Hi, all!
Oh my goodness - what a wild ride this year's Hands2Help Challenge has been! Have you enjoyed it as much as I have? Once again, I am amazed by how generous the quilting community is - but while I ramble on, I'm sure you are wondering about this year's numbers... so here they are.....
totally AWESOME quilters made and donated...
That's 49 more quilters and 459 more quilts than last year - you guys are absolutely AMAZING!!! As the numbers kept going up, I was more and more amazed. At 500, I was jumping up and down - so you can imagine what it was like around here when we topped 600! Happy dances everywhere!!! And to end up at 875 - so totally beyond expectations - well, I say that quilters are generous people and you all have certainly proven that!! (FYI, these numbers have been updated with a late submission - woohoo!)
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| Quilt by Elizabeth F. for Jack's Basket - too pretty not to share! |
And not only are you amazing, but we have some pretty amazing sponsors, too - because EVERYONE gets a gift to thank them for participating so generously in this year's Challenge! The list of sponsors and the winners is below…
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C&T Publishing is providing four $25 gift certificates! They have loads of fabulous books - I'd have a hard time choosing!
Winners: Kathleen R., Chris B., Lisa C. and Linda Sch.
Winners: Kathleen R., Chris B., Lisa C. and Linda Sch.
Amy Smart, who blogs at Diary of a Quilter, has sent a big bundle of her patterns for several participants! An accomplished pattern and fabric designer, her blog is always interesting and insightful.
Winners: Emily C., Veronika B., Selina K., Debbie B., Jody K., Mary S.,
Karen W., Jennifer C., and Joy McD.
The folks over at Fat Quarter Shop are back again this year, offering three $25 gift certificates! Have you been to Fat Quarter Shop? They have a great selection of fabrics, and they feature wonderful tutorials for easy quilts using pre-cuts. Lots of fun things going on there!
Winners: Mary O., Becky McN., Sylvia A.
Christina Cameli, from A Few Scraps, is donating a copy of her newest book, Step-by-Step Texture Quilting, and a copy of her first book, First Steps to Free Motion Quilting! While all of her books are excellent, these are two of my favorites. Definitely a must-have for your own library!
Winners: Elizabeth K. and Kelly C.
You may be most familiar with Classic Metal Company as the creators of those fabulous metal barn quilts - but Mark has been branching out, and this year he is donating eight sets of these fun A Quilter Lives Here items as prizes for Hands2Help! Be sure to check out his website to see all the beautiful things he creates just for quilters!!
Winners: Liz H., Janice S., Suzanne D., Tracie H, Doris M.,
Carolyn B., Mary W., and Mary D.
If you're anything like me, you're already familiar with The Warm Company, creator of Warm & Natural batting. The Warm Company has sent us seven wonderful quilt batts to be given away as prizes!
Winners: Barb N., Susan G., Susan S., Karen McC.,
Karrin H., Jan O., and Maria J.
Northcott Fabrics has joined us as a sponsor this year, sending several beautiful fabric bundles to share as giveaways! Their fabric truly is wonderful, with a beautiful hand and great colors.
Winners: Suzanne C., Carol W., Carol C., Alycia C., Ann W., Beryl R.,
Pat K., Linda S., Arlyn P., Sherry B., Anita S., Kathy S., Mary R.,
Roseanne N., Paula D., Maxine S., Bonnie C., Melinda C., Duffy M.,
Kathleen McC., Sandra W., Sharon T., Sharon V., Jean W., and Moira M.
Quilters Dream Batting has generously donated six quilt batts for our participants! These are great batts, particularly for hand quilting!
Winners: Trudie C., Loris M., Mina K., Jan A., Cynthia D., and Dance G.
Clover USA, the makers of my favorite tool, the hera marker, have sent us some fabulous notions as giveaway goodies!
Winners: Janine H., Rose P., Cathy K., Robyn O., Kathryn L., Carol S.,
Linda R., Kathy J., Wendy F., Edith C., Amanda R., Frieda Z., Jamie E.,
Liane K., Elizabeth W., Kim R., Kathy P., Shruti V., Sherry V.,
Pam E., and Elizabeth E.
Emily Bailey, who blogs at Em's Scrap Bag and is also the champion for one of our charities, Quilty Hugs for Happy Chemo, is donating three bars of soap and five PDF patterns from her shop! If you love scrappy quilting, you need to be reading Emily's blog - she's the queen of scraps!
Winners: Soap, Karen A.; Patterns, Nancy C.
Pineapple Fabrics is joining us as a sponsor this year with two giveaway goodies! Be sure to check out their on-line shop and tell them thank you!
Winners: Joann O'N. and Roseanne N.'s sewing buddy!
Judi Madsen at Green Fairy Quilts is joining us again this year, with a fat quarter bundle for one lucky participant! If you don't know about Judi, you should - in addition to being a fabulous quilter, she's a pattern designer, author, teacher, AND she runs a great on-line shop!
Winner: Sue B.
Figo Fabrics is new this year - new to the Challenge, and new to the scene as a fabric company! They are an off-shoot of Northcott Fabrics, and they were so much fun to meet in person at QuiltCon! Be sure to check out their fun, fresh, and very modern fabrics soon...
Winners: Lisa S., Joanna P., Juli M., Susan N., and Diann B.
OLFA is also joining us this year as a new sponsor! (I got to meet so many wonderful people at QuiltCon this year and talk to them about the Challenge - it was great to add lots of new sponsors.) I don't know a single quilter who doesn't use at least one OLFA product, and they have generously donated two mini-cutter bundles as giveaway items.
Winners: Mary G. and Louise H.
