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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Needle and Thread Thursday

Oh, how I wish I had those beautiful winter photos with a quilt laying in the pristine, white snow.  Unfortunately, I have no such luck.  Now, don't get me wrong, we've had plenty of temperatures below freezing and even plenty of wind chills below zero;  but even though it seems like the rest of the country is getting days at home frolicking in the white stuff (even my family in south Louisiana!), here in the Memphis area everything is just brown.


Today, even though it was below freezing, the sun was shining and there wasn't any wind, so, we braved the cold and went outside for recess.  Our school dismisses at 4:00pm, so by the time I get home, there isn't enough sun to get great pictures in the winter.  So I took the outside opportunity to get some sunshiny photos of my latest quilt with a little 3rd grade help (there are two kids holding the quilt from behind in this picture.  They love holding them!).


I really do love the Kona Coal sashing, and I decided on a Denyse Schmidt orange print for the binding.  I had to add in a few fabrics to make the quilt big enough, and since I used every bit of my Happy Go Lucky fabric in the top, the backing just got some blocks of color using those extras.




I'm calling this one Stepping Stones.  I think it's bright and fun, and it reminds me of a path.  I can't wait to donate this one to a child in need.

Last week's NTT had so many fantastic links shared!  Here are a few that I just loved-

Heather at Quilts in the Queue shared this beauty.  See what I mean?  The snowy picture is absolutely stunning!


Barb at Mountain Quilt Works shared this fun Round and Round quilt top-


and Elise at Lovelea Designs shared her quilt and pattern, Gray Matter.


I'm looking forward to seeing what you're working on this week, so bring it on!

1.  You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!
2. Link to your specific post to make it easier for others.
3. Spread the word and post my button or a text link.  
4. Spread the comment love far and wide!
5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!









Sunday, January 26, 2014

Happy Go Lucky Baby Quilt

Lately, I've been working on a little baby quilt made with Bonnie and Camille's Happy Go Lucky fabrics.


You may remember A Dash of Luck, my giant churn dash quilt made from this line.  Well, from a full fat quarter bundle, I was left with one 7.5(ish) inch square of each of the prints.  I've been hanging onto them, trying to figure out the best pattern to stretch them into a quilt of decent size.

I finally decided to keep it very simple and cut the squares in half, sew them into rows of "bricks," and sash them with Kona Coal.  Even still, I had to throw in some solid navy, white, and some cute orange and green polkadot fabrics to make the quilt big enough.  It will finish at about 45x52 inches.  When the quilt is turned the other way, it kind of looks like a coin quilt, although the bricks are 3 inches, which is a bit wide for "coins."

I'm not really sure what the plan is for this one yet.  I've been thinking that I want to start donating to the large children's hospital here to use for preemies, and our guild has some plans for that.  But I don't know any of the size requirements for those kinds of donations.  So once it's finished,I'll probably just hang onto this one until I find out!


Saturday, January 25, 2014

Prepare to be Amazed

Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating just a little bit, but I have to say that I am pretty impressed with the organization makeover my stash received last night.  As you may remember, my stash is fairly modest, and since I don't have a sewing room, my fabric cabinet hangs out in my foyer.


I love the size of the cabinet, and it actually keeps my fabric purchases in check, but I needed to maximize the space.  I used comic book boards to make mini bolts from every fabric that is a fat quarter(ish) and larger, and I absolutely LOVE that I can see everything so easily!  Plus, there is actually plenty of room in there to add more bolts, yay!


I'm still using the third shelf for my bundles and fabric pulls-in-waiting.  Oh, and see that stack right there in the middle, that's all of the fabric that is smaller than a fat quarter, but still too big for my scrap baskets, arranged by color.  


That still leaves the bottom shelf for my extra comic book boards, painter's tape that I use for basting, and starch.  I went ahead and left my Christmas fabric as-is, because I don't really have the need to "shop" that part of my stash.

I also figured that while we're talking stash, I would go ahead and show you my latest goodies!  Lately, I've purchased a fat eighth bundle of Kate Spain's Sunnyside-


I've also pulled together this bundle using a few Bluebird Park fabrics, along with several others.  I want this quilt to work for a boy or a girl, so that nixed several of the Bluebird Park prints with flowers.


And since I haven't shared these yet either, check out these half yard bundles that my Mom and Dad got for me for Christmas.  Bonnie and Camille's Scrumptious and Heather Bailey's Freshcut...oh yeah- my parents rock!



Last but not least, I just got this absolutely fabulous stack of Amy Butler's Cameo for a special, secret project.  Since this is all I can show you for a long while, I wanted to be sure you got to see this fabulous stack while it's still uncut and pristine.


