giveaway

Me and C&T Publishing - An Instagram Takeover


This is going to be a fun week! Not to say that the last few weeks haven't been. But this week is pretty full and I am going to share it all with the world in the pretty - not the gory - detail. This week I am taking over C&T Publishing Instagram feed. 

From the Arctic to my basement. From a teaching gig to a book deadline. From being a tourist to being a mom. You can see it all through my experience, and lens. At the end of it, not only will you know more about me and what I actually do to get it all done, you've got a chance to prizes! 


To follow along, check out the Instagram feed here.


And check out these prizes! C&T will be giving away a full set. Details will be announced on all their social media streams.
Sunday Morning Quilts
A Month of Sundays
fast2clean™ 2-Piece Modern Dot Mini Microfiber Static-Cling Cleaners
Sunday Morning Quilts Eco Pouch Set


I'm not going to lie, it all feels kind of like bragging. But I am proud of the work I've done and proud of the audience that wants to share my life. That's you! I hope you join me on my adventures this week.

Friday Favourite: fast2clean Mini Microfiber Cleaners

*Giveaway is now closed*


The Missing U is one of my favourite quilts from Sunday Morning Quilts. It came together with Amanda Jean's contribution and really was the start of our collaboration on the book. Right now it is living on our bed, keeping me warm when I fall asleep and soaking up the almost spring sun's warmth during the day.

Because it is a favourite I was thrilled when C&T contacted me about using images of the quilt in a new product. The fast2clean Microfiber Cleaners are pretty cool. At first I thought it was kind of cheesy and pointless. But they arrived right around the time I started using a certain fruit based music device. Between my fingertips and the greasy fingers of my kidlets on the face of it, the thing was a mess. 


Then I pulled out my handy little microfiber cleaner. Through the wonders of static it sticks to the back of the device. Then I can pull it off and clean the face every time the grubby fingerprints get to be too much. It really works well for that. I've even used it for my computer monitor in a pinch!

And once I discovered that I can access Instagram through this device the whole thing gets used a lot more than for hard-core dance fests with the girls. The camera on this thing is only marginally better than my cell phone and I'm still trying to figure out even some of the potential, but feel free to follow me there for some snippets of daily life, and sneak peeks at projects that end up here.

The other quilt featured is by Kim Shaefer.


C&T very generously sent me extras of this product. So, if you can't find them in your LQS or don't want to order them on Amazon, try your hand at this little give-away!

Leave a comment on this post between now and Sunday 11:59 pm MST for your chance to win. Make sure I have a way to reach you by email through your profile or comment, I'm not going to chase down no-reply comments. Tell me your favourite colour to work with or live with. Or point me in the direction of some favourite photographs. Or just say hi.

I will pick 4 winners and and send out a pack of these little treats next week.

Gen Q - Warmth


Walking down the hallways of a cold convention center, crowds of quilters, store owners, and designers pushing against me and my baby boy in his Bjorn, I spot a tall man with a very colourful shirt. He picks me out of the crowd and before I can unclip the baby carrier he's stolen my kid. Cuddles ensue.

That's how I met Scott Hansen, from Generation Q and Blue Nickel Studios.

It was at Spring Quilt Market back in May. Generation Q in print was launching into the world, so we both had babies. The big difference is that his baby was allowed on the show floor.

While Gen Q is an ezine and web-site, they are also now a print magazine. Thanks to a tremendous Kickstarter campaign they were able to move from the on-line world to print. People were keen to see the magazine be a success. People backing people. It was a perfect reminder that while quilting may be a business, it is a business backed by people, not fabric.

Of course, I've got another connection to the magazine. Nikolai's quilt is in the premiere issue! We now get to snuggle under the love from Rashida. The pattern is available on-line now.

Now folks, you can get your own copy of Gen Q. Leave a comment here between now and July 11th for a chance to win the premiere issue. Tell me a story about some of your favourite quilting people.

And don't forget to visit the other spots on their anniversary tour.


June 25 Kaye Prince 

June 26 Carrie Bloomston 
http://such-designs.com

June 27 Cara Wilson 
http://www.caraquilts.com

June 28 Heather Jones 
http://www.oliveandollie.com

June 29 Melissa Peda 
http://100billionstars.com/blog

June 30 Rose Hughes 
http://ravenspeakquilts.blogspot.com

July 1  Bari J 
http://barij.typepad.com/my_weblog

July 2  Fat Quarter Shop
http://fatquartershop.blogspot.com

July 3 Emily Cier  
http://carolinapatchworks.com/blog

July 4 Blue Nickel Studios 

July 5 Jackie Kunkel  
http://www.cvquiltworks.blogspot.com

July 6 Cheryl Arkinson
http://naptimequilter.blogspot.com

July 7 Amy at Amy's Creative Side 
http://amyscreativeside.com/blog

July 8 Julie Herman
http://www.jaybirdquilts.com

July 9 Megan Dougherty
http://thebitchystitcher.blogspot.com

July 10  FabTalk blog 
http://blog.fabshophop.com/blog

Winners!


Thank-you all for entering our little celebration this past Scrappy Sunday. I loved learning more about you. Funny, it never occurred to me that people would quilt more in the summer because they stayed inside with the AC! And it was great feedback to hear what quilts you liked from the book. There was no clear winner. I think that is just perfect too. It means we succeeded in providing a whole lot of inspiration.

Here are the winners. If you haven't received an email from me it means you are a "no-reply commenter" in your posts.

...

Aside
No-reply commenting is a big pet peeve of mine. I may not always get the time on every single post, but I do like to respond to comments and questions whenever I can. But if you have it set so I can't hit reply to your comment then you'll never hear from me.


Here is a great walk-through to change your settings to allow people to respond to you. Take a second to check, and maybe change your settings. Quite often we don't know we have it set that way.

...

Now back to the winners!

Leanne wins a copy of Sunday Morning Quilts. How generous of her, she's going to share it with a friend.

Hildy in Germany wins an electronic copy of the book.

There are 4 scrap packs to be had.
Renae
Patti Shanks
MJB
Kitkatknit

I've only got an email for one of you, so if you see your name on this list drop me a line (cherylATcherylarkisonDOTcom). I'm happy to share my scraps with you! If I don't hear from you by the end of the day on the 8th then I'll be drawing someone else's name.

Thanks for sharing. Join us this weekend for another Scrappy Sunday!

Scrappy Sunday - Let's Celebrate


Happy Canada Day! Happy 4th of the July in a few days! And most importantly, Happy Birthday to Amanda Jean in a few days!

In light of these wonderful things to celebrate we thought a celebration was in order. And what's a party without gifts?

We know that for new quilters or, really, for all quilters, acquiring scraps can be a little exciting but time consuming. We both have a quilting addiction where we are constantly in our stashes cutting and slashing. That means we have LOTS of scraps. I think I have more scraps now than I did before I started all the quilts for Sunday Morning Quilts!

Today I'd like to giveaway some scrap bags. I'll fill an envelope, or 4, with scraps a plenty. Strings, your favourite colour, some low-volume. You name it and I've probably got it! And, of course, some books get to leave the house! A Canadian reader will win a hard copy of the book, and I can send an electronic copy to an international reader. So much goodness to share!

Amanda is doing the same thing too, double your chances to win.

Leave a comment below (international guests are always welcome). Tell me, do your sewing habits change in the summer?  Or, let me know which quilt in Sunday Morning Quilts is your favourite and tell me why.

Giveaway open until Thursday, July 5, 8 am MST. 

We Have a Winner!

Popping in to share the good news for our winner.

Blue Crab said:

I love grey with yellow. It works with so many other colors too. I've been trying to get enough grey to make an all grey quilt, but I'm sure I'd have to have some sore of other color as an accent.

It sounds like this fat quarter pack and pattern will be a great addition to her stash.

Thank-you everyone for entering. And thank-you to Jan and Cara for bringing about such a great giveaway.

Shades of Grey Giveaway!



Okay, two little bits for you today. You may or may not know about either of them. If you do, then consider this more treats. If you don't, then consider yourself informed and treated.

First off, let's have a giveaway! Jan from Daisy Janie is donating a fat quarter bundle of her gorgeous, organic Shades of Grey line to one lucky reader. And I'm contributing a free Kinda Herringbone pattern (PDF to your mailbox) that was completely inspired by Shades of Grey.


This giveaway is a direct result of Jan and the lovely Cara from Cara Quilts. Have you heard of Talkin' Tuesdays? It is a Twitter chat held on Tuesday nights. (It was that obvious, wasn't it?). Cara hosts and is joined in leading the discussions by the weekly sponsors. Sponsors mean prizes!

So, a few weeks ago I won this bundle from Jan when she sponsored Talkin' Tuesday. Seeing as I've made a quilt, and pattern, from Shades of Grey already I talked to Jan and decided to pay it forward. One lucky reader will get the fat quarter bundle and the pattern.

Jan and I are curious, what are your thoughts on using grey in your sewing? Do you combine it with other colours? What ones? Have you ever used grey by itself? Or, just tell us about your love for grey. To enter the giveaway just leave a comment on this post between now and Thursday 8 pm MST.

Modern Blocks Giveaway

* Contest closed*

There's a new, not-so-little book out these days. Modern Blocks: 99 Blocks from Your Favorite Designers is full of incredible block designs. Some seem simple and even a bit more traditional, others are so phenomenally unique and representative of modern quilt design. All are pretty cool.

This book is going to be a well used resource in my library. Yes, even for me, a girl who doesn't like to follow patterns. There is just so much inspiration in here.




Oh, and I'm one of those favorite/favourite designers. See, that's my name on the back of the book there. And that orange and turquoise T block there is one of two of mine in the book.

Later this week I'm going to share a quilt top I made using that block, but for now I want to offer the chance to win one of these books.


All I ask is that you leave a comment below telling me how long you've been quilting and how you learned to quilt. That's it. If you are hoping to win the book for someone else, then tell me about them or a fun fact about you. Just make sure you have an email attached to the comment so I can get a hold of the winner. International entries welcome.

Entries open until December 1, 9:30 am MST.

Celebrating and a Giveaway


This freelance writing gig thing is a lot of fun! A lot of work, but a lot of fun.

The latest issue of Mark Lipinksi's Christmas 365 includes a few articles from me. Considering that one was on New Year's dishes for the many different New Year celebrations - recipes included! - I thought it only appropriate that I share it now. It is right around Chinese New Year after all. Gung Hei Fat Choi!

This issue also includes a piece on Holiday disasters. Some very funny stories from some quilty friends in their too. Thanks Jacquie, Katie, Rossie, and Jen for sharing.


I'd love to send a copy along to one of you, my faithful readers and supporters on this journey of mine. Leave a comment between now and Sunday night (Feb 6), midnight MST. I'll send a copy of Christmas 365 to one lucky reader. Make sure you include your email or have it set so I can reply to you.

Have a great weekend!

Thanks for Swinging By


I suppose you want to know who won the giveaway?

The big winner of the complete set of rulers was Angela. She was a very excited gal when Pat let her know.

And the winner of the Blog Aid cookbook was Debbie from As Busy As Can Be.

I also wanted to answer some of the questions that came up in the comments. Yes, it is indeed real maple syrup. It's the only thing we've got in the house. I am a good Canadian girl and it's the only way to go. I get mine from a maple farm in Ontario. Sadly, sugar maples don't grow out West.

The bean recipe can be kept vegetarian, just skip the bacon. But in this house we adore the bacon. And maple and bacon together? A little bit of heaven.

About that metric and imperial contrast. Another uniquely Canadian conundrum because we have conflicting influences between American and British influences. More than once I've found myself writing a recipe using both grams and cups or milliliters and ounces! But I think only a Canadian would get it.

Someone asked about my time. Well, let's just say I don't watch that much TV and there is little in the way of exercise in my life these days - stupid knees. And the best part about being a food writer is that I get to do research and make dinner at the same time. Even if it means making Christmas cookies in the September sunshine!

And yes, I promise to finish my Mom's quilt and soon!

Thanks for hopping!

On the Edge

This giveaway is now closed.

In more ways than one I'm living on the edge this week. I've had what one of you called a reset (love that term!) and have crashed head first into this week. Somewhere in between early mornings, late nights, preschool duties, deadlines, lessons, and single parenting I managed to test out Pat Sloan's new Cutting Edge Rulers.

On what else, but some grey fabric? Yes, I say grey. At least consciously that's what I say and spell, but a look through my archives may reveal lapses in that intent.

I won't lie, these rulers take a bit of getting used to when you start. There is the noise as the rotary cutter blade moves along the carbon sharpening idea. Then there is the different markings. I'm so used to my yellow that the red and black lines were off-putting. But after a few dozen cuts it all made sense.

My only real complaints are that the labelling on the 6.5" by 24.5" ruler wasn't set up the way I normally use. That is, low to high out from one corner. But that might just be me. Oh, and the frosting for non-slip is awesome, but perhaps not well suited when you are cutting nothing but grey fabric!

Way to go Pat for bringing something new, but not too gadgety to the market. Want to win some? Stay tuned for the details.

Pat didn't want a straight review of the rulers. No, not her! She never does anything by the rules anyway! So I'm happily sharing one of my first quilts, and a recipe. This week, it is all about Maple. And I don't mean my dog. (Yes, that is her name.)

This is actually my second quilt. (I have no photos of the first, a single Irish Chain made 12 years ago for my first nephew.) I made this quilt for my Mom. She was living in Texas at the time, so I wanted to give her something to remind her of Canada. And it currently sits in a box in my house, waiting a hanging sleeve. (Sorry Mom.)

I'll admit, I do cringe a little in looking at it. But it is still important to look back at where we came from and remind ourselves of the potential for where we can still go.

What I find interesting in looking at this was my move into a more scrappy look. That is, choosing to use multiple greens instead a single one. I guess I started that early in my career.

And on that theme of Maple, I thought I would share this recipe with you. After all, I'm also a food writer, I should be able to give you a recipe!

(Smilosaurus enjoying her beans last year)

Maple Baked Beans.

You would be hard pressed to find anyone who hasn’t cracked open a can of beans to eat along side a hot dog or roasted potatoes – at home or at the campfire. Walk away from the canned goods, making your own baked beans at home is really easy. Put all the ingredients in the oven to bake then hit the ice rink or toboggan hill. When you come home smell will beg you to tear into a loaf of crusty bread and curl up with a bowl of beans. There is nothing fancy to it. If you want to keep this vegetarian leave out the bacon and fry the onions in a touch of oil.

Makes approximately 4-5 cups

2 cups dried white or kidney beans* OR 2 19 ounce cans white or kidney beans, drained

6 slices bacon

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 small can of tomatoes paste

2 cups water, stock, or bean cooking liquid

¾ cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons Dijon or yellow mustard

*When using dried beans

1. Soak the beans overnight in water with a handful of salt.

2. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

3. Drain and rinse the beans well. Cover with fresh water by at least two inches. Add half an onion, peels on, and a couple of unpeeled cloves of garlic. On high heat bring to a boil in an oven proof pot or dutch oven.

4. Once the water is boiling, cover and place in oven to cook. Bake for 1.5-2 hours until beans are tender to the bite. Drain, reserving remaining cooking liquid.

For baked beans:

1. Preheat oven to 325° F.

2. Chop the bacon. Fry in a dutch oven or oven-proof dish, with a touch of oil to get it started. When the bacon is cooked but not crispy, add the onions. Cook until the onions are tender and transparent.

3. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Bake, covered for an hour. Season with salt and pepper.

I mentioned the giveaway, right? Well, the kind folks at Sullivan's are offering an entire set of the Cutting Edge rulers for one lucky reader of the Blog Hop. You need to leave a comment at every spot on the hop. Here's the list, make sure you visit them all!

Pat Sloan

Kelly Jackson

Amy Ellis

Jackie Kunkel

Julie Herman

Amanda Jean Nyberg

Monica Solorio-Snow

Amy Lobsiger

Pam Vieira-McGinnis

Carrie Nelson

Polly Minick and Laurie Simpson

Michelle Foster

And Pat Sloan again!

