Gray Matters: A Giveaway

 Today I'm kicking off a series called "Gray Matters," and I'm doing it with a giveaway!

So, what is this series all about?  I have to give credit first to my friend, Tracy, for this idea of "Gray Matters;" it's her brain child, really.  Thanks, Tracy!  But in a nutshell...

September is "Childhood Cancer Awareness Month," so I want to do a few posts that focus on raising awareness and raising funds for this awful disease. The National Brain Tumor Society writes, "Cancer remains the leading cause of death by disease for children under 15... and brain tumors are the second most prevalent form of childhood cancer & leading cause of cancer-related death in children under 10, and second for all kids under 20."   Bottom line: brain tumors stink.  And well, my own daughter has a malignant brainstem/spinal cord tumor, so surely you won't fault me for focusing on this one particular cancer, now will you?

It just so happens that September is also "National Sewing Month," so we'll be talking about quilting with gray, too. So I'm calling the series "Gray Matters" due to the brain cancer aspect, but also because I love quilting with gray! It's my new white. Have you noticed?

I haven't shared this next quilt yet, but this is one of my favorites.  It's completely relevant to this series, and oh - I did the backing mainly in gray. 

Tracy and I collaborated on the piecing of this quilt that I named, "We Quilt Gray for Megan." At the fundraising event that we support, I met a young woman who was suffering from a brain tumor. (Her team name is: "We Wear Gray for Megan," hence my naming of the quilt.) I desperately wanted to make her a pretty quilt, and I wanted to make it fast. I'm so fortunate to have great friends who are so generous with their time and talents. First, Megan wanted the angel emblem in the center, so I mailed fabric to my husband's aunt to have that block completed. Then Tracy and I worked hard and late into the night to get the quilt top done, I pieced the backing, and Anne had the quilting done within three hours of it being dropped off at her house! (For the curious quilter: the pattern is the Lattice Quilt by Amy Smart of Diary of a Quilter and is available for purchase here.)

I don't think I'm the only one obsessed with quilting with gray these days, either. I've found so many wonderful uses of this color that I've started a new Pinterest board called "Gray Matters." 

Alright, it's giveaway time! Here are the details. This is a bundle of 15 fat quarters of quilt shop quality, gray fabrics. (It's too many fabrics to name, but yes, you do see "Pearl Bracelets," a few Denyse Schmidt and Aneela Hoey prints, and Riley Blake dots, to mention a few.) Many thanks to Tracy and Anne who helped me put this together with fabrics from their own stashes. 

We want you to stick around for our quilt auction next spring, so you have to get connected in order to win it.  You have four chances to win (leave a separate comment for each):

1. Follow Charlotte's gRACE for a Cure on Facebook and leave a comment telling me you do.

2. Follow my blog via Bloglovin', email, or RSS feed and leave a comment telling me so. (Just click on the social media buttons at the top of the page.)

3. Follow me on Pinterest and leave a comment telling me you do. (Don't want to follow all my boards? Check out "Gray Matters," "Quilt Love," and "Quilting Tutorials.")

4. Spread the love! Re-post this giveaway via your favorite social media network and tell me how you did.

That's it, folks! Giveaway is open to U.S. and international residents and ends on Monday, September 9, at 8 p.m. EST. Winner will be chosen by Random and announced at the end of this post.

And be sure to come back and visit next week for a tutorial and another giveaway!

*Edit: Our winner is comment #84: Ida!  I'll be sending you an email shortly - congrats!