The Better Bag Maker - Book Giveaway Winner!

Hello all! Today I get to announce the winner of Nicole Mallalieu's wonderful book, The Better Bag Maker!

The Winner is Vicky Haynes who said:
I've been making bags the last few months and trying to incorporate new techniques that will make them less home-made and more hand-crafted. I'm especially working on zippers, piping & topstitching. This would be a great resource and I'd definitely put it to immediate use.

Sounds like the perfect fit! Vicky, please email me with your address so I can pass it on to Stash books to send you your copy!

Thanks to all for entering and have lovely day!

The Better Bag Maker - Book Review and Giveaway!

Giveaway is now closed.

Hello and happy Monday!

Today I am reviewing Nicole Mallalieu's book, The Better Bag Maker. I love her first book, You Sew Girl! and was very excited to get my hands on this one.  I had the extreme pleasure of meeting Nicole in person some time back and I am so happy to be part of her blog book tour.

What struck me first about the The Better Bag Maker,  is that it is full of beautiful and extremely helpful photographs. Of course there's the bags, oh the bags! All the projects are based on one basic pattern, with limitless variations. The projects are ordered by degree of difficulty, from beginner to advanced sewists.

 "The Melbourne Weekender" bag is definitely on my To Make list!

What makes this book one that I will return to again and again, is the amazing Techniques and Tips that Nicole shares. With her expert guidance, there is no doubt that you too can make stunning bags with really professional finishes. The photos are incredibly helpful and I am so thrilled that I have the opportunity to learn some valuable techniques to improve my own sewing. That is what turns a good sewing book into a staple reference and resource guide that helps one become a better seamstress... and of course a better bag maker.

I absolutely recommend this book to anyone interested in not only making some gorgeous bags, but to everyone who wants to improve their skills and confidence.

I have bookmarked several pages and put a few bags on my To Make list. I think I'll start with this beauty, The Marrakesh Overnighter!

Of course if I ever do go to Marrakesh, I'll be wearing a longer skirt.

You can purchase a copy of Nicoles book, The Better Bag Maker HERE.

Stash Books has generously offered a Giveaway of The Better Bag Maker. You can win a copy of the Better Bag Maker (hard copy in the US, digital version for the rest of the world). All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what sewing skill you'd like to learn or improve. The Giveaway will be open until Monday, July 7th.

Giveaway is now closed.

Please go visit Nicole's blog, You Sew Girl, and say hello!

Also, check out the other stops on the blog tour!

2nd June – Creativebug

9th June – The Littlist Thistle
23rd June – Curly Pops
30th June – Lola Nova
8th July – Ink & Spindle
15th July – Kicki G Just Nu (in Swedish)

Giveaway is now closed.

Hello Monday - Vibrant Color and a Giveaway Winner!

Mossy Green

Amethyst Purple

 Sunshine Yellow

It was a colorful weekend here and just a brief flash of much coveted sunshine before the rain came tumbling down once again. I am itching to get out in the garden. I've got my seeds ready, my compost standing by and all I need is a couple of dry days. The forecast looks good for the end of the week and with any luck I will have dirt under my nails and precious seeds in soil! 

Now onto my giveaway winner of the children's patterns! I used a random generator to choose the winner. Drum-roll please...

The Winner is Sustainable Mum!

Hooray! Send me your address so I can get them in the post!

Thanks to all for entering.

Have a lovely day all!

Hello Monday - It's a Giveaway!

Hello!

Recently I was the lucky winner of a giveaway from StudioTANTRUM. I received the most beautiful gift, full of StudioTANTRUM and Farbenmix patterns, some lovely fabric and other goodies! How lucky am I? 

If you have been a long time reader, you may already know my love of these patterns for kids. Such unique and inspired creations. As Nancy Langdon, designer of StudioTANTRUM says: "You are the designer: Our patterns are the roadmap. You determine the journey."

Here are just a few of their patterns I have made up over the years for Pony Girl.

You can see more examples in the Sewing Clothes kids Love and Farbenmix Flickr groups.

In my box of happy from Nancy, Jen and StudioTANTRUM, I happen to receive a few duplicate patterns that I already had in my collection. So, that means I'm giving away 3 patterns to a lucky reader! Hooray!

These patterns are made in the European tradition, which means that the patterns come on large good quality paper, then you trace the pattern pieces and add seam allowance to the traced pieces. If you have never used this type of pattern before, do not be intimidated. If I can do it, anyone can! Pattern sizes range from 86/92 - 146/152 or US 2 - 12. So, if you have a special little girl in your life that you sew for, or if you know someone who would really like these patterns, they can be yours! Plus, I will be adding a few special extras in the package for fun!

How to win:
1. Simply leave a comment on this post with a way for me to get in touch with you. (Many comments I receive are "no-reply" which means I can't reach you through your comment, make sure I know how to get a hold of you)

2. Add a link to this post to your Twitter, and tag me @lola_nova and @studioTANTRUM for an extra chance to win!

3. Link to the giveaway on Facebook for another chance to win!

4. Be sure to let me know if you have Tweeted, Facebooked etc. So I know to give you those extra chances!

5. Giveaway winner will be announced next Monday, March 10th!

Happy Monday all!

Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway Winner!

Hooray! I am so happy to announce the winner of The Shabby Apple Dress Giveaway!
The winner is Sarah!

Sarah said, "I'm loving all three! Seriously though, the "Snapdragon" would get the most wear. Yay!"

Congratulations Sarah!
Oh and I discovered that Sarah has a sweet blog called Gentle Home you should go check it out. She has Chickens and Bees! I love that!

So Sarah, contact me with your mailing details and the size of the dress you want.

Thanks to everyone who participated and I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

Shabby Apple Dress giveaway!

You have heard of Shabby Apple right? They are the company behind a whole lot of vintage clothing style prettiness. Oh so many lovely dresses! I am rather fond of a pretty vintage style dress, yes I am. So, imagine my excitement when the folks at Shabby Apple contacted me and asked if I would like to host a giveaway of one of their dresses to my dear readers. Yes I would indeed!

Now for the dress, actually, there are three styles to choose from! Click on the link under the pictures to see more info and pictures.

At first sight

Snapdragon

Grand National

All you have to do to have a chance to win one of these dresses is to leave a comment on this post telling me which one of these dresses is your favorite. (Giveaway only open to United States residents)

For an extra entry to win, "like" both Shabby Apple AND Lola Nova Facebook pages and come back here to let me know you have done so.

Best of luck to everyone and have a sweet weekend!

Edited: Oh me! I forgot to say that the giveaway is open until Thursday, June 6th at midnight. I will announce the winner Friday, June 7th!