The Whole Shebang and NTT

Whoop, whoop!  It is done.  Finished.  All used up.  My stash is officially GONE.  All that's left in my cabinet are a few odds and ends- pins and tape for basting, tape for shipping, and my little bag that holds my credit card reader, business cards, etc. for traveling.  Oh, and a mountain of comic book boards that used to hold fabric (and that's not even all of them)!

I have exactly two pieces of fabric left (on the top shelf), and they were each saved for a specific purpose.  The fiery Alison Glass print is destined for the back of a remake of my Starfire quilt, which I'm teaching on a Stitchin' Heaven quilt cruise next spring.  I will be supplied the fabric for the top, but this chunk will be a great addition to the back!

And, I'll be using that piece of Kona Black on a scrap quilt soon, because even though my stash is bare, my scrap jars are full!

As a reminder- here is what my stash looked like in April when I decided to try to use it ALL up without purchasing a single bit of fabric-

Here's the rundown of how each color has made its way into a quilt, and I linked the post for each finished quilt below, just in case you missed any!

Pink- Fiesta Party, Tumbling Hearts

Red/Maroon- Tumbling Hearts, Funky Frames, Cabin Cozy

Orange- Fiesta Party, Southwest Beadwork, Funky Frames

Yellow- Fiesta Party, Southwest Beadwork, Funky Frames

True Green/Yellow Green- Seedlings

Blue Green/Aqua/Teal- Fiesta Party, Emerald Coast, Southwest Beadwork, Funky Frames

True Blue/Navy Blue- Fiesta Party, Southwest Beadwork, Cabin Cozy

Purple- Grape Soda

Gray- Grape Soda, Tumbling Hearts, Seedlings, Cabin Cozy

Black- Tumbling Hearts, Seedlings

Brown/Tan- Southwest Beadwork, Cabin Cozy

White (the remainder of my bolt of Kona White)- Grape Soda, Tumbling Hearts, Funky Frames

Extra Solids/Multicolor Prints- Misfits

If you're counting, this list only contains nine quilts, which doesn't sound like that many to use up an entire stash.  But keep in mind-

*The backings for each of these quilts are pieced from stash and leftovers, so really, I've made the fabric equivalent of 18 quilts since I started this mission in April.  And don't forget the bindings!  Those are all from stash too!  

*If you've followed along for awhile, you know I always shop my stash when making a new quilt. But, since I didn't have a strict goal of not buying ANY fabric, I would often buy just a little bit to supplement, or for the backing and binding.  Here is what my stash looked like in September of 2017.  You can see that this goal to use up my stash has been ongoing, even if I wasn't as strict and focused as I have been for the past eight months.  I've been using it up, little by little, over the past few years.

Many of you have asked what my plan is once my stash is gone, and of course my scraps are next on the agenda.  I love to clean out my scrap jars every so often, and I haven't done that since my Rainbow Galaxy quilt in Fall 2022.  It's time to get after them, because as you can see, my blues and grays/neutrals are overflowing!

After the scrap jars are empty, I'll just purchase fabric as I need it for a quilt, maybe for a couple of quilts at a time.  I'm not saying that I'll never build up a stash again, but I do know that it feels amazing right now to have used it up.

Now, let's get to some party highlights from last week, shall we?  This stunner was linked up by Linda at Flourishing Palms-

This lovely one is from Gretchen's Little Corner-

Quilting Gail showed off this striking finish-

And finally, this gorgeous quilt from Sandra at mmmquilts looks perfect against that fall landscape-

Okay y'all!  Let's get our party started!

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!  :)

Cabin Cozy and NTT

Hey there, friends!  Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday!  My trip to Weatherford, Texas was fantastic last week, even though I am officially the worst at taking photos.  We just get so engrossed in the class that I forget almost every time.  

It's been nice to get back to my sewing machine though, and I am super excited that I have a finish to share today.

As I mentioned in my last post, I think this quilt has a very rustic feel, and looks like it belongs in a cabin in the woods, so I'm calling it Cabin Cozy.  It used up all of my true blues (mostly solids), including a few navy blues, some chunks of red leftover from my Tumbling Hearts quilt, and the last of the grays.  There is even a little bit of brown and khaki thrown in there, which adds to the outdoorsy appeal. 

I don't know if this pattern has a name, but I call it offset patchwork.  It's a very simple block, made from a 4.5" square and a 6.5" x 4.5" rectangle (unfinished), resulting in a unit measuring 4" x 10" finished.  So, this quilt measures 64" x 70".  This is the same block I used to make the three memory quilts from my grandfather's shirts, but those quilts have a consistent background fabric, which really gives it a different look.

I sewed all of my background chunks into long strips, and arranged them horizontally to make the backing.  

The two fabrics you can see in this photo have really been tough to fit into a quilt.  I love both of them, but they've both been sitting in my stash for years.  Had I not been working to use up every bit of stash, I may not have included the navy/green print, but that tiny bit of green doesn't detract from the quilt at all.

I had a chunk of Kona Navy that was almost enough for the binding, but since it's one of my favorite fabrics for binding, I knew I had leftover binding strips in my scrap jar.  I was able to pull those out and with those added, I had just enough to bind this quilt.

I can wait to show you my progress on my stash busting mission, so be sure to look for that update next week!

Alright, friends!  Your linkups from last week's party gave me lots to look at while I was in my hotel and in the airport.  Check out a few of my faves-

quiltingbydawn linked up this gorgeous quilt.  What a stunning photo!

This lovely quilt is from Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting-

I love this scrappy quilt from Maggie at Making a Lather-

And finally, Andree' at Quilting and Learning shared this sweet floral quilt top-

Alrighty friends, it's time to share what you have going on in your studio this week.  Bring it 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 Cozy Quilt Top and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  I'm leaving bright and early tomorrow morning to visit the Quilter's Guild of Parker County in Weatherford, Texas.  And by bright and early, I mean that I have to be at the airport at 4:00 am!  But before I go, I am happy to share a new finished quilt top with you.  

I'm calling this one Cabin Cozy.  The simplicity of the pattern, and the mix of red, blue, tan, brown, and gray look like something you might find in a cabin in the woods.  There's even some chambray thrown in there.

I'm still on my mission to use up every bit of my fabric stash by making quilts without purchasing a single bit of fabric.  If you check out the My Quilts page, you can see that I've been diligently working through color ways, but I'm at the point where I don't have enough of a single color way to make an entire quilt.  So, this one is mostly full of true-blues, but also catches some "straggler fabrics," like those brown and khaki solids.

When I get back, I'll get this one all finished up, but now, it's time to check out the highlights from last week.  This beauty is from Something Rosemade-

This gorgeous, scrappy quilt is from Anne-Marie at Stories From the Sewing Room-

Gretchen's Little Corner shared this soothing blue finish-

And finally, check out this gorgeous quilt shared by Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting.  And, just in case you missed it, there is another beautiful quilt in her post too!

Okay, y'all!  It's time to party.  I can't wait to scroll through all of your lovely projects while I'm sitting in the airport tomorrow!

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!  :)

Funky Frames and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, my friends!  This week, I've been moving right along with my stash sewing and I'm happy I can share another finish with you today.  I'm calling this one Funky Frames, and it's such a fun quilt.

As I mentioned in my last post, this quilt contains the last bits of several color ways- mint greens and aquas that didn't make it into my Emerald Coast quilt, yellows and oranges that didn't make the cut for Southwest Beadwork, and a couple of maroons, and a few multicolor prints that just didn't fit anywhere else.  

It's a palette I probably wouldn't have put together normally without the goal/necessity of using up every last bit of stash without purchasing more fabric.  Considering this fact, I have really appreciated the creative exercise of this little stash experiment.  Though I haven't been making crazy complicated quilts, I've been stretching my creativity in a different way that feels equally productive for me.

By the way, in case you missed it in my last post, this quilt is inspired by the Stacked Squares tutorial from Kitchen Table Quilting, originally part of Moda Bakeshop.  Her original pattern uses precuts; a layer cake and a jelly roll.  I tweaked the measurements and make it fat quarter/quarter yard friendly since I almost never use precuts.  My modified cutting instructions can be found HERE.

I quilted this one with an allover stipple for lots of great texture, and I had a big chunk of these aqua color gradient chevrons that I used for the binding.  

To make all of the partial squares work, my version of this pattern (in this size) requires at least 18 fabrics/blocks, and it leaves very few leftovers.  Of course I had more fabrics, so I made 20 blocks instead, but used 28 different fabrics.  Of course, all the leftovers got used up on the back!

I sewed the leftover partial squares into blocks, then just started building around them with my chunky scraps, and I just love it!  Somehow the maroon, that I ordinarily never would have put with these other fabrics, adds just the right amount of contrast and depth.

Okay, y'all!  It's time to check out some of the eye-candy from last week.  Let's get to it.  This sweet quilt was shared by Quilting Gail-

Take a look at this finish by Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting-

Sew Preeti Quilts shared this gorgeous quilt, along with a second full quilt finish in her post, so don't miss it!-

This finish from Maggie at Making a Lather is just WOW!

And finally, I am absolutely in love with this pineapple quilt from Gretchen's Little Corner-

Y'all are such an inspiration, week after week!  Are you ready to party?  Let's do it!

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!  :)

Silly Me and NTT

Hey there, friends.  Happy Needle and Thread Thursday!  As you can see, I've been sewing like crazy around here, so crazy that I completely forgot to take a picture of my latest quilt top before it was all basted.  Whoops!  So, let's just pretend you don't see all of those basting pins, okay?  Cool.

As I continue my stash sewing, pulling coherent fabrics is becoming more and more of a challenge, so this quilt has a hodgepodge of things going on- mint green, orange-red, yellow, and a single maroon fabric.  I can say with certainty that I ordinarily would never have thrown that maroon fabric into this mix, but I actually like it, and a couple of my orange-red prints have touches of maroon in them, so it really does work.

I decided on one of my very favorite "no background fabric" quilt patterns for this one.  It's called Stacked Squares by Kitchen Table Quilting.  The original tutorial was written for Moda Bakeshop and uses a layer cake and a jelly roll.  Now that Moda Bakeshop is no more, the tutorial is available directly from the designer at the blog link above.

I'm not a huge precut lover though, so I modified the tutorial to use fat quarters and regular quarter yard cuts instead.  You can find my modified cutting instructions HERE.  With these cutting instructions, you can use whatever fabric you have on hand, which is always a good thing.

Obviously the backing for this one is already done (I can't wait for you to see it), and it's all ready for some quilting goodness.

So, let's check out a few of the amazing highlights from last week, shall we?  Look at this cute quilt from Jocelyn at Happy Cottage Quilter-

Oh my goodness!  This La Passacaglia quilt, shared by Rebecca Grace Quilting, is a beauty!

Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting linked up four lovely quilts-

This quilt is from Linda at kokaquilts, and all of the mint green in the background is so dreamy!

And finally, this scrap-a-licious quilt is from Maggie at Making a Lather-

Okay, y'all!  You know what time it is!

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!  :)