Kicking off 2017 with a Party -- A Slab Block Linky Party That Is!

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you were able to get a little 'you time' after the hustle and bustle of the holidays. I, for one, was really looking forward to slamming the door on 2016 and greeting 2017 with wide open arms. One of the ways I'll be trying to make 2017 better is by participating in Canada's Big Quilt Bee with the Canadian Quilter's Association (CQA) and Fabric Please!

Check out my last post for more details, but in a nutshell, CQA is looking for 12.5" slab blocks with some Canada 150 fabric to make 1,000 quilts for kids at Ronald McDonald House.

Slab blocks are really easy to make and you can find the instructions on the Canadian Quilters Association site (thank you to Cheryl Arkinson for providing them!).

Fabric Please!, in addition to carrying the Glowing Hearts Canada 150 fabric, has offered up some prizes for people who donate slab blocks to the project. Woo hoo!

For the prizes, we have:

Three gift certificates to Fabric Please!

And this gorgeous black and white fabric (selection of fabrics may vary), thread and pattern pack:

Thank you, Fabric Please!

Here are my first two finished slab blocks -- just love that red, aqua, grey, black and white goodness! I'll share more of them over the next few months.

You can link up the slab blocks you make for the project in this linky party until 8:17 p.m. on May 17, 2017 so you have lots of time.

Only slab blocks please -- this isn't TGIFF! or W.I.P. Wednesdays or Sew Thursdays or New Project Tuesdays or Manic Mondays or any of those other linky parties. This is just for slab blocks for Canada's Big Quilt Bee. I will remove your post (with love though) from the linky party if it's anything other than slab blocks.

Also, we need to spread the word so please link back to the party so your readers can find us too -- we will need a lot of blocks to make 1,000 quilts! You can mail your unfinished quilt tops and/or slab blocks to: Leslie Whitby, 2895 Almonte Road, Carp, ON, K0A 1L0. Last day to mail is May 30, 2017 so they can make it in time for the Big Quilt Bee.

Note: your slab blocks do not have to have Glowing Hearts fabric in them, but they do need to have Canadian 150 fabric somewhere in it. Also, you do not have to be Canadian for this either, just use a bit of Canadian fabric in your block. 

An InLinkz Link-up

With Glowing Hearts

Have you heard about Canada's Big Quilt Bee with the Canadian Quilters Association (CQA)? They have a set a pretty BHAG (big, hairy audacious goal) for 2017. 1,000 quilts for Ronald McDonald House! The Big Quilt Bee will be held June 14-17, 2017 at Quilt Canada 2017 in Toronto, ON. They’ll have sewing machines, long arms, mid arms and lots of volunteers to work on quilt tops and stacks of slabs made by hundreds of Canadian quilters. It's going to be fun!

Hmm, I wondered if there's a Guinness World Record for the biggest quilt bee? So I looked it up. There's a record for the largest patchwork quilt, the largest bee house and the largest gathering of people dressed as bees (why?), but I did not find a record of the largest quilt bee. Something to think about, CQA?

But I digress. CQA is looking for blocks to get this party started. 12.5" slab blocks in particular with at least one piece of special Canada 150 fabric in it. Slab blocks are really easy to make and you can find the instructions on the Canadian Quilters Association site.

When Rita from Fabric Please approached me for this bee, I was game and I figured some of you would be too. She sent me this great charm pack of the Glowing Hearts fabric line by Grace Noël for Trendtex to get me started. She is carrying the entire With Glowing Hearts line that is available for purchase here.

I'm currently sitting in an arena so that hockey stick is very à propos!  

It's a beautiful fabric line, done to celebrate Canada's 150th anniversary, which officially kicks off in 20 days by the way!

I've added in some of my red, aqua, grey and white scraps to the Glowing Hearts charm pack. I didn't think I had that many in those colours, but I've used a lot of them already and I still have more. Here's one of my blocks so far. I still need to add more rows to get it to 12.5". but it's coming along. A perfect low-stress project to do before or after the holidays.

Now here's the exciting part where there's something in it for you! Fabric Please! has offered up some prizes for people who donate slab blocks to the project. Woo hoo!

