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StudioKat News August 2012
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In This Issue-
UptownSaddlebag-ComingSoon
Fishsticks Designs
McKay Manor Musers
I'm a Ginger Monkey
World CAT Day!
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"I'm always so excited when I see your newsletter in my InBox. This is my very favorite. I usually spend a couple of hours looking at every single thing (a couple of times). I enjoy it ALL!"
Bobbie Johnson
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August sure has been exciting for us so far and it promises to just get better and better! Why? Well check it out....
1st- I am an Olympics FAN-atic & evidently the apple hasnt fallen too far from the tree. Click here to see why.
2nd- We are putting the finishing touches on a new handbag pattern which is scheduled to be released in mid-September.
3rd- In 2 short days we are leaving for 10 fabulous days of rest & relaxation on the Rhine River and I am BEYOND excited!
So... I'll let you get started, and I better get packin'!
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"Handbag of the Month" Gallery-
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Last month's contest was fun wasn't it? The runaway winner was Susanne Rodian of Stockhom, Sweden and she wins a $25.00 SKD gift certificate and a permanent place of honor on our website. Click here to see her winning entry, a beautifully dramatic Quattro.
The August Handbag of the Month contest promises to be just as exciting, so without further ado...Check out this month's nominees, then cast a vote for your favorite.
(Click each individual picture for a larger view)
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Donna Knoebel of Highland, IL used black & white prints from her stash and a few embellishing tips she learned from one of our "Kattricks" to fashion this DittyRoo. Don't you just love the "pop of red" lining? The nice thing is, the look from the back is completely different, yet still beautiful!
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And there's an interesting story behind this wonderful Carolina CarryAll as well as the DittyRoo below. Gertrude Ezell (currently of Butler, PA) is a displaced Alaskan and bought these fabrics in a quilt store in Anchorage. They were both created from a collection called " Northern Lights" by Robert Kaufman & here's a peek at the back. |
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Gertrude told me that she was searching for some kind of Alaskan animal fabric for these bags but when she came across this collection it said "HOME" to her, and that it serves to remind her of how much she longs to return to Alaska.
Such a sweet story and you did a great job Gertrude! Someday maybe I'll see those lights too. :)
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The fabric she chose is happy and summery, especially the wonderful yellow lining!
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| Sharon Anderson of Alberta, Canada said that since she wears a lot of blue & tan, she fashioned her Baggalista in these colors. She LOVES all the storage options this bag affords her! She especially likes the hidden pocket under the flap and the zippered pocket on the back of the bag! |
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| Sharon is also the creative mind behind this beautiful PortaPockets Purse insert which she made for her Mom using an Asian-style print for the interior. Here's a peek at the Damask she used on the exterior! |
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Kalix, Sweden is the home of Birgitta Persson, the creator of this Quattro entry. She told me she found the rose-print fabric in a quilt shop and felt it complemented her summery dresses perfectly. The accent fabrics were courtesy of her stash. Birgitta loves the roominess which you can easily see in this overhead picture and here's a picture of the back!
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OK, ready to vote now?
Just click on the link below to cast your vote.
Only one vote per MONTH, per email address is allowed.
Think you've got what it takes to win?
To enter our"Handbag of the Month" contest,
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Coming SOON from StudioKat Designs- The Uptown Saddlebag
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So... if you're thinking that it's almost time for a brand new handbag pattern, you are RIGHT!
We're putting the finishing touches on our new pattern, "The Uptown Saddlebag" and barring any complications, it's scheduled for release sometime in mid-September. If you like what you see, you can find out more about our new design by checking out the BlogPost titles below, that begin with PPC6... short for Purse Pattern Chronicles (cycle 6).
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Enjoy an insider's scoop on what's happening behind the scenes at StudioKat Designs, by signing up for our blog, "A Work In Progress". If you're new to our blog, or if you missed any of the posts from last month, don't worry, theyre all listed below.
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Feline Quote for February-
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| "Of all animals, he alone attains to the Contemplative Life." - Andrew Lang |
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The by-line for Fishsticks Designs is- "Practical Sewing Patterns with Flair for the Modern Family" and I'd have to say that's true. |
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Because Bonnie's youngest three (of SIX children) are boys and they're the ones she sews for the most, she tends to focus her designing on patterns that work great for boys, which is kind of refreshing, don't cha think? I love these overalls (which would work for girls too), and these boxer briefs. And since folks are always asking me about a good pattern for a diaper bag, I thought I'd mention this looks like a great one! You might also be interested in checking out Bonnie's blog, or liking her FaceBook page. |
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'HOT'Links-of-the-Month"-check out these terrific offers from our sponsors
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Material Girl Quilt- Love this new fabric from In The Beginning, its called " Morris Meadows".
