Please note: Clues are removed. Please contact me if you wish to have a copy of this pattern.
A close up of the quilting:
Here’s the quilt my pattern tester made: She used the extra 4 patches for the back.
Please enter your quilt in the link party below. The link will stay open until Dec. 6. It doesn’t have to be finished, just show us the fabrics you’re using and your progress so far!
November’s Classic Car colour is Green. Visit Patterns by Jen HERE for your free download of this month’s block …
Here’s my November block, followed by the rest of the monthly blocks. I’ve used scraps of Island Batik for all of my blocks.
I will be teaching the “Retreat Bag” at Essem Textiles on December 4. It is a free pattern from Emmaline Bags, but in this class, you will get lots of help and hints to making the bag easily! There is still room available!
Leanne, of Devoted Quilter is hosting a WIPS-B-Gone ’23 challenge. I decided to not only sew every day, but to also clean/tidy each day!!! I’m managing to find things to tidy or clean each and every day!!! It’s never ending! But, what do I expect when I’m tearing my room apart to find specific fabric for another project? Or, when a project is finished, I need to put the excess fabric away … This morning, I vacuumed all the dust bunnies that reproduced in the past week … boy, they multiply quickly!
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!
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!
Except this week, I did buy 1 yards of fabric for a backing.
I finished a testing a quilt pattern for a friend. The quilting is done and it’s already been given away. I can show you the quilt when my friend can release the pattern. However, I can tell you that I used 13 yards of blue fabric from my stash to make the quilt. In my opinion, it’s one beautiful quilt!!! I’m sure that you’ll all be racing to get the pattern when it’s available. The pattern is called “Dashing through the Snow.” It’s the fabric line that lead to the quilt name, but it will be lovely in any colour way! I’ll show you the quilt and give you the link to the pattern at a later date!
The “Take a Stand” totes used 5 yards for the 2 totes. You can read about these byAnnie bags HERE.
The “Modern Squares 2” quilt used 7 yards. You can read about it HERE.
Yearly Tally:
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.
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
Judy, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week.
Just Let Me Quilt: Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange and Christmas Blog Hop (December 4)
Just Let Me Quilt: White Rabbit (January 23. 2024)
Yes, I had another quilt published in Island Batik’s catalog. You can see the catalogue HERE. It’s in the Fall / Winter ’23 catalog on page 33.
My quilt uses the fabric collection “Flutter Wings” by Kathy Engle with Almond (an Island Batik neutral) for the background. I wasn’t suppose to post this quilt until February because that’s when the yardage will arrive at the stores! However, I happened to see a couple of FB posts from a local quilt store and they had received many pre-cuts of the new fabric collections.
I spied some Flutter Wings strip packs. I immediately wrote to Island Batik asking permission to post my quilt since my quilt uses a 2 1/2” strip pack. They said yes.
Phoning Cozy Cottons Quilting was next on my ‘to do’ list and I talked with Angela. She’s the wonderful owner of Cozy Cottons and is so excited to be receiving Island Batik fabrics again! And she ordered patterns for my quilt. They are on their way to Chilliwack now!
Without making you read more, here is a picture of the quilt I made using Flutter Wings. This photo was taken by Jerry Khiev of Island Batik. He always does a fantastic job!!!
Simple quilting … 1/4″ around the coloured squares and a flower in the larger centre squares.
The back is Chameleon
Quilt Stats:
So head over to Cozy Cottons Quilt shop in Chilliwack to get your strip pack of Flutter Wings and the pattern! Or, choose from one of the other wonderful strip packs!
Here are a few other places that you can buy Flutter Wings:
Here is a picture of the quilt, without the borders, that my pattern tester made. I forget which line of fabric she used, but I’m pretty sure it was an Island Batik 2 1/2” strip pack. (Thanks, Lynn!)
Yes, I finished 2 UFOs. I had listed it as one in my chart … Upholstery wallets. I attempted to finish these when I was at the retreat, but I had neglected to take some extra lining fabric. Once home, I found the fabric I needed and cut out the pieces. then it was a matter of finishing them. The pattern is The Necessary Clutch from Emmaline Bags. I have made this wallet twice before out of cork. So far, it’s my favourite wallet!
