Sunday, September 27, 2015

Good Neighbors Pincushion Party {and a giveaway}

Welcome to the party!  Have you been following along this month with the Good Neighbors Pincushion Party?!  If you scroll to the bottom of this post, you will find direct links to the stops before mine.  The pincushions made with Amanda Jean's (aka Crazy Mom Quilts) new fabric line from Connecting Threads have all been fantastic.  It's no wonder given the beautiful prints to work with!


When Amanda told me about her new fabric line, I was SO happy for her.  When she asked me to participate in the blog hop, I didn't hesitate to say YES!  When I started blogging in 2009, Amanda's was one of the first quilt blogs I discovered.  Her generous spirit of sharing her love and knowledge of quilting with others hooked me from the start (not to mention the gorgeous scrappy quilts she makes).  She is just as sweet and generous in person too, as I am fortunate to experience at least once a year at retreat.



Amanda's first line of fabric is the perfect combination of happy, cheerful prints and lower volume fabrics that all play well with each other and mix beautifully with other fabric lines.  There are so many possibilities, and I immediately wanted to chop up the charm pack and start with scraps!  However, I took some time thinking about what type of pincushion I wanted to make before pulling out my rotary cutter.  I may have gone a little overboard in the pincushion making made more than one pincushion before settling on this design to share with you today.

 
It's difficult to pick a favorite print, but I must say these teal blue colors speak to me.  I love the bright yellow center here to break up the blues and how it all looks stitched down on the gray stripe.


The Peaks print is available in five bright colors.  I selected four of them for the hexies in this cushion.  All the pincushions are stuffed with crushed walnut shells.  I like the weight the shells provide.



This EPP block is stitched onto one of the lovely X's print.  I ordered a couple of yards of this in the teal color way!  I see this showing up in quite a few quilt projects.



And a third pincushion with dots, stripes, X's and peaks stitched onto a linen background.


Amanda Jean's Good Neighbors fabric line is exclusive to Connecting Threads and can be found here.   As you can see above, the line offers a great variety of prints in cheerful colors as well as "low volume" fabrics.  I love that one of the prints is available in 104" wide, making it perfect for quilt backs.


The Connecting Threads site also has a free download, patterns, quilt kits, fabric bundles and coordinating solids for the Good Neighbors collection all in one handy link.   I think I need the coffee cup pattern!


 When preparing this blog post,  I noticed these cushions didn't use the cross stitch print.  If I had to pick a favorite, the teal cross stitch print would be mine.  I must have used it in one of the other three pin cushions I made!


Connecting Threads has generously offered a charm pack to one of my readers (open to U.S. and Canada).  Leave a comment below and I will pick a winner on September 30th.  I would love to know which Good Neighbors print is your favorite.  Again, the entire line can be found here.



Congratulations Amanda Jean!  You knocked it out of the park!  Be sure to check out the other lovely pincushions made.

September  1     Amanda Jean  -  Crazy Mom Quilts
September  2     Anna  -  Noodlehead
September  3     Mary  -  Mary on Lake Pulaski
September  4     Svetlana  -  S.O.T.A.K Handmade
September  5     Debbie  -  Esch House Quilts
September  6     Holly -  Bijou Lovely
September  7     Carla  -  Grace and Favour
September  8     Faith -  Fresh Lemon Quilts
September  9     Vanessa  -  V and Co.
September 10    Anna  -  Thimbleanna
September 11    Krista  -  Poppy Print Creates
September 12    Erin -  Why Not Sew
September 13    Lee  -  May Chappell
September 14    Alex  -  Teaginny Designs
September 15    Cheryl   -  Naptime Quilter
September 16    Penny -  SewTakeAHike
September 17    Amy  -   During Quiet Time
September 18    Debbie  -  A Quilter's Table
September 19    Anne  -  Springleaf Studios
September 20    Melissa Corry -  Happy Quilting Melissa
September 21    Amber  -  One Shabby Chick
September 22    Nettie -   A Quilt is Nice
September 23    Adrianne  -  Little Bluebell
September 24    Cindy  -  Live a Colorful Life
September 25    Amy  -  Diary of a Quilter
September 26    Chase  - Quarter Inch Mark
September 27    Rene'  -  Rene' Creates  {that's me!}
September 28    Erin   -   House on Hill Road
September 29    Nicole  -  Modern Handcraft
September 30    Teri  -   Connecting Threads

Friday, September 25, 2015

Friday Finish: Quilt Top

Happy Friday everyone!  I have a finished quilt top to share with you today.  The design has been in my head for a while and is based on an airport lounge window of all things.



Does anyone recognize the airport?  We have had more than one layover here, and each time I find myself looking at this window and thinking "quilt".

