Marquise Pattern (Finally!) and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  Well, the past couple of weeks have been all about finishing up quilt patterns, and I'm delighted to let you know that my Marquise pattern is finally available in my Craftsy and Etsy shops.  The inspiration for this pattern was a Marquise cut diamond, and I love the jewel shapes created in both the main design, as well as the negative space.

I finished this quilt way back in March, but since I was madly working on my book at the time, I wasn't able to commit myself to more writing just then.  This quilt has a great curvy illusion, but has all straight piecing, as well as no Y-seams or partial seams.  Give it a try!

There were so many gorgeous projects linked up last week, like this king sized beauty by Myra at Busy Hands Quilts-

Sue at Sevenoaks Street Quilts linked up this adorable little mini.  Aren't those snails just the cutest?

And if you're a free motion quilting junkie, I've got just the girl for you.  Esther at I Patch and Quilt  has SO many amazing designs (this post alone has seven different ones)!

Okay, y'all.  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.  

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!  :)

Butterfly Kisses Pattern and NTT

Welcome back to Needle and Thread Thursday!  My beach vacation was wonderfully relaxing, though I did miss hosting NTT last week, and I'm glad to be back.  There really is no place like home.  Amidst unpacking and laundry, I've taken some time to finish up the pattern for my latest quilt, Butterfly Kisses!

I don't often work with precuts, so when I purchased this layer cake from my local shop, I was at a bit of a loss on how to use it.  In browsing though the web for a pattern, I noticed that most layer cake patterns are pretty simple in design.  That can be really lovely, but it wasn't what I had in mind for these fabrics.  So, I set out to design a pattern that had a little more glamour.  

I love the shape of these blocks, as well as the pretty secondary design created.  Best of all, as I mentioned in my last post, the lap size only requires one layer cake for a 60" x 75" quilt, and the queen size only requires two!  If you're looking for a layer cake pattern that's a little beyond basic, I hope you'll check it out in my Etsy and Craftsy shops!

Alrighty!  Time to check out some of the amazing eye candy linked up at our party two weeks ago!  Sew Sunshine showed off her stunning Triumphal Arches quilt.  There are lots of photos of it on the post, but I couldn't resist highlighting the one with the sun shining through.  

I'm not a hand sewist, so I appreciate that any EPP project is a labor of love.  This quilt, by Den syende himmel has been ongoing, and I love to see the progress.

And I love the simplicity of HST with the great color depth in this quilt by Quilting is in My Blood.

Okay friends-  it's time to link up the latest happenings from your sewing space from the last TWO weeks.  I can't wait to catch 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.  

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!  :)

The Big 4-0 (and NTT)

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  This week has been a whirlwind of birthday activities and vacation preparations.  Today is my 40th birthday, and so far it has been fabulous.  That alone would be big, but my wild thing's birthday is tomorrow, and he will be thirteen!  The fact that I am the mom of a teenager makes me feel older than my own age ever could.  I seriously don't even know how that happened; I know it was just a little while ago that he was toddling around.  Somebody make time slow down, please!  Needless to say, we have celebrated both birthdays in big ways all week long (which is as it should be when such milestones are hit).

Part of my birthday gift to myself includes some sewing time, and I've spent the last couple of days finishing up this quilt.  I actually just put the binding on this morning.

I decided to keep this finish relaxing, quilting with an allover, easy stipple.  You can't really tell in the photo, but the quilting thread is a whisper-soft lavender (Aurifil Iris, #2560), which adds just enough texture.  I wish you could see these fabrics in person.  They are designed with colors that are rich and vibrant, but not garish; and the prints are a mix of luscious, larger prints, with pretty smaller florals and geometrics.

For me, one of the tricky parts about working with a layer cake is deciding on the backing.  Usually, I make a pieced backing with several of the prints from the quilt, but precuts make that impossible.  This navy bubble chevron and aqua tonal fabric blend perfectly with the colors on the front though.  Both of these are Moda fabrics, but I'm not sure of the collections.  I wish I paid better attention to the names of fabrics when I purchase in person.  I'm good about remembering fabric names/designers when I buy online, but I rarely pay attention to the bolts or selvages.