Oh, Amy, Amy, Amy... your fabrics are so bold and decadent, and I just adore them!  

By the way, I'm linking up this week with Sunday Stash!  Be sure to head over to Molli Sparkles and ogle at everyone else's fabric scores!

Molli Sparkles

I'm also linking up with Friday Fabric Frenzy over at Fort Worth Fabric Studio!  Check it out!

Fort Worth Fabric Studio Blog

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Carousel Ride and NTT

Well, I finished up my Gyroscope quilt and I just have to say, I just love it.


Here in Tennessee, we keep getting little snippets of spring weather, and then we're abruptly thrust back into winter's grasp.  I know it's only January and we still have awhile before it really warms up, but I definitely think these colors are a bit of wishful thinking on my part.


After toying with different quilting ideas, I finally decided that I am who I am.  I keep telling myself that I'm going to branch out on my FMQ and try another design like spirals or pebbles, but when it comes right down to it, I can't bring myself to actually put it onto a quilt.  One of my favorite parts of the quilting process is the actual quilting, and I have found my stippling groove.  It's fast, reliable, and relaxing.  I can pretty much quilt anything in one sitting with it, which is a plus for my crazy schedule.  So, I really have a hard time choosing to do something different.  The other thing is, even before I knew what it was called, stippling has always been my favorite kind of quilting.


I definitely had some fun with the backing.  I had plenty of scrap fabric left over, and since almost all of these fabrics were yardage cuts, and my scraps were still WOF, the bold stripes were kind of a no-brainer.


I decided to call this one Carousel Ride.  The colors are so fun and it makes me think of a fair, with carousel horses spinning in beautiful, bright jewel tones.  The finished quilt measures approximately 48x60.


Last week's party was fantastic.  I'm not really all about the numbers game in this whole blogging adventure, but I do have to tell you that there were 84 projects linked up.  Wow-  just WOW!  That's by  far the most Needle and Thread Thursday has ever had, and I just want to say thank you for sharing, and for encouraging others!

So, without further ado- onto the awesome highlights from last week.  Believe me, choosing what to showcase is no easy feat!

Cristina at Pretty Little Quilts shared her sweet cherries quilt-


Marelize at Stitch by Stitch linked up this beautiful Summer Solstice quilt-


and Snips Snippets shared this stunning quilt made entirely with shot cottons-


All I can say is, y'all are kicking it into high gear in 2014!  I'm looking forward to checking out what you share this week!  Oh, and by the way- please bear with me on the comments.  I love looking at every single link, but sometimes leaving comments for so many takes me a while!  Let's party it up!

1.  You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!
2. Link to your specific post to make it easier for others.
3. Spread the word and post my button or a text link.  
4. Spread the comment love far and wide!
5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!




Monday, January 20, 2014

Gyroscope Quilt

I'm taking full advantage of the long weekend and getting in lots of sewing time.  I've always loved Rolling Stone quilt blocks.  There are lots of variations of this block, but I have not seen a quilt that connects them together.  So, I modified some of the measurements and sketched it out.


I think with the grid pattern in the background, it looks a lot like a gyroscope, so that's what I'm calling it!  The blocks are 13 inches, with 2 inch sashing.  The cutting and piecing on these is a bit time consuming, but definitely worth it!


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

It's Thursday Again!

And that means it's time for Needle and Thread Thursday!  Last Sunday, I went to my first Modern Quilt Guild meeting of the new year, and although our guild is very new and still very small, we've decided to get started on some charitable sewing.  One of the organizations we've decided to work for is Quilts of Valor, which I know is dear to many of you.

We decided to make a modern sampler quilt, to allow each of our members some freedom in the blocks sewn.  I worked on my first one this evening, since I'm between quilts right now.


I like this block, but I have to say that it didn't really come out the way I envisioned.  I wanted the center square and strips to be only about an inch wide but I couldn't make the math work out easily to do that.  As it is, it looks a lot like a weathervane block with different proportions.  Oh well, I'm sure it will look great in the quilt anyway, even if it is different from my original plan.

Last week, y'all just knocked my socks off with all of the great stuff linked up!

Stephanie at Quarter Incher showed off her QAYG herringbone quilt- gasp!  It is so stunning!


Janet at Simply Pieced linked up her flying geese quilt.  I'm going to brag a little bit and let you know that I had the privilege of seeing this one in person at our guild meeting Sunday and it is absolutely gorgeous!


and Keera at Live. Love. Sew shared her Springhouse Sugar quilt.  I just love the colors in this one, and her quilting is amazing!


