This was a Hugs and Kisses quilt that used various Island Batik blues and greens. I used the Accuquilt Go! to cut the pieces: Die #10 from the ‘Corners’ 8″ Qube collection paired with Die #5 from the 8″ Qube set. It made piecing the Hugs and Kisses very simple. Each Hugs or Kisses block uses 4 mini blocks composed of 1 Die #10 and 2 Die #5. Then the blocks are arranged to form a Hug or a Kiss. I added sashing and borders and the quilt was a flimsy!
Unfortunately, I didn’t count very well and I had too many green blocks … so I cut some pinks and purples and I’ll show you that quilt next week (if it’s finished!)
One person that saw this quilt called it my “Sea Hawks” quilt. I’m not a sports fan … but I know lots of people that are and I get that it’s the colours of the team!
Hobbs 80/20 is in the middle and I used Odif 505 spray baste to hold the layers together.
I was zoom quilting with my sister and cousins at the beginning of the month. I wasn’t sure how to quilt it, but I knew I wanted an all-over pattern. My cousin, Terry (machine quilter extraordinaire! ) suggested these curly c’s that go every which way and back-track on themselves. I gave it a try, I must admit, the back-tracking was not fun, but it was well worth it in the end and I LOVE the look! I’ll be using that random pattern again! Thanks, Terry for your fabulous suggestion!!!
I was Featured
Andree from Free Motion Quilters featured my Studio 180 Wedge Star Quilt with Island Batik Sandalwood fabric collection. You can read about it HERE.
Judy sent me her pictures from the retreat! The first ones are the view from the house, the house, and a garden down the road. The next is an example of the yummy food we had … and of course, pictures of quilts in the making!
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: 31 /31
April: 9 / 9
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!
Well, I was at a retreat at Over the Rainbow last week and that’s just plain dangerous as far as fabric purchases go. I bought 5 yards of Island Batik fabric … a solid white and that yummy fan fabric. Plus I bought a panel that I’ll quilt in the near future (you’ve got a peek view of it at the top of the picture).
Nothing was finished this week, but LOTS of things in progress!
Fabric Used the past week: 0 yards
Fabric Used in 2023: 51.5 yards from non-IB: 20
Fabric Bought this week: 5.5 yards
Fabric Added this year: 8.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 43 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!
Quilt Melodic Mystery.Not Done partially done. Binding is ready
Quilt Gardenia.Not Done partially done
Bind ChilhowieNot Done binding is cut
Quilt Bird Panels.Not Done
Quilt NutcrackerNot Done
Finish April IB project.√ DONE. If it ever quits raining, I’ll take some pictures!!!!
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). Not Done
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Sandwich, Quilt & Bind: IB Catalogue Quilt
Quilt Melodic Mystery. finish quilting and bind
Quilt Gardenia. This will be finished after I teach the class. It’s now hanging at Essem.
Bind Chilhowie
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing).
X’s & O’s: Add Border, Quilt & Bind
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
We were at Over The Rainbow Lodge on Camano Island for almost a week. It’s a beautiful place to retreat! And, since we’re an established group, we’re booked in until 2030!!!! WOOHOO!!!
I think all 12 people that attended the retreat enjoyed themselves … lots and lots of sewing and laughter!
We took turns cooking supper and had fabulous gourmet meals!!! DELICIOUS!!!
As I was preparing this blog post, I realized that I didn’t get any pictures of the food, the snack counter (TONS!), or of the 12 people sewing in one room and having fun!
I didn’t get a picture of each of the projects that people were working on … there was a great variety and a LOT of creativity happening! Here’s a few pictures of what was happening:
Pillow cases, kits from quilts, jelly roll quilts, quilts using templates, hand sewn hexi quilt, tiny tiny pieces, 3 yard quilts, scrappy quilts, coordinated quilts …. so many different things happening!
I know someone is going to ask … the dog chart was found on Pinterest and Kandy used 5″ blocks to make the quilt.
What did I work on?
I attempted to quilt my Melodic Mystery, but it was difficult on a smaller machine, eventually I gave up. The Black & white photo is of an Island Batik catalogue quilt and the top is completed! The blocks for the X’s & O’s were completed and the top is almost done. I just need to add the border …
The Melodic Mystery is made with Kansas Troubles fabric. The other 2 quilts are Island Batik fabric. The X’s & O’s were cut with Accuquilt
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.
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!
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!!
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 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.
March 13: Parade – showing all of your finished SAHRRs! HERE!!!
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.
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.
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)
Anja @ Anja Quilts has chosen Flying Geese blocks for the 4th round!
I continued to use Island Batik fabrics from the Baby Bloomers collection (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton).
To be honest, I have NO IDEA how the math worked out on this!!! The hourglass blocks were 3″ finished and the flying geese are 2″ x 4″ … and it worked out on all sides! Boggles my mind!
Now, you Need to go to the co-hosts blogs and see their first rounds! Their links are in the schedule below.
March 13: Parade – showing all of your finished SAHRRs!
How I made my Flying Geese blocks
I used the Accuquilt 8″ Qube die #4 and die #5 to make the Flying Geese blocks. They finished at 2 1/2” x 4 1/2” and when sewn into the quilt will finish at 2″ x 4″.
Linky Party
Anja @ Anja Quilts will have a linky party so you can see everyone’s 4th Round!
Non-blogger’s Rounds
Here’s Heather’s:
Jacomina said, “I found these braids in the bags received from quilters going into retirement homes. A nice filler round. Now 23″ by 15.5”
This is what Chere has to say, “Playing catch up on this . My centre block is a Japanese Sashiko block which I did the running stitch in cream and red. Had purchased a few Japanese cotton fabrics to go with block, but not much. Hoping to keep it small so I’ll have enough fabric left .”
Great job catching up, Chere!
Next week?
Emily @ The Darling Dogwood will tell us what to do. Are you following her blog?
I hope you’re having fun!
Our Wonderful Sponsors
Here’s a list of the sponsors and their generous gifts!
March 13: Parade – showing all of your finished SAHRRs!
How I made my Hourglass blocks
I used the Accuquilt 8″ Qube die #4 to make the Hourglass blocks. I then trimmed them to 3 1/2.” They will finish at 3″ x 3″ in the quilt.
The math for this round was pretty easy. The star round ended at 21″ x 24.” With the hourglass blocks finishing at 3″ square – it meant that the 7 hourglasses across and 8 down were the way to go.
If I was having difficulty with the math, I likely would have put a few empty white blocks between some of the hourglass blocks to make it fit. Depending on what I needed, they might have been 1/4″ spaces or 1″ spaces … whatever I need to make up the difference.
Other’s Rounds
Here’s Heather’s:
Here’s Charlenes … Stars are done…called eccentric stars
Here’s Jacomina’s … She’s waiting to see what Round #3 is to fill in the borders …I found some very interesting orphan blocks and hope to incorporate those …
Sarah’s been ill and only has 1 of her 4 stars done … that’s OK … I hope she feels better soon!
Linky Party
Chris @ Chrisknitssews will have a linky party so you can see everyone’s 3rd Round!
Next week?
Anja @ Anja Quilts will tell us what to do. Are you following her blog?
Relax … this is easy … and it’s only one round each week!
Our Wonderful Sponsors
Here’s a list of the sponsors and their generous gifts!
Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life has chosen Stars for the 2nd round! I would usually piece stars for a round robin quilt, but since I had access to an accuquilt die with small stars, I opted to use them. I’m determined to get better at applique this year.
I continued to use Island Batik fabrics from the Baby Bloomers collection (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton).
Now, you Need to go to the co-hosts blogs and see their star rounds! Their links are in the schedule below.
March 13: Parade – showing all of your finished SAHRRs!
More Round #1
Here’s Jacomina’s. Aren’t her improv blocks great?
Here’s Heather’s: I watched her work on some of these at the guild sew day!
Here’s Sarah’s. She says, “Resized the spools and changed the proportions” … looks great, doesn’t it?
Here’s Charlene’s. She says, “Spools are done, think I’m doing row by row, still deciding on end blocks for my snowman row.” It’ll be fun to see what she decides to do!
If you’re not on social media, send me a photo of your progress (quiltinggail@yahoo.ca) by noon on Sunday and I’ll post your photo on next week’s blog.
How I made my stars
I used an Accuquilt die and cut out the stars … at the moment they are ironed in place, but will be appliquéd when it’s quilted.
If you need more information on the SAHRR … you can go to THIS POST.
Centre Block
Here is my centre block. The birds and the flowers were cut with Accuquilt dies that I borrowed from our guild’s die collection. (Go! Birds and Rose of Sharon). This piece is 9.5″ x 12.5″. I will do the applique stitching when I quilt it. I used Island Batik fabrics from the Baby Bloomers collection (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton) and solid white. I initially used the Baby Bloomer fabrics for a Lone Star Quilt you can see HERE.
Now, you Need to go to the co-hosts blogs and see their center blocks! Their links are in the schedule below.
If you do not have a way to join the linky party, email me your photo by Sunday noon, and I’ll post it on my blog the following week. (quiltinggail@yahoo.ca)
Next week?
Roseanne & Sue will tell us what to do. Make sure you follow their blog, Home Sewn by Us .
Relax … this is easy … and it’s only one round each week!
Our Wonderful Sponsors
We will be drawing for prizes from our sponsors after the March 13 Parade.
Here’s a list of the sponsors and their generous gifts!
I’ve made and posted all of these during the past year! Enjoy!
January
This was a UFO from the “Any Which Way” mystery that was hosted on the blog in ’21. See HERE for the finishing details!
The first Island Batik challenge of the year was to use a Fat 1/4 bundle of Tantalizing Teals. You can see details on this challenge HERE.
February
I used Kelly Young’s book “Scrappy Improve Quilting.” You can see details of it here.
This was a quilt I made for Island Batik’s catalogue featuring the “Evergreen and Pine” fabric collection. See the link HERE.
This quilt was made for Island Batik’s catalogue featuring the “Contempo” fabric collection.
The February Island Batik challenge was to create a quilt with the Row by Row theme. I used the “Vintage Lace” collection, designed by Kathy Engle. You can read more about it HERE.
I made this cute little basket using Deco Revival fabrics. You can read about it HERE.
March
Here is the Stay at Home Round Robin that I made using the Flutterfly collection and Island Batik’s solid white. You can read more details HERE.
We were challenged to create a piece based on the Italian thread that we received from Aurifil. I received “Pompeii Red” colour builder set. See HERE for more details.
This was a table runner that I made for the Quilt as You Go class that I taught. See HERE.
I made these little coasters with left-over fabric blocks from my SAHRR. See HERE for details.
This quilt was made for the Time in a Bottle Blog Hop. I used fabrics that were left-over from my gradation quilts (January). See HERE for more details.
April
April’s challenge was to make a Funky Friend. I chose Gregory Gorilla. He was a lot of fun to make!! See all the details HERE.
This little zipper pouch was made for the “World of Colour” Blog Hop. Details can be found HERE.
May
The following 3 projects were made for Island Batik’s challenge called “Triangle Tricks. I found the first one very difficult to make, but the last 2 were quite easy! See HERE for details.
June
June’s Challenge was to make a New York beauty and I was given the Harvest Night fabric collection. See HERE for details.
These 2 quilts were made with the “Jewel Carvings” fabric collection (designed by Kathy Engle) for the Island Batik catalogue. My friend, Amy, made the one with the light background and I made the one with the dark. See more details HERE.
This quilt was my very first magazine publication. It was in the Fons & Porter Love of Quilting July/August issue. See HERE for more pictures and details.
This quilt was designed by Sandra Walker at MMM Quilts. You can see more details of it HERE. If you want the pattern you can find it HERE
I made this window hanging in an on-line class with Epida Studio. Elizabeth is a great teacher! More details of my window hanging can be found HERE.
July
Island Batik’s challenge for July was “Christmas in July with Accuquilt.” We were all given the Tree of Life die. This was a super fun quilt to make and it was super fun to give it to a dear friend on mine! See more pictures HERE.
I had left-over HST from the Tree of life, so I made this little zipper pouch!
August
August’s challenge was to make a Marvelous Mini Quilt. I was inspired by a speaker we had at the guild, as well as many different Dresdens made with friends. This was my mini. Details HERE.
September
I received the “Corner Pop” tool from Studio 180 and was challenged to use it, along with a 1/2 yard bundle of “Flourish” by Kathy Engle It was a lot of fun to make this quilt using the tool, along with other Studio 180 tools! See HERE for details.
These were made using “Left-overs” from the above quilt. See HERE for details.
This was made for the Queen of Gadgets Blog Hop. You can read about all the gadgets I used to make this quilt HERE I used a 10″ stack of Pumpkin Spice and the background is “Celery”.
October
October’s challenge was a ByAnnie bag. I chose to make the “A Place for Everything 2.0” bag and paired it with fabrics from the “Bee Kind” collection. The pattern was easy to follow and with supplemental videos – it came together easily! See details HERE.
This tree skirt was made for Island Batik’s catalogue using the Winter Sky collection. I just LOVE the blues!
This quilt was made for Pinktober. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. My heart is all a flutter when I think of the story behind the gifting of this quilt. You can read about it HERE.
And little bags made from the left-overs from the Pinktober quilt.
November
Island Batik’s November challenge was to make a Christmas stocking. These were fun to make! You can read about how I made them and used an Accuquilt die for the snowflackes … HERE.
This quilt was made with a 2 1/2″ strip pack of “Citified.” It was fun to make and I had a blast quilting it! You can read about it HERE.
This was made for the class I was teaching called “Travel Posts.” You can see class participants’ quilts HERE.
These little baskets were made with left-over fabric from making the Winter Sky tree skirt (see above). You can read more about them HERE.
I did a trunk show for Boundary Bay Quilter’s Guild – with ONLY Island Batik quilts and projects that I have made in the past 4 years as an Island Batik ambassador. You can see a glimpse of some of the trunk show HERE.
December
Island Batik’s challenge for December was to make a Lone Star! It was SEW rewarding to have this quilt turn out so nice! You can read about it HERE.
Left-overs from the Lone Star quilt turned into this cute quilt! Read about it HERE.
Little Pencil cases made with the left-overs from the Lone Star and the Baby Quilt:
The Scrappy Fall Mystery Quilt, background is “Linen,” all scraps from my Island Batik scrap bin:
This was my Spicy BOM Colour challenge Quilt. You can read more about it HERE.
A Winter Branches Table Runner … made a bit bigger to fit on the top of my piano.
In July, I received an awesome Surprise package in my Island Batik, box and this is what I got: 20 half yard cuts of fabric from the Baby Bloomers collection, a signature collection for Karen Overton. Also included was 2 yard of Dots-Pink Carnation and 2 yards of Cow Moon Clouds – purple.
The only Lone Star I’ve made was a Judy Niemeyer pattern and I didn’t really want to purchase one of her patterns. I knew that there must be other options!
So, what to do??? EQ8 to the rescue … I downloaded the Baby Bloomers fabric collection and started to play! I’m not sure when, but I must have followed a tutorial at one point, because I found a folder called “Lone Star Practice.” Bingo! I found exactly what I wanted to make. I substituted the original fabric with the Baby Bloomers fabric and came up with this:
When I searched the Internet for “How to make a Lone Star Quilt,” I came across a few tutorials by Donna at Jordan Fabrics. WONDERFUL!!! Here’s the tutorial I mostly followed: One Jelly Roll, Lone Star. However, in order to make the quilt I wanted to make, I needed to make some adjustments. Mainly with the purple going up each point of the star.
I needed to make a strip set of my fabrics, I used my 2 1/2” Accuquilt die and made perfect strips very quickly!
I laid out the strips and pinned them onto my design wall.
I sewed the strips together (picture above) and cut according to the directions. And forgot to take a picture of the cut pieces!
Then, I made sure to mark Every. Single. Intersection. to ensure almost perfect points … (hmmm, that didn’t always work according to plan!)
Yes, I used “Dude” from Silly Moon Rulers and a pencil to mark the intersections. Then I used the forked pins to hold the intersections in place. I’m usually not a pinner – but it was a MUST in this case!
