I’m slowly catching up after Canada Day celebrations last week and a visit to my family north of Toronto over the weekend. I had a fabulous time playing with my nieces, they are the best.

Just a few quick reminders:

• There are 195 participants for the Good Ol’ Summertime Mini Quilt Swap. I’ll be closing down registration Saturday morning, once I start sending out partner information.
• Friday is the last day to enter the “What was I thinking?” – The Ugly Quilt Contest. There are three great prizes up for grabs. Voting will start on Saturday. Check out the contestants.
• There are three great give-aways on the site right now that you can enter until tomorrow afternoon. Read the instructions for each, please.
  1. Happy Canada Day
  2. Guest Blogger Margaret Bucklew
  3. Friday Give-Away – Antique Quilt Dating Guides…by Style

Spring Blooms Mini Quilt Swap

To all participants in the Spring Blooms Mini Quilt Swap:

I know everyone is eager to receive their quilt and to find out if the quilt they sent has arrived. However, I’ve been getting a dozen or so emails a day asking on the status of their mini quilt. Please, please allow 14 to 21 business days for your quilt to arrive.

Before emailing me to follow-up, please check the participants list yourself, to see if the person you sent to has a blog and follow-up with them directly.

Please also note that approximately 25% of the participants were late sending their quilts. This is unfortunate, and I’m not sure why so many people were late. Let’s hope the Summer swap goes more smoothly.

I won’t be following up with any requests until the end of the month… I just don’t have the time to continue to do this.

The Quilting Bloggers directory has reached more than 3,000 members, from 64 countries, in just under 13 months.

I’d like to thank each and every one of you for becoming such a valuable member of the Quilting Gallery community. It is because of your promotion of my site on your blog that has made this a reality.

Thank you!

In other site news:

• Enter the “What was I thinking?” – Ugly Quilt Contest.
• Enter last week’s Friday give-away for your chance to win a pair of 8″ fabric shears.
• Today is the mail date for your Spring Blooms mini quilt. If you haven’t already done so, please email me to let me know you’ve sent your quilt off to your partner.
• Registration starts tomorrow for a new Summer-themed swap.

I’ve added a page for the contestants of the "What was I thinking?" – The Ugly Quilt Contest. The stories are hilarious.

To enter the contest, please read the guidelines and prizes then submit your photo.

Caron asked me on Facebook for a Quilting Bloggers tshirt. I thought I would see if there’s any interest in purchasing Quilting Bloggers merchandise.

I’ve investigated prices at Cafe Press and Zazzle, and here’s an idea of the cost in US Funds:

• basic women’s tshirt = $20.00
• v-neck tshirt = $21.00
• plus size v-neck tshirt = $30.00
• tote bag = $18.00
• sigg water bottle = $30.00
• sweatshirt = $35.00

If I put together a Quilting Bloggers store, will you buy merchandise? Please answer the poll below.

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If you answered yes, please leave a comment below about what products you would be most interested in.

UPDATE: Here’s the shipping information from Cafe Press (which is the option I’m looking most seriously at).

At Spring Market, I collected business cards for a contest drawing.

Congratulations to Janine from Tonic Living in Toronto, Ontario for winning two months of free advertise on the Quilting Gallery web site.

Check out the gorgeous fabrics available on her site:

I’m very excited to announce that tomorrow will be the start of Friday Give-Aways here on the Quilting Gallery. I’ve received many fabulous donations from sponsors that I’m sure you’ll love. This will be a regular feature here, until I run out of sponsors, which hopefully won’t happen any time soon. If you wish to sponsor a give-away, please review Option 7 on the Advertising page.

Friday is the last day to save 50% off the regular rates for the Quilt Shop Locator. I’m thrilled that there are now 85 shops listed representing 29 states and four countries. Join today!

Is your favourite LQS listed? If not, please send them an email or give them a call to tell them about the Quilt Shop Locator. Thanks!

The first-ever press release from the Quilting Gallery is going out today. I’ve never done a press release before, even though I’ve had a business for 11 years. My sister did a great job taking my ideas and coming up with the release for me. Thanks sis, and also to C (you know who you are!).

I finally wrote my own guest blogger post, which you can find under the About page. I’ve been meaning to write that page for ages, and am glad it’s now done.

Look for a new photo contest starting early next week. It’s going to be a tonne of fun.

See you tomorrow for the first Friday Give-Away. I’ve included the code below if you wish to add the graphic on your site too.