Welcome to my blog stop on the Quilting Gallery's Giving Thanks - Quilter's Blog Hop Party. I am thankful for the support of quilting friends and strangers and the way interesting things happen when you share a little idea on the great big internet ... which is how the 2014 Tea Towel Challenge began.
It was this post on the Spoonflower blog and this lovely Tea Towel Calendar design by Julie that got me thinking about how much fun I had using a tea towel as a design element in a quilt earlier this year and how maybe I should challenge myself to do it again.Then I began to wonder if anyone would like to join me. I sent email to a few quilters and casually mentioned it near the bottom of a blog post last week. The response was very encouraging ... and then, the great tea towel hunt began. My email has been filled with messages containing links to beautiful tea towels, new and vintage and announcements of, "I've found my tea towel" and "My tea towel is here."
Although I had already ordered the fairytale calendar, I found myself wanting more and bidding on eBay auctions ... which is how I became a tea towel collector in spite of myself. All my tea-towel orders arrived, in one fell swoop, yesterday.
And that's how my tea towel collection began. It includes some of Julie's Fairytale yardage which I will share with the winner of my giveaway for the Blog Hop Party. To enter the drawing, leave me a comment by Saturday night and tell me what you collect–either by intention or ... accident. If you are a No-Reply blogger, make sure that I have a way to contact you if you win. I love this panel as a Tea Towel, as an element in a quilt or maybe as a tote bag. I'll choose a winner on Sunday.
If you're wondering what happens when you make a quilt from a tea towel, here are two wonderful quilts made by two of the challengers from earlier this year.
Read more about Tea Towel Tess (on the left) here: Tess Waits No More. Miki's quilt for her pink-loving daughter, Bella, is blogged here: Update on my Tea Towel Quilt. They started with two very different tea towels and made two very different–both fabulous–quilts.
If you are inspired to join the challenge and make a quilt from a tea towel, I hope you will follow along and share your project. I have put together some suggested guidelines, a timeline and a few check points ... and a blog badge with a handy link back to my Tea Towel Challenge 2014 tab that contains all the basic information and will track our progress.
Suggested Guidelines
- Your quilt must include a tea towel–it can be new or vintage.
- The colors in the tea towel determine the color palette for your quilt.
- Try something new. Since this one is defined by you, it can be anything and is an opportunity to add your own personal guidelines to the challenge.
Timeline & Check-ins
End of 2013 - Decide to participate, blog your commitment and join the linky list below.
January - Tea towel and fabric selection
February- In-progress report
March - Finished project show & tell
Are you in? Blog your intention, link back to the Tea Towel Challenge 2014 page (or add the blog badge) and enter your link below.
Remember: to enter the drawing for the Fairytale Calendar tea towel, leave a comment. To join the Tea Towel Challenge next year, ALSO join the linky list.
Hello Sophie...lovely post. I missed this hop this year; so busy, I completely forgot it. Shoot!! Have vun
ReplyDeleteI collect Frogs! Glass, ceramic, metal, Beanie Babies, shelf sitters, ornaments, yard decorations. It started on my 18th birthday when a couple of my BFF's bought me a 6 foot stuffed frog. When I had kids, they loved him to death, literally. I am still trying to find a tea towel that I love. The one I wanted is no longer available.
ReplyDeleteI don't really collect anything on purpose, except, fabric, thread, and UFO's! Thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteLove that calendar towel. Great idea, despite my millions of projects, I may have to join in...
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for hosting the Tea Towel Challenge 2014! I am really excited about it. Three towels to choose from (I'd forgotten the 3rd which came in yesterday's mail) and more on the eBay watch list that I think I'll have to ignore, lest I become another collector. But it's so fun to see the creativity in repurposing a tea towel. Will blog about this later this evening, hopefully.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this challenge Sophie! I found the perfect towel and can't wait to see what everyone comes up with.
ReplyDeleteI love Betty Boop and have quite the collection, including Betty Fabric!
Terri Coty
I love the Tea Towel Challenge, maybe I have to look for one, soon!
ReplyDeleteOOOh i luv that tea towel!
ReplyDeleteI collect Blue mountain pottery and matroyshka dolls and hello Kitty paraphenalia!
It all started innocently enough with one thing and then my love for the stuff(all of it) expanded exponentially and i cannot stop!
OOPs i also forgot to say that i collect Pyrex and milk glass!(Ok there is more but I am not gonna admit it openly!)
That's a great tea towel, and I happen to like calendar towels, because my mother hung one every year in her kitchen (unfortunately they were given to charity when we cleaned her house). What do I collect? I have a small collection of sewing tools, thimbles and accessories. I like to think of the original users of these tools and what they sewed and imagine who they were.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm considering entering your tea towel group---the towels are calling my name.Thanks very much.
I collect Crown Lynn post/vases. They were made in New Zealand in the 1940's and even though they were factory made, they have beautiful unique glazes. I have not bought any in a while, so maybe it's time for a new one. (I won't bother to mention the many butterfly or owl fabrics that I have in my stash - I cannot resist them.)
ReplyDeleteJust entering the giveaway, thanks
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I seem to be collecting lately is fabric!
ReplyDeleteI have started collecting feed sacks. I received a stack from my mother in law last year and cannot get enough of them!
ReplyDeletewow, those towels are amazing! what a cool idea!
ReplyDeletethanks for the giveaway, too :)
I'll definitely be in on the TTC14. Just have to pick a towel from my vintage collection to use.
ReplyDeleteI collect vintage hat pins and hat pin holders and especially love cameos. I collect cabbage rose pattern depression glass dishes in all colors. I collect salt cellars, talc shakers, fairy lamps and cigarette silks. I collect vintage linens and especially love children's hankies. I think I am living in the wrong era!
I collect buttons - have ever since I was really small. I love the noise they make in the tin when I am rooting through! I also collect tea towels from every country I go to - that started in grade 13 when I went to the UK and didn't want a fridge magnet!
ReplyDeleteJust entering the giveaway. I apparently collect purses, in addition to fabric.
ReplyDeleteI collect vintage sheets. I read about others who collected them at thrift shops and had to search for them myself. Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteJust entering the giveaway but am following through GFC and will watch! I am downsizing my collecting!
ReplyDeleteFabric.
ReplyDeleteI collect vintage pyrex
ReplyDeleteThe only thing I really collect is fabric, thanks for the giveaway!
ReplyDeleteThe easiest thing for me to list is what I don't collect. I will name a few things I do. Anything"Cat" related. I will eventually make a cat quilt out of all the cat fabric I find. Tea pots, Pyrex and tiny random things. I want to make an "Eye Spy" scene like in one of those "Eye Spy" books.
ReplyDeleteI do plan on doing the tea towel challenge. I even think I have one of my mothers around.
Thanks for being so generous.
Love reading everyone's collections, I too have a fabric collecting thing going on. Aside from that, I love to collect dishes that remind me of my childhood in the 60s. Until eBay I did think I'd ever see some of my favorites again. Just a few of each type that I can remember...they're like a well loved quilt.
ReplyDeleteFabric, that's what I collect. And embroidery threads. And lace. Stuff like that. And quilts. Nothing that's a dust catcher! Memories. =) For some reason, I thought we already did a linky, guess that goes to show I have too much going on! LOL
ReplyDeleteThanks for the giveaway.
dezertsuz at gmail
I collect teapots. It happened by accident. I'm a tea addict and makes pots full everyday. Many of my pots were received as gifts.
ReplyDeleteI would like to participate in the tea towel challenge, but I won't commit until I find a special tea towel to inspire me.
love the one from Spoonflower. I know whichever one (or both!) you use for the challenge will end up looking great.
ReplyDeleteAs for me....I've now got two and am watching a Texas tea towel.
Love the idea of using Tea Towels. I may participate to the challenge, I bookmarked the page for now :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I was used to collect postcards. Not any more because I have about 1000 of them but no place to show them so it's sad for me to see them closed in a box :( Thanks for the giveaway!
I seem to collect other peoples children these days. Just kidding but my daughter and her friends seem to like to hang out here. And I am very thankful for that. I know they are all safe and that my daughter isn't getting into anything she shouldn't be. Feed them let them have music and soda and they are happy kids. And listen at them and treat them with respect and let them know their boundaries or ground rules. In my younger days I used to collect Betty Boop items.
ReplyDeleteI collect many things, mostly on purpose. Like fabric and knick knacks.
ReplyDeleteI collect Blue Willow dishes - the old, cheap ones (well, not cheap any more) that came from Japan. My husband's best friend gave us a starter set when we married 49 years ago. Our friend died shortly after that and it sort of became a tribute to him. I don't have tons of it but whenever I find a piece I can find I snap it up! blessings, marlene
ReplyDeleteI like collecting glass jars and bottles in different colors. The teatowel idea is a good one.
ReplyDeletenothing with 24 grands and 10 soon to be 12 g-grands don
ReplyDeletet have any money left, course i always buy fabric
i collect chickens. anything with chickens. babscorbitt@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteI collect tea pots, Cats Meow buildings, and FABRIC.
ReplyDeleteYour blog looks so interesting! So glad I stopped by.
Susie
legato1958@aol.com
Aside from fabric, which is my biggest collection I collect cherub, dragon and woodland statues. I like the tea towel idea.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I wouldn't deem it a collection, I do have a weakness for salt & pepper shakers:-) svonfumetti(at)yahoo(dot)com
ReplyDeleteSounds fun! I really only collect fabric. And ribbon...I love ribbon and almost never use it. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI collect spoons and chairs!
ReplyDeletePerhaps tea towels too now!!
Your tea towel is awesome.
ReplyDeleteHi Sophie: That particular Red Ridinghood tea towel is just lovely and an inspiration. I won't have time for your challenge but love the idea. I've collected tea towels over the years, finding them at jumble sales of all kinds. But I used them to dry dishes. Dang! I collect serving dishes, right now. Those and bakeware. Anything in those lines that is seasonal, novel or beautiful. Come over to Prairie Cottage Corner and visit when you have a minute. We can have a warm cup of something and talk about.....whatever. See you.
ReplyDeleteI have so many different collections it's ridiculous. Fruit, veggie and floral dishes, especially pitchers. Leaf dishes, leaf fabrics, leaf anything. But so far no tea towel calendars. I've forwarded your blog to a friend who already has a tea towel collection which she uses in some of her quilts. Perhaps she'll join you.
ReplyDeleteBesides a fabric collection, I have more snowmen than I can possibly decorate with. I now have my collective eye wanting pincushions. I have seen so many cute ones shown in blogs.
ReplyDeleteI collect fabric, wool especially.
ReplyDeleteI am now a follower of your great site.
I am not much of a collector other than quilt fabric. My stash continues to grow in spite of my efforts to use it up. Just can't resist those new fabric collections!
ReplyDeleteI have made a few of the spoonflower tea towels - and there is always some leftovers to add to quilts :)
ReplyDeleteIf and when I find one (I will search locally)I want to create a calender quilt.
ReplyDeleteLove the tea towel quilts! Very fun!
ReplyDeleteThat's a wonderful tea towel. I sort of started the challenge unofficially last year when a friend gifted me a really fun/funky tea towel, after it was over. So now, can I play this time and finish my abandoned project? I loved the rooster one you did!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to put boots on this morning to make it out to the sewing room! The snow is really falling now.
Thank you. That's a very pretty tea towel.
ReplyDeleteI am a collector, Jim Shore figures, Fenton Glass, Cats Meow houses and sewing machines and fabrics.. but the last two I use all the time
ReplyDeleteI collect Nutcrackers de design and vintage sewing accessories and pincushions by accident. Never thought about using tea towels in a quilt. Thanks for the chance to try one.
ReplyDeleteI collect cookbooks. Now if I would start using them my family would be happy. Thanks for participating in the blog hop.
ReplyDeleteI collect cats, real ones!
ReplyDeleteI just love that fairy tale calendar! So cute. Thanks for the chance to win.
ReplyDeleteCute idea for your tea towel challenge. I collect cardinal things, plates, candle holders etc.
ReplyDeleteI collect frogs and fabric.
ReplyDeleteSticks and gray hairs. Both courtesy of my kids ( 2&4).
ReplyDeletePs Susan - how do you catch the frogs
I collect owl stuff, thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeletesmjohns63 at yahoo dot com
I'm collecting branded price tag. Thanks for the giveaway :)
ReplyDeleteI can't join something like this. I NEVER finish anything I start in the same year. It's a running joke around our house. ll_gee at hotmail dot com
ReplyDeleteI have a small pincushion collection and I also have three fish plates hanging on my wall.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great idea. What a coincidence, I was thinking about how I could use a tea towel in a quilt just last week... I'll be looking this up again. I collect ceramics and pinwheels!
ReplyDeleteI have become a fabric addict. There are so beautiful, especially the batik. My family says I have my own store. Thank you for a chance to win. Happy Quilting:)
ReplyDeleteI like to collect...I have to find the perfect use for the fabric before I make them into something :) thanks for the chance to win! I love the tea towel calendars...so cute :)
ReplyDeletekarrie
ksmith8@emich.edu
I collect milk glass and depression glass. We don't talk about how I got so much fabric!
ReplyDeleteI love fabric and yarn! Thanks for the chance to win!
ReplyDeleteHi Sophie! I've discovered your Tea Towel Challenge via Quiltdivajulie and her blog. I don't have a tea towel per se (yet) but I do have a panel labeled as a collector's calendar from 2000. Since I also have other fabric from 2000 - you know, the millennial year - I'd love to take this opportunity to do something with them. Does that work for you?
ReplyDeleteMy elephant collection started in 70's unintentionally. I have elephants from all over the world. It is not fun now that we are downsizing. Other addiction fabric which must be downsized. Thank you for a chance to win. Happy Quilting:) Email smivany@gmail.com Merry Christmas
ReplyDeleteHi, Sophie - I posted about the challenge today on my blog and just added an updated link here (could you please remove my No. 5 link, unless you don't mind that I'm in the list twice). No. 16 is the one to keep . . . Thanks and I'm looking forward to this challenge!
ReplyDelete