NTT- All Christmas, All the Time

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  It's been another jam-packed week of Christmas festivities around here- another party, gingerbread house decorating, Christmas movies, making paper snowflakes, and yet another friends holiday dinner (a small group, so not really a party).  

Truth be told, in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas I rarely sew at all, and I'm just fine with that.  All of the gatherings and special traditions the season can be overwhelming for some, but it energizes me.  So, since my studio is quiet again this week, check out some of the highlights from last week's party.  

DonnaleeQ linked up this mini quilt made from the Birds of a Feather pattern in my book, Scrappy Improv Quilting.  The scrappy red birds look so festive against the low volume background-

Elana at That Fabric Feeling showed off this adorable Boro pouch-

This colorful quilt is by Rebecca Grace Quilting-

This pretty quilt is by Institches with Bonnie-

And this king-sized beauty is by Barb at Mountain Quiltworks (from Instagram)-

Take a look at this fun quilt top by Julie's Quilts and Costumes.  What a great layout for bowtie blocks!

And last, but certainly not least is this lovely quilt by Rita at Quiltpiecer-

Okay, y'all!  It's time to show what you've been working on this week.  Big or small, we want to see it!  

And, NTT will be taking break for the next couple of weeks for Christmas, but be sure to join me again for the first party of 2022 on 1/5!

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!  :)

Christmas Baking and NTT

Hey y'all!  Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday.  I wish I could say I sewed even a single stitch this week, but that isn't the case.  We hosted a Christmas party for the hubs' colleagues on Saturday and since last week's post, the days have been spent preparing for said party, and then mostly in party-recovery mode since.  We cleaned, raked leaves, prepped food, and just generally made sure everything was all ready for guests, and thankfully it all paid off.  It was a great time!

Then on Sunday, my family and I spent the whole afternoon baking.  We baked everyone's favorite cookies (almost 300!), and had fun with the cookie press.  Raspberry white chocolate thumbprints, chocolate chip- both with and without pecans, and butter shortbread cookies will last us the whole Christmas season, and we'll give lots of them away as gifts too.

Since I finished my Santa's Christmas Forest quilt, I don't actually have any projects in the works right now.  So instead, here are some extra highlights from last weeks linkups.  

Sally at Crafts, Cavies, and Cooking linked up this vibrant quilt top.  So pretty!

I love this scrappy orange table runner by Marly's Quilts-

Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting linked up this beauty! And isn't this setting just gorgeous?

I always love a scrap-happy quilt, and this one by Sew Preeti Quilts does not disappoint-

LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color shared these adorable scrap butterflies, and I can't help but think of how some of them might look on one of my Christmas trees.

And finally, take a look at this fun quilt finish by Sandra at mmm quilts-

Okay, y'all!  Without further ado, let's get to this week's linkup.  Show me what you've got!

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!  :)

Santa's Christmas Forest

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  I hope all of you had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday.  It took some late-night sewing, but I managed to get my latest quilt all finished and even hung up on the wall before our Thanksgiving company arrived!

I am so happy with the way this quilt turned out.  I made Christmas tree blocks in three sizes- twelve, nine, and six inches, and arranged them randomly around Santa and Rudolph. 

Then, I opted to fill in the background with improv chunks of low volume fabrics.  Most of the fabrics are very light (even for low volume), and several have touches of gold or silver which just adds to the glistening forest feel of the quilt.  My very favorite fabric is the sheet music print, and I've actually had it in my stash for a long time.  I had about two yards of it, and I've been using little bits here and there, and I'm finally down to my last 1/3 yard.  I will be so sad when I run out!  The music is "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and I knew I had to include it in this quilt.

I quilted it with super dense swirls to give the feel of blowing wind and snow, and it always amazes me to see how the texture really brings the quilt to life.  I found this pretty print for the back, and it compliments the quilt so well.  Since the front has so much green, I knew I wanted the backing to feature more red.  The sheet music background, cardinals, and berries are just perfect, and this chunky red plaid binding makes such a great frame.

I don't have many quilts hanging on walls in my house, because most of my walls get direct sunlight for at least part of the day, and I have unfortunately learned my lesson on how quickly the sun can fade a quilt. But I knew this wall behind my couch would be a great spot, and this quilt was made specifically to hang there.  It measures 48" x 50".

Some years, I give a full rundown of all of my Christmas trees when I'm done decorating, but since I just showed close-ups of all four of my trees last year, I decided to show you how some of my Christmas things are displayed instead.  My Christmas Baubles quilt is so cozy on the back of my couch, and it gets plenty of snuggles, and the Santa Belly pillow is right at home on the couch too!  You can see my vintage aluminum tree in my breakfast room in the photo above and the main tree here, but of course if you'd like to see detailed shots of all four of my trees, you can check them out HERE!

Our party two weeks ago was so full of awesomeness!  Jan at The Colorful Fabriholic linked up this gorgeous Quilt-

This lovely quilt is by Sandra at mmm quilts-

Rebecca Grace Quilting linked up this mesmerizing quilt.  It's simple but so striking!

And finally, these whales by Quilting Gail are super cute!

Okay friends!  Let's get our party going!  I can't wait to see what you have going on this week.  It's Christmas crunch time!

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!  :)