Princess Sugar Pie

Well friends, though this quilt certainly hasn't been one of my favorites to work on because I'm not a huge fan of pink, this one grew on me a little bit.  The best part though, is that with this quilt, two more of my scrap jars have been completely emptied.

I went around and around with myself about how to quilt it.  There was a big part of me that just wanted to stipple it to be finished, but deep down I knew that a quilt this sweet would be perfect with an allover floral motif.

I decided to keep the blooms large and flowing, and they almost have a "doodling" quality to them, which really works great with the colors in the quilt.  I love how the quilting shows up so well against the solid panels on the back.

For the backing, I used this awesome Alison Glass print from the Sun Print 2016 collection, and widened it out with pieces of Kona Lavender and Kona Bright Pink.  While I was piecing my scraps, I got down to the very end and originally worried that I wouldn't have enough for a little bit of improv on the back.  This little improv piece was ALL I had leftover for the backing, and I love the little pop of fun that ties the quilt together.

The deep Kona Purple binding creates such a nice frame for the quilt, and overall, it tones down the brightness of the pinks a little bit.

A quilt this sugary requires a super sweet name, and I decided to have a little fun with it.  Princess Sugar Pie is about the most precious name I could come up with, and I think it suits this quilt perfectly.

Before we get to the highlights from last week's party, I owe you two giveaway winners!  Janie, comment number 56, is the winner of the Butterfly Jewel 2.5" strip pack from Fort Worth Fabric Studio.  And Laura, comment number 36, is the winner of the $25 gift certificate from LouLou's Fabric Shop.  Congrats, ladies!  Thanks to all who entered, and a BIG thanks to my fantastic sponsors.  Giveaways are so much fun, and I couldn't do it without them.

                              

Okay then, time to bring on the eye candy from last week!  This quilt by Lori at Crossquilt is so cute I can barely stand it!

These aqua flowering snowball blocks by LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color are just scrumptious.

And this quilt, by Jen's Crafts and Quilts Scrapbook is so fresh and airy.  Love it!

Alright, y'all!  Time to show what you've been 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!  :)

Super Sweet and NTT

Around here, we are squarely in the time of year that we refer to in my family as "tassel season."  If you're familiar with Red Oak trees, you know that just as the leaves emerge in the spring, they drop pollen filled tassels, and they cover everything, including my deck.  Throw in a good rain, and those tassels stick together into big, icky clumps.  Which means that quilt photos become more difficult until we can get them cleaned up, because the last things I want on my newly finished quilt top are pollen and oak tassels.  All of this is to say that taking this photo of my latest quilt was an adventure, especially since I had to solicit the help of my wild thing (hence the feet and head in the photo).

Okay, so it's no secret that I'm not a pink girl.  If I had to pick a least favorite color, pink would definitely be it.  I do like purple and berry tones though, and as I was going through my scraps for my giant color wheel project, I realized that I had lots of scraps that were right on the line between pink and purple.  So, it just made sense to tackle the pink and purple jars together to give all of those hybrid pink/purple fabrics a good home.

Though I am happy with the way this turned out overall, there are definitely quilts that I've made that I like better.  I'm sure it will grow on me as I finish it, but the color palette is just verrrrry sweet, much more so than my usual project.  

Last week's party was filled with awesomeness, as usual.  Check out this Pickle Dish quilt by Jan at The Colorful Fabriholic!

This Somerset quilt is by Shannon at The Flemings Nine, and she is releasing it as a brand new pattern.

Look at this adorable monster quilt, made by Laura at Slice of Pi Quilts, along with her son's 4-H group!

And finally, this woodland-themed baby quilt is by Myra at Busy Hands Quilts is so cute!

Y'all are fantastic!  Let's party, 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!  :)

Riptide and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  By pure coincidence, my finish this week is in the same color way as the Waverunner quilt that I shared last week.  It's strange that it worked out like that, especially since I actually made the Waverunner quilt almost two months ago.  So, I hope you're in the mood for more blues, teals, and aquas, because today's scrappy finish has plenty!

This quilt used up every bit of my blue, teal, and aqua scraps and I just love how it turned out.  The arrow shape in the herringbone pattern (along with the colors) makes me think of ocean currents, so I am naming this one Riptide.

To reinforce the rippling water effect, I quilted this one with fairly dense wavy lines.  I find long wavy lines running the entire length of the quilt kind of tedious, so instead, the lines on this quilt are actually quilted in the same way I quilt woodgrain, in small sections.  The only difference is that this motif is missing the spiral shapes that are included in the woodgrain pattern.

I quilted this with 50 wt. Aurifil White, and I especially love how the rippling lines show up against the back of this quilt.  I chose a cobalt blue fabric but kept white thread in the bobbin, and the contrast creates really awesome texture.

As it turns out, I had quite a few more teal/aqua scraps than blue ones, so when my blues ran out, I just kept improv sewing the teals/aquas until they were gone and added them to the back.  I was really scrimping to have enough to get a good sized strip, but it all worked out, and I finished it off with a scrappy binding.

It makes me SO happy to clear out my scrap jars, especially when I love the result as much as I love this quilt.  Sewing this way really is lots of fun and stress-free.

If you're looking to bust through your own scraps, check out my book Stash Statement.  It includes detailed guidelines for sorting your scraps, three methods for improv sewing (with lots of pictures!), and twelve full quilt patterns that are sure to help you make a quilt that is truly unique.  You can find it in my Etsy shop HERE, or on Amazon, Connecting Threads, Shop Martingale, or you can ask about it at your local quilt shop.

The book is specifically written to make the structured improvisation technique accessible to even improv newbies.  It really is fun, and SO much easier than you think.  Best of all, once you learn the technique, the method can be applied to practically any quilt pattern, like the humble HST in this quilt.  I hope you'll check it out!

These past few days, I've moved onto two more jars.  It's time for purples and pinks!  I'm almost finished with my scrap sewing for this quilt, and then I have a great plan in mind for these panels, so stay tuned.

Last week's party really was fantastic, with lots of inspiration.  This Cotton Candy quilt is by Laura at Slice of Pi Quilts.  Such a clever use of minky fabric!

This fresh and springy quilt, called Cheerio, is by Sandra at mmm! quilts.

This lovely Meadowland quilt was shared by Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting-

Linda at kokaquilts linked up this sweet sawtooth star quilt.  I love the scrappy low volume background.

Anja Quilts linked up her finished Classic Meets Modern BOM quilt, and I LOVE it!

This rainbow quilt by Julie's Quilts and Costumes is a stunner!

And finally, these fun rainbow hexes are by Jayne at Twiggy and Opal.  In her post, Jayne also includes some great tips for fixing bleeding fabrics!

With all of this awesomeness, there was just no way for me to stick to just three highlights this week. It's a good thing that I make the rules here and don't have to.  ;)  Y'all are fantastic.  Let's keep on keeping on, my 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!  :)

Waverunner and NTT

You may remember that I shared a sneak peek of some secret sewing back in February, and today I'm super excited to reveal the quilt to you.  It's my my turn as the guest designer for the International Association of Quilters and this quilt, called Waverunner, is my designer pattern.  If you missed my post on Monday, be sure to check it out HERE.  I've shared the full tutorial for my Moroccan Star block, as well as some additional information about the IAQ.

When designing this pattern, I was inspired by antique tile work.  The repeating geometric pattern really is timeless.  This quilt is relatively simple, yet the cool blues, teals, and aquas set against bright white create such a striking effect.

I opted for a soft, allover stipple in 50 wt. Aurifil #2710, Light Robin's Egg.  The whisper-soft blue stitches add a little extra pop of color.

On the back, I used a tonal print in the dreamiest shade of aqua with a stripe of this perfect blue/aqua print to widen it out; and this Cotton and Steel denim blue polkadot fabric was the perfect frame for this quilt.

I really love how this one turned out!  This pattern is exclusively available for members of the International Association of Quilters.  As a member, you will have access to ALL of the designer patterns for the year, as well as all of the monthly designer patterns for every year back to 2014.  You can check out all of the pertinent membership information HERE (this is an affiliate link).

Now, let's take a look at some of the highlights from last week's party!  I just got home last night from teaching in Michigan (you can see my Instagram feed for a couple of fun photos of the classes), and it was so much fun to look through the links while waiting in the airport.

At Gretchen's Little Corner, she shared TWO bright and happy log cabin quilts.  Be sure to check out her post to see the other one!

Something Rosemade shared this fun quilt, along with her process for putting it together.

And Vasudha at Storied Quilts showed off this gorgeous Bali Sunrise quilt.

Let's party, 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!  :)