> ~ Insights by SewCalGal ~

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Christmas Quilt Show Entry by Kathy Harris

This entry to the Christmas Quilt Show comes from Kathy Harris, a non-blogger that has submitted her entry to SewCalGal via email. 

Kathy shares that the pattern for this beautiful quilt is called "Stardust".  She also shared that a group of her friends got together and cut up their Christmas fabrics, where each made their own Stardust quilt.  

Here is a link to view all of the quilts in the 2010 Christmas Quilt Show.



note from SewCalGal to those entering this Quilt Show.  Several comments are from those that have no reply settings.  If in doubt, about your settings, please go check this post and take time to verify your settings will allow me to contact you if you win.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Christmas Quilt Show Entry by Lynn Wingard

This entry to the Christmas Quilt Show comes from Lynn Wingard, a non-blogger that has submitted her entry to SewCalGal via email.

Lynn shares that this  table runner was a project by the Not A Guild (NAG) group at Cozy Quilt Shop quite a few years ago but only finished this year.   It was designed and presented by Andie Stevehson.   It is machine pieced and hand quilted and will grace my dining room table during Christmas season.


Here is a link to view all of the quilts in the 2010 Christmas Quilt Show.
note from SewCalGal to those entering this Quilt Show. Several comments are from those that have no reply settings. If in doubt, about your settings, please go check this post and take time to verify your settings will allow me to contact you if you win.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Christmas Quilt Show 2010



















Welcome to the 2010 Christmas Quilt Show!  I hope that those that are sharing their quilts and all the viewers have fun.  Entries for this show are accepted thru November 21st.  Rules, along with insights on sponsors and prizes are listed at the bottom of this post.  If you are interested in entering a quilt and/or winning a prize, please take time to read this information first.  And, feel free to email me if you have any questions.



SUBMISSION PROCESS

Bloggers will be able to to enter this show by posting their entry on their blog, via a post dated November 14th-21st, and linking their post to the respective mcklinky at the top of this post.  One blog post per blogger, where you can include photos and insights on one or more of your Christmas quilts.  SewCalGal also appreciates if in your blog post, you share insights that you are entering your quilt(s) in the Christmas Quilt Show and include a link back to this post, hopefully encouraging everyone to also have fun viewing all the quilts in this show, in addition to yours. 

Non-Bloggers enter their quilts via email, with steps where SewCalGal manually creates a post for each of these entries.  Due to this being a manual step, a deadline was previously announced and has now passed.  But, I'm willing to open up this opportunity for a maximum of 10 more entries, if received by November 20th.  Thus, if you are a non-blogger and want to  be able to enter this show you can email SewCalGal photo of your entry, with brief description. 

While this is a Christmas Quilt show, entries are accepted if they are a quilt of any size (includes skinny quilts, aka table runners), have a Christmas or Hanakuh theme, and are quilts or fibre arts.  Entries are also accepted for quilt designs, with approved themes, that are designed in EQ6/EQ7.  For quilt design entries, SewCalGal does ask that bloggers post on their blog, as stated above, and also email their EQ6/EQ7 design.

RULES  (you can do one or more of any of these to enter to win a prize.  To clarify, you do not need to enter a quilt to be able to enter to win a prize. But it certainly will be more fun if you enter a quilt in the show).

1) Enter a quilt(s) in this show and you'll be entered to win a prize.  To clarify, one post/link per blogger/person, but you can include more than one quilt in your entry, as long as it meets the theme of the show (e.g. Christmas or Hanakuh).

2) Leave a comment on this post and you get an entry (or, for some, an extra entry).

3) Post the badge for this event and you'll be eligible for one entry. {SewCalGal appreciates PR helpers}.

4) Blog about this event and you'll be eligible for one entry. To clarify, this is an option to get an extra entry for those that helped with PR prior to the start of the show and helped to blog about this event, or if you do not have a quilt to enter and want to blog about it to help with PR.  But it isn't a way for getting an extra point if you enter in the show this week and also create an extra PR post this week.  

5) Visit all the quilt entries in this show, as submitted between Nov 14-21, leave a comment on the participating site's entry,  and you'll be eligible for an additional entry.  Just come back and leave a comment on this post, lettting me know you've viewed all the quilts entered in this show, before noon on the 22nd and you'll get an extra entry.

6) SewCalGal followers get an extra entry.

7) If you "have been" part of QuiltSue's (Quilt Times) Christmas Quilt-along in 2010, you get an extra entry.

As I'll be using a random number generator to select winners, and each comment has a number, please enter a separate comment for each entry you qualify for.  Thank you!

Prizes will be awarded to a blend of those that enter the show vs viewers vs PR helpers, etc. all randomly select at the end of the show. Drawing for prizes will be completed late on the 22nd or early on the 23rd and announced via a post on this blog, no later than the 23rd.  An email will also be sent to each of the winners, where they will have 4 days to respond via email to claim their prize, otherwise another winner will be selected.  IF you have a preference for a particular prize, you may want to include the # of the prize (or your favorite 3 prizes) in your comment(s).  I can't guarantee, but I'll try to do the best I can to match prizes to winners' interest.

No reply bloggers/no reply comments will not be accepted, unless they contain an email address for how to be contacted.

SPONSORS AND PRIZES:





Is donating a beautiful handmade 6" Walnut burl Bear Paws.  Or,  the winner can visit their online store and select a different 6" design.  Definitely go check out their store as they have so many beautiful designs for their high quality handcrafted wooden boxes, made in the USA. (Prize #1)















New Leaf Stitches










New Leaf Stitches is donating three sets of their Clearly Perfect Angles, a great product that clings to your sewing machine to help align fabric for sewing perfect angles.  Three different winners will each be receiving their own Clearly Perfect Angles template. (Prize #2, #3, & #4)






















Fat Quarter Shop





The Fat Quarter Shop is donating a beautiful  Lumiere de Noel Moda Quilt Kit.  This kit contains fabric to make a 78" x 86" quilt top and binding (batting and backing not included). (Prize #5)


Two Wacky Women













Two Wacky Women are donating a package of 20 beautiful fat quarters by Wyndham Fabrics. (Prize #6)


Elisa's Backporch Design










Elisa's BackPorch Designs has many wonderful designs, books and templates.  Elisa is donating two of her spectacular patterns:

 Leaf What May pattern will go to one luck winner (Prize #7), and

The spectacular  Stargazer pattern (Prize #8)will go to another lucky winner.

Udderly Smooth Udder Cream
























Udderly Smooth is donating a collection of their wonderful Udder Cream to one lucky winner (est. Value $25).(Prize #9)

Angie's Bits 'n Pieces

Angie Padilla is a talented designer, teacher, and author.  Angie is donating three copies of some of her beautiful holiday designs, for three lucky winners.  Each winner will be able to select the format of the pattern (e.g. PDF or EQ6) to be received electronically.

Her beautiful Angel Hearts finishes 28"x43". (Prize #10)



Festive Placemats allows you to create beautiful holiday placemats, with six different designs. (Prize #11)


And her whimsical Gingerbread House pattern finishes 29". (Prize #12)

FabricWorm











FabricWorm is donating an Anna Maria Horner Horner Innocent Crush (in Quilt Weight) Fat Quarter Bundle of the complete collection, 22 Fat Quarters in total.   (Prize #13)


Martingale & Company, home of That Patchwork Place


Two beautiful 2011 Calendars have been donated:


That Patchwork Place  Quilt Calendar 2011 is a lovely 12"x12" calendar (Prize #14), with a dozen spectacular quilts. It will go home with one lucky winner.  And,


2011 Calendar Award-Winning Quilts Featuring Quilts from the International Quilt Association (Prize #15)is also a spectacular calendar, full of inspirational quilts. This calendar will go home with another lucky winner.  Plus,



a copy of "Candy Cane Lane: Quilts & More to Sweeten the Holidays," by Melinda Bula, will go home with another winner. (Prize #16)

Electric Quilt Company









An inspirational book for any quilter.






















a copy of "Blending Photos with Fabric 2", by Mary Ellen Kranz, for one lucky winner (Prize #17).  And,



















a copy of Judy Martin's STARS & SETS software, will go home with another lucky winner. (Prize #18)

Creations....Quilts, Art, Whatever by Nina-Marie Sayre 



Nina-Marie Sayre is a very talented quilter, fibre-artists and fellow blogger.  I hope you will take time to visit her delightful blog.  I've enjoyed following Nina-Marie and am always inspired by her quilting insights and more.  Nina-Marie is donating a quilt store quality Christmas fabrics, a cheater panel in the same theme, and a Christmas ornament.  (Prize #19)


Mrs. Moen Patterns
Nina Lise, a very talented quilter, fibre-artist, designer, teacher and fellow blogger, who happens to live in Norway.  I do enjoy following Nina Lise's blog very much, as she always inspires me and provides so many great tips.  Nina Lise was also a generous sponsor of the 2009 Christmas Quilt Show, and I am very happy that she volunteered, earlier this year to be a sponsor again. 

Two lucky winners will be able to select a Mrs. Moens Pattern that will be sent to them electronically in PDF format.  This is a wonderful prize, as Nina Lise has so many wonderful patterns to choose from.  I hope everyone will take time to check out her blog and also her blog with all her patterns. (Prize #20 and #21)

SewCalGal



Four bundles of fat quarters, each in various shades of blues, purples, greens and pinks  will go home with one winner.(Prize #22)



A bundle of 11 hand died fat quarters will go home with another lucky winner.(Prize #23)


I hope you have fun at the 2010 Christmas Quilt Show.  And, please remember that quilts can be entered in this show anytime thru the 21st. So, check back to view quilts that come in at different times. 


If you want to view more Christmas Quilts, you may want to check out the 2009 Virtual Christmas Quilt Show. 

My Favorite Tutorials: Fabric Postcards

http://quilteddelights.blogspot.com/2010/11/as-requested-here-is-my-version-of.html

Are you a No Reply Blogger/Leave no reply comments?

As the Christmas Quilt Show is just around the corner, and there are loads of prizes, I wanted to heighten awareness that no-reply bloggers (those that leave comments with no way to be contacted) are disqualified to win prizes in this contest, and typically they are disqualified to win prizes in the majority of contests in blogland.  Why?  Because it is very difficult, if not impossible for a blogger to contact someone that has left a comment with settings that in a no-reply status.

Easy workarounds are to leave your email address embedded in your comment, but actually it is easier to verify your default settings have been updated.

If you have a blogger account, to check your settings:
a) go to https://www.google.com/accounts/ManageAccount
b) click on Blogger Settings
c) be sure the box for "Show my email address" is checked.
d) click Save Profile
 
If you have a Typepad account, or a non-Blogger/non-google account, I haven't found a way for your settings to allow your email address to be captured when you leave a comment on a blogspot blog.  And this goes in reverse for blogspot bloggers that leave comments on Typepad or other non-blogger accounts. Thus, I recommend when you leave a comment on such blogs you remember to leave your email address within your comment.
 
More tips on these settings, and how to win at giveaways, are available on my page labeled "giveaways and contests" where I also try to share insights on various giveaways and contests.  Just scroll down the page and you'll see various tips.
 
In a recent giveaway on my blog, as part of the Fall into Fall giveaway, sadly there were many that visited my blog and entered my giveaway.  But as they had no reply settings I couldn't contact them, if they were to win a prize, thus they were disqualified.  Here are some examples: 



Don't be a no-reply blogger/leave no reply comments in the upcoming Christmas Quilt Show.  If you take time to visit my blog and enter a giveaway I'd like you to have a chance at winning.  If you are not sure if your settings are correct, please check them.  If you wish to use this post as a test, feel free to leave a comment and mark "test" in your comment. If you do not hear back from me by November 15th (or within 48 hours of your comment), it is very likely your settings are not correct.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Fusi-Boo

I've been researching Bamboo battings and wanted to share some of my insights.

Did you know that Bamboo can grow 47 inches in 24 hours and 78½ feet high in 40 to 50 days and it absorbs 2/3 more carbon dioxide and releases 2/3 more oxygen than any other plant on earth? 

While I knew Bamboo is naturally anti-bacterial, I didn't realize that Bamboo is the fastest growing timber plant on earth and requires no fertilizers to grow.  Bamboo also regenerates (cut one stalk and two will grow in its place) with a short harvesting cycle.  For more insights on Bamboo:  http://tinyurl.com/yjzltxh














Fairfield has recently introduced a new line of Bamboo batting, called Fusi-Boo!  It is the first fusible batting made with a special blend of natural cotton and rayon fibers made from bamboo. Fusi-Boo has the benefits of Nature-Fil Bamboo batting with a non-toxic, water soluble fusible resin.  The benefit is that there is no need to baste your quilt, plus you get the knowledge that your batting is safe for the environment.

I've just been able to evaluate "little" samples of this batting.  It is very lightweight and scrunches with a nice feel.  I'm hoping to be able to quilt a laptop charity quilt with this batting soon, and I'll share more insights after I've been able to actually quilt with this batting, as well as wash a quilt with it.  Ultimately, I'm trying to assess all the different Bamboo battings on the market to understand the differences, as well as how Bamboo battings compare to more traditional battings.  But I certainly do like the thought that Bamboo battings are "green" friendly!

If you have any experience with Bamboo battings, I'd love to hear from you.  Feel free to add comments below, or email me.