Saturday, January 25, 2014

Grow Your Blog!!


Hi, all!!

It's finally here - Grow Your Blog day!!  A chance to find some new or new-to-you blogs and make some new friends.  I hope you're as excited as I am!

For those of you who are new to this blog, my name is Sarah and I live near Nashville, Tennessee.  I have two beautiful granddaughters…


Emmy, on the left, is almost 2, and Lilli is 6 and in kindergarten.  You'll see pictures of them frequently on the blog!

I'm a fairly new quilter and blogger - both habits started about the same time, four years ago. 

My stash four years ago - I'd be embarrassed to show what it looks like now!
This blog initially started out as a way for me to be held accountable for using my fabric stash.  (I though it was an enormous stash then - but looking back, it looks pretty sparse…) When I started this blog, I wouldn't call myself a quilter - but boy has that changed!  I now work with my church's quilt ministry, which started just about the same time as this blog.  From very humble beginnings, we have now given away 690 quilts in four years, and are hoping to give away 1000 by the end of 2014!  The ministry has its own blog now, under the name Piece*Love*Quilt


I hope you'll stop over and visit there - it's part of today's Grow Your Blog hop too!  There you can find out more about the quilt ministry - how it started and some of the great stories that go along with the quilts.


I love blogging because it has introduced me to the world of quilting and quilt bloggers - a wonderful group of folks who are invested in the idea of making the world a better place, one quilt at a time!  


Every Friday I host "Can I Get A Whoop Whoop Friday" where you can post a link to your own blog post about your accomplishments for the week.  It doesn't have to be a finish - just something that's got you dancing the happy dance!  And even if you don't link up, you ought to stop by and check out all the great projects that people are working on.   You can check out this week's Whoop Whoop Friday here!  I hope you'll join in the fun!


And coming up in just a month or so, we'll be starting the Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge 2014!  (Looks like I need to make the 2014 button!)  The Challenge started in 2011, with 47 quilters donating 60 quilts.  2012 saw 55 quilters and 94 quilts going to charities, and last year we had 65 quilters giving away 127 quilts! There are wonderful sponsors who donate prizes to help thank each participant for joining it, too.  It's a great way to help out in a larger cause and make a difference in the world.  You can read more about the challenge by clicking the button in the bar at the top of my blog, or sign up to follow this blog and you'll be sure to see when we start up again!


So that's the skinny on my blog - I hope you'll take the time to look around a little bit and see some more!  I'm a firm believer in eye candy, and try to have great pictures to inspire others.  If you leave me a comment, I'll always try to respond (unless you're a no-reply blogger!) because that's the best way to get to know you!  But if you feel more comfortable "blurking" (my personal term for those folks who blog-lurk!) that's fine too!

Hugs!

Sarah

39 comments:

  1. Yeah Sarah! - Always love seeing a quilt or two or more on that clothes line. I am already thinking of Hands2Help.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hello my friend! Glad to be a fellow participant.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello! wow beautiful quilts I see here! From one fabric addict to another ....
    I am popping by as part of the 'grow your blog day' Its such a lovely way to find super new blogs to read...I am joining along with you too.
    bestest weekend wishes
    Daisy j

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm fairly new to your blog ... I didn't realize you've only been quilting for 4 years. I can't believe the stash you had before you even began! I've been quilting for 30 years and am just now getting as much stash as you had 4 years ago! (In my defense, I've always been a one-quilt-at-a-time kind of quilters and it's only been recently that I've decided to "gamble" and buy fabric because I love it ... I say gamble because when I buy it, I don't have a clue how I'll use it ... and hope that I get enough for that future projct.)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nice to learn more about you Sarah!! I am fairly new to blogging too, been 3 years.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I always enjoy your posts, Sarah! You seem to accomplish a lot each week.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Lovely to meet you. My quilting guild makes a lot of community quilts and I love the though that a quilt made with love will bring some comfort to someone going through troubled times. Congratulations to your quilt ministry, what a brilliant effort

    ReplyDelete
  8. Sarah I enjoyed getting to know a bit more about ya in today's post. I didn't realize you too just started this quilting journey four years ago! I continue to enjoy your growth and journey!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I did not realize that we have both been only quilting for four years. Congrats.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi there, Im a GYB volunteer popping in on behalf of Jacki and myself of course too!
    Love the Whoop Whoop idea!
    Happy stitching : )
    Lyn

    ReplyDelete
  12. wow, hard to imagine its H2H time already! Hmmm, I might already have an idea of some stash that is wanting to be used for a good cause! Great blog post today - hope you get lots of new readers! Kathleen

    ReplyDelete
  13. Hi Sarah! Wow, you've accomplished so much in 4 years! I've visited your blog off and on. Love your charity quilts. Is there written directions for the quilt show (squares with white borders)? I probably could figure it out, but I love just following directions. I'm currently working on 2 quilts for Quilts of Valor, quilts for service persons. Our guild also makes quilts for the children's hospital. Your pattern would work great with novelty fabrics in my stash. I'm not showing a photo of my current stash either.

    Take care,
    Becky
    The Quilting Booklady

    ReplyDelete
  14. Great "getting to know you" post Sarah! I'm so glad I found you when I started blogging - you are such an inspiration!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I'm ready to post the Hands 2 Help button as soon as its operational. I don't remember seeing that Dresden (I'm not sure that is what it really is) quilt. I love the scrappy look of it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Great to find your blog! I'm a new follower! I'm doing the blog hop too and am having a giveaway! Come visit! Cheery wave from Bev

    ReplyDelete
  17. I've been following you blog for a while now and find great inspiration from all the beautiful quilts, aka 'eye candy' on you blog. I have also participated in you Whoop-Whoop Friday posts for the last 2 weeks:)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Hi Sarah. I love your blog. As soon as I saw your masthead photo I knew we liked similar types of quilts (bright!!). I'm going to be a follower now.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Hi Sarah I am your follower, and I admire how much you do to people in need of some care and love. I coordenate Love Quilts Brazil and I know exactly how you feel every time a quilt is done and delivered. Congratulations and keep up the Good work. Hugs

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hello from another 'grow your blog' participant. Are you enjoying this party as much as I do?
    Evalina, This and that...

    ReplyDelete
  21. I am new to your blog for a couple weeks actually and joined the linky party on Friday for the first time. It is great to read more about you and your quilting and to read about opportunities to help.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I have been a follower of your blog since the first H2H year. I have already been thinking about my H2H quilt. I always enjoy seeing what you are quilting. You are amazing on how much you get done in a week.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Sounds like you love what you do and to give so many quilts to charity is amazing. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Beautiful quilts and grands! I'm a new follower! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi again Sarah. I just had to let you know that I've visited 37 new blogs on the Grow Your Blog blog hop today, but I keep coming back to yours. I love your modern designs and bright fabrics, and the fact that you are so generous to those in need. I'm now a follower. Wendy.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Fellow fabric addict visiting from Vicki's hop. The quilt ministry is wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Visiting from the GYB party. I'm an old Bloglovin' follower and love your friday linky party!

    ReplyDelete
  28. Hi Sarah,

    Thank you for stopping to visit me. I have been making the rounds one blog at a time and hope to finish up today. Your quilts are gorgeous Sarah and you have a special talent.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Your quilts are beautiful and I admire your ministry , such a wonderful cause . I am a new follower and look forward to many more wonderful posts .

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hello Sarah
    It's lovely to meet you at Vicki's party!
    YES you do have a lot of fabric but you do a lot of kind things with it too!!
    Aww your grandies are so sweet - they just make our world don't they?!

    Please come over and meet me and enter my Giveaway of a Vintage fabric and lace collage.

    I'm following you - I can see I'll get lots of inspiration here!!!
    Hugs
    Shane

    ReplyDelete
  31. First time to your blog, I am making a charity quilt bee, and can't wait to see what is happening next month. It is so nice to meet you, I live in Greece.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Hi Sarah! I'm visiting your blog from the GYB party. You are a talented quilter and you such a good taste. I hope you'll achieve your goals in the ministry quilts for 2014. All the best, Ana

    ReplyDelete
  33. Wow! You accomplish so much, and now i know i'm a sloth! i love to quilt and sew and an currently working on Bonnie Hunters' Celtic Solstice. For some reason i thought cutting out the king size for some insane reason, and each step is taking a very long time. I also make prayer quilts but my work shows that i am a confident beginner. I love all the pictures on your blog and will be coming back to visit. Thanks for sharing. Lyn

    ReplyDelete
  34. Greetings from St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada. Very nice to meet you. Lots to see on your blog. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  35. Hello , my name is Dawn your my one stop on the blog party, Hope that I soon will be friends with all of you cyber neighbors. I just say that 600 plus bloggers that sign up to the Party and I don’t have a lot of blog time in for I just started blogging when I joined the blog party it was my New Year resolution. Reading my 447 blog and more to go. but I like all things creative n thrifty. Whew a lot of good read and great giveaways. Can't wait to see more of your great projects in the making. My site http://overboardcreations.blogspot.com/and contact info is ovr_brd@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  36. Hello Sarah, visiting you from Australia via the GYB party. I have enjoyed your blog - lots of creativity here. I have actually visited the Peace*Love*Quilt blog earlier in the piece - it was higher up on the list LOL. I think I also blurked (love that term, I'm stealing it!) on your Whoop whoop Friday posts, but with the time difference here, and so on, I keep forgetting to join in. Maybe tomorrow might be a good time to start.

    ReplyDelete
  37. Wow - lovely quilts - thank you for sharing your talent as well as a little about your life.

    ReplyDelete

Comments make me smile!! If you want a PDF of a pattern, PLEASE leave your email address in your comment, or email me directly at salliesue57 (at) gmail (dot) com!