This quilt was made with Island Batik fabrics (Flutterfly collection & solid white), Hobbs white 80/20 batting, and Aurifil thread.
And here’s some close-ups of the quilting!
Friend’s Quilts
When she sent me the picture, she said, “This is where I’m leaving it Gail. Thanks, it was fun.” I think it looks great!
Kathleen said, “This is my finished project, it was definitely a learning experience. Because I started with such a small center block, some of the other blocks, size wise, were a bit of a challenge. Thank you for facilitating this project.” I think you did a fantastic job, Kathy!
Here’s Mary’s. She was running low on fabrics so she got very creative. I love the final result.
Donna also ran low on fabrics but made it! Shadowed quilted stars and diamonds and elephant footprints in negative spaces. Great fun!
Here’s Dawn’s: I love all the greens she used!
Jacomina wrote: I have no blog and I participated on a lark in the SAHRR2022. I put on a last round of borders and it is a disaster so they will have to come off again. It was fun in a way, as I like improv sewing, but it is not a very good quilt. I enjoyed the challenge even though that was not in my programming for this year. It just happened because I was in the Netherlands and all quilters were asked to make heart blocks for the victims of the flooding this summer when the rivers broke in Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. I made one following the directions and later a second heart thinking that I knew the dimensions and it turned out to be much too small. So here I was with this orphan block. Well, I totally disagree with Jacomina! I think this is a beautiful quilt! I love the hearts in the outside corners … it’s Lovely!
Edited: 2 more, sent in a little late
1. Charlene
Except for the background Charlene used her scraps of batiks for this quilt. She still has the last 2 sides of sho fly blocks to make. She had to go buy more background fabric! WOW!!! This looks fantastic!
2. Chere says: Well round 6 is done . I’ve got shoofly blocks, and some spacers in between. This quilt is far bigger than I thought it was going to get. But it’s OK. Hope to get it sandwich together next week and quilted. It will have purple binding. Have a few scraps left, have to see what I can do with them. Overall it was fun . I ended up learning new block names and blocks ,along with new techniques. Look forward to the next one.
I’m glad you had fun, Chere! Your quilt is beautiful!! And I agree that the purple binding will be perfect!
Now, it’s your turn to show us!
Show us your completed SAHRR or the one in progress!
Here’s my front yard … they’re all made with Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread.
As I was out taking a picture, I met a neighbour that has a quilt in her window … and she works at a quilt store in the community. So, of course, I had to walk down the road and take a picture!
It can be one block or 100 blocks…totally up to you.
You can make a quilt, a bag, a potholder, or whatever.
Just have an hourglass block in it somewhere.
Here is my first Hourglass block:
I had a few 60 degree triangles left over from the Island Batik “gradations” project that I made in January. You can read about it HERE.
But, I needed 45 degree and 90 angles to make the hourglass block. Accuquilt to the rescue! I paired all of these triangles with Island Batik’s solid grey material. 50 blocks later, the quilt was put together, the border added and the quilt was finished.
And, for the most part, my gradations are all gone! It’s bitter sweet. I was able to have fun using them and I actually got 3 quilts out of the fat quarter bundle they sent!
This quilt was sandwiched with Hobbs 80/20 and I use Aurifil #2600 (Dove) to quilt it. I started with my walking foot and a small serpentine stitch to outline all of the triangles, then I free motioned a swirly flower “thingy” in the grey areas. The binding is a scrappy binding and it is used with the same serpentine stitch that I quilted with.
This quilt will be donated to the Boundary Bay baby quilt committee.
Here is the list of Time in A Bottle Bloggers
Visit each of them to see their interpretations of the theme!
Both of these classes took place at Essem Textiles in Cloverdale. There are 2 more classes planned and others coming in the future. The Fat-Quarter Teddy Bear starts later this month (in 2 different sizes) and the 3D Pinwheels will be in April. The Teddy Bear class is almost full – but Essem will start a wait list for a 2nd class if there is enough interest! If you haven’t sewn at Essem – you are in for a delightful surprise. The classroom is fantastic, lots of plug-ins, great lighting and the hosts are the BEST!!!
Quilt-as-you-go Table Runner
I taught this class a few weeks ago … the participants were amazing and the table runners so diverse! It was pretty awesome … Here’s a peak at them – finished or in progress
Here is Kathy’s … all finished – including the binding!
And here’s Tina’s … the flowers and dragonflies are so pretty!
I haven’t received pictures from any of the other, but here they all are in progress. They are all so very different!
This is my Quilt-as-you-Go Table Runner. I finished it today and it’s my TGIFF for this week! I used fabrics from Island Batik’s Vintage Lace collection. You can read about the quilt that I made with this collection HERE. For the table runner I used the following fabrics:
Center: Mini Floral Vine Fall
Yellow: Mini Floral Vine Corn
Green: Dots: Pineneedle
Border & Binding: Medallion- Lace Fall
The center was quilted with Silly Moon’s “Drop” ruler.
