Better Off Thread

Blogiversary Giveaway

So, it’s kinda my blogiversary!  Well, at least the closest I can figure.

“Better Off Thread” was created last July, but I originally started blogging in October 2008 at  “Sew Girly!”.  “Sew Girly!” imploded when I tried to update my very antiquated version of WordPress, but luckily I was able to move the posts over to my new blog.  Every subscriber and blog friendship I have is from these past 12 months, though, and you are all so supportive and amazing!

It has been a very exciting year:

  • My family moved back to Los Angeles.
  • I started sewing for Robert Kaufman Fabrics.
  • I taught my first quilting class at Sew Modern and have enjoyed teaching there several times.
  • My Wonky Star Tutorial was posted at Sew, Mama, Sew.
  • I published my first 2 quilting patterns at Craftsy.
  • My Kite Flight Pattern will available at Robert Kaufman on August 1st and they are hosting an accompanying quilt-along.
  • I became a Moda Bakeshop Chef (pattern will be available in August).
  • My “No Strings Attached” Quilt will be published in the next issue of Fat Quarterly Magazine.
PicMonkey Collage

Upcoming Patterns. Stay tuned!

Whew! It’s been a busy year and I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon.

I feel guilty that I’ve been so busy lately and I haven’t been able to reply to everybody’s sweet comments.  I do read them all and each one puts a smile on my face.  I wanted to do something to give back to my readers, so I’ve decided to have a little giveaway to celebrate “Better off Thread” and all of you!

I’m going to make a mini quilt for a reader based on your inspiration.  I loved when Elizabeth at “Oh Fransson” did this for her readers back in 2010.  The resulting quilt was so much fun.

All you need to do is leave a short comment below stating what you would like the inspiration for your quilt to be (example comments might be “Wizard of Oz”, “The New York Skyline”, “My one-eyed dog, Spot”…anything goes!.  Next week, I’ll pick one comment and make a quilt for that reader.

Thank you for all for being so supportive and I can’t wait to hear your ideas!

SIGN-UP FOR MY NEWSLETTER

Updates on pattern releases, discounts and more!

Comments

  2. The feel of twilight. The peachy pink blush of the sun setting over the coast range and the aquamarine darkening to azure sky and the first twinkle of venus rising. Sigh, I love
    summer nights.

  5. A quilt based on reading. My daughter has a new position as the only librarian for 5 schools in New Orleans. It would be awesome for her to have a quilt to move from library to library encouraging kids to read.

  6. Wow! This is a fantastic giveaway! I’ve been reading your blog for a while and “like” you on FB. You always make me smile!

    Inspiration? How about homeschooling? I home educate our two boys and it makes me happy and I’m so blessed to be able to share this special time with them!

    Thanks!

  10. Ohhhh intriguing! First off, congratulations on the one-ish year! And what a fantastic year it’s been from the sounds of it 😉

    Inspiration: Barefoot in the summertime on a dirt road (hey, don’t judge, this was sort of hard!)

  16. This is such an amazing and personal giveaway, how fantastic! 😀 The first thing that came to mind for me is a sewing themed quilt, after all I love sewing and it would go beautifully in my newly decorated sewing room 😀
    Happy blogaversary and here’s to many more happy blogging years xxx

  17. Hmm, my idea for inspiration would be Highway 101. I’ve got the oregon coast on my mind right now.

  18. Congrats on the busy year of your blog 🙂
    For a mini quilt I love owls, owls, owls. Thank you for a great giveaway.

    (smjohns63 at yahoo dot com)

  19. Congratulations on your blogiversary! Having spent yesterday in London I think my inspiration would be the river and red buses and 🙂

  20. Chairs – old wooden straight back chairs would be the inspiration for my quilt.
    Thanks

  24. Congratulations on your anniversary and on everything you accomplished this year! You are very inspiring. I can’t even imagine winning a mini quilt you made – well I may be imagining it a little because I am giving thought of where it should go in my house. I made the best plum pie this week and that would be my inspiration – pie (though plum pie could work too because I love purple).

  26. HI! WHAT FUN! LOVE ALL SMALL FLORALS!
    THANKS FOR YOUR BLOG+INSPIRATION!
    HAPPY STITCHING!

  27. Gosh The thing that brings me joy are really 2 things. 3 years ago we brought into our home a pair of mini dachshunds we adopted at the SPCA. They bring my husband and me so much joy. Never pass up the chance to look for your next family member at the pound.

  29. If I just had to pick one thing that I love I would have to say “Anything Autumn!” Or “RainbowVille!” 🙂

    Either way can’t wait to see what you come up with! 🙂

  30. “Scalene.”

    It’s killing me that I can’t come up with something good to make using this, so…maybe you can? 🙂 Congratulations. I like it here, and I like following you on IG–you do some really amazing work.

  32. No wonder you’ve been so busy! Happy blogiversay and kudos to all the celebratory feats that you’ve accomplished in the past year. You were one of the first bloggers that I contacted when I started quilting, and I will finish your lone star quilt tutorial yet!

    I’d pick hope — bright and cheerful with some surprises along the way for my inspiration.

  36. what a busy year you had. and I’m sure that you have done more.
    I’m thinking of a lavender field for a mini quilt. The wind that goes over the field and bringing that wonderfull smell. The sun shining over it…

  39. Oh my…you have been busy! Congratulations and blessings to you! Your idea (give-away) is awesome and my idea is more along the ‘color’ line and includes periwinkle, azure, gentle, hazy rose (the quiet, peaceful hues of a sunset) ……. sigh! Hugs……

  40. Happy blogversy! =) My inspiration would be dreams. There are so many of my dreams that I have achieved this year…and from the looks of things, perhaps you have accomplished a few of your dreams as well =) Looking forward to seeing what your mini quilt looks like and here’s to another year of awesomeness on your blog!

  42. Happy anniversary! What a fun idea for a quilt! The first word that came to mind was “sea glass” which I love to collect when I go to the beach.

  43. Happy anniversary! My inspiration : “baby boy loves pink” or this design question, where does feminity and masculinity intersect and what does it look like?

  44. hi! this sounds so fun! thanks for doing this… how about: “a teal & cherry red Odyssey”?

  45. Congratulations! My inspiration would be a farmer’s market, all the beautiful colors of the produce and flowers, the contrasting organic shapes. Thanks for a chance to win!

  47. Summertime at the beach! Congrats for having such a terrific year! My blogiversary wish for you is much success in all your ventures.

  48. “You are my Sunshine, you make me happy when skies are gray.” I sing this song to my 3 little ones every night!

  50. Congratulations on the year, and what a great idea. I’d like the nonsense poem, “The Owl and the Pussycat”.

  52. You have had a very successful year. Congratulations. What a wonderful prize. My inspiration would be vintage / retro.

  53. Congratulations! I recently discovered a love of quilting and found your blog. Thanks for all of the amazing inspiration!

    We just moved to Sacramento from Oregon, and I am super nervous about all of the sunshine and heat here. I love the clouds and rain in Oregon, so I would love a cloudy/rainy quilt. 🙂

  54. Congratulations on your blog anniversary. I already have a stunning mini quilt from you so pick someone else. I would have suggested something silly, like Jumping Jack Flash by the Rolling Stones.

  56. Congratulations on all of your accomplishments! You’ve had an amazing year! My inspiration would be Hawaii! The flowers, the ocean, the palms…it was all an amazing sensory overload!
    Thanks for the wonderful give-away!

  57. I am really into old things right now. I love renovation, flea markets, and finding new uses for old things. I would say that I find inspiration from eras 30+ years before my birth. 🙂

  58. vintage thrift.
    and congratulations! that’s quite an impressive list of accomplishments=you should be proud!

  59. Being reunited with a guy I met 30 years ago during my semester at a Scottish university. We dated for my last six weeks there, then without the magic of the Internet or email to help us stay in touch, eventually fell out of touch about five years later. He got back in touch two years ago and we are now talking about spending the rest of our lives together. Hopefully that will happen soon, because I live in Virginia and he is English and lives in the UK. I’m thinking about him now because I just dropped him off at the airport today. He’s on his way home. So I guess the Inspiration for the quilt would be something along the lines of destiny, unfading love, and serendipity bringing people together at a point in their lives when they’re ready to be together. 🙂

  61. Happy Blogiversary 🙂 What about Miami? I’ve been dying to go back there for vacation. DH & I went for our honeymoon four years ago and had a wonderful time.

  62. Happy Blogiversary! Anything modern and texty. (if that is a word)
    Thanks for the chance to win.

  63. Wow- what a generous offer from you. It’s hard to decide but reviewing what you have made, I’d be happy with whatever moves you. My only preference is probably not primary colors- bright is okay just not bright primary colors. Happy Blogiversary.

  64. I have to say I love your new blog name reminds me of one of my all time favorite movies (well anything with John Cusack is great)

    In honor of the 80s how about a breakfast club mini

  67. The Oregon coast. That is the basis of all the paint colors in my house ( except for the apple green bathroom that my youngest son surprised me with while I was out of town visiting my elderly parents spring break)

  69. Congratulations on one year! Hope to read many, many more of your post. Thank you so much for the giveaway. This is fantastic. I think I would like to see a sunset over the lake.

  70. Scarlet and gray! text! Thanks for the chance to win a one of a kind kwilt. Congrats on your blogaversary!

  71. I would love a quilt designed with abstract space and color to go with my theme. My theme would be “Going Forward or Rediscovery” I’m going from married to separated, my son who is on the high spectrum of autism will be 21 and possibly going away to a voc. rehab facility to learn to be independant and go to school. I don’t know who I am without him anymore, but I’m excited for the possibility of rediscovering myself.

  72. Mt Rushmore!! One of our nation’s treasures! It s absolutely awesome to see in person- much more detail than any picture can share!

  73. What a wonderful (and very busy!) year you have had! And I’m guessing these are only some of your achievements! Don’t worry about replying to every comment – you have to sleep sometime!!

    My inspiration for a quilt would be rainbows. My children and I saw a magnificent rainbow during the week – it was the widest, most vibrant we have ever seen!

  74. I named our “farm” Little House on the Dairy when we moved here 2 years ago. Now we are going to start selling honey under the Little House name. How is that for an idea?

  75. Congrats on your anniversary . I love reading your blog and have gotten great inspiration from the work you create. My husband and I are going to visit ireland for two weeks and we are soooo excited. My thoughts on inspiration turn towards the colors of Ireland, many shades of greens and blues and whites and grays.

  77. Oooh, that sounds like great fun! Iceburges! The shapes, colors the fact that you can only see so much of them at any given time. Love ’em. It’s been a pleasure fowwing along, Happy Anniversary!

  78. Congratulations!! My inspiration is my 18 month old daughter Lily! She is a busy little girl and she talks up a storm – maybe she would sit still with an I Spy quilt 😉

  79. Congratulations on everything you have accomplished this year. I know it’s been a lot of work but it must have be so rewarding. I would want a quilt inspired by the beautiful view of autumn leaves on a warm afternoon during peak leaf peeping season in New England. Miles and miles of mountains bejeweled with the rich, vibrant colors of natures paintbrush.

  80. I absolutely LOVE rainbows, anything made with ROY G BIV is my favorite. I know that sounds silly but I can’t help it – it’s true :)! I’m a rainbow lovin’ kinda girl…lol! Thank you for your generosity, winning would be too awesome!

  81. Ocean waves – maybe because I want to be relaxing seaside right now. Thanks 🙂

  82. Spring … rainbow … morning … flowers — these are the words that first came to mind for me.

  83. Happy Anniversary. I have only just recently found you and I really enjoy your blog. I have always been inspired by cardinals. I would love a snowy background with birch trees and in contrast a male cardinal. Such beauty nature holds.

  84. I work in the theater back stage (the live theater kind not movie kind). I help actors with their costumes. Maybe a quilt with a curtain being parted on a stage. Like the old times where the curtain was drawn up and to the side so it’s curved.

  85. Happy Anniversary. Its our 40th wedding anniversary this year something permanent to celebrate that would be fab!

  88. It is hard because I love color and the spirals that you find in the world – think seashells and sunflowers and spiral galaxies… How is that for inspiring… I believe I am #87 the year my son was born so that feels inspiring to me too circles of life…
    Regards from Alberta, Canada,
    Anna

  92. Happy anniversary Janice! I’m happy to see that you have done so well and found great ways to use your talent! Thank you for a wonderful give away, would be so special to have something made by you! Inspiration – there is so much – but something special to me are letters, texts, books!
    Have a lovely day! x Teje

  93. What an incredible year! Congratulations on all your accomplishments. I didn’t realize you were semi local. 🙂
    How about the flight of a hummingbird? This is entirely inspired by a beautiful hike we went on that resulted in me screaming like a little girl and running out of the bushes when I heard something really loud and menacing. That loud and menacing creature was a hummingbird flying right next to my ear. Those wings are no joke.

  95. Such a fun giveaway and thanks for the opportunity.

    1st Congratulations on the anniversary. I’m excited about your upcoming projects.

    If I am lucky enough to win, a Rainbow hued mini quilt would be perfect since that is what I love so much.

  96. Congratulations on your mile-stone. I really enjoy reading your blog. My choice of inspiration would be ‘Days at the beach’ – would make me think of summer and relaxing with my family.

  98. Congratulations, Janet! What a fantastic year you’ve had! Here’s hoping next year is even better! This is so silly, but: Mushrooms!

  100. I am a nurse, so I would ask you to use that as your inspiration. Thanks for the give away!

  101. Happy blogaversary and congratulations! Those of us who are too shy to blog really appreciate people like you who share your wonderful work. And how very generous of you to celebrate your blogaverary this way! I think the flight of birds is inspiring.

  102. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
    And may the coming year be as fun!!
    My inspiration: BEACHY
    Anything from crazy clashy beach accessories or the soft blues and greens of the water, or possibly the ever so subdued array of the sand and the palette of the seashells. I LOVE them all!!

  103. congratulations!
    thanks for sharing and inspiring!
    inspiration right now is our new home,,,our “ocean oasis”

  104. Happy blogiversary! I’m going to propose Mid-Century modern. Anything goes (furniture, architecture, advertising, clothes…)

  105. My inspiration is the Cabot Trail on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia , might be too tough but it is a place I love with all my heart. Thanks for the chance.

  109. My inspiration is anything red and green, must be because of Christmas trees and garland. Always love that with a little metallic glitz. Just found your blog a few weeks ago. I read the archives and signed up on Bloglovin because I love your blog.

  111. Congratulations on your year. I enjoy following your blog. The inspiration I would give would be “The sky’s the limit when it comes to creativity”.

  114. North By Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock)… I have a love for old movies, especially well-written suspense.
    Thanks for the chance to win and the excuse to do some creative thinking!

  115. What an exciting year you’ve had!!
    Inspiration: SEW
    Happy blogiversary!!! and: Thanks for the chance!!!

  117. Congratulations on your anniversary. How exciting. Thanks for the opportunity to win a handmade item. Inspiration is twilight – the time of day not the book/movie.

  119. Happy Blogaversary! I find inspiration most in architecture because I love the geometric designs.

  120. Congratulations and thank you for a great year! My life revolves around my family and our farm – Not just the things you see on a farm – but the joy of living close to the land. Farmlife is ever changing as is quilting. I think they go hand in hand. Hence my blog name “Sew and Sow Farm”.
    I am sure your joy of quilting will shine through and into the mini that you make regardless of who it is for. Have fun!
    jan

  122. What a fun idea for a giveaway! My quilt idea would be barns. We live in an orchard and I dream of having a big barn someday. Not sure what for, I jut love looking at old barns and barn wood. 🙂

  123. Congrats on your blogiversary! My idea is cats, since our cat died a few weeks ago.

  124. Congratulations on a very productive and exciting year. The first thought that came to me was my garden and the all of the wonderful color at this time of year.

  125. What an amazing year, heaps of congratulations to you for all your talent and work. I really find it hard to choose just one thing for a theme but as it is summer I will say strawberries. Thanks for a fun giveaway.

  126. Let’s see…I love gardening so love beautiful coneflowers and purples….and the mountain colors (blues and purples) that i see out my door. Congratulations on your blogiversary!

  127. Ooh yes please! Pick me – fingers crossed. My inspiration for the quilt would be the wonderful blues and greens of the Caribbean sea and the bright gems of the fish darting across the coral reefs.

  128. How wonderfully sweet of you! Hugs!
    “Strength”, I have been battling a disease called CRPS for seven years and that is my motto. It takes strength every day to get out of bed and live life!!

  129. What a fun and generous giveaway! My inspiration for you is “Summertime” specifically featuring beachy colors/ideas/thoughts.

  130. Congrats on your blogiversary! Lots of exciting stuff happening & I’m looking forward to the new patterns. My inspiration would be fresh-cut grass. Thanks!

  131. Congratulations on your anniversary and ALL your amazing achievements! Monarch butterflies would be my inspiration.

  132. Happy anniversary!! What a fabulous year. It’s been such a pleasure to get to know you 🙂 Thank you for your friendship! As for the giveaway, wow! What an honor it would be to have a mini by you. Hmm, I think I’ll go with… pink tulips waving in the spring breeze.

  133. Super give away. That would be so fun! Don’t hate me, but I have to choose hexagons. I love them.
    Congrats on your successes

  135. Congratulations on your blogiversary! My inspiration would be the dreaming spires of Oxford. It’s where I’ve lived for the last few years and would be a lovely reminder to take with me if(when!) I end up moving away.

  136. Congratulations! Just bought a domain for what will hopefully be the start of a quilting blog, so nice to celebrate your success and to be inspired to be just as good!

    My banal inspiration: rainbows. I know, I know, but they make me so happy!

  137. My inspiration: 1920’s elegance and excess a la The Great Gatsby.

    PS: Congratulations on your first year of blogging! Your work is wonderful and you totally deserve all your amazing successes!

  138. My vegetable garden! Congrats on what sounds like a fulfilling and BUSY year!

  140. Any one of the items on your list would be impressive, congrats on an amazing year. I love inspiration driven quilt designs and I’m going to go with STASH – (fabric that is…) having nearly completed my sewing room redo.

  141. birds. i love getting up early, grabbing a cup of coffee and sitting on the porch and listen to the birds welcome a new day. to me, it is a touch of heaven. babscorbitt@gmail.com

  142. Happy Blogiversary!

    My Inspiration idea: The first time a child sets their eyes on a Christmas tree and the glow in their eyes.

  143. Happy blogiversary!!
    Mine might be tough but it is my dream to be a country and western singer! I love all things Nashville 🙂 It would be lovely to have a reminder of it to hang on my wall!

  144. Here’s a real challenge–how about the 150th anniversary of the battle of Gettysburg. Love your stuff keep up the great work. Sandy

  146. Hmmm, maybe something leaning on the more traditional Japanese side, like taking inspiration from intricate woodblock prints or the fine embroidery and dyeing used in making kimono? Something interesting and a little out of the ordinary for quilting!

    What an exciting year it’s been for you!! Hey, if this is just the first, who knows what the next will bring, right? I hope you had a little blogiversary celebration for yourself at home c:

  147. congrats on your blogiversary, i really enjoy it.
    as for inspiration, how about Sunflowers, love yellow

  149. How about: oh no, Pinocchio has said another lie!
    Congratulations for your blogiversary and a hundred more successful years!

  150. Congratulations on your lovely blog and what a cool give-away! I think my inspiration would be the first day of school.

  152. Holy moly, you’ve been busy! 🙂 Humm… so many themes to choose from! I think I’ll go with the movie “Annie”- one of my all time favorites. That’d be fun! 🙂

Trackbacks