giveaway

Gaia - Slabs from Scraps for Donation

Gaia

60” x 72”

She lives up to her namesake. Forever picking up bits of things - pretty stones, a fallen leaf, even the trash. Forever finding beauty in all of it.

In need of a new finish in a short timeline, I turned to some class samples. You see, I always have my class samples ready to go. In this case, the samples were piling up. In each Scraptastic class or each Slabs only class I make a slab. It’s a great introduction in to organizing your scraps, then seeing both colour and value as you go to use them with some improvisational piecing. I usually make my class samples so that they can eventually be put into a quilt, should I so desire. Well, I desired.

Combined with a simple white on white print sitting in the stash I took the slabs from 14 separate classes (with a few still left for teaching) and put them together in a generously sized lap quilt. She is destined for a specific donation opportunity so I needed to make her big enough for adult snuggles.

Quilting was pretty straightforward. A simple loopy free motion pattern on the rented long arm. I chose a turquoise thread because it looked good with the backing fabrics. With white and all the colours on the front I could have picked anything.

I have meters and meters of this black and white stripe in my stash because, well, it’s a rather perfect binding. You can’t go wrong with it when you have a multi-coloured quilt. My machine binding skills are finally in a place where I am happy with them (after many, many, many mediocre efforts over the years - you get better each time) so it was nice to finish this off quickly this way. I used a turquoise thread in my machine again to stitch the binding down, this tying it all together.

She was ready for a special giveaway. More to come on that soon…

Pinwheel Quilt Giveaway!!!

Quilt Giveaway Slow Down and Sew

It's 12 days until Christmas and I am feeling generous, so I'm giving away a quilt!

Specifically, the Pinwheel quilt from my book A Month of Sundays. A bold yet soft design. Quilted by Angela Walters, no less.

Here are the details:

... Quilt is 76'' x 76''. Made with 100% cotton fabric and 100% cotton batting. Designed, pieced, and bound (hand finished) by me, quilted by Angela Walters.

... All you have to do to be eligible to win is sign up for my newsletter. Scroll down to the bottom of the page here and the sign up is there. Don't worry, I don't share or sell my newsletter list. And now you get a biweekly newsletter full of tips, the exciting and interesting things I find online, and personal musings that I don't share anywhere else. Current newsletter subscribers already entered.

... Bonus entry if you repost the photo on Instagram with the hashtag #slowdownandsewgiveaway. It has to have the hashtag to be eligible.

... All international entries are welcome.

... I will make the draw on Christmas Day and ship the quilt by the end of the year. 

That's it! Nothing fancy. I just want to share my love of quilts, via a quilt, with you all. You think you are getting a present, but my husband thinks he is winning in the big picture - one less quilt in the house. 

Thank you so much for being here, for supporting my ramblings, for buying what I'm selling, and generally being awesome people. 

This giveaway is not sponsored, promoted, or administered by Instagram or Squarespace in any way. Each entrant releases both Instagram and Squarespace from any responsibility of a missed prize.

You Inspire Me To Quilt Giveaway


The holiday season is upon us. We are surrounded by so many of the people we love, the people who inspire us to quilt. Share a photo of the person or people in your life who bring you to the sewing table to create. Tell us why too. It  may be your partner, your kid, your grandmother. It might also be someone famous who inspired you or another quilter. Share it all. Tell us, who inspires you to quilt?

Post your photo on Instagram or Twitter, using the hashtag #youinspiremetoquilt. All posts will be entered to win one of these amazing prizes.

Prize 1
A 1-2 hour Skype session with me to discuss quilting. We can workshop an idea you have, take a mini class, or simply just chat. Let me help you make your quilt design dreams a reality.

Prize 2

A copy of You Inspire Me to Quilt, Eco-Pouch set, and Micro-fiber wipes (Donated by C&T Publishing). *US residents only

Prize 3
Good Neighbours fabric Bundle and a Zephyr (Cotton andSteel) bundle (Donated by Connecting Threads)

All posts shared between December 15 and  January 15 will be eligible for prizes. Post and share often! Every post is a chance to win.

If you aren't on Instagram or Twitter, now is the time to sign up! Here is a quick tutorial on Instagram. It is probably the perfect social media for quilters as it is so visual and responsive. Follow me there too! I am @cheryl_arkison.

I can't wait to see all the inspiring people in your lives!