Month: March 2023

PHD in 2023: March Report

/ quiltinggail / 19 Comments

Did you decide to join us with PHD in 2023???

Are you determined to finish a bunch of UFOs and to NOT increase the number of quilts or projects on your UFO list???

Congratulations on making that choice!!!

Let’s re-visit Procrastination!

OK … this is me … today

This week I’ve been SEW busy, I honestly can’t believe where the time has gone!

First, it was working with the hosts of the SAHRR to choose the winners, contact the sponsors and just get everything organized. Finally, on Wednesday, the last piece was put into place. (see the list of winners below).

Then, I was attempting to finish 2 quilts before I leave for the retreat. Neither will get totally finished.

Next, I need to gather all the junk wonderful fabric and supplies that I want to take.

  • Project #1: cutting fabric, counting blocks, making sure that I have enough pieces (baby stars #2)
  • Same for Project #2. (X & Os)
  • Project #3 is ready. (haven’t touched it since I went to the last retreat!) (UFO – wallet)
  • Project #4 I need to figure out what thread I’m going to use for quilting … (Melodic Mystery)
  • Project #5. …. Really Gail, do you NEED to take 5 projects? But I will take the Island Batik catalogue quilt … just in case I run out of things to do!

This retreat has us doing our own cooking … so there was baking involved … and gathering food items.

I need clean clothes to take to the retreat – so there’s laundry to do …

So … what do I do now?

First, I need to take a deep breath and realize that I can’t do everything!!!

Prioritize what NEEDS to be done.

  • First, I can’t possibly finish the 2 quilts before I go. So they will have to wait.
  • My laundry must be done. I can’t take dirty clothes to a retreat when I’m surrounded by other people!
  • Do I really need to do the baking? Can I buy what I was going to bake? Of course I can!
  • Do I need to gather food items? Yes.
  • Do I need to prepare projects for the retreat? Absolutely!!!

My Tally Sheets

I finished 1 UFOs this month. It’s my SAHRR ’23!!! I’m in LOVE with this quilt! (it used Island Batik fabrics, Aurifil thread and Hobbs batting). You can read more about it HERE.

4 NEW starts were finished this month. The Little Green Apple Clam-Up bags, the bags for the guild, the Ruler Quilting Quilt and the Bargello Quilt. All used Island Batik fabrics, except for the bags for the guild.

If you want to keep track of your own progress, please feel free to download the 2023 Template.

template-2023Download

Here’s my Task Sheet of my UFOs. This helps me keep track of what I’ve accomplished and what I need to do.

You can download your own Task list from Ms P Designs HERE.

Linky Party

Show us your progress with your PHD in 2023!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef

SAHRR Winners!

Here’s a list of the winners! Congratulations to each one! And a special “Thank YOU” to all of the sponsors! We couldn’t have done it without your generous gifts!

  • Island Batik fat quarter bundle:  Mari @ Academic Quilter
  • Island Batik fat quarter bundle: Julie Ann @ Quilts and Costumes
  • Island Batik fat quarter bundle: Janice @ Sing Read Sew.com
  • Hobbs Wool Batt: Bernie @ Needle & Foot
  • Aurfil Thread:  Heather F
  • Oliso Mini Iron : Laura Kate @ Daily Fiber Fun
  • Pattern from For the Love of Geese (Denise): Dawn at Quilting by Dawn
  • Prairie Spirit Alpaca Pressing Mat: Diann at Little Penguin Quilts
  • Gift Certificate of choice from Chris: Carol @ Quilt Schmidt
  • Fat Quarter Shop Gift Certificate: Gretchen from Gretchen’s Little Quilts
  • MSQ Gift Certificate from Roseanne: Joy at The Joyful Quilter

And again, the picture of Roseanne, Anja, Gail & Emily doing the draw! We had the list, a random number generator and a fun time!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail PHD

Linking to:

Sunday Summation: March 26

/ quiltinggail / 10 Comments

SAHRR winners

Roseanne (top left), Anja (bottom left), me (top right) and Emily (bottom right) got together by zoom to choose the winners. We had the list of participants, the linky parties they joined, the list of prizes and a random number generator! It was fast, fun and great to “meet” each other!

      Not all winners have responded to me (I contacted them either in their email, blog comments or IG accounts) and they have until Monday evening to do so. If we haven’t heard from them by then, then we will be drawing for more winners. Here is who I’m waiting to hear from: (please email me at quiltinggail@yahoo.ca). Thank you! All other winners have been notified.

      • Janice from Sing Read Sew.com
      • Laura Kate – Daily Fiber Fun
      • Diann at Little Penguin Quilts

      If you know Janice, Laura Kate or Diann, please tell them to contact me! Thank you!

      One Gift a Month Challenge

      Days Filled with Joy is hosting this challenge. March’s gift is a Round Quilted Pot Holders. See HERE for the tutorial. And no, I haven’t started to think about what fabric I’m going to use!

      Now that March is almost over … I’m sort-of wondering if I’ll make this gift? I made 2 in February – so does that count? LOL!!!

      Stitching Stuff

      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!

      • January – February: 59/ 59
      • March: 26 /26
      • Percentage: 100%

      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!

      In the last 2 weeks, I’ve used 6 yards for the bargello quilt, 12.5 yards for the free motion ruler quilting quilt. and 2 yards for the “Little Green Apples”

      No further fabric purchases since my last report;

      • Fabric Used the past 2 weeks:  20.5 yards
      • Fabric Used in 2023:        51.5 yards from non-IB: 20
      • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
      • Fabric Added this year:     3 yards 
      • Net Fabric used:              48.5 yards 

      Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.

      To Do Tuesday

      Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.

      The To Do list from last week: I didn’t get a lot ticked off on my list … maybe this next week!

      1. Quilt Melodic Mystery. Not Done
      2. Quilt Gardenia. Not Done
      3. Quilt Chilhowie Not Done I started this – did a short demo of wild quilting at a guild function.
      4. Quilt Bird Panels. Not Done
      5. Quilt Nutcracker Not Done
      6. Start April IB project. √   DONE
      7. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). Not Done
      8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE
      9. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE

      This week’s list:

      The purple text items are my priority. If I get beyond those, I’ll be extremely happy!

      1. Pack for the upcoming retreat!
      2. Quilt Melodic Mystery.
      3. Quilt Gardenia.
      4. Quilt Chilhowie
      5. Quilt Bird Panels.
      6. Quilt Nutcracker
      7. Finish April IB project.
      8. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing).
      9. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
      10. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

      Design Wall

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

      Piecing:

      1. April IB project. in progress …
      2. ??? Maybe start May IB challenge
      3. ??? Maybe start June IB challenge (The fabric in the last photo)

      Quilting: These are all sandwiched and ready to quilt …

      • Melodic Mystery
      • Gardenia
      • Chilhowie – started
      • Nutcracker
      • Bird Panel

      Upcoming Blog Hops

      Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Say What? (my day is April 19)

      Island Batik May Challenge

      Just Let Me Quilt: Rose Colored Glasses (May)

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting! 
      Gail 

      Linking to:

      A Finish I can Finally tell you about!

      / quiltinggail / 35 Comments

      The May/June issue of McCalls Quilting is now on the magazine racks!

      The quilt arrived at my house the same day that I found the magazine in the grocery store!! This is a picture of the quilt that I took in mid-October, the day before it was sent to Colorado for it’s photo shoot.

      Island Batik fabrics are used for this quilt! Wild Blooms is the colourful fabrics and will be available in stores in May. The rich dark blue is “Ravine” and is perfect for setting off the star!

      If you want the pattern for this quilt, it is included in the magazine!

      Quilt Stats:

      • 68″ x 68″
      • Hobbs 80/20 is in the middle
      • Quilted with Aurifil Thread
      • The back is “Ravine,” an Island Batik basic.

      I was Featured!

      Jennifer, from Inquiring Quilter featured my SAHRR quilt! I was thrilled to see that 4 other SAHRR quilts were also featured! See THIS POST for more details

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting!    
      Gail 

      Linking to:

      March Island Batik Challenge: It’s All Up To You!

      / quiltinggail / 29 Comments

      This month’s challenge is to make something of our own choosing. I had SEW many ideas! The hardest part was choosing exactly what I wanted to do! I often do at least one extra Island Batik project each month, but this is a little different. I didn’t want the project to be suggested for a blog hop, but I wanted it to be something I’ve been wanting to do! SEW, I decided to do 2 different projects.

      #1 Bargello Quilt

      I was given a 2 1/2” strip set of Prairie Dreams. Isn’t it beautiful???? Island Batik also included 2 yards of Chalk and 2 yards of Slate.

