A New Design

I can hardly believe that summer is on the wind-down.  School starts here a week from tomorrow, and teachers go back tomorrow.  It feels so weird to not be joining all of my teacher friends in their preparation for the school year, but at the same time, it feels absolutely amazing.  I've been spending my time lately putting together my latest design, using mostly AMH Folk Song fabrics.  I needed three additional prints, so I had to pull coordinating fabrics, which can be tough with AMH fabrics.  I'm pleased with how the additions blend though.  Can you spot the three extras?

I first sketched out this quilt design last October, and it has just taken this long to come to fruition.  When I started playing around with the design, it was a little bit different, and I wasn't in love with it, so it got shelved.  I made a little modification to it though, and then I loved it so much that I couldn't wait to make it.  The change I made wasn't huge, but it made all the difference in the world.

My inspiration with this pattern was a dance floor full of twirling, colorful skirts, and when the Folk Song fabric collection was released, I knew they were perfect to show off the design.  I'm calling this pattern Folk Dance, and I can't wait to get the quilt finished so I can release the pattern!

Needle and Thread Thursday Time!

Welcome to another NTT, friends!  I can't believe it, but summer is officially on the wind-down around here.  School starts in a mere week and a half, and this is the time around our house that we clean out closets and toys, get everything organized, and make sure we're fully prepared to kick off the school year.  I have been working on a mini quilt for a swap that my guild is doing, but I can't reveal that quite yet!  So, we'll all just ogle some of the lovelies that were linked up last week... and oh boy, were there some stunners!

Like this beautiful Kaffe and Essex linen quilt by Elise at Lovelea Designs.

Or the progress being made on this Technicolor Galaxy quilt by Jayne at Twiggy and Opal.

And even this pretty quilt by Beth at Cooking Up Quilts!

So much awesomeness!  Time to link up your latest projects!

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!

Clementine Baby Quilt

My wild thing spent the week at my parents' house last week, so they brought him back to us and visited this weekend.  After making my Posy quilt, I had several bits of fabric left over and I decided to turn them into a little baby quilt, and this project was the perfect thing to squeeze in before hosting out of town company.

I just love this fabric line, and since I had enough left over for another project, I just couldn't bear to put them into my scrap jars.  Besides, when I have lots of coordinating scraps at one time, turning them into baby and preemie quilts is one way that I keep them from completely taking over my studio.  

I found this awesomely bright Denyse Schmidt polkadot for the backing.  It's hard to tell in this photo, but the polkadots are outlined in dark green to really make them pop against the lemon yellow; and the turquoise tonal polkadot binding frames it nicely.  I'm not sure you can ever have too many polkadots!  This little quilt measures right at 42 inches square, and is destined for my cousin, who has a baby girl due later this year.  

After making this quilt, I only had four scrap pieces to put into my jars.  That feels like a victory to me!  Of course, I can't always use every single piece of fabric, and every summer, I purge my scrap jars with quilts like my Shattered Rainbow and Kitchen Sink.  

So, what's your system for keeping your scraps in check?  Do you prefer to hold onto them until you have enough for a bigger project, or do you use them on smaller projects along the way like I do?  Do you like to work on leader-ender projects or tackle them all at once?  I know everyone works differently, and I would love to hear!

Odds and Ends and NTT

Happy NTT, friends!  Since getting back in town and picking up my machine from servicing, I've been working on a couple of small projects.  No... your eyes do not deceive you.  Despite the fact that this quilt is hand embroidered, I have NOT turned over a new leaf and suddenly decided that I like hand work.  I quilted this little baby quilt for my grandmother.

Ironically, even though my grandmother has quilted for years, these days she doesn't enjoy it nearly as much as she loves hand sewing.  Since she still loves giving baby quilts when a new great-grandchild is born, she asked if I would finish the embroidered quilt tops for her after she finishes them from now on.  Her embroidery is absolutely gorgeous and I loved being able to choose a backing, quilt, and bind this one for her.

I quilted with simple stippling with white thread, right over the embroidery (before washing), and it just blends right in, letting the embroidery shine.  The little giraffe is my favorite block!

I also made a couple of pillows for my mom to match the quilt I made for her last year.  Since the pillows are made from solid panels, they went together fairly quickly, but I must say that it was tricky to get ahold of the Chateau Rouge fabric.  Since the line has been around for awhile, I had to do some searching for the prints I wanted.  The red medallion print looks great on the front, with the busier tan print on the back of each.  These are going to look great in her living room!

Last week's party was really amazing, and filled with wonderful inspiration as always.  Maryse Makes Things linked up this stunning Swoon quilt top.

Beth at Cooking Up Quilts showed off his pretty finished top.

and I love the colors in this quilt from Beth at Hello Quilty Lady.

I loved browsing all of the fantastic projects last week while I traveled, and I can't wait to see this week's link-ups!  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!

Christmas Gift Pillow and a Giveaway!

'Tis the season for Christmas in July, and I am thrilled to get the opportunity to participate in the holiday series for the Benartex blog, Sew in Love With Fabric.  For my stop on the blog hop, I made a tutorial for an 18-inch Christmas gift inspired pillow!

This pillow is made with the gorgeous Ornamental Splendor fabric line, and goes together really quickly.  I am delighted to let you know that the kind folks at Benartex are giving away a fat quarter bundle of this beautiful collection.

To enter the giveaway, become a follower of the Benartex blog, Sew in Love With Fabric, and leave a comment to let me know how you follow.  I'll announce the winner at next week's NTT.

Good luck to all, and hop over to Sew in Love With Fabric to check out the full tutorial, along with all of the other fantastic projects being showcased this week!

Posy Pattern!

Hooray!  My latest pattern, Posy, is finished and now in my Craftsy and Etsy shops!  I love how this pattern looks like a bunch of delicate flowers.

The Clementine fabrics that I used for the quilts are soft, and although I love them in person, the photos didn't show off the negative space in the quilt as well as I'd hoped.  So, I included a more vibrant electronic rendering on the cover as well.  You can really see the way the ordered placement of light and dark fabrics changes the look of the quilt versus a scrappier layout.

This was a fun quilt to make, and includes all traditional piecing (no curves!).  I hope you'll check it out in my shop!

NTT!

My days all start to run together when I travel, and I almost let NTT slip by!  Of course, travel also means that I am lacking any new sewing progress, so we'll get right down to last week's highlights!

Mary at Fleur de Lis Quilts linked up this awesome modern cross quilt.

Jen's Crafts and Quilts Scrapbook showed off this pretty plus quilt is my favorite shades of blue and green.

and this simple and fun HST quilt by Myra at Busy Hands Quilts is fantastic!

Let's get down to this week's party!  Bring it 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!