Grape Soda and NTT

Hey there, y'all!  Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday.  My sewing is currently at a standstill while my machine gets a spa treatment.  I do have a backup machine, but rather than drag it out, I have plenty of other things to keep me busy while my main girl is being serviced.  Luckily though, I finished up my Grape Soda Quilt before taking her in, and I love how it turned out.

For me, the X Plus block has enough movement on its own, and honestly, I wanted a quick and relaxing finish, so I quilted this one with an easy stipple.  Y'all know it's my favorite for allover, crinkly goodness.

This backing was lots of fun to make.  I call this large-scale improv a Chunky quilt back, and you'd be surprised at how quickly it goes together. Best of all, this one used up all the leftovers.

And I had plenty of this purple marbled fabric for the binding.  It's almost solid but not quite, and it's a great shade of true royal purple.

All of the rich shades of purple with the addition of a little gray and white could be a tall, icy glass of Grape Soda, and it's such a perfect name for it.  

I already have the pieces for a new quilt cut out so I'm sitting on go, waiting for my machine to be done with her spa treatment, and I hope I get her back soon!  

So, let's get right to the highlights from last week's amazing party.  Look at the sweet collection of minis from Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting-

Gretchen's Little Corner linked up this pretty finish-

And finally, I love this quilt from Maggie at Making a Lather.  Christmas in July is so much fun!

So let's get right to it, friends!

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Purples and Grays and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  I'm still working on busting through my stash, and I really enjoyed working within a single color way for my last quilt, Emerald Coast.  It was such a great way to use up stash that I decided to use the same idea for my current quilt.  So, here come the purples and grays!

I didn't have quite as many purples and grays, so I used a small chunk of Kona White for the background of these X Plus blocks.  Remember, my goal is to make as many quilts as I can without purchasing a single bit of fabric, and I had just enough Kona White to finish this one off.

I just love X Plus quilts.  This block was all the rage several years ago, and even though it isn't the trendy, must-make quilt pattern these days, it will always be one of my favorites.  I love sewing snowball corners (aka stitch and flip corners), so not only do I love the way X Plus quilts look, I truly enjoy making them.

I think I'm going to call this one Grape Soda, and I'm working to get it finished up!

Alrighty, friends!  As usual, last week's party was jam-packed with goodness.  Take a look at this lovely quilt from Quilting Gail-

This bit of improv awesomeness is from LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color-

And oh my goodness, this finished quilt from Maggie at Making a Lather is swoon-worthy!

Okay y'all!  I know you're all doing fantastic things in your studios, and I can't wait to see!

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 within your 

    post.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)

Visiting Quilts at the Lake and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, my friends.  I hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July holiday.  I certainly did!  I spent last week at the lake with my family where we spent time canoeing, fishing, playing corn hole, tubing behind the pontoon, and floating in the lake.  We played charades as a family and had tons of laughs, and we were even able to watch the fireworks show from the boat.  It really was an amazing week, and I could stare at this view from the back porch for hours on end (it's screened in, which is why you see that subtle grid pattern).

I even got to visit a couple of my quilts that live there! Moroccan Star lives on the couch-

and Mid Mod Diamonds is in our bedroom. It always makes me happy to see quilts I've made in use.

I have actually been working on a new quilt as well, but I'm not quite ready to show progress on it yet.  Next week, though!

Alrighty, y'all.  It's time to check out the highlights from our last party.  Take a look at this stunner from Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl-

I love this happy, scrappy quilt from Linda at kokaquilts-

Julie's Quilts and Costumes linked up this gorgeous rainbow quilt-

Viridian's blog shared this beauty-

And finally, this fun quilt is from Jocelyn at Canadian Needle Nana-

Wow!  Y'all certainly made it difficult to choose highlights this week!  There were so many amazing quilts linked up.  If you missed the party last week, you definitely don't want to miss all the eye-candy.  And now, it's time to party!

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 within your 

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4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)

Emerald Coast and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  I am delighted to share my newest finish with you today, and I've named it Emerald Coast.  After seeing how closely the colors in this quilt resemble Florida's Gulf coast (where we went on vacation), how could I call it anything else?

This quilt used up almost all of my bluish-greens, greenish-blues, aquas, teals, and every color in-between- 36 fabrics total!  And of course, all the leftovers went on the back.  I originally made enough blocks for a 72" square quilt, but I realized that if I used all of them on the top, I might not have quite enough leftovers to fill out a pieced back that size.  Since I'm trying to make quilts entirely from stash, I decided to make the quilt 60" x 72" instead, and build the pieced back around the six extra blocks.  I used the blocks, along with chunky strips, to make big log cabin-style squares and then just filled in the gaps with extra scraps.  I had just the right amount to make the back, as well as a pieced binding (more on that later).

The allover swirl motif I chose for quilting adds so much amazing texture, and I'm really happy with the way it turned out.  Since the bowtie blocks have a circular secondary pattern, the quilting really gives the look of swirling water.  I took some extra photos in the bright sunshine to really show off the quilting texture.