I'm not a pink person (at all), but when I put this bright pink fabric next to the quilt, it just sang, and I love the little extra pop it adds to the quilt.  Sometimes, the quilt just wants what it wants.  I'm calling this quilt Butterfly Kisses, and the pattern will be coming soon.  It only takes ONE layer cake, plus background yardage, so get those precuts ready!

Last week's party was fantastic, with so many swoon-worthy quilts.  Check out this quilt, called Revitalized, by Jayne at Twiggy and Opal.  You know how much I love green, and this is such a great interpretation of the Pantone Color of the Year (Greenery).

This modern beauty is by Sophie at Luna Lovequilts.  If you missed it last week, be sure to hop over there and check out the amazing straight line quilting on this one.

And finally, this Pantone Quilt Challenge quilt is God's Green Earth by Maryse Makes Things, and I just couldn't help but share it.  What a gorgeous, fresh interpretation of a classic pattern!

Before we party, I need to let you know that NTT will be taking a vacation next week, soaking up the sun and enjoying the waves on the beach.  I'll be back the following week, June 21st, though, so be sure to join us then!

Without further ado, 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.  

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!  :)

Layer Cake Love and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  We had an impromptu trip to visit my parents over the holiday weekend, and though that meant I wasn't able to make as much progress on my latest quilt as usual, it was so nice to see my family.  Since getting back home though, I have been sewing into the wee hours of the morning (isn't summer grand?) and finished up the quilt top this morning.

As I mentioned in my last post, I don't often work with precuts, so this pattern was all about making the cuts work.  I'm pretty pleased with it!  I love the medallion shape created in the negative space.  I'm calling it Butterfly Kisses, since I think the points look a little like butterflies, and the big "kisses" are tough to miss.

This quilt measures 60" x 75" and only used one layer cake (plus background yardage), so I feel like it was a pretty good "bang for the buck."  I haven't yet decided whether to write the pattern for this one.  It is different from many layer cake patterns I've seen, which are often simpler in design, but is it unique enough to write up?  What do you think?

While you think on that, let's check out some of the amazing highlights from last week's party.  Oh goodness, there was so much awesomeness!  Nicole at Handwrought Quilts linked up this finished Polaroid quilt top!  Wow- I know that so many hours went into that one.  I can't wait to see some close ups of it!

Tisha at Quilty Therapy showed off this Kona HST baby quilt.  Love all of the bright colors and fun offset layout!

and Judy at Sew Some Sunshine shared this beautiful, amazing BIG Star quilt.

I know I say this often, but it really is true.  Some weeks it is SO difficult to choose only three features, and this was one of those weeks.  I hope you're rocking and rolling in your sewing space this week, and I can't wait to see.  Let's 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.  

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!  :)

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday!

Hey there, y'all!  The tradeoff for going back to school at the beginning of August is that we are out for summer before Memorial Day, which means it's officially the final week of the school year for us, and my heart is so happy!  In case you missed my post yesterday, I finished up my Pop Star quilt, complete with some pretty intense free motion quilting (for me, anyway).

Today, I've been playing with these gorgeous fabrics.  This is the Splendor collection by Amy Butler, and the colors are so luscious.  For full disclosure, these are the stock photos from Amy Butler's website, because I just couldn't get photos that did proper justice to the colors.

Ordinarily, I design a pattern first, and then pull fabrics with the specific design in mind.  My local shop stocked layer cakes of this collection and I certainly wasn't going to miss out, so this time my process is a little backward.  I don't usually work with precuts, nor do I usually design patterns for precuts, so it has taken me much longer to decide how to use them than usual.  Never fear though, I have done some sketching and settled on a design that I love, that will really show off these colors and prints.

Before we get to the highlights from last week's party, I owe you five giveaway winners!  Just an FYI, the first winner is from the Sliding Geese Mini post, which was part of the Benartex Summer Mini blog hop, which was separate from my My Sponsor News post.  Since there are so many winners, I'm going to list them out for you to make it easier to follow!

*Color Strokes Bundle (from Benartex)- comment #5, Paige
*$20 gift certificate to LouLou's Fabric Shop- comment #110, Cara
*Halloween fat quarter bundle (from Fort Worth Fabric Studio)- comment #170, Chiska
*$25 gift certificate to Lady Belle Fabrics- comment #117, Sue
*Midnight Essentials 10-Karat Mini Crystals (from Fat Quarter Shop)- comment #69, Wendy

BIG congrats to all of the winners, and a HUGE thank you to all of my fantastic sponsors for providing such amazing prizes.  I'll be contacting each of you via email shortly!

Okay then, let's check out some of the projects from last week's party that really caught my eye.  Gasp!  This Courthouse Steps stunner is by Maryse Makes Things, and oh my goodness.  Just look at that quilting!

This fun quilt is called Party Pop, by Slice of Pi Quilts.

and this Pretty Posy Mini by Paige at Quilted Blooms is so sweet!

Okay friends!  Time to get our party on!

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!

*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!  :)

A Pop Star Finish

I'm so excited to share my finished Pop Star quilt with you.  I'm continuing to branch out in the free motion quilting department, and for the first time, I actually quilted three different motifs on the same quilt.  In the past, I've worried about everything looking too busy and just stuck with an allover design, but I'm so pleased with the way this one turned out.

The Kona Navy background just makes these colors sing, but unless you're looking at the quilt in person, it does make it more difficult to tell how it's quilted.

Though these are technically stars, I kind of thought of them as flowers when I decided on the quilting designs.  The main petals of each block are quilted with loops, which really add to the flower effect, and I decided on a very tight organic (read imperfect) grid for the center stars. The grid spacing is smaller than 1/4 inch.  Since I used the center star outline to travel from one area to another, I decided to embrace a "sketchy" outline on them.  It seemed easier than trying to perfectly travel over lines of stitching, which would have inevitably ended with gnashing of teeth.

The background is stippled with navy thread.  You know, because stippling is still my very favorite, and it seems I just can't help myself!  You can really see the quilting detail on the back of the quilt.

Since I've had some of you ask me with other quilts, I'll go ahead and let you know that there is no marking involved in any of these designs.  It's all done free-motion, including the outlines of the stars themselves.

The only fabric I had to purchase for this one was the navy, as well as the red and white backing fabric.  Everything else came right from my cabinet.  I even had these little yellow polkadots in my stash, and they are a perfect little pop of sunshine against the dark background.  I'm calling this quilt a win on all fronts!

Sliding Geese Mini, and a Giveaway

Good morning, friends!  Today, it's my turn on the Sew In Love With Fabric Summer Mini blog hop, and I'm so excited to share this little mini quilt with you, featuring the Patio Splash fabric collection.

These particular prints from the collection are called Color Strokes, and they are absolutely gorgeous.  They have the perfect amount of texture for when you are looking for fabrics that are almost solid, but not quite, which makes them extremely versatile.  They are so saturated and fun, and are perfectly summery!

I decided to design a mini quilt using flying geese, a classic quilting building block, but give it some interest by varying the sizes to create the sliding effect.

I have written a full tutorial for this mini, making it super easy!  Be sure to head over to Sew In Love With Fabric to check it out the full tutorial.  But before you go, I'm thrilled to let you know that Benartex is offering a fat quarter bundle of these luscious fabrics as a giveaway, so take a second to enter.

Just leave a single comment on this post to enter the giveaway.  I'll announce the winner at next week's Needle and Thread Thursday post (5/24).

By the way, and I also have FOUR other amazing giveaways going on right now which also run through next Wednesday evening.  To enter those as well, just head over HERE to check them out.

All of these giveaways have ended, and I'll announce the winners this afternoon in my NTT post!

Good luck to all, and happy (almost) summer!