Last Day AccuQuilt Fall Blog hop

I've been having so much fun visiting blogs participating in the AccuQuilt Fall Blog Hop and hope you are too.  There have been some amazing tips, tutorials and inspiration shared, and some wonderful giveaways too!

 

Today is our last day of this blog hop and the final stop is with Polly (Polly's Porch). 

 

If you haven't yet visited all the stops in this blog hop, there is still time:

• On Monday,  I shared insights on using the tumbler die.
• On Tuesday,  Terrie (Bits & Pieces) shared insights on all the amazing things you can create with a Charm Pack and your Accuquilt.  Sharon (Craizee Corners) increased awareness of breast cancer and insights on a lovely wallhanging quilt.
• On Wednesday, Katrina (Sunshower Quilts) shared an tutorial to make a very cute table runner.
• Thursday,  Connie (Quilting by the River) shared an unique tutorial for a Maple Leaf table centerpiece and  Mary (the Tulip Patch) shared a tutorial to make a fun Lantern quilt using the tumbler die.

And, I'm sure Polly  (Polly's Porch) is going to share some amazing tips and inspiration with us today too.

Sharon also wanted me to let you know that she has posted a giveaway this week that is part of this Fall Blog hop and she hopes everyone will pop back over and enter her giveaway.  While it wasn't a requirement, just about every blog that participated in this blog hop also hosted a giveaway and each has their own deadline.  If you haven't yet visited these stops in this blog hop there is still time to visit and also enter their respective giveaways, just do it soon.

I want to take this opportunity to thank Terri, Sharon, Katrina, Connie, Mary and Polly for participating in this blog hop.  They really made it fun and shared some delightful insights.

I also thought I'd give you an update on my Halloween quilt.  Here is the photo of this quilt top, with the first inner border, that I shared on Monday.

I haven't had that much time to sew this week. Well, that isn't exactly true.  I'll confess I took my machine to a sew-cial with plans to finish this quilt.  But, in my rush I forgot my foot peddle and power cord so wasn't able to sew and the all-day sew-cial!  Has that ever happened to you?  It has been ages since I've done such a thing, as I usually do a much better job packing everything in my sewing case before I zip it up.  Oh well, I did find a wee bit of time to sew this week.

Here is a picture of this quilt top with the outer border {please forgive the fact this top hasn't been ironed for this photo}.

I added a solid black outer border that I want to have show off some free-motion quilting with Halloween pumpkin motifs is also mitred.  The middle border, that is scalloped is something I had not done in quite a long time.  I must confess, I felt I had fallen into a a pattern of doing very simple (and boring) borders. 

When I saw Keri Carr's new book "Just around the Corner: Quilts with Easy Mitered Borders", I was inspired to try to get back into make quilts with more interesting borders.  While Keri's book is full of beautiful quilts with excellent borders, I obviously didn't utilize all the insights she shared in this book, but it definitely inspired me.  And, I'm eager to apply more of her techniques to quilts that I make with the AccuQuilt (as well as quilts I make from her amazing book).

I sure hope you have a wonderful Autumn!

 Oh, how those colors and shapes inspire me to create.  Do they do that to you too?

How do you welcome a new season?

As a child, it seemed that it took forever for summer to go by and school to start.  I now feel that time flies by, but I have come to appreciate the change of seasons.  And, I'm always happy to have Autumn arrive and show off all the beautiful colors of nature.

Wouldn't it be fun to have a Fall picnic with quilters?  I can visualize all the beautiful quilted table toppers decorating the tables.  And, beautiful quilts hanging from the trees.  Yes, it would be a fun time. 

I don't have all that many Fall theme table toppers, wallhangings, or quilts, but I'm definitely wanting to create more.  As such, I certainly enjoy finding inspiration by seeing what others have made.
I was delighed when Polly (Polly's Porch) shared photos of her very cute Halloween Quilt that she made with her AccuQuilt GO! and tumbler die. 

Do you know about Polly's secret for making beautiful quilts?  She has Yogi as a Quilting Supervisor, who also works hard to test every quilt Polly makes. 

Polly is one of the very talented quilters that is part of the group of Quilters with Modern Tools.  Like others in this group, you can find great tips, tutorials and inspiration on their blog by searching "AccuQuilt".  Polly has also written three great posts about creating beautiful quilts using the tumbler die that you can view anytime:  Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3. 

The Fall AccuQuilt Blog Hop continues thru the rest of this week, where several members of the Quilters with Modern Tools group will be sharing new insights that I think you'll enjoy.  Think of it as a virtual Fall picnic, full of fun for quilters. 

Tuesday, September 27th

• Terrie (Bits & Pieces) www.terriesandelin.blogspot.com
• Sharon (Craizee Corners) www.craizeecorner.blogspot.com

Wednesday, September 28th

• Katrina (Sunshower Quilts) www.sunshowerquilts.blogspot.com

Thursday, September 29th

• Connie (Quilting by the River) www.conniekresin.blogspot.com
• Mary (the Tulip Patch) http://www.tulip-patch.blogspot.com/

Friday, September 30th

• Polly (Polly's Porch) www.auntpollysporch.blogspot.com

Fall Theme AccuQuilt Blog Hop - Tips, Tutorials & a Giveaway(s)

Welcome to Day 1 of the Fall theme AccuQuilt Blog Hop, where various members of Quilters with Modern Tools will be sharing tips, tutorials, inspiration, and a few giveaways throughout the coming week.

First, I want to share insights about the Quilters with Modern Tools.  This is a group of quilters that enjoy using modern tools to help make quilts, table toppers, wallhangings, purses, etc.  And, they also enjoy sharing insights on the tools that they use, when they blog about it. You can easily identify that you are visiting a blog that is part of this group, as they have a badge that shows the modern tools that they use. And, you can search their blog to find posts that will provide great tips, tutorials and inspiration on using modern tools.  For example, if you are looking for insights on AccuQuilt you can visit any of these blogs and type in "AccuQuilt" in their respective search box, to find a wealth of information.

This is also the 2nd year of the Fall Theme AccuQuilt Blog hop.  We continually have fun creating with our AccuQuilt products, so it just seemed appropriate that we continue with sharing insights on how to create Fall theme projects with the very modern AccuQuilt quilting tools!

Ok, time for me to kick this off.....

Do you ever feel like your fabric "breeds" in your sewing room?  Last year I created a Halloween quilt using the tumbler die. I had a few left over tumbler cuts, and I think they multiplied with some new fabric, creating more fabric.  But, as I do enjoy scrap quilts, I decided I'd make another Halloween quilt using the tumbler die. 

I find the tumbler die a "must have" die for those that want to do serious stash busting.  This die is an easy to use die to make fun quilts in a fast manner.  While I've previously shared tips on using the tumbler die, to minimize scrap, as well as share insights on an easy way to do fussy cutting with your AccuQuilt, I have a few more tips to share. 

For me, the tumbler die is fast and doesn't require pinning.  But, if you have any problems piecingn accurately, I have a couple of steps to recommend for the tumbler pre-cuts:

1) place your fabric, print side facing up, to align your tumbler cuts.(do your best to align corners)
2) place two tumblers print sides facing together, aligning the tops of both pieces

3) pivot one piece, to align the angle of the tumbler. (keep the corners aligned)

4) sew your rows of tumblers together, then sew the rows together.

In step #3 you may want to place a pin in the corner, approximately 1/4" in the center.  As you do this, you'll soon build expertise to where you do not need to use the pin and eventually, you'll not need to pivot your fabric.  The step to pivot is really a good check on your alignment, to ensure your "row" will be even. 

This lap quilt was so easy and fast to make.  I also liked using the black Halloween prints as the first border for this quilt.  To minimize scrap, I cut the tumbler pieces I wanted to use in the border in half (top to bottom) for the sides and half (middle cut) for the top and bottom of the quilt.  Then, I cut tumbler pieces in quarters for the corner portions of the border.

I need to square up and this week I'll add another border to this quilt.  I hope you'll come back to see what I do with this border.  It is a new technique for me, but I think it will really make this quilt even more special.

Did I mention this post is part of a blog hop?  The line up for this blog hop is:
Monday, September 26th

• Darlene (SewCalGal)

Tuesday, September 27th

• Terrie (Bits & Pieces) 
• Sharon (Craizee Corners).  Sharon also has a related giveaway.

Wednesday, September 28th

• Katrina (Sunshower Quilts)

Thursday, September 29th

• Connie (Quilting by the River)  
• Mary (the Tulip Patch)

Friday, September 30th

• Polly (Polly's Porch) www.auntpollysporch.blogspot.com

Did I mention a giveaway?  First, I want to clarify that this blog hop is not sponsored by AccuQuilt.  As much as I think this would be a great PR opportunity for them to sponsor, and it would be fun to have a giveaway for an AccuQuilt product, you'll find a few of the blogs in this blog hop will have a giveaway that they are being generous to give on their own.  But, all the participants are sharing wonderful tips, tutorials and inspirations in this blog hop, all with a Fall theme, so I hope you'll visit all the stops in this hop.  Plus, they are all wonderful quilters and have delightful blogs.