I love that this quilt looks like an expanse of water and I didn't want to contain that with a single fabric binding, so I used the last of my of scrap strips to finish this one off.  It's magical the way a scrappy binding just disappears into the quilt.

I just love the way this quilt came together, and I am certain that Emerald Coast is the perfect name for it!

Now, without further ado, let's check out some of the highlights from last week's party.  Thank you all so much for your patience with the Linky.  The problem was definitely on their end, and hopefully it wasn't too inconvenient for you.  

Gretchen's Little Corner shared this colorful beauty-

This is from Sally at Crafts, Cavies, and Cooking.  It's a headboard, y'all!!  What a genius idea!  Check out her post for details on the process.

Take a look at this lovely quilt from Something Rosemade.  This is just ONE of the awesome quilts she shared this week-

And finally, this little bonus quilt from Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl is simple, but so happy and fun!

Okay, friends!  It's time to link up, but before we do, I need to let you know that NTT will be taking another little break for the Fourth of July holiday next week.  If you're in the US, have a safe and fun holiday!

Now, let's do it!

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 within your 

    post.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)

Gulf Waters and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends.  I had such a wonderfully relaxing vacation at the beach last week.  Check out this stunning view-

This is Florida's Emerald Coast, and it could not have been more perfect.  We had great waves on some days and calm waters on others.  Two sea turtles swam fairly close to us, and we saw dolphins jumping out of the water. We even saw a herd of manatees!  All of the sea life was enchanting, but after the recent attacks, one thing I'm glad we didn't see was a shark.  We never go out very far, and certainly not to the sandbar where the vast majority of attacks occur, but we were on high alert nonetheless.

After getting home and tackling the unpacking and laundry, I finally got back to my latest quilt.

After a week of clear, blue-green waters and undulating waves, I decided this quilt needed some swirls.  They echo the circular secondary pattern, and I think it will give the quilt the feel of swirling waters.  It's coming along nicely!  By the way, if you missed it, you can see the full quilt top in my last post HERE.

Okay, friends!  It's time to check out the highlights from last weeks amazing party.  Take a look at this sweet quilt from Anja Quilts-

I love this happy quilt from Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting-

This lovely quilt is from Sew Preeti Quilts-

And finally, Quilting Gail shared this cool quilt-

Are you ready to party, friends?  It's time to link up!

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 within your 

    post.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)

**If you are unable to see the Linky, please check back soon!  I have reached out to the Linky Tools admin, as this appears to be a problem on their end.  I am hoping to have it resolved ASAP!  Thank you for your patience!

All the In-Betweens and NTT

Greens that lean blue, blues that lean green, and every shade in-between! That's the criteria I used for pulling the fabrics for my latest quilt, which is now a finished quilt top.  Aqua, teal, turquoise, jade, mint, and so many more cool shades make this quilt a fresh wash of color.

There are an equal number of solid and print fabrics, and I paired them together to make these six-inch bowties.  Then, I alternated the solid and print bowties in the layout, and I love the effect.

I got all of the leftovers turned into a cool pieced back and basted it (I can't wait for you to see the back side).  And there were even enough scrap strips for a pieced binding.  I used thirty six fabrics in this quilt, with hardly any scraps added to my jars.  And once again, I didn't have to buy a single bit of fabric.  This quilt didn't completely eliminate this color in my stash, but it's pretty close.

I'd love to get this one finished up in short order, but that is not going to happen.  We are leaving for vacation this weekend (yay!), and the rest of the week is set aside for housecleaning, laundry and packing.  It will just have to wait until I get back.

On that note, NTT will be taking a break next week!  

Before we get to the party, check out some highlights from last week. This sweet star quilt is from Anne-Marie at Stories From the Sewing Room-

This cute quilt is from Jocelyn at Happy Cottage Quilter-

Maggie at Making a Lather showed off this lovely finish-

And finally, I love this cheerful quilt from Something Rosemade-

Okay, friends!  Let's link up!

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 within your 

    post.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)

Soothing Bowties and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, my friends.  This week, I turned that soothing, watery fabric pull into this tall stack of bowtie blocks- 144 six-inch bowties to be exact. I just finished pressing them this morning, and I can't wait to get them all laid out.

Last week's party was really amazing.  There were so many fantastic projects linked up, like this bright beauty from Sew Preeti Quilts, and this one's on the cover of the latest Make Modern magazine!

This cute quilt is from Kat at Scrapbook Quilts-

Linda at kokaquilts linked up this scrappy yumminess-

And finally, check out these gorgeous blue stars from Gretchen's Little Corner-

Y'all are just awesome!  I can't wait to see what you show off this week, so link up the latest from your studio!

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 within your 

    post.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

*If you're new to the party, here's a helpful tip for linking up- select "Auto Crop"  when selecting your thumbnail photo.  For some reason, trying to crop your own image results in the dreaded "white question mark box," and we definitely want to see your awesome work!  :)