BIG News, Sugar Plum Fairy (and NTT)

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  I am so glad that I finally get to reveal a quilt finish that is not secret; but before I do, I want to let you know some HUGE news which explains all of my secret sewing lately.  I have signed a contract with Martingale Publishing to author my first book!  I am still in the beginning stages, and still working on the quilts, but the book will be released in Spring 2018!  eeek!  I have been about ready to jump out of my skin with excitement about it, and now that is totally official, I can finally share!  I'll have more specifics about the book's concept for you later, but for now, at least you know what all of the secrets are about.

 Whew!  Okie dokie, time to share my latest quilt.  My husband saw this one and let me know that if I was going for the "unicorns and cotton candy" look, I nailed it, haha!  Even though this one isn't Christmassy at all, I couldn't help giving a little nod to the season by naming it Sugar Plum Fairy.

I had a couple of quilty victories on this one, and the first is that I managed to use up so many pinks and purples that had just been sitting in my stash.  Between purchasing several on sale and having a few gifted to me, there was quite a chunk of them in my cabinet, and I really put a dent in them.

The best little victory on this quilt though, is the quilting motif.  I tried my hand a free motion flowers for the first time.  It took me a little while to get into the groove, and I really had to learn how to not quilt myself into a corner, but overall, I'm pleased with the result.  I'll be using this motif again for sure.

With all of the soft, sweet colors, I thought this one needed a binding with some pop.  The hot pink polkadots are the perfect frame for it.

I enjoyed making this pattern a lot, and I think I'll definitely be using it with other palettes.  For those of you that asked, I made a couple of block diagrams as a little tutorial so you can see the measurements I used.  It is a quick block that makes an easy and cute quilt !

(Diagrams are NOT to scale!)

 

Let me know if you decide to give it a try!

















Alright!  Check out some of my favorite projects from last weeks linkup!  There is so much movement in this awesome quilt by Dawn Chorus Studio!

Deb at New Creative State shared this lovely quilt, and at first glance on the thumbnail, I thought it was just a finished top.  The colors against the dark background almost look like they're lit from behind.  So cool!

and lastly, this oh so adorable pincushion is from Jayne at Twiggy and Opal.  Those are some teeny tiny pieces.  I can't even.

Keep bringing the awesomeness, my friends!  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!  :)

Pink and Periwinkle

I have never really been a pink and purple person; not even as a young girl.  Okay, let me rephrase;  I love bold, vibrant hot pink and coral, and rich shades of eggplant, plum, berry, and grape.  Somehow though, over the years, I have amassed quite a stash softer shades of pink, orchid, and periwinkle.  So many prints just sitting in my cabinet, taunting me with their lack of use.

I have friends with daughters who just looooove pink and purple, and from my time as a teacher, I know that lots and lots of girls seek out this combo.  So, in the name of stash busting,  I decided to go ahead and use several of these languishing fabrics to create one sugary-sweet quilt.

I've been practicing a brand new free motion motif that will match the sweetness of the colors, and I'm excited about putting it on the quilt for real!

Kaleidoscope Star

I finished my latest quilt this weekend, and took advantage of the glorious weather for a photo shoot.  I really do love a curvy quilt illusion, and this pattern definitely delivers.

The shape of the stars in this quilt strike me as a little bit retro, almost like they would look right at home on the side of a 1950's kitchen appliance.  As neat as the blocks look on their own, I just love all of the cool secondary shapes created whey they're all together.

I pieced the back with scraps, and used a solid rich shade of plum for the binding.  When I pulled fabric for this quilt, I specifically chose colors that were getting a little heavy in my stash.  Pink is not a color I reach for often, especially the shade of bubble gum pink in this quilt, but the deeper plum, teal, and aqua balance it out nicely.  It's definitely a feminine palette, but not overly sweet.

I'm working on the pattern for this one.  I'm hoping to have it finished up by this weekend, so be on the lookout!  It's definitely a fun one, and the blocks are pretty large, which helps the quilt go together in a flash.  This is the lap size, and it finishes at 60" square.

Balloon Festival

I finished up my Layers of Charm quilt for my niece yesterday, and since the photos of the top were taken at night, I am so happy that I got the opportunity to show off the gorgeous colors in the Meadowbloom line with the pictures of the finish.  Sunshiney pictures would have been fantastic for these fabrics, but that was not to be.  You can see that my deck is still a little damp from the recent rain we've had, but since tomorrow is bringing even more precipitation, I had to seize my cloudy photo window and make it work.

You know, sometimes names for my quilts immediately jump out at me, and sometimes I struggle. My mom loves word play and imagery as much as I do, so I almost always discuss my quilt names with her whether I need help with it or not.  Sometimes we really have to play around with several options to come up with a name that I like for a specific quilt, but even though I was having a tough time with this one, Mom came to the rescue (as she often does).  Immediately, she said that the shape of these big blocks looked like the tops of many hot air balloons in flight, and I knew she was right!  So, this one is aptly named Balloon Festival.

I'm not one for New Years' resolutions, but if I had to make one, it would be to try to sew my stash as much as possible.  Make no mistake, this is definitely not a fabric fast.  I will certainly continue to buy fabric for custom orders, when I see it on sale, and when I know I just can't live without it.  In general though, I want to try to make my stash work for the quilt I'm making more often, rather than jumping at the chance to buy more- even if it means using a certain fabric that works well, but may not be exactly what I had in mind.

The backing for this quilt is a perfect example.  Since this quilt was made with a layer cake, there weren't any scraps for the backing.  Instead, I pieced the back using the same colors as the top, but I was able to pull every single fabric from my cabinet.

I even had enough Kona Berry in my cabinet for the binding, and I love how the deep shade frames the quilt.  This photo also shows the pretty details of the prints in this line.  Since many of them are smaller, they aren't very visible in the full-quilt shot.

I think my niece is going to love this quilt.  I won't give it to her until next Christmas, so I'm way ahead on my 2016 gift list, but the fabrics and colors are perfect for a "tween" girl.

I also have the pleasure of kicking off the new year by welcoming a new sponsor- Five Monkey Fabrics!

Five Monkey Fabrics has a beautiful selection of modern fabrics, including yardage and bundles, as well as individual fat quarters half yard cuts.  The shop has fabrics from a wide variety of designers, and their prices are fantastic.  I love this Michael Miller Fiesta bundle-

and it seems I can't get enough of Christmas, because I'm also scheming about the things I could create with these holiday prints!

I would be remiss if I didn't also let you know that Five Monkey Fabrics has an AMAZING clearance section with lots and lots of gorgeous fabric yardage, half yards and even fat quarters to snatch up.  The clearance fat quarters are only $1.50!  Right now there are clearance fabrics from several beautiful collections, like Little Azalea, Lottie Da, Freshcut, Madrona Road, and many more.

Five Monkey Fabrics is also really helpful when it comes to orders of custom bundles or specific yardage.  Beautiful fabrics, great customer service, and free shipping on US order over $50 is tough to beat!  Even if your order is less than $50, Five Monkey Fabric's shipping rates are great, and orders are shipped out in 1-2 days!

I am so thrilled to welcome this new shop to My Quilt Infatuation.  Definitely check them out!

Layers of Charm

Yesterday at NTT (which is still going on right HERE), I mentioned that Fat Quarter Shop is featuring their top ten videos of 2015 throughout the month of January.  I jumped at the chance to make the Layers of Charm pattern, my personal favorite, to help celebrate!  Here's a glimpse of all ten patterns being featured this month.

There are several of the top ten patterns that I really like, but when it came down to choosing one to make, I knew it had to be Layers of Charm.  It is SO fast and easy, but best of all, it is a fantastic way to show off some of your favorite large prints.   The pattern uses layer cake squares and charm squares, so there is no cutting required.  Just jump right in and start sewing!  I don't always use a ton of precuts, but I have to admit, it was nice to get to the sewing machine quickly for this one.

I made my Layers of Charm pattern with a layer cake of Moda's Meadowbloom line , but I did end up using some Kona from my stash instead of charms.  The color palette in this collection is bright, but not overly so, and the graphic florals and tile prints are really fun.  Even though some of the prints in the line are smaller than I realized, they still work well in the quilt.

(*Please pardon the nighttime photos.  Sometimes it just can't be helped.  I promise to get pictures that really do justice to these gorgeous colors when the quilt is finished.  :) )

Here is a close up of some of the sweet prints in this line, especially the text print.  It has some wonderfully inspirational sayings, and the script mixed with the flowers is so beautiful.

This pattern was lightning fast!   I went from a stack of fabric to a whole quilt top in a little over an hour- no lie.  This is definitely going to become one of my go-to patterns when I need a speedy quilt that still has some wow factor.   You can get the Layers of Charm pattern (written in several sizes, by the way), along with Fat Quarter Shop's other free patterns HERE, and you'll see the link to the youtube video tutorial there as well.

I know we just finished with Christmas, but as funny as it sounds, this is going to be a Christmas gift for my niece next year.  She is twelve, and when I really stopped to read that beautiful text print, I immediately thought the words, along with the colors in this quilt, would resonate with a "tween" girl.  I have a long time to wait before giving it to her, but I think she'll love it!  Now of course, I just have to decide on the backing and get down to business on finishing it.

Check out these other bloggers who are showing off their own Layers of Charm pattern today!

Tina of Emily Ann’s Kloset

Tricia of Notes of Sincerity

Jane of Quilt Jane

Anorina of Samelia’s Mum

Erica of Kitchen Table Quilting

Shruti of 13 Woodhouse Road

Connie of Free Motion by the River

Gerri of Planted Seed Designs

I am also excited to let you know that Fat Quarter Shop is giving away a $100 gift certificate as part of their Top 10 of 2015 celebration.  To enter, you can make a Layers of Charm quilt, or one of the other Top 10 patterns, and post them on Instagram with the tag #layersofcharmquilt and #FQSTop10.  Fat Quarter Shop will announce the winner on February 1st.  Good luck and happy sewing!