Elizabeth Hartman, pattern designer extraordinaire, has joined us as a sponsor this year by sending a package of her patterns! Her designs are definitely on my bucket list - if you aren't familiar with them yet, you can check them out on her website.
Winners: Myra B., Ursula Y., Barbara S., Juanita H., Janette B., Dolores F.,
Renee, and Lorraine B.
Fabricworm is once again joining us as a sponsor, providing a fat quarter bundle for one lucky participant! Fabricworm has a wonderful array of fabrics in their shop, including organics, Japanese imports, and the fabulous Charlie Harper fabrics!
Winner: Kathleen G.
Do you love really great lighting at your sewing machine? Then you need to check out InspiredLED! I absolutely love their lights on both my tabletop sewing machine and on my long arm - they really help my old eyes! InspiredLED is donating three lighting kits for this year's Challenge!
Winners: Ila M., Kathy B., and Jackie L.
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| Rebecca B. for the Carolina Hurricane Quilt Project |
Many of you not only give it forward with your quilts, but you also help encourage the people who participate in the Challenge by donating giveaway items! (Quilters are THE BEST!!!) So here's what your fellow participants have donated!
Terri Johnson, who blogs at QuiltNCards, is donating a bundle of eight fat quarters in a rainbow of colors!! Terri does the most amazing paper piecing - you should see some of her creations!
Winner: Jeanine C.
Kathleen Gansert, a/k/a KatieQ, who blogs at Katie's Salt Marsh Path, is donating a beautiful Craftsy quilt kit. Katie's trying to get back into the habit of blogging, so stop by her blog and show her some love!!
Winner: Sue T.
Susan Smith of Stitched by Susan is returning as a giver this year, offering edge to edge long arm quilting services, Hobbs 80/20 batting, thread and return postage for one lap size quilt, (max 4200 square inches).
Winner: Joy M.
Jamie Elfert of L'Fair Quilts is newly retired (which is great for her pattern designing) and in her newfound spare time she found a great item I think every quilter needs! She's donating one of those wooden quilt squares (they come unfinished so you can match it to your own decor) for one of this year's participants!
Winner: Joan D.
Karen McCutchen has put together some wonderful quilting goody bundles that several of our participants are really going to enjoy!
Winner: Paula A., Patricia E., Vasudha G., Katie M., Cynthia B,
Connie W., Erica T., Mary, Yvonne J., Tracy C., and Patty D.
Sharon Vrooman, who blogs at Vrooman's Quilts, is sharing two Island Batik fat eighth bundles with us this year. Sharon has the coolest address for a quilter of anyone I know!
Winners: Robert K. and Dar S.
Carole at From My Carolina Home will send to one lucky winner a sample card of all Hobbs Battings along with four 18-inch square Tuscany battings to try, a set of 8 summer fun color fat quarters by Boundless Fabrics, a spool of Aurifil thread, and the Scrap Dance pattern of the winner's choice.
Winner: Laurio K.
Leanne Parsons, also known as Devoted Quilter, is donating two PDF quilt patterns to this year's Challenge!
Winner: Cindy P.
Joyce a/k/a Quilterchick Designs is an author and pattern designer, and is stepping up with one of her books and some low volume fabric for one lucky participant!
Winner: Kathy D.
Cindy, who blogs over at Stitchin' at Home, is donating one of her PDF patterns!
Winner: Joanne H.
Myra, who blogs and creates over at Busy Hands Quilts (and by the way, has a great Friday linky party there too!) is donating five PDF patterns from her shop to five participants!
Winners: Anja C., Leanne P., Natalie B., Rhonda B., and Kathy C.
P., the famous blogger, Pyrex and paint-by-numbers collector, and general all-around fabulous quilter, is donating two books to the goodie collection!
Winners: Tracey B. and Amber B.
And Selina Kidney, who blogs over at Selina Quilts, has donated this truly useful ruler for one lucky participant!
Winner: Pam J.
We've also had some wonderful Quilt Fairies who are helping us obtain more goodies to giveaway. More than ever this year, and you all have no idea how much I appreciate all your participation!
I have a wide variety of anonymous donations that I didn't take the time to photograph and won't list in detail here in the interests of getting this post finished in time to publish on Sunday - but here are the winners of those wonderful prizes:
Winners: Carol K., Wendy T, Ilana J., Belinda S., Dawn T.,
Ramona N., Sue R., Judy B., Paula B., Sue D., Paulette H.,
Adele D., Wendy I., Mari H., Charlotte M., Janet T., Vicki S., Nancy C.,
Lori M., Paul B., Deborah S., Lisa E., Carol K., Cathy L.,
Brenda A., Terry J., Gretchen W., Carol E., Jennifer D., Kate S., Heide D.,
Barbara H., Bonnie S., Jeanne S., Ruth H., Debbie D.,
Rita G., Charmaine T., Rhonda S., Abby G., Donna J., Ann S., Nikki M.,
Rebecca B., Teri K., Darlene H., Ceara N., Mona R., Carol D., Diana W.,
Kristi B., Meredith A., Thunder K., Mary Ann G., Dorothy E., Pat P.,
Kristi B., Meredith A., Thunder K., Mary Ann G., Dorothy E., Pat P.,
Jodi G., and Elizabeth F.
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So that's a wrap for this year's Hands2Help Challenge (at least for you guys - I've got to get all those prizes in the mail or notify the sponsors who will be mailing theirs out directly!) And remember, it's never too early to start thinking about next year's Challenge!
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| This will be me by this time next week - but the packages will be mailed! |
Bless you all for your kind and generous hearts - you have made the world a lovelier place over the past few months, and I am humbled that so many of you have joined in the Challenge, many of you for many years. Thank you for joining me, and I look forward to seeing you next year!
Hugs!
Sarah
