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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Needle and Thread Thursday (Early) and Happy Birthday USA!

Happy (almost) 4th of July everyone!  I'm posting Needle and Thread Thursday early this week and still leaving it open until Friday, since I  sincerely hope that all of you who live in the good old USA will be celebrating with family, enjoying picnics, and marveling at fireworks when Thursday actually arrives.  We're heading out of town at the crack of dawn to do exactly that.

Before I highlight projects from last week's Needle and Thread Thursday, and while we're on the subject of holidays, let's talk Christmas in July!  We are officially in the second half of the year, after all.  I'd like to share a couple of quilts I made in the spring but haven't blogged about, and haven't even added to the My Quilts page.  These are Christmas gifts for my mom and aunt.



Even though she knew I was making it, my aunt was adamant that she wanted it to be a surprise.  Well, when she came to visit and we started quilting, curiosity got the best of both of us.  If you missed my post about teaching my aunt to make her very first quilt, you can check it out HERE.  So, now that she's seen it (and my mom saw hers when I finished it), I'm free to add it here!

I had fabric panels from the book The Night Before Christmas that were meant to be made into cloth books.  I knew I only wanted to use the pictures for these quilts because although I liked the illustrations, I definitely didn't want the quilts to look childish- and the words had gotten stretched and distorted.  So, I trimmed them off and bordered the illustrations to make them a consistent size.  If you "read" the quilt, it tells the whole story.


Between the story blocks, are some simple rail fence blocks arranged in kind of a whirligig shape.  The two quilts are constructed in a similar way, but since I used many fabrics from my Christmas stash, many of the fabrics differ, which makes each one unique.  And, of course, I chose different backings.



Now check out some of the awesomeness that was linked to Needle and Thread Thursday last week!  

Adrianne at On the Windy Side linked this fantastic Kaleidoscope quilt.  Isn't it cheerful?



Emily at Sew ET shared her progress on this gorgeous rainbow project.  Wow, those pieces are tiny!


And Kim, at Windsor and Main showed us her newly finished Summer Picnic Quilt!  Fantastic!


Now it's time for you to link up and and share what you've got going on!  

Don't forget the guidelines-

1.  Let's keep it about quilting and sewing!
2. Link to your specific post to make it easier for others.
3. Spread the word and post my button or a text link. (the NTT button is in my sidebar)
4. Spread the comment love far and wide!
5. Following me is so very appreciated.  Let me know and I'll follow back!






21 comments:

  1. Hi Kelly! Thanks for visiting my blog (PugMom Quilts!) and for leaving me a comment. I LOVE your blog--such great projects. I really like your Christmas book panel quilt. It came out great. I joined your linky party this week. Happy 4th of July.

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  2. Thanks for the link up Kelly!

    I so heart everything Christmas. For me, the tackier and gaudier the better (not referring to your quilt, jut in general). I love the lights, sparkles, glitter, and general shine that comes with the season. Time for me to start getting excited because I expect to see a lot more posts like this one coming soon!

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  3. That's a very clever way to use the story book panels! I love the idea that the quilt tells a story, how nice. I can just picture your Aunt telling children the story at Christmas time while snuggling under it, snug and cozy. What a nice gift :)

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  4. Awesome again Kelly! Love the idea of mixing the story blocks with the whirly blocks. I have a panel of the Grinch that i want to use for my littles but there wasn't enough for a decent size quilt. i know what i'm going to do now!!

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  5. Cute quilt. Isn't it nice to actually use Christmas fabric? Mine is just sitting around...

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  6. Thanks for visiting my blog today!! Ok, I'm STRESSED by your Christmas quilt cause you're so organized for getting it done early! LOL. Looks really great - I know your aunt will love sharing the Night Before Christmas story!

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  7. I love the Night Before Christmas story. I have a book of it which features quilt blocks around the edges of the pages and the family have quilts on their beds.
    I'm now a follower and have joined the linky party

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  8. Gorgeous Christmas quilts! I couldn't believe it when I saw Christmas In July posts popping up, yes I knew it was July I just wasn't prepared for the Christmas bit! It takes me by surprise each year! :o)

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  9. Thanks for featuring my teeny rainbow medallion! It's coming along fairly well. I'm not going to kill myself trying to get those points to line up perfectly :) Love your Christmas quilt! Great use of a panel.

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  10. Thanks for the link up Kelly! Hope you had a great fourth! I just love all things Christmas and am getting ready to start some Christmas projects myself:)

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  11. That is definitely very Christmas'y. I love the rail fence blocks.

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  12. Great use of those story book panels. The quilt looks great! I have 2 Christmas tops done but I still need to quilt them. I got LOTS of time. (Famous last words, right!?!)

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  13. Kelly, your Christmas quilts are wonderful! And what a great way to use up your Christmas fabric stash! Whoop whoop!!

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  14. Those quilts turned out so fun! Love the idea of turning a fabric book into a quilt!

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  15. Thanks for the shout-out Kelly! I am getting a total Christmas in July craving at the moment, so your quilt is a sight for sore eyes!

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  16. Look at you getting a jump on the Christmas sewing!! Beautiful!

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  17. Cute!! And a great way to use those fabric books.

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  18. i love broadway musicals, too! especially rodgers and hammerstien.

    christmas in july!

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  19. Kelly, I've said it before but you amaze me - you keep churning out these fabulous quilts!!!!! :)

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  20. Your Christmas quilt is gorgeous. Neat pattern.

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  21. Kelly this was the perfect post to rejuvenate under our Tuesday Archive Christmas theme!! So glad you stop by! Always makes me smile to see your links.

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Thanks so much for your comment and for visiting! I read and appreciate every single comment, and I reply to each one as soon as I can. If you don't hear back from me, you might be a no-reply blogger. :)

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