Luscious Color and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  I finished up my latest quilt top and in these doldrums of winter where everything is brown and gray, I could stare at these vibrant colors all day long.

These florals have me wishing for spring!  I've got the backing all put together, but this one will have to sit on a shelf for a little bit because I just received the draft of my book from my publisher!  For the next week or so, I'll be going over (and over and over) each word, measurement, image, and photo to make sure everything is exactly as I want it.  It's a little tedious, but seeing my manuscript turned into an actual book NEVER gets old.

So, onto last week's highlights!  Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting shared this rainbow beauty-

This lovely churn dash is from Alycia at Quiltygirl-

And this stunning pink quilt is from Kris at Sew Sunshine-

Y'all are awesome!  I know you've got lots happening in your studio, so let's see it!

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!  :)

Easy and Quick, and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  Sometimes the best remedy for a lack in sewing motivation is just to jump in and DO IT.  Such is the case with my latest project.  I shared my latest fabric pull last week, and though I loved the fabrics, I was still having a hard time coming up with a pattern for them.  I found myself paralyzed between wanting to "do justice" to the beautiful fabrics and not wanting to expend the brain power to make something difficult or intricate.  After a few days, I decided to just choose something simple and get down to business.  Sometimes easy sewing for the sake of getting back into it after such a long creative break is exactly what's needed.

As it turns out, this simple block was a great choice.  There are enough bigger pieces to keep the large prints intact, but enough smaller pieces that it doesn't look too chunky.  I've always called these blocks window panes, but maybe they have another name?  Anyway, these blocks are all finished, and it won't take me long to press them and turn them into a quilt top.

Last week's party had lots of amazing links.  This beauty is from Pam's Applique Paintbox-

This mesmerizing quilt was shared by Rebecca Grace Quilting-

And finally, this cheery quilt is from Cynthia at Quilting is More Fun Than Housework-

Okie dokie, friends!  It's time for you to link up all of your awesomeness!

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 Jolt of Inspiration and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  You know, I'm a huge cheerleader for making quilts entirely from stash, and I've done it many, many times.  The next best thing is using stash for most of the quilt, and filling in the gaps with purchased fabric for background, backing, etc.  And I enjoy doing that too.  My stash isn't huge, but it has a well-rounded rainbow of color that gives me plenty of options.  Then, there are some times that I just open my fabric cabinet and no matter how long I stare at it, I can't come up with anything I really want to make.  When that happens, I know it's time for me to do a little fabric shopping.

I found Riley Blake's Blissful Blooms bundle on sale, and used my stash to round it out.  The prints are absolutely gorgeous.  The bundle is heavy on pink and purple, but I noticed that the florals use lots of blues and greens as accents.  So, I pulled those from my stash to balance it a little bit.  I'm still not quite sure what I'm going to make with them, but this luscious bundle has me spinning lots of ideas in my head and wishing for spring!

Last week's party had some really wonderful links, like this beauty from Julie's Quilts and Costumes-

Sally at Crafts, Cavies, and Cooking shared this lovely, soothing quilt-

This festive finish was linked up by LeeAnna at Not Afraid of Color-

And Linda at Kokaquilts shared this fantastic kaleidoscope quilt.  Hooray for getting rid of a UFO!

There were SO many choices this week.  Y'all are really rocking it in the new year!  Let's get our party going!

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 New Year and NTT!

Happy 2023, quilty friends!  I hope your holiday season has been wonderful. Ours was truly fantastic.  In fact, my hubby is still on vacation so they days have been getting away from us a little bit, so please forgive the later than usual post.  I just forgot today was Wednesday! 

Since getting back in town after the holiday, I've slept in, cooked some of our favorite meals, put my house back in order, watched a ton of college football bowl games, and hosted some friends for New Years Eve.  I even took out my 2023 planner and started filling in some of the big dates- you know, like my son's high school graduation (eek!!!) and all of my scheduled teaching engagements.  It has been a thoroughly restful vacation, and now I'm looking forward to getting back into my studio.

Though I took a break from social media and sewing, it's obvious that lots of you were busy sewing right up through Christmas, so this week's features will give you one last bit of holiday cheer.  Judy at J Bigg's Scrap Pieces linked up this festive quilt-

I love this little table runner from Sue Dario Quilting-

Julie's Quilts and Costumes showed off this sweet little mini quilt, including hand embroidery-

And finally, this Christmas stunner is by Rebecca Grace Quilting-

I'm so happy to kick off another great year of Needle and Thread Thursday!  Y'all are full of so much inspiration!  Cheers to the new year, 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 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!  :)

Quick Christmas Coasters and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  Even though we had another party this weekend (but not at our house), this week I got a tiny bit of sewing done and made some little gifts for a couple of friends.

I pulled all of the fabric for these coasters from my Christmas scraps and sewed them with a double layer of cotton batting for extra absorbency.  I used THIS method, but I opted to use two 4.5" squares of fabric for each instead of piecing the coasters.  Also, I have found since writing the tutorial that the coasters actually absorb a little better if they aren't quilted through.  So, I just stitched around the edges and called them done.

I made two sets of six coasters (each with the same six prints) and they turned out so cute!  They've already been gifted so they can go ahead and get some use during this Christmas season!

Last week's party had so many amazing projects!  Check out this cute one by Sandra at mmm quilts-

Brenda at Songbird Designs linked up this beauty-

And Gretchen's Little Corner shared this scrappy project (with a tutorial!)-

Before we party, I want to let you know that NTT will be taking a break for the next two weeks for Christmas and New Years, and our 24th wedding anniversary is in there too.  We will resume our party on January 4th!

And since it's the last party for 2022, I want to take the opportunity to thank you for participating in Needle and Thread Thursday for another year.  A link party is only as fun as the links shared, so I couldn't keep it going without YOU!  I truly hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and I'll see you again in 2023.

Okay, y'all!  Let's 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 Whirlwind Weekend and NTT

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  As expected, this week did not afford any sewing time.  We hosted a small gathering of friends over on Friday, and a full-blown party on Saturday for my husband's work colleagues.  Throw in a Sunday School Christmas brunch on Sunday morning, and this weekend was jam-packed.  I think I'm still recovering!

So, without further ado, let's get right to the highlights from last week.  This beauty is by Rebecca Grace Quilting-

This gorgeous quilt is from Melva Loves Scraps-

Turid from den syende himmel linked up her progress on this EPP masterpiece.  Those hexies are tiny!

And finally, this simple but striking quilt is from Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting-

Okay friends!  Let's get our party going.  I need my weekly dose of inspiration!

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!  :)

Checked Off the Final To-Do and NTT

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  Now that Thanksgiving is over, this is the time of year that my calendar really starts filling up.  There are so many family and friend things happening,  I like to have my sewing obligations finished by the beginning of December, and I'm happy to report that my last sewing to-do was checked off yesterday.

I've been working to finish these four memory quilts, and since they've been finished, circumstances have just not allowed outdoor photos.  We've had lots of rain lately, and last week we not only had family in town for Thanksgiving, we actually made a quick trip to Louisiana for a family reunion AFTER Thanksgiving!  It was a lot to cram into a single week, but worth it.  The reunion was for my grandparents, and we managed to get their daughters, granddaughters (I'm the oldest of five granddaughters), and all of their great grandchildren from three different states all under one roof.  It poured down rain, but that didn't matter one bit.  We all had a wonderful time and enjoyed the day.

Needless to say, with everything going on, the night before the quilts were delivered, I realized I had not yet gotten any photos of them all finished, so I snapped some quick indoor shots before I had to let them go.

As you can see from the photo of the stacked quilts, three of the four are exactly alike.  The pattern was specifically requested by the widow, as she wanted her son and grandsons' quilts to all be alike.  Once I got the color distribution of the shirt rectangles how I liked it, it was easy to replicate two more times.

The fourth quilt is for her, and this pattern was chosen by her daughter-in-law (my friend).  The recipient thinks she is only getting three quilts, so this fourth one is a special Christmas surprise.

I had so many shirts, there were enough leftovers to make a pieced backing for each of them.  Originally, my friend mentioned using navy as a background color, but with so many darker plaids, it wasn't a good choice and we decided on Kona Khaki instead.  Since navy was a favorite color of his, instead I chose to feature Kona navy on the backing and binding, along with chambray to widen out the backing.  Each of the quilt backs is constructed the same way, but with different shirt panels on each one.

You know, memory quilts are not always the most exciting project.  Breaking down the shirts is so labor-intensive, and the shirts can be tricky to work with.  I will say this though, the pure joy and appreciation shown when someone receives one cannot be matched.  To take clothing of a loved one and turn it into a long-lasting, functional reminder of them is so special.  Snuggling in a quilt is always like a warm hug, and perhaps this comfort is most apparent with memory quilts.

As I mentioned, this set of quilts was the last item on my to-do list.  I might sew something small between now and Christmas just for fun, but with two parties (at my house!) this weekend, one next weekend (not at my house), our wedding anniversary the weekend after, and all kinds of other smaller family holiday things like baking, gift-wrapping, and Christmas movies, I'm just not sure when I'll be able to squeeze it in.

So, how about you?  Are you checking off your holiday sewing list?  I hope so, and I also hope you're taking time to enjoy the season!  Let's get to our party, shall we?  But first, a few highlights from our last party.  Take a look at this scrappy quilt by Gretchen's Little Corner-

I love this quilt by Rita at Quiltpiecer-

And Melisa at Pinker n Punkin Quilts linked up her progress on this cute quilt.  'Tis the season!

Okay, friends!  It's time to get our party going!  I can't wait to see what you're working 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!  :)