Here’s my tally for the year. I managed to finish the 3 quilts that were left in my Starts in 2021 column! Therefore, I did get my PHD in 2021! YAY!!! And those UFO numbers are dwindling down!!!
Here are the 3 quilts that were Starts in 2021 and are now DONE!!! (The first 2 are finishes you haven’t seen before. The first one is the Fall Surprise 2021 guild mystery. The 2nd is A & A’s quilt … by the time this post goes live, they should have it – so it’s OK to show it. The 3rd one, I blogged about it HERE.
And here is my final tally sheet for 2021:
PHD in 2022
Are you going to join in the PHD in 2022? The information is at this POST.
Some people find it hard to complete 12 UFOs and some people find it hard to complete all of their new starts … However, if you are serious about getting rid of your UFOs, AND you don’t want your UFO list to get bigger – this might be just what you need!
In this Clue, YOU decide “Which Way” you want your quilt to be. Here are 4 options:
My pattern tester added an 6 extra HST in each colour so she could do pinwheels: Her quilt measures 40″ x 52.”
Which one will you choose?
Add Borders
For an easy and accurate way to add your borders, see This Youtube video:
Quilt as Desired
I always hated this direction … I never knew what to quilt. Well, here’s picture of my quilt – my chosen way. You should be able to see that I did simple brackets on each side of each triangle.
The binding is not on … I’ve got other things that are taking priority at the moment!
Please send me a picture
Once you have your top done, or even quilted, please send me a picture. I realize that not everyone who is doing the mystery has a blog – so pictures are great! If you have a blog, please send me the link along with your picture. I will post a parade of the quilts in the new year. My email address is quiltinggail@yahoo.ca
Support Me
Having a blog costs money each year … and each year, the price goes up. If you have enjoyed the mystery and appreciate that you actually have at least 4 new quilt patterns, please consider giving me a small donation. At the top of the blog there is a page that says “Shopping and Donations.” You can go to that page and make your donation. Thank you!
This is a small mystery quilt. It will be 40″ x 40″ if you follow the directions. Yes, it can easily be made bigger, but wait until the end to see if you want to.
Clue #1
Fabric Requirements:
Fabric
Amount
Background
1 1/8 yards
Contrast #1
½ yard
Contrast #2
½ yard
If you want – you could make Contrast #1 and #2 totally scappy. For example, Contrast #1 could be a variety of purples and Contrast #2 could be a variety of greens. It might be a good way to use up scraps!
These are the fabrics I used. They are all Island Batik fabrics. The Background is Rice. Contrast #1 is an older fabric with turtles and sea grass … Contrast #2 is two similar coloured fabrics.
As an Island Batik Ambassador, I am to make 12 projects, one a month using ONLY Island Batik fabrics. This is my 3rd year as an Ambassador and I have a bit of an Island Batik stash. The projects below are either the monthly challenge or ones I have done on my own. As you might guess, I LOVE Island Batik fabrics!
January
Between Christmas and New Years 2020, I hosted a Holiday Seclusion Mystery here on the blog. You can see a summary of it HERE.
These are the 2 quilts I made to test the mystery. The first one uses an older Island Batik that I bought, but neglected to keep record of the name of the fabric. It is paired with solid white. Although it was started in 2020, it was not finished until 2021.
This one was made with Scrapbuilder bundles in blue, teal and green, along with a solid grey. I love the overall graffiti or wild quilting on it!
January’s Island Batik challenge was to make placemats. I LOVE blue and LOVED making these placemats! You can read about them HERE.
I joined in the monthly Scrap Happy Table Runner challenge hosted by So Scrappy. January’s colour was PINK. Here is the mug rug I made.
February
These 2 baskets were a free byAnnie pattern and you can read more about them HERE.
This quilt was provided as a mystery quilt for the guild. The Designer is Sue Pontifex, from Piece Arch Quilters in White Rock. This is a variation of the original design. You can read more about the quilt HERE.
