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!

November Project - Gratitude Giveaway!

Gratitude Giveaways are my FAVORITE!!!! 

While I know you don't participate to get stuff, I am so very grateful for the way you all pour your hearts and generosity into our sewing projects each and every month. These little treats are my way of tangibly saying "Thanks!" for all you do for others. 

My friend Sondra at Contemporary Cloth has teamed up with me to create this awesome package of goodies! She has contributed that GORGEOUS bundle of organic fabric from the Safari Sweet collection. The prints are absolutely precious!!! And did I say Organic??? Because it is silky soft!

I've added a current, Winter 2013 copy of Quilter's World magazine, a template cutting set and a Sandy Gervais pattern, making this a gift with all kinds of potential!

Melissa at Sew BitterSweet Designs has created a giveaway bundle all her own to be given away to one of our participants too! Includes pattern, template & charm pack!

I will be randomly selecting 2 winners from the participant photos in our November Project Album HERE on Sunday, December 1, 2013. US Shipping included. (1 bundle from me, 1 bundle from Melissa) If you have been sewing along and would like to have a chance at one of these giveaway bundles, be sure and get your photo in the album! 

Contemporary Cloth Inc. is having a HUGE SALE right now too, so be sure and pop over to see what you might just "need" at a great price! ;) 

And THANK YOU!!!! Thank you for being a part of Hopeful Threads and joining your efforts with mine each month to make a difference by giving back! 

Book Review - Sew Baby / Argyle Quilt

 While at Quilt Market, I came across the Fox Chapel Publishing booth. They had a couple of books I thought would be great for FLUFF Project sewing that I grabbed for my sewing library. I was also given this copy of Sew Baby to use for our Monthly Project sewing and share with you about. 

I decided to make the Argyle Quilt from the book for donation to our November 2013 Project. 

While I am a very experienced seamstress, I am a complete beginner when it comes to quilting. As in, I've made ONE quilt. :) The instructions and step-by-step photographs the book provided really did make this an easy project, and I had it complete from start to finish in only a few hours. Very pleased!

I chose a Riley Blake pre-cut stacker I had tucked away in my stash for a very long time, which made the whole project that much faster. This is exactly why I most often buy fabric without a specific project in mind and why I love keeping a certain amount on hand.....when the right fabric and pattern meet, it can make for such a fun project! 

 I also had this perfectly coordinating Riley Blake ribbon that made for a very adorable finish! I hope this sweet quilt fits perfectly the little one that receives it. I decided not to add an applique as the pattern included, but there are instructions included for that step in the book as well. 

 I backed it with a cozy flannel that had been donated as "bits of Binkeez" from Binkeez for Comfort and finished with a coordinating package of bias tape. 

This book is packed with all kinds of other wonderful baby sewing projects too! There are soft toys, bibs, burp cloths, hats and of course, the darling little slippers you see on the cover. The slippers alone include 3 different variations, 1 of which is a penguin which might just have to end up in my Lil' Man's stocking next month! ;) TOO CUTE!!! 

As a reminder....I know it's a holiday week and all, but it's also the FINAL WEEK of our November Project! Would love to have you join in and help us love on the babies of the NICU. I am getting so excited about making the special delivery of all of our beautiful handmade blankets & quilts! 

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! 

Baby Quilt Tutorial from Sew BitterSweet Designs!

Today, my friend Melissa from Sew BitterSweet Designs has a tutorial to help you make a quick & simple baby quilt using a panel.

Drop by her blog HERE for all the details!

We'd love to have you use this or any of your favorite sewing/quilting tutorials to join us in our giving efforts this month. Find out all about our November Project HERE!

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!

Supernova Quilt Pattern GIVEAWAY! with 3 WINNERS!!!

 So excited to share this special treat with you!!!

My friend Sarah from Fabric Seeds has just recently released her very first quilt pattern called Supernova. It is absolutely gorgeous and can be made in 5 different sizes!!!

This is one of those quilts that you just want to stare at. The design offers so much movement and a different perspective just by the angle from which you look at it. 

In support of our November Project, Sarah is offering 3 of you the chance to win this beautiful pattern! Simply follow the Rafflecopter prompts below to enter. Giveaway generously open to all eligible! This is a paper pattern and will be mailed directly to the winners once address is verified. Winners announced/emailed 11/11/13 and expected to respond within 48 hours to claim the prize or alternates may be chosen.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't want to wait to see if you win? You can purchase the Supernova pattern for 20% OFF now through 11/16/13 using discount code "supernova". Find the pattern in the Fabric Seeds shop HERE!

Thank you Sarah! We look forward to seeing more of your beautiful designs in the future and appreciate your support of Hopeful Threads sewing to give!

Good luck to all!

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!

Monthly Finale....a tad early

I know we're still a couple of days from the end of the month, and I encourage you to keep sewing! 

EVERY STITCH MATTERS!!!

My little guy is having a "routine" surgery tomorrow, and my time and attention will be on him for the next few days, so I wanted to kind of get the monthly wrap up started just a bit early. 

I will be delivering my stockings to our Children's Hospital the week of December 10th, giving plenty of time for those packages to get here. Please keep this date in mind if you would like your stockings to be part of the donation I deliver. Dona, on the West Coast, makes more frequent/regular deliveries to her Children's, but this is still a good target date to consider so your items will arrive in plenty of time for Christmas.

When you are ready to ship your stockings, please email me for the address and let me know if you want the West Coast of East Coast address. Please be patient if it takes me a little extra time to get back to you, I will respond as soon as I can.

I can't say enough how VERY GRATEFUL I am for your time and support as you have sewn along to help spread CHEER this month! It's such a joy to participate in each of the projects with you. 

Mid-Month Reminder

Just a quick note to remind all of you cheerful seamstresses that we are mid-way through the month and that means mid-way through our November project!

Plenty of time left to be a part....JOIN US and invite your friends to as well!

Easiest Stocking Tutorial EVER!

This may just be the easiest stocking ever to make!

READY???

Here's what you need....

A stocking pattern template. (I'm using the Merry pattern from Thimble Blossoms)

Some double sided, pre-quilted fabric.

Extra wide double fold bias tape.

 I had a small cut of pre-quilted fabric in my Christmas bin and thought it would be perfect for this project! This is how I turned it into a couple of stockings...

Cut 2 stocking shapes from your pre-quilted fabric. Be sure to flip your pattern over so that you will have a stocking pointing in each direction to sew together. Pin the 2 stocking pieces together with whichever side you want to be see on the inside. Stitch and turn right side out.

 Carefully pin bias trim along the raw edge of the top of the stocking.

 Cut a piece of the bias tape for your hanger and stitch along open side.

 Place the hanger at the center of the back seam under the top trim and pin in place.

 Stitch the top trim in place, securing the hanger and folding under the end as you finish.

 Ready to SPREAD CHEER!

Plenty of time left to join our sew along project this month!