And for one lucky reader here, I'm offering something totally not quilt related. But Pat asked us to share a recipe, so I thought a cookbook would be a good addition to the giveaway. I was thrilled to contribute to this cookbook - Blog Aid: Recipes for Haiti - along with a tremendous group of bloggers/writers/chefs. It was a fundraiser for the Red Cross and Doctors Without Borders in response to the earthquake in Haiti. Learn more about the project. And all commenters here are eligible to win their own copy!

This giveaway is now closed.

City Quilts Winners

I'm back with the City Quilts and Robert Kaufman winners!

Thank-you so much for joining me and the other hosts for a great blog tour for Cherri House's new book, City Quilts.

The City Quilts book winner is:

465

Sandi at A Legacy of Stitches come on down! 

The Robert Kaufman fabric bundle winner is:

374

Stephanie from SeaSteph's Creations.

Congratulations to the winners here and in all the blog tour spots. And congratulations to Cherri for sharing a fantastic first book with us!

City Quilts - Welcome to the Blog Tour


Welcome to the first stop on the City Quilts Blog Tour! And welcome to Naptime Quilter for all you new visitors. I am extremely pleased to be joining the rest of the blog tour crew. And I am very excited to share this book with you.

If you haven't had a chance to pick up City Quilts yet, make sure you enter here and everywhere else on the tour for your chance to win a copy. One copy at every stop, courtesy of C&T Publishing! And fabric too, courtesy of Robert Kauffman!

City Quilts is a really interesting book. Cherri House takes her hometown, Houston, as the main inspiration for the projects in the book. But with her work being exclusively in solid fabrics, there is a distinct Amish/Gees Bend influence. City Quilts is a fantastic example of modern quilting with a very strong grounding in tradition.

To be honest, I expected it to be a book of patterns only, but I was more than pleasantly surpised to read so much more. Incredible discussions on inspiration, colour, process, and the melding of traditional and modern/contemporary. I found these discussions detailed and informative. And when it came to the patterns, I loved reading about Cherri's original inspiration and how she translated it into the pattern. Finally, Cherri encourages her readers to play, to try new things and adapt her patterns into their own ideas. As someone who doesn't follow patterns (much) I appreciated this encouragement. And now I have more than a few ideas percolating based on Cherri and her inspiration.

Cherri and I had the opportunity for a little interview. I'd love to share that with you.

What marked the transition for you from a hobby quilter to a professional quilter?
It wasn't a particular accomplishment, it was my work, City News to be exact. It was hanging in Robert Kaufman's booth at Portland Spring Market 2008, and I knew I had done it, I knew the quality of my work surpassed anything I had done before, and that I was in new territory. It was a game changer for me.

Do you think you would be the quilter you are without the internet and blogging?
Yes, absolutely. I had been quilting since the early 80's, always trying to push myself, and improve my skills. What the internet and blogging has brought to me is the quilting community. I'm a pretty solitary person in terms of my quilt work, the term social butterfly would never apply to me. So, having the internet and blogging has given me a group globally that I haven't cultivated locally.
My LQS carries my patterns, and my book. Plus, I have taught locally for years, mostly privately, but I have started teaching at my LQS, which has been really exciting! Yes, having an online pattern business has been wonderful... the other night I filled orders for customers in the UK, France, the Netherlands, Canada (!), everywhere... Through the internet having a worldwide audience is possible, and attainable for my book and patterns.

City Quilts is great at documenting your inspiration. Once you have your inspiration, what is your process for translating that into a quilt?
After I have the inspiration, it is a matter of finding or creating a quilt pattern that will translate and mesh with the inspiration. the quilt City Circles was inspired by city traffic, but in a quilt book based on squares and rectangles, an actual circular quilt pattern wouldn't do. The Shoo-fly quilt block is made with squares and rectangles but appears circular, so it was the perfect fit. The actual block patterns are the vehicle to translate inspiration into a quilt.

When does the colour scheme/picking fabric come into the process?
There isn't just one answer for me - it's kind of a 'chicken or the egg thing'. Sometimes I want to make a green quilt, so the color/fabric will come first, everything else will follow. Other times I will design what I think is a great quilt, and with EQ6 I'll try different colorways to determine what looks best. If I'm working with a manufacturer or magazine, I may have very little say in the matter, and I create something within the parameters someone else has set.

Have you ever considered sharing that process or profiling it on the blog, a la the Process Pledge?
I've read about the pledge process and I've thought about participating, but then I think, "would someone care, would someone be interested in why I chose orange over red?" I'm happy to share whatever is going on with my work, mistakes and all. Holy crap - as embarrasing as it was, I freely admitted to falling in the lake trying to take a freakin' photo of a quilt. A core belief I've always had, is that I'm not competing with anyone but myself. I'll never be able to knock out as many quilts as ________, my machine quilting with never match ______. All I can do is better than the quilt before, the pattern before, the book before - it is a journey and through blogging I am able to share that journey.

There is a lot of discussion these days online and in print about the modern quilt movement. You are a member of the Modern Quilt Guild and City Quilts is undoubtedly considered a modern book.  Do you make this distinction yourself, between modern and traditional?
This is a touchy subject for me, which seems kind of silly. Yes, I am a member of the Modern Quilt Guild, I started the Houston chapter. Yes, City Quilts is considered a modern book - which is great! But where I get a little iffy is the "modern" thing - what is modern? If I'm asked to identify my quilting self, I say that I create 'contemporary' quilts. I don't say 'modern', and I don't say 'art', I state that I make contemporary quilts based on traditional patterns. Everything about what I do is traditional in the terms of piecing, and technique. Maybe I'm an orphan quilter, I don't belong with the traditional group, and I'm not sure if I belong with the modern group. Seems silly to be at such a loss for a definition but there it is.

As I mention in the book, my first appreciation of solids was through an exhibit of Amish quilts at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. That a solid colored fabric could produce quilts that glowed was mind blowing to me. I also had a huge appreciation for the timelessness of Amish quilts. There are quilts from the 1800 and 1900's that look like contemporary works of art.

In regards to the simple block construction in the book, I have a passion for helping quilters to understand that simple doesn't mean boring. There are many books and patterns for beginning quilters that are a complete snoozefest! There is no need for that - we need to elevate quilting, and elevate our work. 

Thanks Cherri, for a very interesting and inspiring book, and a great interview.

To enter the draw for the prizes - a copy of City Quilts courtesy of C&T Publishing and a Fat Quarter Stack of Kona Solids from Robert Kaufman - please leave a comment on this post. Only comment once please, and make sure you have an email attached to your comment so I have a way to contact you. I'll keep the draw open until the end of the blog tour, that's on July 24, midnight MST.

Don't forget to visit the rest of the hosts for more from Cherri and more chances to win.

July 15  Pat Sloan
July 16  Spool 
July 17  Robert Kaufman
July 18  Fat Quarterly
July 20  Sewer/Sewist
July 21   Jaybird Quilts
July 22   Spun Sugar Quilt
July 23  Juicy Bits
July 24  Kim Kight

Enjoy the tour, and City Quilts!

Quilt Along Week 6 - Finishing Up

The finishing stitches are going into my second version of this wonky rail fence. I've been sitting by the still up Christmas tree (Happy Ukrainian Christmas everyone!) and stitching for a bit each evening. I love handstitching the bindings, but it seems to take me a long time. I see it as a good meditation at the end of the process.

Where are you at this point with the Quilt Along? When we last spoke we focused on assembling our blocks together into a completed top. All that's left are the finishing details, right? Yes, because making a back, basting, quilting, squaring up, and binding are just minor details! Well, they don't make for particularly exciting Quilt Along material.

Backing
Many of us default to a large print with similar colours to our front. I've been known to use the fabric that maybe inspired the quilt top's fabric choices but didn't make the final cut. Use what works for you. If you want more ideas, check out this great Flickr group on Quilt Backs.

Basting
I pin baste my quilts. If it is a small quilt I can manage on my kitchen floor. For larger quilts I use the boardroom tables at work. Never have I used a spray, they kind of scare me (more chemicals) but I've heard lots of people have success with them. To baste I simply tape my back taut on the tables, smooth out my batting on top, then lay my top over the batting. I pin every 3-4 inches. To close the pins I use my favourite tool: The Kwik Klip.