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As 'Funnie' as Real Life-
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Click image to see a larger view!
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McKay Manor Musers is a mother, daughter & daughter team of creatives who run the business out of their home - which for years has been affectionately referred to as the McKay Manor. Their business may be new, but their love of everything crafty goes back for years.
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Thanks to alert reader (and my sister), Linda Campbell who sent me this TOTALLY fascinating video of an eagle-owl coming in for some food.
Click HERE for the video. |
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Thanks also to another alert reader, Audrey Flock who sent us the link for this month's funny cat video of the month.
Click HERE to watch the video. |
So in honor of the Summer Olympics in London, I thought we'd feature the Blog of an English seamstress this month. Katye Jones lives in the north of England and her website is called Monkey Do, though I'm not quite sure why. |
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"Exercise” is such a dirty word in my household that whenever I even think of it, I wash my mouth out with chocolate". Leonore Fleisher
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You know how I love giving new use to thrown out or old stuff. I collect containers (don’t even get my started on my Crystal Light container collection) and found the perfect reuse for old Lysol wipes containers. This is the perfect little gift to give yourself or a friend for the summer…a grocery bag container. These are wonderful to throw in a beach bag for wet suits & they're perfect to have in your car for summer road trips. Whatever you reuse plastic bags for, having a container full of them looks a heck of a lot better than stuffed in a drawer. (click HERE to read more...)
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New Word of the Month- Destinesia
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(dĕs'tə-nē'zhə)
- a. (n.) While heading somewhere in your house, you suddenly realize you have no idea why what you're looking for, or why you're in this room?
Can I just say- this happens to me ALL the time!
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Cats aren't good only for making silly and cute videos. They also have a job to do, and the cats at the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, take their job very seriously. (and thanks to alert reader Ann Horton for forwarding this story to us!)
Click HERE to see the little video about this story.
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Cat Picture of the Month-
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Click image to see a larger view.
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NYTimes July 4, 2012-
Technology has relieved people of many chores: scrubbing shirts on a washboard, making butter in a churn, stitching clothing by hand. But on a Saturday morning in May, seven students gathered around a workbench at 3rd Ward, a craft education work space in Brooklyn, to learn how to sew moccasins. Click HERE to read the rest of the story. |
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When you're a homeownder, there's sso much to keep track of when it comes to maintenance like appliance manuals, paint colors, and supplies for repair projects. If you're sick and tired of digging thru a junk drawer trying to find the information you need, why not try getting organized here. This site will even send you email reminders about upcoming preventative maintenance tasks! |
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Today is August 8th, the 221st day of 2012, and there are 145 days remaining in this year. AND today is a very special day in our house, because it is International World Cat Day! What? You mean you didn't know this? Well just in case you are unaware of what you should do to commemorate World Cat Day, I found the perfect resource for you! My cats are active blog fans themselves and one of they are HUGE fans of SparkleCat, and it just so happens that SparkleCat published the PERFECT
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And today is also a special day in the history of music, because it was on this day in 1969 that the world famous Abbey Road album cover was shot out side the namesake studio & street. A police officer held up traffic while Beatles photographer Ian McMillan stood atop a step ladder and marched the "moptops" across the now-famous street corner in order to get the historic picture. When I visited London in 2002, we visited this very spot and crossed in the zebra crosswalk ourselves, much like these visitors are doing in this LIVE WebCam at this very moment!
And since I'm a hopeless cartoon fan, today is also a very special day for Odie, Garfield's hapless sidekick who 1st appeared with Garfield on August 8th, 1978, making today a birthday of sorts for him! And if today is also YOUR birthday, here's a great big "Happy Birthday to YOU" from StudioKat Designs and if today is not your birthday, you can celebrate the day anyway, by listening to my favorite cut from the Abbey Road album, OR by watching a little "Ode to Odie" video! |
Well, that's it for now, so until next month, remember!
Sewing Forever, Housework Whenever!
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