      Prairie Dreams is available at: Creekside Quilts OR and JellyRollFabric.Net

      I had recently seen a number of different bargello quilts. I wanted it to have a random, scrappy look, so I arranged the strips in a manner that I thought was fun. I added (2) 2 1/2” strips of Chalk and a 6 1/2” strip of Slate. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of all the strips sewn together.

      Here’s a picture of some of the strips at the beginning.

      The strips were sewn into a loop. Then, I cut strips of various widths from 3″ to 1.” Then I arranged them on the design board, and “unstitched” one portion of each loop. Amazingly, I only had to re-sew one strip where I “unstitched” the wrong one!

      Here’s a close-up of the walking foot quilting. I just did a ‘straight-ish’ line through each block.

      If I was to make this quilt again, I would make the smallest cut 1 1/2” or 2″. The 1″ cuts were a bit small (for me!)

      Quilt Stats:

      • Size: 36″x 58″
      • Quilted: Walking Foot with Aurifil 2600
      • Hobbs Batting 80/20 is in the middle
      • Binding: Island Batik “Slate”, Thread: Aurifil 2785

      #2 Ruler Quilting

      I’ve been wanting to improve my ruler quilting and have had the Jewel Quilt book for quite some time with good intentions to follow the book’ ‘s directions and make this quilt.

      Prepping the fabric: I started out by cutting all of the fabric, using Island Batik solids with a different colour-way for each side of the quilt. Ghost is the only ‘non-solid’ that I used, but it reads as a solid. Then I sandwiched them with Hobbs Batting 80/20.

      Side #1 Side # 2
      grey ghost
      turquoise green
      pinkred
      cobalt dark grey
      fuchsiaorange

      After sandwiching each of the segments, I pressed them on both sides using my Prairie Spirit Alpacas pressing mat. It made them super smooth!

      Marking the blocks: I tested a water soluble marker and then marked the blocks.

      Here’s a picture of some of the first individual blocks in progress:

      This project used a LOT of thread. No, not a full cone, but I use this thread a LOT … it’s my favourite go-to and it goes with just about every single fabric!

      I used Aurifil Thread #2600, Dove Grey for all of the quilting. Schmetz Needles: 2 Microtex 80/12 were used for the quilting and binding. Why 2, you ask? Because about 3/4 of the way through, I could hear that ‘thud’ that indicates you need a new needle.

      It was actually pretty easy to use the rulers on the small pieces. Sort of like your sample sandwiches when you’re learning to quilt. HOWEVER, once the blocks were quilted, they needed to be assembled in a quilt-as-you-go manner. This involved HAND sewing. UGGG!!!! My hands can only handle hand sewing for about 15 minutes – so sewing the blocks together took a LONG time.

      Here is a picture of the scrappy binding being sewn on … only one Schmetz Needles Microtex Chrome 80/12 left … guess I might need to go shopping! (grin)

      Here is the finish on one side … If you look closely at the grey segments, you’ll notice that the upper and lower segments are slightly different than the right and left segments. I had to add some variety!

      And the finish on the opposite side. It’s totally reversible!

      And some close up pictures!

      I must admit, that I’m totally amazed that I quilted this quilt!!! It was certainly easier to do once I marked the fabrics. Generally, I’m a “no Mark” person and a “just go for it” person. But, it was certainly worth it!!

      Thank you!

      Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread and needles were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik,  Aurifil Thread,  Hobbs Batting,  Schmetz Needles, & Prairie Spirit Alpacas!!

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting!    
      Gail 

      Sew It – Show It: Little Green Apples

      / quiltinggail / 55 Comments

      In February, I made a puff quilt using Island Batik’s “Fruit and Veggies” fabric line. As I looked at the fabric, I knew, without a doubt, that I’d be using some of the fabric for this blog hop.

      The Clam UP pattern is a byAnnie pattern and I made the Large, Medium, Small and Extra-Small sizes.

      • Apples-Green Pineneedle (Large and Small outer)
      • Apples – Multi Blue Green (Medium and Extra-Small outer)
      • Dot – Teal Aqua (Lining)
      • Stone – Multi Blue Green (Various Tabs, Side Panel, bindings)
      • Cheerios – Multi Blue Green (Various Tabs, Side Panel, bindings)

      I thoroughly enjoyed using this fabric for this blog hop!!!

