Fellow Quilters,

                Today I am participating in a blog tour for the One Million Pillowcase Challenge.  What is the One Million Pillowcase Challenge, you ask?  The creative folks at American Patchwork & Quilting magazine and Quilts & More magazine, through their allpeoplequilt.com website, have challenged you and me to make a million pillowcases.  We register our pillowcases on the website, and donate them to a charity of our choice.  How are we doing?  Well, we’re up to 430,300 – that’s a lot of comforting pillowcases!  Give yourself a pat on the back if you have added any pillowcases to the tally.

Today I shall add 4 pillowcases to the count, because Susanne, my oh-so-talented piecer, and I made 4 pillowcases from a very special fabric collection coming to quilt shops next Spring.  Northcott has designed our first collection in support of Quilts for Kids Inc., a charitable foundation creating quilts for children with life-threatening illnesses or those who have suffered from abuse.  Quilts for Kids is one of the charities listed on allpeoplequilt.com for pillowcase donations, so the pillowcases that Susanne and I made will do double-duty – they will help raise funds for Quilts for Kids, and they will help allpeoplequilt.com reach their goal of one million pillowcases.

I chose 4 of the free patterns on the allpeoplequilt.com website, and matched up colors from Stonehenge Team Spirit to the main print from Old MacDonald.  Let’s take a look at them: I used Pattern 5, with the prairie point band, using red prairie points on a green band.  Prairie points and farm fields are made for each other, don’t you think?  Then I chose orange geese in a dark blue sky (Pattern 10 Flying Geese band) for the second one, pulling out the bright colors in the Old MacDonald print. 

For the third pillowcase, I chose shades of gold and Pattern 16 Piano Key band – it reminds me of rows of hay or wheat ready to be harvested.

And what else but Pattern 27 Churn Dash for the fourth band in pretty pastel shades against a black ground?  For this band, we used 4 Freckles textures on a solid black ColorWorks ground.  You will be able to see the Old MacDonald collection at www.northcott.com next month, and the fun quilt patterns that feature the collection.  Please leave a comment on my blog by 11:59 tonight Thursday September 6^th for a chance to win a kit for these 4 pillowcases.

Along with supporting Quilts for Kids, and breast cancer research through our Quest for a Cure program, Northcott is proud to sponsor and support the One Million Pillowcase Challenge.  A colorful pillowcase is really a small investment in time and fabric, but can make a world of difference to someone in need.  Please consider making a pillowcase (or 2 or 3) this month during the One Million Pillowcase Blog Tour, and add yours to the tally.  Let’s see how far we grow!  There are some wonderful stops on the blog tour – see if you can visit all of them!

Schedule:

1. Welcome from American Patchwork & Quilting (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/blogs/apqstaff/)
2. Rashida Coleman-Hale (http://www.iheartlinen.typepad.com/)
3. Olivia and Alayna’s Pillowcase Project (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/blogs/apqstaff/)
4. Morgan’s Smile Factory (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/blogs/apqstaff/)
5. Pat Sloan (http://blog.patsloan.com/)
6. Northcott (http://pattispatchwork.com/)
7. Betsy Chutchian (http://betsysbestquiltsandmore.blogspot.com/)
8. Vanessa Christenson (http://www.vanessachristenson.com/)
9. Andover Fabrics (http://blog.andoverfabrics.com/)
10. Laurie Simpson (http://minickandsimpson.blogspot.com/)
11. Oak Hill, Ohio (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/blogs/apqstaff/)
12. Robert Kaufman Fabrics (http://www.swatchandstitch.com/)
13. Pam Buda (http://www.heartspunquilts.blogspot.com/)
14. Indygo Junction (http://www.indygojunction.com/blog/)
15. 4-H (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/blogs/apqstaff/)
16. Katie Hennagir (http://baywindowquiltshop.wordpress.com/)
17. Anni Downs (http://hatchedandpatched.typepad.com/)
18. FreeSpirit Fabrics (http://www.freespiritfabric.blogspot.com/)
19. American Patchwork & Quilting Staff (http://www.allpeoplequilt.com/blogs/apqstaff/)
20. Patty Young (http://modkidboutique.blogspot.com/)
21. Moda Fabrics (http://modafabrics.blogspot.com/)
22. Monica Solorio-Snow (http://thehappyzombie.com/blog/)
23. Moda Bake Shop (http://www.modabakeshop.com/)
24. Andover Fabrics (http://blog.andoverfabrics.com/)
25. Roseann Kermes from Rosebud’s Cottage (http://rosebudscottage.typepad.com/)
26. Ann Kelle for Shannon Fabrics (http://www.annkelle.com/category/blog/)
27. Therm O Web (http://blog.thermoweb.com/)
28. Edyta Sitar (http://www.laundrybasketquilts.com/blog/)
29. Fabri-Quilt (http://inspiredbyfabric.blogspot.com/)
30. Cherri House (www.cherryhousequilts.com)

Cheers,

Patti