Time for Another Giveaway!

According to Blogger, I've got more than 400 followers, plus it's been a while since my last giveaway, so it's about time to pick a couple people to get free fabric and patterns! I really do appreciate all of you who take the time to read and comment on my little blog, and Walnut especially appreciates all the lavish praise that he thinks is his due. So to thank you all, we're giving two people the chance to win a new outfit! Of course, you have to make it, but you know, we can't do everything for you. Walnut doesn't even have opposable thumbs.

Walnut examines his paws, but finds that his thumbs are not opposable. 

Set #1: Colette Patterns' Crepe Dress and giant blue flower fabric

I got this pattern a long time ago and never made it up. After reading other people's reviews and finally figuring out that Colette Patterns are designed for C-cups, well, let's just say that I still buy bras in the kids' section so the amount of muslining and redrafting required to make this pattern work for me are just more than I feel like dealing with. That said, I think this pattern would look lovely for someone curvier than I. The pattern is uncut, and the instruction booklet's details make this a good beginner sewing pattern.

The fabric is a mystery blend with some stretch, good weight and drape, and probably not a small amount of polyester -- you've been warned! There are 4 yards of 48" wide fabric, so enough for a dress, although maybe not quite enough for the Crepe if you don't use a contrasting fabric for the belt.

Set #2: McCall's 2032, a dress pattern from 1969 in size 14/bust 36, and a cotton poppy print fabric

This is one of the vintage patterns that I picked up in a bundle. I really like the V-neck bodice, but at two sizes up, it's more resizing than I want to do. The pattern is uncut and, as far as I can tell, hasn't even been unfolded. The instructions are all there, although they are a bit scanty, so this might not be the best beginner pattern.

The fabric is a fairly thin cotton, printed with poppies in coral and brown, with lighter patches of mint-green on the background (hard to see in the picture). It's got great body and would be perfect for something with a gathered skirt, but would definitely need to be underlined or lined since it's a bit sheer. There are 3 yards of 54" fabric, enough to make a dress as long as you're not too picky about print-matching.


And because I'm very kind (and also because I had space in my laundry basket), both lengths of fabric have been pre-washed! Mind you, they've also been living in the same house as a cat, so if that's a problem for your sinuses you may want to rewash them.

So there you have it. Two dresses, just waiting to be made up. Here are the rules for entering:

1. Leave a comment, telling me which set you are in contention for. And because it's October, tell me if you're planning to dress up for Halloween, and if so, what costume? Unless it's a surprise. Or you can tell me what was the best costume you ever got to wear. Or you can tell me that dressing up for Halloween is for devil-worshipers, which, by the way, my parents totally cited as the reason why I couldn't go trick-or-treating when I was growing up. How ironic that I now play dress up with oh, my whole life, all year round, whenever I can. 
2. This giveaway is open to all geographic locations. 
3. Same as previous giveaways: it goes without saying, but you really should be a follower of my blog. I'll assume that you're a follower if you leave a comment. Also goes without saying, but I hope you really intend to use your winnings! Please don't win just so you can turn around and sell the prize on Etsy, shred it for hamster bedding, or use it to decoupage a Regretsy-esque wooden plaque. I'll close the giveaway at the end of the week, on Friday, October 19, 2012, at 11:59 PM PST, and announce the winners on Saturday morning. Again, thanks for reading Cation Designs!

Incidentally, I'm having a hard time thinking about Halloween this year. On one hand, I already have so many costumes/dress-up clothes that I'm having a hard time justifying making another one; the guest room closet is already bursting as it is. On the other hand, making costumes is my favorite kind of frosting, and hello if I made a new one it would be all new and shiny and exciting!!! There's also the fact that I'll be traveling on Halloween (it should never be allowed to fall in the middle of the week, when people have work and business trips and such), so that makes costumes difficult. "Hello, TSA, this steampunked Nerf gun is totally fake, so please don't take it away from me; I spent way too much time painting it and gluing things to it..."* I'm undecided, and yet I joined the MPB sewalong...dilemmas, dilemmas. 

Walnut is grumpy that he can't be an active participant in sewing. Darn you, thumbs!

*When I took my gun with me to Tucson for the Zombie Walk last year, I didn't even think about how it might look on the airport scanners. I shoved my suitcase through like I always do, then watched in horror as the plastic gun's outline showed up on the little screen. The TSA dude pulled my suitcase to the side and I watched in horror as he found the gun, pulled it out, gave me a hard stare, then waved over a couple of other security people. To my immense relief, they were just a couple of other young guys and he just wanted to show them how cool my gun looked. He wanted to know if I painted it myself and then told me I was awesome and sent me on my way. ::big sigh of relief:: Although I guess it didn't hurt that the gun was nestled among my goggles and pocketwatch and other steampunky paraphernalia!