'Patchwork Colourway' Competition Winners!

Sneak peek: Tea Cosy loop in Mermaid

As you probably know, we make all sorts of lovely kitchen, laundry and kids' gifts, but we only use recycled and vintage fabrics, so it can be quite tricky telling you what colour your products are going to be...

The perfect answer to this, and frankly to any question you might ask, ever, including:

• What's the best way to use up old fabrics?
• What's the nicest and most attractive way to turn scraps into something gorgeous?
• What's a nice quirky British look for a big year in Britain's sporting calendar?
• What's the capital of Peru?

....is, Patchwork Fabric Colourways!  Ok, so maybe not the Peru one, but I'm not kidding when I say we feel patchwork is the answer to all the Puzzlements in the Known Universe. 

Brand New Colourways for 2012!

We've come up with 4 lovely Colourways, which will feature in ALL our products (except the Kids' Collection which has its own simpler Colourways) and although we just about managed to name the first one we put together - 'Jellybean' - we could not narrow down the others, despite innumerable cups of tea and some expert head-scratching.  So we came to you, and you helped by voting for, or suggesting a load of fabulous names.

So without further ado, and accompanied by a small drum roll, we give you..... 

Mermaid

Flameberry

Jellybean

Dolly Mixture

 
Thanks so much to Eve Miller, whose suggestion 'Mermaid' we chose instead of our offerings!  Eve will get a little surprise pressie from us in the post soon.  Thanks Eve!

When it came to drawing a prizewinner, we were a bit bored of putting names in a hat; so we decided to find a new way of getting the winner's name, via Elefun.  Yes, that's right. When in doubt, raid your children's games cupboard, take a shockingly poor quality video, and job done.  I can confirm it WAS more fun.  As soon as the video is edited, we'll shove it up here so you can see how extremely professional we are.

And the winner was.........Sharon Wells!

Sharon will be able to choose an OriginalStitch product from the website as soon as we launch them in about a month, in one of our new Colourways.  Lucky lady.  She'll be practically the very first customer!

Thanks for your support...

We'd like to thank you all very much for your inspiration, your time in voting or suggesting, and your interest in our happy little company, where we strive to be ethical and eco-friendly in all we do.  If we could kiss you we would, mwah, mwahhhhh.

Right now we're busy making and photographing the products, ready for launch soon.  We'll keep you all posted about the launch of these colourways here on the blog, on Facebook, Twitter and by newsletter (pop yer email in at box up at left, see it?) 

Exciteds! 

Sneak Peek: New apron design in Mermaid

Christen-Me Fabric Competition

We come across some amazing fabrics in our work here; not just because we rummage and scavenge and hunt and scour, but because of course now friends and relatives belch up their attics and cupboards into our laps.

This is a bright, full, tangerine - with a gentle patterned weave in it

We'll soon be launching Material World - a new section on the website with this month's selection of 3 gorgeous fabrics - order any of our products to be made in those fabrics and you're entitled to get a big fat discount of 30% off usual prices, while stocks last of course. But first, we want a name for the collection!

What's the prize?

Enter our competition and you could win either

a) 3 fat quarters, one in each of these fabrics (a fat quarter is 18" x 22", or approx 46cm x 56cm) so you can run up summink fancy all by yourself
b) A wha-hopping 50% discount off any product from the website you like, which we'll make ourselves, personally using those fabrics.  *A-curtsey-to-you*

So, if you fancy yourself in an Apron of those colours, or you'd like a Laundry Bag to brighten up washday, here's your chance.

Capturing an era - this fantastic floral is gentle yellows and dusky oranges

Christen Me!

First up for August Material World are these 3 brights - we think they're just perfect for jellybean interiors and picnic colours!  They would certainly brighten up any room you put them in.

But what's their story?  My sister often turns up, says "All right Sis?" and heads straight for the workroom with old shirts, remnants and scraps of fabric.  There's many a Mairi blouse in our makes!  But this time she and husband turned up with mighty great bags of the stuff.

Mairi's husb is helping gradually de-fabrickise (yes, that is a word, I think you'll find. In my land.) his lovely old grandma's house; she used to do a lot of dressmaking.  Some of the fabric, like many of our groaning cupboards of stash, never got round to being made into anything, however, and so we have virgin vintage - and even the receipt!

Look closely - yes, you're right, that says 7/6! I literally don't even know what that means, coz it's old money, folks!  It was bought in Albert Street in Birmingham, in a store called the Beehive Warehouse.  The date there, is the 11th July 1963.  So, how fitting that this lovely bunch of beautiful, zany, vintage fabrics kicks of our Christen Me Competition.

Christen-Me Competition for August 2011 Material World

So, what do you think this collection should be called?  What springs to mind when you drink in the colours and patterns?  

Answers below in the comments, or over at the OriginalStitch Facebook page - scroll till you see the related post on this topic.  Or at Twitter, using hashtag #mwaugust - we don't mind where you find us!  But please add something in your entry that relates in some way to this competition, or we'll be all, eh? Do what? Hm? Pardon?

How about "I think you should call the Material World August fabrics Zippity Dippity Doo Dah"

Oh, darn it. Sorry, have I stolen your idea?! Do make sure also we can trace you, wherever you leave your comment.

And how about this for a crazy, zany, fabulously contrasting checked greens?!

 We'll choose a winner on Monday 25th July, so stay tuned!  The fabrics will then be featured in Material World during the whole of August, where you can order any product to be made in them, and get a 30% discount.

