First Top of 2018 and NTT

Happy Needle and Thursday!  This has been a busy week around here.  In case you missed it, on Monday I kicked off the Classic Meets Modern BOM Quilt Along, and I finally got back to my machine after the holidays.  On top of all of that, my awesome husband and Quilt Holder Extraordinaire was diagnosed with the flu on Monday.  Wild Thing and I immediately started taking Tamiflu to avoid getting sick ourselves, and so far, we've managed to stay well.  So, props to my hubs for dragging himself outside for quick quilt hold since the ground is all wet (he swears he didn't mind).

Even though my sewing hiatus wasn't very long in the grand scheme of things, it feels so great to be creating again, and after I got everything cut out, in just a little over two days, I finished my first top of the new year. As you know, I've been on a mission to quilt directly from stash as much as possible for awhile, and I am continuing that this year.  It makes for guilt-free shopping when I see fabrics that I just can't live without.  Other than the Kona White background fabric, all of these fabrics came straight from my cabinet.

When I was deciding on the color palette for this quilt, I used the Pantone Colors of the year for 2017 and 2018 as a starting point.  Unlike a warmer, berry purple shade, which I use often, Ultra Violet is not a color that usually finds its way into my quilts, and I love the addition of it here.  A quick glance at my blog will tell you that including Greenery (last year's color) was no stretch for me though.  Green is my color of the year every year!  I love quilts made with all cool colors, so royal blue and ice blue looked right at home.

These blocks are big, 18 inches in fact, making this quilt 72 inches square.  Not too bad for a few days of work.

Last week's party was full of drool-worthy projects!  Like this king size beauty from Gretchen's Little Corner.  Look at all of those tiny pieces!

and this Soulful Quilt by The Lilac Cat is just gorgeous-

and finally, I love this Nova quilt by Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting!

and because I just can't resist sharing just one more Christmas project, check out this awesomeness by Katie Mae Quilts-

Okay, y'all!  Time to party!

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Paper Doll Dress-Up

Whew!  Well, we've made it through our first week of school, and I am one tired Momma.  My wild thing is in 7th grade, so he is pretty much self sufficient in the mornings, but it is still a bit of an adjustment to trade the lazy days of summer for a regimented schedule.  Certainly not a bad thing, but it just takes a little while to get back into the groove.  It also means that I have more defined sewing time, which is great; and this week I put that time to great use by making a class sample of my Paper Doll Dress-Up pattern, the very first pattern I ever published.

My original Paper Doll Dress-Up quilt was made with Bonnie and Camille's Scrumptious collection, and though I decided to make this one with fabrics directly from my stash, I tried to pull a palette that would have the same sweet and fresh feeling as the original.

Of all of my patterns, this one has always held a special place in my heart.  Besides the fact that it was my first, I really love the pretty cross shape with the halo around it, as well as the secondary curvy medallions that emerge when the blocks are put together.  Best of all, these blocks are big, which means that the quilt goes together pretty quickly.  You can find my Paper Doll Dress-Up pattern in my Craftsy and Etsy shops.

I already have this one basted and ready to quilt, and that's on my schedule for tomorrow, when a new week means I will have the house to myself once again.

A Pop Star Finish

I'm so excited to share my finished Pop Star quilt with you.  I'm continuing to branch out in the free motion quilting department, and for the first time, I actually quilted three different motifs on the same quilt.  In the past, I've worried about everything looking too busy and just stuck with an allover design, but I'm so pleased with the way this one turned out.

The Kona Navy background just makes these colors sing, but unless you're looking at the quilt in person, it does make it more difficult to tell how it's quilted.

Though these are technically stars, I kind of thought of them as flowers when I decided on the quilting designs.  The main petals of each block are quilted with loops, which really add to the flower effect, and I decided on a very tight organic (read imperfect) grid for the center stars. The grid spacing is smaller than 1/4 inch.  Since I used the center star outline to travel from one area to another, I decided to embrace a "sketchy" outline on them.  It seemed easier than trying to perfectly travel over lines of stitching, which would have inevitably ended with gnashing of teeth.

The background is stippled with navy thread.  You know, because stippling is still my very favorite, and it seems I just can't help myself!  You can really see the quilting detail on the back of the quilt.

Since I've had some of you ask me with other quilts, I'll go ahead and let you know that there is no marking involved in any of these designs.  It's all done free-motion, including the outlines of the stars themselves.

The only fabric I had to purchase for this one was the navy, as well as the red and white backing fabric.  Everything else came right from my cabinet.  I even had these little yellow polkadots in my stash, and they are a perfect little pop of sunshine against the dark background.  I'm calling this quilt a win on all fronts!

Pop Star Finish

I finished up my Pop Star quilt this weekend, and I can say with certainty that this color palette is one that I will have to use again.  I love it!

I found the perfect shade of purple polkadot for the backing and added a stripe of the turquoise tile print.  Unfortunately, despite the fact that I thought I measured properly, when I basted it, the backing was about two inches too short.  AARGH!  I had to peel the whole thing off of the floor and figure out a plan.  Luckily I had a just enough of the tile print left to add a stripe to the top to make it long enough.

Basting is absolutely my least favorite part of the quilting process, and I had to do it twice to fix my mistake, but I must admit that it was a bit of a happy accident.  I think the top stripe looks pretty cool!  

One of my favorite parts of this pattern is the cross shape in the negative space.  Plus, the fact that the blocks are 18 inches made this quilt pretty quick and fun to make. This finished quilt measures 54" x 72."  I am madly working on the Pop Star pattern in this size, plus twin and queen sizes, so be on the lookout for it soon!

Unexpected Colors From My Stash

If you're looking for NTT, it is still going on HERE, but I just couldn't wait to share this with you...

When I am choosing fabrics for a quilt, unless I am using fabrics from only one collection (like when I just pull from my stash), I feel like I sometimes get stuck in a rut.  I guess we all gravitate toward our favorite color combos, and my favorites usually involve greens, blues, and aquas.  With my latest quilt, I really set out to try a palette that I've never done before, with colors that I don't often see together, and as the title suggests, I wanted to pull completely from my stash.

When I first pulled these fabrics, I wasn't sure I could get used to them, but the more I work with these rich hues, the more I like them.  Since the prints themselves are all small and tonal, I wanted to make sure there was plenty of interest in the color variation.  I almost substituted the lightest aqua and the lightest orange fabrics, but I wanted to keep the quilt from being too matchy.  I think having the different shades of each color adds depth to the quilt.

The bright sunshine is wonderful for showing off those colors, but it seems to magnify every little wrinkle.  I was so excited to get a photo of the blocks all put together, I didn't even bother pressing the top beforehand, so you'll have to excuse the wrinkles.

This is my latest pattern, and I've decided to call it Pop Star, since the stars literally look like they're popping open.  It's another design that's been hanging around in my sketch book for awhile, and the fact that it is finally taking shape makes me so happy!