Seasonals and Standards

Hey there, friends!  I am so happy that today I get to give you a little overview of the final sections of my new book, Scrappy Improv Quilting.  The third section of the book is titled Seasonal Sensations and contains six adorable little seasonal quilts.

Every year, I go all out decorating for Christmas (I put up four trees!), but I don't have that same stamina when it comes to the other holidays and seasons.  Even though I don't decorate my entire house during the rest of the year, it is nice to have a little holiday touch here and there, and these mini quilts are perfect for that!  They're easy to turn into pillows, use in a fun table scape, or even hang on the wall, and you'll always feel like your home is ready for the season!

The fourth section of quilts in the book is called Standards With a Twist, and as the name suggests, each of these projects is built around a traditional quilt block, but with a little extra pizzazz to make the quilt fun and fresh.  It just goes to show you that this technique is not a one-trick pony.  It can really be used with any of your favorite quilt blocks.  

Remember when I said that this book was written so that even a novice quilter would be successful?  Well, once you peruse the 22 mini quilt projects contained in Scrappy Improv Quilting, you're not left alone to "quilt and bind as desired."  Sure, if you're experienced, you may not need the guidance for turning your quilt top into a finished mini quilt, but if you need it, it's there for you in the final section of the book. In Finishing Your Quilt, you'll find full instructions for choosing batting, basting, quilting options, and binding.  There are even detailed steps for turning your mini quilt into a pillow, and for sewing a hanging sleeve!

Well, there you have it, friends!  For the past couple of weeks, I've given you a quick overview of everything Scrappy Improv Quilting has to offer, so I hope you're ready to start seeing the individual projects NEXT WEEK!  I've been getting sneak peeks from these amazing quilters, and I promise you're in for lots of eye-candy.  

Beginning next Monday (9/13), the blog tour will feature four projects each week- two on Monday, and two on Wednesday.  

And beginning this week, and for the duration of the blog tour, NTT will be posted on Thursday mornings, rather than the usual Wednesday evening, just to make sure that the posts don't get crowded. 

Scrappy Improv Quilting Blog Tour Schedule-

8/31- Intro, Single Block Beauties, and Simple Shapes

9/7- Seasonal Sensations, Standards With a Twist

9/13- Summer Blossom- Lori @ Crossquilt
           Up, Up, and Away- Sandra @ mmm...quilts!

9/15- Flutter- Rose @ Something Rosemade
           Botanics- Diann @ Little Penguin Quilts

9/20- Face the Sun- Laura @ Slice of Pi Quilts
           Full Spectrum- Jayne @ Twiggy and Opal

9/22- Prismatic- Anja @ Anja Quilts
           Downpour- Nancy @ Grace and Peace Quilting

9/27- Funkytown- Vasudha @ Storied Quilts
           Cherub Wings- Michelle @ From Bolt to Beauty

9/29- Chapel Window- Kris @ Sew Sunshine
           Winter Frost- Leanne @ Devoted Quilter

10/4- Heartstruck- Rebecca Grace @ Rebecca Grace Quilting
           Star Spangled- Christine @ Triangles & Squares

10/6- Birds of a Feather- Preeti @ Sew Preeti Quilts
           Fall Foliage- Susan @ Quilt Fabrication

10/11- Ornamental- Gail @ Quilting Gail
            Churn, Churn, Churn- Cynthia @ Quilting Is More Fun Than Housework

10/13- Sunset Crossing- Kate @ Katie Mae Quilts
             Positivity- Sarah @ Sarah Goer Quilts

10/18- All Dressed Up- Linda @ Flourishing Palms
             Shockwave- Anne-Marie @ Stories From the Sewing Room

10/20- Sweet Bee (a bonus thank-you pattern), Finishing, and Wrap-Up (here!) 

Signed copies of Scrappy Improv Quilting are available in my Etsy shop HERE, or ask about it at your local quilt shop.  It is also available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and other major booksellers.  
And shop owners, you can get it from any of the major distributors- Checker, Brewer, United Notions, and EE Schenck.  I hope you'll consider adding it to your library or carrying it in your shop!  :) 

Before we go, I owe you a giveaway winner!  Comment number 3, grammajudyb is the winner of a signed copy of Scrappy Improv Quilting.  Congrats!  I'll be sending you an email to get your shipping address very soon.

NTT- The Official Release!

Happy Needle and Thread Thursday, friends!  I'm almost finished with the Halloween Spiderweb quilt I shared last week.  I just need to finish up the binding and get some great photos, but today, I have bigger news!  The official release of my new book, Scrappy Improv Quilting, happened on Monday.  YAY!

The official blog hop to celebrate the book release begins next week, but today I want to give you a quick overview of everything the book has to offer.  Scrappy Improv Quilting is the perfect way to dip your toes into improv if it's new to you, or if you're well-practiced, the book is a fun way to add to your improv repertoire.  If you already have my first book, Stash Statement, it is a great companion book, and this one has some extra tips and tricks to make it worth your while.

