Month: July 2022

Friday Finishes

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

I don’t have anything new that is finished … but I have had a couple of finishes in the last week or so.

The first finish was my July Island Batik project that used the Accuquilt Tree of Life Block on Board. The 73 pieces of the block can be cut in one run through of the die. But of course, I had to do it differently and make it scrappy. You can read more about the quilt at this BLOG POST.

I must admit that I am very pleased with how this quilt turned out.

Yes, this quilt used Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread for the quilting.

Oh, and Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs hosts a favourite quilt of the month linky party, and this happens to be mine!

My 2nd finish is my post for the UFO blog hop. This kit had been languishing in my “To Do” box and was on my UFO list both last year and this! You can read about it HERE. Here’s a picture:

Monthly Colour Challenge

Jen, of Patterns by Jen holds a monthly colour challenge. This month’s challenge is purple.

Here is my purple block, made with the rich colours of Island Batik fabrics!

And all of my 7 blocks so far for this year … I think it will be a very pretty quilt when it’s finished!

I don’t have a lot of purple quilts … but these are a few that I’ve done in the past couple of years.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

UFO Blog Hop

/ quiltinggail / 37 Comments

This blog hop came from the creative mind of Joan at Moose Stash Quilting!

Many of us have lots of UFOs ! These are known in the quilting world at UnFinished Objects. In the past I had over 100 UFOs. I thought I only had 80-something, but I kept finding more and more! On my blog, I run a PHD in (the year). PHD stands for Projects Half Done, but is a cute play on the academic PhD. The idea is to complete at least 12 UFOs and finish every project you start that year. This Blog Hop fits nicely into my PHD in 2022 and I managed to get another UFO finished!

One of my UFOs on the list was called “Kit – Narrows.” This was a Row by Row kit from Fiber Lilly in St. John’s, Newfoundland. I bought the kit 5 years ago when my husband and I were there. Fiber Lilly is a lovely quilt store, and one I would frequent if I lived nearby!

I know that I’ve been frequently known to call applique “CR-APplique.” I have hated applique. But, I am determined to do more and hopefully, one day, I might even like it!

I used Hobbs Thermore for the batting. It is a thin polyester batting that is low loft and does not beard. I find it is perfect for small projects!

Here is the quilt, after the pieces were fused on and before the quilting.

Then, it needed quilting and the button houses attached. The land, and boat were all outlined with an applique stitch. I did a large meander for the clouds in the sky and waves in the water. The iceberg is easy to see, but can you spot the whale’s tale?

I took my time with the quilting and used the following Aurifil Threads:

  • # 5004 – Grey Smoke (land, whale & motor)
  • # 2311 – Muslin (Iceberg, boat, fisherman)
  • # 4655 – Storm @ Sea – variegated (sky)
  • # 4669 – Stonewash Blues – variegated (water and binding)

In my latest Island Batik box, I received a lovely pressing mat from Prairie Spirit Alpacas. I’ll talk more about it in a future post, but I LOVED using it !

Visit the other UFO bloggers:

Monday July 25

Tuesday July 26

Wednesday July 27

Thursday July 28

Friday July 29

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Christmas in July with Accuquilt

/ quiltinggail / 23 Comments

Here’s what Island Batik told us about this challenge:

AccuQuilt just launched its exciting GO! Tree of Life Block on Board Die! This die assists quilters in quickly cutting the seventy-three pieces needed to create a 3-color, 14” traditional tree of life (also known as the tree of paradise) quilt block after one pass through a fabric cutter. The GO! Tree of Life Die was specially designed with no y-seams – making it accessible to quilters of all skill levels. There is no need to cut all the pieces by hand or use multiple dies to create this popular quilt block.

When you finish, AccuQuilt would like you to give the project you have made to someone you know who needs a little joy or donate it to a charity of your choosing to gift it to someone. When gifting the completed project, be sure to take photos, so this moment of kindness and love can be shared on social media!

Here is a picture of some of the purples cut with the Accuquilt Tree of Life die:

All of the Island Batik Ambassadors received an Pressing Mat from Prairie Spirit Alpacas. I used it to press everything as I made this quilt. The Alpaca/Wool mat made the seams crisp and perfect!

And here’s a couple of pictures of the quilting in progress. I used Silly Moon rulers for a lot of the quilting. The left hand picture shows me using the 8″ Beanie ruler and the right hand picture is some border quilting using “Rocket”. The burgundy “thing” is called “Dude” and is perfect for measuring exactly where the ruler needs to sit. Aurifil Thread #2600 (Dove) was used for the quilting.

For a unique photo shoot, we went to Redwood Park here in Surrey. Here’s what the City of Surrey says about the park:

The unique forest found at Redwood Park is a legacy of Peter and David Brown, twin brothers born to one of Surrey’s earliest pioneering families. In 1893, their father gifted them this large plot of land, logged and ripe for farming.
However, the brothers instead filled the vast space with their favourite trees from all around the world. Fully committed to their forest sanctuary, the eccentric duo built a treehouse where they lived in solitude until their deaths in 1949 and 1958.
Today, a replica of their treehouse stands in the centre of the park.

A picture of the quilt at the treehouse.

And under the Treehouse:

And in the Fairy Forest:

My finished quilt is being mailed to a dear friend of mine. I would LOVE to be able to hug her in person, but that is not possible at this time.

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 49.5″ x 49.5″
  • Fabric: Scraps of Island Batik from many collections along with Solid White. The purple tree and the binding used Roast.
  • Hobbs Batting 80/20 Natural
  • Aurifil Thread #2600 – 50 wt – (Dove) was used for the quilting and piecing // #2360 – 40 wt: (Chocolate) was used for the binding
  • Piecing, Quilting and Binding done on my Janome M7

Too many HST!

Yes, I made too many half-square triangles … I did not figure out how many I needed for the borders and I certainly did not count how many I made!

So, I made this little zipper bag …

Thank you!

Disclosure: The items needed to make this quilt were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik  Aurifil Thread  Hobbs Batting, Accuquilt, Schmetz Needles and Prairie Spirit Alpacas !!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

No finishes today … just quilting

/ quiltinggail / 8 Comments

I’m still quilting my July Island Batik project … just working on the border with Silly Moon “Rocket” ruler and “dude” to ensure its lined up properly! I’m using Aurifil thread (2600 – Dove) and you can see Hobbs 80/20 batting poking out!

I was Featured

Jennifer featured this sweet panel from last week. You can read about it HERE.

Andrée / Free Motion Mavericks featured my Pop Star Quilt. For more details read this POST.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Monday Moments July 11

/ quiltinggail / 10 Comments

Dianne’s Quilt

 Dianne emailed me in May asking for the pattern for 3D Pinwheels. She made the quilt and said, “All piecing and quilting were accomplished on my workhorse 1952 Singer 15-91.  She’s a joy.  I like the looks of this quilt, which will be donated to Firehouse Quilts of Colorado.”  

I think Dianne did a fantastic job making 3D Pinwheels! Isn’t it great that she pieced AND quilted this on an antique Singer? Just shows that you don’t need the latest and greatest newest machine with all the bells and whistles!

Thank you, Dianne for sharing q picture of your quilt with me and giving me permission to post it on my blog! I’m sure the Firehouse Quilts of Colorado will love receiving this beauty!

Continue reading →

A Friday Finish

/ quiltinggail / 7 Comments

This was a super fun, easy panel to finish. I quilted this sweet panel for Essem Textiles. It was a fun panel to quilt! I love how soft and cuddly it is.

If you would like this panel, Essem offers fantastic online service. They are quick and efficient! (They can also send you the darker blue binding fabric and the fabric I used on the back! If you request it!)

Continue reading →

A Road Trip

/ quiltinggail / 12 Comments

Last month my husband and I made a quick trip to Edmonton to visit my sister. Of course, it included going to a few stores. We went to Lori’s Country Cottage where my sister picked out what she wanted to buy at their longest day of the year sale. And she also picked out fabric for the Flower Window Hanging Class that we did together. (The class was by Epida Studio and I highly recommend it!)

Then we went to Winfield, a small town SW of Edmonton. The quilting store is Country Stitches Quilting and Fabrics. They had a LOT of Island Batik fabrics and I bought the “flower” and “background” fabric that you see in my Flower Window Hanging. My sister fell in love with a panel and bought enough fabric to make a decent sized quilt. (See picture below!) I resisted and only bought the 2 Island Batik fabrics! And, since it’s IB fabric and already used, I’m not adding it to the stash report.

Here’s some pictures of the store! It’s packed with lots of fabrics, IB fabrics, panels and more! They also sell online.

Lots of panels

Stitching Time

‘

Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!

This week I’ve been doing more “unsewing” than sewing … but it still counts, right? And, I’ve been gallivanting around with my cousin, so that has cut into sewing time.

  • January – June:  149 / 180
  • July 1 – 5:  5 / 5
  • Total: 154 / 185
  • Percentage = 83% 

Stash Report

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

No shopping, no fabric added, no finishes …

  • Fabric Used since the last report      0  yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       53.5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    11.75 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                 41.75 yards 

To Do

Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is hosting “To Do” every week.

The To Do list from last week:

  1. Mail Island Batik Catalogue quilts to California. √   DONE
  2. Work on 3 Yard Quilt √   DONE
  3. Quilt Squirrel Quilt not done
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Finish  Island Batik Christmas in July quilt.
  2. Work on 3 Yard Quilt
  3. Quilt Squirrel Quilt
  4. Tidy up and organize my Island Batik fabric
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

Donna, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, host a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week.

Piecing:

  1. 3 Yard Quilt. My cousin, Connie, kept talking about 3 yard quilts that her guild did. I looked at one of her patterns, cut it out and started sewing … Here are the fabrics I’m using (from my stash)

2. Summer Mystery Quilt: I will be hosting a mystery quilt here on the blog … I’m in the process of writing the pattern and sewing it. When it’s almost ready, I’ll announce the dates and all the details.

3. Island Batik Christmas in July quilt … I’m using an Accuquilt die and am loving how all of the pieces are cut perfectly!

Quilting:

  1. Squirrel is sandwiched and I have a plan for the quilting!

Upcoming Blog Hops

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to: