Sailor's Star Pattern!

Happy almost weekend, y'all!  If you're looking for this week's NTT, it is still going on right HERE!

I don't know about you, but here in West Tennessee, we have been blessed with some truly glorious weather lately.  Those of you who are in Florida, this Louisiana girl feels your pain.  I have lived through my share of hurricanes, and I hope Matthew moves through as quickly and painlessly as possible.

Lately, I've been burning the midnight oil to put the finishing touches on my Sailor's Star pattern, and I'm happy to report that it is now available in my Etsy and Craftsy shops!

The star blocks have the beautiful shape of a compass rose, but one of the best parts of this quilt pattern is the secondary pattern that emerges in the negative space.  The graceful curved illusion is so pretty and fresh, and that space is perfect for showing off your mad quilting skills.  Best of all, this quilt is made with straight piecing only, so it's perfect for all you curve chickens like me.

The pattern is written in Lap, Twin, and Queen sizes, and includes cutting diagrams, as well as full color illustrations for almost every single step.  If you're looking for a star quilt with some pop, give this one a try!

Sailor's Star

Okay, so no Friday finish post for me last week as I had hoped, but a Sunday finish post is almost just as good, right?  My latest quilt is all done, and I'm super excited about how it turned out.

I really pondered over the quilting on this one, and with all of that negative space, I almost pulled the trigger on quilting different motifs, but in the end, I gave into my standby and did an allover tight stipple.  It isn't flashy, but it really is my very favorite for letting the design of the quilt really take center stage, and you know I'm all about embracing what I love!

If you're familiar with my patterns, you know I love to incorporate designs that give the illusion of curves, that are actually created with all straight piecing, and this one definitely does that.

As usual, all of my leftovers were put to good use on the back.  It's hard for me to call them scraps because they are such large chunks.  Most times when I purchase fabric, I buy at least a 1/2 yard, specifically so I can have a piece for the back.

As luck would have it, the remnant bin at my local JoAnn had a 1 yard piece of Cloud 9 Cirrus solid in Amber, and it worked perfectly for the binding, with plenty leftover for another project.  Score!

The pattern for this quilt is already in the works, and I'll be sure to let you know when it is available.

Filigree Finished and NTT

I refuse to accept the fact that Christmas is a short nine days away.  The last few weeks have flown by at lightning speed and I'm still working on one final Christmas order.  I am super excited that I get to share another finish with you today, though.

This quilt is for my grandmother and measures 74" x 74."  She wanted a quilt that was between a thrown and twin size, and although I planned to make a quilt that was around 65-70" square, the pattern dictated the larger size.  Speaking of the pattern, that is on my list to finish up within the next couple of weeks.  Here's a sneak peek at the cover though-

I really loved designing this pattern, but in retrospect, I wish there was a little bit more contrast between the two shades of blue, so the twisted ring pattern would show up better.  Oh well, hindsight is 20/20, I guess.  My grandmother loves it, and that's the most important thing for sure.

I used all of my scraps on the backing, and because I used several more prints than necessary, the leftovers turned out to be substantial!

I had enough leftover fabric to make a scrappy binding, but I thought since both the front and back were a little busy, this quilt needed a solid binding. Kona Navy fit the bill perfectly!  My grandmother also asked for a matching throw pillow, and I had just enough strips to make this fun spiral improv pillow.

I don't know why, but I find this method to be much more tedious than my usual improv method, which works in a rectangular shape.  With this spiral/circular improv, I feel like I end up having to cut too much fabric away.  Maybe I'm just going about it the wrong way?  I do love how the pillow turned out though, even though it was a pain to put together.  It is a 16 inch pillow, and I still need to get the pillow form for it.  Then, I'll be ready to give both to my grandmother when I see her for Christmas.  I can't wait for her to see them in person!

By the looks of last week's party, y'all are sewing up a storm too!  Linda at Koka Quilts showed off this amazing quilt, full of so many gorgeous fabrics.

Jessie at Measuring Success linked up this Radiant Blues quilt.  Just beautiful colors.

and Helen from Till We Quilt Again shared her stunning Eclipse quilt.  This illusion is jaw-dropping!

Wow...just WOW!  Believe me when I say that I really wanted to choose several more from last week's awesome party, but as I type this post, it is almost time for my wild thing to get home from school.  I know you're all busy finishing up those gifts for special people, and checking off the to-do list as Christmas creeps ever closer.  I can't wait to see what you're sewing this week!

**By the way- since next Thursday is Christmas Eve, NTT will be taking a break.  We will resume the following week (I know that's New Year's Eve, but we're going to party anyway that week).  I hope you all have a fantastic holiday!

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!

NTT and a New Quilt Top

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends.  First of all, I want to apologize for the hassle with the link last week.  Unfortunately, the issue was with the Linky Tools service, and my hands were tied.  I'm glad that it got fixed with a little bit of time left in the party.  Thanks so much for your patience, and a special thanks to those who were able to check back and link up after it was fixed.

I've been sewing a few Christmas odds and ends, including this Evergreen Patchwork pillow, as well as a fun quilt made with the bundle I showed last week.  I can't reveal it just yet, but be on the lookout tomorrow morning for the tutorial and a great giveaway.  I've also been working on a new quilt and pattern, and I just finished the top this afternoon!

I haven't completely decided on the name for this pattern, but I was thinking about calling it Filigree. The cross shape, as well as the twisted look of the dark and light within the quilt reminds me of metal work in jewelry.  This quilt is for my grandmother, who is redecorating a bedroom in her house.  I will see her at Christmas, so my plan is to get it finished so I can give it to her then.

Even though last week's party was almost derailed, it still wasn't a bust.  Though the links were few, they were magnificent!  Sew Preeti Quilts shared this happy, colorful Birch Trees quilt.

Teje at Nero's Post and Patch showed her progress on this beautiful wintry quilt.

And my, oh my!  This Shimmer quilt from Lorinda at Laurel and Pine is fabulous!

If you think that with about half of the usual links, I had an easier time choosing quilts to feature...you would be incorrect!  Y'all are just that awesome!

By the way, I hope that those of you who didn't get a chance to link last week will feel free to link more than one project to this week's party so we don't miss a thing.  Let's get down to 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.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

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

*Don't forget to stop by tomorrow morning to check out my new Christmas quilt tutorial and enter the giveaway!

Sunny Skies

The name of this quilt is a bit of wishful thinking.  It was finished and photographed in a mad rush, trying to beat the thunderstorms that are heading our way, which will inevitably make the ground soggy and unsuitable for photos for days.  I did get sprinkled with a few raindrops, and had to get my shots as efficiently as possible between gusts of wind, but that's just all part of the beauty of spring!

I really enjoyed working with the calm, soothing color palette of this quilt.  It feels so light and airy to me, and perfect for the season.

I used all of the scraps in the backing, and used an aqua pin dot fabric to finish it out.  You can see the fabric really well in the photo of the quilt label.  I like the way both the yellow and navy pop against it, and the way that the navy binding stands out as well.

Slowly but surely, everything is turning green again, just in time for Easter.  After such a long, icy winter, the warmer days and blooming trees are so inspiring, and everything feels light and hopeful.  Happy Easter weekend, y'all!

Glorious

Happy Sunday, y'all! My wild thing sang a duet in church this morning, and since then, we have just been enjoying family time and the glorious spring weather.  I got all of the blocks for my latest quilt finished last night, and took a few minutes this afternoon to put the top together though.

I am just loving the colors in this quilt.  The bright, fresh colors of a beautiful sunny sky have been really fun to work with.  I made the quilt using my Purse Strings Block Tutorial, and it went together pretty quickly.  The blocks finish at 15 inches, so that helps things go fast.

Spring is one of my favorite times of the year, and I hope you're enjoying some family time, and some gorgeous weather as well!