Around The World Blog Hop!!

Hi, all!

Today it's my turn on the Around The World Blog Hop!  I had not yet heard of this event when I was contacted by Carole at From My Carolina Home, but what a fabulous idea!  Each blogger tags three more bloggers to participate, thereby spreading the love "around the world" and introducing people to new blogs they may not have seen before.  I'm all for anything that (a) shares some of my favorite blogs with others and (b) makes me aware of new blogs, too!  

As I said, I was tagged by Carole at From My Carolina Home.  Carole has a lovely eclectic blog, filled with great photography, sewing and quilting tips, an on-going block of the month, recipes, book reviews and fabric!  Plus she's from my one of my favorite parts of the country - the mountains of North Carolina near Asheville.  Take a look at the view from her home…

I hope you'll take a few minutes and check out Carole's blog, too, if you haven't seen it already.  I know there's a recipe for Cranberry Cinnamon Scones on there that I have GOT to try!

)*(*)*(*)*(*)*(

Now, as part of the tour, I am supposed to introduce my blog to you by answering some questions.  The first one is…

What am I working on?

Interesting question.  I just finished writing an estimate for a t-shirt quilt, and just this week I proof-read a new quilt pattern for a friend.  

This week I quilted an antique Dresden plate quilt on my long-arm (which by the way is named Jolene).  

I've been hard at work quilting up some tops for my daughter to sell to raise money to bring home our Chinese grandson, Nathanael.  

I quilted three tops this week that came in as part of the Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge, an annual event on this blog that many of you and your fellow quilt-bloggers participate in.  

And I got to quilt a beautiful baby quilt that will be given out as part our our church's quilt ministry.   I also had the pleasure of meeting with some members of another local church's quilt ministry to share some of our experiences and techniques for managing the ministry process, and my mind is a-buzz with possibilities of things we could do together……  so it's been a busy week!  

(Now, if you're wondering how I get all that done in one week, I must confess - I am quite possibly the world's worst housekeeper!  My dust bunnies have names….  No, it's not a pig sty around here, but let's just say that I'd rather quilt than clean - quilting gives you a wonderful finished product that you can look at and share, but cleaning just has to be done over and over again!)

At the moment, I actually don't have any projects on my table - a very unusual situation, to say the least!  But here's what I will be working on this week.  

I've got a top for a baby boy that needs quilting - his mom is new to our church and the area, has no friends locally, and our church is throwing a baby shower for her on Thursday.  So I'll try to have this top finished for that shower by Wednesday evening.   

It's also time to start working on the annual quilts I make for my granddaughters, and I'd like to get those cut out this week.  I'll also be meeting a lady this week who has two antique quilt tops, pieced by her grandmother, that she'd like to have quilted.  So I'll be working up estimates for those quilts, too.  And I'll be keeping up with any new needs that arise for the quilt ministry.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

Well, if you've visited my blog at all in the past, you probably already know that charity quilting is near and dear to my heart.  I got started in quilting five years ago when we decided to make a quilt for a young woman at our church who was diagnosed with cervical cancer.  (You can read that story here - it's a good one!)  I started quilting then and haven't looked back!  Our quilt ministry, Piece*Love*Quilt, has made and given away 858 quilts in the past five years.   And in 2011, I began the Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge, inviting quilt bloggers to join me in making quilts for selected charities.  It's a great way to have a whole lot of fun while doing good!  

So, my work isn't really different from other quilters' work, just with a different purpose than some!

Why do I write/create what I do?

My blog originally started, back in January of 2010, as a way for me to document using up my fabric stash.  I had a ridiculous amount of fabric and had not been motivated to sew for a while, so I thought that blogging about it might make me stick to it a bit more.  At that point in time I really didn't quilt, except to occasionally try piecing a top that would then languish on a shelf Now, my blog is a great place to document the quilts that we make for the quilt ministry. Because we give them away, it helps us remember them fondly!!  I've also continued writing the blog because I've made such wonderful friends in the process! 

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

And on that note, I want to introduce you to the three quilt bloggers that I am nominating to continue this trip around the world!!  First up is….

P., from The Way I Sew It!

I think P. and I are related somewhere way back - we both love vivid bright colors and good music, although I have a feeling she's a much better cook than I am!  She designed that beautiful quilt shown above, known as the Hubcap Diamond Star Halo quilt.  And that's only a small part of the beautiful goodness on her blog.  She also collects vintage Pyrex and makes the most amazing thrifting finds - you'll be amazed too!

Next stop……

Lisa at Shiner's View!

I don't remember exactly when I discovered Lisa's blog, but I was immediately drawn to her wonderful quilt designs.  She is always very generous in sharing her tutorials, and has many that I am dying to try.  The one pictured above, though, has become a huge favorite with the readers of my blog and with the folks who quilt for the Hands2Help Challenge.  If the pattern looks familiar, you're right - it is the pattern used for the quilt in my blog header.  You'll definitely want to check out that design and her many others!

And finally….

Terri from QuiltNCards!!

Terri does absolutely beautiful paper piecing!  The one above is very special to me.   In the post she wrote about the quilt she made for her granddaughter's wedding earlier this summer, she showed her paper piecing of the ASL sign for "I Love You" that she did for the back.  Well, my youngest granddaughter is deaf, so I wanted to make this for her next quilt.  Now I've never done paper piecing before, but I understand the theory - and how hard can it be?  Terri sent me the link to the pattern, and I started working on it, quickly realizing that there was no way I was going to be able to do this.  Well, Terri jumped in and said she would make one for me - and this is the beautiful one she sent!! 

Her blog is loaded with lots more beautiful paper piecing - right now she's working on tomatoes and carrots - plus fun pictures of her family and grandchildren.  She's also trying to sell her house right now, which I can't imagine - how do you function without your sewing room all spread out?  Hop over and check out her blog - you'll want to start paper piecing yourself!!

*&*&*&*&*&*&*

So that's my stop on the Around the World Blog Hop.  Oh, and by the way, I'm located in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, very near to Nashville, Music City, U.S.A.!  

If this is your first time here, I hope you'll come back again.  Fridays in particular are fun - we have a link up party called "Can I Get A Whoop Whoop?"  No need for a finish - just something you're happy about that week!  So come back and join in the fun!

Hugs!

Sarah