Seedlings and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  If you've been following for awhile, you know that I am on a mission to bust through my fabric stash.  I'm doing a little creative exercise to see just how many quilts I can make without purchasing a single bit of fabric.  NO fabric purchases at all- not for background, backing, binding- none.  Ideally, I want to have zero fabric left in my cabinet when I'm done.  And so far, I've been rocking this thing.  I hit a groove working though color ways, and you might remember my Emerald Coast quilt used up a ton of blue-greens.  

Well, when all of the blue-greens are gone, what's left are the true greens and yellow-greens, and they're up next!

Yellowish, brownish-greens are not my favorite.  In fact, have been known to refer to them as baby poop greens, or even vomit greens, so I wasn't sure how I was going to work them into a quilt I actually like.  The solids in this quilt are the leftovers from a green color way bundle of Kona solids, and they have been sitting in my stash for years.

Though I don't love this shade in fabric, yellow greens do occur a lot in nature, so I couldn't think of a better use for them than a design with leaves.  I also added a few grays and blacks into the background of the leaf blocks because I knew I didn't have quite enough greens to finish out the back.

Now that this quilt top is done, I actually love it!  For some reason, both the colors and design remind me of vintage Pyrex from the 60's and 70's, and I really appreciate the retro vibe.  And I love it for another reason too.  It feels SO good to finally get a lot of these fabrics into a quilt!

Okie dokie, friends.  Let's check out last week's highlights.  These amazing pineapple blocks are from Gretchen's Little Corner-

Quilting Gail shared this gorgeous quilt-

And finally, check out this fun autumn quilt from Vicki's Quilts and Crafts-

Okay, friends!  Let's get this party started!

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!  :)

Tumbling Hearts and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  My heart quilt is all finished, along with all of my pinks and most of my red stash, and I'm so excited to share it with you today.

As I mentioned in my last post, I don't use a lot of red in my quilts unless they're holiday-specific, so some of these reds have been sitting in my stash for quite awhile.  It feels so good to use them up.

I decided that this one needed a little extra pink, so I quilted it with hot pink thread (Aurifil Blossom Pink to be exact).  It adds so much great texture.

The backing was entirely determined by two fabrics in my stash.  About ten years ago (!!!), I attended an estate sale of a quilter, and I purchased a practically full bolt of Kona Red.  Over the years, I have used it on Christmas quilts and projects, and as many things as I could, but I still had SO much of it.  And again, I don't use tons of red.  I decided that I had to finish it off with this quilt, so the majority of the back is made from these two bold Kona Red stripes.  

The center stripe is a fabric I never would have purchased myself, but it was gifted to me when a quilter friend decided to destash.  I used some if it in my Misfits quilt, and the rest of it here.  In fact, when I realized how much of this fabric I had, this red and gray argyle print was the starting point for this entire quilt.  I just had to add a couple of stripes of gray to widen out a little bit.

More of the Kona Red finished this one off beautifully, and finished off that bolt beautifully too!  I still have lots of grays left, and a very few large scraps of red, but don't worry!  I already have a plan for them.

I had several of you reach out via email (and comment), asking for a pattern for this quilt. I don't plan to write a full pattern, but I decided to put together a set of instructions for the block.  The block finishes at 6" x 8", so this finished quilt measures 60" x 72".  Have fun with it!

Okay, y'all.  Let's get to the highlights from last week!  This beauty is from Jan at The Colorful Fabriholic-

Check out this lovely quilt from Kat at Scrapbox Quilts-

Deb at A Scrappy Quilter linked up this fun quilt, and there's a second multicolor version in her post, too!

And this one from Something Rosemade is just fun!

Okay, y'all!  It's time to party.  Let's get it going!

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!  :)

All the Reds and Pinks and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  It's a new month, and that means that crisp autumn air is on its way, hopefully sooner rather than later.  With all of the pumpkins and earthy colors I've been seeing around lately, it seemed like the perfect time to work on a quilt that would look beautiful for....Valentine's Day?  haha!  

Oh well, off-season or not, I decided I needed to handle my reds and pinks, and there's no better way to do that than a quilt full of hearts.  I also had tons of different gray solids in my stash, and even a small bit of white, so my path was set.

I designed this heart block a little differently than most I've seen, and I really prefer the longer "skinnier" heart shape, rather than other heart blocks that are more round and puffy.  These hearts kind of look like the sketch hearts that someone may sign with their name, which is what I wanted, and the skinny shape looks great alternated for a tumbling effect.

With this quilt, I came to a realization about the color red.  Though I had quite a bit of it in my stash, I don't actually enjoy working with it unless it's for a very specific theme, like Christmas, a patriotic quilt, a rainbow, or now a heart quilt.  Red is just not a color I pull to add to a "regular" quilt very often. 