The outside fabric is upholstery fabric from samples I had from … when I worked at a fabric store in Courtenay? That’s over 20 years ago. The stripy fabric on the inside of the left one is from my stash and the lining of the one on the right is from my Island Batik stash. I used the same Aurifil thread #2325 (Linen) on both of them.
Leanne, of Devoted Quilter is hosting a WIPS-B-Gone ’23 challenge. This fun challenge started October 1, 2023! It’s not too late if you want to join! You still have most of November to do it! It’s totally up to YOU as to how you want to use the challenge.
I’m not running out of things to tidy … it’s definitely an on-going job! However, it’s really nice to have several thread drawers tidy! Embroidery, Aurifil, CanSew, Glide, serger and miscellaneous thread (Metler / Gutterman) drawers are organized! Yes, I do have a stash of threads … but for some reason, I never have the exact colour of thread that I need! LOL
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!
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 Upholstery Wallets used a total of 1 yard each, for a total of 2 yards. The Boxy Zipper tote used 1 yard of fabric. No shopping, no buying.
I was gifted a stack of Shweshwe blue & white fat quarters and a yard of white at the retreat. It was a gift, I did not buy it. They are indigo blue and one white one! (in the pic, the white looks beige, but it is the same white in the prints below!!) LOVE 💙 them. Since they were a gift, I’m not adding them in … but I wanted to show you the beauties!
Yearly Tally:
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.
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
Judy, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week. Sorry, no pictures to share!
“Dashing Through the Snow”
Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Turkey Trot (November 13 is my day)
Just Let Me Quilt: Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange and Christmas Blog Hop (December 4)
Just Let Me Quilt: White Rabbit (January 23. 2024)
Are you following along with Island Batik’s November Blog Hop? This past weeks hop was short, with 3 different bags shown. My bags were one of them. It’s a byAnnie pattern “Take a Stand.”
Next week’s giveaway is already live! Go to Island Batik’s blog (click HERE) and follow the Rafflecopter prompts. YOU could win a Fat Quarter Bundle of Limerick or Country Charm.
Here is the Schedule for Week 2 of the Blog Hop:
November 6:
November 7:
November 8:
November 9:
November 10:
Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway
At the retreat that I was at last week, we had a ‘secret’ gift exchange. It’s a secret until the gift is open and then we found out who made it. Over the years, I have ALWAYS received awesome gifts … zipper bags, wall hangings … lots of different things. This year, I was pleasantly surprised to received a Sewing Gnome from Robin … Isn’t he cute? I love the details of the bobbins, thimbles and spools of thread. He has found his forever home on the ledge in my sewing studio.
For my gift, I made a boxy zipper pouch. It’s a pattern from Sew Can She. You can access the pattern HERE. The fabric was Island Batik’s “Jelly Bean” that I had left over from a backing. It wasn’t until I went to write this post that I realized that I hadn’t taken a picture of the front/back or inside.
Are you following along with Island Batik’s November Blog Hop? This weeks hop was short, with 3 different bags shown. My bags were one of them. It’s a byAnnie pattern “Take a Stand.”
Next week’s giveaway is already live! Go to Island Batik’s blog (click HERE) and follow the Rafflecopter prompts. YOU could win a Fat Quarter Bundle of Limerick or Country Charm.
I’m excited to be in this byAnnie Blog Hop!!! Annie Unrein and her amazing team has provided me with a pattern and all the necessary hardware I need to make my bag.
First, I needed to select fabrics from Island Batik‘s Celtic Fields collection, along with a pattern:
The pictures below show Celtic Fields with Doughnut (the neutral) and Celtic Mini Knot Red-B (from the Celtic Fields collection).
Here is a picture of everything that was supplied for the Take a Stand bag. Fabric is from Island Batik and ALL of the other products are from byAnnie‘s!
byAnnie bags have excellent instructions! So although I’m not a great bag maker, I already know that I can make any bag and it will look fantastic! However, there are a few things that I KNOW I need to do to have success. Besides knowing that I need to take my time and follow the instructions, I need to:
The first thing I needed to do was quilt the main pieces … I did watch a Youtube video by Randi (of Randi’s Roost and a fellow Island Batik ambassador) with ideas for quilting. Randi used straight lines, and I used masking tape to give me a rough guide, but I used curvy lines and made ‘curvy’ diamonds.