It contains a step-by-step tutorial with lots of photos to show you just how easy it is to sew your scraps using the scrappy improv method.  There are 22 complete mini quilt patterns using the method, and it even has full instructions for finishing your mini, including adding a hanging sleeve or turning your mini into a pillow.  In case you're wondering how to use mini quilts, Scrappy Improv Quilting even has plenty of ideas for that too!  This book really is perfect for newbies and seasoned quilters alike.

Signed copies of Scrappy Improv Quilting are available in my Etsy shop HERE, and you'll also receive the Sweet Bee digital thank-you pattern for purchasing (pictured in the second row).  The book is also available on Amazon, or ask about it at your local quilt shop.

Is your guild looking for a fun workshop for 2022 (or beyond)?  Now that the book is officially out, I am scheduling classes and trunk shows with Scrappy Improv Quilting. The scrappy improv technique is easy and SO much fun.  Because the technique is similar, and because minis don't take up much space when traveling, my trunk show will also include all twelve quilts from Stash Statement!  That's a lot of eye-candy!  Reach out to me via email (link on right sidebar) to schedule something for your guild.  I promise we'll have a blast!

As I gear up to fully celebrate the release of Scrappy Improv Quilting, it is very clear to me that I couldn't travel to teach or write successful books and patterns without the support of all of you, and for that, I am truly grateful.  :)

Last week's party did not disappoint (of course, they never do).  Jayne at Twiggy and Opal linked up this gorgeous quilt.  The colors just glow against that dark background.

This simple, cute table runner is by Cindy at Stitchin' At Home-

This beauty is by DonnaleeQ.  It is scrap-happy!

And Nancy at Grace and Peace Quilting linked up this pretty patriotic quilt-

Alright y'all, it's time to get our party started!

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!  :)

Moving Right Along and NTT

Oh, this color wheel project is so much fun!  In the past week, I've finished two more minis, and pulled scraps for the next color. I have some secret sewing with deadlines fast approaching, so I've had to take a little break from these, but I can't wait to get back to them.

This orange quilt is called Ember.  The colors dance like glimmering fire, or more specifically, like the glowing wood below the flames, and even though it moves from light to dark like the others, it is slightly different.  Since I almost never use the darkest burnt orange or lightest peachy orange tones in my quilts, the color gradient is not quite as pronounced in this one.  That's okay though, because I definitely want the predominant colors on the wall to be the shades/scraps I love most.  Clearly my orange zone is more narrow, ranging from vibrant tangerine orange to softer creamsicle.

I quilted this one with the same swooping spiral.  This design is really fun to quilt and it creates so much movement.  Though I don't know that I would want to quilt this on a full size quilt, it is pretty quick to do on a mini.

On the backs of these, I've decided that I'm just going to pull whatever stash fabrics I have in that color.  They're going to be on a wall, so the backing really is secondary here.  This orange print does the job nicely.

Giving a nod to Valentine's Day, the other color I finished this week is pink!  If I had to pick a least favorite color in the rainbow it would be pink, so I didn't think this one would be as much fun.  I honestly just wanted to go ahead and get it out of the way.  I was so wrong though.  I love this one just as much as the others.

I actually had plenty of scraps ranging from hot pink to baby pink.  When my quilt calls for it, my personal favorite shade of pink is dark and saturated, but I've made a few baby quilts this past year where baby pink was specifically requested, so I had plenty light value scraps in my jar as well.

The quilting on this one was a bit of a happy accident.  When I drew the chalk line to guide my quilting, I was so focused on centering the spiral and evenly curving the swoops that I accidentally put both swoops on one side of the quilt, rather than opposing corners.  Yes, I am officially using the word swoop as an honest-to-goodness word these days.   Anyway, if you can believe it, I didn't step back from it and really look at the whole spiral before I started quilting, and I didn't realize it until I had quilted three full lines on the mini.  Yikes!

You know I'm not one to rip things out if I can think of a way to fix it on the fly, so I decided to add a swoop to the other two corners.  So, this one has four!  Now the only thing to do is to make half of the minis one way, and half the other.  Crisis averted!

Even though this dark pink print has navy accents, I decided to go ahead and use it for the backing since I had enough without piecing it together.  Again, on the wall the backing won't matter a bit.  All of this scrappy, swirly texture reminds me of the petals in a full, lush bloom so this one is named Peony.

As I mentioned earlier, I have a few secret sewing projects to finish up, but I've already been sorting my yellows, and I can't wait to get to them.  It's my last warm color!

Okay friends, let's take a look at some of my faves from last week's party.  Check out this Urbanologie quilt by Kris at Sew Sunshine-

Something Rosemade linked up this awesome quilt, and that green background is calling my name!

And this sweet quilt is by Shannon at The Flemings Nine.

Okay, y'all!  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!  :)