Thursday 29 January 2015

In which we show you our amazeballs prizes!

I am absolutely BURSTING I am so excited to share with everyone all the great prizes we are able to offer you for participating in our #crazydogladysewingchallenge!


As a quick recap, the Crazy Dog Lady Sewing Challenge is wherein you either sew a garment for yourself or a friend using a dog themed fabric, OR you sew something for your best four-legged BFF.

We have a flickr group, and we will be doing a number of inspiration posts on our three blogs.

But, let's move on to what you are all really here for........

PRIZES and DISCOUNTS!!!!


DISCOUNTS
The irony of posting a giant cat head does not escape me.
The lovely Michelle of Tuxedo Cat Buttons on Etsy, makes just the cutest fabric-covered buttons around. I first fell in love with these freaking adorable pug and terrier buttons:
Can't you just picture them on the front of a fifties style shirt-dress like what Dixie made? How cute! Or check these bad boys out:
fabric covered buttons with dog inspired print cotton fabric - MEDIUM- made in the USA -
Michelle also does custom orders, custom listings, mix-and-match, and if you want something she doesn't have, just contact her and she does her best to accommodate. If you want something even more specific, you can send her some of your fabric and she will make them into buttons.

For the duration of our sewing challenge, Michelle has generously offered a 30% discount to our participants. Simply use the coupon code DOGLOVERS when ordering to take advantage of this sweet deal!



PRIZES
Thanks to the extreme generosity of our sponsors, we are pleased as punch to be able to offer you three prize packs! All of the prizes will be randomly awarded so no need to stress out while making your garments! Hooray!

First, I'll talk a bit more about our prize sponsors, then I'll go over the prizes in detail.
.........................................................................................................................................................


Riley Blake Designs has a ton of sweet fabrics, and even a few knit fabrics. Personally, I would love to make a little scarf for Harley in their Happy Camper line for when we go "ruffing" it:
Alternately, I could make him look like the big dog he likes to act like and make him a little dog coat in this sweet print:
If you are interested in using any fabric from Riley Blake for the challenge, be sure to contact Julia directly and she will hook you up!
.........................................................................................................................................................
Sarah from Grey's Fabric has two rescued ex-racing greyhounds How sweet is that? 

In Sarah's shop, she carries an amazing dog print on linen:
Just think of all the possibilities you could have with this one! I personally find that non-quilting cotton dog-print fabrics are difficult to source, so it is great to see a linen dog-print out there.

In addition to this, Sarah carries a wide variety of great fabrics from Alexander Henry cotton, to waxed canvas, to bright and beautiful knits (cute doggie T-shirt?):
Sarah also has a portion of her shop called Fox and Hound where you can buy an assortment of delicious looking chocolates with all proceeds going to support greyhound rescue! Let me say it again: Chocolate for you, support for dog rescue. Need I continue?
.........................................................................................................................................................
If you haven't heard of Tasia and Sewaholic Patterns, well, you might be living under a sewing rock. Tasia has just released the Granville Shirt and the Oakridge Blouse Patterns, and both have gotten rave reviews.
And, uhm, HELLO?! Granville in dog-print linen (Inspired by Sophie-Lee's linen version, of course)?! Yes, I think one more thing just got added to my mental to-sew list. Or even better:
A dog linen Cambie. Yep. My mind changed. Or maybe I'll have both please.
I'm willing to bet that the Cambie would be a great starting point if you want to use a dog-print quilting cotton. So many possibilities!
.........................................................................................................................................................


I will repeat what I said above about living under a sewing rock. The girls at By Hand London have seemingly taken the sewing world by storm over the past few years! In my opinion, one of the best parts about their patterns is that so many of them specifically list quilting cotton as a recommended fabric! And again, with so few other options when it comes to dog fabrics, it is nice to know that there are fashionable pattern options out there that will work with your fabric!

I would love to see a Kim dog dress, or a Victoria dog blazer for work!
How awesome would that be? Don't answer that because the answer is: more awesome than most people could handle.
.........................................................................................................................................................
Another big player in the sewing world is Bluegingerdoll Patterns. Abby has some seriously amazing vintage inspired patterns available.

I have personally been eye-balling the Bonnie sweater since it's come out, and would love to see it done up in a dog knit print and paired with a solid coloured skirt:
The Peggy skirt would be a great vehicle for a really crazy dog print cotton since it has nice clean lines. A perfect blank canvas!:
I think if I have leftover fabric, I will use her free vintage pinup head scarf pattern to make a matching wee scarf! (Here's hoping I can squeeze one out!)
.........................................................................................................................................................
Netti over at nettimadeit is clearly a fan of Dachshund dogs. She makes all sorts of sweet wiener dog things including stuffed animals for home decor, key chains, and brooches.
Most of Netti's store, however, is knitting and crochet. If you are over there eye-balling her cute doxies, make sure to check out her other creations! She is famous for her elf slippers, but quite honestly, I can't get enough of those shark slippers!
Amazeballs!
.........................................................................................................................................................
Zhuo, on Etsy as MrZhuo, also has a ridiculously cute shop. Seriously, you need to check it out. Zhuo is a huge dog lover and loves to needle-felt all sorts of things with wool such as cute dogs and food items.
Zhuo also does custom brooch orders, where you can send in a photo of your pet and get a brooch made (I am getting one done of Harley to go with my dress).
I highly recommend you check it out!
.........................................................................................................................................................
Kerso, also on Etsy, makes jewellery, paintings, fancy dog bookmarks, and other small gifts. I was first drawn to Kerso's cute dog brooches, which are crocheted onto felt and then hand sewn together:
But then I noticed that Kerso also makes needle cases, a perfect little gift for a seamstress friend.
You should head over there to check out all the different colours that the dog brooch comes in!
.........................................................................................................................................................

WHEW!!!! You've made it this far! Congrats!
Now onto what you've been waiting so patiently for: THE PRIZES!


Prize pack one will include:
1. a dog paw brooch from MrZhuo
2. a pattern from Bluegingerdoll Patterns
3. some of the linen dog print fabric from Grey's
4. a Fox and Hound shirt from Grey's

Prize pack two will include:
1. a Dachshund dog brooch from nettimadeit
2. a pattern of their choice from Sewaholic Patterns
3. a custom dog embroidered needle case from kerso

And prize pack three will include:
1. a dog brooch from MrZhuo
2. a pattern from By Hand London

But wait.... There's more!
All three prize packages will include, from Riley Blake Designs:
1. a designer fat quarter bundle
2. a basic variety Rolie Polie
3. a basic variety 7" square Stacker
4. a Floriography 5" square Stacker
(All pictured together below:)

I'd say that's a pretty sweet deal, non?

Well, I hope you are as excited for this challenge as the three of us are! Pop in starting next week, and we will have some inspiration posts to share with you some great ideas for fabulous dog lady garments!

{How sweet}

Wednesday 28 January 2015

In which we* announce the Crazy Dog Lady Sewing Challenge!!!

So, EXCITING NEWS YA'LL! *Myself, along with Tanya and Sophie-Lee, are pleased to announce the.....

CRAZY DOG LADY SEWING CHALLENGE!


What the heck is a Crazy Dog Lady Sewing Challenge, you ask?

Well, it is a sewing challenge for people who have their own furbabies, or for people who just simply love dogs.

Because what's not to love?

Well how the heck to I get involved?

You must sew a garment for either yourself or a friend using dog-themed fabric, OR you can sew a garment for your dog (OR BOTH. PLEASE MAKE IT MATCH YOU WILL MAKE MY DAY!)

(Almost as much as these eyebrows made my week.)
You also need to become a member of our flickr group to share your final makes, or you may e-mail them to me directly (see sidebar button for my e-mail address, please put "Crazy Dog Lady" in the subject line). And while you are over at flickr, feel free to discuss fabrics and patterns, and share your PIPs, ask for advice, and just join in with the community in general!

Feel free to join in with this much enthusiasm. Or don't. Your call.
Also, feel free to use the hashtag #crazydogladysewing to connect with more crazy dog lovers, and check out our three blogs for information and inspiration.

What are the dates?

Well, the sewing challenge officially opens today, and it will close on Sunday, March 15, 2015. This way we all have over a month to source our fabric and get crackin'.

Are you confused yet?

Are there any prizes?

HECK YES THERE ARE! We have a number of lovely sponsors who have been kind enough to donate some prizes and give us some discounts on their products!

Awwwwwyeah.
Check 'em out (in no particular order...click on the logo to head to our sponsors' websites):








There will be four randomly awarded prizes, so feel free to go as crazy as you want with your lovely makes! More information on the prizes and discounts tomorrow so be sure to check back here.

What else should I know?

Well, Tanya, Sophie-Lee, and myself will be doing a number of posts to inspire you and show you what we are working on, so be sure to check in on us!

Feeling inspired yet?

Do you have a button that I can use?

No.

Just kidding! Of course, we do!

Feel free to copy and paste the code or image you prefer:

150x150
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/crazydogladies/"><img src="http://tanyamaile.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/crazy-dog-lady-150-jpeg.jpg"></a>

300x300
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/crazydogladies/"><img src="http://tanyamaile.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/crazy-dog-lady-300-jpeg.jpg"></a>

400x400
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/groups/crazydogladies/"><img src="http://tanyamaile.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/crazy-dog-lady-400-jpeg.jpg"></a>

Anything else I should know?
Yes! From one crazy dog lady to another, I say it is time to take the internet back from all of the crazy cat ladies out there (Sorry, Erin!) and show them which four-legged fur-baby is truly the best one of all!
HELLS YEAH!
Until tomorrow, please enjoy this final note: