Peppermint Twist ~ Tutorial

And so it begins...the Holidays are upon us!  Time to think about decking the halls, walls, table and trees!

Today I'm sharing my tutorial 'Peppermint Twist Table Runner' over at Fort Worth Fabric Studio.  I hope you pop over and check it out!  

For an added bonus...I also included a tutorial for Candy Coasters!!  The mini version of the wrapped candies are a sweet delight!  

 I decided Free Motion Quilting was the only way I could give this runner a special touch!

And I love it! 

I hope you enjoy this tutorial!  Happy Decorating!

LINKING:  

November Noel (Blossom Heart Quilts)

TGIFF

Can I Get A Whoop Whoop

The Year ~ 2006

First of all, I wasn't about to miss out on Throwback Thursday hosted by Jenn @A Quarter Inch From the Edge this month!  Not this time!  So, I promptly wrote out a post-it note and plastered it on my computer.  And yes, next month's post-it is securely in place!

I have to say, Throwback Thursday is truly a blast from the past.  When I dig through the 'archives' I'm shocked at what I made back in the day...way back in the day!  I'm appalled at the horrific pictures!  The new camera technology was a break through.  Except if you haven't a clue how to use them, the fine art of photography, they look like crap...pure and simple!

This was another collaborative effort with my daughter, Britt.  We decided to make my Mom a quilt together using her favorite colors, purple and lime green.  (not so lime green!)  The only difficult part of this quilt was fussy cutting the square blocks so each had a flower highlighted.  

We went with purple batiks and a soft green for contrast.  One even has a slight shimmer to it.  

I, of course was the quilter of this.  Machine quilted.  It appears I even used a decorative stitch on this one!  What?!  I'm sure I was pulling my hair out, trying to make it perfect!  I didn't know there was a 'thing' called 'burying the threads'!  

We both signed it.  How barbaric!  

The good news, my Mom loved it!  She had to.  Could a mother say 'Wow, that's really awful' to their child or grandchild?  No, she really did love it!

I can't tell you what size it is.  Lap size, for sure.  I can't tell you what the pattern is or where I found it.  I can tell you that as always, we had a fun time making it!

One thing many bloggers say when asked why they started a blog is they wanted to document their quilting journey.  How true!  I am so glad I started a blog, especially now that I, for the most part, can take a good picture.  And for documentation!  We can write about our process, what fabrics we used, the pattern, inspirations...and it is always at our fingertips!  

So, forgive these 'throwback' pictures and limited information.  Let's just say we live and learn!

For Jenn, I'm showing a small picture of probably my ugliest ever quilt I made.  I think it was my second quilt, the fabrics were hideous!  Gag!!  

If I could make the picture smaller I would!  Epic fail, but proud of the effort!

LINKING:

Throwback Thursday!

Muted Me

This may be as close to pastel as I can get...I do love bright, but thought I would try something a little different.

15 1/2" x 44 1/2"

My Peppered Cotton stash included a set of very pretty fat quarters.  I kept them together thinking at some point they would become 'one' with each other.

And they did eventually become one!  Along with a mixture of Shot Cottons and Kona Shadow for the background!

I used EQ7 to create a few different triangle shapes and printed the paper piece templates out.  Paper piecing is especially easy when it's a simple shape like these are. 

These templates will ensure each block will be perfect.  Which was important for when I pieced two of the same blocks together to make a one diamond block.

I wish I had taken 'in progress' pictures, but when the idea for this design came to me, I went in to a frenzy and before I knew it...it was nearly finished!  The only picture I have is a bad picture I posted on Instagram!

I hope to use this same idea for a quilt.  Still working on that idea!  I may make the blocks into one diamond instead of two triangles.  And I was thinking maybe I would try the freezer paper method.  Has anyone tried that?  I found the tutorial from Becca @ Bryan House Quilts.  It looks promising!

I went a little crazy with the quilting.  Straight lines, coordinating threads...you, fun stuff!

A stripe across the back for extra 'oomph'.

I found that while this isn't exactly pastel, I loved working with this color palette.  It was a welcome change and I felt like I stretched myself.  I know that sounds totally ridiculous!  

And to be honest, chartreuse isn't exactly a pastel color!  

Is there a color combination you are afraid to try?  Or want to try?  I would love to use these colors again, maybe with a different background.  No idea what that would be and most likely...it'll be grey!

LINKING:

Sew Cute Tuesday

Let's Bee Social

It's Votin' Time! Blogger's Quilt Festival

What a whirlwind it's been with the Blogger's Quilt Festival!!  I cannot stop looking at all the beautiful quilts entered!  Each year they get better and better!

I have been entering quilts in the festival for a few years and imagine my shock, surprise and gratitude when I saw that my 'Black & White Illusion' quilt had been nominated in the Viewer's Choice Category!  What??!!

Blogger's Fall Quilt Festival ~ 2015 ~ Illusion

LARGE QUILT CATEGORY

I honestly don't know what to say other than Thank You!  Regardless of the outcome, for me it's already a win!  I'm grateful that I'm able to share my journey of quilting.  And grateful for the support from this amazing quilting community!  

I encourage you to check out and vote for your favorite quilts in all the categories!  You have until November 5th to cast your vote!  

Go fill your mind with inspiration...see the eye candy!

Blogger's Quilt Festival ~ Vote Here!!