I’m pleased to announce that in just over three weeks, we’ve reached a thousand (and one) Quilting Bloggers, representing 34 countries, 49 US States, and 5 Canadian provinces. WOW!

Here are the winners of the Reach a Thousand Contest.

1. Registrant #1053 – June 17, 2008
   Lil – Addicted
   Luxembourg
2. Registrant #802 – June 6, 2008
   Sue – The Monomaniacal Quilter
   Michigan, USA
3. Registrant #664 – June 4, 2008
   Cordula – Stichelei
   Germany

A huge thank you goes out to everyone who registered their blog and those who have helped to promote the Quilting Bloggers directory. You’ve been great!

And a great big thank you also to the wonderful donators who gave the three prizes:

• Dorothy Baker – Comfort Is… baby quilt pattern and fabric bundle
• Marguerita McManus and Sarah Raffuse – Crazy Shortcut Quilts, Quilt as You Go and Finish in Half the Time! book and a fabric goodie
• Pat Sloan – Learn to Machine Quilt with Pat Sloan book

This morning’s entries also saw two new countries added to the list, Romania and Hungary.

Thanks everyone!

After reading Alice’s comment, I remembered that I have a stack of Quilting Gallery business cards that I would like to get rid of, so I can order some new ones next month.

If anyone would like some cards to distribute at quilt guild meetings or other such events, I’d be more than happy to drop some in the mail for you. Please send me your mailing address and an indication of how many you would like. I think 25-30 will fit nicely into a standard envelope. I have limited quantities, so please let me know soon.

Also, if you haven’t already, as a thank-you to the ladies who gave the very generous donations for the Reach a Thousand Contest, please be sure to visit their blogs. Only 55 more Quilting Bloggers needed before we reach the 1000 goal… WOW!

• Pat Sloan – She’s having a SeW AloNG, starting on Wednesday.
• Dorothy Baker – Check out the baby robins, they are growing so quickly.
• Marguerita McManus – She’s got something funky and fuzzy going on over there.
• Sarah Raffuse – Shares some interesting information about composting.

Have you seen how many Quilting Bloggers there are now in the directory? As of this writing, 848, which means we need only 152 more to reach the end of June goal of a thousand.

I have been overwhelmed with the many kind words that have been sent to me via email and the various blog postings that have been written about the Quilting Bloggers directory, and of course the hundreds of you that have posted the banner on your site to help spread the word.

The enthusiasm, excitement and generosity has been wonderful. Now, with the help of four fantastic Quilting Bloggers, we are giving back to the blogging community. I have had three fabulous donations offered as contest prizes.

The Contest

How does it work? Once we’ve reached a thousand, three random members of the Quilting Bloggers directory will be chosen as winners. The first person selected will have their choice of which prize they would like, then the second person and finally the third.

The three prizes donated are:

1. Crazy Shortcut Quilts book and a fabric goodie,
2. Comfort Is… pattern and fabric package, and
3. Learn to Machine Quilt with Pat Sloan book.

Complete details of the prizes and their generous donators are below.

How can you help?

Continue to spread the word asking your friends and family to submit their site for inclusion in the directory.

Another way to help is to write a blog post about the Quilting Bloggers directory and, if you like, share your experience. I’ve had several emails from people saying how they’ve met new friends and acquaintances, found new connections in their new community, and have enjoyed an increase in their site traffic, all because they’re listed in the Quilting Bloggers directory. Since it’s only two weeks old, this is bound to continue growing and bringing the community together.

Posting a banner on your site is also a great help.

How do you enter the contest?

If you’re already listed in the Quilting Bloggers directory, you don’t need to do anything. If you’re not listed, and you have a blog, Submit your Site. The three contest winners will be chosen from the first 1,000 approved listings.

A Note on Submissions

I have had a few submissions to the Quilting Bloggers directory for blogs that are as little as a few hours old. Unfortunately sites that are too new to be reviewed and evaluated for inclusion in the directory, will be put on hold for at least two weeks, or until such a time as I can make an informed decision to include the site or not. These submissions will not be included in the Contest and do not count towards Reaching a Thousand.

