Pop Bouquet and NTT

It's finished!  It's finished!  After all these weeks, I am so excited that my Star of Bethlehem quilt is finally done.  I had visions of a gorgeous spring day for the photo shoot for this quilt, but of course the weather  had other plans.  So, a wet and dreary photo shoot it is.

I opted to quilt with doodle spiral daisies which fits the floral motif, and a crisp navy binding makes a great frame for this quilt.

Even though the quilting isn't too dense, it still took me several quilting sessions.  Though free-motion quilting is like riding a bike, my arms and shoulder muscles got fatigued pretty quickly from not doing it for awhile, and since this is a twin size quilt.  I do really love the texture the flowers add though.

Since I worked on this quilt one block at a time, my cutting left lots of odd-shaped pieces, and I had some larger cuts of several fabrics.  I decided to sew my scraps in a giant improv log cabin for the backing, and I am so pleased with the way it turned out.  The quilting shows up so well against the back!

Other than two yards of supplemental background fabric, this quilt was made entirely from stash, and that always feels like a little victory.  The finished quilt measures 64" x 80", and I've named it Pop Bouquet since the blocks look like blossoms popping wide open.  

Now that this quilt is all finished, I have to dig back into the editing and revisions on my manuscript, so I'm unsure of what I'll make next.  Stay tuned...

Last week's party was filled with awesomeness, like this gorgeous top by Gretchen's Little Corner-

Marga's Crafts shared this beauty, AND it's on the cover of Quilting Arts magazine!

And finally, LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color linked up this fun little quilt-

Okay y'all, it's time to 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 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!  :)

Ready to Quilt and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  I enjoyed a truly lovely visit with my parents this weekend and since then, I've gotten the back all put together and everything basted on my Star of Bethlehem quilt.  I can't wait to get started on the quilting!

Last week's party had so many amazing projects linked up!  Take a look at this fun quilt by Jocelyn at Canadian Needle Nana-

This pretty medallion quilt is by Quiltpiecer-

And finally, I love this beauty by Gretchen's Little Corner-

Okay y'all!  Let's 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!  :)

A Top At Long Last and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  After all of these weeks of diligently plugging away at these Star of Bethlehem blocks, I pushed to get the last six blocks sewn this week, and I finally have a finished quilt top to show for it!  She's a real beauty, if I do say so myself.  Spring is in the air around here, and the fresh, cheerful colors and florals in this quilt capture that mood perfectly.

I posted my very first blocks waaay back on January 12th, so at seven weeks (and counting), this quilt has officially taken me longer than any other quilt I've ever made.  Of course, I drafted an entire book in those weeks too, so I'm okay with the longer timeline.  My parents are coming tomorrow to visit for the weekend, so there won't be sewing or writing happening for the next few days.

So, let's jump right into the highlights from last week, shall we?  Sharon at Dragon's Heart Quilting shared this lovely quilt top-

This fun row-by-row quilt is by Quilting Gail-

Just look at this happy quilt by Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting-

And finally, I love the bold colors in this quilt shared by Institches With Bonnie-

Okay, my friends!  It's time to 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 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!  :)

Lakeview Quilters and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  This week, I had the pleasure of visiting the Lakeview Quilters Guild near Houston, Texas.  This trip was originally scheduled right as Covid hit in March 2020, and and I'm so happy that I finally had the opportunity to meet them in person.  The guild was so friendly and welcoming.  I loved chatting with them, and the shop that hosted us was just gorgeous.  We worked on the Beach Retreat pattern from my first book, Stash Statement, and had SO much fun!

On of the ladies in the class decided to go with the same soothing beach colors as the quilt in the book, but the rest took off in their own color directions, and I love that!  It always makes me so happy to see how different color choices change the entire feel of the quilt.  

Though my trip took up a few days last week, I also got to finish two more blocks for my Star of Bethlehem quilt.  My design wall is filling up and it makes me happy! 

Since some have asked, I don't have a tutorial or pattern for this block, but HERE is one by Lori Holt for a 6" or 12" block.  My block construction is just a little different and my blocks finish at 16",  but the resulting block looks the same.  Also, the Swoon quilt pattern by Camille Roskelly is a simplified version of this traditional block.

Last week's party was filled with a whole lot of amazingness, like this quilt by Kris at Sew Sunshine-

And take a look at this EPP beauty by Turid at Den syende himmel.  Y'all, those are quarter-inch hexes!

Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting linked up this pretty quilt-

And this simple, sweet quilt is by Institches with Bonnie-

NTT- Making Up For Lost Time

Hey there, y'all!  Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday.  Since I didn't get any blocks done last week, I decided to really push and get four done this week instead of my usual two.

I've shuffled things around a little bit, so picking out the newest ones might be trickier.  The newest four are row 1/block 3, and row 4/blocks 2, 3, and 4.  Bit by bit, these blocks are coming together, and I still really love them!  I can't decide if I'm going to make 16 or 20 blocks.  It will just depend on whether I have enough fabric for a full 20 blocks.  We shall see.

The BIG reason I was able to do a little more sewing is that I finished the first draft of my book!  I have it all printed out and ready to start proofing.  I find it better to proof with "fresh eyes," so I'm planning to put it away for a little while before I start checking math and perfecting everything (which actually takes just as long as getting the draft done).  Until I start that task, I should be able to fit in a little more sewing.  

Okay, friends!  Check out some of the amazing highlights from last week.  Yvonne at Sew Yummy shared this lovely quilt top.  So much scrappy goodness in there!

This quilt by Quilting Gail has such a fun illusion!

And finally, this sweet Heather Ross quilt is by Angela at Better 'n Dog Biscuits-

What are you working on this week?  I can't wait to see.  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!  :)

Happy NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  If you were in the path of last week's winter storm, I hope you fared okay.  The Memphis area got about 1/2" of ice, which led to downed limbs and power lines and a loss of electricity for so many.  In fact, there are lots of people across our metro area that are still without power almost a week later!  We were extremely lucky though.  We kept our electricity, and because temps were in the 50's last Wednesday before the storm hit, it didn't build up on the roads.  We did have to clean up some debris, and we will have to replace a little bit of our fence where a big limb broke it, but overall, I'm feeling very thankful.

I'm especially thankful because the lack of ice on the roads meant that a long-planned ladies' lake trip was still possible (not in Memphis).  Even though it was freezing, it was so wonderful to get away and enjoy a couple of days with my friends, and the setting was gorgeous, even if we only enjoyed it from inside the house.

For me, a winter storm means obsessive weather watching, and then the weekend at the lake also means that there wasn't any extra time for sewing this week (I've been sewing my blocks mostly on the weekends and writing during the week), so no new blocks to share.

Instead, we'll go ahead and check out the highlights from last week's party!  This beauty is by Brenda at Songbird Designs-

Mary at Quilting is in My Blood shared this stunner-

Anne-Marie at Stories From the Sewing Room linked up this sweet little quilt.  There are full photos on her blog, but I just had to show a close-up of the ric-rac!

And just look at this charming photo of all of these donated quilts by heARTS Creations!  You can see individual photos of the quilts in her post, but seeing all of them hanging on the line makes me so happy!

Okie dokie, y'all!  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 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!  :)

Then There Were Eight- and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  This week has been a busy one.  Though it's not something I can really show, I made major progress on my book this week.  Getting the first draft of the manuscript done is always a huge hurdle, and though I'm not finished with it, I knocked out a big chunk this week.  I also finished two more Star of Bethlehem blocks.  I'm planning on 20 total blocks for a 64" x 80" quilt, so I'm almost at the halfway point.

The orchid stripe block on the bottom right corner looks a little out of place right now, but I'm confident that it will blend right in when all of the blocks are done.  I'll just keep plugging away at them!

The other big thing that has been going on for the past couple of weekends is this cabinetry wall in my kitchen-

Since moving into this house a couple of years ago, we've been adjusting to a little less storage in our kitchen.  Actually, it's a little odd.  The house is much bigger than our old one and we have the same number of cabinets, but the cabinets have shorter shelves that can't be adjusted, so finding space for taller/bigger things like small appliances, etc. was a challenge.  

My husband mentioned that since we have SO much space behind the table in our breakfast area (almost 5 feet!), a wall of cabinetry would be doable.  You can see what the wall used to look like in my post HERE.  So, I picked out some stock cabinets, and he and my father-in-law installed them and trimmed them out to the ceiling for me.  My hubs and I spent last weekend painting them a rich green (Valspar- Northern Glen) and putting the pulls on the doors.  Y'all know green is my jam, and I am super thrilled with them.  Best of all, even with all of the extra storage, I still have about three full feet between the table and the cabinets, so it didn't make the room feel smaller at all.  I love that I have such handy men in my life who are willing to do this for me.  So, a busy week indeed.

(ps- my Daddy used to do stained glass as a hobby, and made the stained glass for us when we bought our first house almost 20 years ago)

We're gearing up for an ice storm here that's supposed to move in tomorrow morning, so I'm crossing my fingers that our power holds.  Ice is always more dangerous than snow with regard to power lines and trees, and there's not much you can do with it besides wait until it melts.  We're as prepared as we can be, so hopefully we'll keep our electricity so we can stay warm and I can still do some sewing (and of course, so I can still use my computer).  

I hope you're all snuggled up in your warm house and getting plenty of sewing time.  I loved seeing your creations at last week's party.  Check out this awesome quilt top by Linda at kokaquilts-

I am loving the progress on this quilt by Anne-Marie at Stories From the Sewing Room.  I can't wait to see more!

And this gorgeous ombre quilt by Sew Preeti Quilts seems perfect for the weather right now!

Okay friends!  It's time to get our party going.  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 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!  :)