Quick Christmas Coasters and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  Even though we had another party this weekend (but not at our house), this week I got a tiny bit of sewing done and made some little gifts for a couple of friends.

I pulled all of the fabric for these coasters from my Christmas scraps and sewed them with a double layer of cotton batting for extra absorbency.  I used THIS method, but I opted to use two 4.5" squares of fabric for each instead of piecing the coasters.  Also, I have found since writing the tutorial that the coasters actually absorb a little better if they aren't quilted through.  So, I just stitched around the edges and called them done.

I made two sets of six coasters (each with the same six prints) and they turned out so cute!  They've already been gifted so they can go ahead and get some use during this Christmas season!

Last week's party had so many amazing projects!  Check out this cute one by Sandra at mmm quilts-

Brenda at Songbird Designs linked up this beauty-

And Gretchen's Little Corner shared this scrappy project (with a tutorial!)-

Before we party, I want to let you know that NTT will be taking a break for the next two weeks for Christmas and New Years, and our 24th wedding anniversary is in there too.  We will resume our party on January 4th!

And since it's the last party for 2022, I want to take the opportunity to thank you for participating in Needle and Thread Thursday for another year.  A link party is only as fun as the links shared, so I couldn't keep it going without YOU!  I truly hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and I'll see you again in 2023.

Okay, y'all!  Let's 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 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!  :)

A Whirlwind Weekend and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  As expected, this week did not afford any sewing time.  We hosted a small gathering of friends over on Friday, and a full-blown party on Saturday for my husband's work colleagues.  Throw in a Sunday School Christmas brunch on Sunday morning, and this weekend was jam-packed.  I think I'm still recovering!

So, without further ado, let's get right to the highlights from last week.  This beauty is by Rebecca Grace Quilting-

This gorgeous quilt is from Melva Loves Scraps-

Turid from den syende himmel linked up her progress on this EPP masterpiece.  Those hexies are tiny!

And finally, this simple but striking quilt is from Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting-

Okay friends!  Let's get our party going.  I need my weekly dose of inspiration!

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!  :)

Checked Off the Final To-Do and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  Now that Thanksgiving is over, this is the time of year that my calendar really starts filling up.  There are so many family and friend things happening,  I like to have my sewing obligations finished by the beginning of December, and I'm happy to report that my last sewing to-do was checked off yesterday.

I've been working to finish these four memory quilts, and since they've been finished, circumstances have just not allowed outdoor photos.  We've had lots of rain lately, and last week we not only had family in town for Thanksgiving, we actually made a quick trip to Louisiana for a family reunion AFTER Thanksgiving!  It was a lot to cram into a single week, but worth it.  The reunion was for my grandparents, and we managed to get their daughters, granddaughters (I'm the oldest of five granddaughters), and all of their great grandchildren from three different states all under one roof.  It poured down rain, but that didn't matter one bit.  We all had a wonderful time and enjoyed the day.

Needless to say, with everything going on, the night before the quilts were delivered, I realized I had not yet gotten any photos of them all finished, so I snapped some quick indoor shots before I had to let them go.

As you can see from the photo of the stacked quilts, three of the four are exactly alike.  The pattern was specifically requested by the widow, as she wanted her son and grandsons' quilts to all be alike.  Once I got the color distribution of the shirt rectangles how I liked it, it was easy to replicate two more times.

The fourth quilt is for her, and this pattern was chosen by her daughter-in-law (my friend).  The recipient thinks she is only getting three quilts, so this fourth one is a special Christmas surprise.

I had so many shirts, there were enough leftovers to make a pieced backing for each of them.  Originally, my friend mentioned using navy as a background color, but with so many darker plaids, it wasn't a good choice and we decided on Kona Khaki instead.  Since navy was a favorite color of his, instead I chose to feature Kona navy on the backing and binding, along with chambray to widen out the backing.  Each of the quilt backs is constructed the same way, but with different shirt panels on each one.

You know, memory quilts are not always the most exciting project.  Breaking down the shirts is so labor-intensive, and the shirts can be tricky to work with.  I will say this though, the pure joy and appreciation shown when someone receives one cannot be matched.  To take clothing of a loved one and turn it into a long-lasting, functional reminder of them is so special.  Snuggling in a quilt is always like a warm hug, and perhaps this comfort is most apparent with memory quilts.

As I mentioned, this set of quilts was the last item on my to-do list.  I might sew something small between now and Christmas just for fun, but with two parties (at my house!) this weekend, one next weekend (not at my house), our wedding anniversary the weekend after, and all kinds of other smaller family holiday things like baking, gift-wrapping, and Christmas movies, I'm just not sure when I'll be able to squeeze it in.

