Freefall Finish

This seems rather anti-climactic since you've seen the flimsy and a lot of the components on both the 'paperless' paper-piecing post (how's THAT for alliteration, unintended to boot?!) and the Cutting post, and then as featured on Paintbrush Studio Fabric's blog, and beyond, eeek, like Aurifil and Pinterest omg...but all that aside, presenting Freefall!

This was one of my Q1 FAL goals, and I'm so happy that I can check it off as done!  My list is here.

This is the wallhanging size of the big quilt I made, Windfall, which was done with Paintbrush Studio Fabrics as well, in the Windfall line.  I don't think I could pick my favourite as I adore both of these lines so much.  We are doing the wallhanging as a quilt along, and it is not too late to join in if you haven't heard about it or have been sitting on the fence!  Steps are coming out bi-weekly, quite do-able IMHO. Click the Freefall Quilt Along tab at the top and you will see what's what so far.

Freefall Link Up #1

Well, that's really good isn't it?  First Quilt Along, and what does she do? Forgets to do the first link up post and schedule it!  Oops...😖😧

I do have a pretty good excuse.  Really.  I was on the road (still am).  Perhaps gabbing my head off with the likes of Tish and/or Julie when I should've been writing.  Forgive me?

I also have no cutting of the quilt I plan to make along with you because the fabric is buried somewhere in a tote in the SUV.😬  In the meantime, here is what I had at this point for Freefall:

Migrating Geese

RSC2017 Red Update
I got the red row of my migrating geese quilt done, once again, mostly as a leader/ender project.

Rather fitting that I madly finished the row on departure day minus 1, spending a last quiet hour in the morning busily sewing the last few triangles and unpacking the red and cream scrap baggies to make one of the three 150 Canadian Women blocks for that week.  Rather fitting as well is that it was for the woman who was instrumental in introducing Home Economics, aka Domestic Science, courses for girls in public schools.

Sunday Stretch for Sewists #17 - Dragonfly Variations

First please accept my apologies if I don't respond in a timely manner to your comments on my last post...eeep! where I was published in Modern by the Yard.  We are on the road for a few days here, heading back home so I have limited access to wifi.

Last month we did Dragonfly. At the end of the post I said I'd give some variations on it for this month, variations that feel SO GOOD after hours in a car, ha, or at your machine.

Dragonfly Variations

Sit as we did before, resting your sit bones on a quilt to elevate your hips and help tilt your pelvis forward.  Check this post for more detail.  Rmember you do not have to have your legs straight; you can bend your knees as much as you need to.

Variation #1 Upright twist

A twist is one of the best favours you can do for your spine.  Twists release tension.  Orient your body over your right leg, inhaling as you twist.  Place one hand on either side of your thigh, and turn your head, looking over your right shoulder. You can make this an eye exercise by looking as far as you can out of the corner of your eye.  Then let your eyes fall softly shut and relax into the twist; don't pull; find the 'yin-side' (get it?!) of the twist.

Remember we are concentrating on working our connective tissues, not the muscles, so feel and enjoy that tug.  Where is it? How does it differ along the length of your spine?  the sides of your waist? your hips?  Breathe in.  Breathe out.  Hold here for 1.5 - 2 minutes.

Inhale as you unwind coming back to centre.  Exhale.  Inhale as you twist now to the left.

You can keep your hands on either side of your thigh or you might like to wrap your right arm behind your waist as you twist to the right, placing your left hand on the outer edge of your thigh.  This is taking the twist a bit deeper; as long as you aren't using muscles to pull or push yourself further into a twist, then you might like this.

Variation #2 Side bend

Once again inhale, first of all lengthening along both sides of your spine.  Then start to bend to the right, feeling how the connective tissues are getting a lovely stretch all along your left side.  Think of bringing your ear to your shoulder, and notice how this brings a great stretch along the side of your neck.  You can wrap your left arm behind your waist.  Your right arm rests just inside your right leg, either on the floor or on a block.