February’s Island Batik challenge was “Create for a Cause.” Each ambassador was to create a quilt to give to a charity of our choice. The guild I belong to gives “comfort” quilts to a local cancer agency. This quilt is destined to go there when they start receiving quilts (after Covid). You can read more about this quilt HERE.
This quilt used the beautiful “Mystery” collection of fabric designed by Claudia Pfeil.
This month’s colour for the Scrap Happy Table Runner challenge hosted by So Scrappy. was yellow. You can read more about this mug rug HERE.
March
Scrapbusting ws Island Batik’s challenge for March. What a fun fun challenge. My 2 quilts are shown below …
The Scrappy Irish chain with the star was a LOT of fun. Lots of 2″ scraps from every collection that I have had as an ambassador!
Is a quilt that started out small and became bigger as I really liked the colours. It initially started as a sample for a ruler quilting class.
This is a quilt, designed by an Island Batik alumni, Sandra Walker, you can read more about this quilt HERE and Here and HERE.
The Island Batik challenge for this month was “Spread Love & Joy with Accuquilt.” Boy, did I have fun! I love using the Accuquilt cutter and the precision cutting. You can read about my 2 quilts HERE.
In March, I took a course “Speed Dating with Improv” by Krista from PoppyPrints. It took me a while to get the facing done, but it was finally finished in June! I used Island Batik solids for this piece.
I finally put the facing on my Story-less Improv and you can read more about it here, here and HERE. This was from a by Krista’s classes @ Poppyprint. It has the super fun title of “Speed Dating.”
Purple is June’s Scrap Happy Table Runner challenge hosted by So Scrappy. You can read more about this coaster HERE.
July
July’s Island Batik challenge was “Never Too Early.” I made a mini quilt and a basket. You can read about them HERE.
August
Try a Tool was Island Batik’s August challenge! Oh! Did I have fun with this one! Check out the details HERE.
Another quilt designed by Island Batik alumni, Sandra Walker. This is “Let your Star Shine.” You can read about it HERE and HERE.
This quilt was created for the “Orange you Glad” Blog Hop. You can read about it HERE.
This month’s scrappy table runner challenge was “aqua.” I wanted to try paper piecing a “Storm at Sea” block and ended up with this 14″ x 14″ square table topper. You can read about it HERE.
September
Island Batik’s September challenge was to make a byAnnie bag. I made this wonderful “Round Trip Duffle.” Read about it HERE.
This table runner was made for the Table Scraps monthly challenge (orange) and the Falling For You blog hop … you can read more about it HERE.
Kelly Young launched her newest book “Scrappy Improv Quilting” and I couldn’t help but enlarge this quilt and make a baby sized hot air balloon. You can read about it HERE.
October
October’s Island Batik challenge was to use Aurifil thread related to our assigned Endangered Species. I was given the Pangolin … it was fun zen-doodling the scales … you can find out more details HERE.
Then, I was involved in a blog hop, featuring Kelly Young’s book, “Scrappy Improv Quilting.” I made this ornament wall hanging for the blog hop. See details HERE.
November
The challenge for Island Batik, for November was the “Storm at Sea” block. I made 2 totally different quilts using the same block. You can read about them HERE.
I finished another quilt – with inspiration from Kelly Young’s book “Scrappy Improv Quilting.” This quilt used a lot of orphan log cabin blocks … For more details see HERE.
December
English Paper Piecing was the challenge for December. It was a HUGE challenge for me, but I got it done! And I’m happy with the result! See more details HERE.
This is another hot air balloon from Kelly Young’s book, “Scrappy Improv Quilting.” You can read about it HERE.
Catalogue Quilts
There were 3 quilts that were published in the Island Batik Spring/Summer 2021 Catalogue. You can access the Catalogue HERE.
Left to right: Modern Squares, Feather Chain & Flutterfly Stars.
Disclosure: The fabrics, thread, batting and needles were generously supplied by the following companies:
Yes, it seems like the year has gone by quickly! And, with the Covid numbers increasing and talks of future lockdowns, I’ll be hunkering down and quilting!!!
Next week, starting on Boxing Day, I will be hosting a mystery quilt. It’s a quick and easy mystery – and it will be fun! Are you going to join me?
Finally finished!
Do you remember the picture on the left? After lots of procrastination and neglect, I finally finished this hot air balloon quilt. The pattern is from Kelly Young’s book “Scrappy Improv Quilting.”
Before I taught a class, using this book, I wanted to demonstrate a few different techniques in making the slabs. There are many different ways. In this quilt, I used stripes, bargello, “twosies, foursies, eightsies …” and my own invention “random pieces in a line.” I have also use orphan blocks.
The baskets were chain pieced and made all at the same time.
Once the baskets were attached to the balloons, I played around with the layout and positioned them all slightly different … I wanted it to look like balloons were in the sky.
The fabrics were all from my Island Batik stash … bits and pieces of this and that. The background is BE34-E1 Dot Sky from the Blender’s collection. Hobbs 80/20 is used for the batting. The free motion quilting was pretty simple … clouds and meandering in the sky and vertical wavy lines on the balloons. The baskets were a grid of mish-mashed straight lines. It is bound with Island Batik’s Black solid.
The binding looks a little wonky on the bottom right, but that’s because it won’t be finished until after a special baby is born and I can put the label on it.
Design Wall
#1 SAHRR: I have my centre block done! Whoo hoo!!! And plan to work on the other rounds! The SAHRR will start on January 10. I’ll show you the centre block then!
SEW … start thinking about what you can use for your centre block. Will it be an orphan block? Will you start something new? something different? Will it be square or rectangle? It’ll be fun to see what you choose!
#2 Polar Bear Plunge: This is for a blog hop in January … it should be fun! Of course, I can’t show you until the blog hop!
#3 Tickled Pink: This is for a blog hop in February … and again, I can’t show you until then!
#4 Monthly Colour Challenge – with Patterns by Jen. Yes, I’ve pulled my fabrics for the first few months. I’m excited to show you January’s block on January 1!
Quilting:
#2 A&A’s Quilt: This quilt is under the machine at the moment!
Stash Report
The back of the balloon quilt used 2 1/2 yards of flannel – from my stash.
This will be my last stash report for 2021! By the end of the year, I will have used at least another 9 yards of fabric, but I’m not counting it until it’s finished. I will continue with my Sunday Stash report in 2022 – it keeps me honest about what I buy. And, I will often 2nd guess a fabric purchase when I think that I need to report it on my blog! (and that’s a good thing!)
Well, my husband didn’t add any fabric this year. Yes, he was with me on a few occasions when we were in a fabric store, but he didn’t pick up anything for me to buy! Well, the next trip to a fabric store could be another story!
Fabric Used this week 2.5 yards
Fabric Used this year: 104.25 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 50. 75 yards (my husbands amounts as well)
Net Fabric used 52.5 yards
Husband’s purchases: 0 yards (which are added into my total amount of Fabric added this year). For those of you who don’t know … my husband often buys more fabric than I do … so, I’m keeping track! Unfortunately, he doesn’t sew!
Stitchin’ Time
This is my last Stitchin’ Time for 2021. The “Any Which Way” Mystery quilt is happening next week and I want to focus on that!
As for this year, I think I did pretty good … only missed 9 days in the whole year! Wow!! It does help that, aside from one 10 day trip, we didn’t go anywhere! If Kate continues this next year, I’ll be back with more Stitchin’ Time in 2022!
January – Nov – 324 / 333
Dec – 19/19
Total: 342 / 351
Percentage = 97 %
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
To Do
Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is now hosting “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.
I won’t be posting a To Do list next week, but I’ll be back in 2022 with updated lists!
The To Do list last week:
Get A&As quilt sandwiched. √ DONE
Finish Scrappy Improv top. √ DONE
I find it interesting that I had a blank on the list from last week!
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! HA! HA! … I started 3 new projects for the new year … I’d say I was distracted !!! Unsuccessful
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish A&A’s Quilt
Bind the guild Fall Mystery Quilt
Prepare the PHD in 2022 blog post.
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes
I have 2 projects to finish before the end of the year. Unless something weird happens, I should be able to get them done this week! The BBQG Mystery #3 just needs the binding done and A&A’s quilt needs the quilting finished and the label and binding … doable … I hope!
Last Saturday, our guild had a Christmas social. We followed all the current protocols and had a great time. It felt almost normal!!! And it was SEW good to see people in person.
I took a total of 9 quilts to donate, but I forgot to take a picture of them in their pile before they went out the door. 5 of the quilts were for the Baby quilts and 4 of them were for Comfort Quilts. And, of course, I can’t remember what all of them looked like! Here is a picture of some of them!
With all the restrictions, the quilts stayed in my home until now. This helped me to have a little bit more room, but I still have lots of quilts!
I’m counting the donation of the 9 quilts as a “Finish.” They are finished living in my house!
I was Featured!
Jennifer, from Inquiring Quilter, featured this table runner on her blog. You can read about it HERE.
This mystery is a quick and easy quilt. The first clue (and fabric requirements) will be announced on Boxing Day, Dec. 26. There will be 5 clues and I’m 100% positive that many of you will have it totally completed before 2022 rings in!
It will be 40″ square … and the rest is a mystery!
SAHRR
5 Blogging Friends and myself will be hosting another Stay at Home Round Robin (SAHRR). What’s a Round Robin, you ask? Well, typically, in the quilting world, a round robin goes like this:
Quilter #1 creates their own centre block
The centre block is passed on to Quilter #2 and they add a border, depending on what the directions are.
The centre block, plus border 1 is passed on to Quilter #3, who adds the next border.
And on it continues
With the SAHRR, the blocks and rounds stay home with you. You are the one that is in charge of your Round Robin.
There is nothing to join … you just need to follow each of our blogs so that you don’t miss a thing!
If you go to this post, you will see my completed top from the 2021 Round Robin. And This Post shows my completed tops from 2020.
We haven’t decided on a start date … but we have all decided what is chosen for each round. And, no, I’m not going to tell you. Of course, we are all working on our Round Robins so that they’ll be ready at the start! AND … I’m laughing and laughing because we all have good intentions … but the follow through does not always happen!
What is a PHD??? In the quilting world, a PHD is a Project Half Done. As a former academic, who did not get a PhD in nursing, it’s just a play on the initials.
In order to get your PHD in 2022, you have to complete at least 12 UFOs (Unfinished Objects / or projects) AND … here’s the big catch: You MUST complete everything you start in 2022. Yes, EVERY new project. Otherwise your UFO list will just increase and we’re trying to get rid of them, right?
There are a few exceptions to completing what you start in 2022. If the project carries over into 2023, such as a BOM or Bonnie Hunter’s mystery quilt, then it would be impossible to complete it in 2022. And, those last minute projects that are started in December 2022? They don’t count either. But all of the projects you start in 2022, must be completed. This includes labels and quilting and binding – not just completing a top!
In the meantime, you can gather up your UFOs to get ready.
Monthly Color Challenge
I will be participating in this monthly colour challenge! I plan to make the entire quilt, but have signed up to be part of an occasional blog hop with the monthly blocks. The first block will be announced on January 1. You’ll be able to see the block at Patterns by Jen. The block patterns are free for the month they are posted. If you miss a month, they will be available for a nominal fee. Will you join me?
Blog Hops
I often participate in various blog hops. They are so fun! And full of lots of eye candy and ideas. So far, I have signed up for 2 in the new year.
This week I posted my final Island Batik challenge for 2021. It’s been a fantastic year! I will soon have a blog post that will show all of the projects I’ve made with wonderful Island Batik fabrics! You can read more about this finish HERE. It was pieced and quilted with Aurifil thread and Hobbs batting was used.
Design Wall
#1 Scrappy Improv Quilting …
Absolutely NO change from the last month! None at all! Even though I analyzed why it wasn’t getting done – I still haven’t worked on it! I need to get it finished in order to achieve my PHD in 2021!
#2 A&A’s Quilt: This quilt which was started in Mar. is getting pieced into a top. I was suppose to get some direction on how they wanted it pieced, but no direction came, so I decided to do my own thing. … I’m looking forward to quilting some of the negative space …
Quilting:
Amy and I had another “Playing with Rulers” day at Essem Textiles. I was working on my Guild’s fall mystery quilt. I struggled the whole time. First, I did not have my slip slidey thing for my machine, then I realized that my quilting gloves no longer had any grip on them … If we have more “Playing with Rulers” days, I will definitely choose a smaller project! And I will have my slip slidey thing and some good gloves! In spite of my challenges, it was a fun couple of days!! It is so rewarding to see quilters become comfortable with ruler quilting!!! If you live in the area and would like to join us for a “Playing with Rulers” session – let Simina or Rajan at Essem Textiles know. They will put you on a waiting list.
Stash Report
No finishes that used fabric from my stash.
Fabric Used this week 0 yards
Fabric Used this year: 101.75 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 50. 75 yards (my husbands amounts as well)
Net Fabric used 51 yards
Husband’s purchases: 0 yards (which are added into my total amount of Fabric added this year). For those of you who don’t know … my husband often buys more fabric than I do … so, I’m keeping track! Unfortunately, he doesn’t sew!
Stitchin’ Time
January – Nov – 324 / 333
Dec – 12 / 12
Total: 336 / 344
Percentage = 97 %
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
To Do
Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is now hosting “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.
The To Do list from 2 weeks ago:
Finish Quilting Island Batik Secret #4√ DONE
Work on December’s Island Batik project. √ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! Got inspired to make a tree skirt √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes√ DONE
This week’s list:
Get A&As quilt sandwiched
Finish Scrappy Improv top
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes
OK … I’ve got 3 projects to finish before the end of the year. I think I can get them done! I hope I can get them done.
Earlier this week, I posted my English Paper Piecing table runner. It was my last Island Batik challenge of the year. If you know me, I highly dislike hand sewing – it hurts! However, I took my time and had fun! You can read all about it HERE.
This table runner was pieced and quilted with Aurifil threads and Hobbs 80/20 Black batting was used.
It has been a great year with Island Batik. Sometime, in the next few weeks, I will show you all of the projects that were made with Island Batik fabrics this year. It’s a post that always takes a LOT of time to put together!
A Chuckle for Today
My cousin, Terry, sent me this! I’ve seen it before – a LONG time ago, but I did laugh out loud when I read it again!
In the mail
This quilt is on it’s way up north. I’m not sure if I showed it before or not. It’s been finished for awhile. Once I had the baby’s details, I made the label, added it to the quilt and finished the binding.
I was Featured!
Jennifer, from Inquiring Quilter, featured these two panel quilts that were recently finished! You can read about them HERE.
Here’s what Island Batik had to say about the English Paper Piecing Challenge:
It’s time to limber up your fingers! Nothing does that like hand sewing. English Paper Piecing is a technique practiced by many who find the hand sewing process wonderfully relaxing.
WHAT IS ENGLISH PAPER PIECING?
English Paper Piecing (commonly called EPP) is a method of stabilizing fabric around a heavy paper shape before sewing the pieces together to create intricately pieced designs. It provides excellent accuracy and precision piecing. English Paper Piecing originated in England and was called Mosaic or honeycomb patchwork. In the late 1700’s, when all things English became popular in the U.S., the term English Paper Piecing was coined. The most popular shape has always been the hexagon because it makes good use of fabric scrap and is easy to assemble. The most recognizable hexagon pattern is Grandmother’s Flower Garden, which became popular in the 1920-1930s.
English Paper Piecing is often referred to as Hand Piecing or hand sewing and is a traditional sewing method that utilizes a running stitch to sew fabric pieces together. The hand sewer sews a ¼” seam allowance with needle and thread by, beginning a ¼” from the end of the shape, loading stitches on the needle and finishing ¼” away from the end of the shape by pulling the needle through the loaded stitches.
OK … so now I know what is expected but ….
HAND SEWING
When I saw this challenge, I almost started to cry!!! Seriously!!! English Paper Piecing??? That means hand sewing! When I sew by hand, my hands hurt! Big time!!! After about 10 minutes, it hurts … by 15 minutes it’s really hurting and after 20 minutes, I’m in agony and my fingers are numb. Oh my … how in the world am I going to be able to do this challenge?
I figured that I best start early. So in January, I ordered a bunch of paper piecing books from the guild library.
The guild librarian is a gem … during Covid, she has stored all the books at her home … a simple email or 2 and within a day, you can go pick them up!!! Awesome service!!
Anyhow, with a bag full of reading material, I attempted to see if anything appealed. I didn’t want to do a traditional Grandmother’s Flower Garden, or stars … One of the library books was “The New Hexagon” from a Canadian author that only lives 4 hours away from me! Bingo! If I have to endure pain, I will make what I want. I promptly ordered my own copy of the book.
I was given a 10″ stack of Island Batik‘s “Cabana” last year and decided that this would be the perfect fabric collection to use. I love the blues and the florals … it’s going to be pretty!
I copied the designs for a table runner from the book. It’s fun with all the blocks named after different women! Unfortunately ‘Gail’ is not one of them!
A friend of mine suggested using Elmer’s Disappearing Purple glue stick to turn the fabric under 1/4″. I tested it on the regular printer paper and it came off pretty easy. Here’s how I organized my pieces once they were glued/pressed into place, ready for sewing. (This was the “Sarah” hexi.) It was super handy to have the diagram of how the hexi went together without going back to the book.
Blue is my favourite colour, so I made sure that each hexi had at least one blue fabric in it.
Here is a picture of gluing the 1/4″ sides down on the joining black triangles (Island Batik black solid).
In the picture below, I’m working on the table runner. I used Aurifil Thread #2370 – Sandstone to do the piecing.
With working on the table runner at least every other day, I found that I was able to hand sew for longer periods of time. I could work on it for about 30 minutes before my fingers started to ache. That made it nicer to spend time stitching!
The borders are on and now, I’m taking out all the paper … lots of little pieces of paper!
I used Hobbs Batting, black 80/20 batting for this project. It was a perfect choice!
After all the hand sewing, I knew I didn’t want to hand quilt this runner. I decided to use my domestic machine (Janome M7) for the quilting! I quilted it with Aurifil 100% nylon (Invisible) on the top and Aurifil #2370 – Sandstone in the bobbin using Schmetz Needles. I tried to do some swirly quilting, but that stitching didn’t fit, so out came the seam ripper and out came the swirly stitching. I settled for “In the ditch” quilting which turned out to be the right choice! After months of hand sewing, it was great to finish it quickly on the machine!
And some close-ups of the table runner …
Disclosure and a Thank you!
Disclosure: The fabrics, thread, batting and needles were generously supplied by the following companies:
This is the final Island Batik challenge for 2021. Stay tuned: in a few weeks, I’ll have a blog post showing all of the projects that I have made with wonderful Island Batik fabrics!
My finishes are small … but they are finishes. 2 panel quilts that will be given away. On one, I had practiced ruler quilting and on the other, I just outlined the bunny and did some free motion quilting. The are backed with flannel and will be snuggled lots! Hobbs 80/20 batting was used.
Linky Party
Link up and show us your finished project for this week!
One month left to complete your PHD in 2021! That means that you have to have completed 12 UFOs and finish all of the projects that you started from Jan 1 to Nov 30. The only exception is the projects like BOMs or mystery quilts that carry into 2022.
I have completed 12 UFOs, but I still have a few 2021 Starts to complete … hopefully, I will get there.
Here’s my tally for the year. I realized that I neglected to add my December Island Batik project onto the list. It’s hand sewing, so perhaps that’s why I didn’t include it. It’s there now! And also the Macaroon Mystery from Meadow Mist Designs is also on the list …
PHD in 2022?
Yes, I will be running a PHD in 2022 next year. I know that only 4 UFOs show up on my tally – but I do have others waiting in the wings. I will gather them all soon!
And, for those that have been following for awhile, you KNOW that finishing your new projects prevents your UFO list from getting larger! And none of us want more UFOs!!!
Quilting Gail 