As, the fabric in my stash has a breeding problem, I am offering a giveway in this blog hop.  The prize is Halloween fabric pre-cut using the AccuQuilt tumbler die to make a lapsize quilt.  Fabrics will be similar to the quilt shown in this post.  If you are interested in winning these pre-cuts simply leave a comment on this post to let me know you'd like to win the pre-cuts.

For those that like extra ways to win, here are some ways you can get extra entries:
1) Be a follower of SewCalGal,
2) Be a member of the Quilters with Tools,
3) Be a blogger that is participating in the lineup of this blog hop,
4) Follow all of the blogs participating in this blog hop {leave one comment on this blog showing you qualify for this extra entry}.

On October lst, SewCalGal will randomly draw a winner and announce on this post, as well as a new post.

This Fall Theme AccuQuilt blog hop is all about fun.  SewCalGal hopes you have fun visiting all the blogs participating in this blog hop and be inspired.

Guess the Designer Challenge Part 1 & Part 2

How good are you at recognizing designer patterns, styles, fabrics, and works by famous people, etc? If you have been a follower of my blog, for awhile, you probably know I've been trying to build my skills in being able to recognize designers by their work (and ultimately the work of their students).

In part one of these Guess the Designer Challenge posts, I share photos of projects made by the designer that I'm showcasing in this challenge.  Your challenge is to see if you can look at the collection of photos I share and correctly guess who the designer is.

The first person to correctly guess the designer will be recognized in part two of this post, as well as be recognized on Designer Challenge Page of my blog.

{above: Clue #1 shared at 11:30am}

{above: Clue #2 shared 12:30pm}

This post will be updated (aka Part 2), once someone has correctly guessed who the designer is. If, no one correctly guesses the designer, within a reasonable time, I will add more clues, with the goal of closing this challenge within 24 hours of this post.

PART II 

Who Guessed it: Sallie (Quilters, Books and Binding and Sallie's Sampler)

Who is this designer:  Susan Brubaker Knapp (Blue Moon River)

Many may know this designer by way of her books:

Point, Click Quilt

applique' petal party

Susan has created two DVDs, published by Quilting Arts:

Here is a little youtube video clip of Susan sharing insights on free-motion quilting, compliments of QuiltingArts.


Susan also has many wonderful patterns, including the cute Black Cat Pillow and her Candy Corn quilt patterns, both shown in part 1 of this post.

Susan Brubaker Knapp is a fiber artist, quilt pattern designer and teacher.  She has a variety of presentations and workshops that she travels all over the world to give. You can find her current schedule on her website, along with information on how to schedule her for your quilt guild, to teach at a quilt show, or find out where you might be able to attend one of her presentations and/or workshops.



http://www.bluemoonriver.com/

http://wwwbluemoonriver.blogspot.com/

https://www.facebook.com/SusanBrubakerKnapp?ref=ts

My Favorite Tutorials - Hunter Star

SewCalGal maintains a list of quilters that use Modern Quilting Tools, that you can use to find a variety of tips, tutorials and inspiration.  Simply click on the page labeled "Quilter with Tools"  and click on the link for any of the blogs listed, with tools that you are interested in.  When you visit the blog type in the name of the tool  you are interested in to see their insights on that tools.  For example,

Click on "All Things Crafty" and in the search box type in "AccuQuilt" to see a list of posts on AccuQuilt products. 

Trish, of All Things Crafty,  has many wonderful posts, but I'm particularly excited about the Hunters Star tutorial that she recently shared.  It definitely is one of my favorite tutorials and I wanted to tell you about it.  It is actually a two part tutorial with  part one sharing insights on cutting, block assembly and basic quilt assembly.  Part two  shares insights on how to assemble the borders. 

Yeap, Trish's tutorial for this beautiful Hunter's Star definitely goes into my list of favorites.  I'm looking forward to making a quilt using her tutorial too.  I do hope you'll go over and visit Trish at All Things Crafty, and definitely check out this tutorial.

Sew Biz - Help your favorite Quilt business - write a Yelp Review

Good word of mouth is one of the best PR opportunities for a quilt shop, designer, author, teacher, etc. 

Those in the business appreciate quilting, sewing and embroidery enthusiasts that take time to pass on positive feedback, and enthusiasts also appreciate hearing when a product (or business) isn't worth purchasing. 

