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Wednesday, July 26, 2017

Modern Coins and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  Just after last week's party, we left for what my husband likes to call "the tour of the Gulf Coast" to see both of our families in Texas and Louisiana; which culminated in dropping off my wild thing to spend the week at my parents' house.  He spends this time with them every summer and I love that he looks forward to it so much.  Since getting back on Sunday evening, I have been taking it easy, and though I'm missing my sidekick this week, I must admit that the quiet house is nice.  In the past couple of days, I took the scraps from my Indian Summer quilt and made a quick, modern coins baby quilt in a flash.


I pulled a gray Denyse Schmidt polkadot from my stash for the backing, and added a coral tonal stripe for a little bit of fun.  The DS print is one that is no longer available, and I had a tough time parting with it.  A wide stipple keeps this quilt nice and soft; perfect for baby snuggles.


I had just enough Kona Kelly Green leftover from my Indian Summer quilt to bind this one, and I just love the pop of the vibrant green with all of those rich Amy Butler prints.  This little quilt measures 42" square, and I love how it turned out!


Before we party, let's check out last week's party features.  This quilt by Tisha at Quilty Therapy is called Scrappy Unicorn Rainbow Sprinkles, and it is so happy!


These fun flamingoes are by Tanya Quilts in CO;  perfect for summer!


and this scrappy flowering snowball quilt is by Dreamworthy Quilts.  Love it!


Okay friends, let's do this.  I hope you're getting lots of sewing time lately!

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!  :)

Wednesday, July 19, 2017

Indian Summer and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday!  This week, I've been working like mad to make a class sample of my Unruly pattern for a class I'm teaching at the beginning of August.  As with many of my early quilt patterns, I made the original Unruly quilt before I began teaching classes, and I no longer have the quilt.  That's okay though.  Of all of my quilt patterns, this one is by far the fastest and easiest (pattern available HERE and HERE)!


Most of these fabrics are from Amy Butler's Dreamweaver collection, but there are a couple of Soul Blossoms and Love fabrics as well (and even a few that aren't Amy at all).   The colors are so rich, and the warm golds and reds play so nicely with the cool teal and periwinkle fabrics.  This quilt was such a fast finish that it's already quilted and bound, and hanging in my local shop where I'll be teaching the class (and yes, I was in such a hurry to get the quilt to the shop that I neglected to take photos of the finish)!  This quilt measures 54" x 72", and I'm calling it Indian Summer.  I promise to get some photos of it "in the wild" as soon as I get it back.

Okie dokie, friends!  Let's check out last week's party highlights.  This quilt by Something Rosemade is super cute.


Jen's Crafts and Quilts Scrapbook linked up this happy go lucky quilt, called Colorful Directions-


and Linda at The Pieceful Kingdom showed us that it's never too early to start on those holiday projects.  Love it!


Alright y'all, 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!  :)


Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Hello, Summer! and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday!  Though summer arrived in the south awhile ago, I couldn't resist naming my latest quilt, Hello, Summer!  The colors are just so fresh and happy, and the vibrant hues feel right at home with the temps in the upper 90's (as we have had recently).


Lately, I've been on a roll with making quilts of my own design and writing patterns, which is great, but it's nice to have a mental break once in awhile and make something that doesn't require so much math.  This Road to Tennessee quilt was a perfect choice.


I pieced some of my leftovers on the back, along with some orange marble fabric in just the right shade, and keeping with the mental break theme, I decided to quilt with a nice, relaxing stipple.


The Kona Artichoke binding frames this quilt nicely, without taking attention away from the pretty patterns in the RTT blocks.  This quilt measures 56" x 64" and it was just the recharge I needed during a hectic summer!

Before we get down to business, I owe you a giveaway winner!  Comment number 6, Lisa Marie, is the winner of the cute, patriotic fabrics, provided by Fort Worth Fabric Studio.  Congrats!


Now then, without further ado.  Check out some of the awesome projects from last week's party.  This quilt by Little Bunny Quilts is just beautiful!


 This colorful, fun quilt is by Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework.


and lastly, this selvage pineapple quilt is by Laura at Slice of Pi Quilts.  So creative!


I can't wait to see what you're working on this week.  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!  :)




Wednesday, July 5, 2017

A New Pressing Station and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  I hope those of you in the States had a fun-filled fourth of July yesterday.  Instead of working on my Road to Tennessee quilt, I spent a good chunk of the holiday weekend transforming a vintage typewriter table into my new pressing station.


My grandmother used to work at Louisiana State Police headquarters, and many, many years ago, when the office updated to computers, she got this little typewriter table, and it has been languishing in a storage room of her house ever since.  When I saw it on my last visit, I immediately loved it, and she offered it to me as a project piece.

Let me just start by letting you know that I didn't intend to write a tutorial for this while I was actually doing the makeover, but I loved the end result so much, I decided that others might want to know how I did it.  The process is SO simple, but just know that's why there aren't photos for every single step.

To makeover the table, I used-
*220 grit sandpaper
*spray paint
        (I used two cans of the kind that already has primer mixed with the paint, in glossy black)
*pressing mat
        (I purchased a Cut 'n Press mat for this project.  You could make your own pressing mat, but I  
        chose to keep it simple)
*silicone iron rest
*sticky magnets- or you could hot glue non-sticky magnets



First, I lightly sanded the table with 220-grit sandpaper to remove any rough spots and to give the spray paint a surface it could adhere to, then wiped it down to get rid of the dust.  A coat of glossy black spray paint (with primer included), made this little table look almost brand new!


I attached the magnets to the edges of the cutting side of the Cut 'n Press mat to hold it in place on the center section of the table.  I don't want my mat sliding around while pressing, and adhering the magnets to the very edges still left the cutting grid intact if I ever want to use it.  The silicone iron rest grips nicely to the table all by itself, and when the table is folded down, it sits right on top.



And that's it!  Easy, right?  These old typewriter tables have a few features that I think make them perfectly functional for quilters.

First of all, the table has both wheels and feet.  That little lever on the bottom determines whether the feet are down to keep it stationary, or whether the wheels are down so it can be rolled.  So cool!


Secondly, the top leaves fold down, making it compact.  The entire table when folded down is only about 15" long x 20" wide.


But, the best feature of this little table is the height.  I know this is difficult to tell with a photo, but because this was originally used for stenographers, there is space for your knees, and the height is ergonomically perfect.  No more scrunched up shoulders!  In fact, the entire table slides right underneath my open sewing cabinet, which means that it sits just a couple of inches lower than my machine.


I'm so excited that I was able to breathe new life into this neat little table.  Of course, I'll still use my ironing board for bigger things, like large blocks or whole quilt tops, but this will be perfect for pressing HST's or other smaller block units, and it's perfectly portable for traveling to retreats as well.  So, if you're ever out and about and stumble upon one of these little gems, snatch it up and give it a quick and easy upcycle!

Before we link up, let's check out the features from last week's party.  Lori at Crossquilt shared this mini quilt, called Break the Code.  The design is actually the morse code for numbers zero through nine!


The Lilac Cat linked up this pretty drunkard's path variation.  Beautiful colors!



and this quilt by Patchwork n Play, called Rollercoaster, is so much fun!


Alright, y'all!  Time to link up the latest from your sewing space!

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!  :)



Monday, July 3, 2017

4th of July Sales and a Giveaway

Happy 4th of July weekend to all my US friends (and a belated Canada Day to my friends up north)!  I've rounded up some of the best holiday sales from my favorite shops as well as a giveaway, so let's dive right in!



Kicking things off this month, is Fort Worth Fabric Studio.  Right now, FWFS has an extra 20% off of the already low prices in their July Bargains section with the code JULY20, good through July 10th!


                    Fort Worth Fabric Studio






Fort Worth Fabric Studio is also sponsoring a great giveaway today!  They are offering this awesome patriotic bundle to one lucky reader (open to US residents only, please!).













At Lady Belle Fabric, it's all about the sale bundles!  They have just added new bundles to their clearance section, and marking them down 30% and even 40% off!

You can take advantage of all of this loveliness, and get free shipping in the US with the code freeship!















Did you know that Lady Belle also marks down their newest arrivals?  With so many scrumptious fabrics and such amazing prices, if you haven't shopped Lady Belle, you're definitely missing out!


            Lady Belle Fabric




Over at Shabby Fabrics, there is a 4th of July blowout bash happening right now.  They are offering 20%, 30%, and 40% off of their Buy More, Save More fabrics, as well as 20% off of all remnants.

Right now, you can sign up for any block of the month program or club for only $1, selected kits are 50% off, and BEST of all, ALL of their their precuts, patterns, and books are 20% off.  Hurry on over and snag some great deals!





LouLou's Fabric Shop is rocking their 4th of July sale as well.  Right now, literally hundreds of bolts are marked down to just $6.00 per yard!

And if you're looking for the perfect patriotic fabrics for a special project, or just for stash building, they've got you covered there as well.  All patriotic yardage, precuts, bundles, and kits are a whopping 25% off.












This amazing sale only lasts through July 5th, so pop over and check it out before it's too late!




                     LouLou’s Fabric Shop









At the Fat Quarter Shop, though they're not having a special 4th of July bash, their regular monthly sale is a doozie.  All Kona Cotton is 20% off for the entire month of July!


Oh my goodness.  I could get into some real trouble with this one, because Kona Cotton Solids are my very favorite quilting solids.








Considering my love for Kona Solids, you'd think that I would already own a Kona Color Card, but nope.  Though I have contemplated getting one many times, I never have actually bought one.  Well, you guessed it!  Color Cards are 20% off as well- and FQS has the cards with actual cotton swatches, rather than the printed cards that can be found elsewhere.

Fat Quarter Shop

Well friends, I hope you can take a few minutes out of your holiday weekend to peruse these amazing shops and stock up on some gorgeous fabrics at unbeatable prices.  

Also, don't forget to take a minute to enter the fun giveaway provided by Fort Worth Fabric Studio by leaving a single comment on this post (US only please!).  Remember to leave an email address if you're a no-reply blogger, and only one entry per person please!  Unfortunately, replies to your own comment counts as an entry (the system numbers those, too), so remember to put your email address in your comment.  Additional replies/comments/entries are always deleted.  I'll announce the winners at NEXT week's NTT (July 12th).

This giveaway is now closed and the winner will be announced at NTT later today.  Thanks so much to all who entered!

Happy shopping and happy 4th, friends!

Saturday, July 1, 2017

Sewing a Classic

I know this must happen to everyone, but after spending time making a quilt or writing a pattern that requires lots of planning and math, I get in the mood to cut loose and sew something that takes a little less brainpower.  There is lots of beauty in simplicity, and it's a great way to enjoy the process of creating with a little less stress.  Such is the case with the quilt top I just finished.


Y'all know I've never met a snowball corner I didn't love, so I pulled a pretty palette of fabrics out of my stash and started working on a classic Road to Tennessee quilt.  Sewing 450 snowball corners was super relaxing, and didn't take as long as you might think.  No worries about pulling the correct sized squares; no pauses to make sure that the block was going together correctly; no pressing seams mid-block; just pulling from two different piles of squares and mindlessly piecing.

I'm loving the summery, happy color combo, and the fact that this no fuss quilt top is already finished!  In case you're wondering, I sewed each RTT unit with a 4.5" starting square, and 2.5 inch corner squares, yielding a 4" finished unit, for a 56" x 64" top.  Yep, there is plenty of beauty to be found in sewing a simple, classic quilt block.






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