Sunday, April 5, 2015

Hands2Help - Meet the Sponsors!

Hi, all!

I hope you're enjoying the Challenge so far!  Maybe you've started on your quilts, maybe not - everyone works at a different pace - so it's all good!  Today we're going to meet the sponsors who have contributed some lovely things to thank all of you wonderful quilters for participating in the Challenge….



First, let's meet the corporate sponsors.  

You all should have already received a discount code from C&T Publishing



good from now until the end of 2015 on most of the items on their website.  If you haven't checked it out, be sure too! You can get a great deal on fabulous quilting books and other items!  They've also sent a copy of Cozy Modern Quilts by Kim Schaefer for one lucky winner!


Shannon at FabricsNQuilts is a longtime sponsor and supporter of the H2H Challenge, and this year she not only provided the signup giveaway item (a $35 gift certificate), but she is offering free shipping to all H2H participants for the duration of the Challenge, and giving another $35 gift certificate for the final giveaway!


Kate Spain has sent a Paradiso layer cake - and oh, it's so pretty!!



Amy Smart, who blogs at Diary of a Quilter, has sent a great bundle of giveaway items, too.


The lovely owners of Hawthorne Threads, Charley and Lindsay, have donated a Hawthorne Hues fat quarter bundle, a swatch ring, and a package of sample strips of some of their new exclusive lines!

The folks over at Fat Quarter Shop are back again this year, offering three $25 gift certificates!

And what do we all need more of?  BATTING!  The Warm Company is donating a queen size Warm & Plush batt and a crib size Warm & Plush batt!!


And now, books and patterns…


Emily Bailey, who blogs over at Em's Scrap Bag, is donating some of her fabulous patterns!


Christina Cameli, from A Few Scraps, is donating a signed copy of her new book, Step-by-Step Free Motion Quilting.  I can testify that this is a fabulous book - wonderful new quilting designs using variations on simple basic designs!




Annie Toy, well known for Annie's Ruby Slipperz, is donating some quilting books, too!  They'll be drop-shipped to the winners directly from Amazon.


Kate Conklin is donating five sets of two of her wonderful quilt patterns, winner's choice!  


Jamie Elfert, who blogs over at L'Fair Quilts and distributes her fabulous patterns through Black Cat Creations, is offering three of her patterns!  I just saw her pattern Samantha Claire for the first time, and it has jumped to the top of my bucket list!!


Jo Kramer and Kelli Hanken are offering a signed copy of their new book, Country Girl Modern!  I was honored to review this book for them and it is wonderful!!


Rebecca Bryan also has a new book, Modern Rainbow, and she'll be providing a signed copy of her book!  I just reviewed this book (you can read the post here) so you can see just how neat it is!


And here's what your fellow participants have donated!

Sharon Vrooman, who blogs at Vroomans Quilts, is donating two Connecting Threads Rainbow fat quarter gift boxes.

Susan McAdams, who blogs at suemacseeds, is donating a $25 gift certificate to an on-line fabric store (where is still to be determined).


Valerie Reynolds, who blogs at Val's Quilting Studio, is offering to quilt one baby OR lap size quilt with a pantograph of your choice, and free return shipping for one lucky participant!

Joanne Hubbard, who blogs at Everyone Deserves a Quilt, is offering a copy of "Fabulously Fast Quilts" by Amy Smart, and a cone of So Fine thread by Superior Threads!

Kathleen Gansert, a/k/a KatieQ, who blogs at Katie's Salt Marsh Path, is  donating a layer cake of La Petite Ecole!


…but wait - - - there's more!

Sue Daurio, who blogs at Sue Daurio's Quilting Adventures, is donating a What's Bugging You pixie roll by RJR Fabrics.

Terri Johnson, who blogs at QuiltNCards, is donating 1/8 yard cuts of eight jewel tone fabrics.

Carol, who blogs at Fun Threads Designs is donating two sets of six patterns each, winner's choice, and you can choose your patterns anytime between the end of the challenge and June 2016. She's got new patterns coming out all the time, so you're sure to find something you love!

Michelle Kuhns, who blogs at Crayon Box Quilt Studio, is donating a copy of 500 Quilt Blocks by Lynne Goldsworthy and Kerry Green!

And Irene Vigil, who blogs at Hilachas, is donating two cookbooks she wrote - because we all need new, easy recipes that leave us more time for quilting!

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Such a great array of prizes from so many generous folks!  I'm still trying to round up a few more prizes - so if you know of a great company or person that might be willing to sponsor and you don't see them listed here, tell me about them!  And if you've got something you'd like to donate, drop me a line at salliesue57 (at) gmail (dot) com….

Be sure to show all our sponsors some love - they really come through when I contact them about the Hands2Help Challenge every year!!  And be sure to check back next week, when the fabulous Joanne of Everyone Deserves a Quilt will be our guest blogger!!

And once again, a little bit of housekeeping - Karen Lambert, please email me directly at salliesue57 (at) gmail (dot) com.  The email address you provided came back as undeliverable, and I have no way to get in touch with you to give you the H2H info!

