Nancy Drew is a Clue Blog Hop and Giveaway!

OH WOW!!! Nostalgia. I am in my happy place for sure. Nancy Drew was an all time favourite friend and comrade when I was a young girl. I even started a Detective Club at one point, sleuthing out behind the elementary school, looking for clues! It has been great fun lately playing with the new colourful 'Get a Clue Nancy Drew' fabrics by Simon and Schuster for Moda - and I have some finishes to share  with you!

If this is your first time visiting my blog, welcome! It's good to have you here, on my stop of the 'Nancy Drew is a Clue' Blog Hop hosted by Carol at 'Just Let me Quilt'.  Be sure to visit over there and try to solve the mystery clues to win great prizes. Meanwhile, I have been having such a great old time, reacquainting myself with these...

Anyone else keep their Nancy Drew book collection??!! I still have mine and when I pulled them off the bookshelf recently to have a look at, my son became very interested. He instantly decided that he would like me to read one to him. Presently he is 7 years old, so we'll see how that goes - but I am certainly willing to give it a try. He has chosen 'Mystery of the Brass Bound Trunk' which is interesting, as this book is showcased in the fabrics.

I knew when I recieved my Nancy Drew fabric that I wanted to make 2 particular items. First up  - a mini quilt - as I have been obsessed lately with filling up my sewing room wall with teeny tiny quilts. I find that I am drawn to the Nancy Drew silhouette, so I decided to start with a sketch. I sketched out my silhouette (I looked at silhouette pics on the internet for inspiration) and then traced my sketch onto tracing paper to make a pattern...

I used my self-made pattern to produce this mini - she is very tiny, measuring at 8.25 x 7 inches.

Next up was a purse - or if you will - a BOOK BAG, calling it this makes me feel as though it was meant to be made with this fabric - ha! I have made this patchwork 'Schlep Bag' before numerous times and simply modified the free pattern to use 5 inch squares (and added a cross-body strap rather than handles). I really wanted it to be the right size for a young girl to wear and pop a few books in at the library (Nancy Drew OF COURSE!).

It was nearly impossible to choose which fabrics to use because, lets face it, I love them all - but in the end I went with red on the outside and patchwork blue on the inside. I tried to showcase my favourite prints, the faces and the books, by using them at the top of the bag and on the strap. 

I love the D ring detail. I have never used one before, but I really wanted the strap to be adjustable. Did I mention I hijacked the rings from an old belt??? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle as they say.

And now for the really fun part - my very first EVER giveaway -  because I love this fabric so much and truly enjoyed my trip down memory lane, I thought it only fair to share the love. I have put together a small charm pack from some of the fabric I have left over. There are 20 - 5 inch squares in the blue, yellow and white colour way.



If you would like a chance to play with these fabrics too, all you have to do is:

1. Leave me a comment telling me what your most favourite Nancy Drew memory is or what you might like to make with the charm pack.

2. Followers get 2 chances - let me know you are a follower in a second comment. New followers welcome of course!

3. Cross your fingers!  I will close this giveaway at 8 pm pacific time this Friday, March 8 and post the winner. EDIT: This giveaway is now closed, thank you to all who participated. The post to announce the winner can be found here.

Good luck all! Thanks for visiting my stop on the 'Nancy Drew is a Clue' Blog Hop.

Here are a list of the other Blog Hop stops for today:

Michelle’s Romantic Tangle
Life in the Scrapatch
Debby Kratovil Quilts
Selina Quilts
Meadowbrook
My Sister Made Me Do It
Whims and Fancies
Pieced Brain
Just Let Me Quilt


~Lisa