Author: quiltinggail

I tested the Arabesque pattern

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

I know you’re wondering what the Arabesque pattern is!

Sandra Walker of mmmquilts asked me to test the pattern. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I love to test patterns. Sandra said that this quilt was her SAHRR (Stay at Home Round Robin) from this year. However, it looks totally different than mine! (You can see it HERE). It’s really hard to believe that it was the same round robin!

Now, Sandra’s finished quilt is quite dramatic and beautiful. Don’t you agree?

When Sandra asked, she suggested that the first 5 rounds would make a nice baby quilt, so that’s what I did!

I went to my stash and picked out the fabrics for the centre block and cut each round as I needed. This allowed me to use my stash and move fabrics around as I saw fit (or had sufficient fabric for). I have the first 5 rounds of the quilt done and am in the process of deciding on the backing. The binding will be the purple that I used for the centre square.

With the colours I chose, my quilt is not as dramatic as Sandra’s, but I think it’s quite pretty and will make a lovely baby quilt!

Carol, from Quilt Schmilt, also tested the pattern. She plans to make all the rounds, but first has to have a date with Jack the Ripper before she finishes it. Isn’t she brave to post a quilt that has a mistake in it? Visit Quilt Schmilt to see her version!

Where can you get the pattern?

You can go to Sandra’s Etsy shop and purchase it HERE. It will be on sale for $10 until Monday, December 8.

OR …. you post a comment here on my blog by midnight Sunday (Pacific time) and I will do a random draw on Monday and Sandra will send you the pattern for free. That gives you just over 24 hours to post a comment!

Other news

Usually, in the spring, Sandra offers a free sew-a-long!! I have done several and LOVE each one!! She is planning on doing another, so I suggest you go to her blog and follow her so that you don’t miss out! It will run from  April 3 through June 15, 2026. And there is a rumour that this year it might be a mystery quilt.

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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: November 30

/ quiltinggail / 24 Comments

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:

Laundry Basket Mystery Quilt Progress

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.

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!

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.

Favourite Finish of the Month

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!

End of Timeless Treasures Blog Hop

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

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

Sunday Stash

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

To Do

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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Timeless Traditions Blog Hop

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

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!

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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Not a Sunday Summary: November 2

/ quiltinggail / 44 Comments

A bit about me …

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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Timeless Traditions Blog Hop

/ quiltinggail / 3 Comments

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)

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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Sunday Summary: October 26

/ quiltinggail / 17 Comments

Left-overs

Left-overs made into 2 zipper pouches and a placemat. The placemat will go to Meals on Wheels for their Christmas delivery. You can read more about them on THIS POST.

One of my Patterns

In early September, Teresa emailed me asking if I had the pattern for “Ivan’s Diamonds.” In a very short period of time, Teresa had paid for the pattern and quickly made it. She sent me pictures of her quilt … Isn’t it gorgeous? And the quilting is perfect!! Thank you Teresa for allowing me to share your pictures!

Laundry Basket Mystery Quilt Progress

There is a bit of progress on the quilt … Week 1 – 5 are done. I’ve been procrastinating Week 6. The thought of making all those flying geese cutting small pieces does not interest me. I just might skip a row! I haven’t decided yet! You can access the Mystery HERE.

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 – September: 262 / 272 days
  • Oct: 25 / 25 days
  • Total: 288 / 298 96%

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 6?, 7, 8 & 9
  • Work on a Test quilt for Songbird Designs

Quilting projects:

  • Island Batik November Challenge

WIPS-B-GONE

So far, I’m doing good!! My picture shows an orange petal each day that I clean for 15 minutes and the rest of the time is spent sewing … (the petals do not represent the exact time … but when I clean, I set my timer for 15 minutes and I stop when it goes off! [Leanne of Devoted Quilter has a fun way to track your progress. This is for October and November. You can download a form to colour in each day as you work your way through. You can go to Instagram and click on her post HERE ]

This is my current list of WIPS. I’d love to have them all finished by the end of WIPS-B-GONE!!

  • scraps from Splish Splash – done
  • 5 grab bags for guild
  • 5 Dove bags for guild
  • scraps from byAnnie bag
  • November Island Batik project
  • December Island Batik project
  • Test quilt for Songbird Designs

Sunday Stash

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!

The placemat and zipper bags used a yard.

  • Fabric used in the last week: 1 yard
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     202 yards. {68 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    28.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              168.5 yards

To Do

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

To Do from last week ago:

  1. Laundry Basket Mystery: Weeks 5,√   DONE 6 & 7. XX not done XX
  2. Piecing scraps of Splish Splash (see here) for something. √   DONE
  3. Continue working on 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: 6??? & 7, 8 & 9
  2. Make 5 grab bags for the guild
  3. Quilt Island Batik November Challenge
  4. Continue to work on a Test quilt for Songbird Designs
  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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

A Left-Over Friday

/ quiltinggail / 13 Comments

When I made the ‘Splish Splash’ quilt, I had a few partial blocks left- over. (See HERE to read more about this quilt).

I’m really trying to use up the left-overs in a somewhat timely manner. It doesn’t always work, but in this case, I made a placemat and 2 zipper pouches as leaders and enders as I worked on my November Island Batik (Lumin Fabrics) challenge.

The fabrics are from “Splish Splash”. The inside of the placemat and the larger zipper pouch is scraps of Hobbs Thermore and the smaller zipper pouch has scraps of Hobbs 80/20.

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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: October 19

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

Christmas Train

The train is done! And Rudolph is the driver!

Laundry Basket Mystery Quilt Progress

There is a bit of progress on the quilt … Week 1 – 4 are done. Week 5 is in progress! For Week 6, I need to make 96 small flying geese. Below is the current progress showing some of Week 5. You can access the Mystery HERE. No further progress …

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 – September: 262 / 272 days
  • Oct: 19 / 19 days
  • Total: 281 / 291 96%

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 5, 6 & 7
  • Piecing scraps of Splish Splash (see here) for something.
  • Starting Island Batik November Challenge
  • Work on a Test quilt for Songbird Designs

Quilting projects: none

WIPS-B-GONE

So far, I’m doing good!! My picture shows an orange petal each day that I clean for 15 minutes and the rest of the time is spent sewing … (the petals do not represent the exact time … but when I clean, I set my timer for 15 minutes and I stop when it goes off! [Leanne of Devoted Quilter has a fun way to track your progress. This is for October and November. You can download a form to colour in each day as you work your way through. You can go to Instagram and click on her post HERE ]

Sunday Stash

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!

The byAnnie bag used a total of 3 yards!

  • Fabric used in the last week: 2.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     201 yards. {67 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    28.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              167.5 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the a few weeks ago:

  1. Laundry Basket Mystery: Weeks 5, 6 & 7. XX not done XX
  2. Christmas Train: need to finish borders and “driver”, sandwich and quilt. √   DONE
  3. Piecing scraps of Splish Splash (see here) for something. in progress
  4. Starting Island Batik November Challenge in progress
  5. Work on a Test quilt for Songbird Designs in progress
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE.
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for this week:

  1. Laundry Basket Mystery: Weeks 5, 6 & 7.
  2. Piecing scraps of Splish Splash (see here) for something.
  3. Continue working on Island Batik November Challenge
  4. Continue to work on a Test quilt for Songbird Designs
  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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: October 12

/ quiltinggail / 18 Comments

Sew Stylish Challenge with byAnnie

My bag is finished and I’m in LOVE ♥️ . You can read about it HERE.

Christmas Train

The borders are going on the Christmas train that Simina from Essem convinced me that I needed to make. I’m figuring out the who or what the driver of the train will be …

Laundry Basket Mystery Quilt Progress

There is a bit of progress on the quilt … Week 1 – 4 are done. Week 5 is in progress! For Week 6, I need to make 96 small flying geese. Below is the current progress showing some of Week 5. You can access the Mystery HERE

Magnificent Mystery Progress

September and October Clues are done. You can access the mystery HERE.

