StudioKat Designs Newsletter- March 2008

March 2008

The StudioKat Designs Newsletter
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

HELLO and Welcome!-The daffodils are starting to push their heads up and I'm starting to get pysched for Spring! I've been really busy getting my booth ready for the Spring Market in Portland. (You can see the banner I made for my booth by clicking here.) My new pattern, the Trifecta, got off to a whale of a start, thanks in part to many of you! It's been all hands on deck keeping Trifecta patterns folded and packed! Even Jeter has had to get in the act!
In addition, I've got a lot of fun stuff for you this month! Be sure to check out the NINE New Project pictures featured on my website, especially if you need a little jumpstart for your creative juices! This month you'll also find a fun fat quarter project, a hot new place to get embroidered shirts made, a sneek peak at my newest design, and lots MORE, so we better get started!
Also, especially for the convenience of our friends at Pattern Review & AOL, all of the hotlinks are listed in order at the bottom of this letter, and as always, if you prefer, you can go to www.studiokatdesigns.com/mar08.htm to see the online version of the newsletter.

Feline Quote for March-
"If a cat spoke, it would say things like, Hey, I don't see the problem here!" Ray Blount, Jr.

New on my Website!-
Every month I receive beautiful pictures of fabulous creations and this month was no exception! If you want to get your creative juices flowing, then do take the time to check out all of these wonderful bags!

Judi Graf of Tyler, TX sent in a quartet of gorgeousness!
     Judi's Tandem Tote this is probably my favorite Tandem Tote of ALL time!
     Judi's Cirque Sac Check out the cool zipper pull!
     Judi's Bellagio Bag I LOVE the Flap hardware!
     Judi's Gadabout The fabric-covered strap is a nice touch!
Rena Pearson of Marietta, GA
     Rena's Odyssey bagThe beautiful exterior is matched with
     a wonderful interior!
Jane Harris of Canberra, Australia
     Jane's stunning Apropos Pack, all smocked & beaded for her daughter's wedding
Ingrid Van Tuyl of The Netherlands
     Ingrid's nifty Odyssey Bag Ingrid's love of quilting is evident here!
Marylou of Mesa, AZ
     Marylou's PortaPockets Insert Marylou's hard work paid off in a beautiful way!

A Fat Quarter PortaPockets Project-Peg Rice of Westport Island, Maine, wrote to share that she made up the PortaPockets Insert as a Fat Quarter Project. Peg said that she made this particular insert up with just 5 fat quarters, & had PLENTY to spare. Click here to see how terrific it came out done here all in green. She gets her fat quarters in complimentary colors when they go on sale for 99 cents each, so for less than $5 plus a zipper, she's got a great gift, and she should know, because she's made up 9 of these so far!

Quiltshop Spotlight- SewThankful.Com in Rio Rancho, NM
Many of you have told me how difficult it is to find quality sewing supplies in your area, and for this reason, I am including this link to SewThankful.Com . In addition to offering patterns by all the leading independent designers, Tracy & Jeff Chapman have a wide variety of fabrics & bag hardware to choose from. (I like the Chili Pepper Fabric Collection!)

New at StudioKat Designs- Say NO! to Plastic Bags
With all the political talk going on right now, I've been trying to find ways to "green" up my life, and I don't know about you, but I've been feeling so guilty about all those thin, flimsy plastic shopping bags I throw away. I figure there's not much way I can help in the search for an alternative fuel, but I certainly can try to start shopping more responsibly. So I started researching what's out there now & found plenty of grocery bag patterns on the market, but who wants to carry one of those into the drug store when all you need is a tube of toothpaste and a bar of soap. I started messing around with the idea of a cool little set of shopping bags that would look good even empty, to carry into all of those places you go, when you're running errands, (like the drugstore, the mall, library, etc. etc.) So here's what i came up with... a reusable shopping bag. (Got any great ideas for a snappy name?) You can make them in any of 3 different sizes. Line it with a fun contrasting print, or express your personality with a cool exterior. The interior pocket is perfect for storing valuable receipts, and the zippered top will keep all of your items safe and private. And here's the best part... it folds up so small and compactly, that it probably will fit in your everyday purse, ready to use at a moment's notice!. I expect to have this pattern done and released sometime in April, just in time for EARTH DAY, so stay tuned for more info!

