Join Us for the Pillowcase Challenge!!

We are so excited to join in on the wonderful... DRUM ROLL PLEASE....

AMERICAN PATCHWORK & QUILTING ONE MILLION PILLOWCASE CHALLENGE!!!!

 

 

Created by American Patchwork & Quilting and sponsored by the wonderful folks at MODA FABRICS [along with many others], this is not only a wonderful cause but really a lot of fun to do on your own or even more so with friends and I really hope that many of you join us and add to that quickly growing tally!! Aren't quilters amazing!?!?

So far we are at 568,688 pillowcases!

If you would like to follow along and join, please do!!

Click HERE to find out how to be counted in the official pillowcase tally on the APQ website.

 

HOW WE GOT STARTED

FIRST, our friends at MODA sent us a yummy stack of our upcoming SOMERSET fabrics to get the pillowcase ball rolling. Thank you lovely Lissa!

The Somerset fabrics will be in stores next month and precuts should be coming any day now! 

... LOL, these are not all fabrics sent for the pillows, just a nice fabric shot I happened to have. But the pillowcase stack was pretty generous too!

Since they sent so much fabric, I decided that in addition to the pillowcases we sewed in the studio and am showing you today that it would be a lot of fun to get my sewing friends together and sew some more.

As you are reading this, we are getting ready to sew tonite at our monthly Fig Tree Friday night. As soon as we are finished and I have snapped a couple pillowcase shots, I will post again next week to show you what we came up with.

 

SECOND, we scrolled the 43 lovely pillowcase patterns that APQ has so generously provided for us [click HERE for all the patterns] and decided on 2 classic favorites, the checkerboard and the prairie point.

 

 

We also used the special "pillowcase in a tube" method for all of our pillowcases [click HERE for that pattern specifically] and just changed up the cuff pattern on each. We love the finishing on this method and that everything is neat and tidy and with beautiful seams inside and out. It is the only way we make pillowcases at home. When we make them, we always use both a cuff and a 1" accent piece in between the pillowcase and the cuff.

 

 

THIRD, we chose our favorite local charity right here in San Leandro, the GEORGE MARK CHILDREN'S HOUSE  [click HERE for more info on them] , that we have worked with before.

Do you remember this fun event - HERE or HERE- earlier this year? That was an amazing experience and we were so proud to raise over $10,000 for George Mark!

We are looking forward to delivering all the pillowcases to them once we are done with the group sewing. The pillowcases will go to kids or their family members who are living at the hopsice.

 

A LITTLE BIT DISTRACTED

Speaking of pillowcases at home.... we got a bit carried away as we were working on goodies for this challenge and got inspired by some online ideas of making a loungeable pillow mat of sorts. So we pulled out a bit more of our stash, whipped up 3 standard pillowcases and simply sewed them together side by side.

 

The result? A wonderful lounging mat for our youngest who absconded with it the moment our photo shoot was done and told both of her broghers that they were not to steal it, use it, touch it or even look at it! I guess I will be making 2 more of these soon with more "boy" fabrics.

 

 

 

 

 

MORE WONDERFUL INFO...

By no means are we doing this on our own. We are joining an amazing group of other designers in this BLOG HOP. Please go and browse around to see what other designers are doing on their blogs today!!

 

·    Alison Glass (http://alisonglass.com/blog)

·    American Patchwork & Quilting (www.allpeoplequilt.com/blog)

·    Me & My Sister  (http://www.meandmysisterdesigns.com/blog/)

·    Benartex (http://www.sewinlovewithfabric.blogspot.com)

·    Debby Kratovil (http://debbykratovilquilts.blogspot.com/)

·    Laundry Basket (http://www.laundrybasketquilts.net/blog/)

·    How To Sew (www.howtosew.com)

·    Sis Boom (http://www.sisboom.com/blog/)

·    Fig Tree Quilts (http://figtreequilts.typepad.com/my_weblog/)

·    Freckled Whimsy (http://www.freckledwhimsy.com/)

·    Ann Kelle (http://www.annkelle.com/category/blog/)

·    Linda Carlson (www.lindacarlsonquilts.com)

·    Lori Mason (http://www.lorimasondesign.com/news/)

·    Modern Quilt Studio (http://craftnectar.com/)

·    Modern Handcraft (http://modernhandcraft.com/)

·    Patti’s Patchwork (www.pattispatchwork.com)

·    Shannon Fabrics (http://shannonfabrics.com/blog/index/)

·    Timeless Treasures (http://www.ttfabrics.com/blog/)

·    Valori Wells (http://www.valoriwells.com/blog/)

·    The Vintage Spool (http://freespiritfabric.blogspot.com/)

·    Ivory Spring (http://ivoryspring.wordpress.com/)

 

 

And, as they say, there is more!

 

 

A 24-hour SEWATHON is coming up in September. APQ is sponsoring one in their offices as are stores across the country. Check it out to see if there is one in your area! Join in the fun if you can, click HERE for all the info you might need!

 

QUILTS & MORE... Meet in the Middle

I love it when I do a project and then completely forget about it until it arrives in the mail or I suddenly see it online! Its like a surprise and a memory all at once. I know it sounds a bit silly, since I did make the project, but it happens to me all the time!

In this season's QUILTS & MORE magazine [American Patchwork & Quilting, Winter Issue], we have a few fun pillows featured.

 

And since I knew you might want to whip up some for your summer or fall decorating, we have some kits!

 

 

 

 

Kits include enough fabric to make (4) of these yummy little projects, including fabric and buttons kits for all 4. You will need to purchase the QUILTS & MORE magazine for the instructions.

Click HERE for more info on the kits.

Have a great day!

Joanna