Alternatively, you may like to rest your left arm on the side of your head, as shown below.  This gets nicely into the triceps and underarm, and is very good for the lymph nodes.

Remember your breath, counting to 3 or 4, even inhales and exhales.  Relax as you exhale, not forcing your arms lower, just letting gravity have you.

Come up on an inhale.  Exhale.  Take another inhale and exhale in the centre if you need to, noting the sensations.  Then repeat on the left side.

Variation #3 Chest Expander
A final incredible stretch for the shoulders and arms, and probably a favourite of mine, is chest expander.  You can do it standing upright, lifting your arms away from your spine, but I like to add the forward bend with my legs apart.

I had a coach during these photos!

Clasp your fingers behind your sacrum (low back) and lift your arms up and away from your spine.  If you are doing it as I am here, then gravity does pull in a most delicious way on your arms.  As Kino MacGregor says, "Don't fight with your body."  I like to say let gravity do the work.  You just need to breathe.  This one isn't a Yin pose but it sure is a good 'un!  Hold here for 5-10 breaths, and come up slowly on an inhale.  I love this stretch; I have been known to do this upon getting out of a vehicle after a several-hour stint of travelling, much to the embarrassment of my family...😂

Travelling...here's a shot I put on Instagram.  You know I have a thing, a profound thing, for trees, and I love quilts in trees.  Well, as MacGyver said, "We drove an extra 80 miles for a freaking tree..." with a wink at me, and yep we did.  Not just any tree.  This tree.

This is the Angel Oak Tree on Johns Island just outside of Charleston, South Carolina.  It is truly wonderful, awesome, breath-taking.  The things this tree has witnessed, sheltered, housed, the air it has cleaned over the centuries, give pause for reflection.  That it has withstood 400-500 years of weather, humans, pests, human pests, ha, war...it boggles the mind.  It was quite the zen moment to be able to see it and take in some of its majesty, wisdom and just 'being'.

A note about the DrEAMi! linky: it is the last Saturday of the month, which was yesterday, but since A) I am travelling and B) there are another 6 days left in the month, I will have the linky next Saturday, April 1.  If you are new here and wondering what the heck is a DrEAMi! then click here.

Coins of the Atocha

One of my goals for this year was to submit a quilt design to a magazine.  Well I did.  In fact, it was the first design I created for the #30quiltdesignschallenge2017 that I, along with Lisa of Sunlight in Winter Quilts, hosted on Instagram from Jan. 2 - March 15.  I submitted it to Modern By the Yard, Benartex's e-zine.  It was accepted!  Not only was it a 2017 goal; it also became a Q1 FAL goal.

I am so very happy that my first published pattern is in a 100% environmentally friendly e-zine! Not one tree was killed, YESSS! AND the magazine is free.  Just head over to Sew In Love With Fabric where you can click the link in the sidebar and view it on your computer, or download it and view it at your own pace.

So!  This quilt comes with a story.  Do any of my quilts ever not? 😉 Refill your coffee or tea, and read on.  This fabric is deserving of a little of your time...it is every bit as vibrant, if not more, than what you see above! And such a unique pattern.

It started with this January 2 design, my first, as I mentioned, in the design challenge, that I called "Plus Surrounded".

Lisa Ruble, the editor of the e-zine, really liked it and asked it I could make it a rectangular quilt, and send it to her by the second week of February.  A little over a month to make a quilt?  No problem.  Meanwhile, Lisa and I had already talked about a totally different project, my Freefall Quilt Along, which I was planning to start about the third week of January and have it end on the Spring Equinox.  I decided it might be prudent to move the QAL.  Thus was born the idea of starting the QAL on March 20.  You can see the first post with the fabric requirements for that entirely separate quilt project here.

Back to Coins of the Atocha!  Lisa recommended two different fabric lines, and I chose this one, Masterpiece Mixers by Kanvas Studio.