Delta Crown Room
It was difficult to get the entire flimsy in one picture.  The top measures 56" x 84" and consists of all Carolyn Friedlander fabrics.  Other than having to order more of the black crosshatch for the background, all came from my stash.  Think this is the third all-Carolyn quilt I have made.


Today on Instagram I saw a video of Carolyn's new fall fabrics.  Guess I need to sew faster! Or maybe buy less fabric?!


 Any suggestions on a name for this quilt?  I keep calling it MSP (airport code), but it needs a better name.  Ideas?


Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts.  Be sure to come back Sunday for a chance to win a charm pack of Amanda Jean's new line of fabric from Connecting Threads.

 Thanks for stopping by,

Monday, September 21, 2015

Blocks for Others

Two quilt blocks for two separate comfort quilts.  A quilty friend is collecting friendship star blocks for a neighbor in need of comfort.  Leona (more than) often gives to others, and I was happy to help in a small way.  The 6.5" blocks come together quickly.

Quilty Friends DO Rock!
The purple heart block is destined for a quilty friend who recently suffered a devastating loss.  Several quilters quickly volunteered to create a quilt for her using Allison's simple heart quilt tutorial.    I can't wait to see this quilt finished and hope it provides some measure of comfort and love.

--------------------------------------------
 September bee blocks are in the works.  Here are the July and August  blocks that I forgot to share.

navy star blocks
July's wonky star blocks for do. Good Stitches Wish Circle.

the one where I didn't follow directions
Susan's red and white Christmas stepping stones block for July's MCM Bee.

Union Jack for Mary
Union Jack block for Mary, this time for our Sew Sisters Bee.  She is combining blocks from two bees.  This one came together much quicker than the first one I made when she requested them as MCM Queen Bee ;-)

August MCM Bee block
Again, practice makes (sort of) perfect.  I didn't have as much trouble with the basket for Mary as I did for Carla.  By the way, Carla just finished her basket quilt.  It's gorgeous!

Thanks for stopping by!

Friday, September 11, 2015

Friday Finish: Fall Tablerunner

Well, it definitely doesn't feel like fall here in Florida yet, but I am anticipating cooler evenings and hanging out by the pool without melting....soon I hope!  I made a cute little table runner with Florida fall in mind.
chilling by the pool
I took the strip of practice squircles (technique from Savor Each Stitch) I worked on a few weeks ago at Caroline's and added a few low volume strips here and there.  Mostly the fabrics are Carolyn Friedlander with the addition of Jennifer Samprou and Amanda Jean (new Good Neighbors from Connecting Threads) prints.  It's great when fabric lines can be mixed so nicely.  Not shown is a pretty pear print from Riley Blake for the backing.
fall colors
I quilted organic straight lines (don't I always!) using my walking foot and Aurifil (2600) thread of course.  The runner is on the small side, measuring 10.5" x 24", and is perfect for our patio table.  
squircles 
I have added a set of squircle placemats and a longer runner to my to-sew list.  My kitchen table needs a new look!  In the meantime, I look forward to sipping cocktails outside by the pool and trying not to spill anything on my pretty new table runner!

Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts.  Happy Friday to you!
Hope you enjoy some lovely weather this weekend.


Friday, September 4, 2015

Friday Finish: EPP Pincushion

I have pincushions on the brain.  (Read all the way to the bottom and you will know why!)  Here is another quick pincushion I made from a test EPP block.

EPP pincushion
I fell in love with a similar block on NanaCompany's Instagram feed and had to give it a try.  After making several blocks I turned one into a pincushion.  

Love this EPP block!
If you want to see some beautiful pincushion inspiration, check out the schedule for Amanda Jean's Pincushion Party Blog Hop to celebrate her fabric line with Connecting Threads.  Make sure you come back here on September 27th when it's my turn to host the party!

Date
Blogger Name
Blog URL
9/1/2015
Amanda Jean 
9/2/2015
Anna
9/3/2015
Mary 
9/4/2015
Svetlana 
9/5/2015
Debbie 
9/6/2015
Holly 
9/7/2015
Carla 
9/8/2015
Faith
9/9/2015
Vanessa
9/10/2015
Anna
9/11/2015
Krista
9/12/2015
Erin
9/13/2015
Lee
9/14/2015
Alex
9/15/2015
Cheryl
9/16/2015
Penny
9/17/2015
Amy
9/18/2015
Debbie 
9/19/2015
Anne
9/20/2015
Melissa Corry
9/21/2015
Amber
9/22/2015
Nettie
9/23/2015
Adrianne
9/24/2015
Cindy
9/25/2015
Amy
9/26/2015
Chase
9/27/2015
Rene' (THAT'S ME!)
9/28/2015
Erin
9/29/2015
Nicole
9/30/2015
Teri


one more pic
Linking up with Crazy Mom Quilts!  Enjoy your weekend!