Also, I've just joined Instagram (finally!) and my handle is @fabricaddictquilts.  If you're on there, I'd love to follow you!  Also, if you post pictures of your H2H quilts or in-progress shots, tag me and use the tags #Hands2Help2015, #happychemoquilts, #layersofhopequilts, and/or #becauseyoumatterquilts.

Hugs!

Sarah

PS If you're just now finding out about the Hands2Help Charity Quilt Challenge, there's still plenty of time to enter!  Just leave a comment with your email address (or email me directly at salliesue57 (at) gmail (dot) com and we'll sign you up.  You can read more about the Challenge by clicking the Page tab at the top of the blog...

Saturday, April 4, 2015

Some Really Whoop-Worthy Stuff!!!




Hi, all!

Friday morning, after the Whoop Whoop Friday post was already up, we got some amazing news....


My daughter and son-in-law received their Travel Approval from China to go and bring Nathanael home!!  Whoop whoop!!

Added to that, it was this little girl's third birthday...


She didn't want to change out of her pajamas to try on the twirly skirt I made her, but at least she let me hold it up on her!  


So we are really whooping it up around here today!

And FYI, there's a book review and giveaway on Friday's blogpost - be sure to enter! And be sure to drop by on Sunday to see all the prizes and sponsors for Hands2Help this year!

Hugs!

Sarah

Friday, April 3, 2015

Can I Get a Whoop Whoop? Modern Rainbow Blog Tour & Giveaway!

Hi, all!

Here it is, Friday again - time to get our whoop whoop on!  And I've got something special today - a review of a new book and a GIVEAWAY! Whoop whoop indeed!!


When I heard that Becca Bryan of Bryan House Quilts was looking for people to participate in the blog tour for her new book, I took one look at the book and knew I wanted to be a part of it!  You know how I love rich, vibrant, saturated colors - and this book is chock full of it!


The first twenty-nine pages of the book cover some very important basics - how to use the color wheel correctly, how to use neutrals to make your rainbows "pop", things like that.  I finally learned the difference between a hue, a tint, and a tone!  There's a lot of good information to be found in these pages.

But then you get into the best part of the book - the quilts!  And oh, they are lovely!  She starts with a section called Modern Traditional Quilts - one of which is this beauty... Lucy In The Sky!


There's a section on Modern Quilts - and Flame is featured in that section.  I love the way she mixed neutrals and the rainbow hues in this quilt.


And then there's a whole section called Improvisational and Liberated Quilts.  Rainbow Remix is my favorite quilt from that section.  Inspired by the Gees Bend quilts, it is truly liberated, having irregular borders and distorted blocks.  But if that's not your thing, she's got instructions on how to make it less wonky.


I wanted to try making something from the book as soon as I looked at it, but didn't have time to make a whole quilt before the blog tour.  So instead of taking a block and turning it into a whole quilt, I took a whole quilt and turned it into a block!  This quilt is called Scattered...


I had a lovely stash of 1.5" squares that my mother-in-law had collected over the years, so I chose a selection of neutrals and some rainbow tones and put together this pillow!


Now, you're probably saying, "1.5 inch squares?  Is she nuts?"  Well, I tried out a new technique!  I laid the squares out in the design on a piece of very lightweight fusible interfacing, then pressed them down to securing them.  I folded on the grid lines and stitched, and voila!  Add a pretty vintage green linen border and back to the quilted block, and it's now a bright, sunny, spring-y addition to my pillow collection!  

 *&*&*&*&*&*&*

There's lots more places to learn about this gorgeous book, too!  Check out the other stops on the blog tour...

March 23rd             C&T/ Stash Books
March 24th             Heidi Staples of Fabric Mutt
March 25th             Generation Q Magazine
March 26th             Jennifer Mathis of Ellison Lane 
March 27th             Sally Keller of Sally’s Angel Works

March 30th            Amy Garro of 13 Spools
March 31st            Angela Walters of Quilting is my Therapy
April 1st                Rebecca over at Craft Buds
April 2nd               Sara Lawson of Sew Sweetness
April 3rd               Sarah Craig of Confessions of a Fabric Addict

April 6th                Janice Zeller Ryan of Better Off Thread
April 7th                Beth Vassalo of Plum and June
April 8th                Nicole Daksiewicz of Modern Handcraft
April 9th                Giuseppe Ribaudo @giucy_giuce
April 9th                Shannon Brinkley of Bottle Tree Quilts
April 10th              Rebecca Bryan at Bryan House Quilts

If you'd like to win a copy of Modern Rainbow (hard copy in the U.S., e-copy for international winners), just leave a comment on this post by Thursday, April 9th at noon CST.  Link up and join the Whoop Whoop party and you'll get an extra entry!  I'll draw a winner and announce it next Friday - giving someone a very good reason to whoop it up!!

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

And now it's your turn!

What are you whooping about today?


What's got you dancing the happy dance?

Share - we want to dance right along with you!

The party will stay open until Thursday at noon - 

Hope to see you there!

Hugs!

Sarah