Don't you want to, oh, I don't know, bite into one or all of these?!

The drama started when a couple of weeks went by and my fabric had not arrived.  I contacted Lisa and she did some investigating...the warehouse somehow misplaced the order and it hadn't been filled.  Lisa was wonderful and said no problem, we can put it in the next issue.  But I was pumped!  Well, I said to Lisa, I work well under pressure, so yes, I believe I can still meet the deadline.  That photo above is of the fabric just after it arrived on February 1.  I had already written up instructions to make my design so I set to work.

More drama ensued when I felt that the blue I had chosen for one of the 'surrounds' around the plus wasn't quite right.  I was drawn more to the aquamarine I had chosen for the backing.

Left to right:  the two blocks together; a couple of original choice blue surround, pretty good; a couple of blocks with the aquamarine, better

Both blues would have been fine, but I felt the aquamarine kept pace with the fuchsia's and golden's intensity.  So I started cutting like a whirling dervish:

...all the while thinking, hmm, backing...plan B...think!

This pattern sews up like a dream, and in no time at all I had a flimsy:

Now to make a backing.  Did you notice the borders on the fabric?  Cool, right?!  However, I didn't incorporate the tassel-like borders on the fabrics within the blocks as that pattern was quite different than the bubbles pattern of the rest of the fabric.  Inspiration struck along with a long-held love of interesting quilt backs, and this happened:

Yes!!  Borders in the centre, borders on both long edges--love!  Test block with lighter blue incorporated as well, woo hoo!

And now for the quilting!  If you know me, you know how I love to free-motion quilt.  A LOT.  Time was of the essence, so I reined myself in and here are the two designs I quilted in the plus

It was at this point that my good friend Julie, at Pink Doxies, coined (lolol) the name of the quilt.  I must admit I had never heard of the Coins of the Atocha, so I had to look it up.  Fascinating stuff!  Go here to read about it!  Basically:  1622.  Spanish galleon loaded with treasure.  Hurricane in the Florida Keys.  Struck a reef.  Sunk.  Undiscovered until July 1985.  Well, I am in Florida for the winter, check.  These vibrant tropical colours abound.  Add the bubbles or round motifs in the fabric, the 1" diameter pebbles in the pluses, and yep!  That is the name of this quilt.

Bella loved the quilt--when does she not love a new or in-progress quilt?!

Ain't movin' Sandra, nope. You can drape, push that quilt on me and I'm staying put.  Right here.

And relatively soon, it was done quilting.

Grabbed it off the Bernina, trimmed edges, and threw it on the cement driveway in the setting sun's rays to catch the quilting.  I did a water ripples back and forth in the 'surround' part of the pluses.  Then I did X's through the white squares as I outlined the four 45-degree angles of the block edges.  It gives the quilt an almost on-point look.

Here are all the threads I used.  I love 'em all, as does my beloved Bernina.  I pieced it with the Gütermann 100% cotton, and quilted with Sulky rayons, Aurifil 100% cotton, Mettler 100% cotton.

Here is the finished quilt, which is named "On the Plus Side" in the magazine.  I love that it ahs three names, all great ones don't you think?

A shot of the quilting.  Not quite in a tree but against one, a palm tree, of course!

The back:

That was February 12, the day I mailed it.  I think that may be a record for me for making a quilt from start to finish!   The drama did not stop there.  I mailed the quilt up to Lisa in Michigan.  Tracking showed it to be delivered on the Wednesday.  No quilt showed up, and Lisa even met her post-lady at the mailbox.  Naturally, I freaked when she emailed me...About an hour later she emailed me back: her post-lady had returned; the package had fallen behind her seat so she hadn't seen it until later in her route!  HUGE sigh of relief, from Florida to Michigan.  This quilt definitely has that Spanish 'flair' for drama, si?!

To add to the under-the-gun drama of this quilt, I only found out that I had to write a post about it this morning.  On today of all days...we will be on the road somewhere in northern Florida by the time this post goes live.  Today was the day before departure when there is not a minute to spare.  However, we, meaning I, have been very organized this year, and so I am finishing this up right before heading to bed.  Hmm, a really organized quilter should have had it written up a month ago ready for when the magazine would be published....ah well, all good. 

I will add the usual Quilt Stats once I have ... ha...A. access to wifi and B.  some time!   Meanwhile I am going to be floating above the SUV as we drive, knowing that I have been published!

Just click the cover below to view or download your copy!

Hop on over to Sew In Love With Fabric and check out the other gorgeous projects!

Do remember two things:
First, Angela Walter's show, Midnight Quilter, is coming back in a few days! Check out her announcement here.  Second, while you're there, you may want to hop over to the Craftsy site (affiliate link) for a sweet sale on supplies this weekend! Have fun shopping -- I will, sniff, miss this one.

Linking Up with:
Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Busy Hands Quilts
TGIFF at The Carpenter's Daughter Who Quilts
Cut and Alter for Q1 FAL Link Up

Freefall Quilt Along - Step 1 - Cutting

Welcome to the first installment of our Freefall wallhanging QAL!  I am so pleased that you are here.  Happy Spring Equinox, First Day of Spring, if you are in the Northern Hemisphere, Happy Autumnal Equinox, First Day of Autumn, to those n the Southern Hemisphere.  Who knew quilting would have me using so much geography and math!

I am even more pleased to announce that I have got yet another prize for finished flimsies or quilts!  Lara of Buzzin' Bumble has offered a copy of her book Crafted Appliqué (that takes you to her book on Amazon; I'm not an affiliate, just a great book and technique to check out) to one lucky winner!

Freefall QAL - Fabric Requirements

In order for you to begin planning for the start of our Freefall quilt along on March 20, here are the quilt stats, photo of the flimsy, fabric tips and requirements.  This quilt could most likely be done entirely from your scraps and stash; you could even go super-scrappy with the background fabric as long as the fabrics all read one value, probably light if your leaf is a medium or a dark.  I would recommend keeping the shadow leaf all one fabric.

Quilt Stats:

Finished quilt: 38" square
Finished block:  7.5" 
Number of blocks: 25 total.  20 of these blocks are small leaves, 3 blocks make the big shadow leaf's point and there are 2 blocks that are plain.
*The quilt has no borders; you are welcome to add some if you like, but there is no yardage for this in the requirements.
Steps:  will be released bi-weekly with a full month allowed to quilt your top.

We will be making a wallhanging in Spring colours.  Of course, you may make yours in Fall colours if you wish and get a jump on Fall.  You could go totally modern and wild!  Maybe totally scrappy.  Patriotic for Canada's birthday!

Fun and poignant anecdote:  When I was planning out the dates for this QAL, I realized I should allow a full month for participants to finish up flimsies and hopefully quilt their quilts.  The final step will be given May 15, so that meant June 15 is the final reveal and parade of quilts.  June 15.  This is an auspicious day for me, because it was my dad's birthday.  He would have been 91.  Each year, he would flip ahead in our family calendar on the wall and write on the square for that date, "Birthday of a famous Canadian."  All us kids would love it, my mum giving a wry grin and eye roll with an, "Eee, I don't know."  Yet it made an impression on me. He was a very proud Canadian.  Birthdays were special days, happy days, a reason to celebrate.  So I feel he's had a hand in this, my first QAL  Thus, our parade of quilts will be held on the birthday of that famous Canadian. 😄

Fabric Tips

Think of this quilt as having three colour 'families': 

• the background (BG) fabric--mine is the mottled pink/yellow/turquoise
• the big shadow leaf fabric--mine is the green.
• the various leaf colours

The photo below shows how I laid out my fabrics.  I had 18 colours altogether; because there are 20 leaves, I cut two leaves out of two of the fabrics.

