twirling betty on Craftumi

Craftumi is an Australian online marketplace for buying and selling craft supplies. It’s the sister site to Made It (handmade Australian) and is a fab spot to pick up whatever crafty supplies your heart desires.

And if your heart desires the sewing pattern for twirling betty visors, you can now pop on over to my newly minted Craftumi shop and buy a copy of Hat Shop  – a compilation of fabulous things to put on your head (or your kid’s head or your life partner’s head) including my visor pattern from the wonderful publishers at Stash Books.

All for the very reasonable price of $15.99 (plus postage).

For my US and other side of the world readers, Hat Shop is also available in my US Etsy store.

So that’s the advertising segment of the post over.

Tonight,  to be completely honest, and for no precise reason I am feeling a little bit overwhelmed and wrung out. I know this too shall pass (hopefully by tomorrow morning) but I foresee a very large glass of restorative red wine in my near future. And perhaps an episode of Downton Abbey. And if a tipple and an hour with Lady Mary doesn’t fix it, then I really am stuffed!

I hope, au contraire to moi, that you beautiful people  – each and every one – are feeling happier than a dog with three balls. And that, as you can imagine, is some kind of happy I am wishing for you.

Hat Shop book (and visor) giveaway

I finally have the book in my hands and I have to tell ya, even though I am obviously COMPLETELY biased about this little book, it’s a cracker. Truly. I’d probably buy a copy even if I weren’t in it. A big call, I know.

There are a heap of good projects in it ranging from simple to quite complicated but all eminently do-able. And there are pull out patterns at the back of the book so much of the hard work really is already done.

One thing I really like about the book is there are some really fab projects for the male of the species. Even though I don’t have boys, well no little ones anyway, I am still well aware of the distinct focus out there on girly stuff to make. Which must be occasionally frustrating for crafty mothers of little boys. And big ones, I suppose.

(PS: Well hello hot stuff!)

The books are US$15.95 which I find OUTRAGEOUSLY reasonable for what you get. And do bear in mind that contributors to this book (and most collaborative works of this kind) don’t get paid up front or any royalties. Instead, we get a blurb, picture, links in print and a decidedly large warm inner glow. And the opportunity to purchase the books at wholesale price and sell them on at retail. I just wanted to be clear that any purchase here is simply that mark up to the RRP and no more.

Copies of the book will be up for sale in my Etsy and Made It shops shortly.

Or you can contact me directly to order one at christen[at]twirlingbetty[dot]com[dot]au.

For any Northern Hemisphere readers who would like to order a copy, I’ve arranged for some copies to be sent to my darling sister in the US and she is going to post them from there so you’ll save lots on postage costs. THANKS CASS!

GIVEAWAY

I’m giving away two prizes to celebrate the release of the book. The first prize is a hard copy of Hat Shop AND your choice of  a twirling betty sun visor. So that’s one thing you can tick off your “made it from the book” list! Second prize is a hard copy of the book.

You must be a subscriber to my blog to enter and need do no more than leave a comment on this post. If you promote this giveaway on Facebook or Twitter, let me know in your comment and I’ll give you an extra entry into the draw. Entries close  next Monday, 21st May.

PS: Just so we are 100% crystal clear and upfront (you know I have a compulsion in this regard – it’s possibly why I never really settled into my legal career…boom tish)  the 2 books I’m giving away were given to me free of charge by the publisher. To do with whatever I wished. And I wish to give them to you.

Hat Shop ebook giveaway

If you missed my previous post on this topic you might not have heard the news that one of my patterns is included in a book that is due to be published any day now.

This book:

When I get my hard copies I’ll be giving one away to one of my subscribers but in the meantime I am giving away a copy of the ebook right here, right now (Fatboy Slimanyone?).

Which means that whoever wins will get a v. early peek at the book – even before me.

All you have to do is leave a comment below and your name will go into the running. I’ll announce the winner next Monday.

Hope everyone has a lovely weekend.

Very exciting news

twirling betty is in a book! A BOOK! One of those things I love more than anything; one of those things I handle reverently, one of those things I’ve been known to sniff the pages of.  A gosh darn book.

This book:

I was so very flattered to be contacted last year to contribute a project to Stash Book’s upcoming publication: Hat Shop.

Yes, I’ve been keeping this news under my hat (boom TISH  – thanks for coming) for a while.

A couple of years ago my darling sister gave me a copy of this wonderful Stash book for Christmas:

I pored over it and daydreamed about one day being in such a lovely, crafty book. But it would never happen, right? Nah. That would just be too cool. Beyond cool. That would be Kool and the Gang. The entire gang.

So being approached by Stash Books, an imprint of  C&T Publishing to contribute to this lovely book was indeed as though Kool and the Gang and their whole entourage had arrived at my house to give me a private concert. Yes, pretty kool.

Hat Shop | 25 Projects to Sew, from Practical to Fascinating is chock-full of  projects for things to pop on your head. As the name implies, there is everything from sun hats to headbands  to fascinators.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the fab projects:

I am LOVING that rain hat.

And what of the betty who twirls? Well, I contributed the pattern for this:

So now you can make yourself just as many twirling betty visors as I have. At last count we have 8 clipped tightly together with a bulldog clip that hangs off a hook in the girls’ wardrobe.

And have a look at all these other fabulous titles from Stash Books. There are books with projects for quilts, bags, kids clothes.  Books on baby clothes and shoes, softies, home projects and projects using fabric to make things with that uber-so-right-now Scandianvian aesthetic.

The Hat Shop book will be published and available for sale very soon. Details on all that and where you can pre-order and buy coming very soon.

Meantime, I am going to give away a copy to twirling betty blog subscribers right here in the first week of April.

V. excited

I have to go; Kool and the Gang are quite demanding guests. Why on earth would they want a bucket and piece of hose?