NTT, Winners, and A New Pattern

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  Sometimes I sketch new patterns and it takes awhile for me to get around to actually turning them into quilts, and other times, I design it and start creating it immediately.  Such is the case with this newest one.  I was so excited to see this quilt come together, that the process from idea, to sketch, to quilt top only took about a week.

It seems that I'm on a bit of a solids kick lately, doesn't it?  I almost made this one with prints, but I wanted the lines of the pattern to really show.  I love the diamond shape, as well as the secondary faceted jewel shape in the negative space and I was afraid that the secondary pattern would be less prominent with prints.  I know this one would really benefit from some creative quilting designs (especially because of the solids), but I have to level with you.  I'm so engrossed in working on my book these days that it will probably get an allover stipple.  Though I have branched out in my quilting lately, stippling is still my favorite, hands down.  It is relaxing for me, and I also love how it looks on a quilt.  I'll be finishing this one up between writing and editing sessions!

So, I owe you three winners from last week's sponsor news post.  Just in case it's not obvious, I have the best sponsors around, and I love working with them!  

The winner of the gorgeous spring bundle from LouLou's Fabric Shop is comment number 113, Ann!

The winner of the $50 gift certificate to Fat Quarter Shop is Carole, comment number 5!

And finally, the winner of the happy, vibrant bundle from Fort Worth Fabric Studio is comment number 10, STH.  Congratulations, ladies!  Have fun with your prizes!

Last week's party was full of drool worthy projects!  Y'all amaze me with your creativity week after week!  Jess at Quilty Habit shared this stunner, called Fall Spectrum-

Tanya Quilts in CO linked up this pretty rainbow bubble quilt. 

and Shauna's World shared her *king size!* version of my Courtyard Tiles pattern.  It's a beauty!

Wow, wow, WOW!  Y'all are just amazing.  It is truly one of the highlights of my week to get to browse through all of the fantastic projects you have going on, especially right now, when I'm not getting to sew as much as I would like. (not that I don't love working on my book!)  So 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!  :)

Birthstones Pattern and Winners!

Happy weekend, friends!  I am SO excited to let you know that my Birthstones pattern is now available in my Craftsy and Etsy shops!

This one really packs a modern punch in all solids, but I think it would also look amazing in tonal prints, or a mix of prints and solids as well.  Check it out!

I also want to let you know that I was absolutely delighted by all of the kind words on my 3-year blogiversary post.  The online quilting community is always so encouraging, and I feel truly blessed to be a part of it.  Rest assured that I will respond to each and every comment, though it may take me a little while.

On that note, it is my pleasure to announce the three winners from the pattern giveaway!  I'll be contacting each of you soon to find out which pattern you'd like!

 

KathyMay 6, 2016 at 10:13 AM

Congratulations! I have some of your quilts on a Craftsy wishlist. Would love to win one :)
kakingsbury at verizon dot net

LeeMay 3, 2016 at 12:31 PM

An amazing quilt! Happy Blogiversary!!

quiltyValMay 4, 2016 at 3:30 AM

Happy Blogaversary! Love the quilt, can't wait to see the pattern!

Thanks so much to all who entered!  Three years flew by in the blink of an eye, and I'm looking forward to many more!

Birthstones and a Giveaway

Y'all know that this is the time of year that our family usually spends lots of time at the baseball field.  It is wonderful to support your child in something that they love, and I wouldn't have it any other way.  But...I have to admit that I love a little bit of rain when I'm really itching to get a quilt finished.

I made the most of Saturday's rainout, and just had to wait for the ground to dry out a little bit for some sunshiny photos.  I had so much fun creating this design, and even though I think it really glows in solids, I think that tonal fabrics with solid centers would look equally cool.

I really worried about the darkest gems overpowering the quilt (particularly the garnet one, because I thought it may look too brown).  All in all though, I think they add a lot of depth.

I struggled with the binding choice with this one.  I really wanted to use fabric from my stash, and I had enough of the Kona Royal.  I actually made the binding with the Royal, but it just didn't feel quite right.  I ended up going with a black binding, and it just makes the colors sparkle.  The black had to be purchased, which was a bummer, but I'm much happier with the result.

Gray and black are always my go-to backing colors when I'm working on a quilt with all of the colors of the rainbow, but I've never done a black binding (though I have done charcoal gray).  It's always hard for me to choose another color.  I know this is overthinking things, but I worry that choosing a single color from the front will throw off the color balance in the quilt.  It just feels like gray and black belong there, and set the colors off without competing with them.

The backing is pieced with one of my most favorite gray fabrics in the world- Cloud 9 Cirrus in Shadow.  I love the dimension that the shot cotton gives the quilt, and it is ultra soft.  The other fabric in the back is from the Crystalia collection by Hoffman.  The other fabrics in the Crystalia collection aren't my style, but this one is so neat.  It looks kind of like an abstract skyline.

The colors and pattern in this fabric are really amazing, but as much as I love it, it's one of those fabrics that is difficult to mix with others, because (to me) it feels so edgy.  I looked at this fabric online for a looong time before I bought it, and when I couldn't stop looking at it, I finally decided to just buy a yard and quit obsessing over it.  It's so different from my usual fabric choices, and I had no idea what I would do with it, hence the reluctance to actually buy it.  I'm so glad I did though, because it's the perfect compliment to all of the solids on the front of this quilt.

I am working on the pattern for this one, and I hope to have it finished for you soon (by the weekend, if I can manage), so be on the lookout!

Edited to add- so sorry I forgot to add that this quilt is 64" x 66"!

On an unrelated note, Facebook has just informed me that today marks my three year blogging anniversary.  Thank goodness for the photo memory pop-ups, or I wouldn't have even realized it!  It is so hard to believe that only three short years ago, I started this blog so that I could meet friends in the modern quilting community;  and boy oh boy, I have certainly done that!   I love quilting,  and it makes me so happy to share my quilts through this blog.  The modern quilting community is such a blessing and a source of inspiration for me, so I want to say thank you!

As a thank you, and to commemorate my three year blog anniversary, I am giving away a PDF pattern to three readers.  You can choose any of my patterns, including Birthstones!  Just leave a comment on this post to enter (one entry per person, please).  I'll announce the winners on Saturday!

This giveaway is now closed.  I'll be posting the winners in a post soon!  :)

Solid Gems

I finally have a quilt top to show you from that stack of solids, and I couldn't be happier with the way it came together!

I wish I could tell you that I know every single Kona color in this quilt, but I just don't.  I do know some though, and just in case you're wondering, I know for sure that I used Berry, Purple, Orchid, Rich Red, Turquoise, Oasis, Tarragon, Royal, Candy Blue, Buttercup, Baby Pink, and two Cloud 9 Cirrus solids- Rain and Amber.  The names of the others have long been forgotten.

This is a design that has been hanging around in my sketchbook for a few months, and when I realized how many solids I had collected, I knew they would be perfect for this pattern.  I really had fun pairing the light and darker shades together to create the jewels in this quilt, and I think it is so neat how the paired colors create such different looking jewels depending on the light/dark color placement.

I'm naming this one Birthstones.  It looks like we have some rainy days ahead- perfect quilt and pattern finishing weather!