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Sunday, March 29, 2015

Glorious

Happy Sunday, y'all! My wild thing sang a duet in church this morning, and since then, we have just been enjoying family time and the glorious spring weather.  I got all of the blocks for my latest quilt finished last night, and took a few minutes this afternoon to put the top together though.


I am just loving the colors in this quilt.  The bright, fresh colors of a beautiful sunny sky have been really fun to work with.  I made the quilt using my Purse Strings Block Tutorial, and it went together pretty quickly.  The blocks finish at 15 inches, so that helps things go fast.

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year, and I hope you're enjoying some family time, and some gorgeous weather as well!


Thursday, March 26, 2015

SO LATE!!

Oh my goodness!  It has happened again.  Thursday sneaked up on me and I completely forgot to post NTT last night.  I'm sending a big "thanks" to my friend and guild-mate, Janet from Simply Pieced, for the reminder text this morning.  Of course, I couldn't do anything about it from my classroom, so my post just had to wait until after school this afternoon.  Needless to say, I am so sorry for the late party, friends!

I have been working on a new quilt with navy, yellow, and aqua but I haven't gotten any photos yet, so be on the lookout for that very soon!  Oh, and if you haven't entered the giveaway I have going on, check out my post HERE to enter!

I feel like I'm playing catch-up, but I would be amiss if I didn't feature some of the fantastic projects from last week's party.

Check out this X+ masterpiece from Measuring Success.  If you missed this one, you have to check out the beautiful, rustic photos!


or how about this adorable Elephant Parade quilt from Tanya Quilts in CO.  Adorable!


and this quilt from Jo Butterfield is a patriotic beauty!



Let's party, y'all.  Better late, than never!

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!


Tuesday, March 24, 2015

March Mini Giveaway!

Hey y'all!  Have you heard that Fat Quarter Shop is sponsoring March Mini Madness?  The month of March is the time to whip up a little mini quilt and show it off on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with the tag #marchminis!  There are still several days left in the month, and plenty of fabulous prizes, so jump right in!

In honor of March Mini Madness, Fat Quarter Shop has graciously offered to sponsor a giveaway for my lovely readers as well.  Read on for the details!


For my mini, I used the Speck pattern, and rummaged through my scrap jars for the perfect little bits.  I had to modify the size to suit my needs, but the pattern was quick, fun, and simple to follow.  This entire little thing is only 14 inches square, and contains 147 pieces.  I must say though, even with all of those pieces it went together more quickly than I expected.

Instead of binding it, I just sewed it right sides together with batting (leaving an opening) and then turned it out.  I topstitched around the edge, quilted it, and this mini was all ready for it's new home.  By the way, I backed this quilt in a scrap piece of big black and white polkadots, but neglected to take a pic of the back.  Apologies!


It is the perfect little mat for the area beside my sewing machine and brightens my sewing space so much!  It will be great for keeping my seam ripper from rolling around and will perfectly soak up every drop of condensation from the drinks I will inevitably sit upon it.  Eek... it makes me happy!

Okay friends!  Here are the details of the giveaway.  Fat Quarter Shop is graciously providing a PDF of the Speck pattern that I used, along with two mini charm packs of the Color Theory line- plenty of mini squares for creating a sweet little mini of your own.


All you need to do to enter the giveaway is leave a comment on this post.  Make sure that I can contact you!  I'll use a random number generator to select a winner next Tuesday, 3/31.    Good luck to all, and happy mini sewing!


Saturday, March 21, 2015

Country Girl Chic

Well, I have made the most of the remaining days of my Spring Break, and finished the hot pink and camouflage quilt this morning.  I hope it is exactly what the recipient had in mind.


Even though the camouflage isn't "in your face," I really think (hope) it's just enough.  Plus, as I mentioned in my last post, I included a large chunk at the top of the backing, so that when it is turned down on the bed, there will be plenty visible.


The section of pink camo on the back is 25 inches wide, so it can be turned down quite a bit to just see the camo, but if she wants to turn the quilt back a little further, she will see a bit of the cute brown polkadot as well.


Another thing that was requested was a monogram on one of the blocks, and I think it adds such a cute, personal touch.  I decided to put the monogrammed block on the bottom corner so that it will drape off of the end of the bed.



I had just enough fabric left over for a scrappy binding, and I like the way it frames the quilt.  The finished quilt measures approximately 81" x 99" and will fit her queen sized bed perfectly!

All in all, even though this quilt in not my personal preference, I think it turned out well.  Because it is so far outside of my usual style, this quilt was tough for me.  I have second guessed myself throughout the entire process, and I am looking forward to sending it off to its new home.  I truly hope she loves it!


Wednesday, March 18, 2015

Spring Break NTT!

I have been on spring break this week, and it has already been fantastic.  I rode the train from Memphis down to Louisiana all by myself, and spent a couple of days antiquing, shopping, and visiting my parents and grandparents.  My sister joined us from Houston (sans family as well), and it was such a fun time.  It was a neat experience to be back in our parents' house where we grew up, with just the four of us again.  I've been married for over 16 years, and this is the first time I've taken a trip by myself.  Before I left though, I put together the hot pink and camo quilt commission quilt top.


I like how it is turning out, but now I am a little bit worried that the camo isn't prominent enough in the design.  When I planned the quilt, I envisioned the entire thing taking on a camo look, with all of the shades of camouflage represented in the blocks, but now that the top is done, I wonder if that is what she had in mind?  I am planning a large chunk of pink camo on the backing, and I think I'm going to put it at the top of the quilt so that when it is turned down on the bed, it will be very visible.  What do you think?

Anyway, let's not let my ramblings keep us from the party!  Check out some of my faves from last week's link up-

My Pieced Life shared her Fairgrounds quilt made with Scrumptious fabrics.  Oh yes.  This quilt is scrumptious indeed.  Can't wait to see it finished!


Jess at Quilty Habit linked up her finished Pebble Cascade quilt.  What a gorgeous representation of modern quilting!


and Leigh Laurel Studios showed off this flowering snowball mini!  Love it!


Okay quilty friends.  I hope you're enjoying some glorious spring days, and that it is inspiring you to create some fabric awesomeness!  Let's see 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.  
4. Spread the comment love far and wide!
5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!


Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Camo and Hot Pink, and NTT

Welcome to another NTT, friends!  I've been working on a commission quilt for the last few days that is waaaaayyyy out of my comfort zone.  The recipient is a teenage girl who loves the outdoors and wants a camouflage and hot pink quilt for her (queen sized!) bed.  Yep.  Like I said, way out of my comfort zone.


She and her mom scoped out my other quilts and specifically asked for my Courtyard Tiles pattern.  I'm a little unsure of the juxtaposition of two such different styles, but we'll see how it goes.  I'm still playing around with the layout of the blocks, and crossing my fingers that she likes it.  Next week is Spring Break, so I'll hopefully be able to knock this one out and get it shipped off!

So, let's hop right into the highlights from last week's party!

Dee's Doodles shared these pretty grannies that make me wish for spring-


Patch the Giraffe showed off not one, but TWO sweet little quilts.


and Tanya Quilts in CO linked her rainbow curved log cabin top.


Let's party, friends!

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!


Friday, March 6, 2015

Snips and Snails

...and puppy dog tails.  That's what little boys are made of;  and I can't wait to get my newest quilt packaged up and shipped off to my newborn nephew!


As you can tell, the Memphis area finally got some real snow.  It's just a few inches, but that's enough to play in.  We have already had several days off of school for winter weather this year, but all we've gotten is ice, so this is a wonderful change.  These past couple of snow days have afforded me just the break I needed to get this quilt done.

Vast expanses of snow would make some really beautiful pictures, but when you have a ten year old boy, no snow is left pristine.  This snow has been used for everything from sledding to snowball fights, and my wild thing has been having a blast in it.


When I was cutting the fabric for this quilt, I was in such a hurry that I completely forgot that my fabric was doubled, and ended up cutting double the number of bricks I needed...oops!  Well, waste not, want not!  The extra bricks made the back of the quilt a little busier that I would rather, but I still like it.



I had this cute royal blue pin dot print in my stash, and I think it frames all of the blues in this quilt perfectly.  My sister in law's favorite color is royal blue, so that just makes it even better!  The finished quilt measures 56 x 56 inches, so it's a size and style that he will really be able to use for many years.

Every new baby (and parents) need burp cloths, so I also sewed up a few of these to include in the package.  I always keep some of the cloth diapers on hand, and I pick up flannel remnants all the time so I can make a set at a moment's notice.  They make such a cute and quick gift.  I tied this little bundle of three up with some of the binding fabric.


I figure that most of you already know how to make these, but if there is any interest, I could write a tutorial.  What do you think?

oh, and ps- now that we've gotten some snow...bring on spring!


Wednesday, March 4, 2015

Baby Boy Sewing and NTT

Hello friends.  Welcome to another NTT!  Well, once again west Tennessee is bracing for winter weather, and I'm a little torn by it.  I can't wait for the warmer weather of spring, but a big part of me still gets excited about snow days.  I'm currently working on two different quilts, a queen sized custom order, and a baby quilt for my nephew that was born just this afternoon.


You know me.  I usually don't work on more than one project at a time, but because of all of the snow elsewhere, one of the fabrics for my custom quilt has been delayed.  So, I took the opportunity to whip up this simple little baby quilt this morning entirely from my stash.  Well, I had to buy the background fabric (Kona Ash, by the way) because I just don't keep yardage of solids on hand, but close enough.  His nursery is decorated in shades of blue, so this will go quite nicely in the room.

I'm planning to put the backing for this one together tonight and get it basted and quilted within the next couple of days.  How about you?  Are you getting pummeled by winter weather, or have signs of spring already started appearing?  Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing the projects you're working on.  First though, check out some of the projects from last week's party.

Terri Ann from Childlike Fascination linked up her beautiful Wishing Upon Stars quilt.  If you missed it, you MUST check out the rest of the gorgeous photos of these bright fabrics against the snowy setting.


Porch Swing Quilts showed off her new quilt pattern, Flower.  Isn't it a beauty?


and last but not least, Kelli at Seriously... I Think it Needs Stitches shared her Trash to Treasure block tutorial.  I love sewing like this.  Each little random piece is so interesting, and there is virtually zero wasted fabric.  Win, win!


Okay y'all!  What fabulousness do you have ready to link up today?  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.  
4. Spread the comment love far and wide!
5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!


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