And, quilters also appreciate hearing insights on which businesses they should support (vs not support).

YELP.com is a tool that allows you to write a review on a variety of businesses.  SewCalGal would like to encourage you to take advantage of this tool to write reviews about your local quilt shops,  or others in the business that you'd like to provide feedback on. 

Yelp is very easy to use.  For new users, you simply click the "Sign up" button to create a free account.  Once you have a Yelp account, you simply click on the "Write a Review" button.  Use the search feature to find the business you'd like to write the review.

Yelp is also a growing tool for quilters to use to find good quilt shops.  You can simply type in the name of the city you want to find a quilt business in and it will show you all the nearby quilt businesses.

You can easily click and see information on various quilt businesses, including reviews written by other quilters.  You may even find one of your favorite quilt shops that doesn't yet have a review and you may want to add your review.

To write a review, you do need to create a free Yelp account. Once you have an account, you'd simply click on the button "write a review" to share your feedback for other quilters to see.  Again, SewCalGal highly encourages everyone to take time to share feedback on quilt businesses that you have experience shopping with.
I hope more quilters will take time to embrace this tool to help give PR for those in the business.  While not perfect, it is a handy tool to give PR to those in the business, as well as help fellow quilting, sewing & embroidery enthusiasts who may be looking to do business with a business they may not be familiar with.

www.yelp.com

Coming Soon: Fall Theme AccuQuilt Blog Hop

Just want to let you know that several quilters with Modern Quilting Tools are hosting a Fall Theme AccuQuilt Blog Hop the week of September 26th.

We will be celebrating the arrival of Fall, sare some tips, tutorials and inspiration with you on how we use our AccuQuilt products, and they will be a few giveaways in this blog hop too.  But most importantly, we want you to come join our blog hop and have fun. 

Here is our schedule:

Monday, September 26th

• Darlene (SewCalGal) - www.sewcalgal.blogspot.com

Tuesday, September 27th

• Terrie (Bits & Pieces) www.terriesandelin.blogspot.com 
• Sharon (Craizee Corners) www.craizeecorner.blogspot.com

Wednesday, September 28th

• Katrina (Sunshower Quilts) www.sunshowerquilts.blogspot.com

Thursday, September 29th

• Connie (Quilting by the River) www.conniekresin.blogspot.com
• Mary (the Tulip Patch) http://www.tulip-patch.blogspot.com/

Friday, September 30th

• Polly (Polly's Porch) www.auntpollysporch.blogspot.com



Layer 'em Up 2: Basically Boxes

Layer 'em Up 2: Basically Boxes, by Sharyn Craig, published by Cozy Quilt Designs is the second in a series of books by Sharyn Craig.  This quilt book is an excellent book for quilters of all levels that want to create fast & fun quilts.

Designs are based on a fun approach to piecing that is very forgiving.  The tecniques work well for scrappy quilts, planned color & print quilts, art quilts and more. 

Insights are shared to help with fabric selection, about pre-washing vs not-pre-washing, and more.

Instructions are provided with good visuals for basic construction of blocks, squaring up, sewing the quilt top and adding borders.

There are a number of beautiful photos for the quilt designs, using a variety of color waves and prints.  Each of the primary block designs come with cutting instructions that work with a number of sizes (eg. 3", 6", 7", or 8" finished block).

There are four primary block designs (e.g. Band box, Around the Box, Field of Box, and Condo Box) that are perfect for scrappy or controlled quilts.  You get to make the choice.  These designs are also perfect for yousing a Layer Cake, or other 10" square packets.

Insight are also included to help you layout your blocks using a straight set vs diagonal set.

I hope you'll get a chance to check out this fun quilting book at your local quilt shop, or at Cozy Quilt Designs online store.


Cozy Quilt Designs
2940 Jamacha Road, Suite H
El Cajon, CA  92019
619-670-1516
www.CozyQuilt.com

Rumor or Fact - {insert name} Quilt Show is Closing

I've been amazed how many times I've heard rumors that one quilt show, or another, was closing.  I suspect you've also heard such rumors on a variety of shows too.  You could probably insert the name of any quilt show to the rumor "{insert name} quilt show is closing! 

It is a fact that Quilt shows are expensive to manage.  And many shows are dependant on getting volunteers, which are often in short supply.  Thus, the reality of of quilt shows is that they are all at risk of closing, if they are not supported by the quilting community (e.g. quilters and quilt businesses).

