Island Batik: Endangered Species

/ quiltinggail

This year, Aurifil Thread has a Color Builder program. It is a total of 12 different mini-collections that, for 2021, are based on Endangered Animals. Aurifil’s goal is to “Increase sustainability and positive environmental impact.” (source: Island Batik).

For the October challenge, Aurifil is asking you to create a piece inspired by the endangered animal featured on your assigned Color Builder box. Use each one of the 3 provided colors somewhere in the challenge piece, how the thread is used is up to you! (source: Island Batik)

I received the Pangolin bundle. The 3 threads in this collection are: #2312 – Ermine, #6010 – Toast, #2360 – Chocolate. They are all 40 weight.

I had to look it up …

Photo “Borrowed” from Aurifil: https://www.aurifil.com/pangolin

The Pangolin is sometimes used for it’s meat, but mostly the scales are used in traditional Chinese medicine. There is a huge amount of illegal trafficking and the pangolin is considered Critically Endangered. Source.

I literally spent a few months thinking about what I would do.

I finally decided that I would go to the Internet and search for royalty free colouring book pages and pangolin. Bingo! I found one at THIS SITE.

Below is the pangolin print out and fabric (Buttermilk) on my light board. My light board happens to be a window. You can see where the pages are overlapping and taped together. The Buttermilk fabric is taped on top.Then a picture of me tracing it out with a brown sharpie. (Inspired by Helen Godden and the Flower Power Quilt-a-long)

I used Hobbs Polydown batting and Odif 505 temporary adhesive spray and got to work. First I stitched over the brown sharpie lines with #2360 – Chocolate.

I quickly realized that I needed to have a fabric on the back: the polydown was catching on the lowered feed dogs. Previously, when I used this technique, I was able to use Hobbs 80/20 with no difficulty.

Then, I was not pleased with how it was stitching out! So, I cleaned my machine (it needed it) and changed to a Schmetz needle. That helped a bit, but then I took off my ruler quilting foot and put on the regular free-motion quilting foot. I’m not sure why, but my quilting was WAY better.

The pangolin is outlined with Aurifil #2360 – ChocolateI. The Zendoodling is Aurifil #2312 – Ermine. Aurifil #6010 – Toast, was used for the organic echoing around the pangolin. It took 3 full days of zendoodling to get to this point. Then I needed a break!

For the spikes around the border, I used several pieces from the Autumn Wings collection, along with Large Netting-Sand (a blender) and Citrine (Marvelous Multis). The spikes were all fused with steam-a-seam light. And appliqued in place with #6010 – Toast. Then the feet were “coloured” in using Aurifil #2360 Chocolate. It is bound with Wavy Dots – Cappuccino.

Disclosure: The fabrics, thread, batting and needles were generously supplied by the following companies:

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

32 thoughts on “Island Batik: Endangered Species”

  8. Hi Gail! Boy, this project came together quite nicely especially considering you had to look up your endangered species. It turned quite stunning, I think. Really nice job. ~smile~ Roseanne

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  12. You just might have the first and only pangolin quilt!! It is a gorgeous work with such incredible quilting detail. I can’t even imagine what I would make with this challenge. You hit it out of the park.

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