Needle and Thread Thursday Time!

Welcome to another NTT, friends!  I can't believe it, but summer is officially on the wind-down around here.  School starts in a mere week and a half, and this is the time around our house that we clean out closets and toys, get everything organized, and make sure we're fully prepared to kick off the school year.  I have been working on a mini quilt for a swap that my guild is doing, but I can't reveal that quite yet!  So, we'll all just ogle some of the lovelies that were linked up last week... and oh boy, were there some stunners!

Like this beautiful Kaffe and Essex linen quilt by Elise at Lovelea Designs.

Or the progress being made on this Technicolor Galaxy quilt by Jayne at Twiggy and Opal.

And even this pretty quilt by Beth at Cooking Up Quilts!

So much awesomeness!  Time to link up your latest projects!

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!

Clementine Baby Quilt

My wild thing spent the week at my parents' house last week, so they brought him back to us and visited this weekend.  After making my Posy quilt, I had several bits of fabric left over and I decided to turn them into a little baby quilt, and this project was the perfect thing to squeeze in before hosting out of town company.

I just love this fabric line, and since I had enough left over for another project, I just couldn't bear to put them into my scrap jars.  Besides, when I have lots of coordinating scraps at one time, turning them into baby and preemie quilts is one way that I keep them from completely taking over my studio.  

I found this awesomely bright Denyse Schmidt polkadot for the backing.  It's hard to tell in this photo, but the polkadots are outlined in dark green to really make them pop against the lemon yellow; and the turquoise tonal polkadot binding frames it nicely.  I'm not sure you can ever have too many polkadots!  This little quilt measures right at 42 inches square, and is destined for my cousin, who has a baby girl due later this year.  

After making this quilt, I only had four scrap pieces to put into my jars.  That feels like a victory to me!  Of course, I can't always use every single piece of fabric, and every summer, I purge my scrap jars with quilts like my Shattered Rainbow and Kitchen Sink.  

So, what's your system for keeping your scraps in check?  Do you prefer to hold onto them until you have enough for a bigger project, or do you use them on smaller projects along the way like I do?  Do you like to work on leader-ender projects or tackle them all at once?  I know everyone works differently, and I would love to hear!

Odds and Ends and NTT

Happy NTT, friends!  Since getting back in town and picking up my machine from servicing, I've been working on a couple of small projects.  No... your eyes do not deceive you.  Despite the fact that this quilt is hand embroidered, I have NOT turned over a new leaf and suddenly decided that I like hand work.  I quilted this little baby quilt for my grandmother.

Ironically, even though my grandmother has quilted for years, these days she doesn't enjoy it nearly as much as she loves hand sewing.  Since she still loves giving baby quilts when a new great-grandchild is born, she asked if I would finish the embroidered quilt tops for her after she finishes them from now on.  Her embroidery is absolutely gorgeous and I loved being able to choose a backing, quilt, and bind this one for her.

I quilted with simple stippling with white thread, right over the embroidery (before washing), and it just blends right in, letting the embroidery shine.  The little giraffe is my favorite block!

I also made a couple of pillows for my mom to match the quilt I made for her last year.  Since the pillows are made from solid panels, they went together fairly quickly, but I must say that it was tricky to get ahold of the Chateau Rouge fabric.  Since the line has been around for awhile, I had to do some searching for the prints I wanted.  The red medallion print looks great on the front, with the busier tan print on the back of each.  These are going to look great in her living room!

Last week's party was really amazing, and filled with wonderful inspiration as always.  Maryse Makes Things linked up this stunning Swoon quilt top.

Beth at Cooking Up Quilts showed off his pretty finished top.

and I love the colors in this quilt from Beth at Hello Quilty Lady.

I loved browsing all of the fantastic projects last week while I traveled, and I can't wait to see this week's link-ups!  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!

Christmas Gift Pillow and a Giveaway!

'Tis the season for Christmas in July, and I am thrilled to get the opportunity to participate in the holiday series for the Benartex blog, Sew in Love With Fabric.  For my stop on the blog hop, I made a tutorial for an 18-inch Christmas gift inspired pillow!

This pillow is made with the gorgeous Ornamental Splendor fabric line, and goes together really quickly.  I am delighted to let you know that the kind folks at Benartex are giving away a fat quarter bundle of this beautiful collection.

To enter the giveaway, become a follower of the Benartex blog, Sew in Love With Fabric, and leave a comment to let me know how you follow.  I'll announce the winner at next week's NTT.

Good luck to all, and hop over to Sew in Love With Fabric to check out the full tutorial, along with all of the other fantastic projects being showcased this week!

Posy Pattern!

Hooray!  My latest pattern, Posy, is finished and now in my Craftsy and Etsy shops!  I love how this pattern looks like a bunch of delicate flowers.

The Clementine fabrics that I used for the quilts are soft, and although I love them in person, the photos didn't show off the negative space in the quilt as well as I'd hoped.  So, I included a more vibrant electronic rendering on the cover as well.  You can really see the way the ordered placement of light and dark fabrics changes the look of the quilt versus a scrappier layout.

This was a fun quilt to make, and includes all traditional piecing (no curves!).  I hope you'll check it out in my shop!

NTT!

My days all start to run together when I travel, and I almost let NTT slip by!  Of course, travel also means that I am lacking any new sewing progress, so we'll get right down to last week's highlights!

Mary at Fleur de Lis Quilts linked up this awesome modern cross quilt.

Jen's Crafts and Quilts Scrapbook showed off this pretty plus quilt is my favorite shades of blue and green.

and this simple and fun HST quilt by Myra at Busy Hands Quilts is fantastic!

Let's get down to this week's party!  Bring it 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!

Posy and a Label Winner!

I finished up my latest quilt last night, and I'm really happy with the way it turned out.  I've named this one Posy, since the pattern is reminiscent of a bunch of flowers with wide open petals, and I can't wait to get the pattern finished.

Despite my very best efforts, I could not seem to get the soft pink in this quilt to photograph accurately.  It looks a little bit washed out, but in person, the color is soft, but definitely doesn't blend into the background.

I used 25 out of the total 28 prints on the front (more than necessary, but that's just how I roll), so that left a good chunk out of each fat quarter left over.  Even with a scrappy binding, I had plenty for a pieced backing, and I even got to work in the other three prints on the back.  I love that the giant bricks on the back really show off these gorgeous fabrics.

Another thing that didn't really photograph well, though in person it shows up nicely, is the pretty cross/crown shape created by the negative space.  I always love to design patterns that have more than one interesting shape.

The only stumbling block I ran across was with the binding.  I chose to take advantage of the abundant fabric and create a scrappy binding, and since the background of the quilt is white, scrappy works.  Well, I must have had some bad binding karma, because I had a joining seam in every. single. corner.  grrr... I have no idea how that happened!  I never measure out my binding beforehand to make sure that doesn't happen, but it was such a pain to get nice crisp corners, from now on, I just might!

We are heading out of town to visit family soon, and you can be sure I'm taking my computer along so that I can work on this pattern if we have any downtime.  Be on the lookout for it!

Okay, so I promise that I'm not going to show you a photo of my quilt labels on every single post from now on, but they're still so new and exciting, I couldn't resist one more quick glimpse.  Plus, it's time to announce the winner of the label giveaway from FinerRibbon, so I thought it was fitting!

There were 187 entries in the giveaway.  Wow!  The winner is lucky comment number 114, Deb Franklin.  Congratulations, Deb!  If you didn't win, I hope you will still check out FinerRibbon for gorgeous, custom labels and excellent customer service!

Deb (Neddo) FranklinJuly 8, 2015 at 6:41 AM

I love these labels! I have some from another company that I am almost out of, but not thrilled with them because of their rough edge. Would love to order from this supplier! 

ReplyDelete

By the way, NTT is still on this week, even though we will be traveling, so I'll see you then!

Oh My Darlin'

...Clementine!  I love the Clementine fabric collection by Heather Bailey.  The colors are soft and pretty, but the orange and ginger colors thrown in keeps the whole look from being overly precious.  I'm so glad I finally got around to making this quilt.  I came up with the design (I'm calling it Posy) way back in November, but it just sat in my sketch book, waiting for fabric inspiration to strike.

My machine is due for servicing, and I'm working to finish this one last quilt before taking it in.  I've put the service off for a few weeks, waiting to take it in when we are traveling so I won't miss it too much.

If all goes to plan, I can finish this quilt then take it in, and by the time we get home, she'll be all ready to go.  I do have a lovely backup machine that I use for piecing (an Elna Quilter's Dream), inherited from my great aunt, but since free motion quilting depends so much on the "feel" of the machine, I save my quilting for my Bernina.

Now that the top is done, I can't wait to finish the quilt and release the pattern!  You can bet I'll be working on it while we're away.

NTT and Fabric Please!

Welcome to another Needle and Thread Thursday!  I just can't believe how quickly the summer is clipping along.  No new progress to show you since revealing my Christmas in July Poinsettia Table Topper.  Oh, and if you missed it, check out my new labels and be sure to enter the giveaway HERE! I did start cutting into my brand new Clementine bundle, and I'm working on a brand new pattern with it though.  Look at these luscious hues-

Speaking of stash building, I am so pleased to introduce a new sponsor, Fabric Please!  Rita, the owner, is a wife and mom to a teenage son, as well as to two Portuguese Water Dogs.  All of that keeps her on her toes, but as a lifelong lover of sewing and fabric, she had an "aha" moment one day and decided to open a fabric shop.  If you've been around the quilt blogging world for awhile, you may know Rita from her blog Pinpricked Fingers.  Of course now, all of her latest projects are found on her shop's newsletter instead.  Check it out HERE!

Fabric Please! carries a wide variety of quilting cottons, some flannels, knits, and even burlap!  She stocks some of my very favorite designers, including Tula Pink, Michael Miller, Anna Maria Horner, Parson Gray, Katarina Rochella, and the list goes on and on!

She also stocks a few notions and patterns, and she keeps it limited to things she personally uses, in order to ensure that she is familiar with every item she sells.  Plus, her shipping rates are amazing!  Fabric Please! always offers flat rate shipping regardless of package size- (Canada- $8, US- $15, International- $30).

Until July 31st, Fabric Please! is offering 20% off of your orders!  Just use the code INFATUATION at checkout.  Happy shopping!
Now, let's get to the highlights from last week's party, shall we?  It's always difficult to choose the features for the week, but this week it was especially hard.  There was so much fantastic inspiration linked up last week! Sandy at Upstairs Hobby Room shared her fun Wiggle Me quilt.  She's starting a Quilt Along with this pattern!

Ida Rather Be Quilting linked up her modern nautical baby quilt, and I love the fresh color palette.

and Made by Chrissie D showed off her finished Yuma quilt top.  

Seriously.  I probably could have chosen five more!  Can't wait to see what you're working on this week.  Let's party, y'all!

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!

Label Obsession and a Giveaway!

Y'all know I am a true believer in labeling your quilts.  I think it is very important to sign your work, and although I love the labels that I make by hand, sometimes I'm in a hurry and want to skip the step of making the label, and frankly, sometimes I really want labels that look more professional.  So, check out my brand new labels, and keep reading to find out how you can win a whole spool- that's 1000!- custom designed labels for yourself.

I love them sooo much!  I really had a hard time finding labels that I could have printed in color that were not prohibitively expensive.  I found my labels at FinerRibbon, and I'm so glad I stumbled across their site!  I was even able to put care symbols on the back!

I sent them my logo, and let them know what I wanted on my label, and their company worked with me to make sure I was pleased.  They sent me a proof that was perfectly to scale, so I was able to print, cut, and fold it to make sure it was exactly the way I wanted it before printing.  And even though I changed my mind a few times on the layout of my label, they really were awesome to work with and never lost patience with me.

When my giant spool of 1000 full-color, fully washable labels arrived, I was positively giddy.  I let Peter from FinerRibbon know that I loved them and couldn't wait to let my readers know how awesome they were, and how easy they were to use.  Just cut along the preprinted cutting lines, fold, and sew into the binding on the back of your quilt!

It was then that Peter asked about whether other quilters might be interested in professional, custom quilt labels and ribbon, and asked about sponsorship.  I let him know that I thought that surely others would appreciate adding this professional touch to their quilts.  My experience with FinerRibbon was so amazing, and I am proud to introduce them as my newest sponsor!


FinerRibbon offers labels in seven different sizes and printing in unlimited colors!  Some other advantages are-

• Free digital sample approval process after your purchase-  This was important for me, because you know your labels will be exactly what you want!
• Labels are fully washable
• Print any logo with any font style
• No limitations on any layout or size requirements
• Multiple color printing
• Precise Pantone Color matching
• CSPA compliant and non-toxic inks
• Soft label material will not irritate skin

I just cannot say enough positive things about my new labels, as well as the impeccable customer service I received from FinerRibbon.  To kickoff their sponsorship, FinerRibbon is generously offering a spool of custom-designed labels to one lucky reader, in any size up to 1.5 inches, in any design you choose.  My labels are 2.25 inches, so the giveaway is a size smaller, but still big enough to make a super cute, professional-looking tag.  All you need to do to enter is leave a comment here!  Mr. Random will help me choose a winner on Sunday evening, 7/12.  Good luck to all, and be sure to pop over and check them out!

This giveaway has now ended!  Thanks so much to all who entered!  :)

Christmas in July at Fort Worth Fabric Studio

Remember that secret sewing project I mentioned at our last Needle and Thread Thursday?  Well, I'm so happy that today I get to reveal it to you as part of Fort Worth Fabric Studio's Christmas in July series, kicking off today!

This Poinsettia table topper uses Kate Spain's new holiday line, Jingle, and it was so much fun to make!  Head on over to the Fort Worth Fabric Studio blog for the full tutorial, and don't forget to keep visiting for the next couple of weeks for lots of other fantastic Christmas tutorials!