Nantucket, all done!

This project was nothing but fun.  I enjoyed every minute in my sewing room while working on this quilt, I loved the reds and I loved the pattern.  I changed my quilt ever so slightly, for the border I made my 9 patches out of the light background fabric and used the tans for the squares.  The center stars are more of a controlled scrappy, not a full blown scrappy.  Oh, and I added 9 tiny stars to that outer border, a suggestion from a friend.

This is Lifetime Quilt Number 120

It finished at 67" x 67"

The pattern is Nantucket by Minick & Simpson

The fabric is Midwinter Reds by Minick & Simpson for Moda (wovens and cottons)

It has approximately 1,187 pieces.

Be on the lookout for more Nantuckets, several quilters are sewing along with me.  And it doesn't matter who finishes first or last, we all just need to finish.  The quilt it too pretty not to be on your bed, and soon!  

I have more Midwinter Reds fabric, this won't be the last quilt you see using that fabric from my sewing room!

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Nantucket Progress

So now that the big center stars are done for Nantucket,  I've started working on the border pieces.  I've had several things going on outside my sewing room but have enjoyed small stretches of serenity while in my sewing room.

The piecing is easy, relaxing, and I'm loving all these reds.  I'm also listening to a good mystery book (Cuckoos Calling by Robert Galbraith) while I sew, it's all made for a great week.  Several of my friends are also sewing away on Nantucket which adds to the fun.  

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9 Big Red Stars?

Check!  

Here's the center of my Nantucket top.  I'm showing you my whole design wall so you get a feel for the size of those stars, they're huge!

 I'm adding some of the plaids/wovens from the Midwinter Reds collection and am not going totally scrappy like the pattern.  I can hardly wait to see how these big star blocks look surrounded by 9 patches.

Here's a little refresher of the original pattern.

Darlene at Quilting Daze, Vicky at LA Quilter, Sue at Cozy Little Quilts, and Jennifer at Seams Crazy are sewing along with us. Their blogs are in my blog list so be on the lookout for their Nantucket updates as well as the ones from Nicole/Sisters Choice, Lisa/Stashmaster and Sinta/ Pink Pincushion.

We're just getting started, so feel to join the Nantucket sew along too, the more the merrier!

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And the winner is . . . . .

Gail is the winner of the Midwinter reds layer cake but the other winner is

fall! 

Of the over 180 comments left for the Midwinter Reds by Minck & Simpson for Moda layer cake giveaway, 85 folks said that fall was their favorite season.  I loved all the reasons people gave for loving fall as much as I do,  it appears no matter where you live, you have a wonderful fall.  Several people mentioned loving fall for the colors, and that's definitely the case for me, the browns, golds, oranges, and most importantly the reds!  I hadn't really stopped to think about it until several of you mentioned that.

Second place was spring, with less than half the number of fall comments, with 40.

Here's what surprised me most, winter beat out summer!  Winter got 16 comments and summer got 11! I think more sewing time and Christmas pushed winter over summer, and who can argue with that.

And several people just love whatever season they're experiencing at the time.  I've never lived in an area that didn't have 4 defined seasons, I'm not sure I could, I do love the changes, all of them.

I spent some time this weekend packing up the Halloween decorations and getting out the Thanksgiving ones.  It's a pretty easy transition, I just pack up the pumpkins with the faces and leave out the plain ones.  My mantle is an easy fix too, I swap out the Halloween plate with this Thanksgiving one, the colors work for both.

And it was also time to swap out the quilt in the living room.  I hated to take down Hallowe'en 1904, I loved seeing that quilt hanging every day the month of October, but I have a new fall quilt to hang this year, Wild Air.  This quilt had a rocky start.  I signed up to make this quilt at a class, and it was around Spring Market crunch time, and the only picture of the pattern that was provided was in black and white.  I didn't have much time to select any fabric so I went with this Jo Morton print from her Annandale line. 

Well when I got to class and saw the actual quilt, in beautiful spring colors, and all my other classmates projects, who were using spring colors, I sort of fell out of love of my version of Wild Air.   I finally finished this project, in the fall I think,  and just recently got it back from my quilter, Connie Lancaster, at Quilts Plus in Indianapolis, IN.

I could not love it more and am thrilled it's now hanging in my living room.  The pattern Wild Air by Carrie Nelson for Miss Rosie's Quilt Co is available for download if you think you too need some fall Wild Air in your life! (click here)  I wish I could take a picture that really gives you a feel for the richness and beauty of this quilt, it's the epitome of fall, my picture does not come close to doing it justice.

Whew, see what I mean about that pattern, mine could not look any different, but in this case, different is a good thing! I think  Nicole at Sister's Choice is going to be working on Wild Air as soon as she finishes Nantucket, and I think Nicole's version is going to look closer to mine than the pattern cover, which is the nicest complement a quilter can give another.  

And speaking of Nantucket, we've picked up a few more members for our sew along, Janet and Jennifer left comments saying they were joining us.  Hey ladies, since you don't have blogs feel free to send any of us updates and pictures of your progress for us to share!  And Vicky, at LA Quilter, got a jump on us with some Nantucket sewing this past weekend.  Check it out here.  Vicky is working from the outside in on her Nantucket and has started on her 9 patches.

For those you who were unable to leave comments, your email was good enough, I put your names in the basket for the drawing with all the comments.  I'm sorry google was uncooperative but in the end you were in the running too.

And finally, thank you so much for all the kind comments you left regarding my blog anniversary and about how much you enjoy stopping by to chat about quilts with me.  Even though most of the time the chat is me chatting to you, you have no idea how much it means to me that you stop by and enjoy my blog and the quilts I make.  When I think of all the blogs and all the quilters and all the designers and shops competing for your time and attention, that you think enough of me and my simple blog to stop by is humbling, truly, thanks so much!

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Midwinter Reds

Did you get any of the Midwinter Reds by Minick & Simpson for Moda?  Of course I did, you know me and red, but I didn't really have any plans for my bundle of reds, until now.  And now I almost have too many options.

Sheryl at the Temecula Quilt Co is starting a sew along where you can really use any reds, creams and beiges, but a layer cake of Midwinter Reds would work too, that's what Sheryl is using.  Right now the project is a mystery, but what she's started is amazing.  Check it out!

I borrowed this picture from their website, how could this quilt be anything but wonderful!  I'm in!

There's also going to be a new Schnibbles by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. coming out any day now called Jersey Girl.  You could use any fabric for this pattern, but I think it's hard to top the Midwinter Reds that Carrie used.  Jersey Girl finishes at 36' x 36".  I'm in!

When Minick & Simpson introduced the Midwinter Reds fabric, they also released a few patterns made from that line, this is Nantucket.  I liked Nantucket OK, and thought the quilt probably finished around 36" x 36", Schnibbles size, but it really didn't call my name or get on my To Do list.

Then Sinta received a fat quarter bundle of Midwinter Reds for her birthday and decided she was going to make Nantucket and started looking for some quilters to sew along.  When Sinta asked me if I was interested in making Nantucket I said no because of the size, then she told me the quilt finished at 65" x 65".  For some reason that changed my whole perspective on that pattern and I said, "I'm in".  So in the course of one week,  I went from admiring my Midwinter Reds on my shelf to hoping I have enough to make all the things I now need to make.

If you're sitting on a bundle of that fabric, and don't know what to make, come join Sinta, Lisa, Nicole and I as we work on Nantucket, or join the hundreds of quilters that will sew along with Sheryl and her mystery quilt at Temecula Quilt Co, or wait a day or two and start your own Jersey Girl sew along!  Don't miss out, it's going to nothing but Midwinter Red fun!

I have a few blog anniversaries that I need to celebrate,  I've decided to celebrate my 4th year of blogging, (August, 2009) and my 700 post ( currently at 668) with a little Midwinter Reds giveaway.  This layer cake will get you into Sheryl's sew along, make a couple of Jersey Girls ( christmas presents or decorations maybe?) or give you a start on Nantucket, just add a few of your own reds and creams and beiges.

If the post office will deliver to your address you are eligible to enter, just make sure I'm able to contact you.  This fabric is going fast, and Jane at Bear Country Cottons has yardage and a few precuts still in stock.   She's holding one layer cake for me to buy and mail to you.  Just leave a comment on this post.

In your comment please tell me what season of the year is your favorite and why.  Mine is fall.  When I was younger I loved fall because that's when school started, new clothes, new shoes, "the smell of freshly sharpened pencils",  I loved it all. Now it means the start of football season and some of the best weather we have all year.  Fall is pretty hard to beat where I live.

Leave  your comment by end of day Sunday, November 3rd, I'll announce the winner on Monday and Jane will get your layer cake in the mail to you, probably that day, their service has always been excellent for me.

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