For the quilting and the top stitching I used Aurifil Thread #3817 called Variegated Marrakesh and for the majority of the seams that would not show, I used Aurifil Thread #5012 (Dark Green).
Once all the pieces were cut and labelled, I put them on the design wall. Since I was going to do both sizes a step at a time, I just doubled them up (left picture). Then I went to work, preparing all of the components (right picture). I used a Microtex needle from Schmetz Needles.
Aurifil Thread #2220 (light salmon) was used on the fold over elastic on the mesh pockets. Then, I forgot to take pictures of the rest of the process.
The byAnnie videos are invaluable when constructing the bags! As a bonus, Randi (who was mentioned above) had 2 videos on the final construction of the bags! Visit her YouTube channel for extra videos.
The neighbour’s dog, Lexi, approves of the bags!
And here’s some pictures of the inside:
Are you intimidated with byAnnie bags? There’s a few things you can do to help you in your journey. First go to the byAnnie site, find the free patterns, watch the videos and make them. Another option is to join the byAnnie Facebook group (HERE). There’s lots of hints and tips. Randi does a group on Facebook where she walks you through the steps slowly. So you have lots of time to make each step and ask questions as you go along. Her future plans are to do Get Out of Town 2.1 (January) and Travel Essentials 2.0 (April). Sign up for her notifications HERE.
Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread and needles were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Schmetz Needles and byAnnie
Here’s a list of a few of the stores, plus you can ask your Local Quilt Store:
November 1:
November 2:
November 3:
(Island Batik posts: Blog Hop Week 1 Round Up + giveaway)
November 6:
November 7:
November 8:
November 9:
November 10:
(Island Batik posts: Blog Hop Week 2 Round Up + giveaway)
November 13:
November 14:
November 15: White and Blooms
November 16: Vintage Charm
November 17:
(Island Batik posts: Blog Hop Week 3 Round Up + giveaway)
November 20:
November 21:
(Island Batik: End of Blog Hop + Final Round Up)
Last week on my weekly Synopsis, I told you about driving to a local quilt store and was totally annoyed that it was closed when I arrived. I did email the store and complained. They said “sorry” and that they would correct their hours on Google. It took a few days before that happened. Then, while I was at the retreat, I got a lovely email with a $10 gift card from the store. Since the store was sort-of on my way home, I stopped in and spent the gift card on the thread I wanted! I was pleased that they appeared to value me as a customer!
This past week I was at a retreat with 20 other quilters. We tried out a new venue “Camp Luther” and it was great! There was lots of room, the food was too much, and having a bathroom in each bedroom is definitely a plus. Due to the potential of tripping a breaker, we had no ironing in the sewing room and we needed to walk down the hall to get our pressing done. Most people got their required steps in!
Here’s pictures from the retreat! Lots of creativity!
I always enjoying seeing my quilt designs completed! I LOVE the variations and how people do the pattern, change the pattern and use their own creativity. While at the retreat, I was delighted to see so many finishes!
Leanne, of Devoted Quilter is hosting a WIPS-B-Gone ’23 challenge. This fun challenge started October 1, 2023! It’s not too late if you want to join! It’s totally up to YOU as to how you want to use the challenge.
Since my challenge is to tidy/clean AND sew every day, it’s obvious that I didn’t clean my sewing room while I was at the retreat! And my fellow retreaters would definitely say I was lying if I said I tidied my table each and every day!! Of course it got tidied on the day we packed up … but then my room at home was a mess until the next day when I got it all put away!
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!
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 pumpkin Wall / Door hanging used 1 yard of fabric. And I didn’t buy any fabric when I was at the retreat.
Yearly Tally:
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.
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
Judy, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week. Sorry, no pictures to share!
