Congratulations to the Winners of our Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS!

Thanks to all the generous sponsors, we were able to award even more prizes this year than we anticipated!  I honestly feel that this year's prizes are better than ever.  Congratulations, to all the winners, and a big THANK YOU to everyone who donated to our 2016-2017 Hopes and Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS!

Sew Creative Winners:

Winner #1: Anna Lee Turner in Brook Park, OH

Winner #2:  Nancy Kurlich in Erie, PA

Winner #3: Pultneyville Reformed Church in Williamson, NY

Sew Lovely Winners:

Winner #1:  Chris Milodrovich in Missoula, MT

Winner #2:  Michelle Schroder in Guthrie, OK

Winner #3: Helen Emmerich in Stony Brook, NY

Sew Generous Individual Winners:

1st Place:  Pat Stacy in Versailles, KY

2nd Place: Grace Bomarita in Venice FL

Sew Generous Quilt Guild Winners:

1st Place: Sew Happy Quilters in Dover, PA

2nd Place: Venice Area Quilters in Venice, FL

3rd Place: We Bee Sisters in Tracy, CA

Sew Generous Quilt Shop Winners:

1st Place:  Tiger Lily Quilts in Utica, NY

2nd Place:  Around the Block Quilt Shop in Minocqua, WI

Sew Generous Professional Quilter Winners:

Joe Filer in Galesburg, IL

Barbara Hutton in Carolina Shores, NC

Voting will begin soon to choose the winners for our Sew Popular Category! 

Presenting Sponsor:

J.N. Harper, Co.                www.jnharper.com

Grand Sponsors:

Baby Lock                                             www.babylock.com

Dragon Threads                                 www.dragonthreads.com

hang it dang it                                     www.hangitdangit.com

Judy Martin Books                           www.judymartin.com

Kimberbell Designs                          www.kimberbelldesigns.com

Marcus Fabrics                                   www.marcusfabrics.com

Minick and Simpson                        minickandsimpson.blogspot.com

Modern Quilts Unlimited               www.modernquilts.mqumag.com

Nestlings by Robin                            www.nestlingsbyrobin.com/

Perkins Dry Goods                            www.perkinsdrygoods.com

Prym Consumer USA                       www.prym-consumer-usa.com/

Quilters Dream Batting                   www.QuiltersDreamBatting.com

Quilters Travel Companion           www.quilterstravelcompanion.com/

Quilters World Magazine               www.quiltersworld.com

Raggedy Ruth Designs/ Forever in Stitches LLC     www.ForeverInStitches.com

Shannon Fabrics                                shannonfabrics.com

Siesta Silver Jewelry                        www.siestasilverjewelry.com

Straight Stitch Society                     straightstitchsociety.com

Suzn Quilts                                           www.SuznQuilts.com

The Wooden Bear                              www.thewoodenbear.com

THREADS printable inkjet fabrics www.printablefabrics.com
YLI Threads                                          www.ylicorp.com

Charm Sponsors:

Island Batiks	IslandBatik.com
June Tailor	JuneTailor.com
May Chappell	MayChappell.com
Paper Pieces	PaperPieces.com
Quilting Creations International	QuiltingCreations.com
Robert Kaufman Fabrics	RobertKaufman.com
Tuanton Trade	Taunton.com
Fox Chapel Publishing	D-origianls.com
Clothworks	Clothworks.com
American Quilters Society	AmericanQuilter.com
Dreamworld NW (Sew Steady)	SewSteady.com
Quilters Corner	QuiltersCorner-pa.com
Fabri-Quilt	Fabri-Quilt.com
Bo-Nash	Bonash.com
Kenzie Mac & Co.	KenzieMac.com
Henry Glass & Co.	HenryGlassFabrics.com
Cherry Blossoms	CherryBlossomsQuilting.com
Studio 180 Designs	Studio180design.net
The Gentle Art	TheGentleArt.com
Seams Like A Dream	SeamsLikeADream.com
Weeks Dye Works	WeeksDyeWorks.com
Coats & Clark	ww.MakeItCoats.com
Happy Hollow Designs	HappyHollowDesigns.com
McKenna Ryan Designs	PineNeedles.com
Direction Press	NeedleTravel.com

Hopes & Dream Quilt Challenge for ALS

We are sincerely grateful to everyone who has helped to make our 2016-2017 Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge a wonderful success!

During the 2016-2017 Challenge, which lasted from Aug. 1, 2016, until July 31, 2017, we received 1112 quilts and quilted items generously donated by caring quilters who gave their time, talent, and supplies to provide love and support to the ALS community.

