Here’s what Island Batik had to tell us about this Blog Hop:

Aurifil is proud to sponsor the September challenge – Threaded ChaosBlog Hop! This challenge is all about crazy quilts, texture, creativity, and, of course, lots of thread – because crazy quilts are known for their rich, decorative stitching. A crazy quilt is a truly artistic creation, featuring irregularly shaped fabric pieces sewn together in an asymmetrical, freeform design. One of its most distinctive elements is the use of decorative embroidery stitches along the seams, adding intricate details and embellishments. Common stitches include feather stitch, herringbone, and chain stitch, among many others. Beyond stitching, crazy quilts are often adorned with appliqué, lace, ribbons, beads, and even personal memorabilia, making each piece deeply expressive and sentimental. With no strict patterns or rules, these quilts are a favorite for quilters who love to experiment and let their creativity run wild! Are you ready to embrace the chaos and stitch something spectacular? Join us for this thread-filled adventure!

I was pretty excited when I initially saw the fabric collection and got to choose which 4 Aurifil threads I wanted. These are the threads I chose:

• #2880 Pale Green
• #2110 Light Lemon
• #5005 Bright Turquoise
• #2525 Dusty Blue Violet

Now, can you blame me for being excited? I received Fossil Finesse, Designed by Kathy Engle and it will be shipping to shops in September. It was paired with 2 yards of Baby Powder (from Naturally Neutrals) and 2 yards of Jasper-Teal Bermuda from the Fossil Finesse collection. Isn’t it absolutely beautiful??? !!!!

Here’s a picture of the 2 quilts I made. (See below for details!) Each quilt used all 20 of the fabrics!

Quilt #1

Here’s the start of Quilt #1 (with the light sashing). I layered 4 fabrics and cut with straight lines. Then I sewed them onto 12″ squares of Hobbs Batting Heirloom Natural Cotton with Scrim, using a stitch and flip method. When the blocks were all done, I sized them to 10″. I laid them out on the design wall.

I used a variety of different stitches and threads on each of the blocks. The blocks were sashed with the Baby Powder neutral. Once the backing was made, I anchored the backing to the front using decorative stitches and a huge variety of Aurifil Threads. Yes, I am lucky to have a fantastic assortment of Aurifil! And thankfully, Aurifil supplied me with 4 new colours! I used 16 various threads in the top!

The back:

A scrappy binding completed the quilt:

Quilt #2

Then I got to thinking??? Could I do the same thing with curves instead of straight lines?? I know, it’s dangerous to think about it too much!

Again, I layered 4 fabrics of 10″ squares. I made the first curved cut and sewed them together. This time, I had cut 10″ squares from various fabrics in the collection and did a true Quilt As You Go. Once I had the first seam down, I realized that it would be almost impossible to do a second curved cut, so each block ended up having only 3 fabrics. Unfortunately, I didn’t take any photos of the individual steps that I took.

I chose Island Batik’s black solid fabric for the sashing and only 4 of the lighter threads. They showed up so well on the black sashing!

Here is the back of the ‘curved’ quilt. I used the solid black to bind the quilt and various decorative stitches with the 50 weight varigated green thread to hold the binding down. It worked out great!

And the front!

Quilt Stats: Quilt #1

• Size: 46.5″ x 58″
• Fabric: Island Batik: “Fossil Finesse” by Kathy Engle and “Baby Powder” (neutral)
• Hobbs Batting: Heirloom Natural Cotton Batting
• Aurifil Thread:
  • Piecing: 50 weight: #2600 (Dove Grey)
  • Quilting: 50 weight: #5832 ( ), #4647 (Variegated Berrylicious), #2110 (Light Lemon), #2880 (Pale Green), #1148 (Light Jade), #2835 (Medium Mint), #4129 (Turf Green), #5005 (Bright Turquoise), #2783 (Medium Delft Blue), #2510 (Light Lilac), #2805 (Light Grey Turquoise), #2581 (Dark Dusty Grape), #2525 (Dusty Blue Violet), #2815 (Teal), #4660 (Variegated Pink Taffy)
  • Quilting: 40 weight: #4654 (Variegated Turquoise Foam)
• Schmetz Needles: Universal 80/12
• Oliso Iron

Quilt Stats: Quilt #2

• Size: 46.5″ x 58″
• Fabric: Island Batik: “Fossil Finesse” by Kathy Engle and solid black
• Hobbs Batting: Heirloom Natural Cotton Batting
• Aurifil Thread:
  • Piecing: 50 weight: #2600 (Dove Grey)
  • Quilting: 50 weight: #2110 (Light Lemon), #2880 (Pale Green), #2510 (Light Lilac),
  • Quilting: 40 weight: #4654 (Variegated Turquoise Foam)
• Schmetz Needles: Universal 80/12
• Oliso Iron

Thank you!

Thank you to the generosity of Island Batik and Industry partners! They have supplied the products for free as my role as an Island Batik Ambassador! Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles, and Oliso Iron

Island Batik Ambassadors

Visit the other Island Batik Ambassadors to see what they made this month:

• Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs
• Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting
• Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts Studio
• Tina Dillard – Quilting Affection Designs

• Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany
• Kimberly Flannagan – Kimberly Quilts
• Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
• Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts

• Kim Jamieson-Hirst ~ Chatterbox Quilts
• Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs
• Connie Kresin Campbell ~ Freemotion by the River
• Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
• Denise Looney ~ A Quiltery

• Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights
• Susan Michaels – Dragonfly Fiberart Patterns
• Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
• Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique

• Gail Sheppard – you are HERE!!!
• Carol Stanek ~ Stitch with Color
• Solomae Stoycoff – Cuddle Cat Quiltworks Blog
• Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
• Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail