Update: Old Craftsy links on Blog/Podcast No Longer Work

Just a quick note: I received a notification that all of my old links to Craftsy Classes when they switched to Bluprint are now broken. They’ve actually been broken for quite some time. I just wasn’t paying attention.

I honestly don’t have the time to go back and fix them. Sorry about that—there are way too many of them and as you know, I’m having enough problems keeping up with today, let alone redoing work from 5 years ago!

If any of those classes interest you, they’re pretty much all still available through the current Craftsy streaming app, so just search there. Craftsy has also completely changed up their class system and payment structure and I haven’t kept up. I’m currently just watching old stuff and haven’t been paying too much attention to anything new, so I can no longer speak with authority about the platform. That being said, the fact I’m going back and watching my old classes speaks to the quality of a lot of those classes!

I do miss the glory days of Craftsy, but maybe it’s still as good as it used to be. I just haven’t been using it. If anyone is now doing the New Revised Standard Version of Craftsy (sorry, can’t resist the clergy joke) and would like to give a quick review in the comments, please feel free!

Crazy Quilt Slow Stitch-a-Long Update

Wow! Seems like lots of you were waiting for just the right nudge to start doing some crazy quilting! Wheeee!

I've set up a Flickr group. You can join here: https://www.flickr.com/groups/qftrucrazyquilts/. 

Join me, why don't you? Crazy Quilt Blocks

It struck me this morning, as I was thinking about the crazy quilt block I need to make for my stitching group, that I should invite y'all to join me on this adventure! This would be a very simple, very s-l-o-w stitch-a-long.  

If you've listened to my most recent episode, you already know the backstory to this. In a nutshell, I've started meeting with a couple of quilty friends who are also embroidery enthusiasts and we've decided to start working on crazy quilt blocks. We're not swapping or putting them all together into a single quilt or anything; we're each just making our own blocks and then bringing them to our coffee shop meet-ups to work on the embroidery while we're together. We are, however, swapping some fabrics and threads with one another to help augment our stashes.  

I'm also using it as an opportunity to finally do Allie Aller's Crazy Quilt class on Craftsy;* I've owned the class for a long time and have watched it before, but never made the time to actually do a crazy quilt. So my first few blocks will be based on her techniques in the class.

Our blocks are supposed to be 8" finished which, handily enough, turned out to be the same size as the ones in Allie's class. Convenient, that. I'm using my collection of cross-woven cottons (aka "shot cottons")  from Indonesia as my base fabrics though I'll be throwing a lot of scraps into the mix. 

So, if you'd like to play along, we're aiming to have our first block done (just made, not fully embroidered) by Saturday, December 12. Leave a comment here if you're interested in joining in a crazy-quilt stitch-along--if there's a few of us, I'll set up a Flickr group for us to share our pics-in-progress! Maybe I'll throw a give-away in there somewhere along the way. Can you tell I haven't really thought this through in any formal way yet? I just wanted to invite y'all in on the fun!

I've got some crazy quilt resources to recommend, too, if you're interested.

Books:

• Allie Aller's Crazy Quilting: Modern Piecing and Embellishing Techniques for Joyful Stitching
• Quilting...Just a Little Bit Crazy: A Marriage of Traditional and Crazy Quilting, by Allie Aller and Valerie Bothell (I don't own this one but one of my friends bought it at Joann's and is raving about it. I suspect I'll end up with it myself eventually.)
• Foolproof Crazy Quilting by Jennifer Clouston. (This was recommended highly by one of my podcast listeners so I've ordered it but, as of this writing, haven't received it yet. Love the "stitch maps" feature, though, so it does look like it'll be great help! (Later update--I've now received this book and love it! Her CQ patterns are hexagons which is a neat twist. I won't be doing that, but I do like all the inspiration about stitching and combining stitches and such. This will be an excellent resource.)

Blogs on embroidery or crazy quilts

• Mary Corbet's Neeble n' Thread. This is the go-to blog for embroidery.
• Pintangle by Sharon B. She also sells templates for Crazy Quilt stitches to help you marking designs if you'd like. 
• Colour Complements blog and store by Lorraine.  I already talked about her a little bit in this post--I'm a fan.