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 – August: 269 / 279 days
  • Oct: 12 / 12 days
  • Total: 279 / 289 96 %

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 5, 6 & 7
  • Christmas Train: need to finish piecing the top
  • Piecing scraps of Splish Splash (see here) for something.
  • Starting Island Batik November Challenge
  • Work on a Test quilt for Songbird Designs

Quilting projects: none – unless I get the train quilt sandwiched.

Sunday Stash

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!

The byAnnie bag used a total of 3 yards!

  • Fabric used in the last week: 3 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     198.5 yards. {64.5 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    28.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              165 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the a few weeks ago:

  1. October Island Batik Challenge. … it’s in progress, but it’s SLOW going!!! VERY SLOW!!! This needs to be a priority for me!! √   DONE
  2. Magnificent Mystery: Finish trimming September clue, work on October’s clue √   DONE
  3. Work on Laundry Basket Quilt Mystery: Weeks 5, & 6 in progress
  4. Work on Christmas Train quilt √   DONE
  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: Weeks 5, 6 & 7
  2. Christmas Train: need to finish borders and “driver”, sandwich and quilt.
  3. Piecing scraps of Splish Splash (see here) for something.
  4. Starting Island Batik November Challenge
  5. Work on a Test quilt for Songbird Designs
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

WIPS-B-GONE

So far, I’m doing good!! My picture shows an orange petal each day that I clean for 15 minutes and the rest of the time is spent sewing … (the petals do not represent the exact time … but when I clean, I set my timer for 15 minutes and I stop when it goes off! [Leanne of Devoted Quilter has a fun way to track your progress. This is for October and November. You can download a form to colour in each day as you work your way through. You can go to Instagram and click on her post HERE ]

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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sew Stylish Challenge with ByAnnie

/ quiltinggail / 19 Comments

ByAnnie generously provided me with my chosen pattern and all the necessary hardware to make Switchback. The only criteria for choosing a bag was to make sure it had an Add-On Video!

Here’s a picture of everything I received from ByAnnie!

Before I began, I pressed all the fabrics with my wonderful Oliso m3pro iron!!! I LOVE this iron for quilting and used it during the making of Switchback when I needed to press a seam.

ByAnnie patterns come with a label sheet so you can label all of your cut pieces. This makes gathering the specific components easy. It is VERY important to do this. It saves lots of re-measuring and prevents future headaches. The picture below is of all my cut & labelled pieces. I pin these onto my design wall for easy access.

For the quilting, I did a wavy stitch with my walking foot. I used the same thread in the bobbin as in the top, that’s why you can see the quilting on the lining. The 2nd picture shows most of the quilted and cut pieces. Yes, I used a Schmetz needle! The 4th picture is close to the end … lots of clips to hold pieces in place! Unfortunately, I neglected to take other pictures as I went along.

Here are some pictures of the inside of the bag: Lots of pockets and extra hardware for keys or a carabiner. The 3rd pictures shows the extra hardware being used for extra security for the bag.

The Switchback can be worn as a backpack, an over-the-shoulder bag or as a cross-body bag.

Here is a picture of the finished bag! I’m loving it!

Bag Stats:

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, ByAnnie, Aurifil Thread, Schmetz Needles, and 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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: October 6

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

Oh dear!!! I sincerely hope this is not me!!! (but it could be …)

Teal Finish

I did finally finish this quilt. You can read about it HERE.

Christmas Train

I have started the Christmas train that Simina from Essem convinced me that I needed to make. It’s webbed together, but there’s still a ways to go!

Laundry Basket Mystery Quilt Progress

There is a bit of progress on the quilt … Week 1 – 4 are done. Weeks 5 & 6 are still not started. Soon! You can access the Mystery HERE

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 – August: 262 / 272 days
  • Oct: 5 / 5 days
  • Total: 267 / 277 96 %

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 5 & 6
  • Christmas Train: need to finish piecing the top
  • Meadow Mist’s Magnificent Mystery: Still need to finish trimming the September blocks. Need to work on October blocks. You can access the Mystery HERE.
  • Island Batik October project: byAnnie bag. The pictures below show the fabric and I’m making the Switchback bag.

Quilting projects: none!

Sunday Stash

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!

The Teal quilt used 5 yards of fabric.

  • Fabric used in the last week: 5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     195.5 yards. {64.5 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    28.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              162 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the a few weeks ago:

  1. Finish Quilting Rainbow Scrap Challenge –  Teal blocks. √   DONE
  2. Make a decision regarding September’s Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Pastel blue & green. XX NOT DONE XX
  3. Start on October Island Batik Challenge. in progress
  4. Work on Magnificent Mystery: Finish September clue, work on October’s clue in progress
  5. Work on Laundry Basket Quilt Mystery: Week 3 & 4 √   DONE Week 5 XX NOT DONE XX
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for this week:

  1. October Island Batik Challenge. … it’s in progress, but it’s SLOW going!!! VERY SLOW!!! This needs to be a priority for me!!
  2. Magnificent Mystery: Finish trimming September clue, work on October’s clue
  3. Work on Laundry Basket Quilt Mystery: Weeks 5, & 6
  4. Work on Christmas Train quilt
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

WIPS-B-GONE

I’m off to a flying start with this!! My picture shows an orange petal each day that I clean for 15 minutes and the rest of the time is spent sewing … (the petals do not represent the exact time … but when I clean, I set my timer for 15 minutes and I stop when it goes off! [Leanne of Devoted Quilter has a fun way to track your progress. This is for October and November. You can download a form to colour in each day as you work your way through. You can go to Instagram and click on her post HERE ]

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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

A Teal Finish

/ quiltinggail / 13 Comments

Well, teal isn’t exactly a fall colour, but it is a finish!!

This started out as a Rainbow Scrap Challenge for August … although she called for Aqua. I asked Google what the difference was and Google said, “Aqua is a light, bright blue-green color, while teal is darker, more muted blue-green color with a greenish undertone.” Whatever … close enough in my book, plus mine is scrappy, so anything close goes!

I used 2 different teals for the half-square triangles and the squares were all scrappy teals and aqua (LOL!). The binding is scrappy and my teal container is almost empty!!! WOW!!! In some ways, that is sad because it’s a favourite colour of mine! But, in another way, it’s good: I’m using up stash!

Here’s a picture of the quilting … and yes, the quilting was all free-motion on my domestic sewing machine … that’s why you can see so many inconsistencies in the swirls. I used Silly Moon’s “Rocket” for the straight lines through the squares.

Quilt Stats:

WIPS-B-GONE

Do you have lots of WIPS (Works in Progress)? If so, Leanne of Devoted Quilter has a fun way to track your progress. This is for October and November. You can download a form to colour in each day as you work your way through. You can go to Instagram and click on her post HERE and she will send you the link to the downloads. She also sends out motivational emails each Monday to inspire you to keep working on your WIPS.

I’m joining her this year. Not only am I going to work on my quilting projects, but I’m going to work on tidying up my sewing room. It’s a MESS!!! I’ve chosen the 6 petal flower to track my progress and one petal each day is for 15 minutes of concentrated tidying. Here’s a few pictures of the current status of my sewing studio:

Favourite Finish for September!

I’m linking to Quilting Jetgirl’s Favourite Finish of the Month. As always, it’s HARD to choose a favourite!! I need to choose between these 2 quilts. The first is the Curved Crazy Quilt that I did for the Island Batik Blog hop (see HERE) and the 2nd is the Splish Splash quilt that I did for a wedding gift.

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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: September 28

/ quiltinggail / 10 Comments

Splish Splash

Yes, I finally finished this quilt. It took a LONG time to quilt, but I enjoyed every minute of it! You can read all the details HERE.

Christmas Train

I have started the Christmas train that Simina from Essem convinced me that I needed to make. I’ve started webbing it together.

Laundry Basket Mystery Quilt Progress

There is a bit of progress on the quilt … Week 1 & 2 are done, Week 3 is started (the flying geese) and Weeks 4 & 5 will be started soon. You can access the Mystery HERE

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 – August: 238 / 242 days
  • Sept: 22/ 28 days
  • Total: 260 / 270 96 %

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 3, 4 & 5 (1 & 2 are done, the flying geese for #3 are done, but not sewn together, #4 &#5 are not even cut out.
  • Christmas Train: is cut out and I’ve started webbing it together
  • I need to trim Meadow Mist’s Magnificent Mystery September’s clue. You can find it HERE. And the October clue comes out on Thursday!

Quilting projects:

  • Teal blocks are sandwiched and need to be quilted. (Sorry, only a picture of one of the blocks)

Sunday Stash

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!

Splish Splash used 6 yards of fabric.

  • Fabric used in the last week: 6 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     190.5 yards. {59.5 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    28.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              162 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the a few weeks ago:

  1. Finish quilting and bind Jelly Roll Twist / Splish Splash √   DONE. 
  2. Piece together Rainbow Scrap Challenge –  Teal blocks √   DONE.  It’s even sandwiched!
  3. Make a decision regarding September’s Scrap Challenge: Pastel blue & green XX NOT DONE XX
  4. Start on October Island Batik Challenge. XX NOT DONE XX
  5. Work on Magnificent Mystery: September clue in progress
  6. Work on Laundry Basket Quilt Mystery: Week 2 & 3. in progress. Week 2 is done, Week 3 is in progress
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for this week:

  1. Finish Quilting Rainbow Scrap Challenge –  Teal blocks
  2. Make a decision regarding September’s Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Pastel blue & green
  3. Start on October Island Batik Challenge.
  4. Work on Magnificent Mystery: Finish September clue, work on October’s clue
  5. Work on Laundry Basket Quilt Mystery: Week 3 & 4 & 5
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. 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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Splish Splash

/ quiltinggail / 22 Comments

I’m not in the water … but I’m using a fabulous 2 1/2″ strip pack from Island Batik called Splish Splash by the Whimsical Workshop. It’s full of sea horses, fish, starfish, seaweed, bubbles and stars … just wonderful!

I chose a pattern by the Fat Quarter Shop called Jelly Roll Twist (see HERE). It’s a super easy quilt to make and sews up quickly.

Here are the blocks on my design wall … but of course, I switched them around before sewing them together.

It was a very fun quilt to quilt on my domestic sewing machine. I used Silly Moon’s 4″ Beanie to create the orange peel flowers in the neutral squares. Each short and each long strip was quilted differently. I used rulers for some of them and free motioned many of them. There are swirls, loops, circles, feathers, flowers, hearts, squares, ribbons and many many more.

Here are some closeups of the quilting (one on the front, the rest on the back.) I used a product called “Fireside” which I recently learned is only available in Canada (although some shops may ship internationally). It’s wonderful for the backs of quilts. It’s nice and cozy, but doesn’t stretch or make as much of a fluffy mess as Minky. This took awhile to quilt, but I had fun quilting it!

And the best part: The wedding is on Saturday and the quilt is done!!!

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 60″ square
  • Fabric: Island Batik: “Splish Splash” by Heidi Pridemore of the Whimsical Workshop and the neutral is Milk Shake (an Island Batik basic that is available year round). The binding is Small Pointed Floral-Tu -a blender.
  • Hobbs Batting: Heirloom 80/20
  • Aurifil Thread: 50 weight
    • Piecing & Quilting: #2600 (Dove Grey)
  • Silly Moon Rulers: Rocket, Cheesie, Charming, Jelly, Turkey, Twinkle, and Beanie (4″)
  • Schmetz Needles: Universal 80/12
  • Oliso Iron

Threaded Chaos Blog Hop

The blog hop is over and there have been a LOT of wonderful and creative crazy quilts featuring new collections and Aurifil thread.

Make sure to check Lumin Fabrics FB and IG post for a round-up of this week’s Threaded Chaos Quilts and enter to win some fabric!

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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: September 21

/ quiltinggail / 10 Comments

Ain’t this the truth?

My Threaded Chaos Quilts

Did you see my quilts for the Island Batik (Lumin Fabrics) blog hop? You can read about them HERE.

Not ANOTHER Squirrel???

Yes, another squirrel!!! I was in Essem the other day and Simina convinced me that maybe, perhaps, a Christmas Train quilt would appeal … remember my Train Quilt?

Well I came home with all the fabric to make a top for a Christmas Train … a wall hanging size. I’m using a Christmas Sweet Water charm pack from Moda.

Laundry Basket Mystery Quilt Progress

There is little progress on the quilt … Week 2 is started and Week 3 &4 will be started soon. You can access the Mystery HERE

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!

We were away for 11 days, so I missed sewing on the travelling days and a few other days when I was busy swimming and biking … But I did manage to sew for the days we were at my sister’s and for a couple of days when we were camping.

  • January – August: 238 / 242 days
  • Sept: 15 / 21 days
  • Total: 253 / 263 96 %

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 2, 3 & 4
  • I need to sew Meadow Mist’s Magnificent Mystery September’s clue. You can find it HERE.

Quilting projects:

  • Splish Splash is webbed together and needs a backing, sandwiching and quilting. And needs to become a priority as it’s a wedding gift and the wedding is less than a week away!
  • Teal blocks are sandwiched and need to be quilted. (Sorry, only a picture of one of the blocks)

Sunday Stash

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!

This week, I have the 2 Crazy Quilts that used at least 12 yards of fabric and the small baskets that used about 1/2 yard of fabric.

  • Fabric used in the last week: 12.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     184.5 yards. {56.5 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    28.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              156 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the a few weeks ago:

  1. Finish “Sliver of Silver” (this is a project for the Boundary Bay Quilt Guild’s 25th Anniversary.) √   DONE.  I did the hand stitching over several evenings, watching tv!
  2. Piece backing, sandwich and quilt Jelly Roll Twist / Splish Splash. In progress It’s sandwiched and the quilting has begun!
  3. Piece together Rainbow Scrap Challenge –  Teal blocks √   DONE.  It’s even sandwiched!
  4. Make a decision regarding September’s Scrap Challenge: Pastel blue & green XX NOT DONE XX
  5. Start on October Island Batik Challenge. XX NOT DONE XX
  6. Work on Magnificent Mystery: September clue XX NOT DONE XX
  7. Work on Laundry Basket Quilt Mystery: Week 2 & 3. XX NOT DONE XX
  8. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! XX NOT DONE XX
  9. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for this week:

  1. Finish quilting and bind Jelly Roll Twist / Splish Splash
  2. Quilt Rainbow Scrap Challenge –  Teal blocks
  3. Make a decision regarding September’s Rainbow Scrap Challenge: Pastel blue & green
  4. Start on October Island Batik Challenge.
  5. Work on Magnificent Mystery: September clue
  6. Work on Laundry Basket Quilt Mystery: Week 2 & 3 & 4
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Island Batik Blog Hop

Lots more beautiful quilts will be shown this week!

WEEK 3

September 22: 

September 23: 

Brittany Fisher

September 24: 

September 25: 

September 26: Make sure to check Lumin Fabrics FB and IG post for a round-up of this week’s Threaded Chaos Quilts and enter to win some fabric!

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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

TGIFF and Friday’s Finish!

/ quiltinggail / 18 Comments

We’ve been away and I neglected to look at my calendar … groan! My friend, Anja (from Anja Quilts) sent me a friendly reminder that I was hosting TGIFF this week. Oh dear!! What to do???

Well, unknown to the rest of the world, I have a container of ‘stuff to do’ that’s mostly quick and easy. This container has gone to many many retreats with me. I thought, “I wonder if there’s something in there I can do?”

Sure enough, there was!! YAY!! In the container, all the supplies were there, including the appropriate coloured thread to make two Petit Four Baskets!

If you’ve never made a byAnnie bag or worked with Soft and Stable, these Petit Four Baskets are a great way to get started. You can access the pattern and the free video HERE.

In an afternoon, both baskets were done. I will use one basket at the ironing board (where I tend to clip things) and another at the sewing machine (to put the clips in as I sew!)

Basket Stats:

  • Size: 4″ x 5″ and 2 1/2” tall
  • Fabric used: left-over 10″ squares from various Island Batik (Lumin Fabrics) projects
  • Inside: byAnnie Soft & Stable
  • Thread: Aurifil

TGIFF

Show us YOUR finished project for this week!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

Island Batik Blog Hop

Have you been following the Threaded Chaos Blog Hop? Oh my!!! There are some very cool quilts so far!! Make sure you visit Island Batik’s Facebook page and Instagram on Friday to see a re-cap of this weeks quilts and enter your name for a fabric draw!

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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Threaded Chaos Blog Hop with Aurifil

/ quiltinggail / 17 Comments

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:

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Sunday Summary: September 14

/ quiltinggail / 18 Comments

Again, this is actually the week’s forcast!

My Squirrel progress

A few weeks ago, I told you that a squirrel wormed its way into my life. I chose the fabrics and cut out the pieces for the first block. While we were away, we were dry camping for a bit. But, we had to have the generator going so that we could have lights at night and operate the slide when it was time to go. SEW … I plugged in my sewing machine and sewed!! What else is a gal to do when the opportunity arrises? I managed to get the first block sewn … This is from Laundry Basket Quilts Mystery Quilt, Week 1. You can access it their blog HERE

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!

We were away for 11 days, so I missed sewing on the travelling days and a few other days when I was busy swimming and biking … But I did manage to sew for the days we were at my sister’s and for a couple of days when we were camping.

  • January – August: 238 / 242 days
  • Sept: 8 / 14 days
  • Total: 246 / 256 95 %

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:

  • Rainbow Scrap challenge, Teal fabrics: need to web the blocks together
  • I need to sew Meadow Mist’s Magnificent Mystery September’s clue. You can find it HERE.

Quilting projects:

  • Splish Splash is webbed together and needs a backing, sandwiching and quilting. And needs to become a priority as it’s a wedding gift and the wedding is less than 2 weeks away!

Sunday Stash

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!

Nothing finished, but I did buy 4 yards of white and light beige flannel for backing baby quilts.

  • Fabric used in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     172 yards. {56.5 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 4 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    28.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              143.5 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the a few weeks ago:

  1. Finish “Sliver of Silver” (this is a project for the Boundary Bay Quilt Guild’s 25th Anniversary.) In progress. Facing is on, I just need to do the dreaded hand stitching!
  2. Piece backing, sandwich and quilt Jelly Roll Twist / Splish Splash. XX NOT DONE XX
  3. Piece together Rainbow Scrap Challenge –  Teal blocks XX NOT DONE XX
  4. Make a decision regarding September’s Scrap Challenge: Pastel blue & green XX NOT DONE XX
  5. Start on October Island Batik Challenge. XX NOT DONE XX
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for this week:

  1. Finish “Sliver of Silver” (this is a project for the Boundary Bay Quilt Guild’s 25th Anniversary.)
  2. Piece backing, sandwich and quilt Jelly Roll Twist / Splish Splash.
  3. Piece together Rainbow Scrap Challenge –  Teal blocks
  4. Make a decision regarding September’s Scrap Challenge: Pastel blue & green
  5. Start on October Island Batik Challenge.
  6. Work on Magnificent Mystery: September clue
  7. Work on Laundry Basket Quilt Mystery: Week 2 & 3
  8. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  9. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Island Batik Blog Hop

WEEK 2

September 15: 

September 16: 

September 17: 

September 18: 

September 19: Make sure to check Lumin Fabrics FB and IG post for a round-up of this week’s Threaded Chaos Quilts and enter to win some fabric!

WEEK 3

September 22: 

September 23: 

Brittany Fisher

September 24: 

September 25: 

September 26: Make sure to check Lumin Fabrics FB and IG post for a round-up of this week’s Threaded Chaos Quilts and enter to win some fabric!

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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Yes, I Quilt on my Domestic Machine

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I LOVE free motion quilting!!

This is quilting from 2016 when I made quilts for all my cousins out of my grandma’s fabrics. It was free motion quilted with no rulers.

For the most part, I make all of my quilts from start to finish on a domestic sewing machine. I say, “for the most part” because there was a time when a group of us made quilts to exchange and one lovely lady long-armed each of the quilts for us. So, I can’t really say that I’ve done every quilt from start to finish. And there are the times where I have made a block or 2 for a group quilt … and obviously that’s not done totally by me. Also, when I first started quilting, we had quilting bees to hand quilt the quilts that we made.

