Coming Together! and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday!  Little by little, these blocks are coming together!  As much as I love seeing them finished up on the wall, I am finding it so difficult to get them made.  They're interspersed with my writing, so each new block feels like a new project, and I have to get in the groove all over again. I just keep telling myself that this quilt will be worth it!

SO many gorgeous things were linked up last week!  Jocelyn at Canadian Needle Nana showed off this pretty red and white quilt top-

I never tire of seeing Postcards from Sweden quilts, and this one by Something Rosemade is mesmerizing.  Using prints instead of solids is really gorgeous!

Sandra at mmm quilts finished up this beautiful 2021 temperature quilt-

This fun, scrappy finish is by Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework-

And finally, this stunner is by Sew Preeti Quilts-

Alrighty y'all!  It's time to get our 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 within your 

    post.  

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!  :)

Two By Two, and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all.  I got two more Bethlehem Star blocks put together this week, which really is all I can fit in my schedule right now.

These block are so very time consuming.  It's okay though, because I'm loving the way these are looking together!  I'm just going to keep plugging away in my spare minutes!

Last week's party was filled with awesomeness!  Take a look at this soothing scrappy finish by Gretchen's Little Corner-

Jennifer at Life's Little Adventures shared this cute, unique quilt-

This beauty is by Sew Preeti Quilts-

And finally, this quilt by Kris at Sew Sunshine is SO happy!

Y'all are rocking and rolling in 2022!  Let's see what you have going on this week.  Time to 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 within your 

    post.  

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!  :)

  

NTT- One At a Time

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  I started a new quilt this week.  I used the navy floral as my inspiration fabric, and pulled this pretty palette straight from my stash.

For the first time ever, I pulled fabrics, decided on a block, and just started cutting willy-nilly.  I am a planner and I always pull exactly the number of fabrics I need, devise a cutting plan so I don't waste any, and cut all of my fabrics at once for the entire quilt, including all of the background pieces.

Well, that's not happening with this one.  I got as far as counting up the numbers and sizes of each piece I needed for a single block, and I didn't make it any further (to be fair, it is a fairly involved block).  Instead, I just grabbed three fabrics, cut the pieces for a single block, and sewed it up.  When I had time for a second block, I grabbed three more fabrics, cut those pieces and made it.  Do I have enough fabric pulled?  I don't know.  Am I wasting fabric cutting this way?  Probably.  This quilt is happening in fits and spurts between book-writing tasks, blogging tasks, the gym, cooking dinner, and family time, so it will just happen as it happens, and I'm okay with that.

I made a 24 inch Bethlehem Star block as part of my Classic Meets Modern BOM quilt a few years ago, and since then, I have thought about making a whole quilt with this block.  I sized it down to 16 inches for this quilt, and it will be fun to see it come together bit by bit.

Though you can't see the progress, I am rocking and rolling on my book pattern writing lately, and it makes me pretty happy that I was able to squeeze in a little bit of sewing this week too!  

Last week's party had plenty of beauties.  Check out this fun pear quilt by Jennifer at Life's Little Adventures-

And I love this scrappy quilt by Gretchen's Little Corner-

And Deb at A Scrappy Quilter did a huge roundup of all of her finishes for 2021, but I think my favorite might be this scrappy star quilt-

Okay, friends!  It's time to get our party going.  What are you working on this week?

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 within your 

    post.  

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!  :)

NTT- Balance in the New Year

Welcome to the first Needle and Thread Thursday of 2022, my friends!  I truly hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season.  I know I certainly did!  Since getting home from my holiday revelry, I've spent my days reclaiming my house from the Christmas madness and just generally relaxing with my family.  Now that everyone is back at work and school, I've spent the last couple of days coming up with a plan for the next few months.  After all, I am supposed to be writing a book and there are hard deadlines along the way.

It seems like forever ago, but I spent September, October, and a little bit of November making ALL of the quilts for the book, and it feels like a huge accomplishment to have all of them done, but then the holidays happened and everything for the book ground to a halt.  Now that we're back to business as usual, it's time for me to shake off the cobwebs and start getting those patterns knocked out next.

I don't know if you've realized this about me (you probably have), but I am terrible at dividing my attention.  For example, when I was making all of those quilts for my next book, I didn't really work on anything else, not even anything small so that I could share something with all of you.  And once the holidays hit each year, I almost never sew because my attention is somewhere else.  This personality trait has served me well in many instances, because my "one-track mind" means that I always start and finish a single project without starting something new, and it even helps with lots of personal goals.  

Right now, I'm finding it equally difficult to divide my time between writing and sewing (which is why I have always done all of the sewing for my books before I write a single word), but I want to work on having better balance in the new year.  So, I'm planning a new scrappy project that can be done in small bites between writing sessions each day.  Bear with me, friends!

It feels like our last party was so long ago, but there were so many wonderful projects linked up.  Something Rosemade made this BIG version of my Tinkering pattern, and all of those Cotton and Steel fabrics are perfect for this pattern!

Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework linked up these awesomely scrappy placemats.  Love them!

This beauty is by Yvonne at Quilting Jetgirl-

And this pretty quilt is by Leanne at Devoted Quilter-

It's time to see what you've been sewing these days.  Have you gotten back into the swing of things in your studio?  I can't wait to see.  Let's kick off 2022 with an awesome first 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 within your 

    post.  

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!  :)

NTT- All Christmas, All the Time

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  It's been another jam-packed week of Christmas festivities around here- another party, gingerbread house decorating, Christmas movies, making paper snowflakes, and yet another friends holiday dinner (a small group, so not really a party).  

Truth be told, in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas I rarely sew at all, and I'm just fine with that.  All of the gatherings and special traditions the season can be overwhelming for some, but it energizes me.  So, since my studio is quiet again this week, check out some of the highlights from last week's party.  

DonnaleeQ linked up this mini quilt made from the Birds of a Feather pattern in my book, Scrappy Improv Quilting.  The scrappy red birds look so festive against the low volume background-

Elana at That Fabric Feeling showed off this adorable Boro pouch-

This colorful quilt is by Rebecca Grace Quilting-

This pretty quilt is by Institches with Bonnie-

And this king-sized beauty is by Barb at Mountain Quiltworks (from Instagram)-

Take a look at this fun quilt top by Julie's Quilts and Costumes.  What a great layout for bowtie blocks!

And last, but certainly not least is this lovely quilt by Rita at Quiltpiecer-

Okay, y'all!  It's time to show what you've been working on this week.  Big or small, we want to see it!  

And, NTT will be taking break for the next couple of weeks for Christmas, but be sure to join me again for the first party of 2022 on 1/5!

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 within your 

    post.  

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!  :)

Christmas Baking and NTT

Hey y'all!  Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday.  I wish I could say I sewed even a single stitch this week, but that isn't the case.  We hosted a Christmas party for the hubs' colleagues on Saturday and since last week's post, the days have been spent preparing for said party, and then mostly in party-recovery mode since.  We cleaned, raked leaves, prepped food, and just generally made sure everything was all ready for guests, and thankfully it all paid off.  It was a great time!

Then on Sunday, my family and I spent the whole afternoon baking.  We baked everyone's favorite cookies (almost 300!), and had fun with the cookie press.  Raspberry white chocolate thumbprints, chocolate chip- both with and without pecans, and butter shortbread cookies will last us the whole Christmas season, and we'll give lots of them away as gifts too.

Since I finished my Santa's Christmas Forest quilt, I don't actually have any projects in the works right now.  So instead, here are some extra highlights from last weeks linkups.  

Sally at Crafts, Cavies, and Cooking linked up this vibrant quilt top.  So pretty!

I love this scrappy orange table runner by Marly's Quilts-

Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting linked up this beauty! And isn't this setting just gorgeous?

I always love a scrap-happy quilt, and this one by Sew Preeti Quilts does not disappoint-

LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color shared these adorable scrap butterflies, and I can't help but think of how some of them might look on one of my Christmas trees.

And finally, take a look at this fun quilt finish by Sandra at mmm quilts-

Okay, y'all!  Without further ado, let's get to this week's linkup.  Show me what you've got!

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 within your 

    post.  

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!  :)

Santa's Christmas Forest

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  I hope all of you had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday.  It took some late-night sewing, but I managed to get my latest quilt all finished and even hung up on the wall before our Thanksgiving company arrived!

I am so happy with the way this quilt turned out.  I made Christmas tree blocks in three sizes- twelve, nine, and six inches, and arranged them randomly around Santa and Rudolph. 

Then, I opted to fill in the background with improv chunks of low volume fabrics.  Most of the fabrics are very light (even for low volume), and several have touches of gold or silver which just adds to the glistening forest feel of the quilt.  My very favorite fabric is the sheet music print, and I've actually had it in my stash for a long time.  I had about two yards of it, and I've been using little bits here and there, and I'm finally down to my last 1/3 yard.  I will be so sad when I run out!  The music is "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" and I knew I had to include it in this quilt.

I quilted it with super dense swirls to give the feel of blowing wind and snow, and it always amazes me to see how the texture really brings the quilt to life.  I found this pretty print for the back, and it compliments the quilt so well.  Since the front has so much green, I knew I wanted the backing to feature more red.  The sheet music background, cardinals, and berries are just perfect, and this chunky red plaid binding makes such a great frame.

I don't have many quilts hanging on walls in my house, because most of my walls get direct sunlight for at least part of the day, and I have unfortunately learned my lesson on how quickly the sun can fade a quilt. But I knew this wall behind my couch would be a great spot, and this quilt was made specifically to hang there.  It measures 48" x 50".

Some years, I give a full rundown of all of my Christmas trees when I'm done decorating, but since I just showed close-ups of all four of my trees last year, I decided to show you how some of my Christmas things are displayed instead.  My Christmas Baubles quilt is so cozy on the back of my couch, and it gets plenty of snuggles, and the Santa Belly pillow is right at home on the couch too!  You can see my vintage aluminum tree in my breakfast room in the photo above and the main tree here, but of course if you'd like to see detailed shots of all four of my trees, you can check them out HERE!

Our party two weeks ago was so full of awesomeness!  Jan at The Colorful Fabriholic linked up this gorgeous Quilt-

This lovely quilt is by Sandra at mmm quilts-

Rebecca Grace Quilting linked up this mesmerizing quilt.  It's simple but so striking!

And finally, these whales by Quilting Gail are super cute!

Okay friends!  Let's get our party going!  I can't wait to see what you have going on this week.  It's Christmas crunch time!

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 within your 

    post.  

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!  :)