Friday, September 11, 2015

Good Neighbors Pin Cushion Party plus a mini tutorial & giveaway!

It is a party! A pin cushion party! We're celebrating the release of Amanda Jean's sweet new fabric line from Connecting Threads called Good Neighbors. We've all made pin cushions to showcase the prints and there will be blogposts all month long.  You'll see at the end of this post an extensive list of bloggers supporting Amanda Jean - everyone is so excited for her and her first fabric line.  Although it was a really busy time, Amanda Jean and I did manage to meet each other at Spring Market and exchange a couple of hugs. I hope we will get to meet again one day and have more time to hang out and talk quilting!  I think that her contemplative, sincere style (and devotion to scraps) really come through in her fabric design.  Just look at these great colours and uncomplicated patterns:


Good Neighbors Charms

I especially love Leaves Array (bottom left) and cross stitch (fourth row, the red/blue/grey lattice prints on the right side).  The stripes on the bottom row are ideal binding fabrics!



Big mouthed thread catcher from Make It, Take It with extra pinwheel piecing!

Good Neighbors is the perfect line of blending fabrics with all of the great colours and sweet little prints. I wanted to use as many of them as possible, so I added some tiny pinwheels to the Big Mouthed Threadcatcher pattern out of my book. I've been making these threadcatchers for so many years, in fact I know I've made well over 200. It's fun to change things up by adding some special piecing the thread bag.


Big mouthed thread catcher from Make It, Take It with extra pinwheel piecing!

I remembered to use quick piecing and cutting technique that I'd learned somewhere along the way of my quilting career...I just can't remember where! Perhaps a magazine, or a long-ago workshop?  Here's how it works:  you start with two squares and end up with eight 1/2 square triangles! For my thread bag,  start with two 5" charm squares RST, draw both diagonal lines, corner to corner. Sew 1/4" on either side of the lines. Make 4 cuts: cut on the drawn lines and the horizontal and vertical middle. Presto: eight 1/2 squares!!  I trimmed mine to 2" before piecing them into pinwheels/broken dishes blocks.



8 half squares from two 5" charms. 

8 half squares from two 5" charms.

8 half squares from two 5" charms.

8 half squares from two 5" charms.

Connecting Threads would like to send a Canadian or US resident a charm pack of the Good Neighbors collection.  Just leave one comment here (your email must be linked OR written into your comment in order to win) and I will choose a random winner in a week's time. Good luck! {ETA: Comments are now closed, thank you for stopping by!}

9/1/2015 Amanda Jean – Crazy Mom Quilts
9/2/2015 Anna – Noodlehead 
9/3/2015 Mary – Mary on Lake Pulaski
9/4/2015 Svetlana – Sotak Handmade
9/5/2015 Debbie – Esch House Quilts
9/6/2015 Holly – Bijou Lovely
9/7/2015 Carla – Grace and Favour
9/8/2015 Faith – Fresh Lemons Quilts
9/9/2015 Vanessa –  V and Co.
9/10/2015 Anna –  Thimbleanna
9/11/2015 Krista –  Poppy Print Creates (you're here!)
9/12/2015 Erin –  Why Not Sew
9/13/2015 Lee –  May Chappell
9/14/2015 Alex –  Tea Ginny Designs
9/15/2015 Cheryl –  Nap Time Quilter
9/16/2015 Penny –  Sew Take a Hike
9/17/2015 Amy –  During Quilt Time
9/18/2015 Debbie –  A Quilter’s Table
9/19/2015 Anne –  Spring Leaf Studios
9/20/2015 Melissa Corry –  Happy Quilting
9/21/2015 Amber –  One Shabby Chick
9/22/2015 Nettie –  A Quilt is Nice
9/23/2015 Adrianne – Little Bluebell
9/24/2015 Cindy –  Live a Colorful Life
9/25/2015 Amy –  Diary of a Quilter
9/26/2015 Chase –  Quarter Inch Mark
9/27/2015 Rene –  Rene Creates
9/28/2015 Erin –  House on Hill Road
9/29/2015 Nicole –  Modern Handcraft
9/30/2015 Teri –  Connecting Threads

170 comments:

Melissa said...

