Needle and Thread Thursday Time!

 Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  I got my new fabric bundle this week (365 Fifth Avenue by Bari J), and though I love it as it is, I needed a few more fabrics for the quilt I'm planning, so I added some blenders from my stash to round it out and give the eye a few more places to rest amongst the florals.

Sometimes I work on a quilt by sewing one complete block at a time, but more often than not, I sew the smaller units for the entire quilt first (HST, snowball corners, flying geese, etc.), and then the blocks go together in a flash.  It doesn't make pretty progress photos to sew that way, but I find it much more efficient for me.  So, let's just say that I've been a snowball cornering fool these past couple of days, and I can't wait until I can show you something prettier!

My sewing has been in fits and spurts this week, because besides being glued to hurricane coverage (which is what happens when you grow up on the Gulf coast and still have tons of family there), we're getting very close to welcoming my father-in-law to Tennessee (from Texas).  He purchased a house about 15-20 minutes from us, and we could not be more thrilled to have him so close.  Much of my time lately has been spent at his home while it has been painted, carpets cleaned, etc., getting it all ready for his move-in next week!

Before we get to the highlights from last week's party.  I owe you two winners from my August sponsor post, generously supplied by Fort Worth Fabric Studio.  Comments 62 (Karrin) and 12 (Jocelyn) are this month's winners!  Congrats, ladies!

                         

Okay!  Now that we've taken care of business, check out the highlights from last week's party!  Myra at Busy Hands Quilts shared this sweet quilt-

Andree at Quilting and Learning showed off this little quilt.  I love the texture!

Anja Quilts shared this fun quilt finish-

And finally, Tubakk at Den syende himmel showed these TWO versions of her epic hexie quilt.  Just gorgeous!

Alright, y'all!  What's happening in your sewing space these days? Let's link it 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 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!  :)

Finding Inspiration and NTT

Welcome to another Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all.  There are definitely ups and downs to being a one-project-at-a-time girl, and this week, the downside has come into sharp focus.  Most times, I have my next quilt idea all figured out before I even finish my current one, but there are times (like right now) that I don't, and with no other projects in the works to give me a spark, I've been at a sewing standstill.  My usual fallback for these times is to pull from my scrap jars, but I completely emptied those with my Strata Squared finish a few weeks ago.  So, onto another strategy, new fabric!  

There was a time when I purchased bundle after bundle and made quilts from single collections all the time.  These days, I prefer to mix my own fabrics and palettes and work from my stash as much as I possibly can (not knocking either method, by the way).  I've actually been doing a pretty good job of keeping my fabric habit under control, and my stash is getting noticeably smaller, which is a good thing. That being said, a new fabric collection that I really love almost always gives me the creative jolt I need, and this 365 Fifth Avenue collection by Bari J is oh so luscious (photo courtesy of Lady Belle Fabrics).

I'll mix in a few more blender fabrics from my stash, because I just can't help myself, but just like that, I already have a plan for these, and it's going to be awesome.  What do you do when your inspiration is lacking? How do you pull yourself out of a sewing slump?

One great way to get lots of inspiration is by browsing others' projects.  Whether it's through blog links or Instagram, the web is a treasure trove of eye candy, and last week's party had some great links, like this flag quilt shared by Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting-

And this quilt by Sew Yummy is a stunner with that black background-

This penguin quilt by Anja Quilts is just adorable!

Carole at Fresh Off the Frame linked up this cute little quilt-

This scrappy beauty is by Linda at kokaquilts-

And finally, I love this quilt by Sew Preeti Quilts-

Okay, friends!  Let's get this party going!

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 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!  :)

Moroccan Star and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  My latest quilt is all finished and I can't wait to see it draped across the sofa in my parents' lake house.  As I mentioned in my last post, my parents purchased a little fixer-upper place on the lake, and it is in the process of getting a big facelift.  The colors in this quilt are just right for it.

You know I love to piece the backs of my quilts, so I pulled many more prints than I really needed for the top.  The large variety of prints gives the quilt a controlled but scrappy charm, and it also means that I didn't have to do any additional shopping for the backing!

After quilting my Strata Squared quilt so densely, I decided to keep this one nice and soft with a wider stipple, and it adds just enough crinkle texture to bring the quilt to life without competing with the design.

As luck would have it, I had this fantastic navy and aqua swiss dot in my stash, and I knew right away that it would make a perfect binding.  You can never go wrong with polkadots!

I'm keeping this simple and consistent and calling this quilt Moroccan Star since it uses the block I designed last year by the same name.  I'm working on the Moroccan Star pattern, so be on the lookout for it soon!

Before we party, check out some of the projects from last week that caught my eye.  Check out this stunner by Jan at The Colorful Fabriholic-

Look at this loveliness shared by Shannon at The Flemings Nine-

I love everything about this quilt by Jayne at Twiggy and Opal, especially all of that fun quilting!

And check out this fun quilt by Gretchen's Little Corner-

Y'all are amazing, and so very inspirational.  Let's party, y'all!

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 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!  :)

Lake House Quilt and NTT

Hey there y'all, and welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday!  I've finished up my Moroccan Stars quilt top and I have to say that I'm pretty smitten with it.  The colors are so pretty together.

Several weeks ago my parents bought a fixer-upper lake house, and when my mom decided on the color palette for it, I knew it would be a great one for my Moroccan Stars block.  These fresh, fun colors are going to look awesome added to the gray, beige, and warm woods in the house.  

I snapped this photo yesterday before basting, and now this quilt is all ready to be quilted.  There is still lots of work to do on the house, but this quilt will be perfect in the living room once it's done.

Last week's party was fantastic, and if you didn't get a chance to really browse through the links, be sure to  take a few minutes to take a look.  Here are a few that caught my eye.  Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting shared this Meadowland quilt-

Anne-Marie at Stories From the Sewing Room linked up this fabulous quilt top-

This amazingly cheery churn dash quilt is by Kris at Sew Sunshine-

Look at this yummy scrappalicious quilt by Rebecca Grace at Cheeky Cognoscenti-

I love the blue background in this scrappy quilt by Sew Yummy-

And this quilt by Jayne at Twiggy and Opal is so striking.

I got a little carried away with highlights this week, but I just couldn't help myself!  In fact, I had to stop myself from choosing more.  So, let's see what you've got going 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 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!  :)