iron worked on steam. The demo showed how this beautifully Swiss engineered iron diffuses an ultra-fine, powerful steam into the fabric which opens up the fibers. The 3D iron soleplate straightens the fabric while steam is injected onto its entire surface to effortlessly eliminate creases. Fibers are therefore thoroughly refreshed and incredibly flat. 

It's hard to show in a photo how much steam is coming through this iron, but trust me, it's impressive. You could easily steam a garment that's hanging. You have to ability to pulse or hold the steam function with the white buttons on the front of the handle. 

Before and after pressing with the Laurastar Lift steam iron

Weighing in at only 2.2 pounds, I find this iron very easy to use and I have small hands. Did I mention how sleek and pretty it is too!

The unit came with an additional shoe soleplate for delicate fabrics like this new Fusion fabrics rayon from Art Gallery Fabrics in a newly recoloring of my Tiny Dancer print. And no, I didn't iron this fabric because it's still on the bolt :)

My unit has two settings. Three dots indicates the hottest setting. 

The unit also comes with a silicone iron rest because this iron sits flat on its soleplate when not in use.

And, although I still have a huge pile of shirts and garments that need ironing, I did test out the Laurastar Lift on a denim shirt and the results made the blouse look like brand new!

Before and after ironing with the Laurastar Lift steam iron

There's so much to talk about, I haven't even gotten to the tank and it's benefits. To generate the powerful steam the Laurastar Lift need a water reservoir tank and the hose that's connected to the iron. The removable water tank can be filled straight from your tap and filters the water through filter cartridge. The cartridge would need to be replaced about once a year. The unit will let you know when the filter needs to be changed. I went ahead and bought a three-pack so I'm set for about 4 years!

The generator/tank can be a bit noisy when it's filling the heating water chamber but that last about 10 seconds and I don't even notice it anymore. If the water level in the removable tank gets low, the unit will beep at you to refill. You can place the tank on your ironing board but I prefer to have it on the floor. The cord is long enough and the unit comes with an attachment that holds the cord up and out of the way. It's very nice not having to struggle against a cord anymore. 

The unit will automatically shut off after 10 minutes of being idle. At first I thought this was an annoyance but soon discovered it really doesn't slow me down one bit while I'm sewing patchwork. For one thing, this baby is hot and by automatically turning itself off you are conserving energy and not heating up your workspace. The second thing that I discovered that made this a non-issue is the iron heats back up very quickly and even if it's turned itself off between usage the sole plate remains hotter than my regular iron in use and I can still press my patchwork without the steam function because the steam function is only available when the unit is sufficiently heated up to temperature.  

Cleaning the soleplate is easy with this special So Clean cleaning pad. Simply rub the cold iron back and forth on the pad. Once you heat up the iron, pulse steam through it and wipe with a clean cloth. 

I went ahead and purchased the lovely Laurastar ironing board because it seemed ridiculous to have such a sleek tool as this and still use my old, rickety ironing board. I do feel quite professional now and truly believe my patchwork is more precise since I've been using it. The seams lay super flat and without distortion. 

I encourage any serious sewist to at least look into upgrading your iron. The difference is astounding. I have an affiliated link with Amazon for a unit like the one I have. Yes, this baby is pricey, but definitely a must for any serious sewer. Your patchwork and clothes will thank you!