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Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Scrappy Patchwork and NTT

Happy NTT, friends!  We got back from visiting family and a mini vacation on Sunday, and after being away for ten days, it has felt so good to sleep in my own bed.  It has been wonderful to be back home, but I think my sewjo is still on vacation.  I haven't felt like starting a bigger project just yet, so some simple patchwork was perfect for getting back into the groove of things.


These little squares are the leftovers after trimming away the excess backing of my Epic quilt, and they finish at 2.5".  Soon, they'll become a 20 inch pillow for my bed; the perfect compliment for the quilt.

Last week's party had so many great projects linked up.  This Dahlia Dreams beauty is by Kris at Sew Sunshine-


This Nearly Insane quilt by Gretchen's Little Corner is fully awesome!


And Karen's Quilting shared this fantastic scrappy Tumalo Trails quilt.


Without further ado, let's link up.  I hope your sewjo has been going strong 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!  :)


Monday, July 23, 2018

Adventures in Graffiti Quilting

Graffiti quilting, flow quilting, wild quilting, free motion improv quilting.  These are all names I've heard for the kind of quilting where several different motifs are blended into one quilt, and where the quilter moves from one design to the next without a set plan.


I have always admired this kind of quilting, but when it was time to actually put stitches on a quilt, I always chickened out.  That is, until last week.  I decided to try my hand at graffiti quilting on this preemie quilt for our local children's hospital, made from some of the larger chunks in my scrap jars. Before I get into the details, just FYI- this was done on my regular domestic machine, a BERNINA 550QE.

This little quilt only measures 36" square, but it took me four hours to quilt!  By comparison, my speedy self can (fairly densely) stipple an entire twin size quilt in that amount of time, so this was quite an undertaking to say the least.


Since this was my first attempt at this kind of quilting, the thread, background, and backing fabrics were specifically chosen to mask any quilting imperfections.  I opted for a tonal white fabric with little scrolls rather than my usual Kona White in the background.  On the back, I chose this black and white crosshatch, and I quilted it with my favorite 50 wt. Aurifil White thread.

Mission accomplished!  I'm pretty proud of the stitching, but it is by no means perfect.  Luckily, the thread, backing and background fabrics did their camouflage jobs and you really have to look hard to find the couple of crossovers in the quilt.


I tried to photograph the quilting in several lights to best show the stitching, and I actually think the first pic shows the stitches in contrast the best, even if it isn't the best photo of the colors in the quilt.  The photo below shows the colors best.


Though this quilt was not fast, I have to say that it really was a lot of fun.  It is something that I will definitely be doing again;  next time on a quilt I'll get to keep.

I do have a question for all of you quilty peeps about this kind of quilting though.  Where else do you use it?  Allover on a simple quilt (like this one)?  Only on quilts with lots of negative space?  Anyplace else?  I'm thinking that this would be too busy for many quilts, but I welcome your thoughts!



Wednesday, July 18, 2018

Lily Pad Pond and NTT

You might be surprised to learn that when I first submitted my designs for Stash Statement, I included sixteen different quilts.  As the publication process often goes, I ended up whittling the book down to twelve designs for space reasons.

As quilters, we all have designs that we like better than others, so it was easy(ish) to immediately cut three of the patterns.  Cutting the fourth proved more difficult for me.  Ultimately, Lily Pad Pond was the final design cut from the book because in the Improv in the Background section, the Regatta quilt already shows how scraps can be used to depict water.

I thought it would make the book more balanced to include the Catch a Falling Star quilt to show the sky instead, which also allowed a wider variety of scrap colors to be showcased in the book.  I know it was the right choice, but that being said, it was such a tough decision (and because I always seem to have so many aqua/light blue scraps), so I decided to go ahead and make the quilt anyway!


