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Wednesday, April 29, 2015

Party Time, Friends!

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  It has been one busy week for me.  It's testing week.  It really is an unfortunate reality that so much rides on student performance on three days of testing, but it is what it is.  After finishing up my Bubble Bath pattern, I got to work on this sweet baby quilt.  Low volume is not something I usually gravitate to, but the soft shades of pink, gray, and aqua in this quilt will match her nursery perfectly.


I used my Strip Tango tutorial.  I needed this quilt in a hurry, and this pattern is always quick and fun to put together.  I also had some time to check out all of the quilty awesomeness from last week's party.  Although I don't get as much time to do it as I would like, reading blogs is always a huge stress reliever for me, and last week's party certainly did not disappoint!

Leland Avenue Studios shared this fantastic plus quilt.  What gorgeous photos!


Pedal Sew Lightly linked up her bright and cheery granny square quilt.


and last, but not least, Curlyque Sue showed off her beautiful and colorful finished Scrappy Trip.


Okie dokie, friends!  It's time to show off your latest creations!


1.  You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!
2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.
3. Please remember to 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!





Thursday, April 23, 2015

Bubble Bath Pattern!

Hooray!  After many nights of staying up into the wee hours of the morning, I am so thrilled to say that my Bubble Bath quilt pattern is finished and available in my Craftsy and Etsy shops- just in time for all of the fun Friday parties!


It is written for lap and twin sizes, and has extremely detailed instructions, including full-color illustrations and cutting diagrams.  In fact, because of the nontraditional layout, I was sure to include even more illustrations than usual.

I promise that I've made the instructions easy peasy to follow, so I hope you'll hop over to my shop and check it out.  Happy almost weekend!


Wednesday, April 22, 2015

Come Link Up, Friends!

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  Isn't the feeling that the weekend is almost here just awesome?  I don't know what it is, but as soon as Wednesday's work day is over, I start feeling the downhill slide of the week and the weight on my shoulders lightens up a little bit.

I have been madly working on my Bubble Bath quilt pattern, and it is almost finished.  eek!  I can't wait to release it!  In the midst of that though, I sewed up this little preemie quilt to donate to the local children's hospital.  I'm sure you recognize those little bits.  They're the leftover triangle corners from my Sunny Skies quilt.  Since I ordinarily just throw these away, I'm feeling pretty good about turning these scraps into something so fun!  This little quilt is only about 32 x 36 inches.


I backed it with the same aqua dot that I used on Sunny Skies, and used the navy to bind it.


Last week's party was full of spring quilting inspiration!  Maryse Makes Things showed off her finished granny square quilt.  The quilt and the photos are just gorgeous.  Doesn't that photo make you want to curl up in that hammock with that beauty?


Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs shared several WIP's, but my favorite of them is her soothing Sea Star quilt.


and finally, Julie at Pink Doxies linked up her latest HST quilt, as well as photos of her new sewing space.  Love the colors in this one!


Seriously, you have no idea how much inspiration you give me week after week!  Time to continue the awesomeness!


1.  You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!
2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.
3. Please remember to 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, April 19, 2015

Winners!

Hooray!  It's Sunday night, and that means it's time to announce the giveaway winners!  Just FYI, I chose the winners in the order that I posted them in my giveaway post.

First up is the winner of the $30 gift certificate to Shabby Fabrics.  Comment number 66, Teresa at Aurea's Kitchen,  is the lucky one!



I love Milk, sugar and Flowers fabric


Next is the winner of the Jade Clementine bundle from Fat Quarter Shop.  Congratulations to Beth, comment number 115!



I just got some Feed Sack, but could always use more!
ReplyDelete

I'll be contacting both of you via email soon!  


Saturday, April 18, 2015

Bubble Bath

I am so excited to share my snowball quilt finish with you!  The more I worked on this quilt, the more I loved the design of it;  so much that I've actually started writing the pattern for it in lap and twin sizes.


Believe it or not, of all of the baby quilts I've done over the years, I've never made a pink and gray one.  Calling it a baby quilt is a bit deceptive, because it is actually a twin size (72" x 92"), but it is going in a nursery.


Almost all of the scraps went into the backing, plus some wide stripes of my favorite pink from the quilt.  The pink tonal orange peel print is too cute, and the photo of the label shows it really well.  I decided to use the softest gray (Kona Shadow) for the label, rather than white.

I thought that the floating pink and gray snowballs looked like bubbles, and since this was made with a baby girl in mind, I decided to name it Bubble Bath.


The design of this quilt was kind of a different process for me.  Usually I set out to design a block that looks pretty and makes a secondary pattern when they are put together.  This quilt started with an idea for the snowballs to "float" across the quilt like bubbles, so the quilt was designed all at once, versus designing a single block.  I had to play around with it for awhile before I was happy with it, but I think the illusion is successful.


My very favorite fabric in the quilt is one that I almost didn't use at all.  This Riley Blake pink and white gardening text print is just awesome, and I think it adds a perfect whimsical touch to the quilt.   It's called Flower Patch Words by Lori Holt.   I really worried that the white background would be too light, and that those snowballs wouldn't show up very well, but I'm glad I went ahead and used it.


"Earth laughs in flowers."  Isn't that just a wonderful quote?  The fabric is full of gems like this, and I think I might have to get more of it since I used every last bit.  I am delivering this quilt to its new home this evening, then I can really get down to business on the pattern.





Thursday, April 16, 2015

NTT!

Okay, y'all.  State testing season is in full swing, and I have literally crashed every night this week.  I have to leave for school in a couple of minutes, but I wanted to host NTT really quickly before I head out the door.

So let's get to some super quick highlights this week!  Party on!

Modern Material Girl's Juggle quilt is so beautiful!


Tanya Quilts in CO shared her Tulip Patch finish.  Lovely, bright colors!


and this Fall Out quilt from Ida Rather Be Quilting is so neat!


1.  You can link finished projects or WIP's , but just keep it about quilting and sewing!
2. Link to your specific post (not to your home page!) to make it easier for others.
3. Please remember to 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, April 13, 2015

April Fabric Deals and Giveaways!

Yep,  you read that correctly.  I have not one, but TWO fantastic giveaways in this post, from TWO awesome fabric shops.  You don't want to miss out on them, so read on!

I've decided to start something new to bring my readers the latest and greatest deals in fabric.  I am partnering with my sponsors to bring you special coupon codes, promotions and (sometimes) even giveaways, all in one monthly post.  I hope that you find them helpful, because when it comes right down to it, don't we all need a little more fabric on sale?  Yes, I used the word need.  I have a loose definition of that word when it comes to fabric, and I'm okay with it.  So, let's kick it off, shall we?

Lady Belle Fabric has lots going on!  For one week only, use the code quilts at checkout to receive 10% off your purchase.  The offer ends Sunday, April 19th.  Lady Belle has lots of new fabric lines in stock, including-


Ambleside by Brenda Riddle Acorn- Bundles, precuts, a quilt kit and select yardage available. 
Fantasia by Sara Lawson- bundles and yardage available.
Morning Walk by Leah Duncan- bundles and yardage available
Elizabeth by Tula Pink- available in half yard and fat quarter bundles. 

Other new lines include: Feed CompanyClementineFresh CutDaysail and Hello Bear 
(I have my eye on this yummy Clementine bundle)


There are also some great deals on select fat quarter bundles happening right now!  Check out these bundles on sale!

Birch Farm by Joel Dewberry
Winged by Bonnie Christine 
Far Far Away by Heather Ross
Up Parasol by Heather Bailey
Lady Belle Fabric
Dragonfly Fabrics is also offering a special coupon code just for my readers!  Use the code QuiltLove20 at checkout to receive 20% off your purchase through April 19th!  They have lots of great new fabric lines in, like Fantasia by Moda, and Priory Square by Art Gallery Fabrics, just to name a couple.  Click HERE to see all of their new lines.
 


Dragonfly Fabrics is also home to a weekly sale!  Right now, the entire Arizona line is 15% off.  Just use the code Arizona15 at checkout through April 26th.  Check out their other fabric lines on sale HERE (and there are a bunch of them)!
Dragonfly Fabrics
Shabby Fabrics is sponsoring giveaway number one!  My kind friends at Shabby Fabrics are offering a $30 gift certificate to spend however you choose.   You really have to pop over to see what's going on there.  Right now, they have several new collections, like Luna LoungeAmbleside, and Veranda.
If you've never shopped with Shabby Fabrics, let me just tell you that you can get lost in their sale section.  It is huge!  Right now, several beautiful fabric lines are on sale, including Origami Oasis and  Emma's Garden...LOVE!