      Here they are in front of our first daffodil of the season!

      And sitting in the apple tree … without a single sign of a blossom!

      They nest inside each other !!

      Other bloggers!

      Here are the links to all the other bloggers participating in this hop! Be sure to visit each one as I’m 100% positive there will be a lot of creativity shown!

      MARCH 20

      MARCH 21

      MARCH 22

      MARCH 23

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting!    
      Gail 

      Sunday Summation: Mar. 19 ’23

      / quiltinggail / 28 Comments

      World Wide Quilting Day

      Yesterday was World Wide Quilting day … or International Quilting Day … or if you’re in the USA it was National Quilting Day. Whatever … a day to celebrate quilting.

      I hung out 5 quilts … all made with Island Batik fabrics! Thank you,  Island Batik,  Aurifil Thread,  and Schmetz Needles!!

      SAHRR

      The SAHRR ’23 has come to an end. For those that want to link to the Parade, the linky closes Monday at midnight. See THIS POST to link up. Later in the week the co-hosts and I will be meeting to randomly choose the winners of the generous gifts provided by our sponsors. We will all announce them afterwards.

      One Gift a Month Challenge

      Days Filled with Joy is hosting this challenge. March’s gift is a Round Quilted Pot Holders. See HERE for the tutorial. And no, I haven’t started to think about what fabric I’m going to use!

      Stitching Stuff

      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!

      • January – February: 59/ 59
      • March: 19 / 19
      • Percentage: 100%

      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!

      In the last 2 weeks, I’ve used 6.5 yards for the SAHRR and the same for Baby Stars … for a total of 13 yards.

      No further fabric purchases since my last report;

      • Fabric Used the past 2 weeks:     13 yards
      • Fabric Used in 2023:        31.5 yards from non-IB: 17
      • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
      • Fabric Added this year:     3 yards 
      • Net Fabric used:              28.5 yards 

      Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.

      To Do Tuesday

      Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.

      The To Do list from last week:

      1. Sandwhich Gardenia √   DONE
      2. Melodic Mystery: Sandwhich √   DONE
      3. Chilhowie: start quilting. √   DONE
      4. Quilt Bird Panels. Not Done
      5. Quilt Nutcracker. Not Done
      6. Finish March Island Batik Challenge. √   DONE
      7. Work on Little Green Apples blog hop project. √   DONE
      8. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing) Not Done
      9. Bind SAHRR ’23 √   DONE
      10. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE
      11. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE

      This week’s list:

      The purple text items are my priority. If I get beyond those, I’ll be extremely happy!

      1. Quilt Melodic Mystery
      2. Quilt Gardenia
      3. Quilt Chilhowie
      4. Quilt Bird Panels.
      5. Quilt Nutcracker
      6. Start April IB project
      7. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing)
      8. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
      9. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

      Design Wall

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

      Piecing:

      1. April IB project. (Opulent Orange and Golden Shrimp Plant Aurifil Thread)
      2. ??? Maybe start May IB project (secret fabric) or June IB challenge (Maple Island 10″ stack)

      Quilting: I have a LOT of quilts to quilt!

      • Melodic Mystery
      • Gardenia
      • Chilhowie
      • Nutcracker is ready to quilt
      • Bird Panel is ready to quilt

      Upcoming Blog Hops

      Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Little Green Apples (my day is tomorrow!)

      Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Say What? (my day is April 19)

      Island Batik: May Challenge: May 9

      Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Rose Colored Glasses

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting! 
      Gail 

      Linking to:

      A March Finish and TGIFF

      / quiltinggail / 19 Comments

      TGIFF

      TGIFF is Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday. There is a linky party every week.

      You can link up your FINISHED project here. The link opens at 2 PM (PST) and will remain until midnight (PST) on Saturday, March 18. I can’t wait to see your finishes!!

      You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

      Click here to enter
      https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef

      My TGIFF this week

      Earlier this week, I showed you a picture of my finished SAHRR ’23!

      I’m in LOVE with this quilt! It was so fun to host the SAHRR with 5 blogging friends! I couldn’t have done it without them!

      My blog post with the Parade of all of the finished (or almost finished) SAHRR can be found HERE. I started this quilt in the fall, and with the recent finish, it counts as one of my completed UFOs! YAY!!!

      Quilt Stats

      • Size: 48″ x 58″
      • Pieced and Quilted with Aurifil Thread #2311 – Muslin
      • Hobbs 80/20 batting inside
      • All pieced blocks and appliques were cut with Accuquilt dies
        • Go! Birds (BBQG guild)
        • Rose of Sharon. (BBQG guild)
        • Qube 8″ dies (my collection)
      • Fabric used: Baby Bloomers collection (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton) along with solid white

      I was Featured!

      Jennifer from Inquiring Quilter featured my Baby Stars quilt!

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting!    
      Gail 

      Linking to:

      SAHRR the Parade!

      / quiltinggail / 47 Comments

      If you need more information on the SAHRR … you can go to THIS POST.

      My Finished 2023 SAHRR

      I used the Island Batik fabrics from the Baby Bloomers collection (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton) along with solid white.

      When I had the guild’s Accuquilt, I originally cut out the birds and flowers for the centre block. I then proceeded to cut out more shapes. When I put in the coping strips, I purposely made them wide enough for the small appliqued shapes. Once the shapes were added, I then quilted the quilt, ensuring that the appliqued shapes were quilted into place. It was actually fun to do!

      Here’s a close up of some of the quilting! It was so fun to quilt!!!

      Now, you Need to go to the co-hosts blogs and see their quilts! Their links are in the schedule below.

      Linky Party

      Here’s the Linky party so you can see everyone’s Finished Quilts … or partially finished quilts! The Link party is open until midnight on March 20. A few days following, the SAHRR hosts are zoom meeting to choose the winners of the wonderful prizes provided by our sponsors.

      You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

      Click here to enter
      https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=c0efdbe6b4add43dd7ef

      Non-blogger’s Quilts

      This is what Jacomina had to say (she didn’t make it in time for the Round 6 blog post): “The squares within squares are made. The round is not yet fully ready. I used up the braid from the scrap bags first to add some filler rounds. Now I am very curious what you will make us do this week as that scrap bag has lots of strips already sewn together and it would be fun to use them too. By now it has become a triple challenge: the assigned blocks; the retirement ladies scrap bags; and my own green orange improv crumb blocks“

      Here’s what she said when she sent in the final picture: “Top done. Almost all from donated fabric or cuttings on my table so I will pass it on for donation. Hopefully someone will enjoy this mix of fabrics, blocks and focus on finding little gems in the scrappy blocks or the Thanksgiving border. I will also use donated fabric for the back and binding. Thanks for a fun challenge.”

      And then she sent a picture of her back! So fun!

      Ioleen’s has definitely a ‘heart-felt’ theme! She says “I will be adding a small border.” And the 2nd picture has the borders added!

      Charlene is loving hers! (Can you blame her? LOL)

      Here’s what Kathy P has to say, “have attached my row of pinwheels for this week.  It is always a fun block to do, versatile and has a lot of movement,  just digging thru my “grab” bag contents to find more colorful fabrics to put in my baby quilt top.  Now to tie them all together by next week.“

      Enclosed is a near final photo of my baby quilt that becoming a very large “baby” quilt.  Need to get the  upper section larger so it goes with the center panel.  I had set the hourglass block before the square in a square row info came out so that row works for both weeks.   I  substituted the “attic window” for a challenge instead, now to get the upper portion to fit the center panel.  Note to self:  “Chasing fabric when working from the grab bags makes the project  a lot harder.“

      Here’s what Heather has to say, “Thanks for a fun round Robin. Top is finished. Hope to quilt it in the next week or so “

      Here’s Chere’s! She says “Just enough fabric to finish!”

      Sarah says, “It’s a flimsy.  I really like how this came together.  The hourglass blocks have been exiled to the parts department, and I skipped the pinwheels.  This is supposed to be for my daughter for Christmas, but we’ll see.”

      Quilt Stats

      • Size: 48″ x 58″
      • Pieced and Quilted with Aurifil Thread #2311 – Muslin
      • Hobbs 80/20 batting inside
      • All pieced blocks and appliques were cut with Accuquilt dies
        • Go! Birds (BBQG guild)
        • Rose of Sharon. (BBQG guild)
        • Qube 8″ dies
      • Fabric used: Baby Bloomers collection (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton) along with solid white

      Our Wonderful Sponsors

      Here’s a list of the sponsors and their generous gifts!

      The Linky party for the 2023 SAHRR is open until March 20. Following that, the co-hosts and I will zoom together, use a number generator and choose who wins the wonderful gifts from our sponsors. We will announce the winners on our blogs.

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting!    
      Gail 


      A Finish … Baby Stars

      / quiltinggail / 21 Comments

      This quilt was finished quite a while ago for Island Batik’s catalogue. Quite awhile ago, I designed it, made it and sent it to California for it’s own photo shoot. Jerry Khiev of Island Batik always does a fabulous job with the photography and makes the quilts look fantastic!

      This was made with the Bamboo Blooms collection by Kathy Engle and to quote Island Batik’s Instagram post, “Inspired by the classic Asian motifs, the line features mums, cherry blossoms, and ginkgo leaf designs in a vibrant color palette of pink, magenta, blue, turquoise and green that are sure to make a statement.”

      It truly is a fabulous and fun collection.

      Bamboo Blooms is available at the following stores. The stores may have Strip Sets (2.5″ strips), Stacks (10″ squares) or yardage.

      • A Royal Quilt Shop: Longs, SC
      • Appletree Fabrics, Auburn, MA
      • Cotton & Chocolate: Sim Valley, CA
      • Creations Quilt Shop: Clouquet, MN
      • Pine Tree Quilt Shop: Salem, NH
      • Sew N Bee Cozy-AK: Seward, AK
      • Swifty Stitches-CA: Carmichael, CA

      Quilt Stats:

      • Size: 44″ x 44″
      • Cut with Accuquilt 8″ Qube dies
      • Pieced and Quilted with Aurifil Thread
      • Free Motion Quilted on my domestic Janome M7
      • Hobbs 80/20 batting is on the inside

      Quilt Pattern is available with both regular rotary cutting and Accuquilt directions. Please email me if you are interested (quiltinggail@yahoo.ca)

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting!    
      Gail 

      Linking to:

      Dust Off a Quilt Book

      / quiltinggail / 37 Comments

      Bea announced this annual blog hop in mid January and here’s what she has to say about it, “The theme is supposed to mean that you look at your shelf of quilt books and find an old one or one you haven’t used in a while and “dust it off” and then make something from the book, it could be that you like the block of a quilt but not the 80s colors or maybe you like the colors but not the quilt or the size or whatever, the book is just supposed to INSPIRE you to make something.”

      By the way, I don’t know if any of you follow Bea Lee (@ Bea Quilter) but she is a fabulous designer! If you have any Accuquilt dies, she has a plethora of them and most of her designs use them! She’s well worth following!

      Anyhow, back to the blog hop. I’m sure this is one of the first books that I purchased after I graduated from nursing school and was newly married. I’m sure I’ve looked at it several times, I’ve never made anything from it … until now!

      This book was published in 1979. And the promise of an 8 Hour quilt was appealing.

      I had a 10″ stack of this beautiful Island Batik fabric collection called “Constellation” and I’ve been dying to open it and start to use it! I was also given 2 yards of “Ice” that co-ordinated with this stack and I used it as well.

      True to how I make quilts, I didn’t follow the directions … I made rectangles using the 10″ squares and squared them to 9″. I also did not sew a 3/8″ or 1/2″ seams … I sewed a 1/4″ seam. I didn’t miter the corners of the borders and I didn’t use muslin. I also did not ‘envelope’ the quilt … I sandwiched it in my usual manner.

      However, this was used for inspiration for a quilt for this blog hop!

      I have no idea if this quilt took me 8 hours to make! I usually work on a couple of projects at the same time, but I do know that the top was put together easily in an afternoon … along with other projects being sewn! It was quilted and bound in an afternoon … so it might have taken me less than 8 hours!

      Close-ups of the quilting. I used Silly Moon “Twinkle” for ruler quilting the stars and meandered between them.

      Quilt Stats:

      • Size: 42″ square
      • Fabrics: Island Batik “Constellation” and “Ice”
      • Piecing and Quilting: Aurifil #2600 (Dove Grey)
      • Quilting Rulers: Silly Moon “Twinkle”
      • Batting: Hobbs 80/20
      • Binding: Fabric: “Harbour” and Aurifil 2775 (Steel Blue)

      Blogs to see!

