BIG News, Sugar Plum Fairy (and NTT)

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, y'all!  I am so glad that I finally get to reveal a quilt finish that is not secret; but before I do, I want to let you know some HUGE news which explains all of my secret sewing lately.  I have signed a contract with Martingale Publishing to author my first book!  I am still in the beginning stages, and still working on the quilts, but the book will be released in Spring 2018!  eeek!  I have been about ready to jump out of my skin with excitement about it, and now that is totally official, I can finally share!  I'll have more specifics about the book's concept for you later, but for now, at least you know what all of the secrets are about.

 Whew!  Okie dokie, time to share my latest quilt.  My husband saw this one and let me know that if I was going for the "unicorns and cotton candy" look, I nailed it, haha!  Even though this one isn't Christmassy at all, I couldn't help giving a little nod to the season by naming it Sugar Plum Fairy.

I had a couple of quilty victories on this one, and the first is that I managed to use up so many pinks and purples that had just been sitting in my stash.  Between purchasing several on sale and having a few gifted to me, there was quite a chunk of them in my cabinet, and I really put a dent in them.

The best little victory on this quilt though, is the quilting motif.  I tried my hand a free motion flowers for the first time.  It took me a little while to get into the groove, and I really had to learn how to not quilt myself into a corner, but overall, I'm pleased with the result.  I'll be using this motif again for sure.

With all of the soft, sweet colors, I thought this one needed a binding with some pop.  The hot pink polkadots are the perfect frame for it.

I enjoyed making this pattern a lot, and I think I'll definitely be using it with other palettes.  For those of you that asked, I made a couple of block diagrams as a little tutorial so you can see the measurements I used.  It is a quick block that makes an easy and cute quilt !

(Diagrams are NOT to scale!)

 

Let me know if you decide to give it a try!

















Alright!  Check out some of my favorite projects from last weeks linkup!  There is so much movement in this awesome quilt by Dawn Chorus Studio!

Deb at New Creative State shared this lovely quilt, and at first glance on the thumbnail, I thought it was just a finished top.  The colors against the dark background almost look like they're lit from behind.  So cool!

and lastly, this oh so adorable pincushion is from Jayne at Twiggy and Opal.  Those are some teeny tiny pieces.  I can't even.

Keep bringing the awesomeness, my 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.  

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!  :)

Pink and Periwinkle

I have never really been a pink and purple person; not even as a young girl.  Okay, let me rephrase;  I love bold, vibrant hot pink and coral, and rich shades of eggplant, plum, berry, and grape.  Somehow though, over the years, I have amassed quite a stash softer shades of pink, orchid, and periwinkle.  So many prints just sitting in my cabinet, taunting me with their lack of use.

I have friends with daughters who just looooove pink and purple, and from my time as a teacher, I know that lots and lots of girls seek out this combo.  So, in the name of stash busting,  I decided to go ahead and use several of these languishing fabrics to create one sugary-sweet quilt.

I've been practicing a brand new free motion motif that will match the sweetness of the colors, and I'm excited about putting it on the quilt for real!

Kaleidoscope Star

I finished my latest quilt this weekend, and took advantage of the glorious weather for a photo shoot.  I really do love a curvy quilt illusion, and this pattern definitely delivers.

The shape of the stars in this quilt strike me as a little bit retro, almost like they would look right at home on the side of a 1950's kitchen appliance.  As neat as the blocks look on their own, I just love all of the cool secondary shapes created whey they're all together.

I pieced the back with scraps, and used a solid rich shade of plum for the binding.  When I pulled fabric for this quilt, I specifically chose colors that were getting a little heavy in my stash.  Pink is not a color I reach for often, especially the shade of bubble gum pink in this quilt, but the deeper plum, teal, and aqua balance it out nicely.  It's definitely a feminine palette, but not overly sweet.

I'm working on the pattern for this one.  I'm hoping to have it finished up by this weekend, so be on the lookout!  It's definitely a fun one, and the blocks are pretty large, which helps the quilt go together in a flash.  This is the lap size, and it finishes at 60" square.

And...That's All, Folks!

Yay!  The final quilt on my Christmas to-do list is finished, and just in the nick of time, too!  The pattern choice for this baby quilt was actually born from a need to use up some fabric that was cut by mistake.

In my haste to get started on my Filigree quilt, I accidentally cut all of my white background squares to the finished size, instead of a half inch bigger for seam allowance; and if that wasn't enough, I also cut my sashing an inch too short as well.  To top it all off, I didn't realize any of this until I had every single piece cut.  Every. single. piece.  I am usually meticulous in making sure my measurements are correct before making a single cut, so I really don't know possessed me to just haul off and start cutting.  That was a pretty large cut of Kona, so it was a low moment for sure.  Suffice it to say- lesson (re)learned.

As much as I really didn't want to keep staring at my big pile of mistakes, I just couldn't bear to throw all of that Kona away;  so when deciding on the pattern for this quilt, I specifically searched for one that would use up some of those squares and strips.  As it turns out, my Truffles pattern made perfect use of them, and that made this little baby quilt so easy to crank out.

I love the color palette in this quilt.  I have had this Joel Dewberry Bungalow fabric in my stash for awhile now, and as much as I love it, I haven't been able to work it into a project.  I've always tried to fit this fabric into an existing vision and it just never worked out.  For this quilt, I decided to let this fabric dictate all of my other fabric choices instead.

I pieced the backing with scraps, and made a scrappy binding as well.  Scrappy bindings are my favorite when the quilt has enough white in the background that it doesn't look too busy.  The various shades of pink and purple, mixed with fresh green are so fun and girly, that I've decided to name this one Blackberry Bramble.  A little out of season perhaps, since we are mere days away from Christmas, but the colors seemed too perfect to name this one anything else.

(photo courtesy of My Sunshine Vintage)

This little quilt measures 48 inches square, and will be a perfect gift to welcome a baby girl!

Ohhh... and before I forget!  I have one final piece of business to take care of before signing off for Christmas.  I owe you a winner for the Santa's Here fat quarter bundle giveaway.

Sew In Love with Fabric, the blog for Benartex, actually chooses the winners for the giveaways they sponsor, and they have let me know that the winner is comment number 107.  Congratulations Michelle!

MichelleDecember 11, 2015 at 3:07 AM

I follow you and sew in love through email!

ReplyDelete

I'll contact you soon to get your mailing address so you can get your fabric!  

Okie dokie, friends!  I truly hope that you all have a blessed holiday, and I'll see you after Christmas for NTT on 12/31 (remember we are taking a break this week).

Royalty

First of all, I want to give a huge shout of thanks to all of you who cast a vote for my Shattered Rainbow quilt in the Blogger's Quilt Festival.  I just received word that my quilt won the ROYGBIV category, and I am beyond thrilled.  What an honor!

I'm on cloud nine right now, and I am happy to share my latest finish with you as well!  I've decided to call this quilt Royalty.  I think the name fits the rich jewel tones, as well as the crown shape created with the blocks.  I can even see a tiara shape in the negative space between the blocks.

I really enjoyed the entire process of making this quilt.  The pinks and purples are colors that I don't usually gravitate toward, but I couldn't be happier with the way it turned out.

I used all of the scraps, then added some wide stripes of teal and gray fabrics to finish out the backing.

Do you ever get an idea in your head that you just can't stop thinking about?  I have to believe that we all feel that way sometimes.  Well, I've been so excited about the design of this quilt, that I have also written the pattern for it while simultaneously sewing it.  Ordinarily, I finish the quilt completely before even starting the pattern, but with this one, I found myself stealing a few minutes here and there to work out the quilty math throughout the whole process.

So, that means that I am also delighted to let you know that my Royalty pattern is available in my Craftsy and Etsy shops!  This pattern is written in three sizes, and has two different layout options.  So, you could choose to make both and get two patterns in one!  I hope you'll check it out!