Rainbow Scraps

I've been working over the last few days to plow through my scrap jars in color order, and I finally managed to sew all of my scraps into blocks.  This afternoon, I put all of the blocks together and finished up the top!

The sky has been pouring rain all last night and this morning, and the sun finally came out.  It wasn't dry enough to lay the quilt on the deck or grass, so my patient quilt assistant had to hold it up while stretching his arms out as wide as possible.  Still, the quilt is 88"x96," so even then you can't quite see all of it in this photo.

I really gave a lot of thought to how I wanted to lay out the colors in this quilt.  Although I like the look of orderly rainbow stripes, I knew that I had tons of scraps in some colors (aqua, green, and yellow), and only tiny amounts of others (pink and purple).  Stripes work best when there are fairly equal amounts of each color.

Instead, I decided use my grays as the "center," and have the other colors radiating out from it.  Offsetting the gray patch in the upper right corner kept my smaller number of pink and purple blocks from looking weird.   Overall, I think it's really unique.

Now, I just have to decide on what to do for the back.  I have a couple of ideas rolling around in my head, and I just need to sketch it out and put it together!

Sunkissed Summer, a New Pattern, and NTT!

Welcome to another Thursday friends!  On Sunday, I posted that I had three different things going on in my sewing space, which you know is rather different for me.  Well, that certainly didn't last long!  I put the finishing touches on my new pattern, Gyroscope, and it is now for sale in my Etsy and Craftsy shops.  It's a really fun one, and I hope you'll check it out!

I also finished up the Heather Bailey commissioned quilt, and I love how it turned out!  I decided to call this one Sunkissed Summer, because the colors are so bright and cheery, and that shot of yellow just makes me smile!

Although the weather was beautiful when I photographed the finished top last weekend, it has not been so cooperative over the last few days.  We have been getting just enough rain to make everything steamy and just a tiny bit damp.  In fact, I was really lucky that the fence was dry enough to take these pics.  Since the quilt was commissioned, I didn't feel like I could hold onto it just for blog photos, so a few backyard pics in a brief period of sunshine will have to do!

I have really been loving scrappy bindings these days!  I think they are so much fun, and rather than framing the quilt, they just blend right in.

Of course, that leaves me working through my rainbow of scrap jars, and I don't see a top coming together super quick with that!

Without further ado, let's get onto last week's highlights!

Paula at Sewy Stuff showed off her cute Limeade quilt-

Heather at Quilts in the Queue linked up these pretty Arkansas Traveler blocks!

and Maryse Makes Things shared her gorgeous AMH honeycomb quilt.  love!!

Y'all are awesome!  I love to see what you've got going on!  So, let's party, shall we?

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!

**Please remember to be sure your post includes a project.  I would appreciate it if you would not link to giveaways or other parties unless your post also includes a project you're working on.

Bluebonnets for Baby

Remember that secret sewing project I've been promising?  Well, I'm happy that I finally get to reveal it to you, because it's my turn on the Oh Sew Baby! Tutorial Series at Fort Worth Fabric Studio!

I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to write up a tutorial for my Strip Tango pattern.  Since making Bohemian Charm, this has been one of my go-to patterns when I need a quick quilt that is perfect for showing off pretty fabrics.  In fact, I just posted another quilt I've been working on with this pattern in a twin size!

This quilt only requires nine fat quarters to put together, although I used extra fabrics because I prefer a little more variety.  Since I used more than nine fabrics, I had some leftover strips, which I pieced into the backing.

Springtime in Texas means that roadsides, hills, and fields are covered with bluebonnets- the state flower of Texas.  The beautiful blues and greens of this quilt remind me a lot of that gorgeous sight.  Although my family moved from Texas almost 8 years ago, we really loved the 7 years we lived in Texas, and this is certainly one of the things I miss.  In this photo they look purple, but they are really the most brilliant blue, and are quite a sight to behold. (photo courtesy of www.statesymbolsusa.org)

Head over to Fort Worth Fabric Studio to check out the tutorial for this quilt.  I hope you enjoy it!

Stuff is Going On!

Those of you who read my blog often know that I usually only work on one project at a time.  I know that some (okay most) of you prefer to have several things going on at once, but I get a lot more accomplished when I stay disciplined and finish one thing before I start something new.  That being said, I actually have a few different things happening around here these days!  I know you're shocked!

By far, the biggest thing I'm working on is a twin sized commissioned quilt with several Heather Bailey fabrics from the Pop Garden and Freshcut lines.  This quilt is destined to be the bedding for a toddler's "big girl" room and the fabrics are so sunny and sweet!

The person who ordered this quilt had a very distinct vision for the fabrics in this quilt, and so after talking with her, we decided that it might be best if she purchased all of the fabrics herself.  She put together a collection of photos of the fabrics and I made sure that there was enough color variation, etc. before she ordered them.  I was also very specific about the number of prints and yardage of each for front, back, and binding.  She did a fantastic job picking them out!

So, last week when I was waiting on the backing fabric to arrive for my Vintage Closet quilt, and I did not have these Heather Bailey fabrics yet, I started playing around with my scrap jars.  I've been wanting to make a scrappy rainbow quilt for awhile, so I just emptied out my pinks and reds, and went to town.

After I finish the Heather Bailey quilt, it is ON with the rest of the rainbow!  The final thing I've been working on is my second published pattern- Gyroscope!  I created this pattern and made the quilt, Carousel Ride last January, but I've just gotten a chance to get the pattern written out (thank you summer!)

Since the backdrop of photos in January is brown, dead, and ugly, I borrowed the quilt from it's owner today and took a few photos befitting a pattern cover.  I hope to have this one in my Craftsy and Etsy shops soon!

Wild thing has sports camp at church this week for a few hours each day, so I'm planning to do some major prioritizing during that time to finish the quilt and put the finishing touches on the pattern.  Hopefully I can share both at Needle and Thread Thursday this week!

Vintage Closet

I finished up my AMH Dowry quilt last night and could not be happier with the way it turned out!  The whole time I was working with these fabrics, I was thinking about exactly why I am so in love with them.  Besides the fact that I love the colors and details in the prints, I think I have finally figured it out.

When I look at this quilt, I imagine that each of these fabrics could have been a beautiful dress from decades past.  So, the quilt as a whole is like stumbling upon a closet full of fabulous vintage clothing.  Each block is like discovering a different fashion treasure.

Since many of the colors are rich and deep, I chose one of the lightest prints as the main backing fabric.  AMH fabrics are pretty busy and have large prints, so I didn't do a lot of piecing in the backing.  Just an offset stripe with the fun coral print.  Here's a close-up of the two fabrics together.  They play so nicely!

I'm really happy with my quilting on this one too!  With bigger (bed sized) quilts, I always find it to be a little harder to keep my spacing and stitches even because the weight of the quilt can be tiresome.  Even though it is well supported and I use a slider and gloves, moving that much quilt around with free-motion still takes some muscle! This quilt is a twin size, finishing at 68 x 94 inches, so I'm declaring a personal quilty victory for it!

I didn't want anything to draw the eye away from the prints in the quilt, so even though it is busy, I made a scrappy binding.

It's funny, I haven't made a simple patchwork quilt since my very first one, almost 15 years ago.  It was so much fun to put together, and I love how the 8 inch (finished) blocks really let the fabrics sing.  Sometimes simplicity is best!

The name of this one is a nod to these gorgeous fabrics and the "past life" they have all had in my own imagination.

My mom is redoing her guest room with a cozy, vintage vibe, and is planning to use this quilt with a cream colored chenille bedspread.  I think it will look right at home!

I'm linking up to several places on my Link Party page, as well as a new party- Free Motion Mavericks!

Dowry Quilt and NTT

Happy Thursday, y'all!  Today, I've been working on a quilt using the Dowry collection by Anna Maria Horner- and oh my goodness!  These fabrics are absolutely divine.  Every single one of them is so rich with detail and color.  It just makes me smile to look at them!

This quilt is for my mom, and she wanted a quilt with simple large patchwork so that the fabrics really stand out.  She fell in love with this quilt (gotta love Pinterest) and wanted a quilt with the same feel that would look great in a bedroom with a simple cream-colored chenille bedspread.  Hopefully the backing fabric will be here soon so I can get this one quilted up for her!

Last week's NTT was awesome.  So much quilty goodness was linked up!  Check out this floating nine patch by Modern Material Girl.  You know I'm an Amy Butler sucker.

Hydee at Splish Splash Stash finished up her Penny Patch and it's a beauty!

And A Quilting Chick combined her Diary of a Quilter Virtual Bee blocks with the Star Surround QAL at Happy Quilting to make a quilt that's totally unique.  Genius!

Don't forget to grab a featured button for your sidebar if you'd like!

I hope you're ready to party.  Time to 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.  