Most of the donated quilts have been hand delivered to ALS patients throughout the United States with the help of many chapters of the ALS Association.  The quilts provide not only warmth to patients, but wrap them in the love and comfort that a handmade quilt brings.

We often receive and publish on our Facebook page lovely notes and pictures from ALS patients who have received a Hopes & Dreams quilt, which touches our hearts and show just how much these quilts mean to patients and their families.




Select quilts and craft items are sold, auctioned, and raffled to raise funds with 100% of the money used for ALS research!  This year we attended Virginia Beach's Santa's Stocking Craft Show and the Aviation Museum's Air and Auto show and sale.  Quilts were also sold at Richard Stravitz Fine Arts Galleries. 

The Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS raised over $17,000 for research, supporting Emory University School of Medicine, The Packard Center for ALS Research, and the Felman Lab ALS Research in their fight to find a treatment and an eventual cure for ALS!



We will soon be announcing the winners of the Challenge, and posting pictures of select quilts to vote for your favorite in our "Sew Popular" division!

Thank you, to the following sponsors for providing 

wonderful and exciting prizes:

Presenting Sponsor:

J.N. Harper, Co.                www.jnharper.com

Grand Sponsors:

Baby Lock                                             www.babylock.com

Dragon Threads                                 www.dragonthreads.com

hang it dang it                                     www.hangitdangit.com

Judy Martin Books                           www.judymartin.com

Kimberbell Designs                          www.kimberbelldesigns.com

Marcus Fabrics                                   www.marcusfabrics.com

Minick and Simpson                        minickandsimpson.blogspot.com

Modern Quilts Unlimited               www.modernquilts.mqumag.com

Nestlings by Robin                            www.nestlingsbyrobin.com/

Perkins Dry Goods                            www.perkinsdrygoods.com

Prym Consumer USA                       www.prym-consumer-usa.com/

Quilters Dream Batting                   www.QuiltersDreamBatting.com

Quilters Travel Companion           www.quilterstravelcompanion.com/

Quilters World Magazine               www.quiltersworld.com

Raggedy Ruth Designs/ Forever in Stitches LLC     www.ForeverInStitches.com

Shannon Fabrics                                shannonfabrics.com

Siesta Silver Jewelry                        www.siestasilverjewelry.com

Straight Stitch Society                     straightstitchsociety.com

Suzn Quilts                                           www.SuznQuilts.com

The Wooden Bear                              www.thewoodenbear.com

THREADS printable inkjet fabrics www.printablefabrics.com
YLI Threads                                          www.ylicorp.com

Charm Sponsors:

Island Batiks	IslandBatik.com
June Tailor	JuneTailor.com
May Chappell	MayChappell.com
Paper Pieces	PaperPieces.com
Quilting Creations International	QuiltingCreations.com
Robert Kaufman Fabrics	RobertKaufman.com
Tuanton Trade	Taunton.com
Fox Chapel Publishing	D-origianls.com
Clothworks	Clothworks.com
American Quilters Society	AmericanQuilter.com
Dreamworld NW (Sew Steady)	SewSteady.com
Quilters Corner	QuiltersCorner-pa.com
Fabri-Quilt	Fabri-Quilt.com
Bo-Nash	Bonash.com
Kenzie Mac & Co.	KenzieMac.com
Henry Glass & Co.	HenryGlassFabrics.com
Cherry Blossoms	CherryBlossomsQuilting.com
Studio 180 Designs	Studio180design.net
The Gentle Art	TheGentleArt.com
Seams Like A Dream	SeamsLikeADream.com
Weeks Dye Works	WeeksDyeWorks.com
Coats & Clark	ww.MakeItCoats.com
Happy Hollow Designs	HappyHollowDesigns.com
McKenna Ryan Designs	PineNeedles.com
Direction Press	NeedleTravel.com

Grand Sponsor Guest Blog: Judy Martin

                                                                                    

Hi everyone,

I’m Judy Martin. I design quilts. I make quilts. I write quilt books. The first was Log Cabin Quilts, written with Bonnie Leman in 1980. The most recent was Extraordinary Log Cabin Quilts, released last fall. In between I wrote 20 other books, including Scrap Quilts, Pieced Borders(with Marsha McCloskey) and Stellar Quilts. To see those books and many others, click HERE.

Over the years I've invented 5 tools, the most popular of which is the Point Trimmer. It allows you to trim the nub off any patch that comes together at a 45-degree angle. This helps you perfectly align neighboring patches and helps reduce bulk. I've also designed several fabric lines.

The most unusual quilt-related thing I've done is design a game called Quilt Show, which has only recently been released. My husband and I are avid game players, and in 2009 we entered Quilt Show in the Rio Grande Games Design Contest. Our game was one of four winners. Our prize was to have the game published by Rio Grande Games, the leading American publisher of European-style games. Quilt Show is a game for 2-4 players. The things you do in the game are the same things you do as a quilter: You collect fabric; you turn the fabric into quilt blocks; you turn the blocks into quilts; and you win big cash prizes at the game’s three quilt shows! 

Right now I’m working on a quilt for a contest. Until this year all the quilts I made were specific projects for whatever my next book was. It didn't hurt that I really liked most of them, but there was always that other motive: It had to be appropriate for the book I was writing. Let me back track and tell you about the last quilt I made.

"The Fabric of My Life: 1969-2014"
Featured in Quilters Newsletter
Dec/Jan 2015 issue

Earlier this year I designed and made a quilt for Quilters Newsletter’s 45^thAnniversary Contest. The quilt had to be exactly 45” square. Since I have been making quilts for 45 years and used to be a senior editor at Quilters Newsletter, the contest was just calling my name. It was a labor of love. I plowed through my fabric, itself the accumulation of 45 years, and cut one patch from each of about 2100 different fabrics. Each fabric almost dripped with fond memories of where it was purchased or how it was used in previous quilts. It was like finding an old scrap book in the attic.

So I made this quilt, in part to enter it in that contest, but primarily because the project spoke to me. The quilt will never be patterned in one of my books. I simply made it because I wanted to, and what a wonderful feeling that was! Oh, and the quilt was the first runner-up in the Quilters Newsletter contest and will be on display at Quilting LIVE! in Atlanta, September 11-13, 2014.

Now back to my present project. Since that Quilters Newsletter contest experience was so good, I didn't hesitate when another contest piqued my interest. I suppose there is a chance this quilt I’m sewing right now could end up in one of my books, but it doesn't matter. I’m enjoying the process of making it.

I choose to support the Hopes and Dreams Quilt Challenge for a couple of reasons. First, I can’t imagine the horror of watching a loved one succumb to this terrible disease. The mother in me wants to help in some small way.

The other reason has to do with giving back to someone whose products I use. I use Quilters Dream Batting for all my quilt projects. So when Kathy Thompson (owner) of Quilters Dream began this program, I was naturally more receptive. It’s human nature to help those who help you.

It would be nice if a year from now I didn't have to sponsor the Hopes and Dreams Quilt Challenge because a cure for ALS had been found and the disease had been eradicated. More likely, one more year isn't going to be enough to wipe out ALS. But one year can make a difference, and eventually we’ll get there.

Judy Martin
http://www.judymartin.com

You can join me on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/QuiltingWithJudyMartin

Read about Judy our Featured August #battgirls

Dr. Feldman Univ of Michigan

Meet Linda Teufel of Dragon Threads - $1,000 Grand Sponsor of Hopes & Dreams

Say hello to Linda Teufel.

Linda Tuefel owner of Dragon Threads.

Linda has owned and operated Dragon Threads Textile Art Books since 1994.

Linda is also the author of two books, KOOS couture & collage and Quilting Party! Group Quilting for Celbration, Commemoration, and Charity.

Linda loves helping others, whether introducing them to a new idea or twist on a traditional art form, or inspiring someone to make quilts that are donated to others.  She believes in Hopes & Dreams and became a Grand Sponsor the very first year of the challenge in 2009.

When we asked Linda why she continues to support Hopes & Dreams by donating $1,000 in books as prizes each year, she said, "My best friend's mother has ALS and went through it and my Aunt had it, too.  I didn't watch my Aunt go through the daily struggles with this disease, but I saw her from time to time and it's pretty disturbing up close.  My best friends mother was in her body, but couldn't come out having lost all muscle movement.  They got her a machine to help her communicate and then took her to Germany to try testing.  It was very sad. Donating the books is a little thing to do.  It's not finding a cure, but it is something."

Yes, Linda - it is a big something!  If you will, take a moment and click here and tell Linda "Thanks!" for continuing to support the Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS as a Grand Sponsor.

Quilts, Baseball, Apple Pie and Hopes & Dreams

Here's to Quilts, Baseball, Apple Pie and Hopes & Dreams

Fireworks, home cooking, family gatherings and our flag waving, national anthem singing American Pride. Those are many of the images we remember in preparing for and celebrating our nation's Independence this 4th of July weekend.

It's "Baseball, Apple Pie and the American Way."  