The fabrics (two are missing in this photo oops) on the far left float on the green big shadow leaf.  The fabrics on the far right float on the background fabric.  Those in the middle will float on half background/half shadow leaf blocks, so that is why I laid them over both green and BG fabrics.

Fabric Requirements

Background Fabric:   3/4 yard
Shadow Leaf Fabric:  3/4 yard
**Remember that you want good contrast between these two fabrics.  Also note that these yardages are minimal and won't leave much left over; if you prefer to allow extra for error or to add to your stash/scraps, then getting a yard of each will be more than plenty.

Individual Leaves:  There are 20.  Each leaf can be made from scraps; you only need an approximately 7" x 11" scrap for each leaf.  If you prefer yardage or precuts, either 1/8 yard or a fat eighth is enough for two leaves, so you would require 10 fat eighths, but if you want all 20 leaves different, then you need 20 fat eighths, since that is the smallest amount one can buy.  You could also use a layer cake, which is a stack of 10" squares.

So gather your fabrics and I will see you here on Monday for Step 1 Cutting! I have started a hashtag on Instagram, so feel free to post your fabric pull there:  #freefallqal  To see the original quilt, in Fall colours, Windfall, click here.

Any questions, just ask in the comments or email me. 

I am super duper happy that I have three more wonderful sponsors.  Three more prizes! 

First is Cindy of Stitchin At Home who contacted me to offer a copy of her just-released pattern, God's Eye, which is available in her  Craftsy store. I met Cindy in the New Bloggers Hop in 2015.  It was such fun to discover another quilt blogger who lives only a couple of hours away from me, also in a little town, also on Lake Erie!  Cindy and I have cooked up a few things together over the past couple of years.  She has quite a few patterns in her store, lots of freebies...

Second, I also am so pleased to announce another fabric gift certificate! This one is from Fat Quarter Shop, probably the first online shop I patronized regularly, and still do!

They have the BEST Flash sales which have had me cave on many occasions...and of course one adds more yardage because well, it would be rude not to right?  They are generously offering a $25 gift certificate to one winner.  They just might have a Riley Blake roly poly on for 70% off today, March 14, only...

Third is another Canuck, my good friend Joanne of Canuck Quilter Designs.  Joanne and I have been friends for a couple of years now too; I've pattern-tested for her a few times (fantastic designs btw) and participated in her Snow Along two years ago.  She is offering a free PDF pattern (check out all her beautiful designs here) from her Craftsy shop.

 This brings the prizes total to 12!  Woo hoo!

Linking up:
Freemotion by the River
Sew Fresh Quilts
Quilt Fabrication

Revving Up the Red for RSC2017

My grandson's favourite colour is red, or it always used to be until this past year when he has changed it a couple of times! Funny how that goes: both my girls were the same, Brianne loved pink up until around age 12 when she changed her mind; Dayna always loved purple, until around the same age when she, too, decided upon other favourite colours.  I, too, changed my favourite, blue, over the years. However, they both, like myself, came back to their first love, so I suspect Brady will too.  I believe the vibrations of a favourite colour do resonate deeply with a person, on a level we don't even comprehend.

The first 50 blocks, 1-25 on the left grouping, 26-50 on the right, in order

I don't consider red among my favourites.  Pink, also burgundy, yes, but I haven't ever felt an affinity for red.  Until lately.  This year I am taking part in the 150 Canadian Women quilt along, a project designed by Kat Tucker of Next Step Quilt Designs.  I have fallen in LOVE with all the shades and tones and hues of this rich colour.  These 6" blocks have been made almost entirely from my scraps.  I did buy a few fat quarters of white. I am so happy that I am keeping up with the 3 blocks per week.
Here are the two latest sets:

#46 Kathleen Parlow, "acclaimed as the world's greatest woman violinist", at age 15 she played with the London Symphony Orchestra; #47 Katherine Ryan, aka Klondike Kate, well-known to Edmontonians from our Klondike Days Festival, I knew of her Gold Rush fame, but not that she was the first female gold inspector, the first woman NWMP (Canada's famous Mounted Police), and a dear friend of the poet Robert Service; #48 Charlotte Small Thompson, wife of the famous David Thompson, she travelled more miles, over 3.5 times the amount, in fact, than Lewis and Clark.

