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Monday, March 18, 2013

HMQG Giveaway - Anna Maria Horner




We are honored and ecstatic to announce our next giveaway featuring the fabric of Anna Maria Horner! Anna Maria is generously giving away a fat quarter bundle of her latest, and my personal (Becca) favorite, collection Field Study. Bold, rich, flavorful, saturated, and meaningful are words that come to mind when describing Anna Maria Horner's fabrics. And Field Study definitely captures that spirit. Take a look at each stunning color way: 

Image courtesy of Anna Maria Horner

Image courtesy of Anna Maria Horner

Image courtesy by Anna Maria Horner 


At QuiltCon, I had the honor of attending Anna Maria's lecture "Making Me" during which she explained how she came to be a fabric designer and what inspires her designs. Two themes were plainly clear. First, Anna Maria values a hand made object. She values the time and effort one undertakes when making a quilt, a dress, a painting, etc. And though at one time she created other surface designs for things such as party napkins,  Anna Maria seemed honored that her designs were being used to make objects meant to be treasured heirlooms. 

Second, family is important to Anna Maria and largely inspires her work.  Growing up Anna Maria's family immersed their children in a creative ventures. He father filled their home with his paintings, her mother was a expert sewist, beds were draped with hand-loomed blankets made by their Yiayia in Greece. These were meaningful craftings in that the act of making fulfilled both the need to create and the need to nurture and love those cherished most.  Her parents had the foresight to teach their children their crafts and Anna Maria continues their rich tradition of making.  

A picture of Anna Maria's Yiayia's loomed blanket
Image courtesy of Anna Maria Horner


Coupled with the making is the designing. Anna Maria continues to incorporate inspiration from her family and everyday life into her designs and in her own quilts.  The buck which features prominently in a print from her "Little Folks" collection came directly from her Yiayia's hand loomed blanket. In her quilt designs, Anna Maria, a mom to six with a sweet baby girl on the way, incorporates the character and personality of the recipient. Recently on her blog, Anna Maria has shared a few quilts she composed (she also a talented painter) for some of her children and how she designed each quilt to suit the child. Also, Anna Maria loves to hand quilt her quilts because it allows her to quilt alongside her family. So, many of her quilts are beautifully hand quilted. (Find her tutorial for how to hand quilt here.) 




In Anna Maria's latest book, Anna Maria's Needlework Notebook, she writes more extensively about her experiences growing up in a family of creative types. Besides being a good read, this book is filled with a yummy variety needlework-type designs and patterns. I made this clutch from the pattern "Star Crossed Love Clutch" featured in her book. 

Star-Crossed Love clutch
Star Crossed Love Clutch, pattern from AMH's latest book,
Anna Maria's Needleworks Notebook
I loved making this clutch! The needlework was completed while I visited with family or snuggled on the couch with a treat after a long day (It would be much more sophisticated if I liked tea....).  I can still hear the sound of the needle drawing the thread through the cloth. While I used the same colors as Anna Maria used in her project, I customized the back and insides how I wanted. The clutch is now my favorite date-night purse. 

Here I am with AMHChrista, and Deirdre (and the pouch too). 



I think, as a busy mom myself, Anna Maria's work feels special in large part because Anna Maria meaningfully connects her work to her life and family. She encourages the maker to create something meaningful. And in fact, I feel encouraged to dig out my treasured heirlooms made by my grandmother and see what inspiration I find. 


What about you? Has Anna Maria's work challenged you? Comment here to be entered to win a Fat Quarter Bundle of Field Study by March 25!

108 comments:

  1. I would so LOVE to win! My small fabric stash could use some "New Blood". Thanks for the chance.

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  2. I also saw her talk at QuiltCon and enjoyed learning about her processes and inspirations. I like some of the nature-inspired prints of her new fabric.

    Becky M

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  3. AMH's recent quilts for her children posted on her blog wowed me. I love how unexpected and rich in detail they were. It would definitely be a challenge for me to capture those qualities in a quilt of my own. I am willing to keep at it and I look forward to what she has in the works next. Thanks for the chance.
    AmandaK@whatthebobbin

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  4. I really like this line! It's super fun and energetic.

