I LOVE PRECUT QUILTS! BLOG HOP FINALE AND GIVEAWAY

WOW!  This has been such a fun week.  I'm sew very thankful that I've had this wonderful opportunity to share my new book with you.  Thanks for coming along! :)

Of course, I couldn't have done it without my awesome bloggers!  I want to send out a GREAT BIG THANK YOU HUG to  Bea of Beaquilter, Mark of Mark Lipinski's Blog, Julie of The Crafty Quilter, Sandy of  Upstairs Hobby Room, Camelot Fabrics, Generation Q Magazine, Joy of Am I Shouting Yet?, Cheryl of Cheryl's Tea Pots 2 Quilting, Bernie of Needle and Foot, and my publisher C&T.  Yay!   I really appreciate each of you taking the time to participate in my blog hop.

I'm a little sad that it's time to wrap up my blog hop, but what a fun time it's been -- 

kind of like a week long book party!  

 

PSST!  Don't forget to read all the way to the bottom for a GREAT GIVEAWAY!

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Since this is the last stop, 

let me tell you why I love my book,

 I Love Precut Quilts! 

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE FABRIC! 

Whoever invented precuts was absolutely brilliant!

Fat quarters were my first introduction to precuts.  I loved my fat quarters so much that I infected both my nieces when they were quite young -- I can still remember taking my oldest niece, Meghan to the quilt shop and encouraging her to pick out  fat quarters from the sale suitcase. (Meg, I still can't believe that you picked out that hideous pink and blue big polka dot fabric -- what were you thinking? I guess as a 2 year old, you probably didn't have a sophisticated fabric sense yet....)  I guess if I had to have the fabric bug, then I wanted everyone else around me to have it too.

Then I discovered 5'' charm squares..........be still my beating heart. Now I could buy an ENTIRE fabric collection for a small amount of money.  Charm squares were an easy transition for me into all sorts of different precuts. It wasn't long before I started cutting my leftover fabrics into 5'' squares, 2 1/2'' strips, 10'' squares, 2 1/2'' squares -- you get the picture.

Now that I had this terrible precut addiction, what was I going to do????  Too much fabric and not enough time.

VOILA!  Time to write a new quilt book with projects featuring all my favorite precuts.  The funny thing is, I didn't originally start out to write a precut book, but strange and wonderful things can happen when you least expect them.

FAST AND FUN PROJECTS = DONE PROJECTS

  I am a quilter with a short attention span.  I like fun projects that I can get finished fast so that I can move on to a new project.  Precuts have really helped me with this whole concept.  But it's more than just precuts -- the projects have to be designed to go together fast too.  When you add precuts to fast projects then you can make more quilts in less time.  Who doesn't want that?????

Here's one of my favorite SUPER FAST projects from my book:

It's called "Big Bow Ties" and you can literally make this bed-sized quilt top in a matter of hours with matching layer cakes and charm squares,  a collection of fat quarters, or even your stash.  The blocks are HUGE and there's only 16 of them to make.  

Add a couple borders and you end up with an 88'' x 88'' square quilt.  WOW!

Here are a couple more QUICK QUILTS from my book:

It's called "Around and Round" and you don't even have to cut up your charm squares!  

Choose a coordinating fabric and get sewing -- you'll have this cute throw done before you know it!

 This one is called "Breeze" and boy is it a breeze to put together.  It's big enough for a

 twin-sized bed, but you could easily add more rows to make it larger.  Or subtract rows to 

make a baby quilt or a throw.  Whatever size you make it, the hardest part of this quilt is deciding where to place the blocks!

MORE OPTIONS

Be honest.  Who doesn't want more????  I love that we had room in my book to add a lot of USEFUL EXTRAS.  Like "Tricia's Crayon Box" where I show you two additional colorways for a quilt.  Or how about TIPS scattered throughout the book to help you get the most out of your quilting?  There are alternate sizes for the quilt "Bounce" and a discussion about color theory for "Spritely."  I even threw in an extra project for a coordinating throw pillow. 

   

Here are two quilt variations that I put together to demonstrate that I Love Precut Quilts! isn't just a project book -- it's a springboard to more ideas and inspirations --YOURS!

This striking wall quilt is adapted from the "Divide and Conquer" bed runner.
Red, white, black, and grey is one of my favorite color combinations.

This cute little table topper is adapted from the wall quilt/children's quilt, "Bounce." 
Don't you love the batiks on solid black?

It never fails to amaze me how changing fabrics and adding/subtracting blocks can give
you an entirely new project. 

What project will you make first???

 

Now that you're as excited about my book as I am --

  

THE FINAL GIVEAWAY:

 

You've all been very patient, reading through my entire blog, 

so I promise that it'll be worth it!

I will be giving away the following:

1.  A copy of  I Love Precut Quilts!   (International winners please note that you will receive an ebook version)

2.  A pastel collection of hand-dyed fat quarters. 

3.  A bright collection of hand-dyed fat quarters.

4. A set of 42 hand-dyed 5'' charm squares.

Here's how it works:

You have up to 3 chances to win the prizes listed above.

1.  Leave a comment and tell me the craziest thing that ever happened to you while quilting.

2.  Become a blog follower and leave a comment telling me you that you're a blog follower.

3. Follow me on Instagram @tricia.maloney and leave a comment telling me you're an Instagram follower.

Ready!  Set!  GO!

You have from Friday, February 3rd through Saturday, February 4th to participate. 

 Winners will be selected randomly on Sunday, February 5th.

PLEASE MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS 

SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN!

If you are not selected as a winner, don't be sad -- 

you can still get your own copy of my book  :)

1.  Ask your local quilt shop owner to carry my book.

2.  Order your very own signed copy on my website:  www.orphanquilter.com

3.  Visit C&T Publishing, Amazon, or your favorite online retailer.

  

Thanks for coming along on my Blog Hop!  It's been fun. 

 Let's do it again sometime.

 

 

I LOVE PRECUT QUILTS! BLOG HOP KICK OFF

Greetings!  

My name is Tricia Maloney and I'm the author of the new C&T book, I Love Precut Quilts!  I'm here today to invite you to come along with me on a super fun quilt blog hop to celebrate my new book from January 30th - February 3rd.

WHAT'S A BLOG HOP?

A blog hop is a group of bloggers who are all writing about the same topic -- in this case, my new book.  Each blogger is assigned a day during the hop and decides what he/she will write about. For example, some bloggers might decide to create projects from my book to share with you, while others might do a book review, or even an author interview.  Blog hops generally run for a specific number of days and often include fun giveaways.  This blog hop runs from January 30th - February 3rd and you will be able to register at each blogger's blog to win a copy of I Love Precut Quilts! (international winners will receive an ebook copy of the book).

HOW DO I PARTICIPATE?

Below, you will find the I Love Precut Quilts! blog hop schedule along with links to all of the bloggers who are involved with the hop.

All you have to do is click the links each day to go to the featured bloggers. Once there, read the blogger's post and follow the instructions to register for the giveaway.  It's that simple to get in on the fun!

BLOG HOP SCHEDULE

Monday, January 30th

            C&T Publishing

            Quilt With a View 

Tuesday, January 31st

             Mark Lipinski's Blog 

             The Crafty Quilter

             Beaquilter  

Wednesday, February 1st

                Upstairs Hobby Room 

                Camelot Fabrics 

                Cheryl'sTeapots2Quilting  

Thursday, February 2nd

                Am I Shouting Yet? 

                Needle and Foot  

                Generation Q Magazine   

Friday, February 3rd

                Quilt With a View

NOW THAT YOU KNOW HOW THE BLOG HOP WORKS, LET ME TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT MY BOOK

I Love Precut Quilts! is a fresh collection of 16+ beginner-friendly and intermediate quilts ranging from table runners and place mats all the way up to big bed quilts.  ALL of the projects feature precut fabric bundles -- fat quarters, charm squares, jelly rolls, layer cakes, and even half yards which makes fabric selection a snap!  You can even use your stash or scrap collection because each quilt project includes a detailed shopping list with the number of squares or strips needed to make the quilt.

Here are a few of the projects featured in the book:

I'll share more about I Love Precut Quilts!  on Friday, February 3rd on my blog, Quilt With a View.

Until then, please use the links in the blog hop schedule, above, to participate in the I Love Precut Quilts! blog hop.  Good Luck -- hope you win!

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY

Today you can win a copy of my new book,  I Love Precut Quilts!
Stop back here on Friday, February 3rd for more prizes.

  

Here's how it works:

You have up to 3 chances to win.

1.  Leave a comment and tell me what your favorite precut is.  

2.  Become a blog follower and leave a comment telling me you that you're a blog follower.

3. Follow me on Instagram @tricia.maloney and leave a comment telling me you're an Instagram follower.

Ready!  Set!  GO!

You have from Monday, January 30th until Saturday, February 4th to participate. 

 Winners will be selected randomly on Sunday, February 5th.
Please note that international winners will receive an ebook version of my book.

PLEASE MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS 

SO THAT I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN!

Let the Blog Hop Begin!

Be here on Monday, January 30th to join in the fun for my book blog hop!  

Hope to see you here!!!!

QUILT BLOG HOP JANUARY 30TH - FEB 3RD

 Are you ready for a BLOG HOP?  

I'm hosting a Blog Hop for my new quilt book, 

I Love Precut Quilts!

