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Scrappiness is Happiness

Welcome August!

The first week of August, my mom, a retired teacher, always proclaims that “summer is over”. Teachers start thinking about and preparing for back to school once the calendar turns to August and, in my mom's mind, that means the end of summer. I’ve never liked this line of thinking because I like to hold onto and treasure every day summer has to offer. Even as a parent, weary from summer camp schedules, I’m not quite ready to start preparing for back to school.

My desire to hold onto summer doesn’t mean that I can’t encourage you to “BEE Prepared” for something exciting that will be starting at the end of this month. I alluded to it last week and promised I would be back with a bit more eye candy this week. Because there's summer left to enjoy, let's get right to it!

For the first time ever, we are prepared for Lori Holt's next sew along before she is, and that's an unusual feeling. Usually, we're scrambling to catch up and this time we're ready and waiting for the launch of the Prairie Meadow Sew Along!

Lori Holt will be posting her Bee Prepared instructions for the Prairie Meadow Sew Along on Monday, August 8^th. Visit the blog and Lori will go over everything you need to know about the upcoming Sew Along.

PS - Wait until at least Monday to check the blog. There's nothing posted about Prairie Meadow just yet.

In a nutshell,

1 - Order a Prairie Meadow Kit

2 - Purchase the Prairie Meadow Sew Simple Shapes (sold separately)

 

3 - Gather up supplies needed to make the quilt (Refer to Lori’s list of items on Monday)

 

4 - Visit the Bee in My Bonnet blog every Monday during the sew along 

(Starting August 29th) where Lori will give you the free step by step tutorial for that week's block.

5 - Happy Sewing!

Order your kit now to guarantee availability and take advantage of the special pricing!

Finished Size: 68" x 85"

Kit Includes: All fabric for the quilt top including the binding. Sew Simple Shapes are sold separately.

Pattern: There is no formal pattern for this sew along. All block patterns will be posted on Lori's Bee in My Bonnet blog, or you can follow along Lori's YouTube channel.

Preorder Price (No Shapes): $325.99 (Regular Price - $369.99)

The Prairie Meadow Sew Simple Shapes contain 58 templates required to make this quilt.

When ordering the kit, you will have the option to add the shapes or order the fabric only.

Promotional Price: $34.64 (Regular Price - $38.49)

Lori's Prairie collection is dedicated to her pioneer ancestors and the journey they endured crossing the plains. Lori hopes to remember and honour her ancestors well, from their courage and integrity to their handmade bonnets, and quilts made with fabrics carefully brought with them to their new homes on the prairie.

This nostalgic collection features a range of beautiful prairie-inspired prints reminiscent of simpler days.

This nostalgic 42-piece collection features a range of beautiful prairie-inspired prints reminiscent of simpler days. These prints feature florals, old covered wagons, big bonnets, gingham, embroidered text, stripes and other designs. They will be perfect for making gorgeous patchwork creations that look positively homespun. Give your stash a taste of classic flair with this calming colour palette that will go well with any of your favourite Lori Holt collections.

Note: The Prairie Shirtings and the Very Prairie Patchwork Print (CH12323R-MULTI) are not included in the collection bundles. They are sold separately.

If you already have a well-rounded Lori Holt stash, you might want to bring home just a few pieces from the Prairie collection. To make the task of choosing a bit easier, we've separated the collection into 6 different colour options.

The available colour options include:

In addition to the 42-piece Prairie collection, Lori has also designed 8 new shirtings with designs that include pinafores, fiddles and wagons. Others were inspired by prairie themes such as family, creeks, the mercantile and more.

These shirtings will make the perfect backgrounds for any vintage Lori Holt project.

The shirtings are not part of the Prairie precuts and bundles. They are sold separately and are available as half metre and fat quarter bundles.

If you're looking to add to your Lori Holt stash and are planning some Lori Holt projects from the new Scrappiness is Happiness book, now is the great time to stock up on, not just the new Prairie collection, but other pieces as well. The great thing about Lori Holt collections is that they complement each other. Take a look at what's missing from your stash and add the missing pieces.

The Bee Backgrounds collection from Lori Holt is full of some great white backdrop elements. The selection includes: red and black honeycombs; pink, blue, yellow and brown stitch marks; blue and green cursive and printed text...

In addition to a selection of individual fabrics, the following precuts are also available:

Lori Holt's added a few more cute options to decorate your hive! Bee Plaids brings together a wide variety of colourful plaids, ginghams, plaid-inspired designs, floral silhouettes, stars and more to add to Lori's growing legacy of perfect prints to create charming quilts along with her.

In addition to a selection of individual fabrics, 12-piece fat quarter and fat eighth bundles are available.

Have you picked up your Scrappiness is Happiness book yet?

Scrappiness is Happiness encourages you to look no further than your own fabric stash to create beautiful quilts. This book contains 32 scrappy quilts that show how beautifully your stash can blend together.

This book also includes Lori's method for collecting and organizing scraps to save time while making the best blocks ever. You will find the confidence to mix and match fabrics while staying neat and organized!

Norine brought this book home, and her review is in:

"Scrappiness is Happiness is the best scrappy quilt book in my library so far!"

Tami says Scrappiness is Happiness is definitely making her "VERY HAPPY" and she already has several plans in the works.

Order your copy today!

Precut bundles are a great way to quickly add a variety to your stash. That said, what's the best bundle to buy and how much do you need?

Tammy spent some time going through some of her favourite quilts in Scrappiness and calculated which bundles would work best and how many you would need. We created a quick reference guide that will hopefully make your project planning easier! You can download the FREE reference guide HERE.

Note: This is a reference guide only. You should refer to the pattern for specific fabric requirements and instructions.

Hopefully this reference guide will inspire you to order the book or encourage you to pick up some precuts and get started on your favourite project!

If you're shopping online, you will find all of Lori's precuts in one place on the website.

Lori outlines her approach for creating and organizing a scrappy stash. This approach is a simple and efficient way to organize project leftovers. It is also a way to shop for new fabric to add to your scrappy stash so that is ready when you need it.

We followed Lori's advice and pulled together some leftovers from previous sew alongs and, even though they aren't Lori Holt fabrics, these scrap bags are a great way for you to add to your scrappy stash!

Our 1-metre scrap bags come in 2 colourways featuring traditional and bright colours. Each bag contains a total of 1-metre of assorted fabrics that come in various sizes. There's so much variety is these scrap bags that you'll have no trouble finding pieces to work for your next scrappy project.

1-Metre Scrappy Bag Price: $9.99 (contains over $18.99 in fabric).

No Two Scrap Bags are Alike! Each bag contains a random assortment of fabrics. Photos are a sample representation only.

How many Sew Simple Shapes do you have in your collection? What do you do with them when the Sew Along is over and your quilt is finished? These shapes are an investment and I know you want to get more from them!

If you head over to Lori's YouTube Channel, you will find her Remix Series where she provides tutorials for new blocks and projects using Sew Simples Shapes that you might already have on hand! Use your existing fabric stash and you're off to the races.

What block combinations will you pull together for your next project?

Once again, let the planning begin!

I'm not sure how Lori keeps track of all the sew alongs she has on the go, not to mention what's on her YouTube Channel. If you want an overview that might help you find what you're looking for, try going to Lori's Linktree landing page. There you will find links to the Granny Square Along, Sew Your Stash, the Remix Series (and many, many more) all in one spot. Prairie Meadow will no doubt be added once it officially begins.

Do you love Lori's fabrics but perhaps aren't quite ready or don't have the time to plan out a new project? We have a couple of ideas to get you started!

Sugar Stars is an older Lori Holt pattern but it's still fabulous. We've pulled together an assortment of fabrics from various Lori Holt collections for an updated look.

Finished Size: 60" x 80"

Kit Includes: All fabric for the quilt top including the binding. Backing is NOT included.

Regular Price: $149.99

It's easier than you think to add some Flair to this quilt featuring the Stitch collection from Lori Holt. You will begin by sewing rows of 5" squares together. You will add Flair in the form of fabric strips that are sewn on TOP on the blocks, leaving exposed raw edges that will fray in the wash over time and give the quilt a true vintage appeal.

Finished Size: 54" x 72"

Kit Includes: Pattern, all fabric for the quilt top, including the binding. Backing is NOT included.

Note: This quilt will have exposed raw edges.