That being said, I absolutely love how this top turned out.  I worried that the grays in the background would be too dark, but there are enough lighter fabrics to balance everything out.

I have some huge chunks of yardage leftover that will make up the majority of this backing, so it will go together quickly, and then this one will get finished up!  

As always, last week's party was full of amazing stuff.  This fun churn dash quilt is from Maggie at Making a Lather-

This finished rainbow start is from Anne-Marie at Stories From the Sewing Room.  It is so striking against the black!

This beauty is from Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting-

This sweet and scrappy finish is from Something Rosemade-

And finally, this one is from Vicki's Crafts and Quilting, and it's a cute little nod to the upcoming season.

Okay, friends!  It's time to show me what you've been working 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 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!  :)

The Misfits and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  My latest quilt is all finished, and I really love it!

As I worked on it, I couldn't help feeling like my process was very similar to quilts made in generations past.  This quilt was made with misfit fabrics- prints and solids that I couldn't seem to work in anywhere else.  There are leftover pieces from the backs from other quilts, and prints I loved when I bought, but never found their way into a quilt.  There are solids that straddle the line between two colors, making them hard to use (for me anyway), and solids that aren't my favorite shade, but were part of a color bundle.  And there are prints and solids that were hand-me-downs from a friend who destashed several years ago, and they've been sitting in my cabinet ever since.

It's a little of this and a little of that, and all of this is to say that this quilt was an exercise in "making do," which is one of the oldest ideas of quilting.  Throw in the fact that this is basic patchwork, and to me, this quilt feel very vintage.

I used all of the leftovers to make a backing that I call Long and Short.  This one is in my book, Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs, and it's actually shown in the lap size on the cover.  Since this quilt measures a large 72" square, I made the twin size back by adding an additional short column.  This back is perfect when you have a mix of full selvage to selvage strips, plus leftover strips from fat quarters.

I finished this one with an allover stipple, which sets off the sixteen patches very nicely, and used Kona Candy Blue on the binding-

The choice of Kona Candy Blue was completely determined by the fact that I had a larger chunk of it in my stash.  Would I have chosen it otherwise?  Maybe not, but again, I'm enjoying the exercise of using what I have and making it work.  Now that it's done, I do like the way it allows those vibrant blocks to take center stage.

This one is named Misfits, and it was so much fun to make.  It felt good to put all these misfit fabrics in one spot, and make it look good!  And I loved working on such a simple design.  It was nice and easy!

Per usual, last week's party rocked!  There were SO many wonderful projects linked up, and it was tough to choose highlights.  Take a look at this dreamy quilt finish from Sew Preeti Quilts-

Julie's Quilts and Costumes linked up this striking quilt-

I love this one from Melva Loves Scraps-

This quilt from Sandra at mmmquilts absolutely glows!

Look at all of this delicious custom quilting from Anne-Marie at Stories From the Sewing Room-

And finally, this gorgeous quilt from Deb at A Scrappy Quilter has me all ready for autumn!

See what I mean?  There are several more I wanted to add, but alas; I had to stop somewhere.  I encourage you to scroll back and check out last week's party if you missed it though.  It is jam-packed with awesomeness.

Alrighty, y'all!  You know what time it is!

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!  :)

Scrappy Sixteens, Big News, and NTT

Hey there, friends!  Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday.  There's lots going on around here this week!  First of all, I get to share a brand new quilt top-

This quilt is full of mismatched prints that I haven't been able to fit anywhere else.  I figured that pairing them with solids and sewing them into simple sixteen patches would give them a cohesive look.  Do you know that in all of my years of quilting, I've never actually made a basic patchwork quilt?  The simple design and riot of print and color give this one a very vintage feel, and I had so much fun putting it together.

Y'all know I'm over here using up those leftovers on the back, but in the meantime, I have something SUPER exciting to share.  Next spring, I'll be teaching on a Stitchin' Heaven Land Ahoy "cruise" in San Diego!

If you're not familiar with them, Land Ahoy cruises operate exactly the same way as a quilting cruise, but instead of being on a cruise ship, the trip is at a fancy hotel in a destination city.  This is great for those who don't love cruises but still want all of the fun of a quilting trip.  There is even an excursion day built into the schedule!

I'll be paying homage to the sunsets on the west coast, teaching my Starfire quilt pattern, and I would love for you to join me!  Check out all the details HERE, and get ready to pack your suitcase!  It's going to be so much FUN!