“Dashing Through the Snow”
Island Batik November Blog Hop: (November 1 is my day)
Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Turkey Trot (November 13 is my day)
Just Let Me Quilt: Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange and Christmas Blog Hop (December 4)
Just Let Me Quilt: White Rabbit (January 23. 2024)
Joan of Moose Stash Quilting is the wonderful host of the Monster Mash Blog Hop.
The Challenge … Sew and share something scary, not scary, or something in between. If it’s Halloween related you know we will love it!
Well, I don’t like scary … so mine is not scary! Just a simple pumpkin to hang on my front door. It was fun to make the strips a little improv, and then I squared it up. Believe it or not, this took me about 5 days to make, doing a little here and a little there! Although, I’m positive I could have made it in a few hours! 😁
Stats:
Be sure to visit each blogger, there will be lots of Monster eye candy!
Monday October 23
Tuesday October 24
Wednesday October 25
Thursday October 26
That’s right, I have another finish!!! And, in my humble, or not so humble, opinion, I think it’s beautfiul!
I finally finished “Splendor.” This is a free pattern from Sew Can She. You can access the pattern HERE. The original pattern uses 3 yards of fabric, but I made mine larger and used 10.5 yards, including the back and binding. The main blocks were cut with my Accuquilt 8″ Qube dies.
Although I LOVE the fabrics and colours in this quilt, it is not made with Island Batik fabric. Again, I was reminded about how much I LOVE Island Batik quilting cottons. They are easy to work with, they have little if any stretch and don’t fray. But, I also need to use up my stash!
And, here’s a few more pictures: A close up of the quilting using Silly Moon’s “Drop,” “Rocket,” and “Kite” rulers. Drop was used in the squares, Rocket for all the straight stitching and Kite in the borders. I pieced the back since I didn’t have quite enough to make it with the purple polka dots.
Quilt Stats:
It is with a heavy heart that I tell you about my friend, Carmen’s, devastating fire. This newslink has more details. Some of you may have Prairie Spririt Alpaca/wool pressing mats, bought the WARM socks or her yarn …
Carmen is OK. She’s mourning the loss of several alpacas, chickens and the alpaca guard dog, not to mention the barn and the winter’s supply of hay. There is a go-fund me page, if you’re inclined to donate.
Leanne, of Devoted Quilter is hosting a WIPS-B-Gone ’23 challenge. This fun challenge started October 1, 2023! It’s not too late if you want to join! It’s totally up to YOU as to how you want to use the challenge.
As I said in an earlier post, my sewing room is was a total disaster. So, I decided that the challenge for me will include DAILY cleaning/tidying and Sewing. The blue portion of the sewing machine is Tidy/Clean and the Orange is Sewing. The sewing room is looking better, my embroidery thread drawers are neat and tidy!
Hmmm … the rest of my house is not being cleaned! Does that mean I’m sewing enough?
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!
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 finished this Pattern Test quilt for Songbird Designs. It used 10.5 yards of Island Batik fabric. You can read about it HERE.
Yearly Tally:
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.
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
Judy, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week.
Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Monster Mash (My day is Oct 26)
Island Batik November Blog Hop: (November 1 is my day)
Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Turkey Trot (November 13 is my day)
Just Let Me Quilt: Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange and Christmas Blog Hop (December 4)
One of my sweet followers sent me this meme on Instagram. I obviously fell in love with it! Thanks ioleene!
Now unlimited sewing supplies! That’s up my alley. On Thanksgiving weekend, a local fabric store (if you can call 30 minutes away, local) had a 50% off notions sale. I went over and bought a few goodies. Nothing too exciting … pins to use on my design board, iron-on 1/4” tape for helping with zipper insertion, some magnets and a few zippers.
I tested the “Starry Path” pattern for my friend and fellow Island Batik Ambassador, Brenda. She has this and another pattern available on her blog, Songbird Designs (click HERE).
And yes, I did change the pattern a bit … but isn’t it gorgeous? I used the “Wild Blooms” fabric collection along with solid white. The Half Square Triangles were cut with an Accuquilt die. Brenda’s pattern provides instructions for using Accuquilt dies. Hobbs batting (80/20) is in the middle. “Ghost” is the fabric on the back. The The custom quilting used various rulers and quilted with my domestic Janome M7.