So, how about you?  Are you checking off your holiday sewing list?  I hope so, and I also hope you're taking time to enjoy the season!  Let's get to our party, shall we?  But first, a few highlights from our last party.  Take a look at this scrappy quilt by Gretchen's Little Corner-

I love this quilt by Rita at Quiltpiecer-

And Melisa at Pinker n Punkin Quilts linked up her progress on this cute quilt.  'Tis the season!

Okay, friends!  It's time to get our party going!  I can't wait to see what you're working 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 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!  :)

2022 Tree Parade! and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, my friends!  I've gotten lots of sewing done this week.  In fact, three out of four of those memory quilts are completely quilted, and the last one is under my needle now.  I'm planning to finish quilting the last one this week, and then I'll have family in for Thanksgiving.  The bindings will have to wait until after Thanksgiving, but that's okay.  They'll still be delivered well before Christmas!

The other (bigger) undertaking this week has been decorating for Christmas.  As I mentioned, family will be arriving this weekend, and since I am hosting TWO parties the first weekend in December, if I waited until after Thanksgiving to decorate, I wouldn't have enough time to get it all done.  Last year I shared my four Christmas trees, but this year I added a fifth (I might have a bit of an obsession).

So, here they are!  My main tree is in our family room.  It's full of lots of pretty ornaments I've collected since my husband and I first got married, souvenir ornaments from vacations (you can see the wooden bison ornament from Yellowstone right there in front, just below the Merry Christmas sign), and even some ornaments that were on my mom's childhood tree-

My vintage aluminum tree is all decorated with a peppermint theme.  Because it's not safe to string electric lights on an aluminum tree, this one is lit with spotlights, and because of its construction, it can't support a topper.  That's okay though; I love it just the same.  This one lives in the corner of my dining room.

My LSU tree is in my breakfast area this year!  You may remember my Santa's Christmas Forest quilt I made last year, and in that post, I showed a photo of my family room looking into my kitchen.  Last year, you can see that my silver tree was in my breakfast area, and the LSU tree was in the dining room.  Well, this past year my husband and father-in-law built a pantry wall in my kitchen (the green cabinets), so I needed a slimmer tree in that corner, hence the switch.  

Here's the same view this year, and Santa's Christmas Forest is featured in my family room once again!

Next up is my Santa tree!  My mother-in-law loved Christmas and collected Santas.  In fact, she kept a few out year-round.  When she passed a few years ago, I inherited her collection of Santa ornaments, along with lots of other Christmas things, and since my main tree is so very full, I needed another tree to display all of them.  The flocked tree, plaid ribbon, galvanized tree collar, and colored lights give this one a rustic, old-fashioned vibe.

And finally, my newest tree is my icy Winter Wonderland tree!  I had a tight little space in my bedroom that was just begging for a little Christmas cheer.  I have a bright, colorful Anna Maria Horner quilt on my bed, so I knew I wanted the tree to be more subdued- all gold, silver, and white.

This is the slimmest tree I have, but I knew it had to be, or else it would stick out too far into the room and doorway.  It's a perfect fit for that little spot and I really love lying in bed and staring at it.  It's the first tree turned on in the morning, and the last to be switched off at night.  I decorate every room in my house for Christmas and it brings me so much joy (I wish I could share all of it here, but it is a LOT).  And I love having it up for a good long while before I have to put it all away again.

Last week's party was awesome, so let's get right to the highlights!  This absolutely gorgeous quilt is from Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl.  She's hosting a quilt along for this quilt, so definitely check out her post!

This quilt by Sew Preeti Quilts is so pretty and with all that blue, it feels very wintry!

And speaking of winter, Deb at A Scrappy Quilter showed off these three quilts in a snowy setting!

And finally, I always love seeing quilters take one of my designs and make them their own.  In this case, Sandra from mmm quilts took the Up, Up, and Away pattern from my book Scrappy Improv Quilting  and expanded it into a lap size quilt.  I love it so much!

Week after week, y'all are just so awesome!  It's time to get to our party, but before we do, I want to let you know that NTT will be taking a break for Thanksgiving next week, BUT I will be posting on Black Friday, giving you the heads-up on all the best sales from my favorite shops.

Happy Thanksgiving, 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!  :)

Needle and Thread Thursday

Welcome to NTT, friends!  I'm making steady progress on the four memory quilts (all four tops and backings are done, and two quilts are basted and ready for quilting), but since I'm working on them in tandem, I don't really have any good photos to share.  Hopefully soon!  This weekend, we also took a trip to visit one final college and didn't get back until late Monday evening.

When I got back in town, it occurred to me that the holiday schedule gauntlet has arrived.  I have less than two weeks to get all of my Christmas decorating done- inside and out!  We have family coming into town next weekend for Thanksgiving week, and then we are hosting TWO parties at our house the first weekend in December.  So all of my decorating has to get done before next Saturday.  Since decorating is on a quicker deadline than the memory quilts, those will have to take a back seat.  I'd better get busy!

So, let's get right to last week's party highlights!  This beauty was shared by Rebecca Grace Quilting-

This neutral quilt by DonnaleeQ is so soothing-

And just look at this happy, scrappy churn dash quilt by Anorina at Samelia's Mum-

Okay, y'all!  It's time to party!

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!  :)

NTT- Memory Quilts

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, my friends!  Since last week, I've been knee-deep in men's shirts.  My friend lost her father-in-law, and these shirts will be special keepsakes for her husband, sons, and her mother-in-law.  

If you look closely, you can see that I've already finished two quilt tops this week (I've been cutting and sewing like crazy).  One finished top is on the wall, and one is folded.  I've also cut out all the pieces for the two other quilts.  There were so many shirts, I will even have plenty for the backs, and those strips are ready to go as well.  When I'm working on several quilts from a set of clothing, I always process the shirts into useable fabric and get everything cut out at once.  Somehow tackling several quilts at once seems less daunting that way.  Memory quilts are so labor-intensive and they aren't always the most fun to work on because shirting fabric is tricky to piece, but the fact that they will be truly cherished makes them worth it!

Last week's party had lots of great links!  This simple, but striking quilt is from Anne-Marie at Stories From the Sewing Room-

This fun little black and green quilt is from Gretchen's Little Corner-

The ombre effect in this one by Sew Preeti Quilts is so awesome!

And finally, Sue Dario Quilting shared this amazing finish.  Look at all of that amazing quilting detail!

Okay y'all!  You know what to do!

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!  :)

NTT and a Big Reveal

Hey there, friends!  Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday.  Today, I am SO excited that I can finally give you some details on my next book.  Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs is set to release in March, and I am thrilled!

What can I say?  I write what I know, and if you've followed along with me for awhile, you know I love pieced quilt backs!  This book has a collection of thirty of them- that's right 3-0!  Half of the pieced back patterns are written using scraps of various sizes, and the other fifteen patterns are written using yardage that coordinates with the front of your quilt (because sometimes we don't have leftovers, but still want a simple, but pretty quilt back!).

Each backing pattern is written in three different sizes to accommodate your particular quilt, AND (as if that wasn't enough) there are eighteen bonus quilt (front) patterns available as downloads with the purchase of the book.  The book also contains tips and techniques if you're a new quilter, as well as full instructions for finishing your quilt.  It is truly comprehensive.

I'm really proud of the content, and I hope it will be a useful tool for every quilter!  It is available right now for preorder on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.  I'll have it in my shop as well, but it's not there just yet!  I can't wait to share more as March gets closer!

Without further ado, check out the highlights from last week's party!  This pretty quilt is from Sally at Crafts, Cavies, and Cooking-

Julie's Quilts and Costumes showed off this quilt.  The zany mix of fabrics is so fun, but the colors are perfect for autumn.

Deb at A Scrappy Quilter linked up this soothing blue quilt-

And finally, look at this beauty by DonnaleeQ-

Wow!  I can't wait to see what you're all working on this week!  I'm in the early stages of a new project, and I'll share more next week.  Let's link 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!  :)

Needle and Thread Thursday!

Happy NTT, friends!  Thank you so much to all who sent well wishes for my son's recovery from his wisdom tooth surgery.  We had our follow up with the surgeon this morning, and everything is all good!

I have actually done a little bit of sewing this week, but it wasn't quilting related.  We're hosting a Halloween party this weekend, and my costume needed a little adjustment.  Nothing major, I just added a little scarf around the neck of the dress so it isn't quite so low-cut.  Other than that, my machine has been idle.

Last week's party had some great link-ups!  This quilt top is from Julie's Quilts and Costumes.  Love those vibrant colors!

This cute baby quilt is from Anne-Marie at Stories From the Sewing Room-

This sweet little flying geese mini is from Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl-

And finally, Jan at The Colorful Fabriholic linked up this pretty quilt-

Okay, y'all!  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 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!  :)