Today three names were randomly* chosen from the followers who entered the drawings for Books 1&2 of the Quilting Cozy series. These three winners have been notified by email (check your email) and signed copies of Tie Died and Running Stitches will be in the mail to these lucky winners as soon as they respond with their mailing addresses.
Now, if you were not a winner, I want to remind you that I run these giveaways often and will be doing another one in less than two months, probably in late February 2022.
I hope everyone has had a great start to 2022. I’m still staying in most of the time due to the increase in covid cases in my area; however, that’s just more opportunity to write and quilt! We had our first snow this week so winter is officially here.
My very best wishes to all my readers and followers. Please continue to let me hear from you (QuiltingCozy@gmail.com or leave comments below). I enjoy your emails and hearing about your activities and projects. Send pictures!
Blessings,
Carol
*Using the the random number generator available on Random.org
A few months ago, a friend asked me to make a quilt for a baby shower she would be attending. The parents, she explained, were water enthusiasts and she knew they would like a baby quilt with a nautical theme. She left the design up to me but gave me a few parameters. She wanted it to be blue, red, and white and she wanted whales included. At one point she said ‘I’m picturing red and white strips somewhere in it.’
What I decided to do was design sailboats for the front and put flannel whales on the back. I found this great piece of flannel which I cleared with her before ordering it and she loved it:
Soft flannel…found it on Etsy
Then for the quilt. I decided to have 12 sailboats, 6 blue boats with red sails and 6 red boats with blue sails. After sketching my simple layout (4 rows of sailboats, 3 in each row, with sashing and a border), I went through my stash and to my favorite online fabric stores and settled on these fabrics:
I searched the web for a free sailboat pattern and ended up designing one using parts of several patterns and making up the rest! I then began cutting fabric and assembled 12 small and 12 large sails, backgrounds (white), 6 boats, and 6 masts.
Once I attached the boats and completed 12 blocks, I laid them out and tried out borders for the blocks. Fortunately, I had a piece of blue that gave the impression of water. I obviously needed something between the blocks so I added a narrow navy blue sashing.
I tried out a red outer border but it demanded too much attention so I changed to a navy fabric with lighter blue dots to compliment the ‘water.’
And here is the finished quilt (approx 38″x48″) with flannel whales on the back:
I had forgotten about the ‘red and white stripe’ my friend had mentioned so you can see where it ended up! She loved the quilt and the new parents were delighted!
The Quilting Cozy series
Book sales have continued to be good despite my long absence from blogging and otherwise spreading the word. But C&T Publishing has continued to plug away with marketing and keeping the word out there for all of its authors.
Do you have all the books in The Quilting Cozy series?
It looks like this will remain a 12-book series. I stopped writing during the pandemic and just haven’t been inspired to write more. For those who have read the whole series including the most recent book, Frayed Edges, you know that all our characters (who have become friends to most of us) were left in good places.
For those of you who have not read the series, I encourage you to start with #1 (Tie Died) so you will be able to follow the relationships as they develop. The mystery is always there but sometimes what goes on between these delightful characters is even better. The series offers great winter reading if you live where the snow falls and my friends in Australia will be enjoying them as relaxing summer reading.
My very best wishes to all my followers. I would love to hear from you. Please leave a message under COMMENTS below or go to my CONTACT ME page and leave me a note. You can also email me directly at QuiltingCozy@gmail.com. Please excuse my long absence from blogging. I’m sure you understand. It’s been an unusual year. Prayers for 2022.
Since I was staying home during the pandemic and since I had all the quilts I could use in my house or give away to my kids, I decided to make baby quilts to pass the time. I did a blog somewhere along the way and shared some of those quilts with you and asked if you had any suggestions as to what I could do with this rapidly growing pile of quilts.
You gave me some great idea. I have given some to friends as gifts, donated some to groups serving children, and passed some to organizations such as the local Volunteer Fire Department to be used as fund raisers. Then I began looking into outlets for selling some of them (considering I’m still making them and the pile is still growing).
I tried having a table at several craft shows, but I found at my age (83) it was difficult physically. I will continue to attend a few local ones, but I needed a different venue.
I looked into putting them on Etsy but there were already hundreds of baby quilts listed. A friend who sells concrete animal statues (ItsConcrete) told me about Bonanza. Bonanza is similar in concept to Etsy but is newer and certainly not as well known. But their concept is simple: Just open a shop and don’t pay anything until you sell and then you pay them a percentage. I decided to give it a try.
Please take a look. Now, I know that many of my readers and followers are quilters themselves but I’m asking you to please help me spread the word. If you know any one planning to attend a baby shower or who is about to become a grandmother or just needs a little quilt please send them this link.
I have broadened the category from just baby quilts because I discovered that these little quilts (approx. 38″x48″) are great as lap robes as well. I use one on my recliner watching television and a friend’s husband is using one over his knees in his wheelchair. Once I realized this broader use, I have added patterns and fabrics more appropriate for adults.
When I was selling at a craft fair last year, a shopper bought one to be used as a wall hanging and I added that category as well.
I only have eight of my quilts posted on Bonanza at this time, but I have more to add within the next few weeks. Thank you for taking a look and please let me know if you have any suggestions.
I would love to know what folks have been working on and if you’ve had a chance to read #12 (Frayed Edges) of the Quilting Cozy series, I’d love to hear from you. I’ve had lots of requests that I continue the series. You aren’t getting tired of them? Maybe I should start a new series instead? Let me know what you think. Leave a message below or drop me an email at QuiltingCozy@gmail.com. I love hearing from you.
The 12th book in the Quilting Cozy series will be released in a couple of weeks (June 25th) and is available for pre-order on C&T-Publishing’s-website, and on Amazon in print and eBook format. It will also be available at books stores and quilt shops around the country.
Because it is being released this month, C&T asked me to provide a narrative for their June blog. I thought, as followers of my blog, you might like to read it. It will tell you about the new book and, if you are new to the series, it will give you an overview of my Quilting Cozy mystery series. (See link below.)
Stay tuned for information about the 2-book give-away (with 5 winners!) which will appear in my blog the same day the new book is released: June 25, 2021.
Our lucky winner was drawn today and notified. I just received the winner’s contact information, so I’ll be signing books and packing them up for mailing. As for everyone else…
A Quilting Cozy Series - Carol Dean Jones 