A Cool Place to Shop!- The Queensboro Shirt Company
When I find a shop that provides great value, super service & excellent quality, I've just got to share it, & Queensboro Shirt Co. in Wilmington, NC fits the bill! Queensboro Shirt Co. provides FREE upload of your logo, & FREE digitizing, on a wide variety of shirt types and styles, and best of all, when you buy a shirt from Queensboro, the cost of the embroidery is already included! For under $100, I got 3 men's shirts, a t-shirt and a knit cardigan embroidered with the StudioKat Designs logo. So if you need embroidered shirts for your bowling team, athletic team or just for fun, I recommend the Queensboro Shirt Company!

Your cat might own you if... you feed him tidbits from the table with your FORK!

Surf HERE for Neat INFO!- Leap Day Learning
Since this is a leap year, we had an extra day at the end of February. Ever wondered how this all came to be? You can learn virtually everything there is to know about the history of the calendar at this educational site. You'll even find out about modern proposals for calendar reform to make it more convenient to use.

New Word of the Month-Clicklexia
(n.) A computer-related disorder one suffers from, displaying itself in the tendency to double-click on items which only require one click, often resulting in two items opening instead of just one. This disorder is more often found in novices and aged computer users.

Love Handbags?- Mackerilla Design.Com
Joyce Serilla's says that she offers unique "lifestyle" bags for all women, and while that may be true, I would have to add, that she also offers unique bags for women and their PETS! Just check out these adorable pet carriers. Now you can shop with your best friend and still be hands-free! Joyce's "Poopie Pouch" is perfect for holding plastic poop bags, both empty AND full! What a terrific idea!

Sewing Tip of the Month-
A tape measure is 5/8" wide and can be used to gauge a seam.

Did You Know?- Like fingerprints, everyone's tongue print is different. (YIKES! I've been watching too much CSI!)

A cool Internet Activity-Clean up your Computer
Computers are no different from closets, bookshelves or pantries: They accumulate old, unwanted purchases. A program that you no longer need will only take up valuable disk space. So every few months, inventory the software on your computer & decide which programs you still need, and get rid of the ones you don't.
On a Mac, you usually only need to drag unwanted program icons to the Trash, but in Windows you'll need to open the Control Panel & click "Add or Remove Programs" to uninstall excess applications.

SKD Promotions Update-
Do you enjoy mysteries? Are you up for a treasure hunt? Are you looking for something fun to do while you wait for spring weather? Then maybe you need to check out these two fun promotions that we're taking part in during the month of March! Click here to find out about Anilee's Mystery Quilt Treasure Hunt and here for the Fab Shop Hop!

Laugh Lines-What do snowmen eat for breakfast?............SnowFlakes!

Surf HERE for FUN!- March is Women's History Month
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, women now outnumber men in this country (152 million compared with 148 million). If women of the past are any indication, today's women will continue to make valuable contributions in every field. This site celebrates Women's History Month with a look at groundbreaking American women throughout the years. For example, did you know that Victoria Chaflin Woodhull was the 1st female presidential condidate in 1872? Check out the list of Firsts in Women's Achievement, the History of Women's Suffrage, and the National Women's Hall of Fame. It's an inspiring tour through the lives of amazing women!

Question of the Month- What sort of disease did the cured ham actually have?

Monthly Trivia- Today is the 3rd of March, and in honor of the political season, I thought it would be fun to note that it was on this day in 1931, that the US Senate adopted the bill designating "The Star-Bangled Banner" as our National Anthem. Didn't you think it was much sooner than that?

It was also on this day in 1913, that a parade was held in Washington DC by the National American Woman Suffrage Association. It was the day before W. Wilson was to be inaugurated as President and the parade turned into a near riot when people in the crowd began jeering and shoving the marchers. The 5000 women & their supporters were spit upon, struck in the face, & pelted with burning cigars stubs while police looked on & made no effort to intervene. It's hard to believe that there actually was a time in this country that women couldn't even vote, & that time was less than 100 years ago!

Olympic Gold Medal heptathlete, Jackie Joyner Kersee is celebrating her 46th birthday today, as is Alexander Graham Bell, and if today is your birthday, here's a great big Happy Birthday to YOU from StudioKat Designs, and if today is not your birthday, you can celebrate today anyway, by making plans to VOTE in your primary and in the big election in November.

Well, that's it for now, so until next month, remember!
Sewing Forever, Housework Whenever!

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