I love your trick for sewing pinwheels! (mdruddy@gmail.com)

kathy-o said...

Great speedy quick tutorial on 1/2 squares! Thanks! "Good Neighbors" is an adorable line - perfectly represents Amanda. Thanks for a chance to win! sagegrey01@gmail.com

Linda Edwards said...

So very cute. I would like to win the charm pack and make some for our quilt guild's upcoming show. Thanks for the chance to win. lkedwards55@yahoo.com

Sarah said...

Love it! Spgillis@yahoo.com

Melissa Dee said...

A little hello from Quebec Province!

I love this party, it makes me discover so many quilting blog! Thank you for your tutorial! I love your thread catcher! Never made one yet, I think I'll try it soon.

nekomel@yahoo.ca

Susan said...

I love your thread catcher. I h ave made several of these over the years. They are great door prizes for quilt guild and wonderful boutique item. I love that you included so many of Amanda Jean's fabrics. I would love to win the charm pack. Thanks for posting, Susan
susansewsstuff@gmail.com

Joan said...

Love this fabric line! And I love making the thread catcher/pin cushion combo as gifts at quilt retreats :)
jfloresruz1@gmail.com

Anonymous said...

Love your work and the Good Neighbors line of fabrics! A perfect pairing.

Carla said...

I love what you did Krista! So cute. You did Amanda proud ; )

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Great pin cushion/ thread catcher. I make mine different (no binding on the top of the thread catcher. I wonder if I could figure out how to add the scissor loop to mine. Hmmmm.....

Arita said...

Love yhe fabric and the thread catcher us on my to do list.

Debbie said...

Adorable thread catcher and great half square triangle sewing tip-I had never seen that before! Beautiful fabric-thanks for the chance to win!

Kelly said...

Those are awesome fabrics!! and what a way to continue pretending summer won't be over soon :-) islandgirl4@gmail.com

Teressa P. said...

Thanks for the chance to win. Love the little pin cushions! alonzoteressa at hotmail dot com.

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

I love your threadcatcher and pincushion combo, and I've been wanting ti make one for myself! Thanks for the inspiration!

Sarah said...

I love the little pinwheels on the thread catcher/pincushion! sarah@forrussia.org

DebraKay Neiman said...

I love your thread catcher - need to finish mine. crystalbluern at onlineok dot com

Sandi said...

Nicely done Krista, your pin catcher shows off the fabrics nicely. Lovely mini tutorial also. Love Connecting Threads, love the new fabrics.

Afquilt said...

Loving the pincushion party! Thanks for the chance.

Jayne said...

What an adorable pin cushion...which I am in need of!

Tracine said...

I'm enjoying the pin cushion party.I really like your wide mouth thread catcher and pincushion.
tracinecharest at Gmail dot com

Cindy Maki said...

I love your pincushion/scrap catcher. I am entranced by your 1/2 triangle method and will be trying it soon.

quintuplicatemom said...

Very attractive thread catcher; I have admired those for years and never made one.

Vicki H said...

I like your HST method. Good Neighbors is a wonderful collection.

Anonymous said...

I love your thread catcher. They are so handy to have next to your sewing machine. I couldn't sew without mine.

tink's mom said...

Great looking thread catcher bag. Love the 8 HST trick, thanks.

Anonymous said...

Well how cute is this collection! Love your projects! Thanks to You+CT for a great giveaway!
msstitcher1214@gmail.com

Christine said...

Great technique tip and a very usable line of fabric.
Christine from Ontario

Anonymous said...

I have never seen that HST trick. Thank you for sharing it!

Please click on the delaineelliott above for my email link.

Linda in PA said...

Thanks for the tutorial! I love this fabric collection! lraetaylor at gmail dot com

KatheG said...

Love your pincushion idea! Thanks for sharing.

judys said...

Isn't that a great way to make a LOT of 1/2 square triangles? Great use of fabric, and no cutting teeny triangles! Love how you incorporated them into the 'pincushion plus'

Unknown said...

This pincushion party is so fun! I made a thread catcher plus pin cushion last month and it is so handy! Great idea to do pinwheels!
Ordering my Amanda Jean fabric today!
Bykayn@aol.com

Quilting Tangent said...

Pretty pinwheel pincushion. 24Tangent@gmail.com

MtnJudy said...

Lovely fabric line! So refreshing!!

jann said...

Love the colors you chose for your bag. Thanx for the instructions on the triangles....looking forward to using it soon! makingscraps@gmail.com

Jeanmarie said...

Very cute pincushion!! Thanks for the giveaway

Debbie said...

That fabric collection is so cute and I can see it being used so many ways. And your threadcatcher is super cute! Gotta try that method of triangling. :O)

Lisa in Port Hope said...

I love your pincushion finish, so bright and happy.

roxi said...

thanks for the inspiration! my plan is to make all the girls at work a pin cushion for christmas, I think I could knock off a few with this technique! :)

claire ross said...

Very cute. I need to make some pin cushions x
Iain.ross30 at gmail dot com

Bethany said...

I've made many HSTs by cutting on one diagonal to get two HSTs, but I've never made the four cuts that get you 8! Great tip, thank you.

Anne D. said...

Love this line of fabrics! ajdepue@juno.com

Lisa England said...

Sounds like a great way to make HSTs! I love this fabric line!

Di~ said...

Soo fun! everything! and loving AmandaJean's new fabric! Thanks for the chance...here's hoping for a win from Idaho!

Unknown said...

THANK YOU for sharing the trick on half square triangles!!!! Designing a throw pillow now with HSTs and and thrilled to try this :-)
sajborger@gmail.com

Beth said...

That thread catcher is so handy. I should sit down this weekend and make one for every sewist and quilter on my list--starting with myself!! Thanks for the kick in the pants. ;)

Dody said...

Thank you for the tip on sewing pin wheels. I love your thread catcher. I'm going to make one.
Dmac5958ataoldotcom

FlourishingPalms said...

As you've pointed out, Amanda Jean's fabrics are sincere. So versatile! I can imagine them accompanying many other fabric lines, and looking great. Thanks for the chance to win some of them.

OhioLori said...

Absolutely LOOOOVE your Pincushion/catcher!!! Love the Pinwheels too...thanks for sharing how you did them. Thank you too, for chance to win your Give-a-way! :)

Patsy Wilkerson said...

I have not had a chance to make this thread catcher/pincushion but may have to add it to my bucket list? Would love to win your drawing. Thanks for the opportunity! Email: pwilkerson5155@gmail.com

Allison C said...

Love the colors and prints!

Karen said...

Love your patchwork! Didn't know you could make 8 squares at a time. Whoopee! kswann48@gmail.com

annemarie said...

Love your pincushion - you do fantastic work. Thanks for the giveaway. a.haun@sbcglobal.net

Nicole said...

Love the thread catcher *I* made from your pattern. Much more useful than I ever thought it would be! (And I thought it would be kind of great).

Unknown said...

So super cute. And loved the HST tip. That I have to try! Happy weekend!

StanleyBeagle said...

what a lovely little thread catcher!

Kathy E. said...

I have always wanted to make a thread catcher with attached pin cushion. Yours is extra adorable, so I am inspired!

Alisa said...

Very nice ~ such a cute fabric line!

Suzanne said...

I'm beyond impressed with your pincushion and thread catcher and amazed at how many you have made overall. I'm eager to poke around other parts of your blog. Thanks for the giveaway and the tutorial.

sbsudbury said...

Thanks so much for the change to win this giveaway. Your thread catcher is amazing.

Sandie @ crazy'boutquilts said...

