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In This Issue -
RockStarPeacework- it's READY for download NOW!
QuiltWoman.Com
Rag Sky Art Studio
Urban Amish.Com
Stitched, the Movie
Daisy the Curly Cat
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Click for more info about
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Customer Comment
of the Month
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"I love your webletter and always look forward to its publication. The Quattro bag looks like EXACTLY what I have been waiting for since it has a zippered closure and the right shape.
Keep up the good work!"
Kathy Reilly- Chatham, VA
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It's May, so that means that the Spring Quilt Market is around the corner, and it also means that I'm in a near-crazed state, attempting to get everything together! It always seems to be that way, but then we always seem to make the deadline, so I trust this time will be no different. I did take a day off Monday to go down to Charlotte to watch my cutie-pie grandson enjoy his music class. What? You didn't know they had music classes for toddlers? Then just click here to enjoy this little video which is sure to make you smile! Then come right back, because we need to get started because those jet engines are warming up!
If you have comments or suggestions about our Newsletter, or if you just feel like telling us something, please feel free to do so at info@studiokatdesigns.com
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Feline Quote for February-
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"With the qualities of cleanliness, affection, patience, dignity, and courage that cats have, how many of us, I ask you, would be capable of becoming cats?" Fernand Mery
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"Handbag of the Month" Gallery-
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Our April 'Handbag of the Month' contest was REALLY incredible. Not only were the bags some of the best we've seen, but there was a record-setting numbers of votes as well. Thanks to everyone who participated. Our winner, by a large margin I might add, was Dutch West of Wenonah, NJ. She wins a $20.00 SKD gift certificate and a permanent place of honor on our website. Click here to see her winning entry, a fabulous DittyRoo.
The May 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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Sherlyn McCombs of Colorado Springs, CO fashioned this Trifecta from fabric she got from the batik line at Connecting Threads. She says she never get tired of the compliments she gets, and no wonder, especially when folks see the INSIDE!
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Rachel Eby of Shelburne, VT has been hard at work again, this time on a fun and functional Encore Purse Insert. It's PERFECT to switch between all of her many handbags!
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This Boho Bagette has special meaning to Cheryl Samms of Brockton, MA. This fabric, (which was purchased at JoAnn's), has people reaching their hands to one another on it, and since Cheryl is a Massage Therapist by trade, she found it inspirational, that, and she also loves safari animals! |
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This Carolina CarryAll will be Sharon Kendall's spring bag. She chose to embellish it with butterfly designs from Embroidery Library. Sharon said that this bag was so easy, that she just can't believe how fabulous it looks and how functional it is to carry! |
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Cheryl Samms was also the creator of this stunning DittyRoo, and I've got to say that I really love Cheryl's taste in fabric! She said she really took a chance getting three totally different prints to work together, and is glad that the final look is BOLD. Cheryl hopes to show others that sewing is NOT a dying art & I for one think this bag is very inspirational!
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Judy Klages of Woodstock, ON, Canada made this DittyRoo to take on a trip south. Besides the many compliments she received about it, she also enjoyed using the inside pocketed area for storing her camera. Now that she's home, she can't wait to start on another!
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Sharon Mallory of Mesa, AZ made this yummy Carolina CarryAll for her lucky Mom. Sharon is a new sewer and found this bag quite challenging, but she persevered and is thrilled with the finished look. Here's a closeup of the embroidered panel which is on the front AND back. Sharon downloaded the embroidery online from Jacobean Color Works.
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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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Yippee! It is SO exciting to FINALLY be able to annouce that our very first eBook, RockStar Peacework is available and ready for immediate download! SO MANY of you have written to ask us where we shop for fabric for our wonderful handbag samples, because as you know, finding the right fabric for small projects can be really tough!
The truth is, much of the time, we fabricate and piece together our exteriors,
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and now, thru the wonders of modern technology, we can give you your own private lessons. So what exactly will you get?
- pattern pieces & instructions for THREE very special embellishments for our Quattro bag pattern, one of which is pictured on the right, PLUS...
- pattern pieces & instructions for TWO home decorating project, PLUS...
- detailed instructions enabling you to 'peace' together beautiful exteriors for virtually any small project!
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Need more details? Just click HERE for more project pictures and links!
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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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Sponsor 'Picks-of-the-Month'-
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TrishStuart.Com- Visit our NEW sponsor & join the Quarterly Club, for fabulous, exciting projects!
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| QuiltWoman.com has been serving the quilting community since 1997. They stock over 500 quilting & sewing patterns, like this one for an e-Reader Cover, as well as many downloadable patterns. AND, if you are a designer, they are expert at helping you in all aspects of getting your patterns published. |
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"When my daughter was born, we videotaped the birth. Now when she makes me angry, I just hit 'Rewind' and put her back in! - Grace White
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Meg Hannan is the creative force behind Rag Sky Art Studio in Seattle, WA, where she fabricates some of the most exquisite and unusual jewelry I have ever seen. Maybe the best thing, is for you to just check it out in this little slideshow! And if you find that interesting, you can ease on over to Meg's Etsy store! Fabric heart pins are her specialty and they'd make a GREAT Mother's Day gift!
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Since Mother's Day is just a couple of days away, (you DID remember didn't you?) I thought it might be fun to see how the idea of honoring mothers on a particular started and evolved. Just click here to see the little video. |
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I just LOVE LOVE LOVE this video and I think you will too! I've never had the honor of raising a litter of anything and I think it would be SO much fun! I know... maybe a lot of hard work too, but someday...
Anyway, click here to see what I (and maybe YOU) have missed! |
Yolanda Fundora is a multi-talented woman. She's a textile designer, an illustrator and a fine artist. Currently she licenses her designs to Blank Quilting and you can find her individual quilt patterns at QuiltWoman.com. I like her use of color and shapes and you may like her free pattern downloads designed to be used with her wonderful fabric! Here's the Twinkle Rainbow Sampler, and here is Twinkle Fiesta Ware. But here's the thing I just might like the best about Fundora (besides her name that is)... She evidently LOVES tuxedo cats too! |
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"A mother who is really a mother, is never free." Honore de Balzac
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Get your brain working with fun word search puzzles in dozens of categories such as fitness, garden, space, animals, music, holidays, seasons and even sports. Puzzles with wedding and baby themes are also included so this is a great place to look for games to play at showers this spring. |
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As 'Funnie' as Real Life-
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(click image to enlarge it)
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New Word of the Month- "Parkma"
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(pärk-mə)- (n.) The uncanny luck of someone to be able to find a good parking spot everywhere they go.
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Picturesmith Productions is proud to announce the theatrical release of “Stitched,” a documentary that follows three art quilters as they compete in the country’s largest quilt shows. The movie follows Hollis Chatelain, whose painted quilts address social and environmental issues such as immigration, poverty and water scarcity; Caryl Bryer Fallert, the first to win a big prize with a quilt made by a sewing machine; and Randall Cook, a fitness guru whose quilts depict male nudes. |
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“We wanted to focus on some of the super stars of quilting who have stirred up controversy with their work,” said director Jenalia Moreno. Here's a little trailer about "Stitched", and it also shows some good shots of the Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. And for more background info about the making of the movie, you can read some fascinating comments by the director in her Blog. |
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Sewing Tips- SEWNEWS presents a FREE eBook
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Whether you're learning how to sew and just want a few sewing tips or are a seasoned pro, it's always helpful to have an overview of sewing basics. With this free eBook from Sew News, you'll get the refresher course you've always wanted. From learning to fix sewing accidents to sewing gorgeous pleats, these four sewing guides are sure to come in handy for creating beautiful sewing projects. |
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There's something about Bubble Wrap that people of all ages find appealing and this site caters to that fascination. The Bubble Machine allows you to pop Bubble Wrap with your mouse pointer - almost as much fun as doing it for real. Other activities include Bubble Paint and Bubble Quizzes. And check out the Pop Pix section to see whimsical photos of people using Bubble Wrap in different ways! |
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Daisy the Curly cat is a delightful blog written from the perspective of a beautiful housecat named Daisy and her pain-in-the-neck housemate, Harley. You can check out the Monday Funnies, or the Thoughts on Thursdays, like this one about scary intruders, or this one about pesky brothers. Speaking of which, isn't Harley a handsome tuxedo guy?! |
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Cat Picture of the Month-
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(click image to enlarge it)
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Today is May 6th, the 126th day of 2011. There are 239 days remaining in this year. Today is also, by presidential proclamation, our National Day of Prayer. This day takes on extra significance for me this year, because as I write this (on Monday, May 2nd, the day after Osama Bin Laden was ambushed and killed), I can't help but think about how dramatically our world changed 9 years, 7 months and 20 days ago, with the terrorist attacks in NY and DC. What do I think about the death of Osama Bin Laden? Well...let's just say that I like this quote by Mark Twain, "I’ve never wished a man dead, but I’ve read some obituaries with great pleasure.”
On a much more pleasant note, there's birthday cake on the menu for renowned actor & sex symbol, George Clooney, who is 58 today. (Why is it that he is still considered to be a sex symbol at 58, but women are thought to be over the hill at the same age?) He shares his special day with the Say Hey Kid himself, Willie Mays who is 80 and also one of my personal favorites, Bob Seger (of Silver Bullet Band fame), but you may remember him more as the guy who provided the background vocals for a famous Chevy ad. Click here and see if you remember it? And if today is also YOUR birthday, here's a great big "Happy Birthday to YOU" from StudioKat Designs, and today is not your birthday, you can celebrate anyway, by considering the family and friends of the 911 victims in your prayers today.
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Well, that's it for now, so until next month, remember!
Sewing Forever, Housework Whenever!
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Why Not Pass along the FUN?
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It's never been easier to get your friends in on the FUN! If you enjoy this newsletter and want to forward a copy to a friend, you need only click on this link and enter their email address!
(Note to other webmasters:)Authorship credit is the only payment I receive for this endeavor, so if you want to use an excerpt from this newsletter in your publication, please ask me first.
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