Everlasting Blog Tour - Week 2 Recap + Giveaway

Everlasting Blog Tour - Week 2 Recap + Giveaway

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The Everlasting Blog Tour has been a tour de force of incredible talent and this week’s makers brought their A-game! Every day I swoon over the newest blog post—I hope you’ve been following along but in case you missed a day, here’s the week’s recap.

Art Gallery Fabrics released my Everlasting fabric line this spring in May. The summer-inspired prints make sewing easy with a classic palette of navy, red, turquoise, and blush and what better way to show off sewing with Everlasting than with a blog tour. So, to keep those summer vibes going, I invited the industries finest to make beautiful things with Everlasting fabrics and blog about their projects.

Take a look at the Everlasting Blog Tour Week 1 Recap, here.

EVERLASTING BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

Friday, July 12 - Sharon Holland

Monday, July 15 - Marija Vujcic

Tuesday, July 16 - Carolina Moore

Wednesday, July 17 - Dana Willard

Thursday, July 18 - Lisa Ruble

Friday, July 19 - Dritz Sewing

Monday, July 22 - Eleri Kerian

Tuesday, July 23 - Marisa Wilhelmi

Wednesday, July 24 - Sharon McConnell

Thursday, July 25 - Modernly Morgan

Friday, July 26 - Alexis Wright

Monday, July 29 - Priscilla Geissler

Tuesday, July 30 - Maureen Cracknell

Wednesday, July 31 - Elina Temmes

Everlasting has been a huge success and is available in shops everywhere. See FABRICS page for stock listings of online shops.

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Week 2 Recap

Day 6 started our second week with the multi-talented Eleri Kerian and her astonishing Seafarer quilt (pattern by Simple Life Patterns) and adorable garments for her daughters. Eleri excels at a challenge and this relatively new-to-quilting quilter masterfully pieced a stunning Mariner’s Compass-style quilt. I love her placement of Everlasting fabrics to get maximum contrast of the pieced elements. Hop over to Eleri’s blog and learn more about this quilt and the sweet romper and dress makes for her youngest daughters.

Everlasting Blog Tour projects by Eleri Kerian

Everlasting Blog Tour projects by Eleri Kerian

Day 7 was a day of many first for Marisa Wilhelmi. If you follow me on Instagram you’d know that I’d held an Everlasting fabrics giveaway this spring for 1/2 yard of each print from the collection for a winner and their tagged friend. Marisa was the tagged friend and was so excited about her bundle of Everlasting fabrics I invited her to be part of this tour. This was really an unknown for me as to what Marisa would create and she even went the extra mile and started a blog in preparations for the tour. Her passion for sewing (again, she’s new to quilting) is apparent in her exciting and creative pieces. I was blown away by all the beautiful quilt projects she made for the tour. Check them out yourself and give her a big hand for all she’s accomplished in such a short time.

Everlasting Blog Tour projects by Marisa Wilhelmi

Everlasting Blog Tour projects by Marisa Wilhelmi

Day 8 was Sharon McConnell of Color Girl Quilts day to wow everyone with her stunning new quilt pattern. I met Sharon through Instagram with my first Art Gallery Fabrics collection, Gossamer. We’ve been friends ever since and even traveled and roomed together at Quilt Markets. Sharon has an eye for mixing prints and playing with color and she certainly shined brightly during the Everlasting tour. All ten Everlasting prints were used in her quilt plus the addition of the green FE-527 Lettuce Floral Element from AGF. Find out more about her rulers and the soon to be released star pattern on her blog.

Everlasting Blog Tour project by Sharon McConnell

Everlasting Blog Tour project by Sharon McConnell

Day 9 comes to us from the UK where Morgan of Modernly Morgan is stationed with her husband. Morgan designs beautifully modern quilts and has a great eye for color. This was my first time collaborating with Morgan on a tour and I was so excited when she could take part. Morgan’s Tropical Storm quilt is absolutely sublime with Art Gallery Fabrics Pure Solids and Bouquet Muse large floral spinning around the central eye of the block. Be sure to take a peek at the back of her quilt that uses primarily Something Blue print with a splash of Crossed Paths. I’m also enjoying her #QuiltsInTheWasher hashtag and images on Instagram!