We can't wait to hear your ideas!

And The Winner Is....

.....Rowena!  Congratulations Rowena from New Year Bunting, you are the official winner of a Surprise Gift from OriginalStitch!  Pulled out of The Husb's hat by a bevested daughter.  By 4pm school uniform has come very much a-cropper in this house.  That's a bit of it lying strewn about, there on the floor.  It's quite interesting analysing people's floors isn't it?  There's a conker there, can you see it?  The daughters have invented a version of Musical Statues which involves me playing either a fiddle (pretty well), a tune called Knowle Park on Matilda the Melodeon (well polished), other tunes on Matilda (badly) or a guitar (very badly).  The first thing they do is tip up a pink basket of many conkers on to the floor, and then let the music commence....now, instead of the last one to stop moving being 'out' when the shoddy musician stops playing, they pick up a conker and put it in a little pile till all the conkers have gone.  The minds of little ones, eh - what a good piece of game innovation.  This came about because of course, trying to play Musical Statues with only two people is somewhat lame, and ends a bit too quickly.  It's like ah, you moved, you're out!  I'm the winner.  Brilliant.  That lasted all of 32 seconds....

A...n...y...w....a....y.......of course, I can't send Rowena her prize till after our Inaugural and Terrifying Christmas Fayres (it doesn't say that on the fayre posters, you realise; that's just my coining), because as we speak, I have, ahem, only 6 things to sell.....
But fear not, Rowena, my growing army of stitchers is on the case, and once we've done the fayres, I will select a little something for you and it will be on its way.
So make sure to send me your address (you can email me from the About Me pages down there) and also a little note about any small nipper-type persons living in your abode so I can choose something appropriate.
Massive thanks to you all for your comments - they have all been noted (I promise you.  I'm a bit mindless when it comes to analysing my own things, so I rely entirely upon what other people say!)

• Nice idea from Heather, about kits for kids to make their own bags - will definitely have a think about that one...
• Big chorus on fabrics that boys wouldn't be embarrassed to carry - we completely agree.  Don't worry, the stitchers themselves are in charge of the fabrics, and tend to use boyish ones if they've got boys, so we will always look for a good balance, and make sure once the website is up and running that there will be boy colourways to choose from...
  
• Two of you mentioned liking the products for yourselves too - this rings true with me - I've already purloined a pen-wallet for myself, and that and a grown-up pencil roll will henceforth make it into the Office Collection, when we launch that. 
• Those of you who envisage the pen bags and rolls being used in restaurants and at rugby matches, be assured they definitely work!  Not to mention 40 minute train journeys home from London in the Quiet Zone of the train.  So much so that a lady sitting opposite my busily colouring 3 and 4 year-olds said "Charming, absolutely charming!" to me as we left.  Since I'm a scruffbag and thus she definitely wasn't talking about me, I can only surmise that she meant the daughters and their marvellous OriginalStitch colouring companions!

 So yes, loved your thoughts.  I look forward to hearing your next batch, so come and visit again soon ready to cast your critical eye over the Cafe Set, Pocketiddle Bag, and Hide'n'Seek Pops.
Not that I've got to make them first or anything....

You Can Lead a Horse to Water...

...but what do I do to get them to drink?!

Only 3 Comments on the Gift Horse Giveaway. And many thanks to those lovely folks too, because they've very funny. Apart from my father, who is funny, but very rude to his daughter, so he's in detention and out of the running for the lovely fabric hearts prize. But the rest of you, well really. Where's your competitive edge, all of you, hm?!

So here it is, for one season only....an extension to the Gift Horse Giveaway!

I didn't get round to writing this up yesterday, because I had to spend the large part of yesterday with a rotavirus attacked two-and-a-half year old in hospital, so for sympathy for Hetty, will you all please make your Comments known! (She's rallied, by the way, but wear gas masks if you're in our neck of the woods, is my suggestion. What a bug.)

Don't be shy, look at the fabric gifts I've made specially for the winner of the competition to name the poor creature. Aren't they nice? Hang 'em on your door handles. Drop lavender oil on 'em and shove in with your knickers. Hang them on shabby chic hooks. Ah, the possibilities! There will be 3 of them in your prize.

So, trot over here and enter and the hobby horse or the hearts could be yours!

Gift Horse Giveaway

So, after reading the Gift Horse saga, who'd like to win Diastrous Dobbin then?! I shall tart him up nicely for you, fix his ribbon rein, hoover off the remaining fluff, put some perfume on, beautiful.

There are two chances to win here:

1: If you'd like to give the poor creature a name but you don't want to give him house-room, just suggest a name under Comments below this post. There will be a lovely fabric prize for the winner! Not sure what yet, but I'll make you something nice from my stash of fabrics.

2: If you'd like to give him a name AND win him for your little one, or a child you wish to humiliate in some way, then suggest a name under Comments below and also write GIDDY UP NEDDY to bring him on home.

3. Come to think of it, you might want him AND the lovely fabric prize, so in that case, write me a tutorial on how to write competitions, coz it's a minefield out there! If you want both, just write something really idiot proof so that amoebas understand which hat to put you into.

I and the daughters will be the judges for the names, and we'll pick a winner out of a hat for Neddy. I'll post anywhere if you're not nearby enough for me to drop off. Anywhere. Bahrain, New Zealand, America, Slovenia, anywhere. We welcome you all!

Announcing on Friday 13th, which is nice and witchy. Good Luck!