Glitzy Girl and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, and Happy Valentine's Day, friends! My latest baby quilt is finished, and the pink and gold palette is a fitting share for today's holiday.

I just love the simplicity and elegance of this pattern.  For those of you who have asked, I started by cutting 6.5" squares, then sliced them on the diagonal.  The center strips were cut 1.5" x 10.5" and sewn between the two halves.  After pressing, the block was trimmed to 6.5".  Easy peasy!

I used up lots of leftovers on the back, and widened it out with a piece of the darkest pink print.  I quilted using Aurifil Baby Pink #2423, with a relaxed stipple to keep it nice and soft.  My favorite part of this one though, is the binding.

When I was choosing fabrics for my last pink and gold quilt, Pink Champagne, I can't believe that I almost left this strong metallic gold chevron out of the mix.  The chevron is actually cream and gold, and since the fabric was so much warmer than the others, I almost decided against it.  In my Pink Champagne quilt, I used it a little more sparingly, and realized that I absolutely loved it in the finished quilt.  So this time around, I decided to go for the gusto and use it prominently on the binding.  I love, love, LOVE how it sets the whole quilt off and just glows.

This finished quilt measures, 48" square, and I'm calling it Glitzy Girl.  She's already on her way to her new home!

In case anyone was wondering, I have the BEST weekly party friends around.  Week after week, you knock my socks off with quilty awesomeness and tons of inspiration.  Choosing each week's features is a tough job! , and last week's party was no exception.

Oh my goodness, this In Full Bloom quilt by Anne at Springleaf Studios is just scrumptious!

Julie at Pink Doxies linked up this beautiful quilt with twirling stars.

And this fun, modern quilt top is by Sophie at Luna Lovequilts!

Before you link up today, be sure to hop over to my post from yesterday to check out all of the February fabric deals going on right now, and to enter the giveaway!

Okay y'all, I'm opening up the party a little earlier than usual today, just in case you have plans with your Sweetie, or even your Galentines.  It's time to show me the eye-candy!

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 Little More Glitz

After seeing my Pink Champagne quilt, my aunt loved it so much that she decided she needed a quilt with the same colors for a friend's daughter who is expecting.  The fabrics in this one are almost identical, but I opted for a different pattern this time around.

The 6" finished blocks in this one went together pretty quickly, and I think the look is very elegant in these colors.  I'm planning to get this one finished up and shipped to her in plenty of time for the baby shower at the beginning of March.

Blush and Gold Baby

If you've followed me for awhile, you know that pastels and metallics aren't usually my thing.  I love working with bright, saturated color, even when the pattern I've chosen is more traditional.  There is something to be said for branching out though, and if you're going to do it, a little baby quilt is the perfect place.

This quilt was made specifically to match a nursery decorated in soft pink, white, and gold, and measures 48 inches square. Each oval snowball block finishes at 3" x 6" and the pattern really shows off the whisper-soft palette.  Considering that this is out of the norm for me, I'm feeling like I nailed the colors and design on this one, and I love it much more than I expected!

Modern Coins and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  Just after last week's party, we left for what my husband likes to call "the tour of the Gulf Coast" to see both of our families in Texas and Louisiana; which culminated in dropping off my wild thing to spend the week at my parents' house.  He spends this time with them every summer and I love that he looks forward to it so much.  Since getting back on Sunday evening, I have been taking it easy, and though I'm missing my sidekick this week, I must admit that the quiet house is nice.  In the past couple of days, I took the scraps from my Indian Summer quilt and made a quick, modern coins baby quilt in a flash.

I pulled a gray Denyse Schmidt polkadot from my stash for the backing, and added a coral tonal stripe for a little bit of fun.  The DS print is one that is no longer available, and I had a tough time parting with it.  A wide stipple keeps this quilt nice and soft; perfect for baby snuggles.

I had just enough Kona Kelly Green leftover from my Indian Summer quilt to bind this one, and I just love the pop of the vibrant green with all of those rich Amy Butler prints.  This little quilt measures 42" square, and I love how it turned out!

Before we party, let's check out last week's party features.  This quilt by Tisha at Quilty Therapy is called Scrappy Unicorn Rainbow Sprinkles, and it is so happy!

These fun flamingoes are by Tanya Quilts in CO;  perfect for summer!

and this scrappy flowering snowball quilt is by Dreamworthy Quilts.  Love it!

Okay friends, let's do this.  I hope you're getting lots of sewing time lately!

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!  :)

Boho Baby and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday!  In case you missed it, yesterday I have four giveaways going on right now, so be sure to go HERE to enter!  Yesterday and today, I have been having fun playing with the leftovers from my Boho Beads quilt, and turning them into a simple and chic baby quilt.  My cousin is expecting twin girls in January, and this one is destined to be well snuggled by one of them.

On the back, I used a stripe of coral medallion fabric, along with Kona Shale, which really offers a little bit of calm to this bright and busy quilt.  The binding is Cloud 9 Cirrus Solid in Amber, which is just perfect for making some of the yellows and chartreuse in the prints really pop.  And I always like to quilt baby quilts with a wider stipple, to keep them soft and easy to snuggle.  This finished quilt measures 40" x 45," and I love how the simplicity of the pattern really lets the fabrics shine.

This little quilt is not my most exciting news from my week though!  This past weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to present a trunk show and teach my Bubble Bath class at a quilt retreat in Hattiesburg, MS.  It was an amazing group of quilters, and we shared a lot of laughs throughout the day.  It is always neat to see how others interpret my patterns!  Here are a few fun pics from the day.

By the way, I would love to present a trunk show or teach to your group.  I'm booked through 2016, but I am currently taking bookings for 2017.  Check out my Teaching page (at the top), or just send me an email for more information.  Let's have a quilt party!

Last week's NTT had some amazing projects linked, like this Knots of Color quilt by A Dream and A Stitch.

or this Cotton and Steel quarter log cabin by Deb at New Creative State-

and Jayne at Twiggy and Opal turned her daughter's art into this stunning mini!

Y'all rock it out every single week!  Let's party, friends!

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!  :)

**PLEASE NOTE- recently, there have been several spam links on our parties that are not quilting and sewing related.  My initial reaction was to delete them immediately, but my linky service provider has asked that I leave them so they can be investigated and permanently blocked.  I will remove those links after my provider has all of the info he needs but it may take a few days.  So, please do not click on any links that are not clearly quilting related, and thank you for your understanding!

And...That's All, Folks!

Yay!  The final quilt on my Christmas to-do list is finished, and just in the nick of time, too!  The pattern choice for this baby quilt was actually born from a need to use up some fabric that was cut by mistake.

In my haste to get started on my Filigree quilt, I accidentally cut all of my white background squares to the finished size, instead of a half inch bigger for seam allowance; and if that wasn't enough, I also cut my sashing an inch too short as well.  To top it all off, I didn't realize any of this until I had every single piece cut.  Every. single. piece.  I am usually meticulous in making sure my measurements are correct before making a single cut, so I really don't know possessed me to just haul off and start cutting.  That was a pretty large cut of Kona, so it was a low moment for sure.  Suffice it to say- lesson (re)learned.

As much as I really didn't want to keep staring at my big pile of mistakes, I just couldn't bear to throw all of that Kona away;  so when deciding on the pattern for this quilt, I specifically searched for one that would use up some of those squares and strips.  As it turns out, my Truffles pattern made perfect use of them, and that made this little baby quilt so easy to crank out.

I love the color palette in this quilt.  I have had this Joel Dewberry Bungalow fabric in my stash for awhile now, and as much as I love it, I haven't been able to work it into a project.  I've always tried to fit this fabric into an existing vision and it just never worked out.  For this quilt, I decided to let this fabric dictate all of my other fabric choices instead.

I pieced the backing with scraps, and made a scrappy binding as well.  Scrappy bindings are my favorite when the quilt has enough white in the background that it doesn't look too busy.  The various shades of pink and purple, mixed with fresh green are so fun and girly, that I've decided to name this one Blackberry Bramble.  A little out of season perhaps, since we are mere days away from Christmas, but the colors seemed too perfect to name this one anything else.

(photo courtesy of My Sunshine Vintage)

This little quilt measures 48 inches square, and will be a perfect gift to welcome a baby girl!

Ohhh... and before I forget!  I have one final piece of business to take care of before signing off for Christmas.  I owe you a winner for the Santa's Here fat quarter bundle giveaway.

Sew In Love with Fabric, the blog for Benartex, actually chooses the winners for the giveaways they sponsor, and they have let me know that the winner is comment number 107.  Congratulations Michelle!

MichelleDecember 11, 2015 at 3:07 AM

I follow you and sew in love through email!

ReplyDelete

I'll contact you soon to get your mailing address so you can get your fabric!  

Okie dokie, friends!  I truly hope that you all have a blessed holiday, and I'll see you after Christmas for NTT on 12/31 (remember we are taking a break this week).

Clementine Baby Quilt

My wild thing spent the week at my parents' house last week, so they brought him back to us and visited this weekend.  After making my Posy quilt, I had several bits of fabric left over and I decided to turn them into a little baby quilt, and this project was the perfect thing to squeeze in before hosting out of town company.

I just love this fabric line, and since I had enough left over for another project, I just couldn't bear to put them into my scrap jars.  Besides, when I have lots of coordinating scraps at one time, turning them into baby and preemie quilts is one way that I keep them from completely taking over my studio.  

I found this awesomely bright Denyse Schmidt polkadot for the backing.  It's hard to tell in this photo, but the polkadots are outlined in dark green to really make them pop against the lemon yellow; and the turquoise tonal polkadot binding frames it nicely.  I'm not sure you can ever have too many polkadots!  This little quilt measures right at 42 inches square, and is destined for my cousin, who has a baby girl due later this year.  

After making this quilt, I only had four scrap pieces to put into my jars.  That feels like a victory to me!  Of course, I can't always use every single piece of fabric, and every summer, I purge my scrap jars with quilts like my Shattered Rainbow and Kitchen Sink.  

So, what's your system for keeping your scraps in check?  Do you prefer to hold onto them until you have enough for a bigger project, or do you use them on smaller projects along the way like I do?  Do you like to work on leader-ender projects or tackle them all at once?  I know everyone works differently, and I would love to hear!

Bubble Bath

I am so excited to share my snowball quilt finish with you!  The more I worked on this quilt, the more I loved the design of it;  so much that I've actually started writing the pattern for it in lap and twin sizes.

Believe it or not, of all of the baby quilts I've done over the years, I've never made a pink and gray one.  Calling it a baby quilt is a bit deceptive, because it is actually a twin size (72" x 92"), but it is going in a nursery.

Almost all of the scraps went into the backing, plus some wide stripes of my favorite pink from the quilt.  The pink tonal orange peel print is too cute, and the photo of the label shows it really well.  I decided to use the softest gray (Kona Shadow) for the label, rather than white.

I thought that the floating pink and gray snowballs looked like bubbles, and since this was made with a baby girl in mind, I decided to name it Bubble Bath.

The design of this quilt was kind of a different process for me.  Usually I set out to design a block that looks pretty and makes a secondary pattern when they are put together.  This quilt started with an idea for the snowballs to "float" across the quilt like bubbles, so the quilt was designed all at once, versus designing a single block.  I had to play around with it for awhile before I was happy with it, but I think the illusion is successful.

My very favorite fabric in the quilt is one that I almost didn't use at all.  This Riley Blake pink and white gardening text print is just awesome, and I think it adds a perfect whimsical touch to the quilt.   It's called Flower Patch Words by Lori Holt.   I really worried that the white background would be too light, and that those snowballs wouldn't show up very well, but I'm glad I went ahead and used it.

"Earth laughs in flowers."  Isn't that just a wonderful quote?  The fabric is full of gems like this, and I think I might have to get more of it since I used every last bit.  I am delivering this quilt to its new home this evening, then I can really get down to business on the pattern.

Snowballs for a Nursery

I finally finished putting my snowball quilt top together last night and I am so happy with how it turned out.  I wanted to do something a little different from a traditional snowball quilt, so I just started sketching and this is what I came up with.

I used three different sizes of snowballs- 12 inch, 8 inch, and 4 inch, and constructed the quilt in sections.  I like the way the snowballs "float" across the quilt, making it difficult to see where the sections are.  I think when it is quilted the illusion will be even cooler, that's what I'm hoping for anyway.

This quilt is destined for a twin bed that is part of a sweet nursery, all decorated in shades of pink and gray.  I can't wait to finish it!

Hush, Little Baby

Hey, y'all!  I feel like it's been forever since I've posted, even though my last post was only last Wednesday.    Maybe it's because I've started and finished a new quilt without even giving you a glimpse of it (sorry!).  Yesterday I finished a quilt that was really a struggle for me- an entirely low volume quilt made with fabrics that I don't love at all.

I purchased these fabrics over five years ago, thinking that they would make a pretty baby quilt.  At that time, shabby chic decor was all the rage and plenty of people used pastels when decorating nurseries.  Unfortunately, not long after, I hurt my wrist and had to have surgery, surrounded by a long quilting hiatus.

Well, a LOT changed during that break.  Fabrics with bolder, more saturated colors came out and really took over the modern quilting movement.  Since that time, this bundle of fabric has just sat in my cabinet, taunting me and daring me to put it into a quilt.

I decided that I just couldn't look at it any longer and needed it out of my stash.  So, I made a giant log cabin with THIS method, knowing that it would be a quick way to put these fabrics to use.

Because the colors are so soft, the backing fabric was a little bit tricky to find.  At first, I thought the colors were simple baby pink, baby blue, soft green, and lavender, but when I went to find a backing fabric, I had a much harder time getting just the right shade.  I realized that the hues are more subtle than I thought.

The pink is really more of a blush, and the blue is really a very soft aqua.  What I thought was lavender is actually a periwinkle color, and the green is the softest shade of sage.  I'm thinking that if the colors were just a little bit more saturated, or maybe not all used together, I would like them better.

I ended up using a soft sage tiny polkadot fabric on the backing and a shade of aqua for the binding.  Overall, the quilt has a lot of the blush color, and I really didn't want to add more.

Incidentally, I do think it looks better against the white iron bed.  This bed actually came from my great grandfather, and we are repainting it navy for my wild thing.  It was sitting in my garage, and I thought it would make a nice prop for this quilt!

I still think that even though this quilt is not my style at ALL, that it will make a very sweet quilt for a brand new baby girl.