Hey everyone, welcome back. I hope your Easter weekend was full of peace and joy, family, friends, and of course, good food! Nick and I spent Sunday having Easter dinner over at my brother’s place where I was more than happy to bring a simple contribution of my famous 7-layer salad and cupcakes for dessert, rather than having to prepare a whole meal. There is definitely something to be said for letting someone else do the hosting during the holidays. I do love to play hostess sometimes, but I also like to take a break from it every once in a while – so if someone else is willing to take the reins, I’m all for it! We ate, we drank, we spent time together, and were thankful. I also spent time reflecting on how truly blessed I am. I have a wonderful family, some of the best friends out there, and of course, all of you! Not to mention, I get to go to my dream “job” every day… God really is good!
Now with Easter 2023 in the past and spring upon us, it’s time to move forward toward the summer months that will be here in just a short time. With the season’s change I’m excited to finish up on a few projects that have been in the works for a while, and even more excited to get started on some new ones. For instance, those of you who have been sewing along with the Sewcialites 2 Quilt-Along know we are quickly coming to the end this Friday with Block #24, “Energize,” which also just so happens to be my block contribution. I will have the final write-up and instructions for “Energize” posted here on the blog for you that day, so be sure to watch for that. I know it’s sad to say goodbye to a project that has become part of your weekly routine, but try not to fret. I have just the thing to fill the void! Starting next week I’m going to be hitting the ground running toward my next quilt-along journey, because technically… it’s actually already started!
Have you heard of “Bountiful“ yet? Each year Fat Quarter Shop does a charity quilt-along as a fundraising quilt for Make-A-Wish Foundation of America and this year marks the 10th with “Bountiful!” I’m proud to once again be participating in this awesome charitable event, 100% designed to benefit kids in need. The reason I decided I wanted to participate in this fundraiser is simple. I love kids! Make-A-Wish is a phenomenal organization solely for children who need a little extra help facing adversity in life. This stellar group of people has been making wishes come true for children with life-threatening conditions and their families for over 40 years. Granted wishes give the kids and their loved ones much-needed joy, strength, and most importantly hope. Make-A-Wish has collectively granted more than 550,000 wishes around the world since it was founded in 1980. How awesome is that?! Let’s help them make it to a million!
This year’s quilt was once again designed by my fellow Moda sister, the beautiful and talented Corey Yoder. She based “Bountiful” on her new Moda fabric line, “Sunwashed.” “Bountiful” is a bright and cheerful sampler quilt that features flowers, butterflies, and baskets (unless you’re a rebel like me), and will finish at 64″ square making it a nice throw sized quilt. 
Now… I’m going to be the first to admit that this layout really doesn’t do much for me. No offense to Corey, but I’m just not digging those baskets… at all! As Dr. Phil would say, necessity is the mother of invention. Looking at this finished quilt I’m sorry, but I found it very necessary to get rid of the baskets. LOL! Sometimes rules are meant to be broken and I’ve been known to break a few myself when I see fit. This is one of those times! Instead of going with the original plan, I “invented” a new one that uses two additional blocks of both releases number three and four to create an alternate layout, sans the basket blocks. It will look something like the image below. What do you think? Do you like this version better or do you prefer the version with the basket blocks more? Let me know what you would have done in the comments! It’s always fun to compare tastes.
For my blocks I decided to go with a bright and colorful mix of fabrics by Lori Holt. I thought the vivid mix of prints and patterns was especially fitting for such a spring-like quilt. Here is how my version of block release two is looking…
Scrumptious, right? Ready to dig in? All you have to do to get started is visit Fat Quarter Shop’s blog, The Jolly Jabber for more information and your FREE downloadable patterns by clicking the link below! There you will find fabric requirements, hot tips, and a link to the“Bountiful” quilt-along landing page, which you can also find by clicking HERE!
If you’re not familiar with Fat Quarter Shop’s charity quilt-alongs, let me tell you how it works. The fundraiser offers the “Bountiful“ patterns as FREE downloads during the event for a suggested donation to the Make-A-Wish Central & South Texas campaign. They will be featured on the Fat Quarter Shop’s blog, The Jolly Jabber on the first Friday of each month, now through September, 2023. They do not require it, but highly encourage that a $10.00 donation be made for the pattern if you’re able to do so. Proceeds go to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of America. If you’d rather make a donation directly to Make-A-Wish, follow the link below!
I will continue to post my progress here on my blog as I make my way through “Bountiful” here on my blog so feel free to follow along! I sure hope you found some inspiration to join this Quilt-Along with a cause. There’s something extra special about giving back using your own hard work and talents. I love having the opportunity to use mine to help kids facing adversity in their lives. Want to get in on the fun ? Come join me in this awesome Quilt-A-Long! Remember, Make-A-Wish Foundation relies on donations to make wishes come true and they can’t do it without our help! Ready to sign up? Hit the link below for more information!
That’s all I have for you today friends. I still have to spend some time getting ready for our next Comment SOLD session, which will be tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. CST. You can find the broadcast in the LIVE section of the Primitive Gatherings Facebook page or within the STITCH with Lisa Bongean Facebook group – also in the LIVE or VIDEO areas. Still confused about how to join us? Click HERE to read my blog post where I explain it all! We also had a really great LIVE Q&A last Thursday after STITCH with Lisa Bongean that you can watch by clicking the link below in case you missed it. If you still have questions on how to sign up, feel free to email store@primitivegatherings.us for assistance. We’re happy to help! You can also ask LIVE during the show. I hope to see you all there!
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