And I now have a Crazy Quilt board on Pinterest that one of my stitchy friends and I collaborate on. 

(*As a Craftsy affiliate, using this link helps support my podcast and blog. Thank you!)

Black Friday Sew-In

Yep--I'll be doing it this year! Join me for our annual (or almost-annual for me) Black Friday Sew-In! For those of us who detest crowds and avoid shopping like the plague on this day, what better way to stage our sit-in protest than by sitting-in in front of our sewing machines? 

We'll be live-tweeting, live-instragramming, and even live-facebooking (or slightly less than live since it's a little trickier to do a by-the-moment update there) the event.  

Ready to have some fun and get some stuff done? 

Follow-up on Comments Testing

Hey, y'all. While I was running giveaways and the like, SquareSpace tech support was checking out any comments people were leaving that gave information about whether or not the comment had worked, how they'd accessed the blog, and so forth. Here's what they've found out:

1. Most people who comment directly on the site itself, or through the email version of my blog posts, have no problems. (And, actually, the vast majority of people reported in that they didn't have a problem commenting.)

2. When you want to comment, you're getting redirected to a screen in which you can choose or not choose to actually register on the site. You do not have to register, but you do have to leave a name. This is a spam-protection feature. So if you've been asked to sign in and don't want to, know that it's not necessary to actually register--but it is necessary to leave a name.

3. Commenting by logging in with your Google and Facebook accounts seems to be working fine.

4. To sign in to leave a comment, you have to have enabled pop-up windows for the site. If not, you'll either get a failure message or your screen will just sit there and look at you blankly, in confusion. I can't tell you how to enable pop-up windows--it all depends on your own set-up; you'll need to do a little Internet browsing if you don't know how to do it on your computer.

5. There are particular issues with BlogLovin'. The BlogLovin' feed for the blog doesn't actually reference to my SquareSpace site somehow--BlogLovin' changes the feed. So if you try to comment through BlogLovin', your computer (or whatever device) won't actually know where it's supposed to go to comment. I actually have this same problem when I'm trying to comment on some other people's blogs through Feedly (which I use because I prefer it to BlogLovin'). There are certain blogs I just can't ever comment on through Feedly, but other ones work fine. So if I want to leave a comment on certain blogs, I know I have to go to the blog directly from the web in order to comment. 

6. Under the category of "other": This same issue as #5 may occur in other RSS feed readers. I can also personally attest to occasional issues I have commenting on other blogs when I'm on my iPad--but I don't have those same problems on my iPhone or PC. So there is something just a little funky about the way iPads talk to the Internet or something. 

So, basically, what we found out is that most of you have no problems leaving comments. So I hope you'll continue to do so!

For those of you who have experienced issues, please check the information above to see if any of it may fit your situation. If you've had a completely different experience, then (again) give me very specific information about what you're seeing when you try to comment, how you're trying to access the blog to comment on it, and so forth, and I'll go back to tech support again. Thanks!

Winners of My 5th Podcastaversary Giveaway

Thanks so much to all y'all for being part of my celebration!

I've had a lot of fun reading your comments and will probably do a summary on an upcoming podcast episode.

The winners were:

• $25 Fat Quarter Gift Certficate: Carole Ann W.
• Aurifil Thread: Jeanie C.
• Scrapitude pattern: Jeanne B.
• PRO Chemical and Dye gift certificate: Carole D.
• Craftsy class: Helle S.

(I've already emailed all five winners so if your name/last initial matches one of the above, check your email. If you don't have an email from me, that means your Doppelgänger is the winner--sorry!)

I wish I could give all my listeners out there gifts to say "Thank you!" Thanks so much for making these past five years fun, creative, and interesting. Part of the benefit for us podcasters to doing a podcast is that we try to stay on top of our projects knowing we need to have something to talk about! I know I've been much more productive these last few years because I knew I had people waiting to hear about my progress. Accountability, donchaknow.

