Sunday Summary: November 30

So yes, I’m back. Breaking 2 ribs was quite the shock! I wallowed in self-pity for awhile, but one kind soul said, “It’s better than the alternative.” So very true! And …. I must thank each one of you for your kind wishes!

I have been able to go for walks and quilt. Both are very beneficial for my mental health! I still have pain and need to be careful with reaching and lifting. And laughing still hurts a LOT! However, I can cut fabric (in small doses) and can sew! I have another x-ray next week and hopefully, I will be able to do more!!

Now, back to our regular blog chatter:

There is a bit of progress on the quilt … Week 1 – 6 are done. I had been procrastinating Week 6. I didn’t like the thought of doing flying geese stars without doing the no-waste method. So, I thought I could do a friendship star instead. It worked perfectly. You can access the Mystery HERE.

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!

The amount of sewing I’ve done this month is way less than usual. But that’s OK. I’m on the mend!

  • January – October: 287 / 297days
  • November: 15 / 30 days
  • Total: 302 / 327 92%

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Laundry Basket Mystery: Weeks 7, 8 & 9
  • Finish a Test quilt for Songbird Designs
  • Work on a Test quilt for MMM Designs
  • Work on Island Batik’s December Project

Quilting projects: none at the moment.

Yvonne, from Quilting Jetgirl host a link party each month with favourite finishes. I’ve only had one finish this month, so unlike other months, it wasn’t a hard decision!

Do you want an opportunity to win some awesome Island batik fabric from Lumin Fabrics? Go to THIS LINK and vote for YOUR favourite quilt!

See all of the quilts up close together in one post before voting HERE.

Last day to vote is December 1st! Winners of the contest will be announced on December 2nd on Lumin Fabrics Instagram and Facebook pages. Good luck!

WIPS-B-Gone has ended and I obviously did not complete it!! Next year!

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!

I did finish my November Island Batik project. You can read about it HERE. It used 12 yards of fabric.

  • Fabric used since my last report: 12 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     214 yards. {72 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    28.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:             185.5 yards

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

To Do from last week ago:

  1. Laundry Basket Mystery: Weeks 6 √   DONE 7, 8, 9 XX not done XX
  2. Make 5 grab bags for the guild √   DONE
  3. Island Batik November Challenge √   DONE
  4. Continue to work on a Test quilt for Songbird Designs in progress
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE.
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for this week:

  1. Laundry Basket Mystery: 7, 8 & 9. maybe ….
  2. Finish Island Batik December Challenge
  3. Continue to work on a Test quilt for Songbird Designs
  4. Work on a Test Quilt for mmmquilts
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Linking to:  

Timeless Traditions Blog Hop

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

  • Project Type: Quilt
  • Size: Lap or larger
  • Fabric: Must use Summer 2025 fabric bundle
  • Must use as many collection SKUs as possible
  • Technique: Traditionally pieced and any other technique you want to include – applique, foundation pieced if applicable. Must use a minimum of 5 different blocks in your quilt
    • Four Patch Quilt Block 
    • Nine Patch Quilt Block
    • Half Square Triangle Block
    • Quarter Square Triangle Block
    • Friendship Star Block
    • Flying Geese Quilt Block
    • Variable Star Quilt Block
    • Ohio Star Quilt Block
    • Nine Patch Chain Quilt Block
    • Pinwheel Mosaic Quilt Block

I received a “Surprise” package that contained my Summer ’25 bundle. I hadn’t looked it up, so it was a total surprise to me when I opened it!

Here’s what I found when I opened the Surprise bundle:

Isn’t it gorgeous?? This collection is Garden Gate (a Kate Colleran original) and the 2 yard accompanying fabrics are Sparkles-Multi Pink Yellow and Gravel-Purple Regal, both from the collection.

I planned the quilt in EQ8. The blocks I chose to make: All of them are 9″ square, except for the 9 patch that finishes at 3″ square.

  • Friendship Star
  • Pinwheel Mosaic (paper pieced)
  • Pinwheel (paper pieced)
  • Friendship Star Variation
  • Double Pinwheel Whirls (paper pieced)
  • Ohio Star
  • Ohio Star Variation (paper pieced)
  • 9 patch

along with a tiny 9 patch as corner stones:

And yes, there was an “Opps” block … I wasn’t following the colours on the paper piecing … this was suppose to be a pinwheel in the centre …

Here’s a picture of the layout on the design wall before I had all the blocks made:

When I paper pieced, I printed out one set templates for each block and re-used them. I paper piece without sewing on the papers.

Quilting in progress on my domestic machine (Janome M7).

And without further rambling, here is the finished quilt:

And closeups of the custom quilting of each block:

Quilt Stats:

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, Oliso Iron

Island Batik Ambassadors

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Not a Sunday Summary: November 2

Last week, while walking my grand-dog, I fell, HARD. It took several days before I could get into see the doctor. After an examination and x-rays, it was determined that I have 2 cracked / broken ribs on my right side. Consequently, I was informed that I was to rest and not do anything for the next 4-6 weeks.

Well, how boring is that?

However, I have discovered that I am able to sew without pain for short periods of time. The hardest part is standing up after sitting. Pressing with my mini Oliso (M3Pro) is still within my ability for small pieces, for a very short period of time.

Yup, I know, I’m not following my doctor’s orders very well. But, don’t they say that nurses make the worst patients?

All of this to say, I’m going to step back from blogging and sewing like a mad woman! My November project for the Island Batik Timeless Treasures Blog Hop will go live on the 11th. You can see the Blog Hop schedule HERE. I hope to continue posting my fellow ambassador’s projects on Facebook and Instagram.

I will be slowly working on my December Island Batik project … and most of my other projects will be put on hold.

Hopefully, I will be back in the saddle and quilting to my heart’s content in 4-6 weeks.

Thank you for understanding!

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Timeless Traditions Blog Hop

Island Batik (Lumin Fabrics) is hosting the Summer 2025 Blog Hop, featuring all of the new collections! Each one is gorgeous!! Make sure that you follow each of the ambassadors and see the quilt that they made for the Timeless Traditions Blog Hop!

November 3: 

November 4: 

Preeti Harris @ Sew Preeti Quilts

November 5: 

November 6: 

November 7:

(Island Batik posts: Blog Hop Week 1 Round Up + giveaway)

WEEK 2

November 10: 

November 11: 

November 12: 

November 13: 

November 14:

(Island Batik posts: Blog Hop Week 2 Round Up + giveaway)

WEEK 3

November 17: 

Lisa Pickering @ Lisa’s Quilting Passion

November 18: 

Connie Kauffman @ Kauffman Designs

November 19: 

November 20: 

November 21:

(Island Batik: End of Blog Hop + Final Round Up)

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!