Little Man and winners of the Seamingly Smitten Giveaway!

Posted on by
Reply

Meet Man, otherwise known as little Man, it’s hard not to only notice his eye, but if you look past that, you see a sweet little boy that happens to be very brave too!  He just arrived at China Little Flower.  This little guy has a malignant tumor that has already taken his one eye and they are afraid it is so advanced that it may be affecting his other eye.  China Little Flower is working hard to get him into the hospital to see if he’s a candidate for chemo. Please keep Man in your prayers, he sure does need them!  That’s the beauty of our time differences all over the world, he can literally be covered in prayer around the clock, bet you never thought of that did ya?

We had such a great response for pattern sales for our brand new Carolina Coast Dress!  I had to add over 55 entries on top of the comments we received!  Below are the winners, I used Random.org to pick the 3 winners and here they are in order…

#39…Erin S

#20…Heather DeJesus

#8…Sandra Hitomi Williams

Congrats ladies!  If you wouldn’t mind contacting Jenny right away, she’ll get you all squared away!  Thank you again for making such a wonderful difference in the lives of these sweet children. They are so grateful for your 5.00 bills!

Be sure to jump over to Kristy’s blog…she’s has a really great service opportunity for y’all and a wonderful giveaway from a Create H.O.P.E Designer, Lily Bird Studio!  Have you seen her patterns?  My goodness, she is all kinds of talented.  She has been so kind to donate 3 patterns, The Ruffled Diaper Cover, Simple 30 minute shorts and Christmas Ornaments.  She also has her own etsy store with many other beautiful patterns.

Remember you are everything to someone with nothing!

Seamingly Smitten New Designer…giveaway!

Posted on by
22

A few weeks ago we were contacted by Jenny from Seamingly Smitten, she had read about Create H.O.P.E Designs at Hopeful Threads and was moved to contribute our newest pattern, Carolina Coast Dress!  After a happy dance that included a cartwheel (no, not really, but I USED to be able to do cartwheels), I replied with a big ol’ “welcome to the party!” and then I quickly thanked God for once again sending one of His golden girls our way.  We are beyond thrilled to welcome this lovely, talented person on board.  Here’s what Jenny has to say about herself…

“I’m Jenny Hall and the creator and designer behind Seamingly Smitten sewing patterns. Seamingly Smitten was started as a desire to help other moms learn to sew boutique clothing for their children, even if they are a beginner.  When I was just learning to sew I simply could not understand the directions on standard tissue paper patterns and it was discouraging. I started creating my own patterns, drawing out my own designs and filling notebooks with ideas and sewing steps to create each outfit. I’m a visual learner and needed more pictures, not drawings, more descriptions, step-by-step directions and hints along the way as I sewed. I absolutely love creating and sewing clothing for my little boy, girl and myself! Once I started sewing for my children, people would stop me and ask where I bought their outfits. My reply would always be, “I made my own pattern.” After making so many of my own patterns I thought I would share my sewing love with all of you by creating PDF sewing patterns for beginners for women and children! Seamingly Smitten sewing pattern company began in April 2011 as a desire to help others learn to sew. Now it is my soul’s passion and our sewing pattern collection is growing as we speak!”

Here’s some info about her fabulous, super cute and easy pattern, The Carolina Coast Dress…

Are you looking for a spring and summer dress for your little girl that is light and airy and fun to wear? Does she love wearing anything with ruffles and bows? Then this dress is perfect for you! The Carolina Coast Dress features a ruffle around the top, a coordinating panel along the bottom, halter straps or regular straps and ties in a large bow in the back! Let your creativity shine when you sew a Carolina Coast Dress by mixing fabrics, colors, prints and solids. You can use up to 4 different fabrics that you love (for the straps, bottom panel, top ruffle, and the dress)!  Dig through that fabric stash of yours and get sewing!

The Carolina Coast Dress is for girls ages 6 mo.-8 yrs.  The Carolina Coast Dress for girls sewing pattern features 39 photo illustrations and tutorial style instructions to help you create a darling ruffled dress! (Dimensions are provided for the dress, straps and ruffles – no paper pattern pieces included that rip or tear.)  You can purchase your copy here, here or here.

Jenny has an etsy store, where she sells her downloadable PDF patterns.  Personally, I love the fact that she creates patterns for women!  I bought her Miss Mod Top pattern, though I haven’t had time to make it up yet, I’ve browsed the pattern and it’s very well written, loaded with step by step pics, it should go together in a snap!  Below are just a few of the many designs she offers….

In celebration of Jenny’s launch into Create H.O.P.E Designs, she is hosting a giveaway! Three lucky winners will receive their choice of 3 patterns!  Receive 1 entry for doing EACH one of the following:

#2…Follow her blog at http://seaminglysmitten.blogspot.com/
#3…Write on my Jenny’s facebook wall with which patterns you would love to sew.
#4…Receive 5 entries for purchasing her Carolina Coast Dress!  (you do not need to leave 5 comments for this, I will keep track for you and make sure you get your entries all in)
THIS GIVEAWAY WILL CLOSE MONDAY APRIL 2!
Thank you Jenny, you’re an answer to many, many prayers.  We are absolutely thrilled to add you to our growing team of designers!  The children of China and Bulgaria are so blessed to have you looking out for them in a such a generous way.  As a designer, I understand the time and resources it takes to create and launch a pattern.  Jenny, like all our designers will receive nothing for her pattern, 100% of all the money collected is sent on to some beautiful children who continue to wait and need a little help on their journey’s to a forever home.
Remember you are everything to someone with nothing!

Ladylike Designs…our newest designer!

Posted on by
1

Awhile back we were contacted by Bev Remillard from Ladylike Designs, the exact title of her email read…“sign me up!”  Isn’t that amazing?  After one quick look at her website, we were so excited to have this renowned instructor and talented designer as part of Team H.O.P.E!  Bev is very, very talented.  She is a designer, lecturer, quilter extraordinaire and on top of that, like all our designers, she’s as good as gold.  At Ladylike Designs you can find information about her BOM, her teaching and lecturing schedule, her patterns and even completed quilts that are for sale in her etsy shop.

Her pattern is called Button Charm Quilt and it’s beautiful!  She recommends using 4 Charm Packs, but you can certainly used yardage or fat quarters to come up with the required 5″ squares.  I love the traditional design and piecing with the extra cuteness of covered buttons.  Do you love to make covered buttons?  Me too!!!
I have the perfect Art Gallery prints that are begging to be done up in this, with white background, it’ll definitely “pop” those Ohio Stars (my most favorite quilt block EVER!). The finished design is 69″x58″, perfect for cuddling  up with a cup of tea and reading a good book.

Look at some of this eye candy I found on her blog…really though, you should visit, she has so much to look at!  Her quilts are romantic with a strong presence of florals and soft colors…this is Tangerine Surprise done with the 9 Patch Fun pattern.  I love the 3D picot border…

This is Charm Basket, a very modern twist on a very traditional concept…love the light blue she used for sashing…

And finally Ribbons & Bows done with the pattern Dancing Hearts…the applique…oh my goodness do I ever love and admire needle-turned applique…

Thank you Bev for linking arms with us, it’s such a great effort to be involved in and such a an easy way to give back and use our talents in a different way.  Visit our shop to get your own copy of Button Charm Quilt.

Look what this little Puddin’ Pop can do!  Baby You can hold her head up and she’s starting to roll over!  This is big deal, because You has Down’s she suffers from poor muscle tone.  She is a testimony of what love, prayers and good medical care can do. Friends, you are part of this, her success is partly because of your shared 5 dollar bills with her.  So, from sweet little Princess You, thank you!

Remember you are everything to someone with nothing!

The Patchwork Posse has joined Create H.O.P.E Designs with a brand new quilt pattern!

Posted on by
6

We have a brand new designer!  Meet Becky Jorgensen from Patchwork Posse, she’s a spunky, talented stitching diva and we couldn’t be happier about her coming on board with a fantastic new quilt pattern, Monkey Bars.  I cannot even tell you how excited we get here at Create H.O.P.E when someone just emails us a contribution, it’s like manna from heaven, literally. It ensures that we will be able to continue our funding for China Little Flower and One Heart Bulgaria.

