Spectrum and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  I finished up my striped rainbow quilt, and it has already been delivered to its new home.  There aren't many things that make me smile bigger than seeing a child wrap up in a newly finished quilt.  I just love knowing that it will be treasured.

This large periwinkle Amy Bulter print was just perfect for this purple-loving preteen, and since I needed to widen it out to 70 inches, I added a Kona Purple stripe;  and the Kona Turquoise binding ties both sides together quite nicely!

This quilt is going to be a focal point in her room, and she asked for a pillow to match.  I knew I didn't want to be too matchy with more stripes, so I decided to go with an improv strip, with the colors blending gradually across the pillow.  I really like the way it turned out!

Even though this quilt and pillow are bright, colorful, and appealing for a preteen, I really tried to make something that she would love even after her decor changes.

So, let's get to the party!  Check out some of the amazing quilts that really caught my eye from last week!    Like this bright beauty from Donnaleeq-

Or this sweet Shortcake quilt from re*engineered.

and this fantastic Fleet and Flourish quilt from Once Sewn-  (just noticed that apparently I'm into alliteration today).

Love the inspiration week after week!  Can't wait to see what's happening this week!  Party on, 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!

*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!  :)

Bold Stripes

Hey there, friends.  I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter Sunday yesterday.  After early church, we spent a quiet day at home, and it really was wonderful, especially since yesterday was also the last day of Spring Break, and wild thing heads back to school this morning.  I've been working on a new quilt for a preteen girl, and it has been an easy, breezy quilt to put together.  Incidentally, this is the big sister of the recipient of my Seeing Double quilt;  she just took a little longer than her sister to decide on the design and colors she wanted.  She saw this backing on my Snippets quilt, and decided that the bright colors and funky feel were perfect for her room.

These bold rainbow stripes in varying widths were really quick to put together, but the most fun part was playing with the colors to make them blend gradually down the quilt.  In fact, I got a little carried away when I was choosing fabrics (y'all know I love a rainbow), and ended up having to really pare down the number of fabrics.  I decided on 17 different fabrics, but I think I started with around 24, before I realized that the stripes would all have to be really skinny to fit that many prints into a quilt this size.  This quilt will finish at 70 inches square,  and the stripes range from 2-6 inches in width.

The recipient's favorite color is purple, so her mom asked if I would make the rainbow purple-heavy.  Since the top is relatively minimal in design, this quilt is getting a large-scale floral backing with lots of purple.  I know none of you are one bit surprised that I chose an Amy Butler print- it's called Paradise Garden from the Love collection, and the colors are just delectable.

This one is sure to be a quick finish, and I hope to have it all ready to reveal at this week's Needle and Thread Thursday.  We shall see!

Distortion and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  This week, my wild thing is on Spring Break, and so he and I decided to take a trip down to Baton Rouge to visit my family for a few days.  We left the hubs and the dog at home, so the trip was a little different from the usual, but it was a really fun way to kick off Spring Break.  I finished up this quilt before we left, but since we just got back yesterday afternoon, I'm just getting around to sharing!

From the very beginning, the bright improv scraps paired with the black and white sketch reminded me of distorted screen images when a TV signal is messed up; and I think the oversized chevron layout just adds to that effect, so I decided to name this quilt Distortion.

I really had a tough time deciding on the backing for this one though.  Sometimes, when a quilt has so many colors, the choices are just too many.  I finally settled on this large floral print, and I love that it picks up the reds and yellows in the quilt.  It is a Koko Lee print that I found on the designer aisle at my JoAnn, and it is really soft.

I decided on a Kona Chartreuse binding for this quilt, and I think the color is just funky enough to match the feel of all of those improv bits.

This quilt was FUN from start to finish, and I can't wait to start teaching this class.  In fact, I'm going to be teaching it in June at my favorite quilt shop in Baton Rouge, Red Stick Quilt Shop.  With a great variety in scraps, background fabric, and layout, I can't wait to see all of the lovely variations of this one!

I also realized that I never shared this little mini with you here.  I snapped a quick Instagram photo, but I wanted to be sure that my blog friends get to see it as well.  My guild president had the fantastic idea to organize a Thoroughly Modern Mini Swap with all of the MQG chapters in Tennessee (we have four- Memphis Area, Chattanooga, Knoxville, and Music City/Nashville).  It is such a fun way to connect across our state!  I decided to dive into my aqua scraps, and make a structured improv argyle mini for my partner.  The finished mini is 18 inches square.  I can't wait to mail it to her!

We have one last piece of business to attend to before we link up, and that is to choose the winner of the fun fat quarter bundle from Fat Quarter Shop!  Comment number 78, delaineelliot, is the lucky winner.  Congratulations!  I'll be contacting you by email soon so I can get your shipping address!

Okay then!  Time to check out some of the beauties that were linked up last week.  I had the privilege of seeing this oh-so-gorgeous Wavelength quilt in person at our guild sew-in, made by my friend Lori at Crossquilt.

This Lone Starburst quilt by QuiltFabrication is such a neat version of a Lone Star quilt!

and I would be remiss if I didn't include this stunning Anna Maria Horner Epic Medallion finish by Quilty Habit.   Just WOW!

 Y'all keep me inspired each and every week, and I can't wait to see what you share this week.  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!

*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!  :)

Lazy Wins Again, and NTT

Once again, my scrap jars runneth over.  Occasionally when that happens, I don't mind sorting and cutting the contents of my jars into uniform sizes for a specific pattern (like when I made Snippets, my Scrappy X+ quilt), but most of the time, I prefer to make quilts with them using improv piecing.  I really do love the freeing feeling of sewing without a plan, and if I'm being 100% honest, it's a great way to sew for someone like me, who's just a little bit lazy and likes to quilt in the fast lane.

I love being able to dump out some scraps and just start putting them together; and most of the time, I keep sewing until the jars are completely empty to make one gigantic quilt (like Serendipity or Shattered Rainbow).  This time though, I decided to take a slightly different approach.  Instead of one huge quilt, I am going to bust through all of my scraps with several smaller quilts between other projects (which I realize is probably the more "normal" way of doing things).  I'm still not going to do any cutting, but it will require a tiny bit of sorting.  My Vertigo quilt was the first product of this planned scrap busting, but make no mistake, there are still lots of scraps to go.

After Vertigo was finished, I decided to do some structured improv by pairing scraps with this awesome black and white sketch print, and I'm really thrilled with the way they look together.  So thrilled in fact, that I've decided to add this fun quilt to my class offerings.  This quilt is a great way to dip your toe into improv piecing if you're not quite comfortable with it (or a fun way to play, even if you are).  By using your own treasured scraps, choosing your perfect background fabric, and even your own layout, there are so many ways to make the quilt uniquely yours.  The layout options are practically endless, and I couldn't resist playing around before I sewed my own blocks together.

Check out my Teaching page for more info, or just send me an email if you'd like to learn or perfect this technique with your group!

In case you missed it, last week's party was full of amazing inspiration!  Here are some of the projects that really caught my eye!  This Nighttime Blossoms quilt by Barb at Mountain Quiltworks is gorgeous!

Jen's Crafts and Quilts Scrapbook shared this lovely quilt, and the photo setting is magical!

and just look at this adorable mini from Monkey Needle!

I can't wait to see what you bring to this week's party!  Oh, and by the way, there's a giveaway going on right now, so after you link up, be sure to head over and enter HERE!

Alright, let's link up!

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!

*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!  :)

Vertigo

My husband has a PhD in synthetic organic chemistry, and as you may guess, that suggests a few things about his personality.  He appreciates the reason and predictability of hard science, and enjoys those things in life as well.  Personally, I see it as part of my mission in life to help him break out of his box.

When I work on a quilt that is so irregular in its design, I love to ask my incredibly supportive, yet symmetry-loving husband how he likes it...and watch him squirm as he tries to figure out what to say, while trying not to hurt my feelings.  "Uh, well you know?  It's certainly different;  um...and colorful;  and I mean, it definitely is modern."  haha!  Is it wrong that I know he won't like it, but ask him his opinion anyway, all while laughing on the inside?  Yep.  Just hand me my horns and pitchfork now.  I did let him off the hook after just a little while, so I'm not completely heartless, but again- my mission.

I had so much fun diving into my scrap jars for this one, and I decided to quilt it with all over swirls.  I'm going to level with you here.  The choice of swirls was because I knew that my swirls still needed some work, and I knew that this crazy design would perfectly hide any imperfect quilting, though I do think they fit the feel of the quilt.

I love black and white prints paired with loud rainbow scraps, so I chose a polkadot for the backing; and in keeping with the spirit of the quilt, leftover binding pieces frame this scrap-happy quilt nicely.

After letting my hubby off the hook, he admitted that this quilt was not his cup of tea, and said that he just couldn't look at it.  He jokingly said that the asymmetry made his skin crawl, and that lack of symmetry with all of the bright colors could cause Vertigo.  I think that's an excellent name for it!

Carrelage and Party Time!

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  I'm ecstatic to share my Carrelage quilt and pattern with you.  Not a single snowball corner, half square triangle, or partial/Y-seam, but one really cool pattern!

This pattern came about while I was playing around with some scrap strips and slicing them to see what I could do.  I'm thinking that I should really play around with scraps more often, because I love the result!  It may look difficult, but seriously y'all, if you can sew strips together and use a rotary cutter, you can make this quilt.  The other neat thing, is that the placement of the white sashing means that the block comes together with very minimal seam matching.

All of my leftover fabric was used to make a scrappy backing, and I am loving how the sunlight is shining through it in this photo.  I had a tough time deciding on a binding color though.  Since I didn't have a clear preference for a specific color, I went with the blush for the sake of practicality- I already had enough of the most vibrant blush fabric in my stash.  Waste not, want not!

Another little note about the colors here.  I use tons of navy and teal/aqua in my quilts, but this shade of blush/peachy pink is one that I almost never use.  I realized that I have collected a few fabrics in this color here and there, and they have been sitting in my stash for awhile, so I purposely tried to find a home for them in this quilt.  I think the color looks soft and fresh against the navy and teal, and although it's not a usual color choice for me, I like it!

I just love creating patterns that look much more difficult than they really are.  The Carrelage pattern is available in my Craftsy and Etsy shops, and I hope you'll take a look if you're looking for a quilt with some wow factor!

My, oh my!  The links in last weeks party were scrumptious.  There was so much fun inspiration with every single click, like this Rainbow in a Box quilt by Snug Harbor Quilts.

Carol Quilts Sometimes shared this Dresden quilt made with Priory Square fabrics.  Such a beauty!

And this Rainbow Stars quilt by Twiggy and Opal is just amazing.  The entire thing only measures 15.5" square, and those teeny black squares in this mini are only 1/4 inch finished.  That is crazy and awesome, all at the same time!

This week, I think I could have picked about five more that were truly gorgeous, so if you didn't get a chance to really browse through last week's links, you should definitely take some time to be inspired.  I have no doubt that this week's party will be full of awesomeness, too!

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!

*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!  :)

Creating Illusion

Y'all, I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about my newest quilt design.  What began as playing around with scraps turned into this quilt with such an intriguing pattern.

You know, most of us probably have a favorite part of the quilting process.  Some really love piecing, but prefer to quilt "by checkbook," others piece a quilt (or use whole cloth), only to look forward to filling it with the most intricate quilting motifs, and still others relish hand binding as a peaceful way to finish the quilt and say goodbye to it (not me- I'm a machine binding girl all the way).  Just for the record, I don't know anyone who loves basting;  it really is the devil.

I enjoy most parts of the quilting process (again, the basting- ugh.), but when other quilters have asked me what my very favorite part is, I have always answered "finishing it."  We all love finishing our quilts, but for me, it's more specific than that.  Truly, my favorite part of the quilting process is seeing a design that was once only in my own mind, take shape and become the reality of a finished quilt.  I am always most proud of the designs that create the illusion of difficulty, but are created with basic piecing techniques.  This pattern definitely fits that description.  If you can believe it, there isn't a single snowball corner or HST!

As soon as I saw this design all together, I thought it was reminiscent of antique encaustic or cement tiles; but of course, that doesn't make for a very pretty name.  In searching for a more appropriate name for this pattern, I did a little research on the history of the art of creating these tiles, and it seems that many believe that they originated in France.  According to my findings, the French call these tiles "carrelage encaustique," so I've decided to name this pattern Carrelage, which literally translates to tiling.

I am looking forward to my favorite part- finishing it up!

The Party Is On!

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  I am currently working on a project with blush, navy, and teal, and I simply cannot wait to show it to you.  For now though, you'll have to settle for a shot of the fabric pull.

I also had the pleasure of making a quilt for a friend who is a diehard University of Memphis fan.  Of course, I root for the Tigers of the purple and gold variety, but I know my friend will love this quilt, and living in the Memphis metro area means that I have LOTS of UM fan friends.  FYI-there is some identifying information monogrammed onto the white corner blocks, so I have blocked them out, since this quilt is a surprise.

The biggest challenge with this quilt was finding fabrics in the right shades of blue and gray.  UM is a smaller school, so there is only one licensed fabric in production.  I had to hunt the rest down.  I must say though, that Cotton and Steel tiger print with the royal blue hearts, the tiger stripe with gray and white grunge background, and the blue and gray triangle print are perfect in this quilt.

The backing is pieced with all of the scraps from the top, and a solid cobalt blue binding frames everything nicely.  I can't wait for her to get it.  She is going to flip out!

So, onto last week's party highlights!  Oh my goodness- this MINI Swoon, from Tish's Adventure in Wonderland is too cute.

 This piece of awesomeness by A Pigeon in Pungo was designed after a city map.  So cool!

and the use of color in this quilt, shared by Quilt Fabrication is really pretty.

Alrighty friends!  Time to show off the latest from your studio!

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!

*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!  :)