Indian Summer and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday!  This week, I've been working like mad to make a class sample of my Unruly pattern for a class I'm teaching at the beginning of August.  As with many of my early quilt patterns, I made the original Unruly quilt before I began teaching classes, and I no longer have the quilt.  That's okay though.  Of all of my quilt patterns, this one is by far the fastest and easiest (pattern available HERE and HERE)!

Most of these fabrics are from Amy Butler's Dreamweaver collection, but there are a couple of Soul Blossoms and Love fabrics as well (and even a few that aren't Amy at all).   The colors are so rich, and the warm golds and reds play so nicely with the cool teal and periwinkle fabrics.  This quilt was such a fast finish that it's already quilted and bound, and hanging in my local shop where I'll be teaching the class (and yes, I was in such a hurry to get the quilt to the shop that I neglected to take photos of the finish)!  This quilt measures 54" x 72", and I'm calling it Indian Summer.  I promise to get some photos of it "in the wild" as soon as I get it back.

Okie dokie, friends!  Let's check out last week's party highlights.  This quilt by Something Rosemade is super cute.

Jen's Crafts and Quilts Scrapbook linked up this happy go lucky quilt, called Colorful Directions-

and Linda at The Pieceful Kingdom showed us that it's never too early to start on those holiday projects.  Love it!

Alright y'all, let's 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.  

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!  :)

Butterfly Kisses Pattern and NTT

Welcome back to Needle and Thread Thursday!  My beach vacation was wonderfully relaxing, though I did miss hosting NTT last week, and I'm glad to be back.  There really is no place like home.  Amidst unpacking and laundry, I've taken some time to finish up the pattern for my latest quilt, Butterfly Kisses!

I don't often work with precuts, so when I purchased this layer cake from my local shop, I was at a bit of a loss on how to use it.  In browsing though the web for a pattern, I noticed that most layer cake patterns are pretty simple in design.  That can be really lovely, but it wasn't what I had in mind for these fabrics.  So, I set out to design a pattern that had a little more glamour.  

I love the shape of these blocks, as well as the pretty secondary design created.  Best of all, as I mentioned in my last post, the lap size only requires one layer cake for a 60" x 75" quilt, and the queen size only requires two!  If you're looking for a layer cake pattern that's a little beyond basic, I hope you'll check it out in my Etsy and Craftsy shops!

Alrighty!  Time to check out some of the amazing eye candy linked up at our party two weeks ago!  Sew Sunshine showed off her stunning Triumphal Arches quilt.  There are lots of photos of it on the post, but I couldn't resist highlighting the one with the sun shining through.  

I'm not a hand sewist, so I appreciate that any EPP project is a labor of love.  This quilt, by Den syende himmel has been ongoing, and I love to see the progress.

And I love the simplicity of HST with the great color depth in this quilt by Quilting is in My Blood.

Okay friends-  it's time to link up the latest happenings from your sewing space from the last TWO weeks.  I can't wait to catch 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.  

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!  :)

Lavalier and NTT

Thank you all for your wonderful name suggestions for this pattern.  When I initially designed this quilt, I thought it looked sort of like antique brooches from the Art Deco era, so when a reader mentioned the name Lavalier, I grabbed hold of it, and I couldn't get it out of my mind.  A lavalier is a kind of necklace with a large pendant that was very popular during that time as well, so it's perfect!

Naming quilts is a tricky thing sometimes.  Though I could definitely see jewels, retro TV's, cheval mirrors, and decorative keyholes in this design, I couldn't come up with a pretty name I liked to fit any of those themes.  I truly appreciate all of the creative ideas offered, and a special thanks to Kathy, who suggested the name Lavalier.

I really had a blast choosing fabrics for this quilt.  Slowly but surely, over the past few months, I have amassed another hefty Amy Butler hoard (AB fabric is my kryptonite), and there are fabrics from eight different Amy Butler collections in this quilt- Belle, Daisy Chain, Soul Blossoms, Love, Cameo, Alchemy, Lark, and Hapi (plus some others). I love how the vibrant colors and prints in her collections are all harmonious with each other.

I pieced the backing with leftovers, and also made a scrappy binding, which means that I only have a couple of these prints left in my stash, and just a little of them.  I'm okay with that though.  Using up my stash just means that I can add more to it without guilt!

I am working on the pattern for this one, but it's the last week of summer vacation, and we always make sure summer goes out with a bang, with plenty of fun family activities during this final week before school starts.  So, pattern work is happening around lots of other things.  I already designed the pattern cover though!

Before we get to this week's link up, check out some of my favorites from our last NTT, like this Constant Flux quilt from Kitty at Night Quilter-

or this awesomeness by Michelle at From Bolt to Beauty.  By the way Michelle, I feel you on the lack of summer sewing productivity.  My son is 12 years old now, so it's not as much of an issue, but I remember the days when he was much younger and sewing time was hard to come by.

and I love this cool quilt top by Luna Lovequilts -

Okay, y'all!  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.  

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 New Quilt Top

I love playing around with quilt design.  Sometimes I sketch on paper if an idea strikes me and I don't have my computer around, but usually I experiment in my design program while watching TV at night (I use Quilt Canvas).  Regular practice keeps my creativity flowing, and I definitely notice a slump in my creative mojo when I haven't played with design in awhile.

Lots of times, I don't even like a design enough to save it, and other times I save it, but tweak it over time before actually turning the pattern into a quilt.  Still other times, I create a design and have to make the quilt right away.  Such was the case with this new quilt top.

I immediately loved the interesting shape of the blocks, as well as the secondary cross pattern created in the negative space, and I knew it was perfect for my Amy Butler stash (plus a few additions).  I can't wait to finish this quilt, and I am planning to release the pattern.

This one has kind of a southwestern feel, or I think the shapes look a little like ancient Egyptian scarabs, or maybe even vintage brooches.  This one needs a name, so tell me- what do you see?

Stems and Stones

This is one of those fabric and pattern combinations that I love so much that I have been working nonstop, absolutely obsessed with finishing it.  I had been thinking that I needed to find a new quilt photo setting, and yesterday after church, as I passed our little prayer garden, I realized that it would be perfect!   I love, love, LOVE this quilt.  The vivid colors in the fabrics against the crisp Kona white make me so happy.  Let me go ahead and apologize for the picture heavy post.  I just couldn't stop photographing it!

In my last post, I mentioned my personal weakness for Amy Butler fabrics, and recalled the 40-yard(!!) Amy Butler stash that I powered through almost two years ago.  I don't know that there will ever be a time when I'm not mesmerized by her fabrics, but I have learned to not let them accumulate so much before using them up.

Not every print in this quilt is AB, but many of the others are fabrics that I have purchased and just couldn't fit them into another quilt.  I was happy to find a home for them in this one.  Sometimes, bold colors and prints only work well with other bold colors and prints.

I used all of my extra fabric on the backing, and I decided to improv piece it to keep the leftovers intact as much as possible.  I didn't want to waste any fabric at all trying to cut them to a uniform size.  Although I always use up my scraps on the backing, I haven't done an improv pieced backing in awhile.  I really love the way this one turned out.

I stippled this (of course-it's my favorite) with the tightest quilting I have ever done.  I'm not a lover of super-dense quilting, so you'll probably never see matchstick quilting or micro-stippling on my quilts.  The spaces between my quilting lines on this one are 1/2 to 3/4 inch apart, and as much as I like the result, it's probably the smallest I'll ever go for a couple of reasons.

First and foremost, I like the drape of quilts that have quilting that is a little bit wider.  For minis and wall hangings, or quilts for display only, stiffer quilting is really stunning (and I can totally appreciate the artistry and skill involved in creating such intricate motifs), but for sheer snuggle-factor, I like the softness that wider quilting gives.  My second reason is purely selfish.  When I get into the rhythm of stippling smooth curves, it is a very relaxing process (unless I'm quilting a huge quilt).  The tighter quilting definitely required movement that was much less natural for me, so quilting this one was not very relaxing.  As a result, even though I'm still really pleased with it, I don't think my curves are quite as fluid as usual.

I chose an orchid fabric for the binding that was actually intended for my Interference quilt, but it turned out to be too purple.  I think it creates a perfect frame for this one though!

Formal gardens are simply gorgeous, with their lovely pathways of stones and tiles meandering through perfectly shaped flower beds and topiaries.  The tile shape in this pattern, paired with the flowers created in the negative space, immediately made me think of a walk through a beautifully manicured formal garden; so I'm calling this one Stems and Stones.

  The pattern is already in the works, and it's easier than you might think!

My Kryptonite

No, your eyes do not deceive you.  This new quilt is filled with lots and lots of Amy Butler fabrics (plus a few Art Gallery, Dear Stella, and Anna Maria Horner prints for good measure); and yes, I am completely in love with it.

In case you don't remember, about 1.5 years ago, I had accumulated an AB stash containing 30 different prints, totaling almost 40 (gasp!) yards- you can see that whole glorious stash in the post HERE, and I couldn't help but make a little collage of some of the quilts I made with all of those delicious prints-

It took awhile, but I used every bit of those 40 yards.  Well, Amy Butler fabrics are my kryptonite.  I am powerless against their vibrant colors and bold prints, and so, as the opportunities presented themselves in the form of swaps, sales, and indulgences here and there, I have slowly but surely amassed a new (considerably smaller) hoard.  There are prints from Soul Blossoms, Lark, Love, Hapi, Lotus, and Cameo collections in this quilt, and they all play so well together, (and with the AMH and Art Gallery fabrics too).  I think that's one reason why I love her fabrics so much.  The beauty in putting them all together is that they don't match, but have unity in their color saturation and print scale.

So, back to the new quilt at hand- this pattern is one that I am SO excited about.  I sketch new designs all the time, and many of the patterns I sketch never make it out of my book.  As soon as I sketched a few blocks of this one though, I knew I had to make it, and I knew exactly which fabrics I needed to pull to show it off.

I am calling this pattern Stems and Stones, because it reminds me of a stroll through a formal garden with defined flower beds, surrounded by beautiful hardscape.  The design is a different take on an interlocking tile print, and I think the flowers created in the negative space interlocked with the tiles, gives the pattern a little extra dimension.  I absolutely cannot wait to finish it!

Speaking of patterns, I am also thrilled to let you know that my Interference pattern is all finished, and is now available in my Craftsy and Etsy shops.  This pattern is simple, but all together, the blocks have such great movement.  It's perfect for a beginner, or even for an experienced quilter looking for some stress-free sewing.  Check it out!

Ball and Jacks...and thanks!

I've said it before but it certainly bears repeating.  When I name my quilts and patterns, either the name immediately pops into my brain, or else I can't think of anything at all.  Very rarely does it happen that I think and think, and then come up with a name I really love.  In those circumstances, I usually just go with the name I've chosen, but don't really love it.

Well, that is exactly what happened with this quilt pattern when a reader commented on my last post and said that the shape reminded her of jacks.  As much as I liked some of the other suggestions,  none of them really grabbed me like Ball and Jacks did, and I think I have figured out why.

Most of the name suggestions called attention to only the white space, with words like snowball, cotton ball, etc. and I really wanted to call attention to the print in the pattern as well.  Other suggestions had to do with the fabric in the quilt with ideas like tropical, or coral reef.  I always find that naming a pattern is harder than naming a quilt, because I feel like I have to make sure the name will fit the quilt, even if someone else chooses to use completely different fabrics.  I also feel like a pattern name has to be catchy and easy to say, not to mention short enough put on a pattern cover.

I feel like the name Ball and Jacks pays homage to the shape of both the prints and white space, and it is a name that focuses only on the shape, rather than the fabrics I used.  Naming this one was really tough for me, and I am so glad I chose to ask you for suggestions!  Thank you to all who gave input!

On the back of the quilt, this tonal blue fabric by Jennifer Paganelli blends just perfectly with the blues in the Violette line, and since this pattern yields virtually zero scrap fabric, I chose to add a bold orange stripe to add a little interest to the backing.

The binding is a great shade of green Kona, and I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't take note of the name of it on the bolt.  It isn't a perfect match for the gorgeous shade of jade green in the quilt, but it frames the quilt really well anyway.

Just FYI, Needle and Thread Thursday is on as usual this evening, and I'll be including the giveaway winners in that post.  I just felt like the name business was a little too wordy to piggyback onto an NTT post though.  So,  I'll see you later, where I'll also be giving a peek at the fabric pull for my next project!

Violette

Oh, Amy!  You've captivated me again with your brilliantly saturated hues...

Happy Labor Day to all.  I hope you all got some great holiday-weekend sewing time like I did!  I purchased this bundle of Amy Butler's Violette collection this summer while traveling, and I have been waiting for pattern inspiration to strike to put them to good use.

The twelve fabrics that I chose from the collection are almost all blues and greens (not a shock to those of you who read regularly) with a few pops of other colors here and there, so I wanted to design a pattern that would make the best use of the lack of variation in the palette.  I really like the simplicity of the pattern and the shape created in the white background fabric.

When I finish this one up, I'm planning to write the pattern, but I am completely stumped on an appropriate name.  Any ideas?

Courtyard Tiles and NTT!

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday!  I am so humbled by the fantastic response I received about this quilt in my last post!  I'm delighted that it has been so well received, and I'm excited that I can share the finish today!  I finished the binding after school today, then rushed to our neighborhood park to get some quick pics before the sun went down.  That is happening so much earlier these days.

I could not be happier with the way this quilt turned out.  I love it so much and can't wait to share the pattern!  I even started working out the math last night, before the quilt was finished!

I used the rest of my Amy Butler fabric on the backing.  Wide, WOF stripes are great for using up leftover fabric, and I think it's even better when the widths are varied.

I used the same teal binding that I used on my Jeweled quilt, because I think it works so well with these fabrics.  Amy Butler fabrics are so rich in color that I have had trouble finding just the right binding in the past.

I'm working like mad to get this pattern finished, so be on the lookout!  I'm calling both the quilt and the upcoming pattern Courtyard Tiles, and I hope to have it finished this weekend!

Now, it's time to announce the winners from the three giveaways!  A whopping 229 commenters entered the giveaways- WOW!

First up, the winner of my Amy Butler scraps (which is actually quite a bit of fabric), is comment number 170, Addie Polston!

Addie PolstonOctober 20, 2014 at 7:21 AM

Love the colors! Hope I win!! Love your blog too!!

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Next, the winner of the four Amy Butler fat quarters is comment number 98, TS Quilter!

TS QuilterOctober 19, 2014 at 6:17 AM

Beautiful quilt and I too love the pattern. 

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and finally, the winner of the $25 gift certificate from Southern Fabric is comment number 186, Dixie!

DixieOctober 20, 2014 at 10:55 AM

Love the quilt - very nicely done!! and Amy Butler fabrics always gorgeous!!! Very inspirational~~

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Congratulations to all three of you!  I'll be contacting you soon to get your information so that you can get your goodies!

Okay!  Let's take a look at some of the fantastic projects that caught my eye from last week's party!

Cynthia from Quilting is More Fun Than Housework shared this scrappy, fun quilt.  If you've never checked out Cynthia's blog, she is a master at using scraps!

Sue Daurio's Quilting Adventure linked up this fun quilt.  I know it is a team-inspired quilt, but with Halloween right around the corner, this one just makes me smile!

and Katie Mae Quilts showed off this cheery quilt top!

So much awesomeness, week after week!  Let's get down to business!

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.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!