November Project Finale!

Today is the LAST "official" DAY of our November Project!

There are near 100 donations accounted for in our album right now!!!!!

I anticipate delivery of our donations the second week of December to allow for plenty of time to finish up and get those donations mailed. If you need the mailing address, you can send to me here, 

 Kristy Smith

c/o Echelon Florist

1260 Rocky Hill Road

Knoxville, TN 37919

Email Me if you have any questions at all! Be sure to add a photo of your donation to our November Project Album HERE so we can have a good count of what to expect, and so you can be entered to win one of those fabulous prize packs we are giving away to 2 of our awesome participants! :) 

Thank you all for sewing along and for being a part of the Giving Back efforts of Hopeful Threads!

Ruffle Trimmed Faux Patchwork Baby Blanket Tutorial

I made this sweet little blanket for our November Project and it was such a simple sew that turned out so pretty, I wanted to share with you in case you'd like to give it a try. This is a smaller blanket to accommodate the smaller sizes requested by our NICU. You can use the same method for any size you would like to make though. 

I've used the Hello Tokyo patchwork print I purchased from Contemporary Cloth Inc. 

Simply measure 1 yard of fabric and cut in half the full length. 

Now, with my patchwork print pinned to a layer of batting, I began stitching across the patchwork squares to create a quilting effect. You can also stitch length wise to give it a real patchwork feel. I was going to wait and do this step at the end to incorporate the backing fabric into the quilting, but it wanted to bunch up since the borders were already complete, so I left it off.

To make your ruffle trim, I measured 4" x WOF (width of fabric) strips. For the size of blanket I was making, I needed 4 strips. Sew the short ends together to create one long strip. Iron seams open. Then, fold & iron the strip in half with wrong sides together. Now you are ready to ruffle your strip using your ruffling foot or favorite ruffling method, find my favorite HERE.  

Pin your ruffle evenly around the outer edge of your blanket matching up raw edges. Carefully round the ruffle at the corners if you would like your finished blanket to have rounded corners. Stitch or baste ruffle in place.

With right sides of patchwork fabric and backing fabric together, pin your backing in place. Stitch all the way around your blanket, leaving a 6-8" opening at the bottom edge for turning. Trim your seams, especially at the corners and turn your blanket right side out. I have used a soft, coordinating flannel print for the back of mine. 

Neatly push out the edge to make sure all is even. Pin the opening closed. Top-stitch around the entire edge of your blanket being sure to stitch closed the opening left for turning. 

There you have it! A precious little "Ruffle Trimmed Faux Patchwork Baby Blanket" perfect for gift giving or donation!  

 My finished blanket is approximately 24" x 38.5"

If you give it a try, I'd love to see! 

Mid-Month Reminder!

Not sure if it's the time of year making things move even faster or what, but we are ALREADY at the mid-way point for our November Project!!!!

Several beautiful donations added to our Project Album and more on their way! :)

Would love to have you join our efforts! Find out more HERE.

Quilt Panel GIVEAWAY for November Project!

Melissa & I have teamed up to offer those of you interested in sewing along this month a special giveaway! We each have a quilt panel that would be perfect to make a quick baby quilt with this month, and we'd like to send them to 2 of you! :) 

Fabric Outlet provided me with several panels to use for our project this month, and this is one of them. Isn't it darling!?!?!
Thank you Fabric Outlet!

If you'd be interested in sewing up one of these sweet panels for a donation to our November Project, then follow the Rafflecopter prompts below to enter. US shipping only please due to the time limits of our project. Thanks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winners will be announced this FRIDAY, November 15, 2013. Please respond within 48 hours so we can get the panels on their way to you, with time enough left to sew them! :)

Get all the details about our November Project HERE! 

Oh!! And stay tuned! Melissa will be sharing a quilting tutorial later this week using a panel! 

Purple Panda Quilts - Simple & Modern Baby Quilt Tutorial

The creative and generous Lyanna of Purple Panda Quilts has created a special, modern baby quilt in support of our November Project and is sharing the tutorial on her blog!

Go check it out here!!!

Thank you so much Lyanna! It's beautiful!

November 2013 Monthly Project Announcement!

Like many of our Monthly Projects, this one has been in the works for a long while now. Melissa and I started talking about it months ago, and it's been especially interesting to watch it all unfold in ways we could never have expected or planned for. 

For November's Project, we will be making quilts, blankets and lovies for the babies of the NICU at my local Children's Hospital. 

This has been a long time dream of my friend Melissa from Sew BitterSweet Designs ever since her sweet daughter Anne received the comforting gift of a quilt during a hospital stay. Melissa shared that Anne was very sick, and they had to leave for the hospital without time to prepare and pack, and having a quilt waiting for them was such a blessing and comfort. 

Being a quilter herself, she wanted to find a way to give back in this special way. 

I have a local friend that is a NICU nurse, so together, we have designed the November Project to be one that will allow us to use our love of sewing and quilting to provide these comforting gifts.   

For the November Project I will be collecting and delivering the following....

Newborn/Preemie Quilts

Sewn, Knit or Crochet Receiving Blankets

Security & Sensory Lovies like Tag Blankies

***SIZE UPDATE***

There are 2 sizes that would be great. 26x30 and 1yd square. Those would fit their 2 most common beds.Thanks!!

My nurse friend, not knowing our plans, just posted on Monday how great a need they currently have for these items. I am looking forward to delivering a BUNDLE of our fabric love that will provide the babies this special handmade comfort and hopefully encourage their caregivers at the same time! 

Being that December is always a R&R month around here, this will be the final "official" project for Hopeful Threads' 2013 year. We've tried to include a way for anyone that would like to participate to be able to. Will you join Melissa & I for this project? We gladly welcome any and all participation! 

I've updated our Project Badge and have created a November Project flickr album specifically to share our donation pictures. 

Melissa and I have also been gathering ideas for tiny baby quilts, and you can find our "Baby & Preemie Quilts" Pinterest board here. There are also a variety of ideas for lovies in my "Soft Toys" board here. 

Stay tuned for lots more inspiration and surprises to post throughout the month! 

Are you ready for some Baby Love sewing??? Hope so!