Very Berry I Love Liberty Giveaway!

I have a lovely giveaway treat today!  Ali from Very Berry Handmade has a bundle of 20 prints, each measuring 9x12" for one lucky winner.  You can see them in the pic below, all folded, ready and waiting!   I have known Ali a while now, she is a lovely, generous person with great integrity and she puts a lot of work into her family and her website,  so I thought I would find out a little more about her Folksy shop and why she decided to specialise in Liberty lawn.

Why did you decide to specialise in Liberty Lawn?

I started with Liberty mostly because I am addicted to it myself. I love the colours, the feel of the lawn, how wonderful it is to sew with, and that there's always such a lovely variety and imagination in the style of the prints themselves But I was also prompted by my own frustration that it is so expensive to buy in metre lengths. Quilters and accessories designers (like me!) need lots of small amounts of prints that work together, so I thought, with the aid of my trusty rotary cutter and cutting mat, that I could help a bit with that!  I also wanted to start small (and stay!) small, so working with a specific line of fabrics seemed sensible.

What are you aiming for with your shop?

I aim provide small quantities of Liberty tana lawn to make it more affordable for people who want to buy small amounts of lots of different prints. I put together my own (approx) Fat 16th bundles of prints that I think work together, but buyers also have the opportunity to put together their own bundles. I've only really been in business for a few months and am still building up my stocks, and at present I don't buy fabric in huge quantities because I want to make sure there's lots of variety for regular customers, but if someone needs a larger cut, then they should definitely get in touch to see what I can do. Although I try to ring the changes, there will always be some of my favourite prints (like Mitsi and Sophie's Blossom) and some of the classic prints that people associate with Liberty (like Pelagia and Ianthe) available.   In addition to the bundles I also sell patchwork packs of 4" and 5" squares, and try to keep a good variety there too, as well as single pieces of a print, scrap bags and colour bundles. 

Liberty has global popularity and it can be hard to find in some countries.   Do you sell internationally?

I do and I also try and ensure that all my customers pay no more than they need to in postage costs, and am happy to put together custom bundles for overseas buyers to make sure that they don't get overcharged by the slightly inflexible Folksy P&P charging system - people just need to contact me via Folksy or via email.

On your website there are lots of tutorials and project ideas.  Do you have any particularly for using  Liberty lawn?

I have collected many ideas for Liberty on a Liberty Inspiration Pinterest board as an easy place to keep them all stored and many of the tutorials on Very Berry Handmade work well with Liberty lawns.

What are you enjoying about running your Folksy Fabric Shop?

The biggest bonus is thatI get to work with loads of Liberty fabrics myself, there are always plenty to hand!

So to win this bundle of Loveliness you can:

1. Leave a comment saying what you like to make using Liberty- attach a link if you like, it can get added to Ali's Pinterest board!

2.  Have an extra entry if you 'Like' Ali's Very Berry Fabrics Facebook page

3. Have an extra entry if you follow me!

A possible 3 entries are available.  

All welcome including international.  I must be able to contact you and find your email address- if you are no-reply blogger or have no email in your profile please leave it in your comment like this:   kerrykit(at)yahoo(dot)co(dot)uk

Entries close Monday 24th September 6.00am GMT

Good luck, it is the most fabulous bundle to win!  And if you really can't wait you can buy single pieces of the prints from only £1.40 (my fav, Poppy and Daisy) in Ali's shop- cheaper than a takeout coffee and a lot longer lasting.

This giveaway is now closed.

Resolved to Sew...

You must have seen the mega giveaway at Ali's blog, the similarly named but unrelated Veryberryhandmade.  There is a Blogger's Draw with a huge pile of UK fabric shop prizes, all you need to do is share your 2012 sewing resolutions so here goes my entry...

I have plans rather than resolutions and the first is to put my new machine to good use and make more quilts.  I have already done the little Round the World- A Walk down the Road quilt, started my Swoon- a slow burn long term commitment project and also started a quickie simple quilt for my sister- her birthday is end of February

It is an easy design from Jane Brockett's Gentle Art of Quilt Making, squares, rectangles and all about the fabrics.  These are very Gemma!

 Also planned- lots of clothes.  At least 1-2 dresses- we have a wedding to go to in April so one or both of those voiles has got to become something and there are a couple of skirts in those bolder prints below.  I decided to make all skirts rather than buy, that way I get the details I really want, like pockets.

There are more clothes planned, no idea when I am going to get the chance but one day , this year, hopefully.

Also have a few paper piecing projects in the pipeline, some very close to reveal-the photo is the tiniest peek, and the Fat Quarterly retreat to go to and teach at- it is going to be a great year although having seen the other teachers I am more than a little nervous.

And if I won...that would be lucky, I think I would choose as my favourite and my best the Fancy Moon voucher, they have some great fabrics and the delectable Merchant and Mills accessories.   You can still enter the draw up to Thursday 26th Jan, gotta be worth a try.  It's been a while since I put any music links on, so a current obsession, James Blake's cover of an old and beautiful Joni Mitchell song x