We may have our favorite quilt shows, but I think most of us enjoy having a variety of quilt shows throughout the year.  Quilt shows offer us the ability to admire quilts, shop with a larger selection of vendors, take workshops, and have a good time.  They also offer quilters the ability to enter their quilts to be able to give back, and to open the door for contructive feedback to help them improve their skills.  Thus, I do want to encourage everyone to embrace the importance of big quilt shows and community quilt shows, as well as supporting all quilt shows, if we want to continue to have shows that add value and inspire quilters of a variety of levels and interests.

Recently, I heard rumors from a variety of people that the San Diego Quilt Show (SDQS) was not going to be held in the future.    I did a bit of investigation and wanted to share my findings with you.  For those that do not live in Southern California, I hope you will read this and it will inspire you to volunteer with your local quilt shows.

Kimberley Graf has been the President of the SDQS for many years,off an on, while holding a variety of board positions, where she has continually been active with show for all of its' 30 years.  She has decided to retire from her involvement with the SDQS,  and the board for this show will be looking for a new President.  To clarify,  the SDQS will continue and definitely has plans in place for the 2012 show at the San Diego Convention Center.

I'd like to take this opportunity to say thank you to Kimberley for all her contributions in helping with the SDQS over the years. SewCalGal wishes Kimberley the very best in her future endeavors, where hopefully she'll continue to make her beautiful quilts and enter them in the San Diego Quilt Show, and other shows too!

Like many quilt shows, the SDQS is a community based quilt show that needs support of the entire community.  Volunteers are needed to join the board to help plan and organize the annual show.  Volunteers are also needed to help with various activities and to accomplish this, local Quilt Guilds and Quilt businesses need to show their support by asking their members and customers to volunteer, as well as encourage everyone to enter beautiful quilts. 

Elections for the SDQS board are in January, and the slate of nominations for the Board of Directors, according to the SDQS By-Laws, needs to be announced at their October meeting.  This group meets the 4th Wednesday of the month in the classroom at Rosie's Calico Cupboard,  7151 El Cajon Blvd, San Diego, CA 92115.  These meetings start at 6:30pm.

If you are passionate about helping with the SDQS and making it better and better, each year, please consider becoming a member of the SDQS committee.  You can make a difference.  Call 619-443-2706, or email sdqs2002@hotmail.com for more information.

http://www.sandiegoquiltshow.com

If you haven't already, I hope when you have the opportunity, you'll volunteer to help with a local quilt show. And, if you live in Southern California, I hope you'll consider volunteering to help with the San Diego Quilt Show. They have a 30 year track record of holding wonderful quilt shows, where participants have gone on to win awards at National Quilt Shows, as well as teach world-wide.

Lastly, if you attended the 2011 SDQS I hope you will take a few minutes to complete this survey. All information provided is confidential, and will be shared with the SDQS Committee for consideration to help plan future shows. Thank you!

Click here to go directly to the survey OR fill out the form below:

. Remember, Quilt Shows won't happen without your support!

Fast and Free! Volume 0.5 Free Motion Quilting with Patsy Thompson

Patsy Thompson is one of the first free-motion quilting teachers and authors that I began "stalking".  I was introduced to her by Kelly Jackson, of I Have a Notion, who recommended Patsy's free-motion quilting (FMQ) DVDs to me.  As I had been doing some level of FMQ on my own, I jumped in with one of Patsy's DVDs on FMQ Feathers, which she is famous for.  I learned a lot from that first DVD and have continued to learn with everyone of Patsy's DVDs that I have in my DVD library.

As I began to wonder if I had missed a step, by not starting with Patsy's  Volume 0.5 DVD, I decided that I really should check it out. And, of course, I wanted to share insights with you!

Fast and Free! The Beginner's Guide to Fast & Easty Free-Motion Machine Quilting! Volume 0.5, by Patsy Thompson is an excellent DVD for those interested in learning FMQ.  It is also a good DVD for seasoned free-motion machine quilters who may be looking for some new design ideas for stitching quilting motifs, using Patsy's techniques and not having to pre-mark your quilt.

This DVD starts off with discussing the basics of free motion quilting, sharing insights on supplies, machine tension, sandwiching your quilt, etc..

Insights are also shared on various families of FMQ designs from Loop d Loop, Lines & Angles, and many others, where each family has a number of fun and easy to use designs.

Overall, there are 18 different quilting designs covered in this video, plus lots of inspiration and insights for additional spin-off designs.  With each design, Patsy shows you a how to create it, step-by-step.

The DVD ends with a detailed lesson in how to convert your closed toe free motion quilting foot to an open toe foot, which is a very helpful tip.

Designs shared in this video are suitable for traditional quilts, contemporary quilts, and art quilts.

 
Skill level is for a Beginner quilter, but intermediate & advanced FMQ quilters may also benefit from this DVD, particularly if they are interested in learning more FMQ designs. 

In checking Patsy's website, I noticed that "Fast and Free! Volume 1" is no longer available, but that "Fast and Free! Volume 0.5" covers the same material as in Volume 1, in an updated style. 

Patsy also has a short video introduction to Fast and Free! Volume 0.5 on her site. I hope you get a chance to watch that video, as well as other free videos that she has on her site as well as those on  youtube.  I think if you are interested in learning FMQ, or improving your FMQ skills, you'll definitely enjoy this DVD, by Patsy, as well as her other DVDs too.  I know I am!

And don't forget that Patsy also has a collection of free designs that you can download from her site.  These are also well organized to correspond with her various DVDs, making these download excellent companion tools for her DVDs too.

Patsy also shared with me that there is a different learning style for "lefties" vs "righties" and that some free-motion quilting designs are easier for lefties to learn to stitch out when they see a design that has been printed in a mirror-image format.   While Patsy has added various FMQ designs in mirror image format, to her website, I also want to heighten awareness that many printers will allow us to print on demand using a mirror image feature.  For my HP printer, I simply click on Print, printer, Properties and click on the "Advanced" tab. The default is for the mirror image feature to be set in the "off" position, but if I want to print a FMQ design, letters, or anything else in mirror image format, I simply click on the mirror image option in the advanced printer options tab and print with mirror image option enabled. 

I'm confident you'll be amazed how much you can learn thru Patsy's DVDs.  SewCalGal definitely recommends them to anyone wanting to learn FMQ or improve their FMQ skills.

 

http://www.patsythompsondesigns.com/

Winners, Winners, Winners and More Opportunities

While I enjoy researching and sharing insights for quilting, sewing and embroidery enthusiasts, I also enjoy telling people they won a prize.  And, as I don't have the ability to tell everyone that they've won a prize, I also enjoy sharing insights on how you could win various giveaways and contests.

First, I want to say thank you to Kari M. Carr for asking SewCalGal to participate in her recent blog hop to celebrate the release of her new book "Just around the Corner: Quilts with Easy Mitered Borders",  published by Martingale & Company, home of That Patch Work Place.  This is an excellent quilt book  that features innovative methods for mitering corners that make spectacular borders that can make any quilt amazing.  It is definitely a "must have" quilting book.

In this recent blog hop, Kari sponsored every participating blog with a giveaway of a copy of her new book and her famous and very cool "Clearly Perfect Angle" tool.

You can read about all the lucky winners on Kari's blog, but I'm happy to announce that Cheryl Greenleaf is the lucky winner that was randomly selected for the giveaway at SewCalGal's stop in this blog hop.  Congratulations to Cheryl!

Remember you can check out "Just Around the Corner" at your local quilt store or at Martingale & Company's online store.  You can also check out this book at Kari's online store, New Leaf Stitches, where you can also find her Clearly Perfect Angles tool too!

The winner of SewCalGal's recent giveaway sponsored by The Electric Quilt Company, to celebrate the introduction of their new store MyEQBoutique.com, where you get free software that you can use with patterns from this site (and you need not own EQ6/EQ7).  The winner of this giveaway is Jo (Warm Fuzzies).  Congratulations to Jo!

The last chance giveaway for the Pets on Quilts Show randomly selected three winners of three unclaimed prizes from the Pets on Quilts Show.  Congratulations to MJ, Caren Kristine (As the Thread Breaks), Brita (Scraps of Happiness).

My apologies to some of the recent prize winners of the Pets on Quilts Show as I was late on notifying some sponsors of their respective winners.  But all sponsors have now been notified and all winners should receive their prizes very soon (definitely in September).

"Pick Four: Easy Fabric Choices for Great Quilts", by Sue Abrey, published by Martingale & Company, Home of That Patchwork Place, is a wonderful new quilt book that I was able to share insights on during a recent blog hop and giveaway.

 Congratulations to Pamela Nees (Stitches on my Lap) as she is the lucky winner of a signed copy of "Pick Four", by Sue Abrey.

Whew, lots of winners!  Are you interested in finding out about more giveaways & contests where you could win some great prizes?  Simply go check out the page on my blog labeled "giveaways".  I updated it a couple of times each week, and definitely research and try to have updated every Monday.