Good Morning! How are you all doing? I am great! If you are here for the Deploy that Fabric Blog book tour, welcome!
Most of you know that I love to sew with uniforms. I have a little bag business. I have been around the military all my life. My father retired after over 30 years of military service, I was an Army Nurse and I am married to an Army Officer. I bet that at some point a couple of my children will be in the military too. Needless to say I have always had a uniform in my closet. Uniforms are great. Strong fabric, neutral colors and almost endless pockets to incorporate into bags and potholders and quilts and aprons...heck you can make an easy mini skirt out of the pants.
What say we chat a bit about the book?
Jennifer Eskridge wrote a wonderful book! It is a perfect guide to use uniforms in your everyday sewing and crafting. I have been doing it for years! You can too.
Jennifer Eskridge is an Air Force wife and creator of great things.
Deploy that Fabric has 23 sewing projects inside for you to try. Most are very simple and make using uniforms almost second nature.
Jennifer is a prolific quilt pattern designer. She has included several quilt patterns in the book. As you can see from the picture above the quilts aren't all uniform, but the uniforms play a supporting role with all the other fabric. That is my kind of sewing! I also really love it that her mom did all the quilting. That is one handy mom to have.
There are several bag patterns in the book but this bag is my favorite from the book. I love a hipster bag. I would have used one of the lower pockets on the front of the BDU top and quilted the heck out of it, but that is an option that is offered in the back of the book. I like that she has written how to make each project and then refers to different techniques that are covered in more detail in the back of the book. It is very tidy way to write a book. Deploy that Fabric is a great book for finding inspiration in how to get started sewing with uniforms.
Jennifer has all sorts of projects in Deploy that Fabric. From bags and quilts to scrappy note cards, zipper pouches and coasters to a checkbook cover, you will be sure to find something you want to make.
How would you like to have a chance to win a copy of the book and a nifty messenger bag from Stash books? Just leave a comment about what you think the ultimate thing to make with a uniform would be. ie: a quilted duffel bag, a tent, a hang glider, kitchen curtains....Make sure you leave an email address so I can get in touch with you. International readers are more than welcome to enter, but Stash will send you an Ebook rather than the physical book. That is still pretty awesome! Anyway, comment and I will select who the winner is on Saturday morning.
Fat Quarterly Blog will be reviewing the book tomorrow the 6th.
xo,
Tia
35 comments:
I love to turn "old" uniforms into quilts and bags, also. Would love a look at Jennifer's ideas!
The ultimate project using a uniform would be a new pull-down shade for my hubby's office!
Thanks for the opportunity!
KZK
bagsbyKZK@gmail.com
Hello, Tia! My answer is definitely a bag! Thank you for an inteoduction of the book. Sounds very interesting. Your reader from Russia.
I work in a fabric store and get the opportunity to help people with lots of projects. The girl who used dad's uniforms to make her prom dress. The wedding party whose dress bodices were made from uniforms, the armbands and sashes for those attending a friends funeral, the bunting for a friend who was expecting a baby when her husband was deployed. I don't think I have an ultimate project except maybe the next one I work on.
I love the idea of making a baby quilt from the parents uniforms. I love the bags in this book, they are adorable.
I think a quilted bag to carry more quilts in would be awesme. Thanks for this chance to win the book!
I think it'd be cool to use a uniform to make a shop apron.
id like to make a Welcome Home bunting with uniforms!
How about... a library bag! I love the look of military uniforms/camo fabric in bags and quilts.
I think a tote would be great to make from an old uniform.
How about a picnic quilt?? or a book bag?
This looks like a fab' book. I've made three reversible bags so far using modern designer fabrics and some of my other half's old army uniforms. My ultimate project would probably be a quilt for him. He really is dpm crazy and I think to be able to make him a quilt with both quilting fabric and uniform would be really cool (He's dropped hints about wanting me to make him a quilt only I'm a little scared of making a 'big' quilt all the way through. I'd also like to make a weekend sized bag for when we go away together!
Hello lovely long arm Tia! This book looks awesome, honestly I do not have many uniforms kicking around - just plain old civvies over here:) I am sure I could still use the patterns though. Thank you for hosting such a cool giveaway xx
What a fun book! I would make my hubby aquilt.
I really think a quilt is one of the best things to make with uniforms. I also like the idea of an apron though.
Uniform = Bag as know that it would be sturdy and durable - plus think of all the pockets already made! Thanks for the giveaway and the book blog tour stop.
Not fair! I was thinking duffle bag as well. Oh well, great minds think alike.
Thanks for hosting this giveaway!
cgreenleaf2(at)gmail(dot)com
I think pillows would be fantastic. Something that would take advantage of patches and, of course, you can snuggle it.
I think I would attempt a quilt for my kids. They would love it! My husband is AD Air Force and we have tons of uniforms hanging around.
Tia, I love your work and I am amazed by your talent.
-Andrea
I think a tote bag would be great from a uniform, with all the pockets! This book looks great! Thanks for a chance to win! :)
I think the ultimate thing to make from a uniform would be something stuffed and quilted that a child could hug while her mother or father is deployed. Which is what I'd be making, and I'm hoping the book will give me some good ideas for my niece.
Thanks much for the giveaway and the interview.
wordygirl at earthlink dot net
I think the perfect thing to make with a uniform would be something soft and quilted that a child could cuddle with while her mom or dad was deployed. That's what I'm thinking of making for my niece, and hope this book will give me some good ideas.
wordygirl at earthlink dot net
I like the idea of a duffle bag 'cause my husband would get lots of use out of it. Thanks for the great giveaway.
Suzanneflies:
I could really use a tough duffle for my gym stuff...everything out there rips and disintegrates much too fast..a good pattern and tough fabric - perfect combo
I'm thinking that with a bit of modification of one of the patterns, it would make a very nifty laptop carrier - with pockets for pens, etc. I hope I win the book and bag..thank you
Hmmm, my last post didn't work...sorry, I hope I'm not posting twice. I made a comment that from one of the patterns in the book I'd love to make a laptop bag....with pockets from a uniform, etc.
Ultimate uniform project?...hmmm...I love the quilts but I would have to say my fav is the bags. I love the re-use of the uniform pockets into organziational pockets. Love this book!! Thanks for the chance.
I love the quilts but I think my fav is a bag since you can re-use the ready-made pockets from the uniforms for useful organziation. LOVE this book!! Thx for the chance.
I would like to make a quilt for a veteran..
My go to project would probably be a tote of some kind.
As an avid quilter, I'd go with any quilted item in the book...there's something magical about cutting up fabric, and sewing it together again!
I'm a prolific user of uniform fabric. I made Anna Maria Horner's Multi Tasker Tote out of uniform fabric -- complete with extra pockets and patches, and it has served me well for over a year of daily use. I also have a backpack with uniform chenille. But, my ultimate uniform project has got to be the art quilts I'm making with them. I got a chance to peek at Deploy That Fabric and think there's a lot of great ideas in there. My absolute fave though is the cover quilt -- winning a messenger bag with it on it would be super!
I'd really love to make a retirement wall hanging for my husband with different uniforms that he's worn over the years represented!
Perhaps a bag or a market tote... :)
I would make a bag of some sort. The ready-made pockets and already-done buttonholes in the uniform make it so easy to turn the garment into a tote or purse.
Making items for babies of the military personnel would be great; quilts, stuffies, bags, etc. That way the kids can have something of their parent's that is theirs.
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