Quilting
So much can be said about quilting this design. I think you can emphasize the notion of line with grid quilting, lines in any direction, or in the ditch work. With both my quilts I've chosen to contrast the top's design with swirly or loopy quilting. It is a personal preference. Don't get too hung up on picking the perfect design, go with what you are comfortable with. This is a busy quilt and detailed quilting will likely get lost.

Squaring Up
Many, many of us skip this step - including me some times. But it really does help with your overall finish and is quite useful when you haven't cut everything on grain as is the case with this quilt. See my tutorial for how I do this. I do it after quilting but before attaching the binding. And cutting all the excess off the quilt is the step where I can see my quilt as a quilt, I love this step.

Binding
99% of the time I use a double fold binding. 100% of the time I attach each side individually and still mitre the corners. And it works everytime. Here is a tutorial on creating your bindings and one on attaching and finishing them.

So this is where I am at right now. Next week I will share with you the completed second quilt.

At this time I also want to announce a prize for those who participated with me. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post, or email me directly, and let me know where you are at in your quilt. Even if you've just picked out your fabrics but haven't make a single cut, I want to hear about it. If you have a blog or Flickr account, show me what you've done - I have to have some proof of progress. Besides, I would love to be able to share your work with others.

The prize will be 3 1/2 metre pieces of fabric - for stash or to start you on your own wonky rail fence - and some coordinating Presencia thread (my fave). I have some specific fabric in mind, but I am willing to cater to the winner's preferences (within reason). All you have to do is comment or send me an email by Tuesday January 12 at midnight MST.

Giveaway Winner

Wow, such great responses to the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway!  You are a committed bunch. Even for those of you with a great desire for my scraps you have to remember that in itself is a commitment. Those two, frenetic beauties are my reasons to commit to the future.

Some of the highlights of your commitments out there:
  • Eating less meat and growing your own veggies (Did you know that meat and rice production, worldwide, is one of the most significant sources of greenhouse gases?)
  • Choosing to be one-car or car-less.
  • Turning down the heat and using those quilts and handknits.
  • Choosing when to cook and bake to take advantage or avoid the extra kitchen heat (I totally do this!)
  • Actually using washable sanitary napkins or the reusable caps (wow, that's commitment!) 
As we struggle through a home reno I am constantly thinking of ways to renew our own commitments. Number 1, we are making the place as efficient as possible in terms of the infrastructure like furnace, insulation, water heating, windows, and electrical. We aren't replacing everything, but we are almost starting from scratch in the basement and all our choices are thinking about the long-term (for us and the girls) and not just the short term budget. Those decisions will affect whether my sewing studio gets drywall or not, but I'm willing to make a few sacrifices.

And number 2, After having to clean out sort, and move all our belongings at least 3 times in the last few months I am getting really sick of our stuff. Every time a few more boxes go to Goodwill, recycling, or garbage. I am at the point where if anybody buys me anything this Christmas I will lose it.  I just don't need anything. I need some quilt batts and time, lots of time.  But that's it.  Someone tell my husband.

Okay, time to stop the rant and get to the news you really want: who won? Using random.org I picked two numbers.

120
Meg wins the quilt. She uses t-shirts and upcycles them into her love's clothes.  That's a lucky baby!

192
Elizabeth wins the selvages.  Check out her site, I think she'll make good use of them.  And I may have to rethink my new more stuff attitude.  Did you see her aprons?

I've sent emails off the winners, washed my hands of the basement dust from tonight, and will indulge in a hot bath before bed.  It warms me up before I turn in and the thermostat goes down for the night!

Thanks again.  I hope to see you all back soon.

Giveaway Day


It's Giveaway Day at ! I had such a good time in the spring, so I knew I had to sign up again. I've actually got two giveaways here.

First up is a quilt.  I made this wall hanging to celebrate the launch of 350.org. And with the big meeting starting in Copenhagen next week I thought it a perfect time to highlight local and global efforts to address climate change.  I won't step on my soap box but I will say this:

I believe climate change is happening.
I believe humans are having a discernible impact on the world's climate.
I believe that if climate change is not proven to be real we have done no harm in taking action.
I believe that real change will come from both the individual and the political.