Have you ever heard of Patchwork Posse?  Well, let me tell you, it is one cool place!  They have online lessons, BOM’s, patterns for quilts, dolls, stuffies, bags and many other sweet creations.  On top of that, they have a magazine, full to the brim with super fun projects! Here’s the cover…

Here’s a little snippet from Becky…I’m tellin’ ya she’s groovy…
“I love to sew anything that i can get my hands on. I am not restrictive when it comes to projects. I hand embroider, machine quilting, and cross-stitch.  I do it all, bags, hotpads, aprons, quilts, samplers, dolls, toys…and whatever else that comes to mind.  I started sewing when I was 8 and made my first mini sampler–I still have it to prove it!!- then things settled for awhile {i was too busy growing up} and when i had my first baby, I of course needed to make her a quilt. The quilting obsession started and it hasn’t stopped! At one time I stitched for Shephard’s Bush in Utah and now own my own online sewing business, Patchwork Posse.  I have been blogging and selling my goods on Etsy for a few years now, and I have gone beyond ready made items….I have patterns! I love making new patterns and the design process. I have a sketch book that gets filled with more ideas than time in the day to complete.
Awesome right?  Becky is a creator in many ways, and by joining Create H.O.P.E she’s creating an opportunity for the thousands of little one’s who wait to receive the care, love and attention they need and deserve.  She’s an example of using one’s talents for not only her personal needs but also for those that have so much less than her.  It’s with a smile and a willing heart that she has given us Monkey Bars,  I do hope you’ll hop over to our store and take a look at her pattern, Monkey Bars.  I have reviewed her instructions, they are very professional and written for even a beginner to complete.  I love the fact that it only takes seventeen 2.5″ strips and some yardage for the background, that means one jellyroll will make two quilts!”
Here it is upclose…love the modern design and ease of construction…
I love it and I know you will too!  Visit our store to purchase Monkey Bars, 100% of the money collected benefit some really sweet little one’s waiting, such as….Baby You!

Remember you are everything to someone with nothing!

Bring home Joshua auction contribution

Posted on by
2

Meet Joshua, he is in China waiting so patiently for his forever family. This little man has waited a very long time and lucky for him he will be home very soon.  Like all adoptions, it is so expensive, it shouldn’t be, but it is.  One might ask, “why are these people adopting if they can’t afford the fees?”.  Well, how many people just have 30,000 laying around?  Do you?  If a person were to show up on your doorstep tomorrow with a beautiful little boy, could you provide for him?  You probably could, and you’d probably be very excited about the prospect, right?  I am assuming that the very fact you follow this blog is because you have love in your heart for children especially orphans.  Well, imagine if the person that brought him said, “he’s all yours, but we need 30K first”.  Could you just go and write that check?  That is why so many families fund raise for their adoptions.  These families don’t just have their hands out asking for money, they have their hearts out hoping that you too can see the desperation and loneliness in these children’s eyes.  We are commanded to provide for “even the least of these,”  orphans are the literally the “least of these”.  These families can provide food, shelter, clothing, health care and most importantly unconditional love.  However, like most of us, they just don’t have thousands in the bank waiting, but willing they are, and in my book that’s all that matters.

It is an honor for me to do what I can to help these children on their journey home. Joshua’s parents are hosting an auction, so this is a little set I created, I hope it makes a crazy amount of money.  If it does, that is wonderful, if it doesn’t…well, it helped regardless and I feel good about my contribution.

Petal dress is a size 2, capri ruffle pants size 2 and the peasant dress is a 3.  Perfect for easter or summer.

I think that’s one of the biggest issues out there with philanthropy, we all want our contributions to cause a tidal wave of relief, but rarely that happens.  We lay awake at night dreaming of all those little faces, we cry, we brainstorm, we commit to making a difference.  In the end though, we only help a few?  Is it enough?  Yes, it is.  I just finished reading this book, and the one thing I took away from it was that saving ONE is enough, and to concentrate on one at a time.  Jesus left his entire flock to save the one lost lamb, that one mattered to Him.  It is the same for us, everyone matters, even just one.  So, do what you can and don’t get discouraged or disillusioned that your tiny contributions don’t matter.  I love the classic story of the starfish on the beach, there were hundreds, even thousands that desperately needed to be put back into the salty water they call home.  A small boy did his best to throw as many as he could back out and when asked, “why? There are so many, you’ll never save them all, some will surely die”, his innocent and wise response was, “it matters to this one”.

If you have the time and resources please hop over to Joshua’s auction page, he sure could use the help.

Baby quilts! Hidden Treasures auction contributions.

Posted on by
2

Once again, we have the pleasure of supporting the wonderful auction, Hidden Treasures. This time we contributed two quilts, both handmade by yours truly.  The auction this time will benefit three very special little boys, Moses, Jacob and Noah, who will be all be brothers!  Go HERE to learn about these handsome little men, and their new family.

This quilt is pieced and machine quilted.  It measures about 38″ by 42″, the perfect size for a stroller, carseat or even a wall hanging.  I love the bright colors, they remind of spring, which I hope is right around the corner!  Here’s a full shot of the quilt, please forgive my mediocre photography skills.

This quilt is also pieced and machine quilted, I also added some applique.  It is made out of really soft, high quality flannel.  It measures 40″ square, not too big, not too small for a sweet baby boy.  I wish you could touch this flannel, it is like silk, Maywood Woolies do not pill and get that scratchy flannel texture after repeated washings.  I think this would be the sweetest wall hanging, it’s full of vintage charm, but the colors are very modern.

The auction closes February 7th, so hurry over to Hidden Treasures and look at all the goodies they have available!  This is a great opportunity to not only win some fabulous prizes, but be a part of a sad story with a very happy ending.

Remember you are everything to someone with nothing!

 

 

 

Izzy & Ivy Designs giveaway featured by icandy handmade!

Posted on by
Reply

A short time ago I was contacted by Autie from icandyhandmade, turns out she bought our (Izzy & Ivy Designs) Sweet Polly Playclothes Pattern and wanted to know if she could feature it!  Ummm…YES!  One of the coolest parts of being a pattern designer is when you find out someone really awesome, like Autie, likes your stuff AND wants to talk about it! After a whole lotta fist pumps, and a victory lap around the studio, I emailed her back and together we planned a giveaway of our Sweet Polly’s Playclothes pattern.

Have you ever been to Autie’s blog?  It’s amazing!  She is so creative and very, very generous.  These are just a couple of the tutorials you’ll find…

This is her version of our Lucy’s Little Flower dress, I adore her fabric choices.  You can purchase your own copy in our store.

Fun right?  Well, if you go visit icandyhandmade you can enter to win your own copy of Sweet Polly’s Playclothes!  I will also be throwing in a package of our SPRINKLES!

The giveaway closes next Monday, so be sure to hop over to icandyhandmade quick! Thank you Autie for the wonderful feature of Create H.O.P.E, we truly hope that 2012 brings your wonderful blessings!

Remember you are everything to someone with nothing!

AVIVI Doll Carrier and yellowhibiscus Designs

Posted on by
1

Create H.O.P.E has a new designer! It is with great pleasure I introduce you to yellowhibiscus designs!.  We are always praying for new designers and Jaye Jaye Lutz fits right in with her compassion for orphans and sweet candor.  When I opened up her pattern,  I was over the moon!  What a great idea!  The AVIVI Doll Carrier is  perfect for all those little one’s toting all their “stuff”.  Bella Bug takes nearly every toy she owns with her everywhere we go.  Now she can carry her “poose” , carry a baby and  wear a baby all at the same time!  Seriously, she absolutely adores her new carrier.

The instructions are really easy to follow, with many diagrams guiding you through every step.  The whole project went together in a little over an hour.  I loved the fact that I only needed two fat quarters, velcro and some elastic, so the AVIVI Doll Carrier is a very affordable project to be given as a gift.  Like all our patterns it is done in a dowloadable PDF format with computer drawn pattern pieces.  Jaye Jaye has given quite a few options to ensure that the carrier is perfect for it’s little owner.

We are so grateful to Jaye Jaye for sharing her talents with Create H.O.P.E Designs, her pattern is benefiting the beautiful children in Bulgaria.  We encourage you to visit  One Heart Bulgaria to learn more about their outreach and the many ways they are helping the orphans of Bulgaria.

