Are you purging along?  Come one, come all to show us purge progress for your chance to win from Canton Village Quilt Works!

But first... have you heard of Soy Amado?  If you're a quilter with some history, perhaps in the form of some abandoned quilt blocks or pesky pieced scraps, then Soy Amado is your ticket to un-clutter and do good all at once. 

Soy Amado is a quilt drive for children's homes in Mexico and Tanzania.  Quilters all over the world are sending 12.5" quilted blocks to Little Island Quilting, who is assembling and donating the finished quilts to outfit whole children's homes with glorious color and warmth.

This is SO cool and so doable for all of us.  There are no color or design rules.  What a fantastic opportunity!  You do need to QUILT your blocks before sending, which is a great way to practice free motion quilting or any quilting style you've been pondering.  Here's how it works...



First, root through your drawers to unearth those bits and bobs that you've been.... well.... ignoring.  I found a smallish log cabin block with curved seams (hey, those were my first curves!) and some pieced scraps from a quilt I made way back when.



Next, piece together your bits and bobs to make about 13" square blocks.  Baste them with batting and backing.  You could use any unwanted fat quarter for the backing.  Whoot!



Ok, now quilt those babies up!  I tried out some straight lines without a presser foot on my first block.  I'd been wanting to see how straight lines would feel free motion.  It was... adventurous.  I identified a quilting pattern I like and another I don't like.  Plus, yielded a very durable block!



On my second block I experimented with some floral motifs.  Fun stuff.  I purposely kept my quilting away from the edges, factoring in trimming and joining blocks. 



After quilting, trim your blocks to 12.5" square.  Leave a comment on this Soy Amado blog post, to request an address from Little Island Quilting.  Then send your blocks on their way to make a little one smile.  Hooray!

p.s. Don't forget to take a photo of your Soy Amado blocks to link up on a future Purge post!

{the Purge} Link-up and Prizes

Have you been purging along?  Add a photo that documents your purge progress to enter to win this week's prize.  Maybe you've made some blocks for a purge quilt, sold or donated some fabrics, cut tons of scraps into useable squares - anything that you've done to Purge your stash or sewing cupboards this July counts!  Have you donated fabric AND started a quilt?  If you're participating in more than one purge effort, feel free to add more than one photo for more chances to win.

This week's prize is donated by Jackie of Canton Village Quilt Works.  Jackie stocks lots of Kona cotton in yardage and precuts at very attractive prices.  I thought to myself, "Self, what could be healthier for our stash than a shot of Kona cotton?"  So, out with the unloved, and in with the bright, shiny useful!

This week we'll have two winners.  Each winner will get to choose one Kona cotton roll-up from the stock at Canton Village.  These rolls of assorted 2.5" wide solid strips are versatile quilt basics, great for sashing, strip piecing and log cabins, to name a few.  In fact, you could even use them to make The Purge quilt, tutorial here!





Psst... Canton Village is having a very special sale this Saturday and Sunday only.  All Kona will be 15% off, no code needed.  What a great excuse to stock up!

Add your photo(s) now through midnight (eastern time) Wednesday, July 23rd to enter to win a Kona Roll-up of your choice.  You may upload a photo directly from your computer, no url necessary, no blog necessary. Click the blue "Add your link" button below the photos to add your photo.  Winners will be contacted by email on Thursday.  Good luck!