You Never Know

A few years ago, Patti participated in a Stay at Home Round Robin … she diligently sent me photos of her progress … then decided she was DONE. She can’t remember if she put it on the “Free” table or put it somewhere else … but it was out of her hands … she was done with it!

Fast forward to the present day …

Patti is on the “Comfort Quilt Committee” for our guild (Boundary Bay Quilter’s Guild). She was given a quilt that was donated for the cancer centre. She absolutely HAD to show it to me … Can you see why????

And here you can really see Patti’s started SAHRR …

The lady that picked up the discarded SAHRR added lots of her own fabrics and made a super beautiful quilt …

Sew, You Never Know!

IB Blog Hop is Over

Island Batik has had a blog hop over the last 3 weeks. Did you see it? It featured Studio 180 Tools and new fabric lines.

I was given the “Sandalwood” collection, designed by Kathy Engle for Kari Nichols of Quilting Renditions and the Wedge Star Tool. You can read more about this quilt, the fabric and the tool HERE. It was a lot of fun to make! I was especially thrilled when I had PERFECTLY pieced star centres (well, on most of them!)

And here’s the back and a close up of the quilting.

If you would like to see a recap of all of the quilts from the hop, (without visiting each blog) visit Island Batik’s blog HERE.

I Was Featured

Jennifer, from  Inquiring Quilter and Andree from Quilting and Learning – what a combo … featured my 2nd Baby Stars quilt on her blog.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Sew It – Show It: Rose Coloured Glasses

Carol, from Just Let Me Quilt, organized this blog hop.

This is what she said,

Are you a “Rose Colored Glasses” kind of person? 
Do you think things are better than they really are? 
Do you think positive most of the time? 
What’s the challenge?
Your sewn project must have one or more of the following:
Rose/pink fabric
Eyeglasses
Roses
Positive Words

I thought of a LOT of things … and some friends came up with other options:

  • wine glasses with re wine in the glass
  • wine coasters
  • eye glass cases

Well, when I was packing for my guild’s retreat last week, I had this “Retreat Bag” from Emmaline Bags that I wanted to finish. When I saw the lining fabric and some of the fabric for the outside of the bag, I just KNEW that finishing this bag would fit the project! Rosebuds and roses …

By the way, the pattern for the Retreat bag comes in 2 sizes from Emmaline Bags .

This is the small size:

Rosy Participants

MAY 15TH

MAY 16TH

MAY 17TH

MAY 18TH

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Tool Craze with Studio 180 Tools

At the beginning of the year, when I got my first 2 Island Batik boxes for 2023, I had a “Surprise” package:

I didn’t know what fabric collection was hidden inside the wrapping!

This is what I found when I opened it: and yes, I ohhh and ahhh’d over it! I LOVE these beautiful fall colours!

The collection is “Sandalwood” designed by Kathy Engle for Kari Nichols of Quilting Renditions. And the collection is paired with 2 yards of Dijon (from Opulent Oranges) and 2 yards of Mocha (from Neutrals).

I also received the Wedge Star tool from Studio 180. So many options to play with!

And as an ambassador, I was also able to get the extra Technic Sheets that accompany the tool. Studio 180 also has a plethora of videos that go with all of the tools and several of the Technic Sheets! So, if you have a Studio 180 tool and are not sure how to proceed, visit the videos for clear instructions. HERE.

I followed the directions and started making the stars … sewing and trimming …

My first 3 blocks and then the start of the “Twisted Wedge Star” on my Prairie Spirit Alpaca/wool pressing mat.

One thing that I was totally amazed at was how, after all the sewing and trimming most of the blocks had PERFECT centres. If you know me at all … this is totally amazing! I was SOOOOOO excited!! It’s no wonder that I LOVE Studio 180 tools!

It was SEW much fun to make all these blocks that I didn’t take the time to photograph many progress pictues!

All in all, I made 6 Wedge Stars and 6 Twisted Wedge Stars. I used all 20 of the fabric skews in the top! The back used 3 of the skews and the Dijon yardage that was paired with the collection.

When the top was pieced together, I pulled out a batt of Hobbs Batting 80/20 (I buy this by the roll and I receive lots of Hobbs batting as an ambassador I LOVE Hobbs batting! and sandwiched the quilt using 505 spray baste!

And the quilting began … NOTE: many people think I have a long arm … I don’t !! I quilt on my Janome M7. I had my husband take pictures fo there is some proof! (grin)

Schmetz Needles, Microtex Chrome 70/10, was used for the quilting. I know that a LOT of people think that you need a larger needle when quilting batiks, but you don’t. These needles work great!

You can see the Aurifil Thread 2370 (Sandstone) that I used to quilt this quilt.

Here is the final quilt:

And with the fall colours, the only place to take a ‘fall-ish” picture was pinning the quilt to the wood pile. I didn’t think the rose coloured tulips or the ornamental cherry blossoms would look great with this quilt! This wood pile will be cut and split in the near future … all ready for next winter!

The back and close-up of the quilting:

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 43″ x 57″
  • Fabric: Sandalwood Collection, with Moocha (sashing & borders) and Dijon (in some blocks & backing)
  • Backing fabrics: Dijon, Berries Gold Oc re, Pine Leaves Cone Gr, & Rock Yellow Amber
  • Binding: Various greens from the Sandalwood Collection for a scrappy binding.
  • Piecing thread: Aurifil 2600 (Dove Grey)
  • Quilting & Binding thread: Aurifil Thread 2370 (Sandstone)
  • Batting: Hobbs 80/20

Where can I find?

If you are interested in the Sandalwood fabric line, it can be found at the following stores. Many many other stores carry Island Batik and specifically Sandalwood fabrics, but I’ve kept my list to Washington State and Oregon – stores within my driving distance! The fabrics should be shipping soon!

  • Creative Union Fabric, Port Townsend, WA
  • Creekside Quilts, Gales, OR
  • Will-n-Bee’z, Salem, OR

To find stores that carry Island Batik fabrics, check the store locator HERE.

One Canadian Store that carries many of the collections seen in this blog hop is Lori’s Country Cottage. I visit it almost every time I visit my sister!

  • Lori’s Country Cottage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

Week 2 of the Blog Hop

May 8

Reed Johnson, Blue Bear Quilts

Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

May 9

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail

Lana Russel, Lana Quilts

May 10

Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia

Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum

May 11

Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations

Thank You!

Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread and needles were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik,  Aurifil Thread,  Hobbs Batting,  Schmetz Needles,   Studio 180 Designs

Island Batik Ambassadors

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

More Friday Finishes!

Yes, I have another finish!!!

These little bags are April’s One Gift a month from Days Filled with Joy … I started them in April, finished in May. They both use Island Batik fabrics from different collections.

These are January and February’s gifts … since I made 2 in February, and March’s slipped away from me … That’s 5 gifts that I’ve made in 4 months … I figure that’s OK!

May’s gift of the Month won’t be posted until later this month as “days filled with Joy” has a lot on her plate.

Blog Hop

To see a recap of Week 1: visit Island Batik’s blog HERE.

Week 2 of Island Batik’s Blog Hop will start on Monday. My day is Tuesday!!!

May 8

Reed Johnson, Blue Bear Quilts

Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

May 9

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail

Lana Russel, Lana Quilts

May 10

Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia

Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum

May 11

Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations

More opportunity to win

If you would like the opportunity to win one of these fat quarter bundles, check out Island Batik’s Blog and follow the rafflecopper directions.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

I was Featured

Jennifer at Inquiring Quilter and Andree from Quilting & Learning – What a combo! featured my Meadow Mist Mystery Quilt. You can read about it HERE.

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

PHD in 2023: April Report & other stuff …

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!!!

Let’s Get ‘er Done!

So, we’ve all got this list of UFOs to do. And we have the list of “NEW Starts in ’23” … Are you feeling overwhelmed?