      March 6th

      March 7th

      March 8th

      March 9th

      March 10th

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting!    
      Gail 

      Sunday Summation: March 5 ’23

      / quiltinggail / 14 Comments

      SAHRR

      Have you been following the Stay At Home Round Robin? Last week was Round #6: Pinwheels. I’m using fabric collection “Baby Bloomers”  (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton). I absolutely LOVE the fabrics in this collection! On March 13, we will have a parade of all the SAHRR quilts! It’ll be fun to see all the different ones!

      One Gift a Month Challenge

      Days Filled with Joy is hosting this challenge. March’s gift is a Round Quilted Pot Holders. See HERE for the tutorial.

      Here’s my January and February gifts:

      Stitching Stuff

      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!

      • January – February: 59/ 59
      • March: 5 / 5
      • Percentage: 100%

      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!

      In the last 2 weeks, I’ve used 6 yards for the star quilt, 1/2 yard for the heart pouches and 2 yards for the bags …

      I’d be lying if this meme was still true! I needed backing. I knew exactly what I needed an my husband went and picked it up … so (maybe) I could technically say I haven’t bought any fabric yet this year … but in reality, I did send my husband to the store for it!

      • Fabric Used this week:     8.5 yards
      • Fabric Used in 2023:        18.5 yards from non-IB: 14.5
      • Fabric Bought this week:   3 yards
      • Fabric Added this year:     3 yards 
      • Net Fabric used:              24 yards 

      Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.

      To Do Tuesday

      Carol from Quilt Schmilt is now hosting “To Do” every week.

      The To Do list from last week:

      1. Finish Gardenia to flimsy stage. √   DONE
      2. Melodic Mystery: Finish top. √   DONE
      3. Chilhowie: start quilting. Not Done
      4. Quilt Bird Panels Not Done
      5. Quilt Nutcracker Not Done
      6. Start March Island Batik Challenge. √   DONE
      7. Start Dust off a Quilt Book project. √   DONE. and blog post written
      8. Work on Little Green Apples blog hop project. √   DONE
      9. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE
      10. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE

      This week’s list:

      For me, this list is big … it’s what’s on my To Do list, but the ones with purple text are my priority. If I get beyond those, I’ll be extremely happy!

      1. Sandwhich Gardenia
      2. Melodic Mystery: Sandwhich
      3. Chilhowie: start quilting.
      4. Quilt Bird Panels
      5. Quilt Nutcracker
      6. Finish March Island Batik Challenge.
      7. Work on Little Green Apples blog hop project.
      8. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing)
      9. Bind SAHRR ’23
      10. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
      11. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

      Design Wall

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

      Piecing:

      1. Little Green Apples blog hop project
      2. March Island Batik project.

      Quilting:

      • Chilhowie
      • Nutcracker is ready to quilt
      • Bird Panel is ready to quilt

      Upcoming Blog Hops

      Beaquilter: Dust off a Quilt Book (Mar 7)

      Just Let Me Quilt: Little Green Apples (March)

      Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Say What? (my day is April 19)

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting! 
      Gail 

      Linking to:

      Ohhh … a Friday Finish for March 3

      / quiltinggail / 16 Comments

      I actually have 23 finishes for today! What???? 23 you ask???

      Well, yes. The guild has requested that members make small bags for our guild show in 2024. I went through some of my stash and found fabric that absolutely does not go with any other fabric that I have. I cut out the bags, marked the opening lines and used the bags as a ‘leader and ender’ project. It actually didn’t seem to take long to make them as they were done while I was working on other projects!

      Scissors

      Do you have good sewing scissors? I used to, but over the years, they have become “not so good.” Maybe from cutting paper patterns when cutting out fabric? Maybe someone ‘borrowed’ them without my knowledge. Whatever the reason … they are not like they should be.

      One day in January, I was teaching at Essem and they had received some scissors. The price was very good and I thought I’d give them a try! Well, they are absolutely FANTASTIC!!!! They cut through fabric, like butter. So very smooth and very sharp!

      I don’t see the scissors on the website, but I know if you contact them, they can send you some!

      I’ll be Teaching

      On March 25, I’ll be teaching “Hugs and Kisses” at Essem. Phone or email them to reserve your spot in the class! You can read more about this quilt HERE.

      Winner of Island Batik Fabric

      When I posted my February Island Batik Puff Quilt, (see HERE), I said I would have a give-away.

      Today, I used a random generator and it chose #33, which is Carol. I have sent her an email and the fabric will be shipped to her within the next week.

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting! 
      Gail 

      Linking to: