Desire To Inspire

It is a busy last day of March around here. Today is the last day for quilt shop owners to enter the Kim Diehl Simple Whatnots Club Contest. You still have time to enter if you already have a finished sample of Heritage Stars on display in your quilt shop.  Contest details further down this post. 

It is also time to post our Desire To Inspire Challenge project. We can certainly say that this is one of our favorite things about the blog. We love to see what YOU make with our collections. If you want to join the list of potential challengers, send us an e-mail. Instructions are in the flyer below.

We sent our challenger a bundle of American Dreams by Beth Logan and we were excited to see the challenger's projects. Let's meet our March 2015 Desire To Inspire Challenger.

Name:  Julie Cefalu

Where do you live?  

I live in the Bay Area of California.  It used to be prime agricultural land with orchards everywhere.  Now it’s known as Silicon Valley.  I do have an amazing vegetable garden, though!

Family

I have been married to the love of my life for 30 years.  We have 4 children, and we’re currently empty nesters.  Our oldest daughter is married and lives in Austin, Texas.  She’s expecting a baby (our first grandchild) in July.  We have another daughter who is getting married in September and lives close by.  Our son is single, and he also lives and works nearby.  Our youngest daughter is a junior at UC Davis which is 2 hours away and visits often.  We also have a dog, Cooper who is our comic relief and a stress-reliever for my husband (not so much for me).  For the remaining animals, we’re down to one cat and a tortoise.  It’s always a zoo around here for one reason or another!

How long have you been quilting?

I have been quilting for 16 years.  I started when my youngest child was in preschool, and after being prodded encouraged by my older sister.  I’ve sewn since I was in junior high school, and I used to sew everything from curtains to maternity clothes and lots of Halloween costumes.  Now I stick to quilts, table runners and bags.

What's your favorite technique?

I love every aspect of quilting, but my favorite technique is applique.  I think it takes an ordinary quilt into the extraordinary category.  Free motion quilting can do that, too, and it’s another technique that I enjoy.  And if shopping were a technique, I’d be very good at that as well.  

Who taught you how to quilt?  

I taught myself how to quilt.  I had big footsteps to fill with my sister being an excellent quilter.  I took my first quilting class in 2001 when I wanted to learn free motion quilting.  Now I teach beginning quilting, free motion quilting and machine applique.  It’s my favorite job ever!

Do you belong to any guilds?  

I am the co-founder and co-president of the Silicon Valley Modern Quilt Guild.

Anything else you would like to share with our readers?

I have a blog, The Crafty Quilter.  I started it in 2012 as a way to facilitate my teaching.  It has grown a lot since then, and my audience is almost at 5,000 followers.  I have lots of tutorials and tips that I share for all levels of quilters.  I’d love it if you would visit me there! 

I have really enjoyed this challenge and working with Henry Glass fabrics.  I love to create and there are always designs and ideas swirling in my head.  I wish I had a twin who could take care of all the “busy-ness” of life while I quilt all day!

Thank you to July for stepping up to the challenge!

One last note of business. Today is the last day for submitting your photograph to the Kim Diehl Simple Whatnots Club Contest. You have until midnight at a chance of entering this fabulous contest. Good luck!

We have received some amazing submissions. All of the entries are beautiful and the photographs will inspire you to be part of the Kim Diehl Simple Whatnots Club. The stores have outdone themselves and we are so very proud and grateful that these shops support Henry Glass Fabrics. Thank you! Here are some more entries [in no particular order].

[Tom Thomas, Yankee Pride Quilts in Essex Junction, VT]

[Susan Lommen, Colorz Quilt Shop, 14091 Baxter Drive, Suite 112, Baxter, MN]

[Linda Pirtle, Granny's Quilt Fabrics, 1108-B Argent Blvd., Ridgeland, South Carolina]

[Sue Carmichael, Quilters Cupboard, 202 Brock Street East, Uxbridge, Ontario, Canada]

Good luck to all!

- HG

Let's Get Quilting - March 30, 2015 Edition

Good morning! The Henry Glass Fabrics e-mail box was full with a lot of activity this weekend. We came in to discover many more submissions to the Kim Diehl Simple Whatnots Club Contest. For the procrastinators, you still have until midnight March 31, 2015. Thank you to all who have sent in a photograph of their Kim Diehl quilt. If a shop has the Heritage Stars quilt on display but hasn't entered, it is simple. Take a photograph and e-mail it to us by tomorrow night! See flyer below. Good luck!

We have received some wonderful submissions. Here are a couple more [in no particular order or preference] that may inspire you.

[Submission from Debbie Aldridge & Toni Owens of Oklahoma Quiltworks, 

9323 N. Pennsylvania Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK]

[Submission from Carrie Dodge of The Stitchery, N2482 Country Road, O'Delavan, WI]

Let's get to our Monday morning blog business. Congratulations to Sarah for winning last week's giveaway. Please send us your contact information here. This week we are giving away a bundle of Mommy & Me by Shelly Comiskey. So sweet! Tell us who taught you how to quilt.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

- HG

Weekend Sewing - Simple Whatnots Contest

We are counting down to the last few days until the Kim Diehl Simple Whatnots Club Contest closes. You have sent in wonderful photographs of your quilts. Thank you!

