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Prize package for the August 20th drawing:
Fine print/official rules: Open to US residents only. No purchase necessary to enter; send an email to summerspectacular@nearseanaturals.com with your name, email address, street address, and phone number to enter in lieu of placing an order. Weekly drawings will be based on the orders and entries received between Monday and Sunday of the week prior to the drawing; the "grand prize" drawing will include all orders and entries received between June 25 and September 2. It is possible for the same person to win more than once. We will use random.org or a similar random-number generator to choose each winner. Employees of NearSea Naturals and their family members are not eligible to participate. All participants must be at least 18 years of age.
This week's prize package is as natural as can be, made up of undyed fabrics and notions. It includes pieces of Pecan Mist, Corn Maiden (an absolutely gorgeous material), Summer Rainstorm, Natural Light Hemp Canvas, and Business Builder Medium Jersey. It also includes a spool of natural thread, a yard of lace, and four tagua buttons (in two different sizes). This package is perfect for anyone who has wanted to see some of the variety of natural organic fabrics, who appreciates the subtle beauty of undyed cloth, or who simply likes to sew! Don't forget to either place an order or send us an email to be entered in this week's drawing. ( see rules)
Prize package for the July 9th drawing:
Fine print/official rules: Open to US residents only. No purchase necessary to enter; send an email to summerspectacular@nearseanaturals.com with your name, email address, street address, and phone number to enter in lieu of placing an order. Weekly drawings will be based on the orders and entries received between Monday and Sunday of the week prior to the drawing; the "grand prize" drawing will include all orders and entries received between June 25 and September 2. It is possible for the same person to win more than once. We will use random.org or a similar random-number generator to choose each winner. Employees of NearSea Naturals and their family members are not eligible to participate. All participants must be at least 18 years of age.
Is your eco-friendly fabric stash getting a bit low? We've got the answer for that, with our fabulous summer fabric giveaway. Every Monday between July 2nd and August 27, we will draw a winner from among the previous week's customers. (No purchase necessary to enter -- read the official rules here.) The winner of each weekly drawing will be able to choose either a $25 gift certificate or a package of wonderful sustainable fabrics and sewing notions, with a retail value of over $100. On September 4, we will draw three Grand Prize winners from all orders and entries received between June 25 and September 3; these winners will be able to choose either a $75 gift certificate or an extra-large fabric package (with a retail value of over $200).
You'll be able to see the prize packages on both our blog and facebook page at the beginning of each week, so you know what each week's goodies are! Many of these fabrics are no longer available, so this may be your only chance to see them again. Some have small flaws, which should in no way affect their usability; we're including them because the fabrics themselves are so nice that they deserve a second chance.
(Unfortunately this contest is open to US residents only. Non-US folks, we love you too: ask for a freebie in the comments field when placing your order by September 3, 2012.)
The prize package for the July 2nd drawing, open to all orders and entries received between June 25 and July 1, includes some wonderfully fancy fabrics. Check it out -- there are pieces of Cream Clara, Natural Softest Sheeting, Licorice/Earl Gray Butterfly, Black Wool Suiting, and Light Green Wide-Width Twill. These are woven fabrics that can be used for so many purposes, and we tend to choose them for wonderful home-dec and formalwear projects. (The Black Wool Suiting fabric was one of my favorite fabrics ever; I was so sad when it stopped being produced!) The prize also includes a piece of lace and a natural-colored organic thread, to make sewing a bit more fun.
Prize package for the July 2nd drawing:
Fine print/official rules: Open to US residents only. No purchase necessary to enter; send an email to summerspectacular@nearseanaturals.com with your name, email address, street address, and phone number to enter in lieu of placing an order. Weekly drawings will be based on the orders and entries received between Monday and Sunday of the week prior to the drawing; the "grand prize" drawing will include all orders and entries received between June 25 and September 2. It is possible for the same person to win more than once. We will use random.org or a similar random-number generator to choose each winner. Employees of NearSea Naturals and their family members are not eligible to participate. All participants must be at least 18 years of age.
Me too, for some strange reason. Thankfully, we have amazing customers and friends who are doing incredible things; I've decided to feature some of them over the next several weeks and months. They won't all be people who are working with our fabrics and yarns, but they will all be making things that can be made using eco-friendly materials should you choose to do so (and we do, of course, assume you will).
Today's choice? Living Creatively, "The Online Community Dedicated to Creativity". From Australia, there's inspiration galore in this web site, with articles, profiles, reviews, and more. My favorite part? The projects, of course.
(Read on to learn more about the projects on their site...)
Continue reading "In need of inspiration?" »
 I've been intrigued by Furoshiki, the Japanese art of gift wrapping with fabric, since I first learned about it many years ago. It wasn't until a business trip to California, however, that I found the book Gift Wrapping With Textiles: Stylish Ideas from Japan (available other places too, of course!). That book, combined with a little spare time (hey, there's not all that much to do in a hotel room, even an eco-friendly one, besides watch really bad TV and work), inspired me to start playing around with the concept ... and it's so very much fun!
 Today I was lucky enough to be able to work with two new Harmony Arts fabrics, Black and White Whispering Grass Wide-Width Sateen and Blue Moon Light Flannel, and I couldn't resist trying a little furoshiki. (The new fabrics are probably worth an entry in their own right, especially because it's so wonderful having a printed flannel that can be used for the whole family and because the black and white version of Whispering Grass is so strikingly eye-catching, but instead I'm simply using the fabrics as props for a larger post. Do check them out, even if I'm not giving them their due in the blog.)
Continue reading "Furoshiki, and new Harmony Arts fabrics. " »
Almost-six-month old Halen's wonderfully talented mama, Christy, made this gorgeous pirate's quilt for her little boy. Doesn't he look thrilled with it? And well he should, really -- look at the great combination of fabrics she used to come up with the oh-so-scary design. All the fabrics are from NearSea, though some are sold out (Christy must've been stashing them for a while -- very appropriate for a pirate's quilt, as I'd love to find a treasure chest full of organic fabrics!), and there's organic batting as well.
People sometimes come to us looking for an organic analog to a specific conventional item that they just have to have for their projects -- rickrack, embroidery thread, ribbon, pompoms, etc. It can be very frustrating to hear that certain things just aren't available in organic versions yet, but as you sew more you become much more adept at figuring out substitutes. They might not look or function exactly the same as the non-organic version, but you just might find that your items are beautiful in their own right. And that's not even mentioning the good feeling that going organic can provide, especially when you're sewing for a baby who you want to surround with the purest of everything! I think Christy's quilt is a perfect example of the charm and interest that fully-organic items can have. Not only is it special because of all the love and care that went into its creation, but it's also visually striking ... and without the need for conventional fabrics or notions. Don't be dissuaded if you can't find exactly what you want in sustainable fabrics and notions; take it as a challenge, and you just might find that you can rise to the occasion!
Here are two more pictures of Halen's quilt; click on them for a larger version.
 
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