When I put the light pink from the collection up on the design wall with the star pieces I had assembled, my immediate thought was “what in the world were you thinking?” It did NOT look good. It looked washed out. I started digging through my stash! Many different fabrics were auditioned. I found this slightly darker and brighter pink tied up with one of my Island Batik precuts and BINGO, it was perfect for the quilt. It is called “Floral Carnation” and is from the Blenders collection (available at all times).
I quilted it with Aurifil Thread, #2515 (Light Orchid) on the top and Aurifil #2423 (Baby Pink) in the bobbin. When auditioning the threads, I felt that the Baby Pink was too light for the top but the Light Orchid was perfect. However, I didn’t know if I had enough Light Orchid to use for both the top and bobbin. I used Aurifil #4225 (Eggplant) to attach the binding.
Quilting Close-ups
The Finished Lone Star
Be sure to visit Maryellen at MaryMackMadeMine! She had the same fabric collection. I haven’t seen her quilt, but I just KNOW that it will be a totally different Lone Star!
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This week I taught “Travel Posts” to 2 lovely talented quilters! Travel Posts is in the book Color Block Quilt Making by Elizabeth Chappell. It’s a great book and if you’re looking for quick and easy patterns – this book is for you! Essem may have this book in stock.
This is the quilt I made for the class sample. Simina helped pick out the fabrics: the coloured portions are grunge.
Anyhow, the class participants came very prepared and had their fabric all cut and labelled and were ready to roll! They finished the tops in class! Aren’t they great?
Here’s the 2nd one I did using Island Batik fabrics from the “Mystery Collection” and Island Batik solid grey.
Oh ya!!! I started ANOTHER new project. When my cousin, Connie and I were shopping at the Cloth Shop, we saw these super nifty bowls. I fell in love!!! However, they did not have the pattern in stock. But a couple of weeks later, I was at Chitterchatter fabrics and they had the pattern. Of course I had to buy it! There are 7 different sizes included in the pattern. The pattern is “Goodness Bowl” by Jean Paccagnan. There is even a great youtube video to go with the pattern! And BONUS: Jean Paccagnan is a local designer!!!
I know it’s English Paper Piecing, but if I only sew for about 10 minutes a day, I’ll eventually get it done!
I decided to use some beautiful blue scraps of Island Batik fabric.
The first thing I did for this stocking challenge was to find a stocking pattern. I printed it out and I didn’t like I. My husband adjusted it, making the toes larger and I liked it way better!
For my first stocking, I cut out 2 pieces of Hobbs Batting 80/20 and drew lines on it to guide me as I did the striped quilt as you go. I used 2″ strips of each fabric. Prairie Spirit Alpacas/Wool pressing mat made everything lie perfectly flat!
I needed to be careful to ensure that I covered the batting with the fabrics … Jack the ripper came out to play here …
The stockings needed to be trimmed. I used the 1/4” mark on my ruler and worked around my template. (Yes, I used the page from a large calendar for my pattern!)
The 2nd stocking was a crazy patch that I attempted to do as a quilt as you go – but I had drawn too many intersecting lines to make it work … so it became an improvised crazy patch stocking.
I used “Pinecone – Dark Teal” and the red is #121913380 from Season Splendor (Fall/Winter 2019 collection) for the stockings and “Coconut” for the snowflakes. The snowflakes were cut with Accuquilt dies that I borrowed from our guild’s die collection.
Appliqueing the snowflake and marking the stocking for the crazy quilting.
Aurifil Thread # 2021 (Natural White) was used for the applique process. #2692 (Black) was used for quilting, assembly and the hanging tabs.
I wanted a little flange on the cuff – so the red was cut at 1 1/4” and the green at 3.” This made it possible to fold it 3/4” of the green to the inside so that the lining didn’t show. I used Island Batik solid white fabric for the lining.
Here’s the first 2 stockings hanging on my design wall.
I think the stockings look a little more Christmasy pinned to the wood pile! The third stocking is for our grand-dog, Daphne! The larger stockings are 21″ long and Daphne’s is 17″ long.
Oh me, oh my! What a blog hop this promises to be!!! Gadgets, gadgets, gadgets … I have a few! Do I need to pick just one??? Carol, from Just Let me Quilt, organized this blog hop and I signed up right away!!!
But before I started, I decided that I needed to actually define what a “gadget” is. According to Mirriam-Webster a gadget is “an often small mechanical or electronic device with a practical use but often thought of as a novelty.”
Hmmm, to me, I have always considered a gadget something that makes my quilting easier. Sometimes the “gadget” is electronical, sometimes mechanical, but always is practical and useful. Hence, I’m going with my own definition of “gadget.”
I will show you the gadgets that I used for this project. I doubt this will make me the Queen of Gadgets, but even I was surprised at how many I actually used!
Gadget #1
EQ8
I used EQ8 to design this quilt using Island Batik’s “Pumpkin Spice,” a signature collection for Sarah Fabian, designed by Kathy Engle. I had received a 10″ stack, along with a 2 yard cut of “Celery” (which I used for the background) and a 2 yard cut of “Bluegrass” which I used for the binding.
And yes, just in case you were wondering, I recently upgraded from EQ7 to 8. A tiny learning curve, but lots of features I really really like! Well worth upgrading! Wish I’d done it sooner!
I don’t have anything new that is finished … but I have had a couple of finishes in the last week or so.
The first finish was my July Island Batik project that used the Accuquilt Tree of Life Block on Board. The 73 pieces of the block can be cut in one run through of the die. But of course, I had to do it differently and make it scrappy. You can read more about the quilt at this BLOG POST.
I must admit that I am very pleased with how this quilt turned out.
Yes, this quilt used Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread for the quilting.
Oh, and Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs hosts a favourite quilt of the month linky party, and this happens to be mine!
My 2nd finish is my post for the UFO blog hop. This kit had been languishing in my “To Do” box and was on my UFO list both last year and this! You can read about it HERE. Here’s a picture:
Monthly Colour Challenge
Jen, of Patterns by Jen holds a monthly colour challenge. This month’s challenge is purple.
Here is my purple block, made with the rich colours of Island Batik fabrics!
And all of my 7 blocks so far for this year … I think it will be a very pretty quilt when it’s finished!
I don’t have a lot of purple quilts … but these are a few that I’ve done in the past couple of years.
Last month my husband and I made a quick trip to Edmonton to visit my sister. Of course, it included going to a few stores. We went to Lori’s Country Cottage where my sister picked out what she wanted to buy at their longest day of the year sale. And she also picked out fabric for the Flower Window Hanging Class that we did together. (The class was by Epida Studio and I highly recommend it!)
Then we went to Winfield, a small town SW of Edmonton. The quilting store is Country Stitches Quilting and Fabrics. They had a LOT of Island Batik fabrics and I bought the “flower” and “background” fabric that you see in my Flower Window Hanging. My sister fell in love with a panel and bought enough fabric to make a decent sized quilt. (See picture below!) I resisted and only bought the 2 Island Batik fabrics! And, since it’s IB fabric and already used, I’m not adding it to the stash report.
Here’s some pictures of the store! It’s packed with lots of fabrics, IB fabrics, panels and more! They also sell online.
Lots of panels
Stitching Time
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Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!
This week I’ve been doing more “unsewing” than sewing … but it still counts, right? And, I’ve been gallivanting around with my cousin, so that has cut into sewing time.
January – June: 149 / 180
July 1 – 5: 5 / 5
Total: 154 / 185
Percentage = 83%
Stash Report
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!
3 Yard Quilt. My cousin, Connie, kept talking about 3 yard quilts that her guild did. I looked at one of her patterns, cut it out and started sewing … Here are the fabrics I’m using (from my stash)
2. Summer Mystery Quilt: I will be hosting a mystery quilt here on the blog … I’m in the process of writing the pattern and sewing it. When it’s almost ready, I’ll announce the dates and all the details.
3. Island Batik Christmas in July quilt … I’m using an Accuquilt die and am loving how all of the pieces are cut perfectly!
Quilting:
Squirrel is sandwiched and I have a plan for the quilting!
This little bag is made with 2 pieces of fabric that I got from the Trend-tex tour I took. It is a DrEAMI project. A Drop Everything And MakeIt. Sandra, from MMM Quilts hosts a DrEAMI linky party each month. You can see all of the DrEAMI projects HERE.
Quilting Gail 