FREE Sew Plush Valentine Heart Box Tutorial for Bernina

I'm not sure how it's February already, but I have a super sweet and FREE project for you to make. I designed this Sew Plush Valentine Heart Box for the Bernina We All Sew website, just in time to fill it with all kinds of lovely goodies before Valentine's Day.

Do you have a favorite candy (like dark chocolate?) or sewing notion you'd want to see inside like these beautiful Aurifil Floss spools or are you a jewelry lover? Want to make it bigger or smaller? I am sharing all the details over on their website - so head on over to take a look. Then share your #sewplushvalentineheartbox with me @kidgiddy on Instagram. Be sure to tag @berninausa too!

These sweet fabrics are courtesy of Riley Blake Designs, designed by Lindsay Wilkes and are called Love Letters.

I'm looking forward to seeing all of your heart boxes and what you'll be putting inside! Thanks so much for visiting and hope you love sewing this fun project!

Disclosure: I received products from Riley Blake Designs, Bernina and Aurifil, as a designer, Bernina Ambassador and Aurifil Artisans to share ways I use my Bernina sewing machine and threads, but the opinions and comments provided are always my own. Thank you.

Making Quilts in Electric Quilt

This just might be the last official Electric Quilt Brand Ambassador post of the year. Not only is the year coming to a close, but my computer is very much out of room (literally only 22gb remaining). Somehow I was able to delete enough "stuff" to get this post put together for you. I've had so much fun experimenting with the Electric Quilt Company Block Spotlight each month and decided this time to screen record it. This month is the Amaryllis Block which is perfect for the Christmas season, but also works great for the spring time too, especially when Easter rolls around.If you haven't tried making a quilt and uploading it to the EQ8 Block Spotlight post, you really should give it a go!

When I am working with a block and trying to figure out a quilt layout, I treat it the same as sketching in a notebook. I just start and keep going to see where I end up. Remember though, it's so important to save each quilt as you go along so you can go back and look at them all, and select your favorite to sew together when you are done.

The first picture I posted above is actually the last quilt I designed. It feels super modern and geometric for a flower, but also directional and sharp which was very different than my first below.

I was trying to stay away from symmetry, but my ambidextrous self has a hard time doing that. I added some rows and columns and made it symmetrical and also rectangular. Here you can see with rotating the blocks, the star really pops and become the focus of this design.

When you start playing with color and even the oh so fun "Randomize" button, you get a whole entirely different looking quilt, with a very different focus.

Experimenting further but now as a more pictorial quilt, I tried using the Amaryllis block to look like the Amaryllis plant with it's long thick stems.

Once I had this layout, I wanted to try the other colors most typically seen with the Amaryllis plant, of white and yellow. It would make a beautiful Easter wall hanging I think. Perfect for spring decorating in your home. You could easily add one more Amaryllis block in a smaller scale in that very center square that is created with all four corners.

Now that you've seen all of the blocks, watching my video below (or on YouTube) will allow you to see the steps I took to get to each design. Be sure to subscribe to my Kid Giddy YT channel for new videos in the future.

What do you think? Do you have a favorite layout? Have you tried experimenting with the Electric Quilt Block Spotlights each month? It's a great exercise and great practice to get to know the program, so if you haven't already, I highly recommend you challenge yourself to give it a go!

I just want to add before signing off, that I am truly so grateful to be able to work with great companies like the Electric Quilt Company, especially while being one of their Brand Ambassadors this year. I have been using their product for many years now, and still find something new when I break out of my own box and pick a new tool I haven't used before. (Which reminds me - while visiting the EQ website, if you want to add anything to your stash, you can use the code "EQ8Kerry" to save 20% off your purchases before the code expires at the end of the year).

With that said, I am also truly so grateful for each and every one of you that has supported me in my pattern making and design work. I appreciate when you give me credit for the patterns of mine you are using, because it allows me to see how you interpret them and how much fun you are having with them. It also further supports me by helping your friends know where they can get the pattern too. Thank you from the top and bottom of my heart for every time you've read a blog post, every like or comment on social media, every purchase and share of one of my patterns. You all inspire me every day with your excitement and enthusiasm. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas, a belated Happy Chanukah, or Joy in the holiday you celebrate. May you all have a wonderful, safe and prosperous Happy New Year!

Disclosure: As a brand ambassador for Electric Quilt Company, I have received the EQ8 product for free, but the opinions and comments provided are always my own. This is not an affiliate code. Thank you.

EQ8 Block Spotlight of the Month

Have you tried playing around with the Electric Quilt Company EQ8 Block Spotlights? I've been playing with them and it's super fun. It's a great exercise and can help to open yourself up to come up with a different quilt with each block. I can't say different coloring, because I've been finding myself stuck on some specific colors, but different colorings would be great too.

This first one, the July "Arrowheads" block just might be my favorite. I wanted to keep it large scale (as I've done with the others) but wanted it to also keep it simplified. I used a simple fall palette (despite it being the July block) as I thought about cuddling on my sofa in our Cozy Away room with the wood stove burning. The quilt design was created as a Custom Layout with two full blocks down the center, and four partial blocks along the sides. 

This next quilt is the August "Pyramid Kite" block. I added in the blue and white colors to lighten it up a bit but also kept this quilt design symmetrical. This quilt was designed using the On-Point layout in order to create a much larger On-Point layout block to focus on the X in the center.

This last one (for now) is the September "Metalwork" block. I had a hard time with this block, only because it isn't symmetrical - lol. Never the less, I always love a good challenge. I reverted back to the warmer fall color palette, and used two full blocks and two simplified stretched blocks in the Custom Quilt layout.

If you haven't had a chance to try out their block spotlights, I highly recommend it. After you come up with a fun quilt design, you can link it up on their blog with each block post. You can see other designs others have posted as well.

Remember while visiting the EQ website, if you want to add anything to your stash, you can use the code "EQ8Kerry" to save 20% off your purchases.

Disclosure: As a brand ambassador for Electric Quilt Company, I have received the EQ8 product for free, but the opinions and comments provided are always my own. This is not an affiliate code. Thank you.

Travel Lighting

Remember that car game where you're going on a picnic and you have to bring something that starts with every letter in the alphabet. I kept think about that game as I was traveling this spring and summer as I was packing. I'm going on a trip and I'm bring my Aurifil thread, Bags, (thread)Cutterz, Daylight Company lighting, EPP papers and so on.

My first trip this spring was to Disneyland (I only went once when I was 16 and only for a day so this felt like my first trip ever - which was so exciting). On the flight down I got some hand sewing done on the airplane using the compact Daylight Yo-Yo Lamp. It was later in the afternoon but everyone wanted to nap and I felt bad having my overhead light on. So the Yo-Yo Lamp gave me enough light to work on my #QuiltsForMyDaughters hexies.

After we arrived and upacked at the hotel, I needed to finish sewing the little cross body bags to use at the parks, that I made the day before. It was super late and everyone else was going to sleep so I set up the Smart Clip-On lamp.

The bed frames at Disney are surprisingly enormous so I grabbed the next best thing...my luggage. The side table was on my husband's side of the bed, so all I had was the luggage rack and my luggage.  I was pretty proud of my set up! lol.

The Smart Clip-On lamp is cordless and rechargable, so I didn't have to worry about finding an outlet to plug it into. It works great for reading books too. Which I've been trying to sneak in at night lately and was doing as much of as I could this summer with our less hectic evenings. I clip it onto the corner of my book, which also helps to keep the pages open for me.

During the summer I also traveled to New Hampshire for Girls Camp through church. A couple of nights while in my bunk, I had a little time to set up some hand stitching and the Yo-Yo was all the light I needed to get it done.

Both of these lamps are so great to travel with. The Yo-Yo folds up and is the most compact and the Smart Clip-On lamp wraps around itself nicely (with the recharging cord clipped into the clamp). Both of these lights fit in my little sewing pouch with all of my other needs for sewing on the go.

Do you need more lighting in your travels? Be sure to use the "kidgiddy2018" code on the Daylight Company website so you can save 20%. Please be sure to tag me on social media and show me which lamp caught your eye and you couldn't be without! Thanks as always for stopping by!

