Funky Frames and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, my friends!  This week, I've been moving right along with my stash sewing and I'm happy I can share another finish with you today.  I'm calling this one Funky Frames, and it's such a fun quilt.

As I mentioned in my last post, this quilt contains the last bits of several color ways- mint greens and aquas that didn't make it into my Emerald Coast quilt, yellows and oranges that didn't make the cut for Southwest Beadwork, and a couple of maroons, and a few multicolor prints that just didn't fit anywhere else.  

It's a palette I probably wouldn't have put together normally without the goal/necessity of using up every last bit of stash without purchasing more fabric.  Considering this fact, I have really appreciated the creative exercise of this little stash experiment.  Though I haven't been making crazy complicated quilts, I've been stretching my creativity in a different way that feels equally productive for me.

By the way, in case you missed it in my last post, this quilt is inspired by the Stacked Squares tutorial from Kitchen Table Quilting, originally part of Moda Bakeshop.  Her original pattern uses precuts; a layer cake and a jelly roll.  I tweaked the measurements and make it fat quarter/quarter yard friendly since I almost never use precuts.  My modified cutting instructions can be found HERE.

I quilted this one with an allover stipple for lots of great texture, and I had a big chunk of these aqua color gradient chevrons that I used for the binding.  

To make all of the partial squares work, my version of this pattern (in this size) requires at least 18 fabrics/blocks, and it leaves very few leftovers.  Of course I had more fabrics, so I made 20 blocks instead, but used 28 different fabrics.  Of course, all the leftovers got used up on the back!

I sewed the leftover partial squares into blocks, then just started building around them with my chunky scraps, and I just love it!  Somehow the maroon, that I ordinarily never would have put with these other fabrics, adds just the right amount of contrast and depth.

Okay, y'all!  It's time to check out some of the eye-candy from last week.  Let's get to it.  This sweet quilt was shared by Quilting Gail-

Take a look at this finish by Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting-

Sew Preeti Quilts shared this gorgeous quilt, along with a second full quilt finish in her post, so don't miss it!-

This finish from Maggie at Making a Lather is just WOW!

And finally, I am absolutely in love with this pineapple quilt from Gretchen's Little Corner-

Y'all are such an inspiration, week after week!  Are you ready to party?  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!  :)

Silly Me and NTT

Hey there, friends.  Happy Needle and Thread Thursday!  As you can see, I've been sewing like crazy around here, so crazy that I completely forgot to take a picture of my latest quilt top before it was all basted.  Whoops!  So, let's just pretend you don't see all of those basting pins, okay?  Cool.

As I continue my stash sewing, pulling coherent fabrics is becoming more and more of a challenge, so this quilt has a hodgepodge of things going on- mint green, orange-red, yellow, and a single maroon fabric.  I can say with certainty that I ordinarily would never have thrown that maroon fabric into this mix, but I actually like it, and a couple of my orange-red prints have touches of maroon in them, so it really does work.

I decided on one of my very favorite "no background fabric" quilt patterns for this one.  It's called Stacked Squares by Kitchen Table Quilting.  The original tutorial was written for Moda Bakeshop and uses a layer cake and a jelly roll.  Now that Moda Bakeshop is no more, the tutorial is available directly from the designer at the blog link above.

I'm not a huge precut lover though, so I modified the tutorial to use fat quarters and regular quarter yard cuts instead.  You can find my modified cutting instructions HERE.  With these cutting instructions, you can use whatever fabric you have on hand, which is always a good thing.

Obviously the backing for this one is already done (I can't wait for you to see it), and it's all ready for some quilting goodness.

So, let's check out a few of the amazing highlights from last week, shall we?  Look at this cute quilt from Jocelyn at Happy Cottage Quilter-

Oh my goodness!  This La Passacaglia quilt, shared by Rebecca Grace Quilting, is a beauty!

Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting linked up four lovely quilts-

This quilt is from Linda at kokaquilts, and all of the mint green in the background is so dreamy!

And finally, this scrap-a-licious quilt is from Maggie at Making a Lather-

Okay, 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!  :)

Seedlings Finish and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  My seedlings quilt is all finished up and I'm so excited to share it with you today.

As I mentioned in my last post, though I wasn't too sure about all of these yellowish and brownish greens, now that it's done, this quilt is giving me all the retro Pyrex vibes and I really do love the finish.  

I kept the nature theme going with the quilting motif, and opted for a woodgrain pattern, which gives the quilt so much crinkly texture.

You might not see it right away, but I also incorporated some of my remaining darkest grays and blacks in the background of a few of these blocks, and I did that for a couple of very specific reasons.  I knew that I didn't have enough greens to complete the front and back of this quilt, and I needed those grays and blacks to round it all out.  I also knew that I had a ton of those grays and blacks in my cabinet, and if my goal is to use up ALL my fabric, they had to go somewhere!

Well, those darkest grays and blacks look great on the back, and the greens really sparkle against them. Full disclosure- I did keep a chunk of Kona Black for future use.  With all of the quilts I've made lately, my scrap jars are starting to get full again, and I love using solid black for the binding on scrap quilts.

I love how the woodgrain quilting shows up so well on the back!  By the way, I neglected to get a good photo of the binding of this quilt, but if you scroll back up to the quilt close up, you'll notice a cute green and white Coke bottle print in the bottom left block.  I used it for the binding, and it reads almost like a green and white stripe.

Okay, y'all!  It's almost time to party, but before we do, let's check out some of the awesome highlights from last week.  This scrap beauty is from Maggie at Making a Lather-

Sew Preeti Quilts shared this lovely quilt.  I love the rich fall colors of these blossoms-

And finally, check out this gorgeous quilt from Sandra at mmm...quilts-

Alrighty friends, 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!  :)

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!  :)