 January 30th - February 3rd

Here's How it Works:

 

Each day during the week of January 30th through February 3rd, there will be bloggers blogging about my new book.  They might be showing you a project they made, reviewing the book, hosting an author interview, or whatever else the bloggers can dream up!  

Mark your calendars!  

Join us for some fun and great giveaways!!!!!

Stop back soon for the Blog Hop schedule.

 

Making Pillowcase Dresses for Haiti

Yesterday I had the wonderful opportunity to volunteer to make pillowcase dresses for children in Haiti.  There were 19 of us -- eight sewers and a great group of helpers and pressers.  We completed 36 dresses yesterday afternoon and there are more in various stages of completion.  Some people even took extra pillowcases home to finish on there own time!  What a great group of volunteers!!!

We are fortunate that a local church does missionary trips to Haiti and they will make sure that our dresses get there.  Our dresses are going to a school that educated and feeds 60 children in  3 room schoolhouse.  The school and teacher salaries are completely paid for with donations and fundraising.

INTERESTED IN GETTING INVOLVED?

Here's a couple places to get started:

Little Dresses for Africa

Little Britches for Boys   (this is the boys' version of Little Dresses for Africa)

Dress a Girl Around the World

Orphan Grain Train

WANT TO DO YOUR OWN PILLOWCASE DRESS PARTY?

Here's what we did:

1.  Find and contact an organization to work with, whether it's one of the groups above or one in your community that does missionary work.

2. Find a central location with a large space, good lighting, and good electricity such as your church community room, local library, or meeting hall.

3.  Decide on a date/time and how long you want to sew.

4.  How many people will you need based on your space?  We had 8 sewers and 11 helpers who pressed, cut, pinned, threaded elastic, picked out trims, etc.

5.  Ask for volunteers and donated items that you will need (through social media, newspaper, friends, etc.).  Make sure you have enough irons/boards, cutting supplies, pins, extension cords, strips,  etc.

6.  When the day arrives, have some snacks on hand and enjoy working together to help others.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD!

Planning a Quilt Blog Hop

Right now I'm getting a Blog Hop put together for my new book, I Love Precut Quilts!  This is the first time I've ever organized a blog hop so I thought I'd write about my process in case anyone else might be interested in doing one at some point too.  Psst!  If you do a blog hop, sned me an email -- I might like to join yours.  :)

I do have a couple slots open if anyone is interested in joining my hop.....Email me at:  littlequilts@windstream.net.

STEP 1

The first thing that you need to do is figure out what your blog hop will be about.  Mine, of course, is going to be about promoting my new book.

STEP 2

Now you need to decide when your blog hop will happen.  At least give yourself 3 or 4 weeks to get everything organized or else you're going to feel overwhelmed.

STEP 3

Decide how many people you want to participate.  For example, if your blog hop will be five days long you will want to have at least 5 bloggers (yourself included), but you could feature more than one blogger per day if you wish, it just takes a little extra planning.

STEP 4

Invite bloggers to participate.  Start with your friends and acquaintances and branch out from there.  If you can pull in some "famous" bloggers then that will only help your blog hop to be more successful.

STEP 5

Double check your bloggers and your schedule so that you have the correct number of bloggers for the number of days that you planned.  Make any last minute adjustments if needed.  Make sure that you send out information to your bloggers so that they know what's going on and what you'd like them to do.

STEP 6

If you're going to do giveaways, how will that work?  Make sure everyone's on the same page here.

STEP 7

 Now it's time to Blog Hop!  Since you're super organized and everyone is ready, this will be a breeze, right?????

STEP 8

After the Hop, make sure all giveaways have been done as stated.  THANK your bloggers and hoppers for participating.

 

New Year.................New Review

Hello Everyone and Happy New year!

I would have created a blog post yesterday but I was too busy doing nothing all day in my jammies.  LOL!

But even though I was AWOL, my book wasn't as it was featured on Mark Lipinski's Facebook Live program yesterday afternoon.  What a way to start a brand new year!

If you missed it -- here's the link to his Blog where you can watch his live program from January 1st:  Mark Lipiniski's Blog


WOW!  I can't believe it but Mark said he had over 11,000 hits for the Live Program yesterday.  OMG -- that's mind-boggling!!!!!!

Mark had a nice recipe for Irish coffee as well as showing lots of great books and fabrics that he'd just received -- truly quilter's candy!!!   Oh yeah -- I Love Precut Quilts was  featured on there too (wink, wink).

 Mark suggested that quilters make their own precuts instead of buying the prepackaged ones.  Yep, my book would be great to use up your stash that way you can buy more fabric.  He also mentioned my second book, A Russian Journey in Quilts (this was his favorite of mine so far).

Thanks, Mark -- you rock!

Sew, what are you waiting for????  GO CHECK IT OUT!

Mark Lipiniski's Blog