Paint Chip Challenge Swap

In the spring, my chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild decided to have a Paint Chip Challenge swap for members and it was SO much fun!  In May, each member chose two paint chips/cards in coordinating colors they love, wrote our name on the back of them and then sealed them in an envelope.  Our task was to create a mini quilt for the person we chose using only the 8 colors represented on the paint chips.  We were allowed to add gray, black, or white, and a small pop of a third color if we chose (I didn't choose to do this).  Yesterday was the day where all of the minis were presented.  We were challenged to really represent modern quilting in our minis.

My partner chose shades of blue and purple.  When I actually got down to choosing fabrics that matched the paint chips, it was tougher than I thought.  There is real subtlety in these colors.  The purple is really a deep periwinkle, and the blue has more aqua in it than I initially realized. I chose to play around with snowball blocks in varying sizes for my swap partner.  The tiniest snowballs finish at 2 inches, with the corners at just half an inch.  That is by far the smallest piecing I have ever done, and I'm not entirely happy with the way the binding covered up part of the edges, but I like the finished piece nonetheless.  It's hard to tell, but the stippling is pretty tiny as well.

My mini was made by Nysha, of Studio Nysha.  He is a Zentangle instructor and really pushes the boundaries of modern quilting.  It's no surprise that I chose shades of blue and green, right?

The photo does not capture the artistry in this piece, called Intersection.  Although the green stripes are Kona Cotton, the print stripe at the bottom is organza, and the creamy background is silk.  In some places, the matte side shows, and in others, the shiny side.  The quilting is done in varying shades of blue, and with various thread weights.  It really is a work of art, and it looks amazing hanging above my quilt ladder (beside the window, out of direct sunlight).

This was my very first swap, and I really loved the experience.  I don't have a ton of room in my sewing space for minis, so I have to be really selective about participating in swaps, but I may just have to seek out others!

Something Finished, Something New

Ahhh... fall is in the air.  A front moved through last night and left behind cool, crisp weather;  the kind of weather that makes me wish I could set up my sewing machine on my deck outside and just breathe it in.  Fall is my favorite season, and maybe it's because the cooler weather makes me think of snuggling up with a quilt, but I especially love sitting down at my machine when there is just a little nip in the air.  Yesterday, I was on a roll and finished up my red and aqua quilt, and I really love how the top turned out.

To me, the pattern looks like scrumptious little desserts piled on a plate, so I'm calling this one Truffles, and I can't wait to get it finished.  The colors are so fresh and happy, and I'm also feeling pretty good about the fact that these fabrics all came right out of my cabinet.  Hooray for stash busting!

The other thing that I have been madly working on lately is my Ball and Jacks pattern, and I am delighted to tell you that it is now available in my Craftsy and Etsy shops!  Hop over and take a look. This is one of those patterns that has a "big bang for your buck."  There is very little wasted fabric, and although the blocks are pretty simple to put together, the finished quilt looks much more complicated, so there is a big payoff.  It is written in lap, twin, and queen sizes, and has full color illustrations and cutting diagrams included.

It is perfect football weather, and perfect weather for my city's local festival, which happens to be going on this weekend.  I've been there all morning, working at my Sunday School class booth, and reveling in the gorgeous weather.  My husband actually runs the booth for our class, so he and wild thing will be there all weekend long from sunup to sundown.  Hmmm... I'm sure I can find something useful to do with my time!

Time to Party!

Welcome to this week's Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  In case you missed it, check out my finished Ball and Jacks quilt that I posted earlier this morning.  At first, I planned on adding it into this post, but as I wrote, I felt like it was getting too lengthy, especially considering that this post will also include giveaway winners!  First off though, let me show you the pull for my latest project.

I have a LOT of reds in my stash, and I haven't made a quilt with red in quite a while.  I always find that reds are tricky to pair with other colors.  With blues, the quilt comes out looking patriotic, and with greens, it looks like Christmas.  Red with aqua and gray is happy and fresh though, and I'm looking forward to cutting into them!

So, let's get to the giveaway winners.  All of the prizes are exactly the same, so here are all four lucky winners with their comment numbers- Kelly Grace (17), Karen- Quilts Etc. (4), Pauline Perry (117), and Little Black Cat Quilting (43)

                                 

                               

Congratulations to all of the winners!  I'll be contacting you via email so I can ship your goodies to you!

Now, let's get to the features from last week's party!  There sure were some stunners in last week's lineup- like this amazing selvage bookcase by Jess at Quilty Habit.  Jess has a mini tutorial for this, so if you missed it, go find out how she created this fabulousness.

or this fun use of improv piecing by Material Detachment.

and even this mesmerizing, colorful quilt top from Myra at Busy Hands Quilts.

Time to party!  Let's link up!

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!

Ball and Jacks...and thanks!

I've said it before but it certainly bears repeating.  When I name my quilts and patterns, either the name immediately pops into my brain, or else I can't think of anything at all.  Very rarely does it happen that I think and think, and then come up with a name I really love.  In those circumstances, I usually just go with the name I've chosen, but don't really love it.

Well, that is exactly what happened with this quilt pattern when a reader commented on my last post and said that the shape reminded her of jacks.  As much as I liked some of the other suggestions,  none of them really grabbed me like Ball and Jacks did, and I think I have figured out why.

Most of the name suggestions called attention to only the white space, with words like snowball, cotton ball, etc. and I really wanted to call attention to the print in the pattern as well.  Other suggestions had to do with the fabric in the quilt with ideas like tropical, or coral reef.  I always find that naming a pattern is harder than naming a quilt, because I feel like I have to make sure the name will fit the quilt, even if someone else chooses to use completely different fabrics.  I also feel like a pattern name has to be catchy and easy to say, not to mention short enough put on a pattern cover.

I feel like the name Ball and Jacks pays homage to the shape of both the prints and white space, and it is a name that focuses only on the shape, rather than the fabrics I used.  Naming this one was really tough for me, and I am so glad I chose to ask you for suggestions!  Thank you to all who gave input!

On the back of the quilt, this tonal blue fabric by Jennifer Paganelli blends just perfectly with the blues in the Violette line, and since this pattern yields virtually zero scrap fabric, I chose to add a bold orange stripe to add a little interest to the backing.

The binding is a great shade of green Kona, and I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't take note of the name of it on the bolt.  It isn't a perfect match for the gorgeous shade of jade green in the quilt, but it frames the quilt really well anyway.

Just FYI, Needle and Thread Thursday is on as usual this evening, and I'll be including the giveaway winners in that post.  I just felt like the name business was a little too wordy to piggyback onto an NTT post though.  So,  I'll see you later, where I'll also be giving a peek at the fabric pull for my next project!

Violette

Oh, Amy!  You've captivated me again with your brilliantly saturated hues...

Happy Labor Day to all.  I hope you all got some great holiday-weekend sewing time like I did!  I purchased this bundle of Amy Butler's Violette collection this summer while traveling, and I have been waiting for pattern inspiration to strike to put them to good use.

The twelve fabrics that I chose from the collection are almost all blues and greens (not a shock to those of you who read regularly) with a few pops of other colors here and there, so I wanted to design a pattern that would make the best use of the lack of variation in the palette.  I really like the simplicity of the pattern and the shape created in the white background fabric.

When I finish this one up, I'm planning to write the pattern, but I am completely stumped on an appropriate name.  Any ideas?

NTT and Twinkle

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star...but there is nothing little about these stars- or this quilt!  I am so happy that I got my latest quilt finished in time to share it for this week's Needle and Thread Thursday!

This Pop Star quilt measures 72" x 90," so it is a generous twin size, and with blocks measuring 18 inches finished, I think it makes quite a statement.

Because this quilt pattern yields very few scraps, I went with bold stripes on the back.  This quilt is going to my aunt to redecorate a bedroom for her granddaughters when they visit, and the room already has purple walls.  I chose the richest shade of turquoise as the main backing fabric.  I think if I had chosen purple, it would have been overkill.

I made a scrappy binding from some of my leftover fabric.  As I mentioned before, the pattern creates very little scrap fabric.  So as it is written, it actually doesn't yield enough scraps for a binding, but a few of my fabrics were larger cuts than the pattern required.  One thing you may notice though, is that the binding strips I used were shorter, finishing right at 12 inches.  I worried that the binding might look too choppy, but I think it is fun!  The pictures of the whole quilt really show this best.

This 16 inch throw pillow is the perfect use for the scraps, and I did go ahead and embrace the extra purple with the binding.   I still need to get a pillow form for it, and these goodies will be all ready for my aunt!

Okay then!  Let's get to the highlights from last week's party!  Check out this stunning Anna Maria Horner quilt from Koka Quilts!  I just love AMH fabrics.

This Cotton and Steel mini by Janet at Simply Pieced is so much fun!

and this big block Swoon from Georgia Florida Studio is so striking against the dark background.  Just lovely!

Alright, friends!  It's time to link up your latest beauties.  Party on!

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!

oh, and PS- in case you missed the giveaways I have going on, you can check it out HERE!

Tweet As Can Be (and Giveaways!)

I have been so excited to work on and share my latest Pop Star quilt that I completely forgot to post the finish of my super cute Tweet As Can Be quilt!  That's one hazard of only working on one quilt at a time, I guess!

These fabrics are so fun, and are definitely a more grown-up palette and design.  Look at the adorable birdies!  After my last post, someone even pointed out that they have eyelashes.  SO awesome!

I made this quilt with my Unruly pattern, but this fabric line had more fabrics than the pattern required; so I just modified it so I could use all of the prints, which also had the added bonus of providing strips for the back.  You know me; I love piecing the backing with scraps.  For the main backing fabric, I used a berry tonal fabric that blends just perfectly with this line.

Since several of you asked, Tweet As Can Be is a line by Kanvas for Benartex and is available on Fabric.com.  I'm sure you can get it in other shops as well, but I know Fabric.com for sure.

Now to the giveaways!  The kind people at Benartex asked if I would like to give away some fabric from one of their other fabric lines, Fernwood.  Of course, I said yes!!  They sent me large cuts of these fabrics, which I have turned into FOUR identical fat quarter bundles, each with 10 prints.

Now, if you are a regular reader, you know that I usually gravitate toward fabrics that are a bit brighter, but I know that these are just the right style for some of you.  Even though these are not my preference for color, the fabrics themselves are very earthy and pretty.  They have a hand-dyed look that I'm sure will look amazing in a home with this style.

To enter the giveaways, just leave a comment on this post, and make sure you leave your email address if you're a no-reply blogger!  I'll announce the winner at next week's NTT (9/9).  By the way, this giveaway is open to all, but if you live outside of the continental US, I do ask that you pay for the shipping.  Good luck to all!

This giveaway has ended.  Thanks so much to everyone who entered.  Remember, I host giveaways quite often, and if you missed this one, you can always become a reader through email, bloglovin, or any other method to be sure you don't miss the next one!