Also, for me, knowing that I have listeners who enjoy learning new things pushes me to learn new things myself. I likely would have ended up doing art quilting and hand-dyeing and working with fibers eventually one way or the other, but I strongly suspect that having you all sending me encouraging comments, asking questions, and sharing your own experience with me has propelled me forward more effectively than I'd have done on my own. And I know my family is very happy that I have other people to talk about all this with, so I'm not constantly bending their ears about color schemes, accurate 1/4" seams, and struggles with fiddly bits! (They're none too sure about the Mad Quilt Scientist, either, but the less said about her, the better.)

So, thank you, thank you, thank you. And thank you again. 

Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming...

Farewell Friday (In lieu of Fight the Funk Friday)

I haven't been to the gym this week so "Fight the Funk Friday" would have a whole lot more with what I didn't do than what I did do. However, this is likely the last opportunity I'll have to write a blog for a few weeks so I didn't want to walk away from it completely. Fortunately, "Farewell" has nice alliterative magic as well.

Tomorrow I get on a plane. For a very long time. (30 hours travel time, all in, if everything stays on schedule.) I've got me some podcasts. I've got me some Great Courses lectures. I've got me some Craftsy classes. Since I'll be on Dramamine, though, I'm likely to be dozing quite a bit and probably won't get through everything I've downloaded to keep me entertained.  

I'm not bringing any handwork. First of all: airplane. Very cramped. Secondly, packing space. Very cramped. Thirdly, once I'm there I won't have a lot of downtime--at least, not other than when I'm on planes or buses or in vans and, again, cramped.  

I'm hoping to have halfway decent access to WiFi at least often enough to occasionally tweet or post on Facebook a pretty picture and short update. The hotels we're staying in all have WiFi, but quality and endurance of the connection are always questionable, so we'll see. 

We've got a couple of markets on our schedule and I'm quite familiar with textiles from that area, so I'm looking forward to that. I'm also hoping to visit some local artisans, especially spinners. It'll be interesting to see the techniques and tools they use. I'm familiar with the weaving as I've worked with groups of weavers originally from Burma here in the U.S., but I haven't met any spinners yet, so that'll be fun.

Meanwhile, as of 4:30 p.m. this afternoon I'm as packed as I can be until I'm done getting dressed and ready tomorrow morning. The clothes only take up about 1/3rd of the suitcase. The rest is pharmaceutical supplies (for any eventuality!) and gifts for people I'll be meeting. 

Fortunately, our flight is very late morning tomorrow so although we need to get to the airport a couple of hours earlier, it's still a very reasonable time, so I won't be rushed in the morning--always a nice way to start a long travel day. The weather looks clear. But I won't say any more about the flights in case I jinx something.

So that's it! Until sometime in very late December...

Sing it, everyone! "So long, farewell, auf weidersehen, good bye... I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly..."

Woot! Charlotte's in the Blog-o-Sphere!

ScrapitBonzaTude--my version of Charlotte's 2013 Scrapitude mystery quilt.

You've been waiting and waiting...and your patience has been awarded. Our talented Charlotte of Scrapitude Fame now has her blog up and running!

http://scrapitudequilts.com/

Go add her to your feeds and give her some commenty-love! 

She's got the cutting instructions for Scrap-in-a-Box posted (but I'll still be leaving them on my blog here as well). She'll be starting to post the mystery clues in January--and I won't be posting them here so make sure you're following her blog to get them as soon as they go live!

Announcing My New CafePress Store

I'm pleased to finally be able to announce that I now have a CafePress store up and running!

Check it out: www.cafepress.com/quiltingfortherestofus.

Sure, I've got some Quilting...for the Rest of Us logo items available if you want to join me in my morning coffee.

Or totebags for shop hops, or dufflebags and pajamas for retreats...

I was creating the logo items so I could order them myself, but if you'd like to have one too, the more the merrier!

But here's where I really had fun: Check out the sections of my store that have items featuring my photography.

In the "Landscapes and Florals" section, I have several great options for greeting cards, journals (notebooks), and other items. Some of the photos are used as straight photography; others have been edited using the Waterlogue app.

Several are seasonal. This image is my Fall Beauty collection, that includes a quotation from Albert Camus.

