Friday, September 14, 2018

The Brag About Your Beauties Pageant (And a Giveaway!)


This past summer, I mastered crafty multitasking. After all, what can you do while waiting for your kid at soccer camp? Hand-baste hexagons! What can you do while playing a game of Pokémon? Hand-baste hexagons! What can you do when your children are acting like trolls and school doesn’t start for another two weeks? Lock yourself in your bedroom and hand-baste hexagons!

I should warn you, though: When this trend persists throughout different situations during your summer, you end up with a big backlog of hand-basted hexagons.

My first batch of hexagons resulted in this rainbow-adorned pillow. From the second batch I sewed another pillow, this one in black Essex Linen and Denyse Schmidt’s New Bedford line.


I used mini-charm packs for many of the hexagons I basted this past summer, but for this pillow I opened up a bundle of New Bedford and cut a 2.5-inch square from many of the fat quarters in it. Two of the fat quarters then went into sewing the back. With its French backing and simple knife edges, this pillow was easy-peasy to sew together.


Pageant Details

There are more hexagon finishes to come, but for now, I’d love to know what you’ve finished lately.

That’s my suave segue to the Brag About Your Beauties Pageant, a new linky that will run every Friday except the first Friday of the month.

The pageant rules are simple:

•    Post your finish in the linky tool. (No links to your own giveaway or linky, please!)
•    Point your readers back here with a text link. (Because I haven’t designed a button yet!)
•    Visit and comment on other participants’ finishes.

A Giveaway

UPDATE: The giveaway is closed. The lucky winner is Alice, aka alidiza!

To celebrate the inception of the Beauties Pageant, Crosscut Sewing Co. has given me an eight-piece fat quarter bundle of Loved to Pieces, by Mathew Boudreaux, to give away. (Crosscut is my local modern quilt shop. The proprietor, Stephanie, has curated a beautiful collection of fabric, including fun novelties, a nice selection from my favorite Moda designers, and plenty of substrates other than quilting cotton. Local friends, Crosscut is in Melrose, Mass, and well worth the drive. Nonlocal friends, check Crosscut out online!)

https://www.crosscutsewingco.com/

You have two opportunities to enter to win this fabric bundle: (1) Upload your link to the Beauties Pageant (just one link, please!) and/or (2) leave a comment on this post (just one comment, please!). Also: If you read my posts through Bloglovin’, click through to my original post to comment.


This giveaway is open internationally. Due to the cost of shipping, if you’re an international reader and you win, you will get a US $30 gift certificate to a local-to-you quilt shop instead of the fabric bundle.

This giveaway is open through 6 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Thursday, September 20. The winner will be notified via email, so if you’re a no-reply blogger or comment anonymously, please include your email address in your comment or send it to me at frombolttobeauty (at) gmail (dot) com.



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33 comments:

  1. I look forward to seeing more of your hexie finishes. The black essex linen is a great backdrop for this grouping! Thank you for hosting the new link up and I'm excited to have something to share this week.

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  2. Always love a linky party;) Thanks for starting this one up!

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  3. I am not a big hexie fan, but yours are lovely! Thank you for the giveaway!

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  4. Beautiful!!! You know I'm hexie obsessed;-) Having fun checking out what everyone has been up to.

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  5. Very sweet of you to have a giveaway! I loved what a got at crosscut at the AMH class in April! She has such a lovely aesthetic!!

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    1. I agree: You can tell that she chooses the fabric in her shop with care. I think of her store as more of a curated selection of modern fabric. The shop is a bit of a trek for me (even more for you!), but it's worth it.

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  6. How nice of your LQS to sponsor your giveaway. I love the hexie pillow.

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  7. Ha! I could totally see hexies being obsessive! I've been there but it didn't stick as long for me as sashiko did. ;) Yours make up the perfect little pillow.

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  8. Oh so cool I would love to win heathernicoleconley@gmail.com

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  9. I only wish I had a finish to share! Maybe by December I'll have something? (insert: headsmack emoji)

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  10. I love the fabrics. Great color choices. Jmikebalou (at) aol (dot) com

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  11. Love to read your blogs. Beautiful hexies. Your work is always so beautiful

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    1. You're such a sweetie, Gloria. Thanks for your kind words. BTW: You're a no-reply blogger. Please send me your email address at frombolttobeauty (at) gmail (dot) com in case you win. Thanks!

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  12. I love the colour combo of the turquoise/red/yellow but especially how they're all variants of pure hues. And thanks for hosting a new linkup! I'll be back for sure.

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    1. I love the palette, too. Denyse's color tend to have gray undertones, which I really like.

      Nicole, you're a no-reply blogger. Please send me your email address at frombolttobeauty (at) gmail (dot) com in case you win. Thanks!

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  13. Hi there I'm new to quilting and I'm 17 years old I really hope that I win this giveaway and I absolutely love your blog thank you so much for the helpful tutorials and lovely thought of having a giveaway.

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    1. Welcome! You must be having fun figuring out what you like in the world of quilts and what kind of quilts you want to make yourself.

      You're a no-reply blogger. Please send me your email address at frombolttobeauty (at) gmail (dot) com in case you win. Thanks!

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  14. What a amazing opportunity!! I love the dark blue hexagonal pattern, and the turquoise pattern

    Julianardi00@gmail.com

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  15. Hexies are a great way to spend some "me" time. I love your stories!!

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  16. Your pillow looks darling!
    Thanks so much for the blog and all the great ideas I find here.

    Thanks for the give away - it'd be great to win and have some awesome fabric to work with.

    daneesader@hotmail.com

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  17. I love the rainbow hexie pillow! And the fabric bundle is gorgeous!

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  18. That hexagon pillow is so cute! The fabric beautiful
    Is it cut in a hexagon and then the edges folded under?

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  19. Hi Michelle! I am so thrilled you are stepping up with this linky party. Please make a button!! So I can add it to my website. I will be happy to spread the word on your new party. Let's make this a be-here-or-be-square kind of party; one that no will want to miss. And your little hexie pillow is just adorbs! I love them set on the dark grey background. ~smile~ Roseanne

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  20. Michelle, I really like your hexie pillow. I am going to try to join your linky party with a blog post in the next couple days. Take care, Mary.

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  21. Your hexie pillow is fantastic and thanks for the chance to win this giveaway.

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  22. Hi: Yay for a new link up party! I am with Roseanne - let us know when you make a button so we can all start sharing this!

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  23. I am excited for your new linky party!!

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  24. Hello Michelle! I will visit often to ogle other peoples finishes I'm sure (and maybe have a few of my own).

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  25. Hi! I’m so glad I found your blog through Bernie’s post! I live in Southeastern MA and will be sure to check out that quilt shop if I’m in the area sometime. Now, I will enjoy following your blog!

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    1. Lee, I'm sorry I can't reply to you directly -- you're a no-reply blogger! But I'd love for you to send me your email address at frombolttobeauty (at) blogspot (dot) com. If you have any recommendations of modern quilt shops in your part of Mass, let me know! (I've wanted to go to Calico Cottage Quilt Shop, in Seekonk, but have only ever bought from them online.)

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  26. Bernie's heading folks your direction! Nice to have a new link up for quilty finishes.

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  27. Hexies are a quick take along project. The black linen sure helps show off the gorgeous fabrics. Thanks for giveaway.
    djcutting2(at)gmail(dot)com

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Thank you for commenting! I almost always respond to comments by email. If my response might interest others or if you're a no-reply blogger, I'll post it here.