Feather Your Nest

Happy Monday!

Feather Your Nest is officially beginning today. It will be both a sew/stitch-along contest AND a series focused on the home. Let's welcome Spring in handmade style: it's time to sign up and start making some lovely things for your own home! Read on for all the exciting details.

Before we get to the contest, here's what you can expect on Stumbles & Stitches during April, our Feather Your Nest month:

• guest posts by fabulous bloggers, all about sprucing up your home
• tutorials from awesome crafty books and blogs, to make great housewares and other projects
• "featured nests": a series showing you the handmade homes of fellow sewists and crafters
• and of course, progress and projects posts from Angel and me with photos and details of what we're making for our own homes this month!

We hope you'll come by for regular visits! But more importantly, we can't wait to see what YOU are going to make for Feather Your Nest!

There will be some amazing prizes to win in the Feather Your Nest contest. We're still finalizing our judge line-up and our prize packages, but trust me when I say: WOW! We hope to unveil all this to you a little later this week, stay tuned! (Update: Here are the prizes, and here are the judges.)




Let's get to the details, shall we? Here is everything you need to know about Feather Your Nest!

Feather Your Nest: Sew/Stitch-Along and Contest

Requirements for Entry:

The item(s) you enter in the contest must meet the following requirements:

1) Made by you, for your own home. This includes all sorts of practical and/or decorative items, housewares and artwork. As long as it is for use in your home, it works.

2) Made with stitches. It can be machine-sewn, hand-sewn, embroidered, knitted, crochet-ed, felted, etc.

3) Made with some repurposed or upcycled material. As little or as much as you want. The options are endless! Get creative and think green.

4) Made in 2012. Ideally you will make something along with all of us this month to celebrate Spring. But in case you just finished a patchwork table runner or some pretty curtains a week ago, it's okay to enter that project.

More details in FAQ at end of post!

How to Participate:

To participate in the Feather Your Nest contest:

• Comment on this post.  This is your commitment to participate in the sew/stitch-along and contest so we can get a headcount. You can sign up anytime until April 22 (Earth Day!). Please make sure to include an email address -- either in the comment or as a link to a profile or blog.
• Make something for your home according to the requirements above.
• Post ONE photo of your finished item(s) in our Feather Your Nest Flickr pool, by April 29. 
  
  THIS IS YOUR ENTRY IN THE CONTEST.  Please label your photo "Feather Your Nest ENTRY" in the title line, along with the name of your project. In the photo description, explain the materials (including the repurposed/upcycled aspect if it's not obvious -- this is IMPORTANT!), as well as your inspiration, the item's purpose, and/or whatever else you'd like to say. Optional: link to a blog post or Flickr set where you provide more details and images.
• You can enter as many as 5 items in the contest, as long as they meet the 4 requirements above.
• Share Feather Your Nest with your friends and readers! Grab our button, share the link, spread the word! The more people join in, the more fun this will be!!

<a href="http://stumblesandstitches.blogspot.com/2012/04/feather-your-nest.html"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7119/7025345011_8991a9aa22_o.jpg" alt="Feather Your Nest with Stumbles & Stitches" /></a>

Deadlines, Judging, Prizes & Fine Print...

• To participate in the Feather Your Nest contest, you must sign up by commenting on this post by April 22, Midnight PST.
• Your entry photo must be uploaded to our Flickr pool (or emailed to us -- see FAQ below) by April 29, Midnight PST.
• Your entry MUST meet all 4 requirements listed above to be eligible for any of the prizes.
• There will be 3 winners in the Feather Your Nest contest. Each will receive a prize. See here for prize details.
• Winner of Prize 1 will be chosen by 10 judges. Our judge panel featuring an array of talented ladies from the sewing and craft world (meet them here) will be reviewing and rating entries. Judging will be based on overall aesthetic, originality, creativity and craftsmanship -- as well as meeting all requirements of the contest (see above). The entry with the highest tally will be the winner of the judged contest.
• Winner of Prize 2 will be chosen in a public vote. Starting on April 30, you'll be able to invite your friends to vote for your project(s). The entry with the most votes will receive a prize. (Duration of public voting period TBA.)
• Winner of Prize 3 will be chosen randomly in the comments below. That's right! You get a chance to win a prize simply by entering the contest! The person chosen in the comments must have completed and submitted an entry in the contest to be eligible to receive the prize.
  
• Winners will be announced on Stumbles & Stitches and emailed on Monday, May 7.
• Our 3 Prizes include gift certificates, fabric, books and more from Fat Quarter Shop, Drygoods Design Online, Sew Mama Sew!, Lark Crafts, Imagine Gnats, and more. Our sponsors have been extremely generous! See details here.

For additional details, please check the FAQ below. We'll be updating them if/when we receive questions and requests for clarification.

And of course, leave a comment or email us at stumblesstitches [at] ymail [dot] com with any questions!

Are you ready to play?! It's time to Feather Your Nest!!
Go sign up in the comments!

FAQ:

I made a shirt, I wear it in my house. Is it okay to enter it? / I made a cover for my Kindle, I use it in my home. Is that a valid entry? / I just made a beautiful table runner for my friend, can I submit it?
Apparel and accessories for personal use do not meet the requirements for entry. Gifts for others, or made for you by someone else, do not meet the requirements for entry either. In other words: your entry must be something you made, that stays in your home for you and others to enjoy and/or use. Examples of applicable entries: pot-holder, pillow, coasters, table cloth, quilt, napkins, bunting, wall hanging, duvet cover, place mats, teapot cozy, curtains, etc.

I'm stumped on what to repurpose for my project. Any suggestions?
Include a lining from a vintage sheet, batting from a thrifted towel, some scrappy patchwork from upcycled pillowcases, panels from a felted sweater, buttons from a stained shirt, etc. It can be as little or as much as you want, visible or tucked inside as a hidden layer in lieu of batting.

I don't have a Flickr account. How the heck am I supposed to enter this contest?
If you do not have a Flickr account, simply email us your photo along with your descriptive blurb to stumblesstitches [at] ymail [dot] com by the same deadline. We'll upload the photo to Flickr and post it in the pool for you.

I'd really like to participate, but I have no idea what to make right this second. Should I sign up?
Yes! Sign up by leaving a comment here. No need to say what project you'll work on. Your comment is your commitment to join in the fun and make something for your home. We find it's a good motivator. But you have the whole month to come up with something and make it. The deadline for submitting your entry is April 29.