Today’s Machine Binding Class
I taught the group a ton of tricks for binding quilts totally by machine. I think they enjoyed learning my radical techniques!
Here they are – hard at work. On the le
2 of the participants brought their Quilt-as-you-Go table runners to learn how to do those tricky angled corners and the regular 90 degree corners. How did I miss getting pictures of 2 of the projects? (Sorry, ladies!) As you can see, the bindings turned out fantastic! I’m super impressed with the 2 that did the straight line final attachment. It took me a LONG time before I ventured from decorative stitches! All of the ladies did a fantastic job!
Our challenge was to “create a piece inspired by your assigned Italian destination.”
I was sent Pompeii Red Aurifil colour builder set. It contains 3 beautiful reds: 5002 (Medium Red), 2250 (Red) and 1103 (Burgundy).
Pompeii is a city with lots of red stone buildings and ruins with Mount Vesuvius in the background. Mount Vesuvius is an active volcano, with the latest eruption in 1944. However, in 79 AD, it’s eruption buried the city and it was abandoned for centuries. In the 1700s, a group of explorers started to dig and discovered that many of the artifacts and people were still intact. Today, Pompeii continues to be an active archaeological dig.(Information obtained from: https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/pompeii)
I really didn’t want to work on buildings. Mount Vesuvius looks beautiful, but doesn’t have any red features. What to do?
Then, as I was surfing the internet more, I came across some amazing pictures of the mountain erupting. This photo is the inspiration for my mini quilt.
I started with making the sky … the light blue and the dark blue (Both were scraps of 10″ squares from the Starry Night stack I had). I added the 2 brown fabrics for the mountain: one is Wavy Dots-Cappuccino and the other is Brownie. The orange fabric was from a stash builder bundle. These were all joined with wavy improv seams. In the 2nd picture, the 3 threads on the left are the Pompeii threads, the 3 on the right are from my thread stash. The grey was intended to be used for the smoke but I didn’t use it. This piece measured 19 1/2″ x 20″ … I thought with adding a border, It would easily be 20″ x 20.”
Once the base was made, I used Hobbs fusible batting and the backing is “Brownie.” I LOVED using the fusible batting, there was absolutely NO need for spray … and I knew that it would not shift while I was quilting.
I wanted to stretch myself and thought I’d do some thread painting. I started by using the 3 Pompeii Red threads. This was sewn on my Janome M7, using the straight free motion stitch and the free motion zig-zag stitch #1.
It definitely needed the lighter threads … so I went to my Aurifil stash (yes, I do have many, many colours!) I chose the following threads: 2134 (Spun Gold), 2140 (Orange Mustard), and 2220 (Light Salmon).
Wow … I used over 10 bobbins of thread and it shrunk … A LOT!!! I knew it would likely shrink a little, but I was shocked at how much it did! After I squared it up and added the border, this mini is 16″ x 18.” I knew it would likely shrink a little, but I was shocked at how much it did! And it shrunk the most in the middle and was an hourglass shape!
This is my finished piece and I called it “Mt. Vesuvius Eruption.” Not a very imaginative title, but at least I have named it!
I was walking by a fitness studio and saw this sign in the window … I pondered it for awhile and then thought, “This makes a lot of sense.”
When you think about working on a UFO, that’s what you’re doing. Thinking. However, if you take the UFO out of the box and start working on it … that’s Action. How many times have you been working on something and all of a sudden, it’s “Let’s get this done!” That’s Motivation. I find that often happens to me. So I Need to take some Action and work on a UFO … who knows – maybe in March, I can show you a finish!
So how are you doing with your PHD in 2022 February progress?
My Tally Sheet
No UFO finishes this month, but two, Macaron Mystery and the SAHRR are seeing some progress.
The first chart shows my overall PHD standing and New Starts … the 2nd more colourful chart shows all the tasks, or steps I need to take to complete my UFOs.
This first one is my February, Island Batik project “Row by Row.” I had a beautiful fabric collection called Vintage Lace by Kathy Engle. You can read about this quilt HERE. I used Hobbs 80/20 batting, Aurifil thread and Schmetz needles. As well, I used the Accuquilt Qube 8″ die set to cut all the blocks.
This is my favourite finish in February. I’m linking to Meadow Mist Designs.
I’ve already talked about this little basket. You can read about it HERE.
DrEAMI
Then there is the DrEAMI I made. DrEAMI stands for Drop Everything And Make It. You know about those projects! Sandra, of MMM Quilts has a linky party each month for us to show our DrEAMIs. They are also known as Squirrels …
Here’s how my DrEAMI came about: On the guild Facebook page, one of the members posted a cute Thread-catcher … my comment at the time was “No! No! No! I’ve got NO time to make these!!! But why oh why did I bookmark the page????????? And I’m thinking about what fabrics to use ….” It was bugging me … I just HAD to make it!
The pattern / tutorial can be found at The Sewing Chick, HERE.
I used Island Batik Fabrics. The main fabric is Buildings-Peon, the lining is Chevron-Gaze and the binding is Columns-Olive … all from the Deco Revival collection. The small pieces are scraps from the same collection. Along with the canvas, Hobbs 80/20 batting was used and it was quilted with Aurifil thread.
This basket didn’t take long at all. Less than 3 hours, and that included the hunt for the canvas (it wasn’t in my sewing room), writing down the fabrics used and re-cutting the lining because I goofed when cutting out the corners (my own fault). The pattern is easy to follow!
Stitching Stuff
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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!
January 1-30 – 31 / 31
February 1-27 – 27 / 27
Total: 58 / 58
Percentage =100%
Stash Report
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash. 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! However, I am human and I do break down and buy fabric!
This week … the Wagon Broke … and I bought fabric!
I can easily justify it. (Can’t we all?) It’s Island Batik fabric!!! And I found it at a store within about 3 miles of my house! Castle’s Sewing Center. They don’t have a lot, but they have 8 bolts!!! That’s a start! Especially since I haven’t been able to find it anywhere else in the lower mainland! (I’m talking at least 100 miles or more). Yes, Over the Rainbow in Washington carries Island Batik fabric, but it’s a huge hassle to cross the border right now and return to Canada – so I’ll be staying put!
I bought 3 m of the neutral … It’s a chevron with hints of blue … of course I fell in love right away. And, I DO have a plan for it!
The fabric basket used 1/2 yard of fabric and my DrEAMI used 3/4 yard.
So, last week, after having a root canal, I taught a Basket class at Essem. There was only one participant in the class, Wendy. She was super speedy and was able to finish up her basket very quickly! She’s used a variety and Kafe fabrics and her basket is stunning! Don’t you agree?
Here is my basket. I used fabric from my stash. I used 2 fabrics and like the effect! If you’d like to learn how to make this basket – let Simina or Rajan at Essem know and they’ll start a wait list.
Machine Binding Class
On March 10, I will be teaching a binding class at Essem. You will learn how to attach binding totally by machine! There will be lots of time-saving tricks and the results will be amazing! I’ll be demonstrating regular binding, scrappy binding, and flange binding. Bring projects ready for binding and you will leave with the binding completed! Contact Essem Textiles to sign up for the class. There are only a few spots left!
Did you see my Row by Row Quilt?
This week, it was my day to share my February Row by Row quilt on Island Batik’s Blog Hop! It was such a fun quilt to make, with beautiful fabrics from a collection called “Vintage Lace” by Kathy Engle. You can read more about it HERE.
This quilt is 50″ x 60″. I used Accuquilt dies to cut the whole quilt. It’s quilted with a Schmetz needle, Aurifil thread, using Silly Moon’s “Beanie” rulers, and has Hobbs 80/20 batting.
Same Quilt, Different Fabric
Last week I showed my finish “In the Woods” featuring Evergreen and Pine by Kathy Engle that is in the Island Batik Catalogue. You can read about it HERE.
This week, my pattern tester, Carol, posted a picture of her quilt … it has a totally different look using different fabrics! I love it. You can read what Carol has to say about the quilt pattern HERE. Thank you for testing the pattern, Carol!
I am always fascinated by how different quilts look when you use different fabrics!
Let me know if you would like to purchase the “In the Woods” pattern!
Chris from Chrisknitssews has chosen Shoo-fly blocks. These blocks were cut with my Accuquilt, using 2 Qube 8 dies. As I was making these blocks – they looked too busy side by side, but putting a plain white sash between them worked. It also helped with the measurement! So all is good!
This is the last round – I may or may not add a small white border … and then it’s going to be sandwiched and quilted. I will be doing my own quilting on my Janome M7.
My SAHRR has used “Flutterfly,” a beautiful Island Batik collection, paired with their solid white. It makes a very ‘crisp’ quilt! I did add a 2 1/2″ border … and it’s now ready to be sandwiched and quilted.
Be sure to link to Chris’s blog … and then return on March 21 for the final parade!!!
Friend’s Progress
I just found this picture from Dawn W on my phone … she sent it awhile ago and I missed it! I LOVE all the shades of green and how each side of the quilt is different, with the tops the same! Awesome, job, Dawn!
Here is Stella’s … she says, “I have almost caught up again- just have to applique my hearts on…this afternoons project….I have run out of a few of my fabrics – the stash only goes so far! But I am happy that I’ve made it this far without needing to shop! Hahaha Depending on Monday’s round- this may be my finished project….I like this size as I can handle the quilting here in my own space. And I may even have a backing sitting on the shelf already. This is SEW pretty! I Love how the black really accents the fabrics!
Chere says: Actually like the rails. Probably because I also like piano keys ☺️ Hope the purple got toned down a bit but not lost. Thought I’d bring back in the flower appliqué. Hummm , what is that final round? I’m happy so far , for a first time SAHRR. It’s looking great, Chere! Well now you know what the final round is!
Charlene says: Yeah…another round complete…loving my picket fence…53 x 66…will be a good size throw once I do round 6! Charlene, I love your take on “rail fence” blocks … the picket fence looks great!
Visit the other co-hosts to see their blocks!
Here’s a list of the other co-hosts. Make sure that you go to their blogs and follow them so that you don’t miss a single post!
I received “Vintage Lace” collection, designed by Kathy Engle. It should be in the stores in February.
The top and bottom rows have 4 colours each, the other 4 rows have 3 … which means that I used all 20 fabrics in the blocks. The sashing is a basics called “Snow” and the cornerstones and binding are “Hunter.” (All of the fabrics are pictured below.)
The name of the collection made me think of traditional blocks and I pulled out my Accuquilt cutter and this wonderful book “GO! QUBE” by Quilt in a Day / Eleanor Burns.
I drew out many of the blocks in EQ and used the program to colour in the blocks.
Using the Accuquilt ensures perfect size quilt pieces … in this case the 2 1/2″ half-square triangles. Once sewn together, there will be no dog ears to cut off and, as long as my 1/4″ seam is accurate, the block will finish at 2″ square.
As I was piecing many of the blocks, the colour combinations made me think of my grandma. I didn’t get to visit her often, but the fabrics reminded me of her sofa and doilies … I know she had a rocking chair that was similar in colour to the lighter green fabric … perhaps that’s where the memories come from!
There was nothing in my Island Batik stash that was large enough for the backing, so I cut large squares from the left-over fabric and used the following fabrics:
Here is a picture of me just starting the quilting. I used Silly Moon “Beanie” rulers and quilted a Baptist fan over the entire quilt. And, just in case you’re wondering, I did take out that stitching (see the skipped stitches?) and changed the needle (the previous one had pieced this quilt and probably 2 others!) … much better results!
Here are pictures of the individual blocks.
Make sure that you visit The Inquiring Quilter, Jennifer also received “Vintage Lace” and I’m dying to see what she made with this great collection!
Visit the other Ambassadors!
The other Island Batik Ambassadors . make sure you visit each one … they all have beautiful quilts!
TGIFF stands for Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday and I’m hosting the linky party this week.
Here is my finish
This was a “secret” quilt that I was working on in the fall. It’s for the Island Batik catalogue. It was a fun quilt to make and I loved fussy cutting the animals … they are SEW cute! The Fabric collection is Evergreen and Pine by Kathy Engle. It should be in stores this month! And yes, I used Aurifil thread for piecing and quilting and Hobbs 80/20 batting. Let me know if you would like to purchase the pattern!
And here’s a picture of each of the fabrics that is in the quilt! I used all of them … can you find them in the quilt?
This was a super fun quilt to make. It’s made with Island Batik scraps. You can read more about it HERE. The pattern is from a great book that I highly recommend! “Scrappy Improv Quilting” written by Kelly, of My Quilt Infatuation.
I was Featured
Both Jennifer, from the Inquiring Quilter, and Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation featured the quilt I showed last Friday, 3 D Pinwheels. Please contact me if you would like to purchase the pattern.
Have you been following the Island Batik Row by Row Blog Hop? There’s been some pretty amazing quilts during the Row by Row! Lots of amazing new fabrics coming to stores soon!
Here’s the line-up for this week! I can’t wait to see everyone’s creations!
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 1-30 – 31 / 31
February 1-13 13 / 13
Total: 43/ 43
Percentage =100%
Stash Report
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash. 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! However, I am human and I do break down and buy fabric!
Our guild had a Valentine’s SEWscial on Saturday. It was lots of fun! SEW good to see people in person! There were 2 venders there and lots of fabric, but I resisted and didn’t buy any. However, I did whip out the credit card and did do some shopping! A cone of Aurifil thread, 4 spools of thread, a Silly Moon ruler for ruler quilting, a marking pen, pins, a purple thang (mine is broken) and a Clover seam ripper (my favourite!)
The little cutting mat was free if you spent more than $100. Which was easy to do with this haul!
SEW this meme is still true!
Fabric Used this week 5.0 yards
Fabric Used this year: 6.5 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 0 yards
Net Fabric used 6.5 yards
To Do
Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is now hosting “To Do” every week.
I had 2 weeks to work on my previous To Do list … let’s see how I did …
The To Do list last week:
Finish Round 5 of SAHRR√ DONE
Finish Catalogue Quilt√ DONE
Work on Macaron Mystery √ DONE
Work on Time in a Bottle√ 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:
Finish Round 6 of SAHRR
Work on Macaron Mystery
Work on Time in a Bottle
Complete March’s Colour Challenge
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes
Design Wall
#1 SAHRR is in progress … This is Round 5 … You can read details about this round HERE.
#2 Time in a Bottle: This is for a blog hop in March … this is still in progress, but progress has been made! I am using Island Batik fabrics – small bits and pieces left over from my gradations quilts and paired with the wonderful Island Batik solid grey!
#3 Macaron Mystery. Block A is done. 2 of Block B are completed. All the fabrics are from my stash.
Quilting:
No quilting happening … I’ve got to get some flimsies done!
The first chart shows my overall PHD standing and New Starts … the 2nd more colourful chart shows all the tasks, or steps I need to take to complete my UFOs.
This week, I chose “Applique.” Gasp!!! Don’t faint! I’m trying to do things I’m not super comfortable with! Now … if YOU don’t want to do Applique – then feel free to do a “rail fence.” I’m not sure if all of the co-hosts are doing applique or the rail fence – you’ll have to check it out. However, we did decide to give YOU a choice of what YOU want to do!
I started off by sewing 6″ borders on the quilt. When it was time to do the applique, I realized that I did NOT want to be turning the complete quilt around. SEW … out came Jack (the ripper) and I un-sewed all 4 borders. I used Steam-a-Seam light and fused all of the applique pieces in place. Then with a blanket stitch, I stitched around all of the pieces. I’m getting better at it, but boy oh boy – is it SLOW going! But, it is done … until next week!!
I’m using Island Batik’s “Flutterfly” fabric collection with their white solid and Aurifil thread for piecing.
I am totally amazed at how these SAHRR are coming together!!! Everyone is doing their own thing and each is so unique!!! Love, Love, Love it!!!
Here’s Chere’s and she says, “We’ll this is it. Picked out enough stuff . Sewed extra stuff that didn’t work. Ready for next round.” Looking good, Chere!
Donna’s: SAHRR, round 4 ✅. I decided to replace the negative space in round 3 with the round 4 blocks. Otherwise it was going to be way too big for a baby quilt 😆 Plus, I think it makes the centre block pop more!! I totally agree, Donna! Love the fussy cut bunnies as well!
Mary says “This was easy. Round 4 done. Yahoo🤪 (Mary had it done early Monday afternoon!) Speedy, Mary!
Joyce says, “SAHRR 4th round Signature Blocks added. I wanted to bring in another colour so added the purple which is in the centre block. I added the Piano Keys for more colour and less negative space. I added the white blocker as I didn’t like the 4th row adjacent to the black.”
Charlene’s: I like how she is making this into a rectangle!
This is Darlene’s and she says, “I’ve made 12 of these blocks. Not sure yet just how I’m going to place them. Think I’ll wait and see what tomorrow’s block is.” I can’t wait to see what you do next!
This is Ciska’s who says, “I got it done for a change…” I’m liking the pinks and greys!
Way back in the fall, I was madly working on some Secret Quilts. These were quilts for the Island Batik catalogue that came out a while ago. But, we’re not supposed to show you until the fabrics are available in the stores. Well, the fabrics are now available – so I can show you!
This quilt was made with “Contempo” a Signature collection, designed for Kate Colleran by Kathy Engle. Aren’t they BEAUTIFUL??? And I paired these beauties with Island Batik’s solid grey and solid black.
Believe it or not, this quilt is actually amazingly simple to make! Let me know if you would like to purchase the pattern! (quiltinggail@yahoo.ca)
This quilt used Aurifil 2600 (Dove) for the quilting and Hobbs 80/20 batting.
The February Island Batik Blog Hop starts on Monday! The theme is Row by Row …
Make sure you visit each of the ambassadors to see what they made … and some of them may have a giveaway and you could have a chance to win some awesome Island Batik fabric!
My Island Batik quilts for the January challenge? These were for the challenge “Step by Step” using 20 gradations of Tantalizing Teal. Of course, Island Batik fabric was used with Hobbs batting and Aurifil Thread.
Here are the pictures, but you can read more about them HERE.
Stitching Stuff
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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!
Last year I managed to sew 97% of the days. What will this year bring?
January 1-30 – 30 / 30
Total: 30 /30
Percentage =100%
Stash Report
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash. 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! However, I am human and I do break down and buy fabric!
I love this meme that I saw recently (but can’t find the source) …
The Teddy Bear quilt took 5.5 yards of fabric. You can see the post HERE.
Fabric Used this week 5.0 yards
Fabric Used this year: 6.5 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 0 yards
Net Fabric used 6.5 yards
To Do
Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is now hosting “To Do” every week.
I had 2 weeks to work on my previous To Do list … I’m starting to realize that if I give myself 2 weeks, I can usually accomplish what I want to do in one week. Hmmm … What does that say about my expectations?
The To Do list 2 weeks ago:
Finish Round 3 & start Round 4 of SAHRR √ DONE
Sandwich and Quilt Polar Bear Plunge√ DONE
Work on Tickled Pink project … it’s actually finished! √ DONE
Finish Island Batik January Project and posted HERE√ DONE
Finish Macaron Mystery – January clue √ 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:
Finish Round 4 of SAHRR and start Round 5
Work on February Island Batik project
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes
Design Wall
There are a few things on my Design Wall and I can only show you little bits of what’s there!
#1 SAHRR is in progress … You can read about it HERE and HERE
#2 … February Island Batik project Row by Row … Here’s a picture of the fabric that I’m using. It’s the Vintage Lace by Kathy Engle and should be shipping to stores in February. Aren’t they soft and lovely?
Quilting:
Nothing is being quilted at the moment!
2 UFOs finished this week! The Polar Bear Blog hop and the Tickled Pink Blog Hop quilts!
When Joan at Moosestash Quilting first announced this blog hop, I just couldn’t resist!
I knew I was going to make a teddy bear quilt for this challenge. The book, Fat Quarter Baby, has the cutest teddy bear quilt! A Christmas gift bundle of Fat Quarters was the perfect choice.
Here is a picture of the quilt – prior to me adding eyes and a mouth. It’s cute, but a teddy must have eyes and a smile – right?
The eyes were appliqued on (gasp!) and the smile was stitched with a fairly tight zigzag stitch. Simple “in the ditch” quilting finished this little guy!
Make sure you visit all of the other bloggers in this hop! There’s a lot of creativity happening!
I am so HONOURED to be chosen again as an Island Batik Ambassador!! It truly is an honour to have all the wonderful support of the Island Batik team and to work alongside so many talented quilters!
On Wednesday night, I did a trunk show for the Chilliwack Piecemakers Guild and they were asking about “What came in the boxes?” So here’s a chance for them to see!
Oh – and apparently there is more coming later this month … I will show you what comes in that package after it arrives!
Here is the video of me opening the boxes.
Here’s pictures and details of what came in my boxes:
6 yards of “Linen.” This is a basic that is available any time.
Fat Quarter Bundle: Tantalizing Teals. These fabrics are available in yardage from your local quilt store. There are 20 fabrics in this bundle and I will show you what I’ve made in the next week!
Vintage Lace Fabric Collection: 1/2 yard bundle of 20 fabrics PLUS 2 yards of Snow & 2 Yards of Hunter! These gorgeous fabrics will be available in February.
4 yard cuts of Solid Black, White & Grey. Totally fantastic neutrals! I love these solids!
2 1/2″ strips of Citified along with 2 yards each of “Lavender” and “Blackberry.” Can’t you just imagine something awesome being made with these?
Stash-builder bundles. These bundles are 5″wide by width of fabric and there are 4 fabrics in each roll. Each package of 5 rolls contains 2.8 yards of fabric!
A Surprise Package! This is for the May blog hop. As I am writing this, I have no idea what is inside!
I have a UFO finish! It is the Any Which Way Mystery Quilt … it was finally trimmed and the binding was added! The first picture was taken in the sun … and the 2nd picture was taken on the snow – just because I could!
The binding was finished today while I was Zoom quilting with fellow Island Batik Ambassadors! It’s so fun to get together and see what everyone is working on!
This quilt used Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs 80/20 batting and was quilted with Aurifil thread using Schmetz needles. It finishes at 44″ x 44.” It’s nice to have this UFO done!
Stitching Stuff
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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 managed to only sew for 15 min a day …
January 1-9 – 9 / 9
Total: 9 / 9
Percentage =100%
Stash Report
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash. 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! However, I am human and I do break down and buy fabric!
I love this meme that I saw recently (but can’t find the source) …
I used 1.5 yards of fabric for the backing of the Any Which Way Mystery Quilt.
Fabric Used this week 1.5 yards
Fabric Used this year: 0 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 0 yards
Net Fabric used 1.5 yards
To Do
Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is now hosting “To Do” every week.
I didn’t get a lot done this week. I’ve had a bad back and can only sit for very short periods of time.
The To Do list last week:
Trim & bind “Any Which Way” Mystery – √ DONE
Finish Round 3 & 4 of SAHRR (yes, I want to work ahead) Decided I didn’t like Round 2 – so did some un-stitching and re-doing the round X not done
Work on Polar Bear Plunge√ DONE
Work on Tickled Pink√ DONE
Work on January’s Island Batik project√ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes: no cleaning or tidying done and boy does it show! X not done
This week’s list:
SAHRR: Finish Round 2 & work on Round 3
Work on Polar Bear Plunge: get the top done
Work on Tickled Pink
Work on Secret Project
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes
Design Wall
There are a few things on my Design Wall and there is NOTHING I can show you … yet!
#1 SAHRR is in progress … Centre block comes out Tomorrow! Be sure to come back so you don’t miss it!!!
#2 Polar Bear Plunge: This is for a blog hop in January … it should be fun! Of course, I can’t show you until the blog hop!
#3 Tickled Pink: This is for a blog hop in February … and again, I can’t show you until then!
#4 … Island Batik January Gradation project is getting there! and it will remain a total secret for now!
#5 Macaron Mystery by Meadow Mist Designs I have printed off the January clue – but haven’t done any sewing … yet …
Quilting:
Nothing is being quilted at the moment!
One UFO done!
Ms. P. Designs has this nifty colourful tool that you can use to track the tasks you have to do for your PHD. You can access the tool HERE.
As an Island Batik Ambassador, I am to make 12 projects, one a month using ONLY Island Batik fabrics. This is my 3rd year as an Ambassador and I have a bit of an Island Batik stash. The projects below are either the monthly challenge or ones I have done on my own. As you might guess, I LOVE Island Batik fabrics!
January
Between Christmas and New Years 2020, I hosted a Holiday Seclusion Mystery here on the blog. You can see a summary of it HERE.
These are the 2 quilts I made to test the mystery. The first one uses an older Island Batik that I bought, but neglected to keep record of the name of the fabric. It is paired with solid white. Although it was started in 2020, it was not finished until 2021.
This one was made with Scrapbuilder bundles in blue, teal and green, along with a solid grey. I love the overall graffiti or wild quilting on it!
January’s Island Batik challenge was to make placemats. I LOVE blue and LOVED making these placemats! You can read about them HERE.
I joined in the monthly Scrap Happy Table Runner challenge hosted by So Scrappy. January’s colour was PINK. Here is the mug rug I made.
February
These 2 baskets were a free byAnnie pattern and you can read more about them HERE.
This quilt was provided as a mystery quilt for the guild. The Designer is Sue Pontifex, from Piece Arch Quilters in White Rock. This is a variation of the original design. You can read more about the quilt HERE.
February’s Island Batik challenge was “Create for a Cause.” Each ambassador was to create a quilt to give to a charity of our choice. The guild I belong to gives “comfort” quilts to a local cancer agency. This quilt is destined to go there when they start receiving quilts (after Covid). You can read more about this quilt HERE.
This quilt used the beautiful “Mystery” collection of fabric designed by Claudia Pfeil.
This month’s colour for the Scrap Happy Table Runner challenge hosted by So Scrappy. was yellow. You can read more about this mug rug HERE.
March
Scrapbusting ws Island Batik’s challenge for March. What a fun fun challenge. My 2 quilts are shown below …
The Scrappy Irish chain with the star was a LOT of fun. Lots of 2″ scraps from every collection that I have had as an ambassador!
Is a quilt that started out small and became bigger as I really liked the colours. It initially started as a sample for a ruler quilting class.
This is a quilt, designed by an Island Batik alumni, Sandra Walker, you can read more about this quilt HERE and Here and HERE.
The Island Batik challenge for this month was “Spread Love & Joy with Accuquilt.” Boy, did I have fun! I love using the Accuquilt cutter and the precision cutting. You can read about my 2 quilts HERE.
In March, I took a course “Speed Dating with Improv” by Krista from PoppyPrints. It took me a while to get the facing done, but it was finally finished in June! I used Island Batik solids for this piece.
I finally put the facing on my Story-less Improv and you can read more about it here, here and HERE. This was from a by Krista’s classes @ Poppyprint. It has the super fun title of “Speed Dating.”
Purple is June’s Scrap Happy Table Runner challenge hosted by So Scrappy. You can read more about this coaster HERE.
July
July’s Island Batik challenge was “Never Too Early.” I made a mini quilt and a basket. You can read about them HERE.
August
Try a Tool was Island Batik’s August challenge! Oh! Did I have fun with this one! Check out the details HERE.
Another quilt designed by Island Batik alumni, Sandra Walker. This is “Let your Star Shine.” You can read about it HERE and HERE.
This quilt was created for the “Orange you Glad” Blog Hop. You can read about it HERE.
This month’s scrappy table runner challenge was “aqua.” I wanted to try paper piecing a “Storm at Sea” block and ended up with this 14″ x 14″ square table topper. You can read about it HERE.
September
Island Batik’s September challenge was to make a byAnnie bag. I made this wonderful “Round Trip Duffle.” Read about it HERE.
This table runner was made for the Table Scraps monthly challenge (orange) and the Falling For You blog hop … you can read more about it HERE.
Kelly Young launched her newest book “Scrappy Improv Quilting” and I couldn’t help but enlarge this quilt and make a baby sized hot air balloon. You can read about it HERE.
October
October’s Island Batik challenge was to use Aurifil thread related to our assigned Endangered Species. I was given the Pangolin … it was fun zen-doodling the scales … you can find out more details HERE.
Then, I was involved in a blog hop, featuring Kelly Young’s book, “Scrappy Improv Quilting.” I made this ornament wall hanging for the blog hop. See details HERE.
November
The challenge for Island Batik, for November was the “Storm at Sea” block. I made 2 totally different quilts using the same block. You can read about them HERE.
I finished another quilt – with inspiration from Kelly Young’s book “Scrappy Improv Quilting.” This quilt used a lot of orphan log cabin blocks … For more details see HERE.
December
English Paper Piecing was the challenge for December. It was a HUGE challenge for me, but I got it done! And I’m happy with the result! See more details HERE.
This is another hot air balloon from Kelly Young’s book, “Scrappy Improv Quilting.” You can read about it HERE.
Catalogue Quilts
There were 3 quilts that were published in the Island Batik Spring/Summer 2021 Catalogue. You can access the Catalogue HERE.
Left to right: Modern Squares, Feather Chain & Flutterfly Stars.
Disclosure: The fabrics, thread, batting and needles were generously supplied by the following companies:
This week I posted my final Island Batik challenge for 2021. It’s been a fantastic year! I will soon have a blog post that will show all of the projects I’ve made with wonderful Island Batik fabrics! You can read more about this finish HERE. It was pieced and quilted with Aurifil thread and Hobbs batting was used.
Design Wall
#1 Scrappy Improv Quilting …
Absolutely NO change from the last month! None at all! Even though I analyzed why it wasn’t getting done – I still haven’t worked on it! I need to get it finished in order to achieve my PHD in 2021!
#2 A&A’s Quilt: This quilt which was started in Mar. is getting pieced into a top. I was suppose to get some direction on how they wanted it pieced, but no direction came, so I decided to do my own thing. … I’m looking forward to quilting some of the negative space …
Quilting:
Amy and I had another “Playing with Rulers” day at Essem Textiles. I was working on my Guild’s fall mystery quilt. I struggled the whole time. First, I did not have my slip slidey thing for my machine, then I realized that my quilting gloves no longer had any grip on them … If we have more “Playing with Rulers” days, I will definitely choose a smaller project! And I will have my slip slidey thing and some good gloves! In spite of my challenges, it was a fun couple of days!! It is so rewarding to see quilters become comfortable with ruler quilting!!! If you live in the area and would like to join us for a “Playing with Rulers” session – let Simina or Rajan at Essem Textiles know. They will put you on a waiting list.
Stash Report
No finishes that used fabric from my stash.
Fabric Used this week 0 yards
Fabric Used this year: 101.75 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 50. 75 yards (my husbands amounts as well)
Net Fabric used 51 yards
Husband’s purchases: 0 yards (which are added into my total amount of Fabric added this year). For those of you who don’t know … my husband often buys more fabric than I do … so, I’m keeping track! Unfortunately, he doesn’t sew!
Stitchin’ Time
January – Nov – 324 / 333
Dec – 12 / 12
Total: 336 / 344
Percentage = 97 %
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
To Do
Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is now hosting “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.
The To Do list from 2 weeks ago:
Finish Quilting Island Batik Secret #4√ DONE
Work on December’s Island Batik project. √ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! Got inspired to make a tree skirt √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes√ DONE
This week’s list:
Get A&As quilt sandwiched
Finish Scrappy Improv top
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes
OK … I’ve got 3 projects to finish before the end of the year. I think I can get them done! I hope I can get them done.
Earlier this week, I posted my English Paper Piecing table runner. It was my last Island Batik challenge of the year. If you know me, I highly dislike hand sewing – it hurts! However, I took my time and had fun! You can read all about it HERE.
This table runner was pieced and quilted with Aurifil threads and Hobbs 80/20 Black batting was used.
It has been a great year with Island Batik. Sometime, in the next few weeks, I will show you all of the projects that were made with Island Batik fabrics this year. It’s a post that always takes a LOT of time to put together!
A Chuckle for Today
My cousin, Terry, sent me this! I’ve seen it before – a LONG time ago, but I did laugh out loud when I read it again!
In the mail
This quilt is on it’s way up north. I’m not sure if I showed it before or not. It’s been finished for awhile. Once I had the baby’s details, I made the label, added it to the quilt and finished the binding.
I was Featured!
Jennifer, from Inquiring Quilter, featured these two panel quilts that were recently finished! You can read about them HERE.
Quilting Gail 