It's Been a Year??? Time for a Giveaway!!

Hi, all!

Wow!  I really can't believe I've been blogging for a year now!  I went back and looked at the first post I ever did.....

I don't usually make new year's resolutions - it's too depressing when I don't keep them - but I think this year I may try one. As you can see from the title of my blog, I am a self-confessed fabric addict. I love love love the colors, textures, and patterns of fabric! Vintage fabric, modern fabric, you name it, I love it! Unfortunately, though, this has created a serious storage problem at my house, and thus my new year's resolution - to try to use fabric from my stash as much as possible this year. I know I can't resist buying more fabric for the stash, but I'm sure going to try using up as much as I can!

While I do a lot of different types of sewing, my latest fabric craft addiction seems to be quilting. My husband Bill gave me lots of quilting tools and supplies for Christmas, which I am already enjoying! Today I cut out strips with my new electric rotary cutting machine for a Trip Around The World quilt. I saw the inspiration for this quilt on our trip to Seattle at a quilt shop called Under Cover Quilts at the Pike Place Farmers Market. Hanging in the window was a beautiful quilt made up of 2" squares of Christmas fabric. My husband remarked on how beautiful it was - and I immediately flashed on the stash of Christmas fabrics I have tucked away! Once we got back home, I pulled out the fabrics and found that I had eighteen different prints (yep, told you I had a serious fabric jones!), easily enough for the top of at least one large quilt and probably several lap size quilts too! I'll post pictures as the quilt comes along........

Of course, I couldn't get out of the quilt shop without some new fabric, but I did limit it to one six-pack of fat quarters in beautiful blues, greys and light greens. I'm still trying to decide what to do with those fabrics, but it's so much fun looking for just the right pattern!

Now if I could just clone myself and put the clone to work organizing the fabric stash while I sew!! 

I had to laugh when I read this - that Christmas quilt, that I started on 1/9/10, 

is currently on my UFO list and scheduled to be completed before June this year!  

But the fabric that I bought in Seattle ended up in a quilt 

that I gave my daughter for her birthday last February.

So some things are still the same - I'm still a fabric addict, 

I'm still addicted to quilting, and I still need a clone!  

But in the past year, I've had a part in starting a now-thriving quilt ministry, 

learned how to "manicure" my stash so that it's easily accessible and usable, 

written 179 blog posts for my own blog 

and written multiple posts for Stash Manicure!  

I've made an amazing number of friends in blogland, 

participated in a swap (ALQS4) and a quilting bee (Bee Splendid), 

and learned so many new techniques and skills it isn't even funny!  

I've discovered that quilt bloggers are kind and generous 

and absolutely some of the best people around. 

 I say this because you have all been so supportive and helpful - 

answering questions about how to free motion quilt, 

or the best kind of batting to use, or how to baste a quilt - 

and so many of you have stepped forward to donate fabric 

to our quilt ministry - I am completely and totally blown away 

by how generous you have been!  

So now it's time for me to be generous right back!!

I hope you like what I have to give away to mark this momentous occasion - 

This pillow cover was designed using Fibonacci's sequence - an interesting mathematical equation!  I call it Fractured Fibonacci, and I'll be doing a tutorial for it on Stash Manicure in March.  But one lucky winner, chosen by Little Ms. Random, can have this one (and maybe a few more goodies - who knows?)

Here's a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure...

Detail of the fabric...

...and detail of the quilting!

So how can you enter to win?

You get one chance just by leaving a comment on this post.  

And let's make it interesting - tell me your favorite movie of all time! 

 (As I'm writing this, I'm watching Aliens with my husband - 

NOT one of my all-time favorites!  

But hey, you've got to let 'em watch what they want sometimes!)

You can have another chance by leaving a second comment saying you are currently a follower, or you have just become a follower!

You can have another chance if you've ever donated to our quilt ministry - just leave me another comment saying you have donated!

And you get one more chance to win if you post about this giveaway on your blog - just leave me a comment with a link to your post!

There you have it - up to four chances to win!  

International entries are welcome!  

(The pillow cover itself isn't too heavy!  

It fits perfectly over a 20" pillow form, 

which I'll let you pick up locally!)

I hope you'll all help me celebrate!  I'll pick a winner sometime on Thursday, January 13th!!

By the way, if you missed my post from last night, check it out - I'm starting a new weekly feature called Surfin' Saturday - I'll be featuring a noteworthy blog each week!  Expand your horizons!!  And share your favorite blogs with me!!

Later!

Sarah

PS - Angela's hosting another great giveaway over at Fussy Cut (formerly Raggedy Owl!) - she's giving away some awesome Heather Ross prints!!  Go check it out!!