Cajun Camp - An "Inspired By" Project

Check out the "inspired by BUILD A BARN" project 

SSOBB Charter Member Glen is creating.

Her photo above does not feature a barn . . . 

Glen built this duck blind as part of her

new Cajun Camp project.

There are several posts on her blog

about other parts of the camp,

so  you'll want to scroll through 

and look for those when you visit.

Kevin the Quilter Encounters BUILD A BARN

Kevin the Quilter and I were hoping to meet up at Paducah,

but we missed each other by 24 hours.

Instead, he shared this awesome photo of himself

with The Seasonal Sampler

taken in the Author's Showcase at the Pavilion.

You can read his Post-Paducah post HERE.

Thank you, Kevin!

The SSOBB Blog Hop Starts TODAY!!

The Blog Hop has begun!

This week's featured 

SSOBB Charter Member 

is

LYNNE TYLER.

Lynne's first Blog Hop post is HERE

featuring behind-the-scenes details

from the making of her first SSOBB barn.

Lynne will share another 

blog hop post on Wednesday

featuring her second SSOBB barn.

She's also offering a giveaway 

for a copy of BUILD A BARN.

CLICK HERE to visit Lynne's blog

You can also enjoy her SSOBB Gallery Quilts/stories

by clicking on the tab with her name at the top of this blog.

* * *

THANK YOU, LYNNE

for being part of the Secret Society of Barn Builders!!!

AQS Paducah 2016

Photo by SSOBB Charter Member Cherie Moore (quiltedjonquil.com)
Photo will supersize if double-clicked

This was my first public presentation for BUILD A BARN.

I enjoyed sharing everything about my free pieced barn project:

* the possibilities that come with free piecing,
* the book's cover quilt SEE ROCK CITY,

* the book's SEASONAL SAMPLER that will travel

 with the Showcase for the next year,
* the Secret Society of Barn Builders, and 

* the SSOBB Gallery Quilts.

I also enjoyed hearing stories shared by those in attendance

about barns belonging to family members and

different styles of barns from around the country.

So many told me they have wanted to create a barn quilt

but just hadn't found a way to make that happen.

Their excitement about using the free piecing technique

and process notes/ideas from BUILD A BARN

to create their own long-thought-about barns

gave me goose bumps of joy.

* * *

To those who were there -

Thank you very much for sharing that hour with me.

I can't wait to see what you create!

Quiltdivajulie

p.s.  There are more photos and stories about this event on my personal blog - CLICK HERE.

Once Upon a Barn

Photo by Debbie Voigt (aka Mrs. Goodneedle)
from BUILD A BARN:  No Pattern Construction

SSOBB Charter Member DEBBIE VOIGT

shared her response to the book in a recent blog post.

CLICK HERE to read her thoughts.

Let's Build Some Barns

Photo by Mari from Build a Barn:  No Pattern Construction

CLICK HERE to read Mari's review of BUILD A BARN.

In her blog profile, Mari describes herself this way:

"Mild-mannered college professor by day, fearless quilter by night!"

Note:  Mari and I have never met in person,

but we've followed each other's blogs for quite a while,

shared considerable email correspondence,

and we both participate in the Rainbow Scrap Challenge.

Do You Own a Hammer?

Check out THIS POST by BELINDA,

one of the Charter Members of the Secret Society of Barn Builders.

You can see her Gallery Page here

or by clicking on the her name tab 

at the top of this blog.

The SSOBB Blog Hop Begins Next Week!

Beginning next week,

the Secret Society of Barn Builders

(aka the SSOBB)

will be sharing posts on their personal blogs

about their  BUILD A BARN Gallery Quilts.

The complete Blog Hop schedule is HERE.

(or look for the Blog Hop tab at the top of this blog)

I'm really looking forward to these weekly posts!

* * *

If you haven't already done so,

please use one of the two options in the sidebar

to follow this blog via email or Bloglovin

(or use the feed reader of your choice)

so you don't miss out on any of the BUILD A BARN love.

Two More Bloggers Share Their Thoughts

Paula of Paula B Quilts shared her response HERE.  

and

Kaja of Sew Slowly shared her response HERE.

Thank you both!

* * *

On my "about the author" page,

I included a quote from Austin Kleon

that illustrates my logic for including 

back stories, context, and extensive process notes --

"Write the books you want to read."

I love that so many of you appreciate the results!

Quiltdivajulie

Sharing the Joy

Chris (the mom) with her daughter's copy of Build a Barn

When SSOBB member Chris Ballard 

visited her mom (also named Chris) last week,

Chris (the daughter) took along her copy of Build a Barn.

Chris (the mom) was thrilled

and asked if she could keep the book

in order to read "all of it."

(It is important to know that Chris (the mom) is also a quilt maker

who has been making beautiful quilts for many years)

The very next day I had a phone call 

from Chris (the mom ) --

The excitement in her voice

gave me goosebumps of happiness.

She told me loved the book.

She laughed and shared that she stayed up late 

to read "every single word"

including the publication information 

and the photo captions.

But wait . . . here's the best part.

She was hunting for a sketch book

because she's been saving photos of barns

from her hometown newspaper for years

and she wanted to start sketching ideas 

for her very own barn project.

She's also been stashing fabrics for years

in order to translate a favorite Southern scene 

into a quilt top - and now she knows how she can do it!

YES!

* * *

Thank you to both Chris (the daughter) and Chris (the mom)

for taking time to share their experience with the book --

and for letting me share it with all of you.

Quiltdivajulie

Thank you!

I checked the Amazon page just now,

and look what I saw!

#43 in Books > 

Crafts, Hobbies & Home > 

Crafts & Hobbies > 

Needlecrafts & Textile Crafts > 

Patchwork

#100 in Books > 

Crafts, Hobbies & Home > 

Crafts & Hobbies > 

Needlecrafts & Textile Crafts > 

Quilts & Quilting

#104 in Books > 

Crafts, Hobbies & Home >

 Crafts & Hobbies > 

Needlecrafts & Textile Crafts > 

Sewing

Thank You!

From Louisiana to New Zealand and Beyond

Photo by Maureen Heywood

Books sent off to the UK and Germany

have arrived safely.

There are two on their way to Canada,

but it seems they've been sent via 

super-slow snail mail

as they've not yet arrived.

As mentioned in the post title,

here are two blog posts 

from very different parts of the world:

Barns and Gypsies from Maureen Heywood of Mystic Quilter 

and 

Build a Barn - No Pattern Construction from Glen Parks of Quilts and Dogs

* * *

I love that there are barn lovers all around the world!

* * *

I have another special story that I want to share -

hopefully on Sunday.

See you then!

Quiltdivajulie

Cherie Checks In

Even Casper (Cherie's cat) is reading my book!

Here's a link to the full post:

Build a Barn is AWESOME - Cherie Moore

* * *

Be sure to click on Cherie's SSOBB page 

to see her Gallery Quilt.

Saturday Book Sightings

Here's one -- Saturday....  by Julie Post

and

here's another -- My Saturday - by Lynne Tyler


Be sure to click on both of their SSOBB pages
(tabbed links under the blog's header)
to see their Gallery quilts!

* * *

If you run across a photo or mention of BUILD A BARN

(blogs, Facebook, Instagram, magazines, etc.)

please send me an email (with the link if possible) so I can share it here.

* * *

If you would like your very own author-signed copy 

of BUILD A BARN, please email orders@sefton.info.

Book cost is $25.00. 

Domestic shipping (USPS Priority Mail padded mailer) is $7.00. 

International shipping will vary based on destination.

Book Sighting!

For any of you attending the AQS Paducah events,

I will be speaking in the Author Showcase

on Thursday, April 21 at 11:00 AM.

Hope you'll stop by - I'd love to meet you.

Quiltdivajulie

Book Sightings

Lynne posted about receiving her book HERE

Chris shared this photo on her Facebook feed.

Heidi's blog avatar

And Heidi Burkhard, another SSOBB Charter Members,

posted about being part of the SSOBB HERE.

She also mentioned her book copy's travels at the end of THIS POST.

* * *

Be sure to click on each of their SSOBB pages
(tabbed links under the blog header)
to see their Gallery Quilts.

* * *

If you would like an author-signed copy of BUILD-A-BARN,

please email orders@sefton.info.

Book cost is $25.00 plus $7.00 domestic shipping

(USPS Priority Mail padded mailer).

International shipping costs vary 

depending on destination.

From the AQS Blog

Look what I found in the latest AQS newsletter . . . 

"Sitting down to read Build-A-Barn: No Pattern Construction by Julie Sefton, 

I didn’t know quite what to expect. I was in for a treat.

All the barn pictures made me miss home. 

I could smell the leather and horse tack.

Hearing her story gave me courage to try new things. 

I appreciate her honesty and the sharing the struggles of her barn journey. 

Several times I chimed in with a ‘me too’ or ‘amen’ 

remembering those familiar growing pains a project goes through. 

How encouraging to hear the ups and downs 

of the creative process of another quilter.

But that’s not all!

Julie doesn’t stop there, she takes you by the hand 

and leads you through her barn building process step by step. 

Her versions help you to see the process. 

From skies and landscapes to chickens and cows

 she doesn’t leave out a detail. 

With constant words of encouragement, 

she shares the wisdom of her experiences 

making a path for your creative journey.

It’s a step on the wild side, 

where the creative wildflowers bloom, 

but it sure looks like fun! 

Find your copy right HERE."

–Betsey

Shipping Soon !

I pre-ordered a copy of my book

from Amazon.com months ago --

Today I received an email with updated shipping info.

It should be here Friday, April 8 --

I hope this means that the rest of you

who pre-ordered with Amazon

will be receiving your copies soon!!

* * *

For those of you who requested

autographed copies --

I have ordered a box of 40 books

from the publisher.

As soon as they arrive,

I will let you know!

SSOBB Charter Member Joe Tulips Checks In

Here's another Charter Member's

"I am part of the SSOBB" reveal post.

JULIE POST:   a book, a mess at home, some blocks

It's Here!

THANK YOU 

to each and every person

who had a hand in helping to make this book a reality!

I can't wait for people to start receiving their copies . . .

Quiltdivajulie

First Sighting of BUILD-A-BARN in a Magazine !!

As seen in the June 2016 issue of

American Patchwork and Quilting

"Your Guide to Color Combos"

* * *

If you spot the book itself

or the book featured in print or online,

please snap a photo and send it to me

so I can share it here!

Thank you!!

(e-mail is in my profile in the sidebar)