Nesting - What's Old is New Again

Wow, I'm not sure I ever thought I'd finish this quilt. I made the top what seems like ages ago, but was really about 5-6 years ago. I used some very precious Tula Pink Nest fabric (3 charm squares) to make the top, which is a modified version of a Weeks Ringle/Bill Kerr pattern that I thought would be good to showcase the charm packs and the fabric without having to cut into them. 

I ended up just quilting straight lines across the quilt about 1/2" to 3/4" apart. I didn't measure how far apart the lines were; I just went for it. I think the reason it took me so long to quilt and finish this quilt is that I had intentions of custom machine quilting it, but I could never get inspired by a particular design(s) to dive in. So it sat unfinished. Until I decided to just put the quilt on my longarm and go for it. 

My plan is to use this quilt as a beach blanket. Some of you might be gasping right now at the fact that I'm planning on using such rare, precious Tula Pink fabric on the beach, but I decided I'm going to use and love this quilt. I put a dark print from the collection on the back that I got on clearance for about $3 a yard when the line was out at the time. 

The quilt is slightly smaller than a twin size, but it's perfect for lying out at the beach and reading a good book. I bound the quilt in the same Nest fabric as the back since I had so much yardage of it. One of the reasons I'm excited to use this quilt is that it really shows how my style has changed through the years. I love that about myself. If I was still making the same type of quilts as I was five years ago, I'm not sure I'd be quilting. I love evolving my style and trying new things. That's the joy of quilting to me. 

Giveaway Day: Nest Charm Pack

As part of Sew Mama Sew's giveaway day, I decided to part with some very hard to find fabric. For those who follow my blog, you might remember this top, which I still need to quilt.

I had four Tula Pink Nest charm packs that I had been hoarding for quite some time. I finally found the right pattern, slightly modified, to really showcase the fabric without having to cut it up. Fortunately for someone, this quilt top only required three charm packs, meaning I still have one left over to give away. 

Now, this is pretty hard to find these days and I've seen these for sale for 4-5 times what it originally retailed for. 

To enter, leave a comment below telling me who your favorite fabric designer is. 

Followers of my blog are eligible for a second entry, just leave a second comment telling me you're a follower. If you're not a follower, have a look around and stay a while. Make sure you check out the details for "Quilts for Boston" - an effort my guild, the Boston MQG is putting on to help those affected by the bombing and subsequent events. 

If you are a no-reply blogger, please make sure I have a way of contacting you if you win by leaving your email address in your comment. 

I will pick a winner on Friday, May 10th. 

Good luck!

Nest Quilt Top

I have been hoarding four Tula Pink Nest charm packs for what seems like an eternity. I never touched them because I hadn't found the right pattern.  So many of the charm pack patterns chop up the fabric until you can no longer recognize the larger prints.

After seeing a pattern in the book, We Love Color, I decided to modify it a bit.  I altered the size to work with a charm pack, removed and altered a few other elements to create the quilt top you see here. I can safely say I'm in love with this quilt.

I used Kona Champagne to outline the charm squares and Kona Chocolate for the background.  Champaign and chocolate really do make a great combination, in real life and in this quilt, don't 'cha think?

The quilt top finishes at 97" x 67" and is one of the bigger quilts I've made in a little while.  I'm not sure how I'm going to quilt it just yet, so I'll move onto quilting a few other tops that I do know how I want to quilt first.