That was taken in sunlight; the reds really sing! Sometimes I do a special fabric, both as a commemoration of what the woman accomplished, or as a pnemonic device to help me remember the person's name or accomplishment.  Here I chose the music fabric (I was pretty sure Kat would pick at least one from amongst Canada's many many fine female musicians) for Katherine, gold in all three fabrics for Klondike Kate, and the black background with small red flower print to remind me of  Charlotte Small Thompson and her husband, David, sitting outside watching the stars in their last days together.  That image gives me such warmth in my heart.

#49 Dr. Sylvia Fedoruk, one of four team members who developed the Cobalt-60 unit and one of the world's first nuclear medicine scanning machines, and she also developed a device that could tell whether a thyroid was cancerous; #50 Rachel Zimmerman Brachman, at age 12, yes 12!, she invented the Blissymbol Printer that allows physically disabled people to communicate (I immediately thought of the book Karen, she currently works for NASA, tailoring their innovations for people with disabilities; #51 Maud Lewis, painter, a folk artist, who I'd never heard of (look her up!) whose whimsical paintings and tiny whimsically painted house where she lived have captured my heart.

Again, I used some à propos fabrics here and there.  For Rachel, I wanted a text print, and when I saw the bicycle print in my 2.5" squares tray, I thought I'd include it because she was hit by a car while riding her bike which forced her to drop out of obtaining her Masters in Astronomy.  For Maud, the painting of hers that I just adore is of three black cats, and so I used two cat prints, a red and an ivory. The whimsy of the daisies and the tiny floral remind me of her fascinating house.

On to red in RSC2017.  This is project #3, turning out to be a bit more complicated than just adding the colour of the month to a few opposing sides of the centre strip, ha!  It meant I had to make another purple corner so I can get at least a square of each colour where the corners meet.

I also have started, again mostly as a leader/ender, making my red strip of migrating geese.  You can see that it is a fair bit bigger in scraps size than both the CA Women and the strippy project.

I love the combo of very old scraps, such as David Textiles and VIP by Cranston, with brand new, such as Paintbrush Studio and Zen Chic.

Red in my yard...

MacGyver transplanted 'my' bougainvillea, and threatened to yank it after it lost all its leaves and looked dead for a few weeks.  I wouldn't let him, thinking, no, knowing it was rejuvenating from the roots up.  He also did see that the stems were green.  Just look at the marvel it is becoming!  The bougainvillea everywhere are stunning in their glory, maybe because it has been unusually dry here in Florida this winter?

Red in some Canada fabric I ordered from Sew Sisters that my friend brought down for me!

Both Moda and Northcott lines are here.  The turquoise, I think, is going to be the 1.5" sashing pieces for my CA Women quilt...though now I've got it, it is telling me it needs to be a star in its own quilt.  We shall see...

For those who are going to , or those who are thinking about, joining my first QAL, Freefall, I'll be back tomorrow with fabric requirements and tips, and wow, more prizes!

PS I finally found the tiny clothespegs for my Quilter's Laundry Day mini-mini quilt on the line! Don't even ask...right under my nose...in yup IN the sewing room closet.

Speaking of right under your nose...
Craftsy Classes for $20.  Yup.  Every.  Single.  Class.  This is a fantastic deal, and it is usually when I buy mine. 😉 (affiliate link in the rainbow words there.)  But hurry; it ends tonight at midnight!

Linking up with
soscrappy
Cooking Up Quilts
Patchwork Times

Quilter's Laundry Day Blog Hop

Welcome to my stop on Jen and Jan's Mini QAL!  It's no secret that Tish of Tish's Adventures in Wonderland and I are great friends, and that we get each other into trouble, like all the time... This one is on her. 😃  She showed me the beginnings of her version of Quilter's Laundry Day, and it was just SO adorable...  I could NOT.  Well, it's a mini....maybe?  All right, I'm in.  So, with hours to spare to the sign-up deadline, I committed, and came through!

Haven't had a finished quilt in a tree for a few weeks!  This is Jen's of A Dream and A Stitch, and Jan's of Color Creating and Quilting, second mini quilt along.  I wanted to be a part of their first one but timing was just not good.  I'm so glad I got in on this one!  There are lots of us participating; you will find the list of the two days of bloggers at the end of this post.

Freefall Spring Quilt Along

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My first QAL is going to begin on the Spring Equinox, Monday, March 20!  Do you remember Windfall, the quilt I made for the Autumn Abundance Blog Hop for Paintbrush Studio Fabrics that Bernie of Needle and Foot hosted?  There was a lot of interest in me hosting a QAL for the quilt, so I am so pleased to go on this next venture with Freefall!  This is a Spring quilt, and in a smaller size, finishing at 38" so very do-able with yardage that won't break the bank. You could even use scraps.

Note: The instructions for this QAL will remain forever here on the blog but the free PDFs will be removed from Craftsy at the end of the QAL, and combined, along with instructions to make the throw quilt and a cushion, aka pillow cover, into a pattern for sale at a future date.

Here is the flimsy:

Paintbrush Studio Fabrics is the main sponsor of this hop; they provided the gorgeous fabrics again--those in the Windfall version are also theirs--for this version.  This line is called Freeform and is available now in a quilt shop near you!  It looks like batik but it is not.  Yet it has that same gorgeous hand-dyed effect.

Prizes

I am incredibly excited to announce that I have $200 in prizes from some very generous sponsors.  How to win?  For those participants who finish a quilt top or a completely quilted quilt by June 15, there will be a draw and prizes will be given out randomly.

Let's get to introducing and thanking these wonderful people.

Fabric Prizes

First I have Paintbrush Studio Fabrics, who not only provided the fabric for my wallhanging, but also is providing the main prize: a fat quarter bundle of these fabrics to one lucky person.

They also have a great blog, Inspired by Fabric, to which I subscribe via email so I never miss a post! That particular link will show you more of Freeform fabric, in one of All People Quilt's two newest pillowcases designs for their ongoing pillowcase challenge.

Next is the Canadian contingent, Sew Sisters Quilt Shop.  Although I have yet to visit Sew Sisters in person, I have visited their online store many times.  They have a great sale selection, which is where I always look for backings, and found a terrific cows print for the cows quilt.  I also may have bought a PERFECT backing for a quilt that hasn't even had one millimetre of fabric bought for the front yet...

They always have a deal of the month, which, for March, is 31% off five shades of Kona basics. This is where you can find specially released Canada-themed fabric, the Canadian Sampler BOM quilt, 20 blocks designed by 20 talented Canadian designers, all in celebration of Canada's 150th birthday in July.  They are offering a $25 gift certificate to one winner.

Third is a 'new kid on the block' quilt shop, Needle and Foot.  This is none other than Bernie, host of the Autumn Abundance Blog Hop for which I created Windfall!

I got to know Bernie during the New Bloggers Hop in 2015 (see how terrific and long-lasting of friendships can be had by joining? Just a quick plug to sign up for 2017!) Bernie is not new to having an Etsy shop; she makes and sells gorgeous Chemex cozies, takes custom orders for them, sells vintage sheets fabric, and various other gems you can find, and now....FABRIC!  She is generously offering a choice of 6 fat quarters or 3 half-yard cuts of fabrics to one winner.

Then we have patterns!

*Know that I have bought from all of these talented ladies; their patterns are top-notch.

Cheryl
I got to know Cheryl, of Meadow Mist Designs, very well during that same New Bloggers Hop that she co-hosted, (first contact was when she won a charm pack from a giveaway on my then baby blog), is sponsoring two prizes!  She sells her patterns on Etsy and on Craftsy.

Cheryl was the first blogger for whom I pattern-tested.  I was so appreciative that she took me up on my offer, but that is typical of her: she is really positive towards and supportive of new bloggers (and this new quilt along!).  She is a very talented designer, recently having four quilts hang at QuiltCon, one of which won the 9-patch challenge! She is offering a prize to two winners, their choice of two PDF patterns each.

Yvonne
Yvonne of Quilting Jet Girl, was another co-host of the New Bloggers Hop the year I participated.  She is once again a co-host, and you can visit this link if you want to find out more about this year's hop.

Yvonne has had many accolades in the designing world as well, most recently, being published in Love Patchwork & Quilting magazine.  She worked incredibly long hours on the QuiltCon Crew before, during and after the show this year.  She also had quilts hanging at QuiltCon, three of her own and one group quilt.  Yvonne sells her patterns on Etsy, and on Craftsy. She is sponsoring my quilt along with two PDF patterns of the winner's choice to one winner.

Lorna
And back to the Canadian contingent 🍁 Lorna, of Sew Fresh Quilts is one of, if not the first, Canadian bloggers I got to know who, like me, lives in southern Ontario!  Although we haven't met yet, I have a feeling our paths will cross in the not-too-distant future.

Lorna is the host of the weekly and very popular, Let's Bee Social, with whom I am linking this post!
She is infamous in QBL for her quilt alongs; in fact, I went to her for some advice as to how to approach this first one of mine.  Again, (are you seeing a theme here?) she was so generous in the giving of advice, as well as of a prize.  Generous? Look in the Quilt Bloggers' Dictionary and you will see her name under the definition.  She runs free quilt alongs, the likes of Doggone Cute, (my favourite), The Ugly Christmas Sweater QAL, Modern Bear Paw, and Elephant Parade (still need to do that quilt). Currently she is running Have a Jolly Little Christmas.  Lorna's patterns are available in her Etsy shop.  You will find all her free patterns on Payhip.  She is offering the choice of a free PDF pattern to one lucky winner.

Beth

The New Bloggers Hop (another theme, no?!) was when I got to know Beth of Cooking Up Quilts.  And then... I was fortunate enough to get to meet her in person, and know her that much better, when we attended the Fall Retreat in Ohio together.

Beth is another talented designer.  She sells her patterns on her Craftsy shop.  She is also the host of a popular linky, Main Crush Monday, where you can link up anything to do with quilting that you are crushing on, aka totally over the moon about. (sorry for dangling prepositions there, yikes).  Beth is one of the new co-hosts for this year's New Bloggers Hop.  She is sponsoring my QAL by donating a PDF pattern of the winner's choice to one lucky person.

Tish and Sandra
Tish of Tish's Adventures in Wonderland and myself, Sandra, of mmm! quilts, are budding pattern designers, each of us with just one under our belt.  Tish's first hasn't been officially released yet, but it will have been by the end of my Freefall QAL!  I might have a second one released by the end of the hop as well.  I met Tish (and fell madly in love) on the New Bloggers Hop 2015.  We share many loves, from our pibbles and our diva cats, to Angela, and intense FMQ, humour-often quirky, to books, shows like 'Grace and Frankie', to QALs and so on and so forth.  We are each giving one winner a copy of our one 'for sale' pattern.  Tish sells, make that gives away for now, her patterns on Craftsy shop, as I do, except for the one, Blue Skies & Sunny Days, on my Craftsy shop. (affiliate link). Blue Skies & Sunny Days is the one that one lucky person will win!

Phew!  Thanks for hanging in with me.  I do hope you will join me in this first Quilt Along!  Please grab the Freefall QAL button and post it on your blog if you do.  I will be back in about a week with some fabric selection tips and yardage.  Cutting directions go live on March 20!

Linking up:
Sew Fresh Quilts
My Quilt Infatuation