Here’s some more pictures of the quilt: It almost looks like stained glass from the back with the sun shining through. In June, I showed you the unquilted back when I posted about Kelly Young’s book, “Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs.”
Have you ever considered applying to become an Island Batik Ambassador? They are accepting applications NOW. Here is the LINK. The application explains what is expected from Ambassadors and the benefits being an Ambassador. It’s a challenging program, but I absolutely LOVE it!
If you apply, just make sure you take my email off and put your own in! In the past, I’ve had a few people ask me to ‘vote’ for them or ‘put in a good word’ for them. It doesn’t work that way … each Ambassador needs to apply each year – even we don’t know if we’ll be accepted or not. But fill in the application if you’re interested!
Clues are removed. Please contact me if you wish to have a copy of this pattern.
I LOVE ❤️ using Accuquilt dies and this month is no exception. We received the “North Carolina Star” and were told to use it “to showcase our quilting skills and creativity.” It was suggested to use fall colours and to make any project that we wanted!
The North Carolina Star die is a “block on board.” This means that each of the pattern pieces are included on the die.
We were also told that we didn’t have to make the North Carolina Star, but could make anything using pieces from this die. I briefly thought that I could use the square (in the middle) and make a simple 9 patch quilt. But, that would also be called ‘cheating,’ in my opinion.
I have many different collections of fall fabric, thus it was easy to choose one. Autumn Wings looked promising!
I made a trial block:
The trial block will be made into a tote bag sometime in the near future.
I went to EQ8 and got a North Carolina Star block, but it wasn’t the same … it didn’t have the quarter square triangle sections and a few other details. In my attempt to draw the block, EQ8 and I had a disagreement, with EQ8 saying that it couldn’t convert my block to something or other. And, I admit, that my EQ8 skills are lacking. So I had to use the block in the library.
I came up with the middle quilt, but felt it was too busy … the quilt on the right was more to my liking.
I forgot to take pictures as I made the blocks! But I will tell you that I had the instructions right beside me. There are so many pieces and my seam ripper was occasionally friendly with me! 😁
Table Topper Stats:
It was a beautiful fall day when I took the pictures in my yard! I really like the pictures on the burning bush and ornamental maple!
There are many places you can find Autumn Wings, but the few that caught my eye are:
I would like to thank Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles, and Accuquilt for providing me with the fabric and supplies I used to complete this project!
Visit the other Island Batik Ambassadors as they show their beautiful creations using the North Carolina Star die.
Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs
Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting
Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts
Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts
Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany
Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts
Reed Johnson ~ Blue Bear Quilts
Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You
Randi Jones ~ Randi’s Roost
Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs
Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney ~ Quiltery – For The Love Of Geese
Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights
Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine
Anorina Morris ~ sameliasmum.com
Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique
Claudia Porter ~ Create with Claudia
Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts
Elita Sharpe ~ Busy Needle
Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail You’re HERE!!!
Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels
Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt
Carol, from Just Let Me Quilt, is the organizer and host of this fun blog hop!
Here’s what she had to say:
| Sew your project with dog themed fabric or applique/embroidery of dogs |
She also gave an option of doing something vintage … but not for me … I’m going with the dogs! 🐶
I have made a few dog quilts over the years … and the 2 doxie pillows were made by my friend, Linda! So I just had to include them – they are so darn cute!
I had a LOT of scraps left from the last 2 quilts. They were all in one container! BONUS!!! and I’ve mixed them up and paired them up and cut them up … and made a bunch of “doggie bags!” Using some of my 7″ stash of zippers.
Here they are, 8 little zipper pouches:
SEPTEMBER 18
SEPTEMBER 19
SEPTEMBER 20
SEPTEMBER 21
Did you see my post earlier this week? The one with the Island Batik “Pieced to Perfection” quilts?
These were made with the fabric collection “Copper Patina.” These collections should be shipping to your local stores in October. To read more about these quilts and If you want an opportunity to win fabric from this collection make sure you comment on the original POST, HERE.