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  5. I love AMH!!!!! I love all of her fabric and her needlepoint!

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  6. I love AMH fabric and her needlepoint has made me want to pick up a new craft. How lucky for your MQG to have her share her amazing talent and inspiration with you all.

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  7. Love this new line!!! Thanks AMH for the give away.

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  8. Her fabric was among the first I bought when I started quilting. In fact I have a quilt cut out of her fabrics hanging on my design wall right now. Thanks for the chance!

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  9. i love love love the feathers from this line!

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  10. I love her prints! Working on something with lou lou thi right now.
    Thanks for the chance to win.

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  11. Ouuuuu...such very pretty fabric..pick me, pick me!!!

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  12. OMG - totally gorgeous print! LOVE that giant butterfly!

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  13. I love everything about Anna Maria. And I love needlework. I made this clutch, too, and it was a delightfully challenging design.

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  14. I love Anna Maria Horner's lines, so much, that I knew those fabrics deserved a BIG quilt! My first bed-sized quilt (a KING), which is nearly done, was largely based upon my coveted Field Study stash (which was small and is now gone).

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  15. Oh, I love her work,and that fabric is delicious!

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  16. I find Anna Maria so inspiring. The quilts for her children are amazing and I love the way she walks through each quilt on her blog. It has made me think about my creation process in a new way.

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  17. I haven't been exposed very much to AMH as a newer quilter... but I find her Field Study fabrics to be absolutely stunning! I will definitely be looking for more of her fabrics!

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  18. So cool!
    I love Anna Maria fabrics.
    This is a great giveaway ;)

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  19. I've always loved Anna Maria's fabrics, but her blog really changed the way I look at quilting. Everything she creates is full of love and spirit. I am trying to put the same energy into my projects <3

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  20. Anna Maria's work continues to challenge me and my personal creativity!
    Tere

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  21. I loved Anna Maria's lecture at QuiltCon too! The way she works so organically and keeps family no.1 is awesome! nellsnotions@gmail.com

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  22. Dying to make my first patchwork quilt. These colors would compliment some fabrics already purchased for just that purpose! Thanks for the opportunity!

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  23. Love AMH and her lovely fabric designs!

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  24. I love Anna Maria so much. Talk about inspiring--she is a model for mothers, sewers, and women!

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  25. Anna Maria is such an inspiration! I love that she is sharing more of her handwork now too. I've been loving the needleworks book and thinking of ways to integrate more handwork into my quilting.

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  26. Anna Maria's fabrics are amazing!

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  27. AMH's use of color astounds me. I love this line!

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  28. Her work is truly inspiring. And to see her love of all handwork is wonderful. What a talented woman who makes me want to get up and finish a project. Thanks.

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  29. Anna Maria's fabric gives me inspiration and invigoration to try new quilt blocks. Plus it adds beauty and brightness to my craft room.

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  30. gorgeous inspiration! Thanks for the giveaway too. :)

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  31. Love Anna Maria's fabrics and designs so much! Great giveaway! <3

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  32. I am in awe of the energy AMH must have! Thanks for the chance to win!!

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  33. Oh how I would love to win such a beautiful collection of fabrics... I still dream of making Anna Maria's feather-patterned patchwork after seeing photos on her blog. What a fab giveaway! Hope I'm OK to enter from the UK ;) x

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  34. I absolutely love Anna Maria's designs. She is such an inspiration! And now I must go make that clutch.

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  35. I love AMH's fabrics...when I started buying fabrics, I was drawn to them, and now that I know who she is, I seek them out. I love the way she combines colors. I've been thinking about doing some hand quilting after seeing some of hers, which is something I never thought I'd do. Maybe for a special project it would be worth the time.

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  36. Love 'Field Study' so much.
    Recently one of Anna Maria Horner's fabrics challenged me to try a quilt block I thought was way over my head, and yet it came together beautifully! It involved fussy cut kites and diamonds, assembled in a hexagon kaleidoscope. The unexpected ease of it made me think I must challenge myself more often!