Disclosure: As a brand ambassador for Daylight Company, I have received these products for free, but the opinions and comments provided are always my own. I will receive a small portion of the sale if you use the coupon code provided above on the Daylight website. Thank you.

The Tonga Block - Aurifil Designer of the Month

I can't believe it's halfway through June already! That means I am the Aurifil Designer of the Month and my new Tonga Block has been posted! Last year (Quilter) Pat Sloan invited me to be a part of this years Designer line up and I couldn't have been more excited! Naturally I picked June (because it's the best month = summer) and created for all of you the free Tonga Block in EQ8. I had a lot fun making various color combos and playing with potential layouts in EQ8 and you can too. EQ8 makes it so quick and fun!

As I was playing with the colors in EQ8, I was looking at some of my Aurifil threads and using some of those colors in the layouts. I figured the brown could easily replace the black, but I was leaning more towards black in the end anyway. I'm still trying to figure out which color combo I love the most to sew into a quilt. Here's the Tonga Block in just 2 colors not including the binding.  (Turquoise and White)
Here's the Tonga Block in 3 Colors, not including the binding. (Turquoise, White and Black)

And the final combo, the Tonga Block in 4 colors. (Turquoise, White, Black, Rust)

I think my fav is the 4 color combo. Do you have a fav? I ended up using the same layout, but wanted to show that with various color combos, it can look very different.

Do you want to know what inspired my Tonga block? You can read more about it on the Aurifil blog. And when you are done printing out your free Tonga Block, head on over to Pat Sloan's blog to see some Tonga Block Sewing Tips she shared. When you finish sewing your Tonga Blocks, please share them with me on social media by tagging me @KidGiddy, #kidgiddy and AurifilDOM2018!

Thanks so much for stopping by, please be sure to sign up for the Kid Giddy newsletter by clicking the link below....

Disclosure: As a brand ambassador for the Electric Quilt Company, I received EQ8 program for free, but the opinions and comments provided are always my own.

New EQ8 Foundation Paper Piecing Patterns

I've been rather quiet here on my website, because I've been so busy in the studio with tons of secret sewing and designing, that I haven't shared with you some fun new patterns I've created in EQ8 yet!

I could sit and design patterns in EQ8 all day because it's so easy. Getting those designs sewn up and formatted into a PDF for you is the harder and more time consuming part, but worth it in the end...right?!

Well here are some new patterns I have listed in my shop.

First up is a collaboration I did earlier in the year with AnnKelle (Kelle Boyd). She had these cute giraffes and owls prints and I just had to make them into paper piecing blocks. I wanted to keep them relatively simple - so I stuck with her designs instead of going crazy detailed. I'm only offering them in my Etsy shop (to control the VAT tax purchases), but after all the etsy and paypal fees are taken out, the rest of the money from each set sold, will go to a Backpack program that puts food into children's backpacks on weekends, during school vacations and summer. I'm so excited to help this cause and ask that you help contribute where you can as well. Food insecurity leads to learning difficulties as well as many other issues. Kids should never go hungry.

My next quilt is more of a personal design. I'm going to be making various Martial Arts animals for a quilt of my own, and started with the Tiger Tiger Quilt, as a gift for my former Sensei that moved down to Texas. He felt the Tiger was his Martial Arts animal, but I was also born in the year of the Tiger. I included the character for Tiger up above the face of the tiger. Each animal I design, will also have it's Mandarian/Kanji character above it so I can learn a little of the languages as I go. I also find Chinese and Japanese calligraphy to be beautiful and couldn't leave it out of the design.

I finally sat myself down and mapped out the Vintage Photo Album Quilt blocks. I've had this idea for well over a year, and kept pushing it further to the back, silly me. It's one of those really quick and easy mix and match patterns that you can fussy cut to your hearts content. There are so many options and the results are super cute! I'd love to print some of my family photos onto fabric and make a genealogy quilt that shows my family tree. It would make a great memory quilt too. There are so many blocks and options (just two shown below), but please know - no quilt instructions or measurements are provided because of the mix and match - make your own concept.

