Penguin Pillow, Owl Purse, and a Gingercake Patterns Giveaway!

'Tis the season to start making gifts! I love this time of year, when Christmas lists come out and I start picking out fabrics for family members. Of course, there is never enough time to make ALL the things I want to make but (God willing) there will years and years to catch up on my Christmas sewing. I get a thrill just thinking of that!
One item on my list for the kids this year is a special pillow for each of them. We've been painting their beds, and I can't wait to place a special little pillow on the finished product. Thanks to Gingercake Patterns, I got an early start this year and have already made Abby a little Penguin Pillow. (Scroll to the bottom to see the owl purse from Gingercake patterns, too!)
Isn't it adorable?! Such a great pattern!

The pattern I used is Annie's Penguin by Gingercake Patterns. You can browse the whole shop here, and it is filled with projects that are perfect for gift-giving. I want to make all the things!
I love this pattern for a few reasons. At the top of my list are the penguin arms and little feet! Is there anything cuter than penguin pillow feet, I ask you?

FABRICS Although the pattern calls for flannel, I used a quilting cotton for the penguin body called Pine Stickers in Pink (by Sarah Watts from her Timber & Leaf collection. Love that whole collection, by the way, and it's so perfect for Fall). For the penguin belly I used an ivory corduroy from the LA Fabric District. I think it probably came from the Michael Levine's Loft, but I can't quite remember. The eyes and beak are made from wool felt, purchased from my local Jo-Ann's Fabric & Craft store.
A note about using cotton versus flannel: In the pattern, Virginia recommends using a flannel backing if you choose to use quilting cotton for the pillow body. This helps the pillow hold it's shape and keeps it from becoming lumpy when you add the stuffing. I obediently added flannel behind my main pieces, and am so glad I did. It gives the penguin a nice sturdy feel, which is helpful because this pillow is sure to be squeezed a lot!

THE PATTERN
I am so impressed by Gingercake Patterns. The instructions and photos were clear and easy to follow, and made this a quick and easy sew. I finished it in just over an hour, and had no problems. My favorite feature is that Virginia includes cutting instructions on all of her pattern pieces. It bugs me to no end when I need to refer back to a pattern multiple times for cutting instructions. Her pattern pieces have clear instructions for cutting steps and types of fabric. The placement details for eyes, beak, and feet were also clearly labeled. It's so nice to know all the details are on the pattern pieces and I don't have to wake my laptop up every two minutes to refer to the instructions. Thank you for that, Virginia!

If you're looking for something special to make for a boy or girl this Christmas, I definitely suggest this Penguin Pillow! The good news is… you can enter to WIN THIS PATTERN today! Scroll to the bottom for the details.

But first… Check out this adorable Owl Purse!

My assistant, Cassie, made this for me when we were testing the Gingercake Patterns and I am in love. Didn't she do a great job? It's so fun to work with someone just as passionate about sewing and fabric as I am AND has great taste.

Cassie made this purse as a gift for her niece, and I know she's going to love it. Since the little girl lives in another state, we used Abby as our model. A few well-placed marshmallows made the photo shoot fun for everyone involved. (That's just one of my many tricks. Believe me, I have many).

The fabrics used for this owl purse are:

• Half square triangles in Clementine by Violet Craft
• Domino dot in Clementine by Violet Craft
• Gray fine whale corduroy from Jo-Ann's

The pattern Cassie used is Lola the Owl, which is technically another pillow pattern but includes instructions for turning it into a purse instead. Brilliant, isn't it?

Ok, now for the really good stuff. Today we are giving away TWO Gingercake Patterns: Annie's Penguin and Lola the Owl!
Enter to win by leaving a comment below. In your comment, I'd love to hear about what gifts you plan on sewing for the holidays this year! I will choose a winner for each pattern on Monday morning at 9:00 PST and post the names here. Thank you so much for reading, and commenting. Have a wonderful Friday!