I also have some for winter, and one that wishes peace for the season. Plus there's just some fun florals and landscape images that would be a bright spot any time of year.

And then there's what I have to confess is my favorite section, the one titled simply: "Dogs."

Yep, you too can have the Doofus come to visit you in a variety of forms.

Right now I'm featuring a series I've entitled "Happy Dog." This photo was taken on one of this summer's canal walks. This watercolor version of the photo makes a great greeting card, notecard cover, or padfolio, or you can even get him as a dog tag. Your pet and Sammy can take walks together every day! (It also works great on a keychain, which is where I've got mine.)

I'll be periodically adding new images and new products, but there's plenty enough to check out right now!

Visit www.cafepress.com/quiltingfortherestofus to see what I've got available, and bookmark it so you can keep an eye on what's new!

By the way, while you're on CafePress, be sure to also check out our friend Jaye of www.artquiltmaker.com. She's got a Cafepress store too: www.cafepress.com/artquiltmaker. You can include items from both our stores in a single checkout process.

2014 Quilty Resolutions Third Quarter Check-In

It's that time again! Check in here with your progress on your 2014 Quilty Resolutions to date!

If you've participated in my quilty resolutions challenge, click here to remind yourself what your resolutions were.

If you didn't participate in my original quilty resolutions challenge, that's fine! Just check in on what your progress has been on your own quilt-related goals for 2014.

I'll be drawing a name at random from the Rafflecopter widget below on Sunday, October 5. The winner will get these four lovely fat quarters!

(Grrrr. We're in an animal mood these days.)

For some of you, this will be a two-step process. For others, only one!

First step for everyone: Leave a comment on this blog post with your progress, and then make sure you enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget immediately below. (I'll only see your name through Rafflecopter for the drawing, I won't be trying to count up names in the comments.)

Use this Rafflecopter widget through Saturday, October 4. I'll draw the winner on Sunday, October 5.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Second step for bloggers: If you've got a blog, write about your progress on your quilty resolutions and link up here! To enter the linky party, click on the froggie-fella below and follow the directions. (Remember, you still have to enter the Rafflecopter giveaway above. This linky party is just so others know about your blog and can come for a visit!) No fears--participating in the linky party does NOT earn bloggers an additional leg-up than non-bloggers in the giveaway. It's just for kicks n' giggles!

For everyone--click on the link to the linky party below to see who-all has linked up, and go read their blogs! It'll be good times!

The giveaway and linky party both close on Saturday night, October 4th, at midnight my time. I'll be doing my drawing on Sunday, October 5th. Again, I'll only draw from names entered in the Rafflecopter widget so be sure, after you've left a comment on this blog, that you go back into that Rafflecopter widget to say that you've left a comment!

I'll be posting my own progress in a separate blog post. Looking forward to seeing yours!

Just a quick reminder...Banned Books Week

Don't forget--Sunday starts Banned Books Week!

I've already got my blog post written and scheduled to go live at one minute past midnight on Sunday, September 21st, announcing my giveaway. Woo!

Sorry that I couldn't quite pull off a podcast episode this week--things got a bit hectic again. I leave town bright and early tomorrow morning for a work trip and by Friday afternoon, I'll be off the grid until I'm traveling home again Monday. I won't be able to see tweets, texts, or emails (o my) while I'm gone, which is sad. But I'll look forward to catching up with everyone when I get home.

Have a great weekend, everyone. There's still time to do a BBW project if you've been waffling about getting involved. Check out the Flickr group for inspiration!

Announcing the 2014 Banned Books Week Challenge!

Woot woot! It's time to engage in a little nonviolent protest again. And we get to do it with quilts!

Although I fully support everyone's right to determine what they and their children will read, I also support my right to do the same. Banning books from libraries does not protect freedom, it restricts it. Books are open pathways to ideas, meaningful discussions, and growth--even if (even especially if!) one does not agree with what's inside the covers. Besides, I was an English major in my undergrad years. Hence, I support Banned Books Week in celebrating literature!