Last week's party was full of awesomeness, as usual!  This fun floral quilt top is from Viridian's Blog-

This beauty was shared by Rebecca Grace Quilting-

This lovely medallion quilt from Kat at Scrapbook Quilts is all ready for quilting!

And finally, Gretchen's Little Corner showed off this gorgeous quilt-

I'm telling y'all-  I could spend all day looking through the amazing things you link up, and choosing just a few to highlight each week is tough!  Are you ready to get down to it?  Let's go!

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!  :)

Still Sewing Away and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all.  I've started a new quilt and am sewing away on it, but I totally forgot to take a photo of the fabric pull before I cut it all up.  So, a pic will just have to wait until I have something better to show you.  That's okay though, last week's party had plenty of pretty things to look at! 

Check out this stunningly scrappy finish from Deb at A Scrappy Quilter-

And this one from Maggie at Making a Lather.  What a great use of shirt scraps!

And finally, this adorable quilt is from Anne-Marie at Stories From the Sewing Room.  Halloween is just around the corner, and I'm definitely ready for fall!

Alrighty, friends!  It's 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 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!  :)

Southwest Beadwork and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  I'm delighted to say that between watching Olympic events, I managed to finish up my latest stash quilt.  I used my Tinkering pattern (you can find it HERE), and it's amazing how a different color way gives the quilt an entirely different feel.  

When I look at this quilt, all I can see are the rich, earthy colors of southwestern bead jewelry.  When we traveled the Southwestern US a few years ago on vacation, I took note of the rich terracotta, tan, and dark yellow color palette that was seemingly everywhere, and quite often, navy and/or turquoise are added to the mix.  And the pattern itself reminds me a lot of woven beads, which are such a distinct style of that region.

I used up all of the leftovers on the back, of course!  For this one, I had several pieces that were already a certain width, so I just cut all of my leftover strips to that consistent width for this easy back.  This quilt back is called Cool Columns in my book (Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs).

Y'all know that pieced quilt backs are my jam, and I've gotten pretty good at estimating the total amount of fabric I'll need for BOTH the front and back when I'm pulling fabric for a new quilt.  If you're wondering how I do that, here's my rule of thumb-  

Take a look at the amount of fabric needed for the front of the quilt and double it!  It's that simple.  In this case, the Tinkering pattern requires 25 fat quarters for the top, or 6.25 yards.  So, I know that I need about that same amount of fabric for the back, which is a total of 12.5 yards for the whole quilt (plus binding).  

There are a few ways to accomplish this-

Double the number of prints for the front.  In this case I could have used 50 total fat quarters, and then, instead of cutting four blocks from each print, just cut two, leaving a chunk of each print for the back.

Use the same number of fabrics for the front, but use larger cuts.  Instead of 25 fat quarters, I could have used 25 half yards.  That would have allowed a fat quarter for the front, and another fat quarter for the back.

Use a mix of cuts and make it work!  Since I am pulling from stash, this is what I do most of the time.  For this quilt, I used 33 different prints (it's what I had!), and they were a mix of fat quarters, half yards, 1/3 yards, etc., and I just estimated my total yardage to get it right.  The pattern uses 100 blocks, so with this number of prints, I cut three total blocks from each fabric for a total of 99 blocks, and then one extra block from one of my larger cuts.

If you have a large cut of a certain fabric, you may even want to set it aside and plan to use it for your binding.

For me, it's much easier to think of the back of the quilt from the very beginning.  And, it's not too difficult!  This way, I hardly ever have to buy lots of yardage to finish a quilt, nor do I have to worry that I might not find the perfect fabric for the back.

Since I make quilts this way all the time, I rarely ever purchase more than a half yard of a single fabric, unless it's a neutral background I know I will use regularly, like solid white.  I like to be able to use a fabric on the front and back of the quilt, add a few small pieces to my scrap jars, and then it's gone.

This method is how I have accomplished all the stash busting I showed off in my last post.  But don't you worry, my friends.  When I have quilted through as much of my fabric as I can, I'll have lots of fun shopping for more.

A quick finish was in order for this quilt, so I got it done with an easy stipple.  

And I had plenty of solid Kona Navy for the binding.  I think the navy binding sets off the pattern so nicely, and even if I were purchasing binding fabric especially for this quilt, it's what I would have chosen anyway.  Love it when things work out like that.

Okay friends!  It's time to check out all the eye-candy from last week!  These sweet hexies are from Gretchen's Little Corner-

Kat at Scrapbook Quilts shared this sunny study in yellow-

This beauty is from Sew Preeti Quilts-

And finally, Sally at Crafts, Cavies, and Cooking linked up this gorgeous quilt. So much amazing texture!

Okay friends!  You know what to do!

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!  :)