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  37. I love AMH's line! Recently I bought my sister, who is having her first baby, an embroidery kit. I love that AMH is a mother and a maker. She's an inspiration to both mothers and artists!

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  38. I am a fan of Anna Maria's designs and would love the opportunity to incorporate her fabric with fabric from my own stash and see what magnificant quilt I create! Pictures to follow!

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  39. AMH is by far my favorite designer. I've been following her work for awhile now,starting with her Garden Party collection. I love that her designs show a true sense of her as a designer. Pretty much every print she has designed is easily mixed and matched between collections. She is consistent in her color palette and her designs are easily recognizable.

    I have not had the pleasure of meeting her, but through her blog and various social media outlets she gives off such a warm spirit and seems like such an authentic person! She inspires me as a mother to make time for handmade and sharing my love of quilting/sewing/needlework with my children.

    Thanks for the chance to win!

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  40. She makes things that she loves for people she loves. That is inspiring me to do the same!

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  41. I would say that AMH's work has inspired more than challenged me. She approaches everything with honesty and simplicity, which are traits I try to use in my every day life.

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  42. I love Anna Maria's work - it's just gorgeous. Her fabrics are amazing too - I can't get enough! I'm working on a sewing machine cover right now with mostly her fabrics. Thanks for the chance!

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  43. I love her rich colours and how everything always looks so beautiful. Totally inspiring!

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  44. I first met Anna Maria at a Heather Ross Sewing Workshop in NY. I'm always wowed by her ability to connect with people and her incredible design talents! I love this collection, it definitely is a fav :) She also started my appreciation for Voile.

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  45. I loved her lecture at QuilCon, what a rockstar she is! She is, hands down, my favorite fabric designer and sewing guru...how does she do it all?! I would probably cry if I won a FQ pack of her lovely Field Study. Thank you for the awesome giveaway!

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  46. I've been following her blog for some time and it's always so inspiring, both creatively and as a mom.

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  47. Everything Anna Maria inspires me.

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  48. I like how she mixes needlepoint and embroidery with fabric. kcannon@anwsu.org

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  49. Family & Fabric = great connections.Life is all about making connections.

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  50. I love AMH! I also met her at QuiltCon. So sweet and full of heart! Her fabrics are my favorite!

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  51. My husband is an entomologist and these look like something he would really appreciate! I LOVE them all! Have been watching QuiltCon online and I feel like a whole new world has opened up to me. I am so happy to see so many lovely ladies doing what so many consider lost arts! I am inspired to needlepoint too, just as my grandma did--I have 6 dining room chairs seat covers that she did 30 years ago and they are still beautiful!

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  52. Love AMH but did not get to meet her at QuiltCon. Maybe next time. Please put my name in for a chance to win this wonderful bundle.

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  53. Love AMH! Can't wait to make my next quilt with these prints!

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  54. I have used Anna Maria's fabrics extensively not only in my quilts, but also in children's clothing which I sell on line. I find her designs not only gloriously sumptuous, but the fabric is of the highest quality. How I would love to own one of these collections.

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  55. I love her brave use of colors! And I just clicked over and bought the needleworks book for my nook for some new inspiration and projects.

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  56. I LOVE her work. My current challenge, although it's probably the wrong word as I'm relishing every stitch, is her tapestry bolster cushion . Thanks for the chance to win. jorosy1@gmail.com

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  57. AMH's Garden Party line was my first exposure to her amazing design style---I was completely smitten and have been a huge fan since!! I so wanted to be in one of her workshops at QuiltCon, but it filled up fast--no surprise, of course:) Another time...
    Thanks for a lovely giveaway!!

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  58. I finished a cross-stitch project from her new book, it was a big challenge for me.

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  59. I love love love AMH fabrics! I was at the lecture too and loved hearing about the deer in Little Folks. My most recent challenge was hand quilting a baby quilt for my youngest.