Tanesha of Crafty Garden Mom podcast and blog and I are once again hosting the Banned Books Week challenge (and giveaway--whee!). And this year we're giving you a little more heads-up than in the past--ain't that just grand?

The 2014 Banned Books Week Challenge

My 2012 BBW challenge, "Alice's Spider," based on Go Ask Alice by Anonymous.

Banned Books Week is September 21-27, 2014. You will find lists of books that have been banned or challenged and other resources on www.bannedbooksweek.org or the American Library Association website at www.ala.org. They also give a lot of ideas about ways to observe Banned Books Week in your area.

For our challenge: Create a small wall quilt that somehow represents a book from the banned/challenged book list that you have read and particularly loved, found meaningful, or otherwise want to celebrate. How you choose to represent the book is up to you—it could be a scene from the book, words from the book, or just represents the book in some way.

Please be aware that book cover images and illustrations in books are copyrighted art. You would need permission from the publisher/artist to depict those images exactly. You may, of course, use them as inspiration for your own artwork!

My 2013 BBW challenge, "If You Walk By," from The Color Purple by Alice Walker

The Deets

• Create a mini-quilt based on a book on a banned/challenged book list that you read and enjoyed. The quilt can be any size, but "mini" keeps it manageable. You can do a mug rug if you want! No specific sizes required.
• Use any type of quilt techniques you enjoy, any type of surface embellishment you choose--whatever flips your switch! 
• Starting the week of September 21: Post pictures of your completed quilt(s) in the Flickr group for this challenge. We're using the same Flickr group as previous years, so please clearly label your post with "2014" in the title so we know what the new ones are!
• Include your artist's statement in the description of your photo in the Flickr group. (Or, should you be a blogger, just include a link to your blog post about the quilt in the description. ) The artist's statement should include the title and author of the book, why you chose that book, and anything else you want us to know about your mini-quilt.

During Banned Books Week, Tanesha and I will be blogging/podcasting about the entries and there will be...yes!...prizes!

I did this last year, and I'm doing it again: I offer this same challenge in my quilt guild, and with the help of Kate, a guild friend who's also a librarian at our town's public library, for the second year in a row we've arranged for the library to display during Banned Books Week quilts from our guild members who participate. Why don't you ask your local library if you can display your finished project there?

BBW quilts on display at my local public library. Unfortunately I didn't write down what each represented--sorry!

Tanesha and I will both be posting about BBW over the next several weeks to help motivate and inspire you, and have some fun to boot. We'll also be posting about our own projects as we're so moved. So stay tuned!

One of my favorite quilt books is available again...

I don't have time to do a full-on review this week, but I wanted to get the word out that one of my favorite quilt design study books, which had been out of print for a year or so, is now available for sale again. Woohoo!!!

Check out Heather Thomas' A Fiber Artist's Guide to Color and Design. It's available on Amazon (in paperback) or through Landauer Publishing (in print or ebook).

It should suffice as enough of a review to say that my quilt design study group has used Thomas' book for the last year and it has been far and away our favorite book to work with. To whit: we're nearly finished with all the workshops in the book. When we have completed them, we have decided to "wing it" by each member of our group taking a month and choosing a topic to lead the rest of the group through, still using this book as our foundational text. We'll pull in other resources as well based on whatever the challenge is that month, but we all really like this book and feel there's more we can get out of it if we spend even more time with it.

It really is a great book--good content, good layout, good explanations in the workshops (practice sessions)...all around very useful resource. You should definitely check it out!

Happy Fourth Podcastaversary! And There's Presents! (Giveaway)

(If you've already read this blog, note that the Craftsy class giveaway information has been updated!)

This is the closest I can get to sharing a cake with y'all, but I can give you presents!

Following quickly on the heels of the 2014 Quilty Resolutions First Quarter Check-in Giveaway and Linky Party that just ended at midnight last night (I'll announce the winner on my podcast episode this afternoon), it's time to celebrate my fourth podcastaversary with a HUGE giveaway!

With thanks to sponsors the Fat Quarter Shop and Craftsy, I have two big prizes to give away!

You could win...

... a $30 gift certificate to the Fat Quarter Shop!

Start dreaming now. What wonderful, beautiful, funky, pet-able fabric could you buy from the Fat Quarter Shop for $30? Wheeee!

To enter this giveaway, use this Rafflecopter widget to enter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

But wait...there's more!

You could win...

One Craftsy Class, Winner's Choice, for Free!

(Please note: updated information!) The winner will be able to choose which Craftsy class s/he wins!

To enter this giveaway, just click here.

If you're already registered for Craftsy, you'll just log into your account; if you're not already on Craftsy, you'll be prompted to create a Craftsy account (for free). Once you do so, you'll be entered into the giveaway! Craftsy will choose the winner using Random.org. Craftsy will let me know who the winner is and Craftsy will email the free class link to the winner.

I posted my first episode of Quilting...for the Rest of Us on March 28, 2010. It's been four great years of making new friends, learning a lot of new skills, and (of course) messing up a few times along the way. But I've had fun, and I'm looking forward to the next...however many...years! So come in, have a seat or hang out by the kitchen island like most of my guests do, and join me in my celebration, won't you?

Lancaster Meet-Up

Okay, y'all: I just sent an email to everyone who contacted me with their availability for the meet-up at the AQS Quiltweek in Lancaster this week. So check your email!

If you didn't get an email and are planning on being there (especially on Wednesday, hint hint), be sure to email me or tweet me (@sandyquiltz). If you leave a comment on this blog post, I'll get it that way too, though if I don't have your email address I won't be able to get in touch with you.

At last count, there could be seven of us at the meet-up--Woohoo!!!!

What @KnittyAJ can talk me into...

I was caught in a weak moment, apparently.

Listener Kitty had sent me the link to a recent Missouri Star Quilt Company video on the Disappearing Pinwheel. I subscribe to their feed so I'm not sure how I missed this one, but miss it I did. Thanks, Kitty, for pointing it out...I think!

The video shows a twist on the concept of the Disappearing 9-Patch that involves a very simple process for making a pinwheel, and then making that pinwheel "disappear," enabling you to make two different blocks. I thought it was a cute idea so I posted it to Twitter.

And that's when all the trouble started.

Dang, that @KnittyAJ and her enthusiasm! Now, after a series of tweets extending over a couple of hours, several of us are joining in on a Disappearing Pinwheel Quilt-Along. Sort of, anyway. Some of us have Monday, January 20th, off for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, so we're (as we like to do) spending it sewing and tweeting and tweeting and sewing. So those of us who feel like playing along will be spending at least a portion of our day making a Disappearing Pinwheel. It seems like most of us are leaning towards block version #1, but if you'd like to join in, you can do either variation or any variation you come up with yourself.

For me, this fits in with one of my 2014 Quilty Resolutions to be conscientious about using my stash. This is a fantastic stash project. The project is geared towards layer cakes (packs of 10" squares). I don't have any layer cakes in my stash, but I do have a stack of 10" squares I've cut from scraps over the last couple of years so I'll start there. I may cut some additional squares from my stash as well--I've just got to do some math to figure out how many squares I'll need in the long run, and what kind of variety I've got in my current collection.

So yes, an unexpected new project is now getting shoe-horned into the mix. But I'm looking forward to it--and I'm still making good progress on my other goals so I'm good to go. Isn't that the fun of quilting, after all?

So, check out the videos below and see if maybe you'd like to play along. (If the videos don't appear in your feed, just go to YouTube and search for "Disappearing Pinwheel" and it'll turn up.) There isn't actually a time limit on this quilt-along. My personal deadline is that I'd like to have a top pieced within the next three weeks. Depending on how big a quilt I decide to make, I might send it out for quilting. Could be a donation quilt, could be another dorm/apartment quilt for an offspring, could be something for a guest room bed, or could be something I put on a shelf until I need a gift somewhere down the road....

By the way, @knittyAJ is another podcaster, if you're not familiar with her. You can find her over at The Quilting Pot. Go give her some love--even if I'm gnashing my teeth in her general direction for getting me involved in something new! :-)

http://missouriquiltco.com -- Jenny Doan shows us how to make the stunning Disappearing Pinwheel using Layer Cakes To get the materials needed to make this project, follow the links below. Floral Gatherings Collection (precuts and yardage) - featured in this tutorial http://www.missouriquiltco.com/shop/browse/2840 Bella Solids Natural Layer Cake http://www.missouriquiltco.com/shop/detail/2111/moda-fabrics/moda-fabrics/bella-solids-natural-layer-cake-for-moda-fabrics-sku-9900lc-12 Layer Cakes - Best Selection on the web!

http://missouriquiltco.com -- Jenny Doan shows us how to make another stunning variation of the Disappearing Pinwheel using layer cakes. To get the materials needed to make this project, follow the links below. Muslin Mates Layer Cake by Moda (featured in this video) - While quantities last http://www.missouriquiltco.com/shop/detail/15220/moda-fabrics/-/muslin-mates-layer-cake Layer Cakes - The Best Selection Both East and West of the Mississippi!

A Holiday Greeting Card to Y'All...

It's been a year of fun and creativity! Thanks, everyone!

A video holiday card for my listeners. With thanks to Sandi of Quilt Cabana Corner for co-hosting the Project Hope Online Quilt Show and allowing me to play along in the postcard swap, to Tanesha of Crafty Garden Mom for co-hosting the Banned Book Week Challenge, and to Charlotte for #Scrapitude!

Announcing the Boxing Day Sew-In! Woo!

For me, the day after Christmas has always been a Jammie Day. When I was growing up, that was a day set aside for being lazy and reading all the great new books I'd been given, and playing games with my sibs. Occasionally we'd get bundled up and go sledding down the hill on our property--a hill that emptied right into a pond at the bottom so you had to learn exactly when to roll of the sled lest mayhem ensue.

Once I had kids of my own, the day after Christmas was set aside for reading stories to the kids, helping them assemble new toys and get stickers in all the right places, and maybe going for a visit out to Nana and Papa's house to go sledding on the hill with the pond.

Now we no longer have Nana and Papa's house in the family, and I no longer have little kidlings in the house. My son has an apartment of his own and, working retail, will likely be working all day anyway. My college-aged daughter will be curled up in her "nest" on our family room couch, reading or hanging out online. We'll still likely play games, but sledding takes a lot more work to get somewhere with a good hill and, frankly, I notice the bumps and bruises a whole lot more now in middle-age. Plus, given that it's currently raining outside, I don't hold out a lot of hope for decent sledding snow anyway.

So now my favorite way to spend the day after Christmas--known as Boxing Day in some parts of the world, is to sew, or read quilting books or magazines, or watch Craftsy classes. Or a combo package thereof.

I--as always--invite you to join me!

Drum roll please... It's time for the

Boxing Day Sew-In!

Logo courtesy Pam of Hip to Be a Square podcast

Join in on the fun on Thursday, December 26th.

I'll be doing some giveaways that day--you don't have to be home and sewing in order to get in on the fun, as I'll be doing all of mine off my blog. I'll also add a linky for any other podcasters or bloggers who want to offer a giveaway that day too--list your giveaway on my blog and please list mine on yours so people will find all their opportunities to win regardless of who's door they walk in through!

My linky will go live at 9:00 p.m. on December 25th to give everyone the opportunity to join up regardless of your time zone. Each podcaster/blogger will have their own deadlines so be sure to pay attention.

We'll also be having all sorts of fun on Twitter--hijinks will most definitely ensue. So if you're on Twitter, I'm @sandyquiltz. You'll be able to find all sorts of other bloggers and podcasters in my follow/follower list and follow them as well. If you're not on Twitter, you may want to think about it!

So, be ready for the 26th! Now I need to get off the computer and organize what I want to get done that day...

2014 Quilty Resolutions Giveaway--Submit your responses!

First, you'll need to listen to episode 138 In Which We Make 2014 Quilty Resolutions to understand what this year's theme is!

Once you've listened, use this link to submit your responses and be entered in the giveaway. Deadline is January 31st, 2014. I'll update this blog post later when I have pictures of what's being given away... :-)

Here's a teaser...

I'm going to be doing a podcast episode this week on this: