Sweet Celebrations Blog Hop: Giveaway and More!

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Hello and welcome to the Sweet Celebrations blog hop.

We are mother and daughter team Jo Kramer and Kelli Kramer and we are proud to say we have three projects in this book, “Sweet Celebrations”.


We took this picture a year ago to the date back when we were frantically trying to get a picture of ourselves as part of our submission to the Sweet Celebrations book.  We wanted to take the picture with our beagles, Puppycat and Gracie.  It was quite the day!  They weren’t cooperating, and to be honest, we weren’t cooperating the best either.  Just recently Gracie passed away and there is a new puppy on our horizon…I can promise you, it will be a beagle.  In fact, we just picked out a new puppy.

We are casual country farm girls.  Notice we didn’t even dress up to get our picture taken.  The guys in our lives are farmers and work long hours.  We sew to pass the time.

As part of the blog hop, we were given a list of questions to answer.  We decided to split it up leaving some for Kelli to answer and some for Jo to answer.  Here’s Kelli’s questions:

What is your favorite part of quilting–fabric selection, piecing, quilting, binding–and why?  My favorite part of the quilting process is choosing the pattern, the fabric,and getting all of my fabrics ironed and cut.  When I make a quilt, I am very picky about the process.  I like doing all of the ironing at once, all of the cutting at once (and organizing all of my cut pieces into nice little piles), and all of the sewing at once for each step.  I don’t like to sew three blocks to see how it will turn out and then continue on.  Quilting is the part of the process that I like the least.  Binding is a bit of a bittersweet process for me.  I like knowing that I finished another quilt, but it’s a little bit sad because the quilt is finished.

We are a silly pair!

Do your pets/kids/spouse help of hinder your creative process?   I really don’t have too many hinderances when it comes to sewing or my creative process.  My beagle Puppycat usually sits in a chair in the corner of my sewing room carefully supervising.  Sometimes she sits on my sewing bench with me, but sometimes she decides that she wants to play fetch and will grab a toy and sit at my feet whining until I throw it, as she knows I won’t say no.  As my boyfriend farms, he usually doesn’t come home until 9 or 10 at night depending on the season.  By then my back is usually a bit achy and I’m ready for a break.  Overall, he’s pretty supportive as he has learned the hard way that sewing is my therapy.  When we moved last summer, he even gave up a dining room so that I could have a sewing room downstairs.  I think he’s a keeper!

If you and your dearest friend were going to dress as a horse, would you be the rear end so she could be the front?  Tell us how you became friends. This is a quite interesting question.  Me and my best friend/mom became quite close friends as she housed me for 9 months prior to making my appearance to the world and she’s been stuck with me ever since.  There were a few years when we didn’t get along/I thought I knew everything.  I swear though, the older she gets, the smarter she gets….or maybe the better I get at listening.  In regards to the horse situation, I would definitely allow her to be the head.  She’s better at presenting things in a more complete way and definitely thinks before she speaks.  I tend to be a bit more stubborn and drag my heels a bit.  I also have to be pushed, poked, and prodded to do things…like add borders to a quilt or finish a binding.  Over all though, we work quite well together.  Things that I don’t like doing are things that Mom enjoys and things that really bother her are things that I love doing!

We can make anything fun...HONEST!!

What sewing accomplishment are you most proud of? My biggest sewing accomplishment to date is being featured as a Moda Bakeshop Chef.  I had previously dabbled with designing, drawing, and coloring blocks here and there, but never really done anything serious.  One day I sent a copy of a quilt I had been working on to Mom and after much proding and poking (I’m the horse’s rear end remember) she made me submit it to Bakeshop.  When I found out that the quilt was accepted, I was so excited.  It validated the hard work I had put into working on matching up seams, keeping a true quarter inch seam allowance, and the design work I had done on the quilt.  When I finished the quilt and showed the Bakeshop readers what I had created, all of the kind comments and works of encouragement really made my day and I knew then that even though I was relatively new to quilting, it was something that I had done and done well.   Next on our horizon is a project that will be featured in a national quilting magazine.

Taken after a LONG day of sewing 1.5" strips together!

Here are Jo’s question:

What have I gained from the online quilting/sewing world?
Wow..how do I answer that question quickly??!? I can’t.  I can say that I have gained the best batch of friends a gal can ask for.  Serious.  When I recently purchased my new APQS Millennium,  I asked fellow blogger Judy from Patchwork Times for some advice.  She was right there and answered right away.  I have made connections with so many companies in the quilting industry through my Try in on Tuesday’s posts where I try out new products and publications.  I’ve got great reader friends who understand the sorrow I’ve been going through when my beloved beagle Gracie died.  I have friends who send me fabric scraps so I can keep working on my pineapple blocks.  I’ve met amazing friends who are Bonnie Hunter groupies like I am.  I got connected with the gals from Country Threads and had an opportunity to go to quilt market in Cincinnati with them.  I’ve gotten real close to fellow Moda Bake Shop Chef, Michelle from Michelle’s Romantic Tangle.  I’ve been blessed by sweet Ila who always is sending us goodies.  The list goes on and on…..From the time I started blogging 3 1/2 years ago to now, my circle of friends has grown globally and I LOVE that.  In our small home town there aren’t a lot of people who are quilt crazy like I am so all of you help me feel “normal” and I thank you for that.

We were asked to share a recipe with you.  We made our recipe quick and easy.  We know all you would love a yummy treat to celebrate the Fourth of July…this one requires little prep time so you can quickly get back to sewing.

Here’s the recipe.

Are you are wondering what our project is….well we don’t want to reveal too much…but we can say, these quilts are our designs.

You can actually make both quilts at once.  How neat is that?!?!

We also have another quilt in the book!  We had so much fun working on projects for the book.  Can you image?  We made the three quilts in just over a month!

Now here comes the best fun!!  All of you have an opportunity to win a Moda precut…we LOVE fat quarters packs (don’t you??) and your very own copy of the book, Sweet Celebrations.  Just leave a comment here telling me what your favorite Moda precut is.

If you want more chances to win and some great recipes, hop over to see some of the other featured Moda Bake Shop Chefs.

October 1 – StashBooks and Moda Cutting Table
October 2 – Melissa Mortenson and Melissa Corry
October 3 – Mary Lane Brown and Natalia Bonner
October 4 – Lissa Alexander and Corey Yoder
October 5 – Jane Davidson and Angela Yosten
***October 6 – Jo & Kelli Kramer (THIS IS US) and Stefanie Roman
October 7 – Sherri McConnell and Megan Jimenz & Heather Andrus
October 8 – Angela Mitchell and Ellie Roberts
October 9 – Katie Blakesley and Aneela Hoey
October 10 – Amy Smart and Angela Pingel
October 11 – Vanessa Christenson and April Rosenthal
October 12 – Moda Bake Shop
October 14 – Readers have until midnight on the 14th to comment on all the blogs for the giveaways.
October 19 –Winners announced on all the blogs.

Thanks for stopping by.

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328 thoughts on “Sweet Celebrations Blog Hop: Giveaway and More!”

  1. Ruth

    My first pre-cut was a Moda jelly roll that I kept on my shelf and admired for about a year before opening it. Charms have also been a favorite of mine, but just recently I have become very interested in layer cakes and they have become my new favorite. Love the recipe as I had no idea you could do that in a microwave. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  2. Mary Jo Jones

    Old Glory Gatherings in any cut! I have so enjoyed following you since we met at Bonnie’s workshop in Storm Lake! You are a great person…love what you share:)

    Reply
  3. HeatherK

    I love charm packs because I use them the most. I just bought my first fat quarter bundle for a project and I think I need to invest in a few more for my shelf just to inspire me. I love the way they look all tied up together!

    Reply
  5. Elizabeth McDonald

    I love fat quarter bundles! They open up so many possibilities! (Those quilts pictured are just gorgeous – congrats!)

    Reply
  6. Sharon

    I would love to be able to afford a fat quarter bundle of every fabric I fall in love, but alas that would mean I would need at least two full-time jobs. One is enough right now, so I still have time to quilt! Thanks for the giveaway. Your quilts are just fabulous and the book looks wonderful too!

    Reply
  7. kay

    I love – and use – all precuts! But I think my favorite precut is a Layer Cake, because I can use it as is, or I can cut it up into strips or charm squares. Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  9. Sally

    I love jelly rolls and layer cake but usually buy charms (very into scrappy) and my current fav. is the new candy/mini charms!! That way I can get all the new lines (well the ones with charms and mini charms, at least!)
    Love both quilts!!!

    Reply
  17. Carol Sc

    My favorite Moda pre-cut is a jelly roll, Love Letters from Laundry Basket Quilts. This blog hop is great fun to read — thanks!

    Reply
  18. Sandy D

    I like the fat quarter bundles.They give you a little of everything in the fabric line.You know that they all coordinate with each other too. .Thanks for the opportunity to win.

    Reply
  20. MarciaW

    I too like fq bundles from a collection as like to know the fabric will work together and a wide variety of fabrics. Thanks for the fun interview responses and of course, the giveaway. Your quilt and bonus quilt look wonderful too!

    Reply
  21. Cori

    Jelly rolls are my favorite. I have make many quilts using them. Thank you for a chance to win the book. And congrats for having projects in the book.

    Reply
  26. Heather Ferguson

    I’m so new to quilting that I don’t know what my favorite precut is yet, but I can say that I’m just about to start a jelly roll quilt and I think charm packs are so cute! Thanks for the giveaway!

    Reply
  28. Laura G

    I really like Layer cakes because you can cut them up many ways or just use them as is. Thank you for the contest.
    PS I LOVE your French General designs for the Sweet Celebrations book. I can hardly wait to make these quilts.

    Reply
  29. Alexis

    Those quilts are so cute! And making two at once is a brilliant idea! My favorite precut right now is FQ bundles, simply because there’s more fabric in them. I figure the more there is, the better. Thanks for the chance to win!

    Reply
  35. Jodi R

    I love fabric in any cut, Yardage, fat quarters, all the way down to charm squares. They all have there uses. My next thing I would like to try using is a jelly roll as I have some friends who love them and I think they would be interesting to work with.

    Reply
  37. Glenda in Florida

    Well, I’ve been collecting jelly rolls for a while, but I think layer cakes are my favorites, as I’ve actually used a couple of those. Congratulations on being published in this book!

    Reply
  39. Elizabeth

    I think layer cakes are probably my favorite, although I also like fat quarters. Never splurged on a fat quarter bundle yet, though!

    Reply
  42. Sherry

    I just love fabric of any kind! I would probably say that my favorite would be the layer cake. There is just so much that you can do with it. Your quilts for this book are beautiful!

    Reply
  43. Jean Burke

    You two seem like you have so much fun together! Thanks for the glimpse into your lives – and the opportunity to win the book. It looks terrific. I like jelly rolls – you can make a quilt so quickly with them. Thanks again…

    Reply
  47. McGill

    My favorite Moda pre-cut is the jelly roll! I love the way they are so pretty all rolled up. I tend to use Layer Cakes the most, but Jelly Rolls are my favorite.

    Reply
  49. Maryellen

    I love jelly rolls and charm squares. I’ve also found some great patterns for FQ’s. I haven’t bought any layer cakes yet. I love your quilts, and your story. Jo, I hope you stick with the female puppy, lol. I think you will enjoy her sweet disposition. Can’t wait to see which you pick.

    Reply
  50. Sharon

    My favorite pre-cut are the Layer Cakes. I bought one for a quilt-along a few years ago and I really like them. I love the charm packs too. Thanks for a chance to win the book.

    Reply
  53. Kay Mc

    I’m a charm packaholic & I don’t want an intervention even though I may need one. I love being able to buy all of the new lines of fabric that come out & not having a huge amount of money in it. Congratulations on being in the book!

    Reply
  56. Sara

    You girls seem super fun. How can you pick a favorite precut? I love them all. If I have to pick one, I’ll go with charm squares. I have fun memories of making charm square quilts with my daughter. They are just the right size to make a doll quilt.

    Reply
  58. Sarina

    I love fat quarter bundles cuz you get the most fabric :) but I also love charm packs cuz you get a sample of everything w/o too much expense.

    Reply
  59. Nancy

    Thanks for the sweet and wonderfully explosive recipe! Can’t wait until Jul 4th to make it! Thanks also for the chance to win some luscious Moda fabric!
    My favorite pre-cut is the Jelly Rolls because I put them in baskets and use them for decoration … I mean, after all, who could ever unroll them when they’re so adorable like they come?!?!

    Reply
  60. Sherry

    The first time I used a pre-cut it was a jelly roll and I made a quilt top with it. Then I bought a fat quarter bundle and used it a quilt along and made a beautiful quilt top. At the moment I am loving those charm squares and I bought some Moda California Girl by Fig Tree. I think I have a pattern in mind for those, I can’t wait to get at it.

    Reply
  68. Becky Greene

    If a Fat Quarter Bundle counts, that is definitely my fave. If not, I would go with a layer cake. Large scale prints need that bigger cut, and the 10 x 10 size is so versatile. Thanks for the chance to win!!

    Reply
  69. Malinda

    So far, I have used charm packs and jelly rolls most, but I’m sure, if I could afford them, I would love fat quarter bundles. As it is, I save every little scrap and make mug rugs or wristlets, but to have a whole fat quarter of every fabric in a line, well, that would be bliss!

    Reply
  72. Nati

    Fat quarter bundle is my favourite, but I have a think for jelly rolls, so I think I need to start a few projects with them! Thanks for the chance to win

    Reply
  73. Jean

    I first fell in love with the jelly rolls but my new favorite is the layer cakes. You can do so much with them! My problem now is that I have so many I don’t have time to use them all. I guess I better get sewing!!

    Reply
  74. Lyn

    My favorite precut is FQ bundles because it’s enough fabric to do a lot of different things with. However, with the cost of fabric being what it is now, I find myself getting smaller precuts unless I have a specific project in mind.

    Reply
  75. Lovie Ball

    Love and use the Miss solids in charms and Jelly Rolls. But for prints I try and get fat eights. I use a GO cutter, and the 9×22 is the perfect size for me. I can cut a strip if needed, or fold in half for mirror image and use in my cutter.

    Reply
  76. Lovie Ball

    Love and use the Moda solids in charms and Jelly Rolls. But for prints I try and get fat eights. I use a GO cutter, and the 9×22 is the perfect size for me. I can cut a strip if needed, or fold in half for mirror image and use in my cutter.

    Reply
  78. StitchedbyStephanie

    My favorite Moda line is a toss between Vintage Modern and Marmelade! As for pre-cuts, I love working with charm packs. They are just so darn cute.

    Reply
  79. Karen

    I love jelly rolls but not quite as much as my sweet beagle Harley!!! I’m new to your blog and was so excited to see another Beagle/quilter enthusiast!! Congratulations on your part in the book and thanks for the chance to win!!!

    Reply
  81. cathy victor

    I also love Fat quarter Bundles and jelly rolls are my next favorite, Sometimes it feels like all I do is collect them and never get around to making something with them. The book looks like a great way to use some of them up.

    Reply
  82. Kim

    I love fat quarter precuts the most. Your options are endless. The jelly rolls are also awesome. Just sew them together and you have a great looking quilt ! Your designs look awesome !

    Reply
  84. Mah

    We love the fact that you are mother and daughter. We are four sisters who love working together. Wishing you many years of success. To the winner, congrats! Enjoy your day.

    Reply
  88. Robin Chapa

    Fat Quarter Bundles seem so…. indulgent and extravagant and like you can make anything in the world (insert shouty voice w/ a long echo here….)!!!!!!!!! Since I can’t always spring for one of those (or, since I never do), I like Layer cakes :)
    ~Robin
    welchrobin@Hotmail.com

    Reply
  91. Sarah Russett

    I love charm packs! There is so much you can do with them! But really I love all of Moda’s products! Thanks for the chance to win!

    Reply
  95. Victoria

    I love anything Vintage Modern, but as far as the sizes–the only one I have had a chance to use is the charm packs. Would love to use some other though!

    Reply
  99. Naomi Vela

    My favourite pre cut would have to be the Jelly Roll at the moment….mainly because I’m having fun making Jelly Roll Race quilts…yea I know, way behind in getting on that band wagon, but better late than never.

    Hugs
    Naomi

    Reply

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