Texts and Brights

Well friends, we just got back from vacation last night, and though our trip was exhausting, it was so much fun.  It was my wild thing's first trip to Washington, DC and the surrounding areas, and so much was crammed into the past week.  I finished up this quilt top right before we left though, so I wanted to go ahead and share it.

Once again, the siren call of large scale, bold prints has taken hold.  I love making quilts where I can throw all of them together.  This quilt is made with my Courtyard Tiles pattern and in this quilt, I decided to set these bright fabrics against a scrappy text background.  

I've been hoarding text fabrics for awhile to use as a background, but have been a little apprehensive about using them with other prints.  I needed to be sure that there was enough contrast so the pattern wasn't a busy mess.  The Courtyard Tile blocks are large though, and the prints are so bright and bold that I think they work beautifully with the text and have plenty of contrast.

I have really missed sewing, and can't wait to get some time on my machine to finish this one up.  Of course, since we just got back last night, my bags are still waiting to be unpacked and the resulting mountain of laundry will have to be tackled first.  As nice as it is to be home and sleep in my own bed, somehow the aftermath of vacation isn't nearly as fun as the preparation.

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!

Courtyard Tiles Pattern is Finished!

I stayed up super late last night to finish my Courtyard Tiles quilt pattern.  I was in the quilt math groove, and just had to do the final checks over my numbers.  The quilt is written for lap, twin, and queen sizes, and the illustrations and instructions are very detailed.

It is now for sale in my Craftsy and Etsy shops, so I hope you'll hop on over and check it out!

And if you missed the post, you can check out more photos of the finished quilt HERE!

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!!

ReplyDelete

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. 

ReplyDelete

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~~

ReplyDelete

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!