Prize #1

Prize #1 has been donated by Marguerita McManus and Sarah Raffuse, authors of the book, Crazy Shortcut Quilts, Quilt as You Go and Finish in Half the Time!. Included with the book will be a fabric goodie.

Prize #2

Prize #2 has been donated by Dorothy Baker and is a baby quilt pattern she designed called Comfort Is….. The finished quilt measures 38 1/2" x 46 1/2". Also included in this prize are pre-washed fabrics for the bunnies and for some of the flowers and leaves.

I was thrilled to discover that Dorothy is the designer behind the wonderful quilt, All About Bears, that I had the pleasure of seeing at the Upper Canada Village quilt show last year. This has to be one of the most gorgeous quilts I’ve ever seen… one day I hope to be able to make something that beautiful.

Prize #3

Prize #3, has been donated by Pat Sloan and is her Learn to Machine Quilt with Pat Sloan soft-cover book.

Further to my post last week on Sewing Ergonomics, Marguerita sent me this post she wrote on making your own Custom Sewing Desk – Cheap.

While not the prettiest to look at, this idea definitely has potential for me. I am loving free-motion quilting, but finding the stress on my shoulders and upper back prevents me from sewing as much as I would like.

I need to find out if I can buy adjustable legs from Ikea for my existing table, then I’ll look into getting some foam core. I have some spare paint, and might even try painting the foam core… we’ll see how ambitious I am.

I have some concerns about the static, as my apartment is very dry in the winter with electric heat and concrete walls. Does anyone have any ideas? I wonder if I can eliminate the vinyl altogether and instead use a paint that has some slick-ness to it. I think a phone call to my Dad, the Handyman is in order.

Contest Update: I have had three wonderful donations offered for the upcoming contest… you’re going to love them. Details will be posted in the next couple of days, so stay tuned.

Newsletter Update: If you missed the first edition of the Quilting Gallery Newsletter, it is now available on-line: Issue #1 – June 2008 – Are you a Quilting Blogger?.

Yes, I do need to clean house … no I’m not going to show you photos of the mess. However, a few things I wanted to mention this wonderful Monday morning.

If you’ve sent me an email, and I haven’t responded yet, and you think I should have… I apologize. If you don’t get an answer by end of day today, please get in touch again. I discovered this morning that I had inadvertently set up a mail filter, which resulted in me missing a tonne of messages, so I’m trying to play catch up now.

I’m looking for some prize donations for an upcoming contest this month. If you’ve written a book or pattern(s), can donate fabric or other supplies.. I’d love to hear from you. Minimum donation $10 value, please, and you take responsibility for mailing it to the winner. What you’ll get in return, lots of link love, good will, free advertising. Drop me a line, let’s talk!

July is Charity Quilting Month … more to come in the next few days. If you make quilts for charity or belong to an organization that does, please check back as I’ll have the details posted on here about how to submit your information.

Approval for new Quilting Bloggers will be slightly delayed over the next couple of days, as I play catch up and focus on other things. I’ll get to them once a day, instead of several times throughout the day.

I’ll leave you with a photo of the card I made for my friends that were married on Friday. The card uses the same fabric as I’ve used for their quilt, which I’m in the process of quilting. I hope to give it to them in a couple of weeks. Which reminds me, I’m looking for a quilt pattern or instructions to make a bag for the quilt, if you have one, please post it in the comments, or send me a message directly.

Happy Monday!
Michele aka Mishka

Here’s a handy tutorial on Joining Batting pieces together that will help you save money and help the environment all at once.

My sewing machine has a zigzag stitch (called double ZZ) that puts three stiches in each zig and zag. I think this would be a great stitch to use for adding strength and durability, if you have it available.

Did you know?

I’m always looking for tutorials, tips and techniques and free patterns to post on here. If you’ve written something and would like it featured on this site, please don’t be shy, send me the information, and if it’s relevant, I’d be pleased to post it and throw you some extra link love.

Did you see?

There are now 748 Quilting Bloggers, representing 29 countries, 47 American states and 5 Canadian provinces. WOW! Thank you to everyone for all of your wonderful support, seeing all the blog posts about the directory, makes those late nights developing it all worthwhile, and I think judging by the responses, you do too. Please keep spreading the word, I think reaching a thousand by the end of June is well within reach.