Love your pincushion! The little HST's are just so cute! Thanks for the giveaway! crazy(dot)boutquilts(at)yahoo(dot)com

Jamie @ Sew Brainy said...

I love that fabric! So many great colors! And I love the 8 HST trick. I use that too!

Unknown said...

Thanks for a chance to win!

EBattles said...

Your thread catcher is way cuter than the empty yogurt container on my sewing table! shop123@elenabattles.com

Heartsdesire said...

Great colour selection in that charm pack, and what a great way to make 1/2 square triangles. Thanks for the tip.

GranChris said...

Just plain too cute. I need to buy some of this fabric.

Lori said...

I like the small prints. Clean and simple.

Patti said...

I love the trick for making multiple HST's! This is such a beautiful line of fabric, a perfect addition to my stash!

Unknown said...

Thanks you for sharing the pinwheel tutorial. I'm great!

Greetings from germany
Stella

Lamb's Love Vintage Studio said...

Love the new fabrics

SarahZ said...

Where has your little 8 HST at a time been hiding?? How have I not known of this??? My morning is completely made, thank you sew much!!! And I must agree, the simplicity and brightness of this fabric is at once perfect and complete! I love the stripe made of little marks (?)!

Rhona said...

Love your thread catcher , I made one 2 months ago its so handy,the fabric, oh yes I am buying it, I am making a basket full of pincushions!Great tutorial, thanks.rhona45@hotmail.com

What Comes Next? said...

I bought some if this fabric the instant it was available. Amanda Jean has created a wonderful line. Your thread catcher shows the fabrics off beautifully!

Lee said...

Thank you for the tip - I am going to try some pinwheels! thanks!!

Diane Beavers said...

Hi Krista, thanks for sharing your big mouth pin cushion/thread catcher. It's so cheery! I've only made one and certainly need many more! The 1/2" triangle tutorial is spot on, thanks I needed a refresher on that.

Anne said...

Good neighbours looks like a great collection! Thanks.

Amy DeCesare said...

What a great project made from this awesome fabric. I love it more with each post I see on the blog hop!!! Eamylove@aol.com

Angie Sue said...

Yeah! I was planning on doing a HST project this weekend -- thanks for the tips!

Leanne said...

I would love have a bit of these fabrics to play with, thank you for the chance.

SewDoUQuilt said...

That is a cool HST trick! I need to try that. The fabric really highlight the cuteness factor too! jarvenpa1ne at gmail dot com

Pamela said...

I'm amazed that you have made over 200 of these! It certainly looks handy. Thanks for the tutorial!

Aunt TC said...

I'd like to make a thread catcher and would love to win the packet of fabrics.

Burgess said...

Love the fabric and the tutorial. Would love to win! Morpalm@shaw.ca

Sally said...

I love this thread catcher and fabric line!

Karen said...

That's a really useful thing to make. Love how you used so many of the fabrics in it. Thanks for the giveaway!
mom2j (at) hotmail.com

Lisa J. said...

What a lovely little line of fabric. I've been on vacation so totally missed the buzz about this one until now.

legato1958 said...

Love your pincushion and thread catcher in these bright and happy fabrics!
Susie

Anonymous said...

I love the tutorial and the fabric line. Super cute!

debbiesc1 said...

Super cute pin cushion and thanks for the give away, deb.bacot@gmail.com

zaney said...

All of these ion cushions are amazing... Now who to copy first? Thanks for the giveaway!

tac73 said...

This thread catcher bag/pin cushion is great! Thanks for sharing.

momiji said...

Nice pin cushion, and congratulations to Amanda Jean!

Carole said...

Love Amanda Jean's fabric line and love Connecting Threads. Will be shopping this fall even though I don't need any more fabric. Want to make some pincushions for my quilty friends. I can be distracted from my WIPs so easily. carolephinney@gmail.com

Margo said...

I love your thread catcher! The Fabrics were a perfect choice! Thanks for the chance to win your giveaway! margo: onlydiamonds@hotmail[dot]com

Michele T said...

Oooh! I love this project and those fabrics are fabulous!!! Crossing my fingers!!! Thanks!

Unknown said...

Love the fabric! I should really start looking at smaller projects like pin cushions! Thanks

LethargicLass said...

I don't think I have ever seen someone say 1/2 square triangles instead of half square triangles lol... I would love to win this, this is one of the collections on my dream list at the moment lol

Marie i said...

I,d love to win and make a thread catcher.

Marie.ireland@sympatico.ca

rrjane011749 said...

Love your pincushion-thread catcher!

MoeWest said...

Your pincushion and thread catcher look so pretty in those colourful fabrics!

Anita Gambrell said...

I love charm packs !!!!! These are so cute ! anitagambrell@yahoo.com

Cool Lizzie said...

This blog hop is really enjoyable - all the different pincushions have me making lists of ideas!
I'm also enjoying getting acquainted with new blogs, so thanks for participating!

Liz
boltonia55@yahoo.com

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

Thanks so much for that quick and easy tutorial. I really like this fabric and am totally enjoying the hop.

Emily C said...

I like how you added a threadcatcher. I keep forgetting to make myself one.

Shirley said...

Love the fabric and what you have done with it..... Hope we can purchase it soon where I live.
Thanks for the chance to win some.

Lauriejo said...

Beautiful pincushion! Thanks for the giveaway opportunity.

Marla said...

Sweet pinwheels. Thanks for the reminder on how to make quick HST units.

Missy Shay said...

What a great tutorial!
missysaprons@gmail.com

Sherry said...

Thanks for the tutorial! I love the fabric line.

Maureen said...

If I had to choose,the daisy prints are my favorite. They look great in your thread catcher.

Linda Smith said...

I need a thread catcher as much as I need a pincushion. Perfect duo. Thanks for the tute.
I could make quite a few with a charm pack.

melanie said...

Discovered a new blog today!

Malinda said...

What a cute project!

syfalkenstein said...

Love that thread catcher bucket!

Teresa S. said...

Amanda's fabric line looks like it would go with so many other fabric in my stash!
tstanulis@verizon.net

Lisa said...

I hope I win a charm pack I really love Amanda Jean's new line and this party! Yours is really cute and I am going to pin it! Thanks

ELNM said...

I love the HST's! The thread catcher looks like it would be a great help. Thanks for sharing with us!

pingraham said...

This thread catcher bag is adorable! thanks for the give-away offer!
phoebe.bell.ingraham@gmail.com

Sewgirl said...

What a sweet pincushion! Thanks for sharing the giveaway.
nancyydotsumneratcomcastdotnet

quiltonia said...

I have to remember your trick for making easy hs triangles. Thanks for the chance to win the charm pack.

SandyMay said...

Thanks for the reminder about quick HSTs. Love your little thread catcher. Might be just the thing for a Xmas gift for a special friend of mine. Might have to buy Good Neighbors just for this project.
swalker287 (at) aol(dot) com.

Brenda said...

I would love to win. and thanks for the tutorial!

bcastiel (at) excite (dot) c0m

Jennifer said...

Dual purpose! Love it!

Jennifer Scantlebury Vienneau said...

Beautiful fabrics and who doesn't love a thread catcher and pincushion!

Tamie said...

Love your thread catcher. It's so bright.

Sherry VF said...

Thanks for the tips on making the thread basket. I need to make one because I just use a small paper bag.
sjvonfumetti at yahoo dot com

Unknown said...

The fabrics are great and the colours are awesome.
Pauline
perry94022 at hotmail dot com

Debbi said...

Wonderful HST tip. It completely avoids the issue of stretch along the bias! Dch323@gmail.com

mascanlon said...

Thanks for the reminder on the hst trick! And Amanda's line is so cute in your thread catcher!

alicuz quilts said...

Great thread catcher. Thanks for the chance. Love this fabric.

Danette said...

I can't believe you have made over 200 thread catchers! So cute! Thank you, peterstankovich@comcast.net

Isabella said...

Great tutorial. Beautiful colors.

Helen said...

Love your pin cushion/thread catcher - clever dual-duty item.

Lori said...

your thread catcher is so pretty. love these threads
quilting dash lady at Comcast dot net

Cecilia said...

Beautiful! I love the little pinwheels. Thanks for sharing.

Betsy said...

Cute cushion!

Amanda Jean said...

Krista, I love that you added patchwork to your thread catcher! I've been wanting to try that pattern from your book...I just haven't found the time quite yet. (I'm sure you know how it goes!) Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope that we get to meet up again someday and have a proper visit. I love your project! Thank you so much for being a part of the party! xo

Wendy S said...

I'm really enjoying all the pin cushions & yours is a bonus thread catcher - Awesome!

Carol said...

Great pin cushion thread catcher...one day I will make a thread catcher. You have made 200!!!! wow.

trudys_person said...

Great fabric line! I love all the variations on stripes - perfect for bindings. And the pinwheels on the thread catcher are genius!

Susan said...

What a great combo-pin cushion/thread catcher!

Subee said...

Ether prints are great for so many projects. Thanks for the raffle.

Kbaby said...

I am going to make this right now, this is fun. I love this idea! kwarren29@cox.net

Suzette said...

I love the thread catcher! What is the purpose of the loop? Thanks for the chance to win. (suzettestockley@gmail.com)

Jennifer said...

Love your pincushion, so cute!

cjmont said...

i love thread catchers and this one is really cute.

Susie V said...

loved the thread catcher!

Christine said...

I love Amanda Jean's fabric line. I like the designs, but especially like the colors.

Rita Montgomery said...

This fabric is so stinkin' cute. I have never seen that quick sewing tip for HST before and I love it. Thanks for the chance to win.
ritapita10@comcast.net

mumbird3 said...

Very very cute!

Crafty Coffin said...

super cute, I love the piecing on the thread catcher. Thanks for the giveaway!

Karen said...

I should make half square triangles with my leftover charm squares, just to have them on hand. I have a bin with lots of "bonus" triangles from making flying geese, etc., and someday I will make a scrappy quilt with all of them.

Unknown said...

Cute thread catcher. Love this fabric. Matsche.christine@yahoo.com

Carol W said...

Fun fabrics and great pattern! carolwmd at gmail dot com

Carla S said...

The thread catcher is so cute. I love the fabric!

bee said...

such a fun pincushion!

Unknown said...

I love her fabrics and this is such a nice job you did with them.
cswilliams1974@hotmail.com

Shirley said...

Great sewing shortcut. Thanks for the opportunity to enter the giveaway. So many possibilities for that beautiful fabric. (shirparks@gmail.com)

txquilter said...

I really love your pretty threadcatcher!

pippirose said...

I love your shortcut! I'm a newbie, and can use all the tips and hints I can get! Thanks for the chance!

Bethany Garner said...

Absolutely LOVE this tutorial and it will make a great start on a few terrific Christmas gifts for close friends! Your work always inspires me to be better at what I do!
Bethany, garner@kingston.net

Lisa E said...

Great tutorial. My daughter would like one of these!

Anita said...

I am so happy for Amanda Jean! I would love to win her fabrics. Thank you!

Annette said...

Love this new line!

Diane said...

Love the pincushion!!! So creative!

Cynthia Brunz Designs said...

I love this fabric collection! Everyone's pincushion has been adorable. Thanks!

Kath said...

Your thread catcher is so darn cute! I going to have to make one now after seeing yours. Love the fabric too!
ktsquiltdreams (at)gmail (dot)com

Tu-Na Quilts said...

I've seen these thread catchers and have been wondering where the pattern is. Very cute! kthurn(at)bektel(dot)com

Chiska said...

I love those daisies! Very fun.