I will run a linky party here starting next week and running until May 17, 2017. You can link up the slab blocks you make for the project. Only slab blocks please -- this isn't TGIFF! or W.I.P. Wednesdays or Sew Thursdays or New Project Tuesdays or Manic Mondays or any of those other linky parties. This is just for slab blocks for Canada's Big Quilt Bee. I will remove your post (with love though) from the linky party if it's anything other than slab blocks. More details to come about the prizes from Fabric Please! next week when the linky party starts.

Note: your slab blocks do not have to have Glowing Hearts fabric in them, but they do need to have Canadian fabric somewhere in it. Also, you do not have to be Canadian for this either, just use a bit of Canadian fabric in your block. 💋

Mail your unfinished quilt tops and/or slab blocks to: Leslie Whitby 2895 Almonte Road, Carp, ON, K0A 1L0. Last day to mail is May 30, 2017.

Sponsor Sales and Specials!

Happy Thursday all and Happy Thanksgiving to my American friends! I'm very thankful that my fabulous sponsors have some specials going on this weekend...

Mad About Patchwork will be running a 4-day sale, with 10% off orders under $100 and 20% off orders over $100.

Canadian National Fabric will be having a cyber Monday sale of 20% off whole orders. Use code CYBER2016 at checkout!

Sew Sisters Quilt Shop is starting their Stuff Your Stocking event next week – registrations close November 28 so don't delay!

Fabric Please! is having a...

 

SALE!

Starting on Friday, November 25, save

30% off 

use code: BLACK16

Then on Saturday & Sunday (26 & 27), save

20% off

use code:  BLACK16

Just in case you eat too much turkey and sleep through the weekend...

you can save

35% off

on

Use code:  CYBERSALE

Sale applies to yardage only.  Excludes: pre-cuts, notions, thread, batting & kits.

Have fun!

More Fabric Please!

I'm very happy to welcome Fabric Please! as a new sponsor for Quilt Matters. Fabric Please! is a Canadian online fabric store based in New Dundee, Ontario and owned by Rita Ferber.

Rita opened her online shop in February 2014 and has been loving every second of it. She has a great site, where you can find products by designer, fabric type (she carries apparel fabric!), theme, notions and manufacturers, etc. Fabric Please! carries a sweet collection of precuts, Aurifil thread (yay!) and has a great sale section.

Did you know that Fabric Please! has the whole Glowing Hearts fabric line? Yes ma'am! Look at those colours...

Designed by fellow Canadian Grace Noël, this line was commissioned by Trendex (Canadian supplier of Moda products) to celebrate Canada’s 150th Anniversary next year. Get it while it lasts 'cause it won't last long!

So welcome Fabric Please! and thank you for becoming a sponsor!

You'll be hearing more about this line and Fabric Please! in a few weeks because we'll be partnering up for Canada's Big Quilt Bee. Stay tuned!

Quilt Show Weekend!

It's quilt show weekend here in Ottawa. This year it's the Common Thread Quilt Show with a special room for the Ottawa Modern Quilt Guild. Woo hoo! I have four quilts in the show and hoping to get there this afternoon to look around. I'm volunteering tomorrow from 11-1 p.m. If you are in the area, stop in. You won't be disappointed!

Also, Sew Sisters Quilt Shop is having a Free shipping event this weekend for Mother's Day! Enjoy!

Colour Pop - A Work in Progress

A cold has sapped my energy this week so not much is happening on the quilting front. Except that I've started quilting Colour Pop. I put in two layers of batting on this one so the quilting will really pop.

The triangular spiral quilting is simple in look but tricky to do. If you use a walking foot to get nice straight lines, there is a lot of turning of the quilt. Free motion quilting goes quicker, but is hard to get nice straight lines, which is what I want in this case.

I am trying rulers for the first time. Bernina came out with a ruler foot for their new long arm machine and it is compatible with the domestic machines (NB: check your machine warranty before you go out and get one). I've been wanting to try ruler quilting since I took the Quilting With Rulers on a Home Machine class on Craftsy.

I'm learning a lot and some areas are not very pretty, but I've got it about 1/3 of Colour Pop quilted. It's going faster than the walking foot, but slower than free motion quilting.

A couple of sponsor news items for you! Sew Sisters Quilt Shop is having an online sale today only. 20% of yardage! Sweet! See their sale notice for details.

Canadian National Fabrics always has some great treasures in their Sale section! Remember, there's free shipping on order over $50 in Canada.

Mad About Patchwork has some gorgeous Cotton + Steel on sale right now!

Hope you have a great weekend! 

Because It's 2015! Sponsor Snip-its and Specials

Happy, happy Friday all! I'm pretty stoked this week -- our new Prime Minister appointed a gender-balanced cabinet! And his response as to why it was important? "Because it's 2015!" Woo hoo! :)

Of course, some enterprising soul at Teespring has already created a t-shirt for it. LOL!

In case you too are in the mood to celebrate, check out these specials by Quilt Matters' wonderful sponsors.

The Running Stitch here in Ottawa is featuring 27% off their Christmas fabric for this month's Lucky 7 special tomorrow, November 7th.

Sew Sisters Quilt Shop Deal of the Month for November is a 30% off Kona Basics. That is $7.69/metre, people!

Canadian National Fabrics is now carrying Tula Pink's Eden collection. Woo hoo! Also, the Sale section is stocked with lots of sweet deals! Remember, there's free shipping on order over $50 in Canada.

Mad About Patchwork is featuring at 20% discount on Tula Pink's Eden prints until November 13th.

Hope you have a great weekend! 

Sponsor Snip-its and Specials

I did a little retail therapy when I popped into Mad About Patchwork's warehouse location yesterday. Sigh. I love Alison Glass fabric. And a little Kona. And a little Cotton and Steel and a little Moda. Yes, perhaps it wasn't a 'little' retail therapy after all.

In case you are looking to do a little retail therapy yourself, check out these specials with my wonderful sponsors.

Sew Sisters Quilt Shop Deal of the Month is a 3-pack bundle of Aurifil thread for $24.83. That is a sweet deal!


Canadian National Fabrics Sale section is deliciously stocked with lots of fabric goodness! Remember, there's free shipping on order over $50 in Canada.


The Running Stitch Lucky 7 Special this month is 17% off Batting, Backing, and Basting Spray on September 8th (they are closed on September 7th for Labour Day). They are having an Open House on Saturday, September 12th from 12-4 p.m. for classes. For every class you register for, you get a $10 gift certificate that day to use towards class supplies.


Craftsy is also having a Labour Day sale with up to 50% off all online classes and supplies!

Mad About Patchwork is featuring at 10% discount on children's prints this week. Mad About Patchwork is having an Open House for Fall workshops (including my Modern Free Motion Quilting Sampler class) from 10-2 p.m. on Saturday, September 12th.


Hope you have a great long weekend! 

Some Mother's Day Weekend Specials!

I mentioned the Sew Sisters special this weekend, but I learned that my other sponsors are having some sales too! Woo hoo! Now that's my kind of Mother's Day gift!

Mad About Patchwork - All 10″ squares (layer cakes) have been marked down 20%. And the linen/cotton Mochi dots are marked down 25%. Now thru Sunday May 10.

The Running Stitch - For those in the Ottawa area, the first 25 customers on Saturday, May 9th will receive a VIQ (Very Important Quilter) canvas tote with a $25 purchase.

Fabric Spark

Canadian National Fabric

I hope you have a great weekend. Enjoy!

Marking Your Space

B-b-b-bonanza! Bundle Bonanza, that is, is on at Sew Sisters this weekend. Great bundles of coordinating fat quarters at delicious prices (yes, I haven't had breakfast yet). On until tomorrow!

***

By some scheduling miracle a couple of weekends ago, we got to spend a Saturday morning hanging out at home instead of the arena. Even better, I could spend it in my sewing studio sewing with my boys. Woo hoo!

I've been promising them placemats for some time. I pulled out the solid scrap bin and had them choose what colours they'd like.

Micah's:

Daniel's:

Patrick's:

Daniel's is finished and with a little luck, we may just finish the other two up this weekend!

Have a great weekend all!

Welcome Canadian National Fabric!

Happy Wednesday, all! Can you really say that about a Wednesday? Well, I'm going to anyway. Not only am I happy that it is Wednesday, but I'm also happy to introduce a new sponsor to you!

Canadian National Fabric is a Canadian online fabric store based in the Caledon, Ontario area. Bebe and her team have over 1800 products available.

How awesome is their logo? Three of my favourite things - Fabric, Canada and beavers (I'm also a Beaver leader with Scouts for those who don't know).

Canadian National Fabric offers a flat rate $5 shipping across Canada and free shipping if you spend over $50. Hello?! They also offer flat rate shipping to the U.S. and other countries internationally -- check out their site for details.

They offer a cool "Cash for Stash" Points reward program for all customers, where your purchases get you points for discounts towards future purchases. Sweet!

Here are just a few of the gems that caught my eye recently:

Modern Mixers: Cobalt Blue

Riding Hood: Story Grey

Penelope: Aqua Baubles

Classics: Millefiore Pastel

Geekly Chic: Geekly Cameras Blue

oooh, and this:

The Chalk Line: 2129-001

I'll definitely be pick up some of this fabric!

If you aren't already familiar with Canadian National Fabric, I hope you get a chance to check them out. They have a great variety of fabrics to suit everyone's needs. 

Thank you, Canadian National Fabric, for sponsoring Quilt Matters! 

Quick Fix Scraps - A Work in Progress

Hi all, happy Friday! It's been a good, but long week. I thought I'd ring in the weekend by playing with the triangular scraps from Quick Fix. I made some HSTs.

Now I'm playing with them on the design wall. I'm really liking this effect, but I will keep playing with layout.

I'll probably share some of the layouts on Instagram 'cause I'm now on Instagram too! If you are on Instagram, you can find me there at quiltmatters.

Oh, and did you hear? Sew Sisters Quilt Shop is having a Free Shipping event until Sunday on all orders within Canada. Woo hoo! Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

Boxing Week Specials

Mr. Chompey says, "Boxing Week treats await you!"

Wondering what quilty Boxing Week deals are out there? Well, my wonderful sponsors have a few things on the go that might interest you.

FabricSpark is having a Mystery Fat Quarter event until December 31. Pick a minimum 1 yard of fabric and Daryl will add a coordinating fat quarter. She has fabulous taste so you know you'll get something fun. She also has over a 100 fabrics priced to clear!

Mad About Patchwork is having a 12 Days of Christmas sale. 20% off over 190 beautiful fabrics until January 6th. Coupon code 12DAYS at checkout. Yay!

Craftsy's Year-End Clearance Sale year end sale is also on! Starting today, you can get up to 65% off ALL fabric, yarn and kits. Stock up while supplies last! Offer expires at midnight on December 30th, 2014 at 11:59 PM MT.

The Running Stitch is closed until January 1st, but they reopen with a 7th Anniversary Sale on January 2-7, 2015. Buy 6 and get the 7th free (except Bernina products)! Woo hoo!

Happy shopping!

Handmade for the Holidays

How stinkin' cute are these reindeer?!

Mad About Patchwork is having a Handmade for the Holidays sale November 28 – December 7. Woo hoo! 

They’ve been busy making samples and kits for simple gift ideas that can still be made in plenty of time for the holidays.  

Along with the kits, all notions (rulers, thread, interfacing), pre-cut charms and rolls, flannel and fleece are on sale!

Everything you need to get sewing for Christmas! All 15% off with the coupon HANDMADE until December 7.

All purchases over $60 will receive a bonus gift, a one-of-a kind handmade pincushion with the Mad About Patchwork label. Sweet!

And in the holiday spirit of giving, Mad About Patchwork is donating a portion of all sales from November 28 – 30 to The Snowsuit Fund. The Snowsuit Fund is an Ottawa-based charity that raises funds for the purchase and distribution of snowsuits to needy children in the community. 

Have fun shopping and help keep a child warm this winter!

So adorable! (no, I will not say 'adorbs' even if they are... ;)