Thursday 7 February 2013

Sew Grateful Giveaway - Style Print 1283

Oh my goodness, I can't believe I almost missed Sew Grateful week!
This week has been absolutely insane, with moving house and starting back at uni, and at the moment I am sew grateful for my family and the two lovely girls I am living with - but more on that later!

For today, I'm hosting my very first giveaway - a pattern I won back in the very first Sew Grateful week in November 2011, then made up and posted for the second Sew Grateful week in February 2012.  And now it's time for this beauty to make its way to a new home - don't worry, I've made a tracing so I can make a few more versions, and trust me, you will want to make a few more versions!
This pattern is Style Print 1283, from roughly the 1950s - I can't seem to find the exact date, so if anybody out there knows what it is that would be much appreciated!  It comes with very simple instructions for a shirt-dress with either a (very) full or straight skirt, and short or long sleeves.

I'm feeling a bit presumptuous posting my humble little creation next to the lovely Debi, who hosts this week, but I know how much I love seeing a pattern made up!

Click the pictures for bigger versions!
Left to right: Debi's Mid-Century Madness dress, Debi's Pumpkin Pie dress, and my Strawberry Style Print Sew Grateful dress,

To enter this giveaway, just leave me a comment below (only one!) with your best tip for setting up and settling in to a new home, and include your email address!  I will draw this giveaway next Saturday the 16th of February at 10am AEST (that's midnight GMT, work out your other time zones from there), so make sure you leave your comment before then!  I'm happy to post worldwide, and when I draw the winner I'll contact you to get your address.
This giveaway is now closed, announcement of the winner coming soon!

There is only one condition on this giveaway, and that is that while you can hold on to this pattern for as long as you like, when you do decide that it's time for you to part make sure it's a gift - as a giveaway on your blog, a personal gift to someone, whatever you like, just please don't sell it!

I can't wait to pass this wonderful pattern along and share the joy!
Thank you again to Debi, I am sew grateful you host this lovely lovely week!!

20 comments:

  1. Don't put yourself down, like that. Your dress is gorgeous. I love that you thought to use red matching buttons and belt. It really makes it pop, and it's every bit as lovely as Debi's version!

    As for my best suggestion on settling into a new home. Gosh! I feel like I'm not allowed to answer that since I just moved and with all the renovations we're doing it won't be truly settled for ages, yet (though I've never had trouble settling in before). I guess my biggest advice is to unpack what you can unpack as soon as you can. Don't be one of those people who keep their lives in boxes. Even if you're like us and living in a lot of renovation dust, empty that box of mementos. Sure, if you don't have anywhere to put books or CDs yet, don't unpack all of your books just to leave them in a pile on the floor, but even if you'll move stuff around and it won't be "finished" for a long time... remember that you have to live there in the meantime and the little details will make you happy. Similarly, the wrong details will make you unhappy, so if something bothers you now, don't wait until you "do that room" to change it.

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  2. Having recently moved country I can sympathise! Moving is stressful! I'm not sure I can give you much advice though, I was a mess! Have a bottle of whisky close at hand, it helps ;)

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  3. I love that you won this pattern as part of Sew Grateful week, made it as part of another and are now giving it away as part of another one, what a lovely idea!
    I think I'd say to help you settle in start to unpack! I've moved around quite a lot, always into rented places where there's no opportunity to decorate and I always start to feel at home immediately when I have some of my nice to look at things which have always been with me dotted around and in sight. Put some pictures on the walls definitely (photos or art) a house with bare walls just doesn't feel like home I think!

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  4. What a smart little everyday dress! I especially love the puffy sleeves on view A and B. Just what my wardrobe is lacking. Count me in please :)

    I've had my fair share of moving, but I always adjusted quite quickly. I guess it would be most important to unpack as soon as possible and get back to the normal routines of life :)

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  5. Hi there, this is a very cute pattern! I would like to be entered and like the idea of "passing it on". It makes it have history! I have a good tip for moving into a new home. For your pictures, mirrors, shelves, etc. Don't put them up with nails, decide you don't like them, then have to move them, etc. etc. Cut out the shape of the picture, mirror, shelf, sconce, wall light, whatever you will be attaching to your wall, onto paper, (i.e., trace around the object and make a template of it. Then use that sticky tack stuff and put them up around your walls to see what configuration looks best. And, even more importantly, what configuration will actually fit in that particular space. Happy new home! I am hosting a giveaway on my blog as well, if you are interested.

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  6. Oh,this pattern is exactly what I'm needing in my collection. It's so cute!

    As for moving home, like Cherise above I have moved lots and most recently moved from the UK to NZ, so I reckon the best is definitely to unpack the important things first. Your bedroom is important so you can sleep and chill out. And the kitchen I reckon is the next most important.

    Good luck!

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  7. I think the dress you made has nothing to envy Debbi's ones :) Thank you for this giveaway, I'd love to be entered!
    As for moving... well, I moved to a different country 8 years ago, and I still can't have all my things here ;) Here's a tip, but you probably know this: if you're moving very far away, and don't have a truck to carry your things, leave behind heavy stuff like books, and then have somebody - a relative? - send them to you by private mail (it usually costs less). And in your new house, don't think you'll be able to set everything in its place in a week's time - just take your time and move things around, untill you're comfortable with them. Hope this helps :)

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  8. Oh yay, I'd love to go in the draw for this please! I remember being rather envious back when you won it - it's such a cute pattern. :-) I like your version of it too - lovely fabric, and the belt is a nice contrast.

    I think for me one of the biggest things when moving house is making the place I'm moving into feel like 'home' as soon as possible. So I always unpack a shelf of books quickly, and get fresh flowers for a couple of the rooms, so even if the rest of the house is in boxes it still feels like a place where you can curl up with a book somewhere and relax. Good luck with the move!

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  9. I really love this pattern -- it's such a classic!

    My tip for moving: don't hang any pictures until you've lived there for a while. That way you get a feel for the place and how you want it to look. I've found that my original vision is never what I end up with so it'd best not to poke too many holes in the walls on the first day!

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  10. Don't enter me in the giveaway-I've enough patterns, just wanted to say your dress looks great on you! Cheers.

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  11. This is a great pattern! As far as moving goes, my advice is to take your time settling in - I would echo Jill's comment about postponing hanging things on the wall (we moved 7 months ago and I just hung up stuff last week!) and add things like painting, buying new furniture, etc. Live in your new space for awhile, and you'll discover what you really do and do not need to do :) Of course, if you have a hideous salmon - pink colored living/dining room like we did, painting is a top priority! Haha - thanks for the giveaway, and good luck in your new place!

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  12. Love the pattern!!
    Thanks for the chance to win :D
    Simple tips for moving house is "Make a list!"
    Write everything down! Don't forget any items :D

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  13. My best tip for moving into a new home is to get rid of things you've collected but haven't really used and probably won't. Then your space will be less cluttered and useful. Moving is a great way to cull and reorganize! Thank you for the giveway- your strawberry dress is lovely.

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  14. Moving is so stressful, I hate it and my thoughts are with you. My two tips would be 1) make sure you have some special items packed close to hand so you can put them out quickly in the new space and make it your own and 2) if you haven't unpacked something within six months you probably don't need it. Thanks for the giveaway.

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  15. My best tip is to label boxes to the rooms they will eventually go into and have them set down in the rooms, that way you do each room at a time. Oh and have a kettle and tea bags (coffee) to hand! and have fun!!

    Your dress is sweet btw

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  16. That pattern is lovely and I think your dress turned out lovely!
    I am not very good at moving, in fact I think we have some boxes in the attic that never got unpacked from our last move. But one thing that I did learn which might be common sense to most, is that you pack a suitcase for each person of all of the stuff that they might need for the next few days and I mean everything (toothbrush, hair brush, makeup, clothes, toys, shoes, etc.). And put those suitcases in the car with you. Then do not get them out of the car until you are done for the day moving. That way they don't get lost in all of the other stuff and you will have everything you need even if you haven't unpacked any boxes.

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  17. All the versions you show look lovely, what a great pattern and how generous to give it away. I would love to enter the giveaway.
    My settling in tip is to unpack one room at a time (after essentials) and to take a day off to discover the benefits of the area outside the house - coffee shop trials and nice walks are my favourite (after fabric shops, should any exist)!

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  18. I moved a lot as a kid, since my dad was in the airforce! It always helped to box stuff up according to what it was and then unpack it in that order. I found that doing one box at a time was less intimidating than a floor filled with crap looking for a home - keep the mountains of work out of sight while you work on your one box so it feels manageable. Best of luck!

    kibbleking (at) yahoo (dot) com (dot) au

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