Simple and Sweet, Winners, and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday!  This is my wild thing's very last week of elementary school, and it is bittersweet.  I can't believe he's heading to middle school in just two short months!  May is always jam-packed with activities, but it seems that there are even more since it is his last elementary year.  Sometimes in the middle of the madness, it helps to just sew something simple, and this quilt, made with Strawberry Fields leftovers from my Strawberry Season quilt was just what the doctor ordered.

I had enough leftovers to create this baby quilt, measuring 40" x 45", including plenty of fabric for the binding and most of the backing.  I did pull the green print from stash, but I think it blends nicely.

I am calling this one Berry Picking, and it is such a sweet little finish.  The thing that makes me the happiest with this quilt though, is the binding.  Y'all know I'm a machine binder all the way, and lately I've been playing around with a different method of attaching binding with a combination of my lap seam foot (Bernina foot #71) and my walking foot.  There is a tutorial for using this foot for binding HERE, but as written, that method just didn't work for me.  I've made so many modifications to the tutorial that it's not really the same, so I almost didn't even reference it, but that tutorial is the whole reason why I purchased this particular foot to begin with.  So, maybe you'll have better luck if you want to give it a try.

So, usually I pull my binding to the front past the first seam, which creates a seam on the back that runs beside the back binding like this-

Instead, lately I've been adjusting my binding strip width and needle placement so that I have a regular seam on BOTH the front and back of the binding.  I really like the clean, professional look of having a uniform seam on both sides of the binding.  I'm still perfecting it, but this is my most successful attempt thus far.  When I get it worked out perfectly, I'll let you know!

So, before we get to last week's highlights, I have some winners to announce!  The prizes this month were amazing, and I really wasn't kidding when I said that I am a teensy bit jealous that I couldn't win them myself!  As always, the winners were drawn in the order that the prizes appeared in the blog post.  The winner of the drool-worthy Turn Up the Volume bundle from Fat Quarter Shop is comment number 143, Deborah!

The winner of the drool-worthy Turn Up the Volume bundle from Fat Quarter Shop is comment number 143, Deborah!

Comment number 80, GranChris is the winner of the Flower Sugar Holiday bundle, sponsored by Fort Worth Fabric Studio- lucky lady!

Next up is the winner of the $25 gift certificate to LouLou's Fabric Shop.  The winner is Jean, with comment number 103.  I know you'll have a blast spending that, Jean!

And last, but certainly not least, comment number 50, Linda, is the winner of the beautiful low volume bundle of Little Ruby fabrics.






Congratulations to all four of the winners.  I'll be contacting you lucky ladies ASAP to get information from you so that you can get your goodies!

Okay, time to get down to business with the utterly amazing highlights from last week's party!  Ruth at Charly & Ben's Crafty Corner linked up this adorable ticker tape silhouette quilt- and she shared the process!  So cool!

This Ruby granny square beauty is by Jennie at Porch Swing Quilts and it is just lovely!

and this pretty quilt is by Amanda at The Cozy Pumpkin, for her daughter's teacher.  I know she'll treasure it.

Are you ready for some fresh inspiration this week?  Let's party!

**NTT will be taking a vacation next week, so we'll party next on June 8th.  See you then!

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!  :)

It's Not Easy...Being Green

Pardon me while I date myself as a child of the 80's with Kermit the Frog's signature song.  Despite the fact that I haven't heard it in over three decades, as I worked on this quilt, that song kept working its way into my mind.  I'm okay with it, though.  I'll gladly own up to my love for the Muppets!

I am so pleased with the way this quilt turned out.  I was able to fit 34 different greens (all from stash) into this quilt, and they play so nicely all together.  I love how green, depending on the specific shade, can be earthy or opulent, soothing or energizing, soft and sweet, or loud and brash.  I guess lots of colors run the gamut of emotion like that, but I notice it more so with greens because they are my favorite.

I just had one little hiccup in getting this one finished.  Someone in my guild was destashing her thread, and I got a whole cone of Superior Threads King Tut variegated green thread. I intended to use it for piecing and quilting, and the piecing went off without a hitch, but when it came to quilting, my machine just wasn't having it.

I have never used a thread stand, since I usually just use regular spools that fit my Bernina.  I put the cone in a mason jar behind my machine and that worked well for piecing.  Not so much for the quilting part though.  It was late at night, and I couldn't get the thread to feed through my machine with correct tension for free motion.  Instead of being patient (shocking, I know), I gave up and quilted it with white Aurifil instead.  I was just tired of ripping quilting stitches.   Even still, I do love it quilted in white.

In trying to make the thread cone work, I was doing a little research and realized what a great deal the larger cones are.  I had no idea!  Note to self- buy a thread stand ASAP, and start taking advantage of those thread cone savings!

On the back, I used up as many scraps as possible, though with 34 prints, some had to go back into my cabinet for another day.

I opted for a solid green Kona Clover binding, and DID use the variegated green thread to stitch that.

I honestly don't know that I love any other colors enough to make a monochromatic quilt from them (aqua/teal is probably a close second).  What about you?  Have you ever considered (or made) a monochromatic quilt?

Kaleidoscope Star Pattern!

Hooray!  My Kaleidoscope Star pattern is finished and available in my Craftsy and Etsy shops!  I did something with this pattern that I've never done before.  I've written the pattern with two different construction methods.  So, you can choose whether you want to construct the corner units with HST's or with snowballs- whichever is most comfortable for you!

  

The pattern is written in lap, twin, and queen sizes, and no matter which method you choose, you can't go wrong.  I've included cutting diagrams, as well as detailed instructions, and full-color illustrations for almost every step!

The curvy kaleidoscope design has great wow factor, but is created with traditional straight piecing.  The only special tool required is a triangle-in-a-square ruler set.  There are a few brands available, and any of them will work.

I'm going to be honest, I chose this set because it already had holes for hanging and I wouldn't need to get my hubby to drill them.  The sets are all pretty inexpensive and easy to find.  I got mine from JoAnn for about $10.  Just be sure that whatever set you choose has BOTH the main triangle ruler, as well as the smaller ruler for the side pieces.  That's essential for turning that triangle into a square block.

This is such a fun quilt, and the blocks make really cool secondary patterns when they're all put together.  Check it out!

Needle and Thread Thursday, Friends!

Happy NTT!  Before we get into this week's party, be sure you enter the four awesome giveaways provided by my ultra-generous sponsors.  One comment enters you for all four prizes, so it's not too time consuming.  You can do that right HERE!

In my continued effort to reduce my stash, I've been taking stock of each color to see where things are a bit thick, and going from there.  I'll bet if I gave you a single guess, you might be able to figure out which color was by far the most abundant in my cabinet.

Yep, greens of course!  Chartreuse, apple, lime, grass, emerald, jade, and kelly...I love all shades of green from the warmest to coolest, and had amassed quite an extensive collection.  This quilt contains 34(!) different green prints, and I wasn't even able to use every one in my cabinet.  I have to give a shout out to Janet at Simply Pieced for the pattern suggestion.  I knew I wanted to make a monochromatic green quilt without a background fabric, and she thought that a plus pattern would allow each fabric to be distinct within the quilt.  She was absolutely right, and I am loving it!

Last week's party had so many fantastic projects!  Katy Quilts shared this amazing throwback that she made in 2007.  Wow, it's just gorgeous!

Porch Swing Quilts finished this pretty kaleidoscope quilt.  Check out the adorable little strawberries on the corners!

and this beauty is from Myra at Busy Hands Quilts!

Okay then, friends!  Time to show off the latest happenings in 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!  :)

Kaleidoscope Star

I finished my latest quilt this weekend, and took advantage of the glorious weather for a photo shoot.  I really do love a curvy quilt illusion, and this pattern definitely delivers.

The shape of the stars in this quilt strike me as a little bit retro, almost like they would look right at home on the side of a 1950's kitchen appliance.  As neat as the blocks look on their own, I just love all of the cool secondary shapes created whey they're all together.

I pieced the back with scraps, and used a solid rich shade of plum for the binding.  When I pulled fabric for this quilt, I specifically chose colors that were getting a little heavy in my stash.  Pink is not a color I reach for often, especially the shade of bubble gum pink in this quilt, but the deeper plum, teal, and aqua balance it out nicely.  It's definitely a feminine palette, but not overly sweet.

I'm working on the pattern for this one.  I'm hoping to have it finished up by this weekend, so be on the lookout!  It's definitely a fun one, and the blocks are pretty large, which helps the quilt go together in a flash.  This is the lap size, and it finishes at 60" square.

More Stash Sewing and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all! As I mentioned in my last post, I took stock of my stash and noticed that it was pretty heavy on purples, pinks, and aquas, so I set out to remedy that, and designed this quilt specifically with these colors in mind.

As I look at this photo, I feel compelled to say that these blocks have not even been pressed yet, and this may or may not be the way they end up being laid out.  I literally just finished the last one a few minutes ago and threw them up on the wall so that I could include them in this week's party!  Okay, disclaimer finished!

I've made quilts with triangles sewn together before, but this is the first time I've ever sewn triangles into blocks with the little side pieces, and I love the curved effect it creates.  I definitely see more of these in my future!

Alrighty!  Time to get to the amazing features from last week's party!  Katy Quilts linked up her awesomely modern Color Bars quilt.

Sew Preeti showed off this pretty in pink scrappy quilt.

and chromatobalomata showed off this stunning blue scrappy string quilt.

So much amazingness!  Time to show off what you've been working on this week!

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!  :)

Choosing a Palette and Effervescence

When I look at this quilt, the bright, fruity colors and bubble pattern remind me of an array of Fanta or Sunkist drinks;  and the fact that summer is right around the corner just adds to the fun.  This is the lap size version of my Bubble Bath pattern and it measures 52" x 72."  I'm calling this quilt Effervescence.

I was able to piece the back from all of my scraps (that yardage of the large purple print really helped!), and chose an apple green binding from stash as well.  I like that the circle motif in the binding fabric echoes the design (there's a close up of that below), and I'm really loving the fact that every bit of this quilt came from my stash, except the Kona White background fabric.  Winning!

Despite the fact that I have gotten inspiration from odd places before, I didn't actually use fruit soda as the inspiration for choosing the colors for this quilt.  Recently, I've had several people ask me how I choose colors for my quilts, so I've decided to let you in on a few of my favorite ways to decide on a color palette when I'm designing a quilt.  Some of these overlap a little bit, but that's just the way things happen sometimes in creative endeavors.  Not everything is cut and dry.

1.  Shop your stash and make it work!  I'm discussing this one first, because this is the thing that spills over into everything else.  Even with all of these other methods, I always try to see what I already have that will work for the quilt I want to make.  I know this seems obvious, but I do this a lot.  Sometimes, I take a look at my stash, and identify the colors that I have the most of before I even design a quilt.  Just this weekend, I noticed that I have lots of pink, purple, and aqua in my stash and designed a quilt specifically for those colors (by the way, I'll share the progress on that at NTT this week!).  As I mentioned, Effervescence was created entirely from stash, so it falls into this category, as does Birthstones, which I specifically designed to use up all lots of my solids.

2.  So, what if you're staring at a mountain of fabric in your stash and still don't know what to put together?  To me, the easiest way to choose quilt colors is with a treasured inspiration fabric.  Effervescence is a great example of this.  I chose these two prints from Amy Butler's Love collection, and the colors in those two large-scale prints dictated the rest of the fabrics.  The rest of the fabrics in the quilt are mostly smaller tonal prints, but because there are two focus fabrics pulling them together, they all play very well.

                               

 

3.  Let the professionals do the work!  Folks, there is a reason why fabric designers make a living doing what they do.  They create the gorgeous collections that we all drool over.  Let me be very clear- I am not advocating making all of your quilts from bundles of a single collection.  Not at all.  (Of course, you can if you want to, but that wouldn't really fit the subject of this post)  Sometimes I make a quilt from a single collection, but not very often.  I LOVE mixing fabrics and colors for myself way too much.  I often take color inspiration from my favorite designers and just work with what I have;  or I purchase a few of my favorite fabrics from a particular collection and use that as a starting point (see #2!).  I like to pay attention to non-quilty places too.  When I'm out shopping, I look at clothing, rugs, decor...anything!  Color inspiration can come from anywhere.

4.  Variety is good.  For a long time, I fell into a rut of making quilts with only two colors, or maybe three, because I worried that choosing too many different colors would be a mess.  Then I noticed that my favorite fabric collections usually had five or six different colors, which adds much more depth to a design.  Notice that Effervescence has six different colors in it (not counting white)- purple, periwinkle, coral, green, berry, and aqua- and it's only a lap size quilt.  An important point though, is that I always make sure that each fabric has a "partner."  There are at least two prints of each color, so that a single fabric doesn't stick out in the quilt.

Even when I make a quilt with only two or three colors, I make sure that I have enough variation in the depth and saturation of color to keep the quilt interesting.  A good example is my first Bubble Bath quilt.  Though the quilt just has shades of pink and gray, there is a wide range of hues within each color.

5.  Make an "anything goes" quilt.  If you have several focus fabrics and aren't sure how to use them, put them all together!  Quilts like this are so much fun, but I do keep a few things in mind when I do this.  First, I usually use fabrics that are all jewel tones, or all earth tones, and have a similar saturation level.  I would never throw a pastel fabric in with fabrics that are highly saturated.  Secondly, I choose my pattern very carefully.  Patterns with larger blocks, and a solid background fabric work great to draw the eye to bold prints, so that they all work together.  Stems and Stones is a perfect example of how bold fabrics from several collections can work together to make a beautiful quilt.

6.  Last but not least, explore the unusual.  It's fun to break out of the box with color.  If you're playing around with a color palette that is unusual for you, live with it for a few days before you start cutting into it.  Give yourself the opportunity to get used to it, or make changes to it if you need to.  There's no law that says that you have to love every color combo you put together.  I have certainly pulled fabric for a quilt, thought about it, and then completely started over.  If you don't love it after a few days, make some changes, and keep having fun trying to find color palettes you DO love!

Birthstones Pattern and Winners!

Happy weekend, friends!  I am SO excited to let you know that my Birthstones pattern is now available in my Craftsy and Etsy shops!

This one really packs a modern punch in all solids, but I think it would also look amazing in tonal prints, or a mix of prints and solids as well.  Check it out!

I also want to let you know that I was absolutely delighted by all of the kind words on my 3-year blogiversary post.  The online quilting community is always so encouraging, and I feel truly blessed to be a part of it.  Rest assured that I will respond to each and every comment, though it may take me a little while.

On that note, it is my pleasure to announce the three winners from the pattern giveaway!  I'll be contacting each of you soon to find out which pattern you'd like!

 

KathyMay 6, 2016 at 10:13 AM

Congratulations! I have some of your quilts on a Craftsy wishlist. Would love to win one :)
kakingsbury at verizon dot net

LeeMay 3, 2016 at 12:31 PM

An amazing quilt! Happy Blogiversary!!

quiltyValMay 4, 2016 at 3:30 AM

Happy Blogaversary! Love the quilt, can't wait to see the pattern!

Thanks so much to all who entered!  Three years flew by in the blink of an eye, and I'm looking forward to many more!