Here is another lovely submission for the Kim Diehl Simple Whatnots Club Contest. There is still time to squeeze in your entry. See details below.

Trisha Rash from Needles Quilt Shop, 73 Main Street in Wellsboro, Pa. sent us her submission recently. Thank you Trisha.

Good luck!

- HG

Kim Diehl's Simple Whatnots Club Contest - More Inspiration

Kim Diehl's Simple Whatnots Club Contest deadline is next week. Quilt shops owners, have you sent your submissions in? We are giving you a little push because we know that there are a few of you who are working hard at sending in your photographs. You can do it! The quilt is a manageable size and is quite achievable in the last few day of the contest. Go, go, go!

Here is another submission from Ma's Got'a Notion at 305 West Main Street, Havana, Illinois. Sue Shaeffer, owner of Ma's Got'a Notion,  sent along photographs of the four sides of their store's Kim Diehl display.

Good luck!

- HG

Simple Whatnots Sampler Quilt

Henry Glass Fabrics and Kim Diehl are excited to introduce you to the Simple Whatnots Sampler Quilt. Kim combined her favorite blocks from collections 1 and 2. For shops that participated in Simple Whatnots Clubs 1 or 2, this four-part Simple Whatnots Club Sampler Quilt pattern is now available on the website [password required] for you to download as an added bonus.

Any shops that participated in either SW 1 or 2 are eligible to download these handouts by clicking on the Simple Whatnots buttons at the top of the Henry Glass website and entering your password here or here. If you are a Kim Diehl fan and quiltmaker, contact your local quilt shop or inquire at your favorite online shop.

Quilt shop owners. There is still time to enter the Simple Whatnots Club Contest! Simply show us your sample of the Heritage Stars quilt on display in your shop by e-mailing a photograph of it by March 31, 2015.

Pat Madsen of Madsen's Crafts and Framing at 2125 West Broadway, Idaho Falls, ID sent in her beautiful entry. Thanks Pat and good luck!

Good luck!

- HG

Let's Get Quilting - March 23, 2015 Edition

Good Monday morning! It's great to start the week with the Henry Glass Fabrics' Let's Get Quilting Giveaway!

Before we get to a new giveaway, we would like to congratulate Janie for being chosen as last week's winner! Please contact us here to send us your mailing address.

Today we are giving a bundle of Poppy Patio by Jill Finley of Jillily Studio. Let us know if you are going to do a shop hop this year. If you do participate, what do you like about shop hops? You can find a copy of the sweet Poppy Patio pattern for you to download here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have a great day!

- HG

Inspiration: Simple Whatnots Club Contest

We have been enjoying the entries to our Simple Whatnots Contest. If you are a quilt shop, there is still time to make Heritage Stars and to send us a photograph of it. If you are a quilter, let your local quilt shop know about this contest. The winner will win a bolt of each print from the Simple Whatnots 3 collection.

In case you need some prompting [but we are sure that you don't], here is a look at the Simple Whatnots 3 projects and swatches. 

Are you excited yet? We are going to inspire you even more by showing you a few entries in the next little while. The photographs are not shown in any particular order and will not affect the outcome of the contest.

Lynda Butler from The Quilt Cottage. 5866 Everhart Road, Corpus Christi, Texas 78413 sent in her beautiful entry!

Good luck. Send the photographs in by March 31, 2015 to be entered in the Kim Diehl Simple Whatnots Club Contest.

- HG

Let's Get Quilting - March 16, 2015 Edition

Happy Monday! The temperatures are going up and we are starting to see signs of spring around the NYC area. The nicer weather puts many of us in happier moods and we look forward to starting new projects! That brings us back to our weekly giveaways. We hope to inspire you to start a new project!

Last week we gave away a bright and cheery bundle of Berry Cobbler by Elena Vladykina. Congratulations to Mary D. You are the winner of Berry Cobbler. Please contact us so that we can send this bundle of fabric to you!

This week we are about love. We are giving away a bundle Marie Cole's I Love You collection. Red, white, pink and red are the colors that scream out love. The letters, arrows and hearts would make Cupid happy.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Let us know who the lucky recipients are of your handmade goodies. Meanwhile go over to the Henry Glass website to download some great free patterns that accompany this collection.

Good luck!

-HG

Tidbits

We are finally out of the deep freeze here in NYC. Thoughts towards spring are taking over and we believe that Black, White and Currant 6 by Color Principle is a great collection to steer us in that direction. This beautiful floral range hits your local quilt shop this month.

[Pattern]

[Pattern]

There are a couple of free patterns for you to download on the Henry Glass website that accompanies this collection. There are links to other lovely patterns for the other Black, White and Currant ranges. You can easily substitute the latest Black, White and Currant into the projects.

Here in the office there is a lot of noise in the background. We're busy preparing upcoming collections to show to quilt shops and thinking ahead [yet not that far ahead] to Spring Quilt Market in Minneapolis. We are working on our next look book but in the meantime check out our latest look book by clicking on the photography above.

Have a great day!