I will be hosting a Mystery Quilt here on my blog starting Wednesday, September 27. The clues will be posted every Wednesday for 8 or 9 weeks.
When I originally made this quilt, I used a Kansas Troubles layer cake. I will be making this quilt along with you using a 10″ stack of Island Batik fabric.
The quilt will finish at 59″ x 59″
Fabric Requirements:
Here was our instructions:
| Paper piecing, also known as foundation piecing, is a quilting technique that involves sewing fabric pieces to a paper foundation. Precision, relative ease of use and design flexibility of paper pieced patterns make them a very popular choice among quilters. Show off the fabric from your assigned Spring’ 23 0.5 yard bundle and make an eye-catching paper pieced showstopper! |
My assigned bundle is Coper Patina shown here:
Years and years ago, Carol Doak had a yahoo group with lots of paper piecing blocks. She recently started a Facebook group with lots of new patterns. This inspired me to make a Block of the Month pattern from years ago for this month’s paper piecing challenge.
I printed out the patterns and started making the blocks.
Chain piecing and paper piecing without sewing on the paper! I’ve never tried the freezer paper technique, but using paper straight from the printer works for me.
I paired a lot of the fabrics together and made the blocks on the left, with the centre star. The centre star used “Egg White” (a basic that is always available) and “Swirl Teal Jade” from the collection.
But I wasn’t happy (picture on the left). It seemed like a mish-mash of the fabrics and did nothing for the centre star.
So I started making more blocks using one fabric from the collection and Egg White. The picture on the right shows these blocks in progress. Yes, I’m much happier.
Here is the finished quilt with lots of custom ruler quilting.
Quilt Stats:
There was the ‘left-over’ blocks from my first attempt. I added the solid Black sashing and border, with Swirl Teal Jade for the cornerstones. I must admit, I like this way better than my first attempt with the Swirl Teal Jade star. Perhaps if I had used solid black for the star, I might have been happier. However, it’s too late now and I’m not going to do it over again! I’m happy with this one!
However, before I went with the black, I attempted to use some of the gold fabric in the collection for the sashing:
Sew, out came my trusty seam ripper, I auditioned other fabrics and settled on the black.
Much better!
Quilt Stats:
I had wanted to take a picture of the 2 quilts together on the lawn, but with our drought conditions and brown scrubby grass, I went across to the neighbours rock garden and took the picture there.
*** Be sure to visit Britany at Bobbin with Brittany to see what she made with Copper Patina! ***
Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread and needles were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles,
Brittany Fisher, Bobbin with Brittany
Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail
September 12
Susan Deshensky, Lady Blue Quilts
Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine
September 13
Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood
Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum
Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations
September 14
Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia
Victoria Johnson, Forever Quilting for You
Visit Island Batik’s blog to win one of 2 Fat Quarter Bundles from Week 2. HERE Follow the Rafflecopter directions.
Leave a comment at the end of this post and I will send you some pieces of Copper Patina! (You must be in Canada or the USA).
Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs
Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting
Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts
Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts
Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany
Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts
Reed Johnson ~ Blue Bear Quilts
Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You
Randi Jones ~ Randi’s Roost
Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs
Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney ~ Quiltery – For The Love Of Geese
Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights
Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine
Elita Sharpe ~ Busy Needle
Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail
Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels
Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt
Anorina Morris ~ sameliasmum.com
Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique
Claudia Porter ~ Create with Claudia
Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts
Nova Scotia: We stopped at a museum, Age of Sail Heritage Centre at Port Greville, and spent some time being awed by the plethora of things collected. Of course, my interest was mainly the fabrics / quilts and the old sewing machine! This is one place you could literally spend weeks at and still not see everything!
The majority of items were donated or on loan from locals in the area.
The first quilt was made around 1880 … almost 140 years ago! There is a picture of the whole quilt. I didn’t touch the quilt, but if you look closely, you can see some big stitch quilting.
I must admit, this lady in the rocking chair was a favourite of mine! She invited me to sit down and listen to her story … such fun! (Picture from Age of Sale Museum)
Although I don’t have any finishes to show you, I have finished a few projects. You will see them in future blog posts …
Here’s a peak into what I might be showing you on Monday for the Island Batik paper piecing challenge and blog hop!
