We just received the nicest message that we thought we would share with everyone....

The ergonomic sewing chair that I won in the quilt shop hop just arrived and I am really thrilled with it.  Thank you so much to all who contributed to it.  What a wonderful prize and you all made it so easy for me to order it, I really appreciate it.  Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!  Jan Zumwalt, Gainesville, Ga.

Thanks for giving us all a nice smile Jan! Enjoy!

2013 Shop Hop Prize Winners

Congratulations to the top prize winners from the 2013 Shop Hop!

The Grand Prize Winner was Nancy Best of Kansas, OK! Nancy won a $100 gift certificate to each of the ten participating shops, a $1000 value.

The 2nd Prize Winner was Janet Zumwalt of Gainesville, GA!

Janet won an Ergonomic Chair, a $400 value.

The 3rd Prize Winner was Kathryn Granfield of Oxford, GA!

Kathryn won a Tutto Bag, a $200 value.

Congratulations again to these three lucky ladies! We hope you enjoy your prizes!

Gallery of Shop Hop Quilts

If you didn't have the opportunity to participate in the 2013 Shop Hop or maybe you weren't able to visit every shop, we wanted to share each shop's project with everyone. If you recall my earlier post about the new strip program we introduced this year (read it here if you missed it), each of the shop's combined the strip sets from all ten shops into their individual projects. I'm really glad I don't have to pick a favorite (although I might be a little biased!) because each one turned out beautifully! 

A Scarlet Thread

Georgia Sewing & Quilting

Tiny Stitches (1 of 2)

Intown Quilters

Little Quilts (1 of 2)

Patrick's

Little Quilts (2 of 2)

Quilts and Fixins

Red Hen Fabrics

Stitch 'n Quilt

Tiny Stitches (2 of 2)

Sweet Home Quilt Co.

Kits are available for some of the quilts, but not all. Call the specific shop if you're interested. 

Shop Hop... Last two days!

We're having a blast!  Love seeing everyone....  Saturday & Sunday are the last two days!  I hope you're a part of the fun this year

Fwd:

The "batty" ladies from Red Hen hopped by Little Quilts!

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: Mary Ellen Von Holt <mev2@bellsouth.net>
Date: March 15, 2013, 4:09:35 PM EDT
To: quiltsandbears@bellsouth.net

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Sent from my iPhone

Shop Hop: Behind the scenes

Have you ever wondered what quilt shops do to prepare for shop hop? Here at Sweet Home, we’ve been busy little bees since early January and now that shop hop is a week away, we’re checking our lists and still trying to get as much done as possible. I thought I’d share a behind-the-scenes look at some of what we’ve been doing…

We started early cutting and packaging the Shop Hop Fabric Strip Sets…what you see is only about half of the 600+ kits we’ve done! We’re offering something a little different to shop hoppers this year -- if you missed it, check out the Shop Hop Blog for details on this new program. 

Emptying bolts and bolts of fabric…

Cutting kits…some on the die cut machine, which generates tons of scraps…

Labeling and packaging all of those kits!

 Finding a place to put all those kits until they’re needed!

Daily visits from Mr. Brown bringing new stock to be checked in and added to the mix.

Making new samples…which still have to be hung on the walls for display!

All of those new samples means there’s been a whole lot of binding going on!

Ripping wool to re-stock our display … there’s something really satisfying about ripping wool!

 Several trunk shows have arrived and are waiting their turn for display!

And finally, a sneak peek at our Shop Hop quilt, which is finally off to the quilter for quilting! (This picture was taken during the last stages of construction as the borders were going on.)

Remember those strip sets I mentioned that every shop will have for shop hoppers? All the shops exchanged sets and this is the free project we came up with. As is tradition for us, we always use black and white in some way in our Shop Hop project and this year is no exception…the black and white polka dot really showcases the vibrant strip colors. We hope you love it as much as we do!

~Melisa @ Sweet Home Quilt Co.

You Could Be A Winner!

Each year during the Greater Atlanta Quilt Shop Hop, we always give away some great prizes, and this year is no exception. Everyone who turns in a completed passport is eligible to win one of these great prizes:

Grand Prize: $100 gift certificate to each shop ($1000 value) 

Second Prize: Sew Ergonomic Chair ($400 value)

Third Prize: Tutto Bag, ($200 value)

We realize that not everyone can make it to all ten of the shops, which is why each shop also offers a $100 value drawing for everyone who visits. I always try to choose a special prize to give away, something that you might not buy for yourself. This year I’ve selected a really nice quilt kit:

Cottage Garden Quilt Kit, 89 x 98

The kit features the Cottage Garden fabric collection by Kaye England for Wilmington Fabrics, and includes the instructions and fabrics for the quilt top (binding and backing are not included.) The kit is packaged in a reusable sewing basket.

All you have to do to be eligible to win the kit is visit Sweet Home Quilt Co. during shop hop next week, March 14th-17th, and get your passport stamped.

We’re looking forward to seeing everyone…but there’s still tons of work to do! We’ll be ready! We’ll be ready! We’ll be ready! (Maybe if I say it enough it will actually happen?)

~Melisa

Stripping like crazy at Little Quilts! 2-1/2" strips that is! We are getting ready for Shop Hop March 14 - 17. Make plans now to HOP!

Little Quilts getting ready for the shop hop March 14-17. Work in progress! Check in often to see how we are doing.

Shop Hop fabric

> Check out our fabulous "Quilting...it's our Passion" fabric. Special order yours at a participating shop hop shop.
>

A Little Something Different...

We're changing up a few things for Shop Hop this year to keep things fresh and fun, and also in response to your feedback to our survey after the 2012 hop. You are going to love our new approach to the shop hop projects!

At every shop you visit during the Greater Atlanta Quilt Shop Hop, when you spend $30 you will receive one free fabric strip set containing 10 strips measuring 2-1/2" x 22." The fabric strip sets will also be available for purchase for $6. Each shop will have a different set of strips, but all the strips are part of the same color palette chosen specifically for the 2013 Shop Hop.

This is a representative sample of the color palette selected for the 2013 strip sets.

In addition, at each shop you'll be able to pick up a free pattern for that shop's quilt! That's right -- a pattern for a whole quilt, not just a single block.

That means that at the end of Shop Hop, you'll have 100 strips of different fabrics, plus 10 free quilt patterns.What a deal!

Shops will also offer a finishing kit with everything you need to add to your 100 fabric strips to complete the quilt top showcased in their shop. The shops have already exchanged strips so beautiful quilt designs are already taking shape. Look for some sneak peeks in upcoming newsletters!

We think this is a fun, new addition to the Shop Hop, and we hope you will, too!