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Wednesday, January 31, 2024

All Three Finished and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  I have been a quilting and binding fool this week, and I am so happy to report that all three quilts made from my grandfather's shirts are now finished.  In fact, I just finished binding all three this morning!  



I chose my favorite shirt quilt pattern for all three quilts, and though the pattern is the same, the layout is different in each one.  The simplicity of the pattern allows the shirts to take center stage, and it also allows the use of lots of different shirts.  And, the size and regularity of the pieces means that there isn't a ton of wasted fabric.  I used thirty different shirts in these quilts.  

My grandfather had shirts of many different colors, but he especially loved pastels- pink, yellow, mint green, and salmon.  He was a very casual dresser, and the chambray background fabric is the perfect compliment for his wide variety of colorful shirts, since he almost always wore jeans.



With so many shirts, there were plenty of leftovers to make pieced backs, and again, each one is slightly different.  When my grandfather needed to dress up a little bit and wasn't wearing jeans, he wore chinos, so I widened out each backing with strips of khaki.


Even when it's 100% cotton, men's shirting fabric doesn't behave exactly the same way as quilting cotton.  It's not as thick, and because shirts have been worn, the fabric is soft and supple.  That's great for clothing, but it makes piecing and quilting a bit more difficult.  So, I always stipple shirt quilts.  It adds plenty of great crinkly texture, but it doesn't quilt the more delicate fabric to death.


Several of the shirts have navy accents, so a solid navy binding was a great choice for framing these quilts.  And because these are for family, I attached a handwritten label to each one.  When I made the labels, I thought there was no way I would finish these quilts in January, but I was wrong by one day.  That's okay, they won't be delivered until February, so the label is still true.


The three quilts are going to my mom and aunt (his two daughters), and my grandmother.  My parents and grandmother are coming to visit in a couple of weeks and I'm glad I can give them to them then.  I have a few more scraps of each shirt and I have a plan for them to make something for each of his five granddaughters, of whom I am the eldest.  Yes, you read that right.  My grandfather was the Daddy of two girls and the grandfather of five girls, and he loved it.  He was truly a special man, and it was an honor to make these quilts in his memory.

Last week's party was amazing, as always!  Take a look at this super cute quilt from Jen at Handmade With Heart-


Jocelyn at Happy Cottage Quilter shared this awesomely scrappy quilt-


This lovely drunkard's path sampler is from Maggie at Making a Lather-


 
And finally, it always thrills me to see someone make one of my patterns and put their own spin on it.  Something Rosemade made my Bubble Bath pattern, and I just love these fabrics!



Okay y'all, without further ado, let's get this party going!  You know what to to!

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!  :)



Wednesday, January 24, 2024

Three Plus Three and NTT

Good afternoon y'all, and welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday!  I've been sewing my tail off this week and have finished all three memory quilt tops and pieced all three backs for them.  It was quite an undertaking. 

Today, I've actually been basting all three of them, and it's been an all day affair.  I like working on all three quilts in tandem because the overall process is faster, but it does make each step feel monumental.  In case you're wondering, next week I'll just be over here quilting...and quilting...and quilting!  :)

Last week's party was ahhmazing, as usual!  Frederique at Quilting Patchwork Appliqué linked up this stunning reversible quilt, and I can't decide which side I like better!


This gorgeous art quilt was linked up by Andree at Quilting and Learning-What a Combo, and the texture is fantastic!


Look at this striking quilt by Leanne at Devoted Quilter!


And finally, I can never resist the beautiful wash of colors in a Postcard From Sweden quilt.  This one is by Sandra at mmmquilts-


Okie dokie, friends!  Let's get our party on!

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!  :)



Thursday, January 18, 2024

Sewing Memory Quilts and NTT

Please forgive the delay in NTT this week.  My internet was down yesterday and has been spotty this morning.  This week, other than being snowed in, I've finished cutting up my grandfather's shirts, as well as the background fabric for all three quilts.  We're actually getting more freezing rain today (ugh), so I've started piecing the tops between cooking, watching movies, and working on a puzzle with my husband while we're both home all day.  


The pattern I've chosen for these three quilts is one I've made a couple of times before.  It's a simple pattern, but it's my favorite to use for shirts.  It allows the use of lots of shirts, and it shows them off well.  These quilts will feature 30 different shirts, so it was a natural choice.

I've also been finalizing several upcoming trips for this spring.  I'll be visiting the Charlotte Quilters' Guild in North Carolina this March, the Bartlesville, OK Quilt Guild in April (near Tulsa), and finally, I'm heading to the Bloomington Quilters Guild in Indiana in May!

I LOVE traveling to visit guilds, and I only have two available months left in 2024- August and September.  I would love to visit YOU during one of those months!  And of course, I'm already booking 2025 as well.  Please send me an email and we can get something on the calendar, or pass my information along to your guild's programming chair.

Okay friends, before we party, let's check out some of the amazing projects shared last week.  This lovely quilt is from Jan at The Colorful Fabriholic-



Look at this beauty from Kat at Scrapbook Quilts-


Maggie at Making a Lather linked up this fun, scrappy quilt-


JanineMarie at Quilts From the Little House shared this pretty quilt-


And finally, this one from something rosemade is so happy!


Okay y'all!  I know the party is later than usual, but I can't wait to see what you have going on in your sewing studio!

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!  :)



Wednesday, January 10, 2024

Happy 2024!

Hey there friends, and welcome to the first NTT of 2024.  The last few weeks were a much needed break after a hectic end to 2023.  These last couple of weeks, I've been slowly working on another project using the shirts of my recently passed grandfather (November).


I'm making three quilts from his button down shirts, one for my grandmother, my mom, and my aunt.  And then five keepsake Christmas ornaments for each of his five granddaughters (I'm the eldest).  My sewing room is an absolute MESS, which drives me a little crazy, but when cutting up shirts, there really is no neater way.  I'm using thirty shirts for these quilts and ornaments, and that is a ton of cutting.  It's slow going right now, because this is the most labor intensive part of memory quilting.  

Once I have all of the quilt (and backing) pieces cut out, I'll put all of those scraps in a bag and hold onto them until the quilts are finished.  Then I'll dig through the scraps to make the ornaments.  I'm really looking forward to getting those piles off my table and floor.

In other news, I am super excited to let you know that my first book, Stash Statement, has gotten a refresh and is being rereleased this April!  You may recall that Martingale (the original publisher) went out of business last year, and though Stash Statement had been out of print since 2021, it was still available digitally.  Unfortunately, that availability stopped once Martingale went out of business.  I'm so thankful that Fox Chapel/Landauer decided to purchase the rights and Stash Statement will soon be available in print and digital format.


Clearly, the book has a brand new cover, but that's not the only thing that's different.  It now contains 15 patterns- the twelve original patterns plus three new ones.  It also contains full finishing instructions, including quilting tips!  It's now available for preorder through Amazon, so check it out!

Our last party was all the way back on December 6th, which feels like forever ago!  But there were some great projects linked up, so let's check them out.  This lovely quilt is from Linda @ kokaquilts-


Take a look at this gorgeous appliqué piece by DonnaleeQ-


I'm loving these sweet little fabric postcards from Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio-


These happy stars are from Maggie at Making a Lather-


And finally, Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting showed off TWO rainbow scrap beauties!


Wow!  Y'all really finished off 2023 strong!  Let's kick off another awesome year of Needle and Thread Thursday, shall we?  Bring on the eye candy!

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!  :)



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