So, why do I do all my own quilting? First, because I want to! When I first started quilting I made only 1 or 2 quilts a year. Each of them was hand quilted.

THEN, life changed … in 2005, I started to quilt, or piece more tops. I had bought a decent machine (Janome 6500) and wanted to learn to quilt on a domestic machine.

I took a Free Motion Quilting class. In the class, we learned how to ‘meander’ and the golden rule that you must NEVER cross over a meander line. Of course, I broke that rule on my practice square. The instructor told me to take out the stitching on my practice piece so that I would remember to NEVER cross over the line. As a professional adult educator, I was amazed at this! I started to take it out and when she wasn’t looking, that piece got stashed away. The next blow was when she told me that I would NEVER be able to free motion quilt unless I bought a Bernina (that she & her husband sold) with a stitch regulator. Needless to say, I cried all the way home.

A few weeks later, I was at a quilt show and one of the venders had a quilt on display. I was examining the quilting. She had meandered the entire quilt AND in a few places, she had CROSSED over!!! OH MY!!! Then I found out she had a machine with a stitch regulator and hated it because it slowed her down.

SEW … I went home from that quilt show with a smile on my face!!! I remember thinking, “to H*** with what that mean instructor told me” and I then thought “I don’t give a d*** what she said.” [yes, sometimes swearing helps!] I pulled out one of the quilts I had pieced and meandered the whole thing!! I also made sure that I crossed over. (Call me a rebel!) I quilt my quilts for ME … they aren’t going to be entering any competition.

Since then, I’ve taken many FMQ classes from different instructors. All of them were very encouraging! And I’ve learned something new from each one of them.

I’ve been quilting my own quilts ever since! Currently, I quilt on my domestic Janome M7 machine.

One thing that stuck in my mind from the early days of quilting was something that Harriet Hargraves said in one of her books that to always quilt the same thing is like buying a mattress cover with the same over-all design. It’s always the same. So, I try to add variety to my quilts. Besides, I’d be totally bored if I always did the exact same thing!

When I was first learning to free motion quilt, I had a quilt that was really UGLY. I mean UGLY!!! The fabric was lovely, but how it was put together resulted in a truly UGLY quilt. However, it was the perfect quilt to practice on!!! If a motif or something didn’t work out – it didn’t matter!! I just moved on to another section and tried again! And yes, I had to practice!!

I no longer practice and just jump in to quilt whatever the quilt tells me to. Most of my quilts are custom quilted, but there is the odd one where I do an all-over design or diagonal lines.

Here’s a few close-ups of quilting, totally quilted on my domestic machine! There is some ruler quilting (straight lines, hearts and orange peels) but most of it is free motion.

SEW … I encourage you to practice your quilting! Yes, practice! You’ll be amazed at what you can do in a very short time!

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!

Happy Quilting!    
Gai

Threaded Chaos Blog Hop with Aurifil Thread

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Make sure that you follow along and check out all the wonderful quilts that are being shown!

AND … go to Lumin (Island Batik’s blog) to enter in to win fabric each week!

WEEK 1

September 8: 

Brenda Alburl

September 9: 

Sarah Pitcher

Solomae Stoycoff

September 10: 

Lisa Pickering

Renee Atkinson

September 11: 

Connie Kresin Campbell

September 12: 

(ILumin (Island Batik’s blog) : Blog Hop Week 1 Round Up + giveaway)

WEEK 2

September 15: 

Jennifer Thomas

Preeti Harris

September 16: 

Gail Sheppard

Susan Deshensky

September 17: 

Denise Looney

Kimberly Flannagan

September 18: 

Mania Hatziioannidi

Tina Dilalrd

September 19: Lumin (Island Batik’s blog) : Blog Hop Week 2 Round Up + giveaway)

WEEK 3

September 22: 

Kim Jamieson-Hirst

Carol Stanek

September 23: 

Brittany Fisher

September 24: 

Suzy Webster

Leah Malasky

September 25: 

Connie Kauffman

Emily Leachman

September 26:

(Lumin (Island Batik’s blog) : End of Blog Hop + Final Round Up)

Monthly Viewer’s Choice contest: September 29 – October 6 (winners announced on October 7)

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail