Themed But Not Themed, and NTT

I'm guilty of a blogging no-no this week.  That is, I finished this entire little baby quilt without taking a single process photo, or even mentioning it in a post at all.  I didn't mean for it to happen that way; it's just that after finishing my huge Interference quilt, I was ready to work on something small, and I jumped right into this one.  It went together so quickly, I didn't even think about the fact that I had not shared it until I was already halfway through the quilting.  Oops!

My aunt is hosting a shower for a friend's daughter, and the nursery is decorated with a nautical theme.  My aunt asked for a quilt that had the soothing colors of the sea, with a few nautical fabrics thrown in; but she did not want a quilt that was overly themed- which was totally fine with me.  I'm just not a theme-quilt person (with a few exceptions).  I prefer to make baby quilts that will grow with the child and be useful for many years, rather than quilts that are so babyish and kitschy that they may not get used after a year or two.

The only overtly nautical fabric in the quilt is the little whale print.  The whales really are adorable, and add the perfect touch of whimsy.  There is also a tiny, very soft blue and gray print that looks a little like waves (top middle-ish), one of the navy prints gives the impression of a chain or a fishing net (on the right side of the backing), and a darker tonal blue that looks like bubbles (top left corner).  Even the two chevron fabrics look like a choppy sea.  

I chose a very modern pattern to give a little bit of balance to the cutesy.  I made quarter log cabin blocks, and varied the width of the strips, so the asymmetry would add a lot of cool movement.

Aside from the whale print, I would use any one of these fabrics in a non-themed quilt (and I have used several of them in the past).  So, even though I didn't fill the quilt with lots of novelty fabrics, I was intentional in choosing fabrics that were not only the right colors, but would add to the overall feel I was trying to achieve, and together, I think they really get the job done.

I know that some quilters love using novelty fabrics, and I have definitely seen some super adorable quilts made with them.  A themed quilt that is a bit more subtle fits my personal style a little better though, and I'm so pleased with the way it turned out.

I'm not going to make the same mistake twice, so before we party, here's a peek at the bundle that I'm about to cut into.  These fabrics are so delectable, and I am SO excited about the quilt I'm making next!

 Okay then, let's check out the highlights from last week's party, and boy, there were lots of beauties shared!  Like this sweet Star Cakes quilt from That Crafty Cara-

This bright bear paw quilt from Empress Charlotte looks awesome against that dark background!

and this On the Bright Side quilt is from Made by Chrissie D, and it is so much fun!

I've noticed that there have been several new friends sharing at NTT lately, and I am so thrilled to welcome you to the 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!  :)

Smoky Mountain Hike

Bigger blocks rock, y'all.  I have always loved the Road to Tennessee pattern, but I've shied away from making one because traditionally the blocks are pretty small, and sometimes I'm just a little bit lazy.  It's okay. I admit it.  When I got the woodland themed fabrics for this baby quilt though, and saw that the animal prints were fairly large, I figured they would work well to size up the traditional RTT block.  I love how it turned out, and how quickly it went together!

I used just nine different fabrics, with four 8.5" squares cut from each one. The white corner squares were cut 4.5." The blocks finish at 8 inches, making the entire quilt 48" square.  I think this is a great use of bigger prints, or even a small bundle of fabric that may be difficult to mix with others.

When I took this photo, I intended to just give a close up of the stippling and a few of the prints, and I only realized later that this pic actually shows all nine fabrics.  I think they all play so well together, considering that they are mixed from my stash, and not from a single collection.

The backing is pieced with wide stripes, using up most of my leftovers, and that darkest navy blue just begged to be used in the binding.

The slate blues and smoky grays in this quilt, along with the woodland animal prints, inspired the name, Smoky Mountain Hike, and it is going to look amazing as the focal point in the nursery.  With Thanksgiving approaching at breakneck speed, I am so glad I was able to check this one off my list!

Snips and Snails

...and puppy dog tails.  That's what little boys are made of;  and I can't wait to get my newest quilt packaged up and shipped off to my newborn nephew!

As you can tell, the Memphis area finally got some real snow.  It's just a few inches, but that's enough to play in.  We have already had several days off of school for winter weather this year, but all we've gotten is ice, so this is a wonderful change.  These past couple of snow days have afforded me just the break I needed to get this quilt done.

Vast expanses of snow would make some really beautiful pictures, but when you have a ten year old boy, no snow is left pristine.  This snow has been used for everything from sledding to snowball fights, and my wild thing has been having a blast in it.

When I was cutting the fabric for this quilt, I was in such a hurry that I completely forgot that my fabric was doubled, and ended up cutting double the number of bricks I needed...oops!  Well, waste not, want not!  The extra bricks made the back of the quilt a little busier that I would rather, but I still like it.

I had this cute royal blue pin dot print in my stash, and I think it frames all of the blues in this quilt perfectly.  My sister in law's favorite color is royal blue, so that just makes it even better!  The finished quilt measures 56 x 56 inches, so it's a size and style that he will really be able to use for many years.

Every new baby (and parents) need burp cloths, so I also sewed up a few of these to include in the package.  I always keep some of the cloth diapers on hand, and I pick up flannel remnants all the time so I can make a set at a moment's notice.  They make such a cute and quick gift.  I tied this little bundle of three up with some of the binding fabric.

I figure that most of you already know how to make these, but if there is any interest, I could write a tutorial.  What do you think?

oh, and ps- now that we've gotten some snow...bring on spring!