So, what do you have going on this week?  Time to show it off!  Remember...


1.  You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!
2. Link to your specific post to make it easier for others.
3. Spread the word and post my button or a text link.  
4. Spread the comment love far and wide!
5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!




Monday, January 13, 2014

January Sponsor Roundup!

So here's my disclaimer-  If you've turned over a new leaf and decided that 2014 is the year that you bust your stash and aren't adding to it...well, this post probably isn't for you.  Otherwise, read on my friends and allow me to be your fabric frenzy enabler!

After all, it's a brand new year!  Time to take advantage of some of the great sales that are going on and replenish your stash from all of that holiday gift sewing.  Yeah, I could hardly type that with a straight face.  If you're anything like me, my stash is NEVER in danger of actually needing to be replenished- but that doesn't stop me from doing it anyway.


Five Monkey Fabrics is constantly adding new fabrics to their sale section, and right now, they are also offering free shipping on domestic orders $50 or more!

Not to mention that they also lots of new stuff in, including-

Gray Matters by Jackie Savage McFee, Norwegian Woods by Michael Miller, Cute Zoo by Michael Miller, Ziggy by Timeless Treasures, Woodland Adventure from Camelot Cottons, Les Amis by Patty Sloniger, Global Bazaar by Josephine Kimberling, Tsuru by Rashida Coleman Hale for Cloud9, Roughing It by Laurie Wisbrun, Gabbie by Maude Asbury and much MORE!




Southern Fabric has all kinds of awesomeness going on right now!  This week, several fabrics are 20-50% off!  Entire fabric lines, y'all- and many are new arrivals!   Here are just a few-


                   

There really are too many to list, so you'll just have to click on the button and check it out!



The Fat Quarter Shop is always a fun place to browse, but especially so right now, when they've added all of their holiday fabrics to their clearance section!  So, if you want to get a jump start on some cute projects for next Christmas, take a look!



Bumbletees doesn't have a specific section just for their sale fabrics.  They're sprinkled throughout, but they have marked several fabrics down to $6.00 a yard, some at $8.25/yd, and all chevron fabrics are $6.50 a yard.  That's pretty tough to beat!



Fabric Ala Carte is still running it's 5TH ANNIVERSARY SALE! Use coupon code 5THANNIVERSARY for FREE domestic shipping for any purchase of $30 or more!  And while you're browsing, be sure to check the CLEARANCE section for big markdowns.  Up to 50% off!



Fabric Tree is having a MOVING SALE!  Lots of fabric yardage is marked down, and some bundles too!  Many gorgeous fabrics are $2.00 off per yard

Just FYI- you can also sign up for an email newsletter from Fabric Tree to learn about the latest sales and new fabrics (including the numerous collections set to arrive after they move). Click on the link to sign up!





Well, hopefully I've given you plenty of excuse to engage in a little bit of fabric retail therapy.  Have fun shopping!  My stash runneth over, but it isn't stopping me either!

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Bohemian Charm

I haven't been absolutely head over heels in love with a quilt I've made since Hopscotch, and that was a couple of months ago, but boy do I love this one!  It was fun to create from the first cut, right up through the final stitch in the binding.


As I mentioned in my last post, all of the fabrics are Amy Butler, and they're a mix of the Lark, Love, Cameo, and Alchemy lines.   Even though they're from four different lines, the fabrics play so nicely together.


As much as I love the surreal colors on the front, I decided to tone down the backing a little bit by using a gray as the main fabric on the back.  The print isn't quite a polkadot, but it does have a small "dotty" pattern that you can see in detail on the picture of the label below.  I sewed the scraps in kind of a log cabin pattern, and added the medallion print from the Cameo line as well.  These fabrics are so fun though, I almost added them to my scrap baskets instead of using them up!


I quilted with a stipple, and kept it a little bit wide so that it didn't add too much busyness to the patterns in the quilt.  It also keeps the quilt nice and drapey.  With its carefree giant prints and vibrant mix of colors that clash just a little bit, I thought that the name Bohemian Charm fit this quilt perfectly.


I used Kona Teal for the binding, and it is the perfect shade.  I think the solid calms the quilt down a little bit too. The finished quilt measures 60x66, so it's a pretty large throw size.


I honestly don't know how I'm going to part with this one.  I suppose there is some consolation in the fact that I already made myself a quilt with Amy Butler's entire Soul Blossoms line last winter, but it's still going to be tough to let it go.  I just love it that much.  Of course, if I kept every quilt I made and loved, we would be literally be drowning in quilts over here!  I sure hope I'm not the only quilter who gets possessive of her quilts and has internal battles over how many I can keep!  Am I?

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