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Wednesday, April 1, 2020

NTT...The Roundup Edition

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all.  I hope you're all staying safe and sane at home as I am.  This week has been an exercise in balance for me.  With everyone home all the time, it is very easy to slip into doing more house and family things and a little less quilting stuff, since I usually do the bulk of my quilting and pattern work while my husband and son are gone.  So, finding a good work/school/fun balance that keeps everyone happy and productive has been the number one priority.

I've managed to clear a couple of things off of my to-do list this week that have been lingering a little bit, including the release of a brand new(ish) pattern!


I first created the Waverunner pattern last spring as a guest designer for the International Association of Quilters group, and at that time, I released the lap size quilt pattern exclusively to their members.  I've now expanded the pattern to include three different sizes, and I'm making it available to everyone!  This pattern uses fat quarters with virtually no waste, and it is so quick and fun to put together.


For such a simple design, the quilt really is striking!  This quilt looks great with a controlled palette, but it would also be an amazing scrap buster.  It is now live in my Etsy shop, and I hope you'll check it out HERE.

I also finished up the queen size plus quilt that I first shared in January.  I sent this quilt to a longarm quilter, and because she was waiting on a part for her machine, I just got it back a couple of weeks ago.  I was already in the middle of my Pocket Full of Posies quilt, so it had to wait until that was done.


I love the design I picked for this quilt.  I think the curved lines add great movement to the hard angles in the plus blocks, but I have to be honest.  I don't love the size of the quilting.  I know it's my fault for not communicating more clearly with my quilter, but the design is much bigger than I envisioned.


I like denser quilting than this, and the spaces between the lines (at the widest point) measure two full inches.  When I'm quilting something myself, I would never leave spaces that large.  The quilt is much puffier that I really like.  I thought that because I paid the more expensive price per square inch, that I was getting a denser quilting design, and I'm pretty disappointed that wasn't the case.  As a comparison, I paid the same rate for THIS quilt, which was incredibly dense, so I don't know??  Maybe there is just something I'm missing here.

I really do hope the puffiness grows on me, because there's absolutely nothing that can be done about it at this point.  The lesson here- ALWAYS be very specific about your desires when communicating with your quilter, even if you think they already know what you want.  Even the greatest longarm quilters (and mine definitely is awesome) are not mind readers.


I used two different Anna Maria Horner prints on the backing, and I even found the main print on sale, so that was a huge win!  The ground was wet (still so much rain here), so I didn't get to lay the quilt out to show the binding, but I used a purple Cotton and Steel Basics, and I love how it looks with both the front and back.


This quilt is a large queen size, measuring 96" x 108", and I'm calling it Staying Positive, because we definitely need as much of that as we can get right now!

I've been feeling pretty accomplished these past few days by checking these two things off my list.  Before we get to showing off your accomplishments, check out the highlights from last week.  Kris at Sew Sunshine linked up this gorgeous quilt-


Linda at Flourishing Palms shared her progress on this fun, unique quilt-


This amazing mini is by Jayne at Twiggy and Opal-



This scrappy beauty is by Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework-


This striking starry quilt is by Sandra at mmm! Quilts-


Shannon at The Fleming's Nine showed off this soft, sweet finish-


And I love this quilt by Liz at Savor Every Stitch-


I showed LOTS of highlights from last week, because I thought we could all use a little extra eye candy these days, and there were so many awesome projects last week that I just couldn't help myself!

Okay friends!  I can't wait to see how you've been keeping yourselves busy lately.  It's time to link up!

1You 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 within your 
    post.  
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!  :)





10 comments:

  1. beautiful quilts that you shared with us today

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  2. Wow! I love that beautiful blue waverunner quilt. Gorgeous fabrics! And the plus quilt is a very close second.

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  3. Great new pattern, Kelly!! Hmm... I just happen to have a pile of those same colors on my sewing table. Too bad my niece already chose another pattern for her quilt!

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  4. I don't often send quilts out to be quilted. Your thoughts are a great reminder to be very specific with the longarm quilter before committing. I do like the design you choose and think it looks amazing. Like you denser quilting is my preference too! It is gorgeous though!

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  5. Congrats on getting another nice pattern published and out into the world. I've experienced similar disappointment with quilting densities over the years. Now I always talk it through and all has been quite good. I send out almost all my quilts as I really dislike that part of the process so it helps to have a long armer you trust and who knows your preference.

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  6. Your quilts are very pretty, and I love the new pattern, Waverunner! Beautiful highlights from last week too.

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  7. Love both quilts! Choosing the size of the design as a longarmer can be tricky indeed.

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  8. I also love both quilts. I like the wide quilting. Waverunner is a really pretty pattern.

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  9. I see my Victor Vasarely-inspired quilt from my design wall. I’m happy to say it’s now completely finished, measuring 48” x 64”. I’ll be blogging about it soon. Your Wave Runner quilt turned out pretty. As for the longarm quilting on the other, I think it looks fine. But I really don’t have a basis for comparison because I haven’t hired a longarm quilter since 2000. Hope your family togetherness is going okay. I’m looking forward to when we can go to the grocery store again. It’s been 18 days so far.

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Thanks so much for your comment and for visiting! I read and appreciate every single comment, and I reply to each one as soon as I can. If you don't hear back from me, you might be a no-reply blogger. :)

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