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  60. Anna Maria has shown that she doesn't just make a quilt, she makes a quilt full of memories and special touches, which is meaningful and exceptionally personal. She has inspired me to add extra detail and think of special ways to make my sewing projects more personalised, beyond the normal adding of someone's name or initials. I am planning two quilts for my children and I'm taking lots of time to make them special. Gxx

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  61. Anna Maria's work inspires me so much ! The way she combines colors and prints and textures is just amazing and I wish I had just half her talent.

    The vibrant colors she uses in her fabric really makes me want to create something meaningful :)

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  62. Gosh...have admired Anna Maria for sooo long...would love some of her fabrics too

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  63. I love how she combines colors and textures... every new line feels fresh and I fall in love with something I didn't even know I would love together (a la leopard print!). It is incredibly exciting to try new things (a la voile). I'm such a fan... Thanks for the opportunity to win some of her fabric, my fingers are crossed :)

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  64. I love all of work, she is absolutely amazing!

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  65. I love AMH's work, I find it more inspirational than challenging and have a hard time working out what to make with my fabric as I can only get small bits at a time and I don't want to waste it!

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  66. I fell in love with Anna Maria's work when I first saw her Good Folks range. I made a king size quilt using it, and it was my second attempt at quilting ever, indeed I hadn't had much sewing experience prior to that. I love her colour palettes and designs and I find her story so inspirational. She inspires to not just sew and do needlepoint, but also to follow your dreams, which I think is just really wonderful!!! Her garden has also inspired me to get outside and dig! Haha.

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  67. I can't resist! The fat quarters are yummy! Great message about AMH and how she was raised with crafters that instilled her with the desire to create as well!

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  68. Several years ago, my mother gave me a gift certificate, to a cool quilt shop, wrapped up in an AMH fat quarter from her Garden Party collection. At the time I had just started sewing and was unaware of what fabulous fabric designs were out there. That fat quarter changed my sewing world. I saw her name on the selvage and started doing some research. Found her blog. Looked for her fabric and patterns in every shop I went into (which has become the standard of whether or not I like a shop). Not only do I collect as much AMH as I can, bits of her inspiration find their way into much of what I do. My absolute favorite designer and all around lovely gal.

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  69. would love to win this, her work is always so beautiful. thanks. :)

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  70. I too love her value on handmade, her talk was wonderful and really made me think about how special it is that we make quilts! Thanks for the giveaway :)

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  71. Love Anna Maria, this line is beautiful.

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  72. My grandmother has saved a few quilts that my great great grandmother made. She keeps them tucked away but once she saw how much I love quilting, she knew who to give them to! I really love the feathers in this line. Great info about AMH!

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  73. I just love love love your fabric! Your grandmother made beautiful blankets. I would make various pillows for my new couch in gray!

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  74. I think Field Study is my favorite AMH collection. I recently had the chance to work with a large selection of her fabric in colors I wouldn't normally choose for myself, and it definitely inspired me to branch out more. Thanks for the chance!

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  75. I love Anna Maria Horner!! :) Her patterns are so vibrant!

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  76. I was so inspired by the floral block Anna made using her daughters design, Isabela's Block, that I made an entire quilt (huge)with just that block. I love all of her collections and always look forward to a new post on her blog.So enjoyed your article. Thank you.

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  77. I just love AMH's fabrics. I'm currently working on a quilt with some Field Study in it at the moment.

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  78. I love her designs and reading her blog gives me the inspiration to mix prints and colors. I get so stuck in my own little box of colors I go to, prints I don't think to put with other prints, then I look at her projects and my mind is blown open. She has changed the way I think about what fabrics I use in my quilts and projects.

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  79. i am always impressed and inspired by her working mom with a house full of kids deal- she makes beautiful things, yes, but she inspires as a mother who also works hard to achieve what she wants to do. beautiful.

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  80. She is amazing, and I love those colors!

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  81. Fabrics are gorgeous... especially 'moonlit'

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  82. Anna Maria's fabrics and blog are what inspired me to make my first quilt. I'm a fan of her method of quilting with perle cotton and was pleasantly surprised at how relaxing it is to slow down and quilt by hand.