Everlasting Blog Tour project by Modernly Morgan

Everlasting Blog Tour project by Modernly Morgan

Day 10 closed out the second week with my dear friend Alexis Wright. I met Alexis through her sewing for Art Gallery Fabrics Look Books and in person at Quilt Market. I knew right away we were kindred spirits and although I’m almost old enough to be her mother, you’ll see in our Instagram comments we call each other Little and Big Sis (sisters) because she feels like the little sister I never had. Alexis can design clothing (Blake dress pattern Violette Field Threads), professionally sew, and I’m insanely jealous (sibling rivalry) of her photography! The garments Alexis made with Everlasting prints are easy, breezy, and summer-time perfection! In fact, I’m hoping next week to do a little garment sewing myself with the Flower Keeper rayon!

Everlasting Blog Tour projects by Alexis Wright

Everlasting Blog Tour projects by Alexis Wright

WEEK 2 Giveaway

That’s two out of the three weeks of Everlasting blog tour and the only way to make it even better is to have a giveaway to keep this party hopping.

The week 2 sponsored giveaway comes to you from:
Bloc_Loc Ruler.

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If you remember on my opening blog post for the tour I posted about my Pineapple Block pillows and BlocLoc Pineapple ruler. These rulers have been game-changers for my patchwork and I seriously don’t know how I ever lived without them! Bloc_Loc has instructional videos to accompany all their rulers.

Bloc_Loc has been a sponsor for this blog since the Community Sampler sew along days and I love being able to introduce you to their company and product line. Bloc_Loc was created by husband and wife team, Paul and Janna. Paul, an Australian, was an aircraft maintenance engineer and Janna, and American, is a quilt designer and author of Courtship Quilts; Inspired by the Victorian Language of Flowers, published by Martingale & Co 2005. Now based in Loveland, Colorado, Bloc_Loc manufacturers, distributes, and sells their own patent pending products which are new and innovative. Their rulers are made of the highest quality materials by the old-fashioned standard of making products and are built tough enough to last from one generation to the next!

 Shop Rulers * Follow on Facebook * Follow on Instagram 

Bloc_Loc is generously giving away a 3” Kite in Square (KIS) ruler set for making 9” finished blocks and the new KIS ME book so you can make beautiful quilt variations from this one ruler set! You could have a lot of fun with this—see entry rules below.


Giveaway Now Closed. Congratulations to Barb K!

* Note * This giveaway is open to EVERYONE! If you're a "no reply" or anonymous commenter, please remember to include your email address in your comment--you can't win if I can't get a hold of you!

1. Simply leave a comment here under this post! (First comment entry).

2. Follow Bloc_Loc on Facebook and/or Instagram. Just let me know that you did by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (Separate comment - second entry). 

3. My followers get a third entry! If you follow via subscribing to my posts, through Bloglovin (or other service), or on Instagram, just let me know by making a separate comment here to record that entry. (Separate comment - third entry). Note: I'm no longer on Facebook.

4. Help spread the word!! I know that many of you already do, so I thought it would be nice to add that as another way to enter! Spread the word about the Everlasting Blog Tour on YOUR instagram, facebook, tweet, pin, blog post, etc... (separate comment - fourth entry). 

That’s four possible entries! Enter now through Tuesday, July 30. The winner will be picked at random around 4 pm Eastern. I’ll post the name of the winner on this blog post once they've been notified and responded to my email.

Don’t forget you have a second chance to win this same prize by reposting any of the the Everlasting Blog Tour makers projects on Instagram. Simply tag the project’s maker with their IG account, #ArtGalleryFabrics, and use the #EverlastingBlogTour hashtag on a public Instagram account and you’ll automatically be entered into all the IG giveaway drawings for this tour! Enter as many times as you’d like by reposting blog tour images—just be sure to give tour makers proper credit and tag them in your repost.