I'm excited to share that Electric Quilt has come out with a new EQ8 Designing Quilts book where you can learn all the tricks and tips from EQ8 designers. Myself included. See that Sailboat Ship block on the back cover of the book? I teach you how to design the block and quilt using my very own photo, step by step! You can grab your copy at Electric Quilt (and make sure you use the code "EQ8Kerry" to save 20%).

There's a few more new blocks coming, but those are still a secret. Hopefully these can keep us all busy sewing for a bit until I can release the others. Do you have a favorite? Is there a design you are pulling for? Maybe it's a new block I've got in the works, or can add to the future list?!

Thanks so much for stopping by, please be sure to sign up for the Kid Giddy newsletter by clicking the link below....

Disclosure: As a brand ambassador for the Electric Quilt Company, I received EQ8 program for free, but the opinions and comments provided are always my own.

Daylight Table and Floor Lamps

Hi everyone. I'm so grateful to have the opportunity to work with amazing companies and their products. I'm back again with more Daylight Company lighting options for your studio or work space, or even your home in general. This time I'm showing you two lamps that are versatile and can really make a difference in your space.

There are a few areas in my home that lack lighting where I do all of my sewing. Most of the lighting in my home is recessed lighting, which I can tell you, doesn't do anything for me at night or in the winter to sew or needle craft. It drives me crazy! Because of this lack of light, I often need extra lighting to help me sew a little longer. The Smart Lamp D40 and the MAGnificent Floor and Table Lamp move around with me everywhere.

The Smart Lamp D40 is small but mighty - and by mighty....I mean mighty powerful but not heavy. It's really an all around perfect option. Most lamps are so larger and cumbersome that you leave them in one place. This one is so lightweight, that I can use it in my studio, take it down to my living room, or bring it into any room where I need more personal lighting in. You can keep it straight upright, lean it forward (slightly forward shown in photo), and move the light up or down and twist for better lighting accuracy.

It packs flat - I mean seriously flat (you can see the folding this in the video) and in the pic above...it can fit flat inside my bernina sewing machine case pocket during travels (my Bernina is the 530 and the bag is 16" wide - it sits slightly diagonal as it folds to 17" in length). I can even stash it flat in a drawer if I need extra space on my desk for a photoshoot. As you can see in the video, the D40 also has dimming options. I personally love the little images of the moon phases to show the brightness settings, because it's just a nice touch.
The D40 comes as white with silver, but because of the versatility of this lamp, I'd love to see it come in multiple color options as well. My girls would absolutely love one in their room...white, aqua, pink, green, you name it - it would look awesome. 

The MAGnificent Floor and Table Lamp is amazing. My eyes have changed drastically over the past 5 years, and although I have always had perfect vision, every once in a while things got blurry as I was sewing. People reminded me I was getting older...(thanks people)...and my daughter's eye Dr. agreed I was getting older which we all know happens over time...(thank you Dr!)...but he said I was also straining my eyes at night which was never a good thing. I needed more lighting or it would get worse, quickly! Now 5 years later - I wear glasses to see up close, or things are blurry. I still have to have things a certain distance from my eyes though, which is a catch 22! I have to hold things further away from my face, but then things are too small and I still can't see. The MAGnificent Lamp has been so super helpful for me in this regard. It's providing all of the light I could ever want while sewing binding or hexies, but it's also making everything bigger. 

The magnifying lens as you see in the pic above is huge. The front edge of it is clear to keep your field of vision clear and unobstructed. It may sound strange, but one of the things I love most about this lamp, is that the base can sit under my couch. The pole (which is adjustable to table height or floor height) sits in the center back of the base, not in the true center. So I slip the base under my couch so it can be closer to me and more easily adjustable. It's also super slim, and all white, making it almost disappear into the background (as all of our walls are white).

I hope these reviews are helpful. I love being able to hear various view points and maybe even alternative ways to use the same product. (Although I mostly sew, I've been dabbling in metalsmithing and feel like I could use a MAG lamp at class, so I could more easily see where I got solder and where I didn't.) If you need more lighting in your space, be sure to use the "kidgiddy2018" code on Daylight Company's website so you can save 20%. Please be sure to tag me on social media and show me which lamp caught your eye and you couldn't be without! Thanks as always for stopping by!

Disclosure: As a brand ambassador for Daylight Company, I have received these products for free, but the opinions and comments provided are always my own. I will receive a small portion of the sale if you use the coupon code provided above on the Daylight website. Thank you.

New Daylight Lighting in the Studio

I'm back in the saddle...the sewing/blogging saddle that is, and I have some new additions to my studio that I have to share with you from Daylight Company. I told you last year about their Wafer light box...and now as a continued Brand Ambassador, I have some amazing lighting to share with you as well. I've been using these lights so much, that I took down my old photo light set up because these work so much better for photographs and everything else. If you need more lighting in your space - Here are 3 different lights and a little bit about each one.

First up - the Slimline LED Table Lamp. I love this lamp. True to it's name - it's totally slim. If you don't have a lot of space for lighting over head or on your desk, this is the lamp for you. You can completely straighten it upright or bend it in two locations, the middle and near the base (which gives it a little more length if using it over your desk). The base of the lamp clamps onto the edge of your table or desk...but if you don't have the right type of edge - there is a Slimline table base available on their website. For such a slim light - this one really packs a punch. Since this pic, I've moved this lamp over to my daughter's table. They really needed some light, had absolutely no space for a base, and their little desk isn't big enough for something larger. The Slimline sits just overhead and right in between both seats (and neither will bump their heads - being that it's so thin).

Next up - the baby Lumi Lamp (baby to the Luminos). This Lumi lamp is now sitting on the corner of my project/serger table (where the slimline was previously).

It has an overall white appearance which effortlessly blends right into this corner space. I've only ever had one lamp to use on my desk from many years ago, but it took up way too much surface area (about the size of a piece of paper). The old light was bulky and only provided light just underneath the lamp and was not adjustable. This Lumi Lamp clamps onto the edge of my desk, with a round base of just 2.5".
If I need to move my lighting, the spring loaded armature reaches far across the desk and can be lifted up or pulled down. The head swivels and tilts offering a huge range of motion which means I can use it for more detailed work or pull it back for general lighting. I can direct the light onto my desk surface, or I can even direct it onto the wall. This Lumi lamp is great for a small or large desk, or even a sturdy side table.

Lastly, here's the Luminos LED Lamp, I call it the mommy version of the Lumi, and it's is now my favorite desk lamp.

I have a bit of a strange set up. I have a corner style sewing desk with my sewing machine, and my computer desk butts up right beside it (check out my Luminos Lamp video see my set up). Lucky for me, the corner desk has the perfect opening in the corner for the Luminos Lamp to clamp to. This lamp also has a spring armature, and that means the Luminos with it's 44" reach, extends all the way to each end of my sewing desk, and also extends over my computer desk. It also acts like the Lumi, in that it swivels and tilts any which way you want. It brightens up the entire space if I raise it up super high, but I can also dim the lights if I don't need it so bright. If you don't have the right desk edge for the clamp, the Luminos lamp also has a wall mount.
I think what I love most about this Luminos Lamp is that it has actually helped with my aging eyes and the really bad winter blues. This lamp truly provides a bright white light and when it's sitting above me on a very gray wintery or rainy day, it helps brighten my mood. This isn't what it's for, and the company doesn't claim that it helps with seasonal effective disorders, but it def has helped me to imagine brighter and warmer days ahead. Let me know which lamp is your favorite in the comments below - or on Instagram - where you can find more photos in my feed of these lamps and others.

I hope you'll check out all of the other lamps and lights also available on the Daylight Company website - if you use the code "kidgiddy2018" you can receive 20% off your entire purchase. Please be sure to sign up for my emails to get info about new patterns, new Sizzix dies (coming soon), future sales or coupons and other fun stuff.

Disclosure: As a brand ambassador for Daylight Company, I have received these products for free, but the opinions and comments provided are always my own. I will receive a small portion of the sale if you use the coupon code provided above on the Daylight website. Thank you.