Crafted Appliqué: New Possibilities Blog Hop - Week One Giveaways Galore!

On April 1st, the American Quilter's Society published my very first book "Crafted Appliqué.... New Possibilities", and today marks the beginning of the official Blog Hop & Book Tour to celebrate!  I've been working hard behind the scenes for some time now, so get ready for five weeks of fabulous festivities, packed with lots of exciting blog stops and fun giveaways.  

Books, just waiting for Giveaway Winners!

The Crafted Appliqué.... New Possibilities Blog Hop will run from May 1st until June 5th.  My goal was to create an absolutely amazing blog hop, as a way to make up for being unable to travel or teach to promote the book. We've been saving up for it for a whole year.  Thirty wonderful blogging friends are participating and of course, I wish we could have asked even more.
  
I'd like to invite all of you to take part by visiting the stops along the tour. (The schedule is at the end of this post.)  Each day of the hop you'll find a terrific blogger who is reviewing Crafted Appliqué and giving away a copy of the book.  You'll get to see some beautiful projects along the way and you will definitely have a chance to learn a whole lot more about Crafted Appliqué.  Each week there will also be an exciting giveaway (or two) here on BuzzinBumble.  I hope you each will come back often and join in the fun!

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Many, Many Thanks!

"Crafted Appliqué.... New Possibilities" set sail with great reviews and is beginning to be a real hit.  Thank you so much to all of you who left such positive reviews on Amazon!  You made me cry a few times and warmed my heart through and through.  You've also helped launch the book with a huge cheer!  

Wednesday, after an incredible review from Betsey Langford in the AQS' OnPoint Newsletter, "Crafted Appliqué" raced to the fore in the sea of Amazon sales rankings.  It had been bobbing happily along in the top 100 Quilting books, but that day it actually hit #2!  For a brief and shining moment, there was even a ribbon below the book title that said #1 New Release in Sewing.  Amazon was not prepared for this and sold out immediately.  They now have the book on back order, but it is still doing reasonably well despite that.  It was too hard to resist... I took screen shots, in case we don't ever see a spike like that again.  :)  

My son-in-law Gonzo is a real hoot!  He says he wants to capitalize on our new found "fame" by getting our entire family to appear on Family Feud. :) LOL

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A Sneak Peek

Part of what you'll see during the tour are the projects from the book.  I'll show you one of them below, but the first thing I'd like you to see is just how well the Crafted Appliqué method prevents fraying on raw edge, machine sewn appliqués. There is no need to turn under the edges or use a satin stitch.  I used my 1956 Singer 301A Dorothy for every project in the book and she only sews a straight stitch.  The Crafted Appliqué method is a much more forgiving way to appliqué!  Go ahead - Click on the photo of the Daisy Hot Pad and blow it up as big as possible and examine the curvy edges of the daisy petals.  They have little to no fraying and what makes it even better is that they look great after washing too!  

Crafted Appliqué - Daisy Hot Pad

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Would you like to see the "Hello Mr. Ranger, Sir!" Pic-a-nic Bag, which is the project featured on the cover of the book?  It's insulated and has a tuck-able lining to keep food either cold or warm.  The design with the vintage Shasta trailer brings back happy memories for me of the trips we took with our friends and family when I was a kid.  The scenery comes from a photo of the Grand Tetons.

"Hello Mr. Ranger, Sir!" Insulated Pic-a-nic Bag

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Giveaway Contest # 1

Now how about a chance to win the first Giveaway contest on the Hop?  In keeping with the Pic-a-nic theme, we're giving away two Jolly Bars from the Fat Quarter Shop!  The Jolly Bars each feature forty-two 5" x 10" cuts from "Vintage Picnic" by Bonnie and Camille.  They even come with their own Clambake quilt pattern! 

For a chance to win one of these adorable Jolly Bars, just leave a comment on this post.  The giveaway is open to everyone.  All of my blog followers, both new and old, can have a second chance to win by leaving a second comment letting me know how they follow BuzzinBumble.  I'll select two winners, drawn by random number on June 4th. This giveaway is open until that day.  Winners will be announced on June 5th.  

Don't forget to visit the Crafted Applique Blog Hop Stops for a chance to win a copy of my book too!   

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Can't Wait? 

What if you can't wait that long and would like your own copy of "Crafted Appliqué" now?  There is no need to wait to see if you win one of the book giveaways.  If you do win, but have already purchased the book, I will gladly reimburse the cost of the book instead.  In the meantime, you can purchase a signed copy here on BuzzinBumble, or buy one from the AQS shop, or through Amazon.

Below is the Blog Hop Schedule.  All the blog titles are live links, which I will keep updating as participants post their reviews.

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Crafted Appliqué: New Possibilities Blog Hop
May 1^st to June 5^th 2016

Sun	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat
1 Lara Buccella BuzzinBumble   Introduce Tour	2 Valerie Smith Pumpkin Patch Quilter	3 Dana Gaffney Stormy Days	4 Lorna McMahon Sew Fresh Quilts	5 Mary Schuberg Needled Mom	6 Heidi Kuntz Red Letter Quilts	7 Alycia Carmin Alycia Quilts
8 Amy DeCesare Amy Made That	9 Sherri McConnell A Quilting Life	10 Lara Buccella Sew Mama Sew Guest Post	11 Christina Cameli A Few Scraps	12 Melissa Corry Happy Quilting	13 Sarah Craig Confessions of a Fabric Addict	14 Soma Acharya Whims & Fancies
15 Valerie Reynolds Val’s Quilting Studio	16 Angela Pingel Cut to Pieces	17 Sandra Walker Musings of a Menopausal Melon	18 Cheryl Brickey Meadow Mist Designs	19 Judy Murphy Quilt Paradigm	20 Yvonne Fuchs Quilting Jetgirl	21 Cindy Pieters Stitchin’ at Home
22 Susie Zlogar Susie’s Sunroom	23 Connie Campbell Freemotion by the River	24 Ruth Bourke Charly & Ben’s Crafty Corner	25 Kaja Zieslar Sew Slowly	26 Ann Brooks Fret Not Yourself	27 Cynthia Brunz Quilting is More Fun Than Housework	28 Holiday
29 Holiday	30 Holiday	31 Jenn Trott-Zisserson Quarter Inch from the Edge	1 Paulette Horn The Way I Sew It	2 Sandra Jansen Studio Sew of Course	3 Christine Sherman Triangles & Squares	4 Quilt Shop Gal
5 Lara Buccella BuzzinBumble Giveaway Winners Announced!

Usually, I make it a goal to reply to and reciprocate all comments.  I really love it when you take the time to stop and chat.  This month, with the Blog Hop and multiple giveaways in progress, I hope you will understand if I don't manage to keep up.  

You can click on the pup to leave a comment.  Best of luck!