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  83. She is an amazing Wonder Woman. I would love to have a home filled with all kinds of handmade treasures like she has, so inspiring.

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  84. I admire Anna Maria so much, and the things she creates have such beauty. I have been planning recently to make something with Field Study prints, so thanks for the chance to win!

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  86. I've been following Anna's blog for quite some time and especially love when she writes about her process in designing fabrics and quilts. I especially enjoyed her most recent post "Composing a Quilt: For Eleni" where she talks about how this gorgeous quilt came together. Thanks for a chance to win these stunningly beautiful fabrics! dtscrapper@gmail.com

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  87. Anna Maria challenges me to enjoy the hand stitching I do on my quilts. While it would be so easy to use my sewing machine to do the stitching more quickly, I'm reminded, by reading her blog, to take pleasure in the simple act of weaving the thread in and out of fabric by hand.

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  88. I admire the enthusiasm and excitement she conveys about what she does, and her ability to look at the world and find inspiration in it.

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  89. I've been reading AMH's blog for a while now (where does she get all her energy??) and I love her use of colour in her fabric lines!
    Thanks for a great giveaway

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  90. I am yet to read her book but I do love her fabrics. She uses such rich colours and some of the combinations I would have never thought would go but they do and they work in so many ways with so many other fabrics - this is the bit I love about quilting and am still learning (only been quilting since 2009).

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  91. Reading her recent blog posts about creating unique quilts for each of her children has challenged me to think similarly when creating for my loved ones.

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  92. Yes her work has challenged me, I also have created quilts for my two girls, my mother and sister. This year is the year of the man, I plan to make lap quilts for my brother-in-law, father and husband! This is one GREAT giveaway and I would be honored to win it!

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  93. I love AMH fabrics - when I first started quilting, busyness and colour (which AMH fabrics have in spades) kind of freaked me out, but now they are some of my favourites!

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  94. I agree. Anna Maria is very inspirational and has played a large part in my inspirations for creating heirloom projects. I'm always interested to see what she's up to next!

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  95. She is such an inspiration! I adore her fabrics (and ribbons!!). I have the book right next to me now because I'm working on a project from it! Up next may well be that clutch because yours looks fantastic.

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  96. I love AMH fabrics and she is one very talented lady. I like to see what she is doing as she usually has her eye in the future.

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  97. I loved listening to her lecture! It was all about finding your style and what makes you happy :-)

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  98. Her stuff is great. I love the handwork!

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  99. This is one of my favorite lines. Anna's work is romantic, feminine and modern at the same time. Thanks for the chance to win!

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  100. I just love these fabrics. They challenge me to get finished with my projects so I can start new ones with these amazing, bold colors!

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  101. I have to say, yes she has inspired me. I recently discovered her website and immediately subscribed to her blog. Her warmth comes through her words, her stitches awesome, her sharing totally inspiring.
    Love your clutch bag! Beautiful!

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  102. i just picked up her needlework book at the library and i'm trying to figure out what to make! i just love her fabrics, energy, style and handwork especially! thanks for the chance to win some inspiration!

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  103. Such beautiful fabric. It would be so fun to work with!

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  104. Thank you Becca for telling us a little about Anna Marie Horner. I did not know she was Greek. I love the Gypsy color palate in this line. Thanks for the chance to enter to win:)

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  105. I love Anna Maria's blog - always inspired by her fabulous colors! Would love to have some of her fabrics to play with.

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  106. To win would also be to share and swap and maybe make one of AMH's tote bag with the fabrics. How fun would that be. Hope I win. Thanks for the give away!

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  107. I check Anna's blog every day, just in case there's n updatr. I just adore how she pulls all those intense colours together and all the references to nature in those moth prints. I keep thinking must make a neutral, quiet quilt but I'm actually making a Good Folks Strip quilt instead. Thnk you for the opportunity
    jen_richardson8@hotmail.com

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