Remember you are everything to someone with nothing!

Fishsticks Designs giveaway results!

Posted on by
Reply

Holy cow, 198 total entries!  That’s a record here!  Before I give the results I need to make sure everyone understands how I got them, because it might be a bit confusing.  For every pattern bought, the purchaser received 5 entries.  I added them up and entered them and tacked them onto the 123 comments on the giveaway page, for a grand total of 198.  So, if you were the first person to leave a comment on the blog page, you are actually the 76th comment.  I hope that makes sense.  Random.org produced the following numbers…

12…Erin Kimmons…she is the winner of the bag.

65…Emily Goria…she is the winner of the pattern bundle and gift card.

154…Desiree @ Wee Share…she is the winner of the Camp Shirt pattern and fabric bundle.

Congrats ladies!  I have contacted all of you, please be sure to get right back to us, so we can get your prizes out.  I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at our new pattern AVIVI doll carrier, it’s so adorable and very easy to make.  My own Bella Bug has been strutting around in it for a week…so cute.

Here’s some eye candy for you…this blossom has my heart doing back flips.  Please pray for God’s plan to be revealed for this little one, she’s so special and like most spicy Chinese girls…a fighter.

Remember you are everything to someone with nothing!

Christmas pennant banner tutorial with free alphabet template

Posted on by
4


I made this adorable pennant banner last Christmas and I thought you might enjoy it.  I made mine to hang over my window, but the possibilities are endless!  Your space is small?  Try JOY, NOEL, or even BAHUMBUG!   Change up the fabrics and use it for a birthday banner, they are all the rage right now, I am sure you can come up with something fabulous.  You can download the free PDF for the alphabet here.  It is reversed and ready to go (you’re welcome).  So here goes with the tut….

You need:

  • Felt I had a piece that was about a yard, it was oodles. Depending on what word or phrase you use will determine your quantity needed.
  • Fabric for the applique. I used 1/3 yd., but again you might need more or less.
  • Fabric for the thingamadingy at the top (can’t for the life of me think of what it is really called…must be late). I bought enough to cut the strips on the bias. Bias tape would work also.
  • Heat-N-Bond Heavy. I used this because I was lazy and didn’t want to stitch around my letters, but you certainly can if you want :o )
  • Ric rac, ribbon, pompoms and any other doodad you wanna put on these beauties.
  • Jingle bells, I bought the big ones, because my banner is quite large.
  • The PDF.
  • Basic sewing supplies.

Trace your letters onto the Heat-N-Bond. We reversed everything already (your welcome yet again).

Iron the pieces to the WRONG side of your fabric.

Cut it out and peel off the back. Iron the letters to the pennants. Make sure you use the acrylic setting, felt melts, unless you are using real wool or bamboo felt. I hit mine with a little steam.

Now this is how I cut out my pennant, listen and read carefully. (Sorry the image isn’t rotated). If you are not going to change the size of the letters then do what I did. If you do change it, then you will need to alter the size of the pennents. I took a 10″ strip of the felt, found the center and measured and marked down 17″. I took my ruler and lined it up at the top of the 10″ strip and the mark, then I cut it and repeated it for the other side. Then I used that triangle to make the other six I needed. Was that awesome geometry or what?!?! Hey, it worked. Mr. Anderson would be so proud…not.

Line up your pennants right next to each other. Cut your thingamadingy strips 2.5″ inches wide, piece them together if needed. Iron the strips in half with wrong sides together, like binding for a quilt. Yes, you are looking at another banner, this is my bratty little sister’s (nah, she’s sweet).

Lay the thingamadingy strip on the right side of the pennants with the raw edge lining up with the top of the pennants. Pin well. Sew with 1/4″ seam. Iron the strip up and away from the pennant. Topstitch, you can see my gorgeous topstitching below, I love to topstitch, weird huh?

Cut your trims to the right length and attach them. I chose to put mine all right under the fabulously top stitched thingamadingy. Then for the finishing touch, stitch your jingle bells on the ends and hang that baby up!  Your done, it’s purdy isn’t it? I love it and so did Jack :o )

Remember you are everything to someone with nothing!