Lily Pad Pond was inspired by Monet's Water Lilies, and I love how the solid lily pads and flowers pop out against the wonderfully textured background.  Even though this quilt and Regatta both have a watery backdrop, this quilt uses predominantly lighter shades of blue and aqua.  When sorting through my scraps for this quilt, I eliminated navy blues completely, and only included the tiniest bit of teal and lighter royal blue.  These softer colors make it feel more like a peaceful lagoon than the depths of the ocean.


The lily pads were created with Kona Basil and Clover, and Kona Pomegranate and Camellia were used for the flowers in the centers.  I quilted with an allover rippling water design using 50 wt. Aurifil #2835 (Medium Mint) thread, and I am really pleased with the effect it creates on the quilt.  The thread color is whisper soft, but adds just a little extra dimension.


On the back, I used this gorgeous butterfly and bumblebee print, along with a stripe of Kona Breakers to widen it out.  I found this print on sale and had it on hand for awhile, just waiting for the perfect place for it, and I think it compliments the front of the quilt so well, both in print and color.


The Kona Pomegranate binding picks up the bumblebees on the back of the quilt, as well as some of the flowers on the front, and creates such a vibrant frame for this lagoon.


Even though this quilt was cut from Stash Statement, I really do love it, and I'm thrilled that I finally have the opportunity to share it!

Before we party, take a look at a few of the projects from last week that caught my eye!  I am in love with this Jumping Jacks top by Tanya Quilts in CO-


Just look at this stunner by Frederique at Quilting Patchwork-


Maggie at Making a Lather shared her progress on this rainbow scrap quilt.  So awesome!


This scrappy beauty is by Sew Preeti Quilts-


and I love the way the brights jump out against the dark background on this quilt by Vasudha at Storied Quilts-


Okay y'all!  Time to 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!  :)


Sunday, July 15, 2018

CMM July Blocks

We're officially halfway through the month of July friends, and that means it's time to link up your Classic Meets Modern blocks.  The two blocks for this month are ones that are extremely well known, and versions of them have been used over and over again for decades.


The first is the Bowtie block, and it is one of my favorites.  If you look at my quilt designs, you'll notice that I love quilts and blocks that have a curvy look without actually sewing curves, and the Bowtie block accomplishes this beautifully.  When the blocks are all put together in a quilt, they create a gorgeous, rounded lattice pattern.  I chose a gray background for my block, and the softer colors in the prints really stand out against it.


The second block for this month is the Weathervane.  I love the shape of this block, and they make a beautiful secondary pattern when put together as well.  I decided to use one of the larger prints in the Acreage collection for the larger pieces in the block.  I didn't fussy cut because I needed the green to be the predominant color in the block, but I like that the large blooms in the print are peeking out just enough.

By the way, if you have fallen behind and catch up on your blocks in a single month, just add those blocks to your current post so we can see them.  It's okay if your July post includes blocks from previous months.  There's no QAL police here.  Let's link up!

1.  If you're a little late to the party, it's okay!  You can still join in anytime.  This is a Block of the Month Quilt Along, so we will only be completing two blocks each month.  The pace is leisurely and it will be easy to catch up.  You can get the Classic Meets Modern pattern in my Etsy or Craftsy shops (links on my right sidebar).  As long as you have a finished quilt top at the end of the year, you'll be eligible for the prizes.

2.  Remember, the link party opens on the 15th of each month, and will close at midnight CST on the last day of the month.  You can certainly link to the weekly NTT post if you like, but be sure to link your quilt along blocks to this party, so everyone is sure to see your progress.

3.  You don't have to have a blog to join in!  You can link to an Instagram post, or even a Flickr account.  Use the hashtag #classicmeetsmodernbomqal on Instagram!  If you do have a blog, grab a button to let everyone know you're participating!  You can get the button on my right sidebar.

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

Epic AMH and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  You might remember that I shared this humongous Anna Maria Horner quilt top way back in October of last year, but I am so excited to finally share the finish with you.  I call this pattern 2-4-6, and if you're interested in the block measurements, you can check out my post HERE.


