One Million Pillowcase Challenge Sew-a-Thon - Give With Joy

 We are thrilled and honored to be a participant in the One Million Pillowcase Challenge Sew-a-Thon Blog Hop! Coats and FreeSpirit have sponsored this fabulous charitable challenge for many years and the Sew-a-Thon Blog Hop is all about inspiration and helping others - it's perfect for you! Learn more about the Blog Hop and Sew-a-Thon, by clicking here.

 

 Those who make are the most generous people I know and I’m convinced that the act of making expands our hearts and increases our capacity to see the value in giving. Makers are always the first to respond to need and they usually show up with every other maker they can find. Since the One Million Pillowcase Challenge needs your joyous making help for a September Sewathon - let’s talk pillowcase. Stay with me and you can find out how to help at the end!

“No one has ever become poor by giving.” ― Anne Frank, diary of Anne Frank: the play

Pillowcases make fabulous gifts and are a tremendously easy way to perk up your own home décor. There are lots of options to consider and we have three yummy possibilities to inspire you. We’ve used fabrics from Free Spirit’s 2016 Fall collections that you’re going to love - Rosealea by Nel Whatmore, Isabelle by  Dena Designs and Sadie's Dance Card by Tonya Whelan. Click here to see 50 free pillowcase patterns on the One Million Pillowcase Challenge web site.

“To ease another’s heartache is to forget one’s own.” ― Abraham Lincoln

 Basic pillowcases are super-easy and super-quick to make. Novelty prints are fun to use, but there’s something totally classy and serene about a pillowcase made with basic stripes and dots. In general, you’ll want to choose three fabrics for your basic pillowcase – main, cuff and accent. Audition your fabrics by laying them out in the order they might go. Take a picture to see how the finished case will look - it's a great tool for decision making.

“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” ― Mother Teresa

Bright colors and patterns make a wonderfully bold statement and an exciting pillowcase. Audition your fabrics and think about where your pillowcase will be used and the overall look you want to achieve. If you’re making pillowcases to donate, make them as attractive as possible. The love you put in will be evident in the finished case and the recipient will instantly know that someone cares.

  

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.” ― Maya Angelou

Making pillowcases is a sewing joy and it's especially delightful when you add a little variety and spark to the design. Charming fabrics become awesomely spectacular when you add interest with a scalloped cuff. Can you just imagine the smile on the face of someone in need who receives a case like this? That’s what the One Million Pillowcase Challenge is all about – miles and miles of pillowcase smiles!

   

 The Third Annual 24-Hour One Million Pillowcase Challenge Sew-a-Thon takes place this year on September 16th and 17^th. American Patchwork and Quilting, originators of the Challenge will hold a Sewathon at their headquarters in Des Moines IA. If you're not close to Des Moines there may be an event in your area or you can plan one of your own. Even a few friends sewing together can make a magnificent contribution. Click here to visit the One Million Pillowcase Challenge Sew-a-Thon web site. You'll find pillowcase patterns, groups to join and places to donate. And, above all, make, enjoy and give - someone nearby is counting on you for handmade love and encouragement!

“You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you.” ― John Bunyan

Visit the other stops on todays blog hop:

American Patchwork & Quilting

Celine Perkins

Fabri-Quilt / Paintbrush Studios 

FreeSpirit Fabrics 

Handi Quilter 

How To Sew

Jacquelynne Steves 

Make It Yourself

Martingale 

Michele Foster

Moda Fabrics

Sarah Maxwell of Designs by Sarah J)

Sheila Sinclair Snyder of License to Quilt

Timeless Treasures

Did You Know.... 10 Facts about Amy Butler!

Amy shared 10 fun facts with us and we're willing to bet that you'll be surprised with at least a few things on her list!

1. I've played organized sports since I was 8 years old and played USVBA volleyball in my 20's.

2. I'm a certified IntenSati instructor. This powerful

 workout incorporates a mind body spirit practice that includes kick boxing, dance, and yoga. You say positive affirmations while you work out! 

3. I collect rocks from all over the world. 

4. I'm a daughter of the American Revolution.

5. I'm a huge audiophile I have a massive music collection.

6. I train with a professional body builder. It's that physical fitness thing, I love learning about my body and seeing what it can do.

7. I have a fantasy about becoming a Latin dancer or a fly girl.

8. I have a comical alter ego named "Judy" who smokes fake cigarettes, cusses like a sailor and yells at people. 

9. I've been told I have gifts to become a shamanic healer and this is something I'm going to pursue. 

10. I have a hyper acute sense of smell and I enjoy mixing my own fragrance using essential oils and other single note scents. 

Share with us what you have in common with Amy in the comments section and be entered to win 10 yards of her new fabric collection, Bright Heart!! Contest is now CLOSED! Congrats to Stephanie Daniel for winning!

#iamafreespirit #freespiritfabric 

 

One Million Pillowcase Challenge . . . Every Pillow case has a story!

How do you measure one million? One million seconds is 12 days. A million minutes ago was – 1 year, 329 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes ago.

To our friends at American Patchwork & Quilting and the 1 Million Pillowcase Challenge, it means the number of pillow cases made by quilters and sewers around the world, donated to organizations which serve those in need. It means perhaps, one million children may feel the love and hope in every stitch of that pillow case and carry it with them to brighten a day or lifetime.

As sponsors of the 1 Million Pillowcase challenge, we celebrate that your love of all things sewing has helped this worthy program reach over 500,000. Let’s not stop now! All PeopleQuilt.com offers free patterns for pillowcases. They asked people to vote for their favorite of the free patterns on a special Pinterest board and here is the winning pattern recreated on our blog and many others.

We joined forces with our friends at Coats & Clark to make our version of this adorable pillowcase. For the Pillowcase body and band we used FreeSpirit Beechwood Park by Jenean Morrison.

Adding to the adorable factor is the detail achieved with even more fabric and thread.
Train fabrics:
FreeSpirit Shelburne Falls by Denyse Schmidt, World Tour by Parson Gray, Notting Hill by Joel Dewberry, Designer Essential Solids

 Thread:

Dual Duty XP General Purpose Multi colors: 9325 Bowl of Cherries and 9343 Blue Clouds for Applique, Solids: 4310 Icy Blue, 5280 Parrot Blue

Of course our interpretation is more than a pillow case with a number, but a pillow case with a message. The train will keep chugging along to reach 1 Million Pillowcases . . . 1 million smiles, 1 million bits of love, 1 million stitched of your hands and from your hearts! Won’t you join us in stitching more pillow cases and be a part of one million reasons to give back? To learn more click here!