Both Jennifer (Wednesday Wait Loss) and Andree (Free Motion Mavericks) featured my covered composition book. You can read about it HERE.
Linking to:
Did you decide to join us with PHD in 2023???
Are you determined to finish a bunch of UFOs and to NOT increase the number of quilts or projects on your UFO list???
Congratulations on making that choice!!!
Last month I talked about Celebrating the little things … When we celebrate the little things, the bigger goal becomes a closer goal. It is progress … and progress is good!
I must admit, when I look back at the sewing I’ve done in August, I’m feeling a bit discouraged. I had hopes to finish at least one UFO … but alas, with all that was happening around here and going on holidays, that didn’t happen. However, I need to take my own advice and celebrate the little things: the small amount of progress that I did make.
SEW, I’m going to celebrate this little bit of progress! These projects will be finished eventually!
Keep on Celebrating and progressing!
This month, I finished the “Call Me” pouch, my housecoat/robe for August’s Island Batik project and the Composition Cover. You can read more about them Call Me HERE, Housecoat/robe HERE and the Composition Cover HERE.
I didn’t finish any UFOs this month.
Here’s my tally sheet:
If you want to keep track of your own progress, please feel free to download the 2023 Template.
Here’s my Task Sheet of my UFOs. This helps me keep track of what I’ve accomplished and what I need to do. This hasn’t changed since last month.
You can download your own Task list from Ms P Designs HERE.
Show us your progress with your PHD in 2023! Or show us what YOU are celebrating in the quilting realm!
You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!
Cheryl, from Meadow Mist Designs hosts a monthly linky party where you post your favourite quilt of the month.
I’m loving my housecoat / robe. It’ll be so nice and cozy in the cooler weather!
August 21-24 – Call Me Crazy (Joan – calicojoan@aol.com)
Joan of Moose Stash Quilting is the organizer of this blog hop. Here’s what she had to say about this Blog Hop:
| We all know that crazy and scary feeling of wondering what we were thinking, when we started or were in the middle of sewing something out of our comfort zone. Now’s the time to share them with us all! It always make me feel better, knowing I’m not truly the only crazy person out there! |
| The rules are simple, make your project, write a post and have it scheduled to publish by midnight EST, the day your scheduled. |
Well, I OBVIOUSLY did not read the instructions. I took it to mean that we had to do some Crazy Quilting. Probably since I’ve made a few projects in recent months … You can read about these projects HERE and HERE.
I used a pattern by Karen Overton, The Quilt Rambler. You can access the pattern HERE and the Youtube video HERE.
I was inspired by a fellow Island Batik ambassador who made a crazy quilted book cover for the “Crazy Quilt” challenge. You can see Emily’s (Darling Dogwood) book cover HERE.
I used an Island Batik fabric collection called Wild Blooms. There is Hobbs 80/20 batting in the middle and Aurifil thread was used for the piecing and quilting. The button came from my button box and I think it might have been one of my mom’s buttons! That translates to “It’s likely OLD!”
I’m always asked about my quilting. I quilt on a domestic sewing machine, a Janome M7. I LOVE my M7!!!!
Here is mine:
The following pictures show the Back insert, the button applied, the zipper and vinyl pocket and the bookmark in the composition notebook!
Be sure to visit each of them! I promise you’ll be inspired!
Monday August 21
Tuesday August 22
Wednesday August 23
Thursday August 24
I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the animals reading amongst mushrooms and beautiful flowers!
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!
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!
My Housecoat / Robe took about 6 yards of fabric. I used Hobbs silk batting, Accuquilt dies and Aurifil thread, along with a multitude of Island Batik fabrics. For more details, see this BLOG POST.
Yearly Tally:
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.
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
Judy, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week.
This picture shows “Splendor” blocks and part of the August Island Batik challenge and part of September’s Island Batik challenge.
Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Call Me Crazy (My day is August 21)
Island Batik: Pieced to Perfection (My day is September 11)
Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: It’s a Dog’s Life (September 18 is my day)
Quilting Gail 