Tool Time

/ quiltinggail

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This month, half of the Island Batik ambassadors were involved in the “A Piece of …” Blog Hop and the rest of us were challenged to use our favourite tool and make a quilt.  I started out with one idea and made the top. However, I had forgotten to take pictures of me using the tool with the Island Batik fabric.  Now that was plan dumb!!!  So – that quilt got put aside and I changed my tool and design.  I did use EQ to plan both quilts.  That was tool #1.EQ

Screen Shot 2019-11-16 at 1.37.30 PMimageFor both quilts, I used “Quiet Shades.”  In July, Island Batik sent me a stack of 10″ squares, along with 4 yards of 2 coordinating fabrics and  coordinating ½ yard cuts.  More than generous amounts to make a quilt.  They also sent yardage in solid black, white and grey.  Perfect to use for backgrounds!

And yes, I did design the quilt with the triangles going left or right … but when it was finished, I prefer the up and down version.  The quilt is square, so it can go either way!

Of course, I used my iron.  I like a dry iron, but find that I often need to use a little mist of water to get out the wrinkles … so I have a little tiny sprayer from the dollar store that has a perfect fine mist!

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Then there is my sewing machine.  My Janome 6500 is the machine I use for piecing when I’m at home.  When I’m away, I use my trusty featherweight.  You can see my other frequently used tools on the bed of my machine.  Scissors that are super sharp, tweezers, snips, stiletto, and I hate to admit it, but my seam ripper.

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Other tools that I used for this quilt were:

  • Shape-cut Ruler by June Taylor
  • Tri-Rec Rulers by Darlene Zimmerman & Joy Hoffman
  • Cutting Gizmo by Gypsy Quilter

Here is a video that shows me using both of the Shape Cut & Tri-Recs rulers:

The blocks were placed on the design wall:

img_5728.jpgOnce, I had all the blocks made, I webbed them together.  Webbing keeps the blocks organized and saves a LOT of time!  See this POST to learn more about webbing a quilt.

fullsizeoutput_be6I used Hobbs black batting.  It was the perfect choice for this quilt!  I was amazed that it didn’t make the light coloured fabrics “greyer”!  They retained their crisp, soft colours.

It was quilted with Aurifil “smoke” invisible thread in the top and a dark grey thread in the bobbin.  All of the quilting was straight line, using my walking foot!  There was a lot of twisting and turning, but I like the end result!  The quilt is 59″ square.

*The Aurifil invisible thread (Monofiliment) was bought from Karen @ Sew Karen-ly Created.  She lives in Nova Scotia and is a great Canadian resource!

Here is a picture of the first quilt that I designed using Quiet Shades and EQ:

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When making this quilt, I neglected to take pictures of the tools I used.  As well, it’s an easy quilt to make with the Accuquilt 8″ Cube dies – sew … it didn’t really fit the criteria for “Tool Time.”  I love how soft & pretty it is!

At our guild meeting, we recently had a speaker talk about Colour Theory.  She showed 3 colour wheel quilts. One had a black background, another had a grey background and the 3rd had a white background.  I didn’t make the same quilt with different backgrounds, but the following picture shows how different coloured backgrounds affect the look of the main fabrics.

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Disclaimer: The products featured in this Blog post were given to me by Island Batik, and their program partners:  Aurifil,  & Hobbs Batting!

 

 

 

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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17 thoughts on “Tool Time”

  1. These are lovely, Gail! I love seeing the same fabrics in different quilts. I used the same fabrics for both November and December. I really love Quiet Shades with the black background!

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  5. Hi Gail! Fascinating photos. I never in a million years would have believed both quilts were made using the same fabrics for the blocks themselves and that just the background was different. Holy moly! With the white they look so pastel and gentle and a bit washed out (not in a bad way, though), while they are much more vibrant with the black. Thanks for sharing. ~smile~ Roseanne

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    • Hi Roseanne,
      I am totally facinated how different fabrics and or different backgrounds can totally change the look of a quilt!
      I’m at a loss as to which quilt I like better! I like the vibrant bold look of the one with the black background and I like the soft comfy look of the one with the white background!
      Happy Quilting! 🙂

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  6. Oh, those triangles! It’s so great when a quilt makes you look again, and then another time, to figure out how it’s put together. I’m definitely going to remember this design. (I used to use Tri-Recs but now I’m a convert to Studio 180 rulers.)

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    • Hi Nann,
      I haven’t used Studio 180 rulers … yet. I’m sure that they have one that will make similar blocks. Once the blocks are made, it’s a super easy quilt to piece together!
      Happy Quilting! 🙂

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  7. i love them both Gail, but the black one is my favorite. Is that a Clover seam ripper? I have one and I love it better than any seam ripper I have ever owned.

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    • Thanks, Gene! Yes, it is a Clover seam ripper! I agree that it is the best! It stays sharp for a LONG time and it can get under a lot of the smaller stitches.
      Happy Quilting! 🙂

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  9. Interesting how the backgrounds change the fabrics; both are pretty quilts. I don’t put water in my iron; I always use a spray bottle. It seems to work better for me, and I don’t have to fuss with a leaky iron.

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    • Hi Wendy,
      I’ve always found that steam distorts the quilt pieces – just a tiny bit. And when you’re working with a zillion tiny pieces, those distortions make a huge difference.
      We had company and they put water in my iron. I was NOT happy with the black guck it spit out on a white background. I couldn’t get rid of the stains and had to re-piece that portion of the quilt.
      Spray works just fine!
      Happy Quilting! 🙂

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