On their sale items, Shabby Fabrics offers a "buy more, save more" discount.  If you purchase one, you receive 10% off, two- 20%, or three- 30%!  You can also rack up loyalty points for each purchase which translates to a discount on future purchases.  Check it out!
Shabby Fabrics

If you love quilting with coordinated bundles, Fort Worth Fabric Studio offers bundles that you can't get anywhere else.  They pull fabrics from different lines that go together beautifully, so all of the guesswork is done for you!

                         

I just love the way Fort Worth Fabric Studio organizes their sale page.  Instead of categorizing their sale fabrics by percentage off of the regular price, the fabrics are organized by the sale price per yard.  That makes it easy to shop while keeping the actual cost in mind.  Right now, they have Miss Kate, Happy Flappers, Fancy Free, and Horizon marked below $7.00 a yard (and that's just a few)!


Southern Fabric is home to the Daily Deal, and it is often a very deep discount on a great fabric line!  Right now Southern Fabric has lots of new fabric lines in, including Sea Buddies, which gets me in the mood for summer, as well as Anna Maria Horner's Folk Song.

 
Their sale section is certainly not lacking!  A couple of my favorite lines on sale are Violette by Amy Butler, and Honor Roll by Anna Maria Horner.  Check out all of their awesome sale items HERE.

 
One thing I always love about Southern Fabric is that shipping is always $5, and free for orders over $150.  They ship internationally as well, so be sure to check them out!

Southern Fabric
Last, but certainly not least, is Fat Quarter Shop.  They have such a huge collection of fabrics, patterns, kits, and notions that I could spend hours browsing all of it.  They are also home to several clubs and choice bundles from great bloggers and designers.  Seriously awesome stuff.  Chances are, if you need something, they have it, and you'll get great service to boot.
Fat Quarter Shop
Fat Quarter Shop is also sponsoring giveaway number two!  They are generously offering a fat quarter bundle of Clementine by Heather Bailey in the Jade color way.
So, how do you enter both of these awesomely fantastic giveaways?  Just leave a comment on this post and let me know what yummy fabric lines you've had YOUR eye on lately.  On Sunday evening, Mr. Random will help me pick the winners.  Please, please, PLEASE be sure that I can contact you by email.  Good luck in the giveaways and happy shopping!

*This giveaway has ended, but be on the lookout for more fantastic fabric deals and giveaways in May!


Saturday, April 11, 2015

Snowballs for a Nursery

I finally finished putting my snowball quilt top together last night and I am so happy with how it turned out.  I wanted to do something a little different from a traditional snowball quilt, so I just started sketching and this is what I came up with.


I used three different sizes of snowballs- 12 inch, 8 inch, and 4 inch, and constructed the quilt in sections.  I like the way the snowballs "float" across the quilt, making it difficult to see where the sections are.  I think when it is quilted the illusion will be even cooler, that's what I'm hoping for anyway.

This quilt is destined for a twin bed that is part of a sweet nursery, all decorated in shades of pink and gray.  I can't wait to finish it!


Thursday, April 9, 2015

Ticker Tape

Every April, my school has a huge carnival fundraiser, complete with food trucks, dunk tank, cake walk, games, face painting, and lots of silent auction items.  This year, the PTA asked each class to create a piece of art to be auctioned off, and we could choose to make anything we wanted.  Of course I chose to use fabric.  Was there ever really a question?


I went through my scrap jars and found all of the smallest bits, and decided to make a Ticker Tape "quilt" on canvas using this tutorial from Crazy Mom Quilts.  I LOVE it so much, I think I'm going to try to win it for my sewing room...although my assistant principal has her eye on it for her office.

The biggest change I made from the method in the tutorial is that I added two coats of glossy decoupage medium on top of the fabric as well, rather than just sticking the fabric down with it.  I didn't want to take any chances with the fabric edges fraying, and I like the texture it gives.  The kids had so much fun placing the pieces (with a little guidance from me), and I think it will do well at the auction.

The canvas is big, measuring 24 x 36 inches, so this is a real statement piece.  Even if I don't win it, I think I might have to make another one for myself!


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