This quilt reflects the Prairie Landscape in its choice of fabrics, the layout to mimic the fields, and the quilting details. I made it without buying a thing.  It is machine pieced with fusible applique, machine quilting, and a handstitched binding. It is 100% cotton and comes with a hanging sleeve already attached.


Leave a comment here for one entry.  I don't believe in forcing action, insincere action, on people so there are no extra entries for signing up at 350.org. But I strongly encourage you to at least check out that organization and the many others.  And rather than enter here, make one small commitment to yourself and the next generation to reduce emissions - change a lightbulb, shut off the car, shop at the farmers' market, or turn down the thermostat.

As quilters there are many ways we can reduce the impact of what we do. A key way is through the use of scraps.  This is my daily scrap bin.  From here, I sort according to colour and selvages. I'll be honest, I used to throw out these pieces, but I use them now.  Except, I don't use the selvages.  However, I now know that other people use these with gorgeous results.  So I am giving away my relatively recent collection of selvages.  Close to 50 unique selvages from Amy Butler to Denyse Schmidt and everything in between.

I will use the random number generator to pick two winners.  Please, leave your comments and note any commitments you are making to tackle climate change on the homefront.  The giveaway is open until December 6, midnight MST. And yes, I will happily ship internationally.

Giveaway Winner

Wow!  That was an unexpected response.  I hope I can keep most of you coming back with some new projects and tutorials.  

This was a great experience, I have found so many new sites to explore and blogs to visit.  I'm not going to get a damn thing done at work! And I really appreciate that everybody took the time to actually answer the questions, it was interesting to learn more about how people create.  I would say that most of you go with fabric first, then pattern.  That is generally how I do it. Although, my current project started from an idea of what I wanted the finished quilt to look like and I chose colours and fabrics afterwards. More on that project soon.

On to the winner...

Comment # 213 Nanaan

I have the feeling that this is going to be a great giveaway! just added you to my google reader -- I'm liking what I see.

Thanks!

Oh, and duh, pink/yellow. We're very girly in these parts.

And I actually started to say I start with fabric first, but I think that's a lie. I start with a pattern I want and then go out and buy the fabric. Which is probably why I don't manage to use my stash very well. 


I'll be back this week with reports from the Heritage Park Quilt Show and another quilt to share with you. For now, I'm going to bed.  Work in the morning.  Good news, we found an awesome nanny last week and she starts tomorrow.  The girls love her and Hubby can now get the yard done without endless interruptions and help from The Monster. Bad news, The Monster is reacting to some bites again.  This time we know they are mosquitoes, but she swelling up and welting like last time.  So, who knows how this week is going to go!

Trust Me

*** This giveaway is now closed ***

It's the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!

I'm still feeling generous so I thought I would share more fabric.  It would make sense, then, to show you the fabric I plan to give away.  Yes, that would make perfect sense.  Unfortunately, my camera is not cooperating right now so I can't download the photos.  You'll just have to trust me.

Come on, you know I can pick the good stuff.  I love putting together based on colour and feel. In fact, quite often I will just pull fabric from my stash for some imaginary quilt. Maybe I'll bring home a new fabric that I bought just because.  Just because I liked it.  So I hit the stash and see what I have that works with it.  Maybe I'll even put that grouping aside for a while and let it simmer.  Maybe I'll let The Monster help me and see what she comes up with.  Maybe I'll even start a project then and there.  No pattern, no plan, just a pile of fabric and a little inspiration along the way.

For the giveaway please leave a comment telling me how you pick fabric for a quilt - does the fabric comes first or the pattern/design?  And tell me which colourway you prefer:
  
Yellow/pink
Green/Orange/Yellow
Red/Aqua
Green/Blue
Brown/Blue

I will pull from my stash 6 fat quarters in the winners choice colourway.  And I have no problem shipping internationally (I'm in Canada) so please drop me a comment by May 31

Don't forget to visit the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway site to see the rest of the blog giveaways. There is some good stuff out there.  Feel free to explore a little here too.

*** This giveaway is now closed ***