Wednesday, March 8, 2017

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.
http://www.fabri-quilt.com/products/pbstudio.asp
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...
http://www.sew-sisters.com/
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!
https://www.etsy.com/shop/needleandfoot

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.
https://meadowmistdesigns.blogspot.com/

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.
https://www.craftsy.com/profile/meadow-mist-designs


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.
https://quiltingjetgirl.com/
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.
http://sewfreshquilts.blogspot.com/
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


23 comments:

  1. this looks fantastic, what an assortment of very generous prize givers, and that pattern, I love it. I Hope my knee surgery is all over by the start and I can stand and cut and sit and stitch. Thanks heaps for this event.

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  2. I am excited for you Sandra...😀 I am sure this will be a brilliant QAL

    Hugs from across the water
    Sue xx

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  3. I am excited for you Sandra...😀 I am sure this will be a brilliant QAL

    Hugs from across the water
    Sue xx

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  4. Wow, you are off to the races with this. Congratulations on a great start.

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  5. You've done a great job on getting prizes together for your quilt along. I'm wishing you great success!

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  6. There goes my weekly assurance to myself that I won't start anything new!!!

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  7. Oh Sandra what a great pattern for a QAL and what amazing sponsors you have found. How exciting to have your first QAL. Whilst I want to throw my hand up and say I am in I just can't right now. With current commitments levels I am trying to be sensible about what I take on ...... errrr and show quilts entries are rather numerous but not yet made for this first half of the year!! Have great fun and I am sure it will be a huge success!

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  8. That is a gorgeous quilt! I would love to join in.

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  9. Yeah! How fun. You know, I just might be able to do this one. It looks like fun and I already have fabric selection ideas in my head. :)

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  10. How exciting! I'm traveling on March 25 and will be sans sewing machine for almost a whole month! But I really want to make this! I'll have to save it until I get back up to my machine! It will be difficult to wait! XO

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  11. Beautiful! The fabrics do look like batiks! Looking forward to everyone's progress!

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  12. Woohoo! I love the design, congrats to the start of your first QAL!

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  13. Those fabrics are fabulous, and I love the design. Can't wait for the QAL party to start!

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  14. Your Windfall is gorgeous. Can the participants come up to your high expectations? I doubt that. But I am sure the teacher in you will definitely push them to do their best. My best wishes for a fantastic QAL journey.

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  15. I can see this as a Canada 150 quilt and have already figured out my fabrics. :) Am looking forward to this quilt-along and hope I can keep up.
    June 15 as a finish is a win-win: eligible for prizes and ready for Canada's big birthday.

    Thanks for doing this and for all the great prizes you have lined up.

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  16. A beautiful quilt for spring! I really wish I could pull a "squirrel" and make this one, but I've still got graduation quilts to finish before I can let the squirrel free. I'll just have to enjoy watching all the preeties from afar.

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  17. This one got my attention, with Canada written all over it ... a Canadian designer (even better, Ontario!) and maple leaves, and with it being our 150th, yup, you figured it out! :) At only 38" I see it as a perfect size and totally do-able even if life happens (I think?). You got my attention once I saw "cow fabric" as I am doing the Milky Way BOM. Everyone else is thinking stars whereas for me it's all about the cows, as I am coordinating the stars to a cow print I will use for the backing! March 20th is now circled on my calendar. Thanks for hosting this and finding some really great prizes too!

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  18. Gosh . Am I the only one from that blog hop who hadn't moved on to greater things?
    I'm hoping to take part in your quilt along with some very special repurposed fabrics

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  19. I'm behind, but I've printed all the requirements and the cutting instructions. Now to get myself organized and on track. Congrats on all the sponsors.

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