Leftovers and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  One of my favorite ways to keep my scraps in check is to set aside some of my leftovers when I make a quilt, and immediately sew them up into a preemie quilt to donate to our local children's hospital.  It always feels great to finish something fast and simple, and I love not having to add lots of fabric to my scrap jars.  Otherwise, they can fill up in a hurry!  Such is the case with this little quilt-

These scraps were from the Seafaring quilt I made for my son, with the addition of a little bit of Kona Navy for some extra depth.  I just took all of my leftover strip pieces and cut them to a consistent 6.5" to create this little quilt, measuring 36" square.

In general, I had larger cuts of my yellows for his quilt, so naturally, I had more of those scraps left.  So for the back of this one, I used a strip of yellow scraps with some orphan block pieces, and widened it out with some Kona Steel from my stash.  I also had a piece of Cloud 9 Cirrus Solid in Denim which was just perfect for the binding.  This little quilt will join my sweet Amy Butler leftovers quilt for donation soon!  As the mom of a former preemie who was in the NICU for 5 weeks at birth, it always makes me happy to donate these.

It also makes me happy to see all of the awesomeness that y'all link up week after week.  Last week's party was no exception!  Jayne at Twiggy and Opal shared this sun-drenched baby quilt.

Look at this fantastically cool quilt by Kris at Sew Sunshine-

And this quilt by Linda at Flourishing Palms is an absolute stunner!

Right now, life circumstances have hindered my will to take on more complicated projects, but let me tell you, I LOVE browsing all of the amazing things you're creating week after week.  Y'all are super-awesome, so let's get down to it.

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!  :)

Homecoming and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  This week has been such a blast for me, because I traveled down to Baton Rouge, LA to teach the Remember Me Quilt Guild.  In fact, I just got home this afternoon.  We worked on improv piecing scraps with the Detour quilt from my book, Stash Statement.  Take a look at the original quilt from the book-

This is actually the first time I've taught in my hometown, and the church where the class was held is literally minutes from the house where I grew up.  We had such a good time that several ladies ended up leaving before I realized we hadn't gotten a group photo.  Oops!

It is always amazing to see how the variety of scraps and background fabric choices make such a huge difference in the feel of the finished quilt.  Each one is unique, and they are all beautiful!  That's one of the greatest things about this technique.

Usually, I teach and present my trunk shows on two consecutive days (or even sometimes in a single day), but since I was visiting my parents and grandparents as well, having the class on a Saturday and presenting my trunk show on Tuesday night at their regular meeting was no problem.  My mom and I did a little shopping, hit some of my favorite restaurants, and had a grand time.  Those extra days gave a couple of ladies the chance to really get busy on their Detour quilts-

and one super efficient person even finished her ENTIRE quilt between Saturday afternoon and Tuesday evening!  Amazing!

It is great to be back home with my husband and son, but if I have to be away, my hometown sure is a great spot to travel!  If your guild would like to learn a fun and EASY technique to tackle those scraps (I know we all have them!), just send me an email using the Email Me button on my right sidebar.  I still have plenty of availability in 2020, but it's filling up.  And, be sure to use the button at the top of my left sidebar to check out my book, Stash Statement, for yourself!

Before we get to last week's party highlights, I owe you FOUR winners from my September sponsor post.  First, the winner of the $25 gift certificate is comment number 11, Lee.  The winner of the cute wooly mug rug kit from Shabby Fabrics is comment number 50, Pamela.  The winners of the two cute charm packs from Fort Worth Fabric Studio are Kathy and Danette, comments 16 and 7.  Congratulations to all!  I sent emails to you this afternoon so you can get your prizes.  :)

Last week's party was awesome!  This cheery quilt is by Mary at Fleur de Lis Quilts-

These soft Ohio Stars are by Alison at Little Bunny Quilts-

And this pinwheel stunner is by Leanne at Devoted Quilter, and it's featured in Make Modern magazine!

Wow!  I'm a little travel weary from driving home today, but I know that browsing all of your beauties will perk me up.  Let's get our party on!

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!  :)

Seafaring and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  My wild thing's quilt is all finished, and already in use on his bed, and let me tell you- it is definitely snuggle-worthy.

The pops of yellow, paired with the darker blues and grays give this quilt so much sparkle and depth, and I never seem to get tired of the Stacked Squares illusion.

I picked a dense ripple quilting pattern, and it adds lots of movement and texture.  As much as I love finishing my own quilts, my neck is glad that I sent this one to the long arm quilter.

On the back, I chose a gray print with tiny plus signs, and it perfectly compliments the strip of block leftovers that I added down the center of the backing.  And of course, I am in love with the way the quilting shows up against it!

For the binding, I chose a denim blue tonal fabric that almost has a Grunge look to it.  I usually like solid bindings when my quilt is a little busier, but I wasn't able to find a solid shade of blue I really liked.  I'm happy with the way this binding frames the quilt though.  It adds a little something extra to the quilt while still looking simple and clean.

This quilt is queen sized, measuring about 86" x  94", and it already looks amazing in my son's bedroom.  The stormy shades of blue and gray, sunny yellow, and ripple quilting all add to this quilt's nautical vibe, so I've decided to call this one Seafaring.

Last week's party was full of amazing inspiration!  This Jelly Roll Waves quilt by Anja Quilts is super cute!

I love this string quilt by Sew Preeti Quilts.  The colors are so soothing.

This lovely quilt top is by Linda at Koka Quilts.

And these two low volume beauties by Gretchen's Little Corner are so calming.

Wow!  So much awesomeness linked up last week.  I can't wait to see what you're working on now.  Let's get our party started!

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!  :)

Stacked Squares Top and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  I've finished up my Wild Thing's queen size quilt top, and I am so pleased with how it turned out.  More importantly, he loves it too!

I laid this quilt out a little differently from the other Stacked Squares quilts I've done.  I made the quilt a little less busy by allowing more of each square to show.  It took a little bit of playing, but I love the layout, and I'm really happy with the movement of the quilt.

Since injuring my neck last fall and having months of physical therapy, I have vowed not to finish anymore quilts this large on my home machine, so this one is off at a friend's being longarmed, and I can't wait to get it back.  The binding is all ready for it which is good, because Wild Thing is ready to sleep under his quilt!

Last week's party was full of amazing inspiration, like this fun quilt from Celine at Espritpatch-

This quilt by Micki at 2 Dogs Studio is so calming-

Myra at Busy Hands Quilts showed off this fresh and cheery quilt-

And finally, isn't this summery quilt by Laura at Slice of Pi Quilts so yummy?

Y'all really know how to bring the eye candy each week, so without further ado, 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!  :)