4. Spread the comment love far and wide!

5. Following me is not a requirement to link, but is so very appreciated!

**Please remember to be sure your post includes a project.  I would appreciate it if you would not link to giveaways or other parties unless your post also includes a project you're working on.

Woodland Path

Hey y'all!  I feel like I've been out of touch for a little while since I haven't shared any projects lately.  I've been busy sewing, but darn those secret projects!  Since I only work on one quilt at a time, if I'm doing something secret, I end up not having anything to write at all.  That's all done though, and you'll be seeing it soon!  For the last few days though, I've been finishing up this little baby quilt.

I really intended to write a post mid-process, but what can I say?  The weather was stormy which meant that a decent photo was out of the question, and I was on a roll!  I may or may not have sung along to the blaring Frozen soundtrack while finishing it this morning.   You'll never know for sure!

This quilt will be a baby gift, and I like that the colors are a little bit woodsy.  Most of the fabrics in this quilt are Heather Bailey's Freshcut, and the yellow, green, orange, and brown are such a pretty combo that I think a baby girl will enjoy for years.  I made this quilt using my Easy Peasy Chevron Quilt method, but since I wanted the quilt a little smaller for a baby, I only did eight rows instead of ten.  The finished quilt measures approximately 48x48 inches.

The one thing I really wish I could change about this one is the placement of a couple of the fabrics.  Somehow, I ended up with all of my bigger prints in one half of the quilt, and the smaller prints in the other.  Because of the way that this quilt goes together though, it will just have to stay the way it is.

Of course, all of the scraps went into the backing, and I chose to bind it with the same orange dot fabric from the quilt.  I love the little pop of color that the binding gives!  I decided to name this one Woodland Path since the colors are so fresh and earthy.

In other news, Fat Quarter Shop is celebrating its 11th anniversary, and they are having a shipping sale!  Check out the graphic below for more details.  If you've never shopped at Fat Quarter Shop, you are missing out!  They have tons of gorgeous yardage, bundles, kits, etc., and their service is excellent.  Happy shopping!

Giveaway Winner!

Time to announce the winner of the Who's On First fabric bundle from Benartex!  Congratulations to commenter number 34, Alesha Klein!  Alesha, I'll be sure to give your email address to Benartex so they can get your shipping information and can get your fabric sent to you!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: Result:34Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Happy (Early) Thursday!

Welcome to Needle and Thread Thursday a little early, y'all!  I'm heading out to dinner this evening for my birthday so I'm posting a little earlier than usual. We took our wild thing to his very first summer camp away from home on Sunday, so we decided to postpone my birthday dinner to take advantage of not needing a sitter.  We won't get to pick him up until Saturday morning.  It's 2.5 hours away, and a totally unplugged experience, so although the camp posts plenty of photos, I haven't had any contact with him at all.  This is the longest I have ever been away from him, and I'm really missing him!

I have been getting a lot of sewing done in my brand new sewing room though!  I've been working on a baby quilt with a tutorial for the Fort Worth Fabric Studio Blog's Sew Baby tutorial series.  I can't share it with you until June 24th, but I know you're going to love it!

Up next for me is something I will be able to share though.  I just got this bundle of Anna Maria Horner's Dowry collection, and I'll be using these to make a quilt for my mom!  Aren't those colors and prints fabulous? I always love how AMH's fabrics look like they are collected from treasured vintage finds, yet play together so perfectly.  I can't wait to cut into them!

By the way, I've created a feature button for the party.  If you're featured this week, or if you have been featured in the past, feel free to grab button for your sidebar!

<a href=" http://myquiltinfatuation.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img
src=" http://i1275.photobucket.com/albums/y450/kellydyoung/FeatureButton_zpsf5a82212.png" border="0" alt="My Quilt Infatuation Feature" /> </a>

Last week's party was amazing!  I know I say that all the time, but it's true!  You all inspire me each and every week-  And I have to say, I really feel like I run out of ways to express that.  So, let's get down to the highlights!

If you missed this quilt from Lori at Crossquilt, you should definitely check it out.  Lori is a friend from my local MQG, and I had the privilege of seeing this one in person!

Thread Everywhere linked up this pretty picnic quilt.  The colors are so lovely against that blue sky!

and Charlotte's gRACE for a Cure shared this awesomely mod baby quilt!

Ready to party?  Link up, friends!  Remember the rules!

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!

**Please remember to be sure your post includes a project.  I would appreciate it if you would not link to giveaways or other parties unless your post also includes a project you're working on.