Can I get a Whoop-Whoop?? A Book Review and a Giveaway!!

Hi, all!


I hope your weather was as beautiful yesterday for you as ours was - we had brilliant sunshine and temperatures near 80!  Fortunately, I finished up my sewing early in the day so I could spend some time outside with my granddaughter and enjoy the gorgeous day!!


A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Mary Etherington of Country Threads.  She asked me if I would be willing to participate in a blog tour for her new book, Back To Charm School, and I was really excited to say yes!  This is my first blog tour, but I hope it won't be my last.  

This is a really nice book - well written, clear instructions, lovely photographs and great designs!  Here are a few of my favorites...

I love this little bow tie quilt, cheerfully called "Better to be overdressed than underdressed"...

And take a look at this amazing 15" x 19" quilt - I've never been tempted by mini's before, but this one might make me change my mind!

There's a really simple pattern that can become either a lap quilt or a tree skirt in the book...

...and this adorable 15" x 24" postage stamp quilt!  Simple but very effective!!


Each design comes with alternative fabric requirements if you don't have charm packs to use up.  The fabric requirements listed with each pattern are generous - which to me is a good thing, because if you mis-cut, you don't want to have to go back out to the store to buy more fabric!  There is a little leeway in the amounts they suggest using.  I also like these designs because I can see how they could easily be translated into larger quilts, simply by using layer cakes instead of charm packs, or by increasing the number of blocks.  


Here's the design that caught my eye from the book...

...so I grabbed a charm pack of Reunion by Sweetwater and got cutting!  This particular design will make two 12" x 24" table runners from half a charm pack, so it's a really good design for using up those tail ends of charm packs you might have lying around.  Here's what I came up with...

These were fun to make, and worked up really quickly!  What a great gift idea when you need something in a hurry....


And did I mention a giveaway?  Seems like I did!  Well, Mary sent along a second copy of the book, signed by the authors, for me to give away, AND I'm going to give away both of the table toppers I made, since I have enough fabric left to make two more for me!


So how do you enter?  Leave a comment on this post to be entered in the giveaway.   For an extra entry, link up with our Whoop Whoop party!  Show off what you've been working on this week!!  I'll draw three winners on Wednesday, February 29th - it's my daughter's 7th birthday (she'll be 28!) and it will be fun to announce the winners in celebration of her day!

OK, folks!

It's time to link up!

What have YOU been working on this week?

We all want to cheer you on - 

So show it off!!

Come and get your Whoop Whoop!!
(Because of the giveaway, the linky party
will remain open until Tuesday 2/28 at midnight...)

(PS If you have trouble linking up, leave a comment
with the URL address you want to link and I'll
do it for you!)

Hugs!

Sarah