NTT- A Halloween Quilt

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  If you guessed I was making a Halloween quilt from the strip sets I showed last week, you were right!  We are squarely in the dog days of summer around here.  It's the kind of heat and humidity where the air is thick and soupy and it feels like you're getting slowly braised every time you walk outside.  It's also the time of year where I start thinking/hoping/praying that we only have to hang on a little while longer before the temperatures will come down a little bit.   So, with this Halloween quilt, I'm trying to bring cooler temperatures into existence with sheer will.

I've only made one other spiderweb quilt, and it was actually a Christmas quilt.  This was long before my blogging days, so my photo is really not great, but I was so happy with it at the time.  It was a gift for my son's first grade teacher- 11 years ago!  

I made this Christmas version with a completely different method that I vowed I would never do again, and as a PSA, I'll fill you in so you don't make the same mistake.  I cut 16" Kona Red squares in half diagonally, measured and marked every single kite shape on each triangle, and then sewed scrap strips to each of the "arms" of the triangle.  I trimmed the triangles to size and sewed them together with the kite shapes pointing toward the center of the block, creating the spiderwebs in horizontal rows.  That means that this entire quilt has Kona Red as a foundation fabric, and it was SO heavy.  I didn't own a really great sewing machine then, so I wasn't even sure I could quilt through it, which is why it is tied instead.
 

Even though I love the look of spiderweb quilts, I had put off making another one because the first one was such a pain.  And also because I decided that a Halloween quilt would be perfect for the pattern, but I never got around to settling on a fabric collection.  Well, I've been in a little bit of a quilting slump lately, and decided to give the Creative Grids spiderweb ruler a try.  I decided that I didn't need Halloween fabrics, just Halloween colors, so I raided my stash for lots of orange, black, purple, and gray.  The ruler made the process SO much easier, and this time, I sewed the blocks in a way that would arrange the spiderwebs on the diagonal (the ruler gives you the option).   You can see the individual blocks in the photo below.  ps- I'm not affiliated with Creative Grids, I just liked this ruler!  :)

It's amazing how simply changing the construction method has changed my whole perspective on this pattern.  It's still not a super fast and easy quilt, but using the ruler made it much simpler.  I'm planning to get this one all basted tomorrow, and then it will have to wait until next week.  I have family coming in for a visit tomorrow afternoon.

Before we party, take a look at some of the awesome projects from last week. Kat at Scrapbox Quilts linked up this pretty quilt-

 

This cutie is by Vicki's Crafts and Quilting-

And this sweet and cheery table runner is by Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting-

Okie dokie, ya'll!  It's time to link up the latest happenings from your sewing studio!  

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!  :)