Happy sewing,

Sharon

Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living Blog Tour Recap Part 2

Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living Blog Tour Recap Part 2

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The Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living book blog tour has felt like a big Christmas present and for 16 days I was surprised by a new and beautiful gift! This tour was so special I had to break up the recap into parts. Part 1 was shared last week and today I will finish the review with Part 2.

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Monday 12/4  Heidi Staples - Fabric Mutt

Tuesday 12/5  Amy Friend - During Quiet Time

Wednesday 12/6  Maureen Cracknell - Maureen Cracknell Handmade

Thursday 12/7  Amber Johnson - Gigi's Thimble

Friday 12/8  Karen O'Connor - Lady K Quilts Designs

Saturday 12/9  Kori Turner-Goodhart - Olive Grace Studios

Sunday 12/10  Silvia Sutters - A Stranger View

Monday 12/11  Sarah Maxwell - Designs by Sarah J

Tuesday 12/12  Jessica Swift - Jessica Swift

Wednesday 12/13  Lisa Ruble - Love to Color My World

Thursday 12/14  Cindy Wiens - Live a Colorfullife

Friday 12/15  Eleri Kerian - Sew and Tell Project

Saturday 12/16  Anjeanette Klinder - Anjeanette K

Sunday 12/17  Stephanie Kendron - Modern Sewciety

Monday 12/18  Christopher Thompson - The Tattooed Quilter

Tuesday 12/19  Susan Playsted - Hopewood Home

Pillow top and photo by Jessica Swift 

Pillow top and photo by Jessica Swift 

The second half of the Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living book blog tour starts off on Tuesday, December 12th with Jessica Swift of Jessica Swift. Jessica is the newest designer for Art Gallery Fabrics and launched her Tallinn fabrics this fall in Houston. She is a beginning quilter and really the ideal type of sewer to tell you about her experience with using my book. I think her project choice to make a pillow from the Pixel quilt was not only a good selection for a beginner to make but also a great way to show off scraps left-over from Jessica's new collection. I love the machine quilting she did on her pillow top as well. See the finished pillow on Jessica's blog. 

Quilt and photo by Lisa Ruble 

Quilt and photo by Lisa Ruble 

Wednesday, December 13th my dear friend and former colleague Lisa Ruble of Love to Color My World blogged about her scaled down version of the Midsommar quilt. I love the graphic clean lines of this quilt and especially think Lisa's teal, grey, and pop of coral are stunning. I enjoyed reading Lisa's blog post because she takes us through her process of fabric/color selection for her quilt and how the book pushed her a little out of her comfort zone with mixing the different greys. The result is stunning and the baby that will receive this quilt will have a modern looking quilt that will stand the test of time. 

Quilt and photo by Cindy Wiens 

Quilt and photo by Cindy Wiens 

Thursday, December 14th the talented Cindy Wiens of Live a Colorfullife shared her tour make with us. This quilt may seem ordinary but in fact it's a very special quilt. The fabrics Cindy used are her father's repurposed shirts. Cindy chose the Comfort quilt pattern and opted not to include the small triangle corners to the blocks. The utility of this quilt shines through from the "Workday Blues" shirtings and the repurposing of materials into a quilt Cindy can now wrap herself in like a big hug. Read more about this quilt on her blog post and see the clever pillow Cindy made from leftover squares.

Quilt and photo by Eleri Kerian

Quilt and photo by Eleri Kerian

Friday, December 15th was the day Eleri Kerian of Sew and Tell Project posted about her stunning Night and Day quilt. Eleri is a garment sewer that is new to quilting. She really just picked patchwork up during the Sewcial Bee Sampler virtual sew along earlier this year. Eleri not only made and finished a quilt for the tour but she made a California King-size quilt! She wowed the socks off all of us and you need to visit her blog to read (and see) more about this magnificent quilt. 

Quilt and photo by Anjeanette Klinder

Quilt and photo by Anjeanette Klinder

Saturday, December 16th Anjeanette Klinder of Anjeanette K dazzled everyone with this baby quilt made with one block of the Sunday Paper quilt. This bold quilt block makes the perfect size for a baby quilt because just one block from my quilt pattern is 36" square! Anjeanette is an extremely talented quilter and her blog is a must for you to visit. Read more about her beautiful little quilt on the tour post. 

Quilt and photo by Stephanie Kendron

Quilt and photo by Stephanie Kendron

Sunday, December 17th brought us this breathtaking quilt by Stephanie Kendron of Modern Sewciety. A lucky baby boy is going to receive this Goose Chase quilt and what a stunning quilt of blue, white, and a touch of sunny yellow. Stephanie had fun with the large center half-square triangles and made this a thoroughly modern-utility make. I'm really in love with this quilt! Read more about it's story on Stephanie's blog, enter for a chance to win a copy of my book (ends December 29th), and be sure to catch some podcasts while you're there too!

Pillows and photo by Christopher Thompson

Pillows and photo by Christopher Thompson

Monday, December 18th was the day that Christopher Thompson of The Tattooed Quilter shared his festive pillows with us. My talented friend, Christopher used the Tracery quilt pattern from my book and extended out the block to make it an 18-inch finished pillow. Christopher is a textile designer for Riley Blake and I love the Riley Blake red, green, and black prints he chose created a graphic-cool holiday look. You have to visit his blog to read more and see all sort of sewing inspiration!

Quilt and photo by Susan Playsted

Quilt and photo by Susan Playsted

Last but not least is Susan Playsted of Hopewood Home on Tuesday, December 19th, the final day of the tour. Although Susan does not have a blog, she is on Instagram. Susan's post is very significant because she also played a role in how my book looks.

When I was unexpectedly handed back my book to finish with 3 weeks until the printer deadline and I was in a panic to get images of my quilts. I didn't even have the quilts in my possession at that time and was wracking my brain how I could get it all done in time. I've been following Susan's Hopewood Home feed on Instagram for years and adore (more like lust) over her home and images she posts. I had the bright idea to contact Susan, tell her my situation, and ask her to kindly allow me use of her photos as inset images in the book--to which she said "Yes"! Since flying to Australia was out of the question, my thought was to use her images from her beautifully decorated home as fill to further enhance the lifestyle feeling I wanted in my book. I was right, the integration of her comfortable rooms and on-trend decor filled in seamlessly with my photos of the quilts and instructions. 

Excerpt from Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living book 

Excerpt from Utility-Style Quilts for Everyday Living book 

Here's just one example: I had seen a post of Susan's laundry room on her IG feed and knew I wanted to use it in my book. Originally the window was without a shade and since this book is about fabric I asked if Susan could tack up a temporary "shade" for the photo. We didn't talk about colors or fabric, I left that up to her keen discretion. The result was amazing! This section on Fabric and Quilt Care is spread opposite the last page of the Comfort (baby quilt) project and the colors are superb together.

Quilt and Photo by Susan Playstead

Quilt and Photo by Susan Playstead

The quilt Susan made for the blog tour is a marvelous, non-scrappy Roman Stripe quilt. Roman Strip is the free quilt pattern you can download from Landauer that I designed the accompany the book. Everyone of the quilts and projects made for this tour shows how versatile the patterns in my book can be!

Roman Stripe quilt and photo by Sharon Holland

Roman Stripe quilt and photo by Sharon Holland

It brings me incredible joy to see all these projects made and inspired by book. I have added a STORE page to this blog and have a limited number of copies of my book left to sell. By purchasing the book directly from me you can also have your copy signed and dedicated, if you desire. Otherwise you can purchase the book on Amazon (affiliate link), from the publisher (Landauer), your local quilt shop, or other book stores-everywhere.

A big thanks goes out to all the talented designers/bloggers that made this tour so incredible. I hope you had as much fun as I did! Wishing all of you the merriest of Christmas' or other seasonal holiday you celebrate--they're all an opportunity to gather family and friends around. May you also have all the best in 2018. 

Quilt and photo by Sharon Holland

Quilt and photo by Sharon Holland