This king size quilt is a whopping 108" square, and because I am completely certain of my limitations, I had my extremely talented friend, Teresa at Quilts2AT Studio, quilt it for me (follow her at tpino on IG).  Teresa is a nationally known, award winning quilter and a member of my guild, so when I finished wrestling with the top and backing of this behemoth, I happily passed it off to her so she could work her magic.


Since this quilt is so simple in its design, I decided to choose a paisley loop quilting design with a little flourish to soften the squares a little bit.  I think it really goes nicely with the AMH prints too.  Speaking of prints- in case you're wondering, this quilt contains 125 different Anna Maria fabrics.  The complete Folk Song, Mod Corsage, Loominous, True Colors, and Fibs and Fables collections are represented, as well as a few prints from LouLouThi and Honor Roll.  Because I thought they blended so well, I even threw in two Amy Butler prints, and two prints from Anna Maria's daughter, Juliana Horner.  Can you pick them out?  Here is another shot of my precious stack before I had the guts to cut into all of it.


That stack totals over 30 yards of fabric!  Way more than enough for a king sized, fully reversible quilt, so that's just what I made (plus another throw quilt from the scraps that you can see HERE).  It took a little planning to make sure that my leftover pieces were arranged in a way that the quilt would look just as good when flipped over, and I'm so impressed that Teresa was able to load it onto her longarm and perfectly center it with the top.  That is hard to do, but she's a rock star!


For the binding, I opted for this rich maroon wood grain print, also by Juliana Horner (keeping it in the family as much as possible).  The dark fabric creates a perfect frame for the quilt and picks up on lots of the deeper colors in the fabrics.


In almost 20 years of quilting, this is the very first quilt I've made that I didn't quilt myself.  Everything about a king size quilt is more difficult.  Even jobs that seem small, like pressing the quilt top or taking photos, become tedious when the quilt is so monstrously huge.  I was so glad to turn the quilting over to someone else, and of course that meant that I got to skip the basting step as well!  Basting is the devil, so a big whoop! whoop! for that.

For longarm quilting, the backing has to be made a little bigger than I usually need for basting and domestic machine quilting, so I actually still have some small scraps left after squaring the quilt.  Don't worry though, they will not be going to waste.  I already have a little project in mind for them.

I have been happily sleeping under this quilt for the past few nights, and let me tell you- I could not love it more.  From collecting the fabrics to putting the final stitch in the binding, and finally snuggling under it at night, this huge quilt felt like an epic journey, so I'm calling it Epic.

Okay then, friends!  Before you link up to show me the epic happenings in your sewing studio, let's take a look at the highlights from last week's party!  This lovely chambray log cabin is by Laura at Slice of Pi Quilts.


Katie Mae Quilts shared this awesome Oklahoma quilt.  What a great design, and the quilting is so amazing!


And this pretty Plus Playtime quilt is by Anja Quilts.


Just one more thing before we party.  I owe you a winner for the 4th of July sponsor giveaway.  The winner is comment number 37, rosemaryschild.  Congrats!  I'll be contacting you soon so you can claim your prize!  :)

Okay, y'all!  It's time to share 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!  :)




Monday, July 9, 2018

Take Flight and a Giveaway!

Well my friends, what began in April is now coming to a close in July.  Though this is the thirteenth week of the Stash Statement blog hop, it feels like the time has slipped by so quickly.  Today's feature quilt is the Take Flight FREE bonus pattern.


I have actually made three different versions of this quilt, but the only one I've kept for myself is the one pictured above (actually the last version I made).  The other two have gone to friends who have lost loved ones.  Since each of these quilts has already had its own post, rather than recap the stories and photos of each quilt, you can visit the original posts to see the quilting, backing, and binding details.  I am including helpful links for you though!  To see the details of the quilt I kept for myself, check out the post HERE.


I love this blue, green, and teal version of the quilt.  It was made for a friend who lost her son as a toddler, and is a precious keepsake in his memory.  This was the second version of this pattern, and you can see the additional pictures for the Will's Wings quilt HERE.




My first version of the quilt is actually the one that graces the pattern cover, and it now belongs to a friend who lost her sister to cancer.  This quilt was actually debuted waaay back in January (see the snow on the foot bridge?), when Stash Statement first became available for preorder!

Though this pattern is not included in the book, when I made it, I knew I had to somehow make it available to my readers.  This pattern is exclusively available as a free bonus with the purchase of Stash Statement.  Since the pattern is written with improv terms from the book, it is intended as a supplement only, and will not ever be available as a stand-alone pattern.

If you purchase a signed copy of the book from my Etsy shop HERE, the pattern will be automatically emailed to you when the book ships.  Unfortunately, I don't have a way of knowing who has purchased books from somewhere else (Amazon, Connecting Threads, quilt shops, etc.) so things become a little trickier.

If you've purchased Stash Statement from another vendor and would like the bonus pattern, when you get it home, just snap a quick photo of yourself with your book and send it to me using the Email Me button on my right sidebar, letting me know where you purchased it.  Then, I'll happily send the pattern to you!


This hop is going out with a bang!  To finish off the blog hop, I am giving away TWO copies of Stash Statement, including the bonus pattern.  One US reader will win a hard copy, and an international reader will win a digital copy of the book.  To enter the giveaway, leave a single comment on this post to let me know your favorite quilt from the book (duplicate entries will be deleted).  Be sure to let me know if you're from the US or an international reader, and remember to leave your email address if you're a no-reply blogger!  I'll announce the winners at NTT on 7/25!

This week, Kelli Fannin at Seriously... I think it needs stitches and Paula at The Sassy Quilter are sharing their own versions of the Take Flight quilt, and each of them put a delightful twist on the pattern with wing and color placement.  You definitely don't want to miss them!

Also, Hilary at by Hilary Jordan has her College Prep project all ready.  You might remember that last week, we had a scheduling mix-up, but she is all ready to go now!

Just in case you missed any of the amazing projects from the hop, here's the full lineup, all in one place.  Debuting my book has been so much fun.  Thanks for all of the book release love, friends!

4/16- Grand Bazaar    Shelley @ Cora's Quilts
                                      Connie @ Freemotion by the River

                            Diann @ Little Penguin Quilts

4/30- Precarious  Jess @ Quilty Habit                       
                              Myra @ Busy Hands Quilts
                                                            
5/7- Beach Retreat  Sarah @ Sarah Goer Quilts                               
                                  Liz @ Savor Every Stitch 
                                                           
5/14- Fire Pit   Alison @ Little Bunny Quilts                                          
                         Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts
                                                            
5/21- Detour    Laura @ Slice of Pi Quilts                         
                         Shelley @ The Carpenter's Daughter Who Quilts
                                                            
5/28- Murrina    Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl             
                            Leanne @ Devoted Quilter
                                                            
6/4- Scattered    Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal                      
                           Christine @ Triangles and Squares 
                                                            
6/11- Bloom Chicka Boom   Chris @ made by ChrissieD            
                                               Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty
                                                            
6/18- Regatta   Susan @ Quilt Fabrication                             
                          Debbie @ A Quilter's Table    
                                                            
6/25- Catch a Falling Star  Cynthia @ Quilting is More Fun Than Housework        
                                              Anja @ Anja Quilts
                                                            
7/2- College Prep   Hilary @ by Hilary Jordan                 
                                Lori @ Crossquilt
                                                            
7/9- Take Flight (free bonus pattern)  Kelli @ Seriously, I Think It Needs Stitches 
                                                             Paula @ The Sassy Quilter

 


Saturday, July 7, 2018

Old Glory Tutorial

After many requests for a pattern for my Old Glory quilt, I decided to put together a little tutorial for it.  Because structured improvisation is included in my book in great detail, I am only including basic instructions for the components and layout for the quilt using solid color representation for the blocks.  If you want to make this quilt using your scraps with improv as shown, check out my book, Stash Statement, for three different easy methods!


This quilt is actually pretty simple in its design.  It only uses two classic quilt blocks, the half square triangle (HST) and Sawtooth Star, plus squares.  It's not even constructed on-point!  What makes it so much fun is the scale of the quilt. The layout of these components creates a giant flag, and with the diagonal arrangement of the stars and stripes, it creates quite a striking result!

For this quilt, first you'll need to make your Sawtooth Star blocks.  These should measure 6.5" so they finish at six inches in the quilt.  I love the four-at-a-time method for HST, but if you prefer another method, feel free to modify the construction to suit your preferences.



Then, you'll need HST's and solid squares.  I've counted up the number of different combinations for you and included them in the graphic below.  Again, make sure your unfinished units measure 6.5" so they will finish at 6" in the quilt.  I used the four-at-a-time method, starting with 9.75" squares to make the HST's.



Once you have all of your components ready to go, just lay them out, and sew into rows!  The quilt is constructed in 12 rows with 10 blocks in each row, yielding a quilt that measures 60" x 72".  


It goes together easily, but it gives really big "bang for your buck."  I hope you try it, and if you haven't already, I hope you'll check out my book Stash Statement HERE!

**If you already own Stash Statement and would like the exact improv requirements (using the specific terms used in the book)  just let me know.  I'm not posting it here because those terms might not make sense to readers without the book.

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

Old Glory and NTT

Happy 4th of July to all of my friends in the USA!  I hope your day is filled with family, fun, and maybe even a few fireworks.  I showed a peek at my latest quilt on IG back in March, but for a handful of reasons, I never actually revealed the full finished quilt.  Well, I figured that Independence Day would be the perfect time to share it, and you can see why!

ps- with today's holiday, I'm posting NTT early, so I don't forget!


I had lots of fun digging into my red and dark blue scraps for this quilt, and I even borrowed some from a friend to make sure I had enough variety.  I love the variation in tones;  it adds so much depth to the quilt.


I also got a little more creative with the quilting on this one.  It was a bit more tedious than an allover design, but definitely worth it.  I quilted the stars with a very dense crosshatch, stippled the blue background, and then quilted organic waves in the stripes of the flag to give it rippling movement, as if waving in the breeze.  I used 50 wt. Aurifil #2024, #2260, and $2783 (White, Wine, and Medium Delft Blue) corresponding to each color, and the effect is so neat.


These denim blue and red prints are just perfect on the back.  They're not quite solid, but almost, which is a nice contrast to the scrappiness on the front of the quilt.  They allow the quilting to really show up.


I continued the thread colors onto the back, so that when the quilt is turned over, you can still see a shadow of the colors on the front (it is definitely more pronounced in person).

If you're a regular around here, you know that the technique of sewing scraps in this way is from my book, Stash Statement.  Just to be perfectly clear- though the book does give three methods for improv piecing, as well as twelve full quilt patterns in this style, this quilt isn't included in the book.  You can see all of the quilts included in Stash Statement HERE.


Included in the book or not, when I have an idea, sometimes I can't stop thinking about it until I make it a reality.  Creativity is like that sometimes.

Anyway, before we link up, take a look at some of the projects from last week that really caught my eye!  I'm loving this modern batik scrappy squares quilt by Sarah Goer Quilts-


I love this scrappy quilt by Something Rosemade.  Scraps with a black and white background and a green binding- how could I not love it?


These double wedding ring blocks by Patty at Elm Street Quilts are looking amazing!


Melanie at A Bit of Scrap Stuff shared this awesome Flamingo Fever quilt finish-


 And finally, you know I can't resist the color wash goodness of this Postcard From Sweden finish by Tanya Quilts in CO-



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!  :)

**Also, after you link up, be sure to visit my post HERE to check out the awesome 4th of July sales going on and enter the giveaway!



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