75-years ago, July 4, 1939, it was baseball and the courage of Hall of Fame first baseman Lou Gehrig that changed the unknown face of one of the most devastating diseases we know, ALS - Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

With our Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS, Quilters Dream Batting is working to bring Hope to the Dreams of a Cure for ALS.  And this weekend, Major League Baseball [MLB.com] is also helping to raise funds and bring awareness to ALS.  The below video was produced by Major League Baseball [MLB.com] and features all 30 current MLB first basemen (and a cameo by Yankee Derek Jeter) reciting Gehrig's now-iconic oration.  It was played at Yankee Stadium before New York hosted the Tampa Bay Rays' afternoon game Wednesday, July 3.

[Read Lou Gehrig's Full Speech here]

Too many of our fellow Americans are facing the same death sentence that Lou Gehrig faced - far too many.  Your quilts donated to the Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS are making a difference in the lives of our "PALS" - people living with ALS.  They are also making a real difference in supporting research that is close to finding a treatment and cure for ALS.

This year's Challenge is coming to an end - let's make July our month of hope with the dream of independence from the struggles of ALS.  Please encourage your family, patrons, and quilting friends to donate a quilt to Hopes & Dreams by July 31st . (Quilts received later will be part of next year's Challenge.)

If you need additional information, please call Quilters Dream Batting toll-free at (888) 268-8664.

Quilts can be sent to:

Hopes & Dreams

c/o Quilters Dream Batting

589 Central Drive

Virginia Beach, VA  23454

Like our Hopes & Dreams Facebook page to view all of the beautiful quilts and wonderful prizes that have been donated so far!  The generosity of quilters is truly remarkable.

 

If you enjoy our Facebook Page please suggest it to a friend.

Thank you for helping us give hope to our dreams of a cure!

Meet Todd and Liesl Gibson of Straight Stitch Society

Meet Todd and Liesl Gibson.

Todd and Liesl Gibson 

The Gibson's own Straight Stitch Society patterns.

As you can read in the photo above, Straight Stitch Society brings the "fun back to sewing with supercute projects that feature a little attitude and a lot of flair."

The Gibson's also have 'a lot of flair' themselves in supporting worthy causes and they believe the Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS is one of them.  Todd and Liesl have been Grand Sponsors of the Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS from the beginning.  When we talked to Todd and asked him why they chose to be Grand Sponsors of the Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS, and why they continue to be Grand Sponsors, Todd's replied, "Because you asked nicely."  

That nonchalant, happy attitude is also present in the companies Manifesto.

If you have a moment, click here and tell Todd and Liesl "Thank You" for supporting Hopes & Dreams.  

To Todd and Liesl - Quilters Dream Batting and the Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS send a big 

for matching the kindness of our ask with the kindness of your support!

Your grateful Hopes & Dreams Coordinator

Canadian Quilt Shop Joins Hopes & Dreams as a Sponsor

Meet Kelsey and Joanie.

Kelsey Morrow (right) and Joanie Morrow (left) owners of The Stitchery Quilt Shop
in Alberta, Canada as well as owners of Patternworkz Design Studio.

We had the good fortune of meeting these two fabulous ladies at Spring Quilt Market in Pittsburgh, PA in May. This mother and daughter team stopped by the Quilters Dream Batting booth to feel all the different types of batting Quilters Dream offers.  Before we knew it, we were in awe of their work!

"Double Vision" fabric line designed by Joanie and Kelsey Morrow for Andover Fabrics.

They were sharing with us a fabric bundle of their batiks (which many of you know I love!) and before we knew it - Joanie and Kelsey were off to see if Andover Fabrics would become a Grand Sponsor of the Hopes & Dreams Quilt Challenge for ALS.  Well, a little bit later, Joanie and Kelsey returned and decided THEY were going to be a Grand Sponsor themselves!  

Joanie sent an email this morning that in part reads:

"Finally...your package of goodies is on it's way!!! Our hats off to you and Hopes & Dreams.  Extraordinary volunteers and organization that exemplify the spirit of helping others.  We get the easy part of making a donation."

They are sending 2 yards each of every fabric you see in the above photo of their Double Vision line - 22 batiks and 18 prints - PLUS patterns!

Joanie and Kelsey share your passion for helping others and have also given of their time, talents and treasures to support Hopes & Dreams.  If you have a moment, send a note of "THANKS" to Joanie and Kelsey by clicking here and check out their design company - Patternworkz - by clicking here.

Andover Fabrics shared a copy of Joanie's pattern "Between the Lines Quilt" in promoting the fabric line which you can access through the Double Vision Fabrics link below the picture of the quilt.

Double Vision Fabrics

If you are in or near Alberta stop by The Stitchery - RR#2 Site 1 Box 6 Olds, Alberta.  If you here in the U.S. and like their fabric and patterns, ask your local quilt shop to place an order through their Andover Fabrics rep.

Joanie and Kelsey - you truly are giving Hope to our Dreams of a Cure for ALS!

Your grateful Hopes & Dreams coordinator