We’re a third of the way through the year! Do you have a third of your UFOs done? It’s OK if you don’t, this isn’t a challenge where you have to get one done each month, but it does help.

So, let’s take one of your UFOs. It won’t get done sitting in it’s box, or stashed under the bed, or in the back of the closet. Get it out!

Decide what do you need to do? Can you start where you left off? Do you need to figure out where you left off? Whatever it is, DO IT!!!

Your UFO will get finished the same as everything else … one stitch at a time. Take the time to do at least 15 minutes of stitching today … if you can stitch for 30 minutes, then that’s even better!

Let’s get at least ONE UFO done before the end of May! Sound good?

My Tally Sheets

I finished 2 UFOs this month. You can read about them here: Chilhowie // Meadow Mist Melodic Mystery Quilt.

Only 1 NEW starts was finished this month. It’s my April Island Batik challenge.

If you want to keep track of your own progress, please feel free to download the 2023 Template.

template-2023Download

Here’s my Task Sheet of my UFOs. This helps me keep track of what I’ve accomplished and what I need to do.

You can download your own Task list from Ms P Designs HERE.

Linky Party

Show us your progress with your PHD in 2023!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

A Gifted Quilt

My Brother in Law, Dale, LOVES puffy quilts! He Loves bright and cheerful quilts. I gifted him the puff quilt that I made for the February Island Batik challenge. Obviously, their little dog, Brûlée, loves it as well! You can read more about this Puff quilt HERE.

Stitching Stuff

Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!

I missed 1 days this week because I was travelling, so that was a total of 3 days missed so far this year!

  • January – March:  90 / 90
  • April: 27 / 30
  • Total: 117 / 120
  • Percentage: 97%

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!

This week’s finishes include:

  • Meadow Mist’s Mystery Quilt: Melodic Mystery (12 yards)

  • Fabric Used the past week:  12 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:        86 yards  from non-IB: 40
  • Fabric Bought this week:   yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     8.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              77.5 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!

  1. Work on a couple of quilt tops for my sister. √   DONE
  2. Work on May IB Challenge. in progress √   DONE
  3. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). Not done
  4. X’s & O’s: Add Border, Quilt & Bind Not done
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Finish IB Catalogue Quilt
  2. Finish May IB Challenge.
  3. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing).
  4. X’s & O’s: Add Border, Sandwich, Quilt & Bind
  5. Work on “Rose Coloured Glasses” blog hop project
  6. Gather projects to take to the next retreat!
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Design Wall

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

Piecing projects:

  1. May IB challenge : Sandelwood and the Wedge Star tool
  2. June IB challenge (The luscious teal and green 10″ stack)
  3. Xs & Os. #1 & #2. – cut with Accuquilt dies

Quilting: These are all sandwiched and ready to quilt …

  • IB Catalogue Quilt (not shown)
  • Nutcracker
  • Bird Panel

Current Blog Hop

Island Batik Blog Hop: Tool Craze: This Blog Hop starts TOMORROW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My day is May 9

Each Ambassador was given a 1/2 yard of each fabric in a collection, along with coordinating fabric, as well as a Studio 180 tool … It’s going to be fun to see what each person creates!

If you visit Island Batik’s blog, HERE, you have an opportunity to win some awesome fabric. These fat quarter bundles are soooooo beautiful!!!

Here’s the list of who’s participating in the blog hop this week:

May 1: Celebrate


May 2: Holiday at Home


May 3: Let It Snow


May 4: Make a Wish


Upcoming Blog Hops

Island Batik Blog Hop: Tool Craze: week 2 & 3. (my day is June 9)

Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Rose Colored Glasses (My day is May 16)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: When Pigs Fly (My day is June 9)

Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Picnic Party

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Call Me Crazy


One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Dust Off a Quilt Book

Bea announced this annual blog hop in mid January and here’s what she has to say about it, “The theme is supposed to mean that you look at your shelf of quilt books and find an old one or one you haven’t used in a while and “dust it off” and then make something from the book, it could be that you like the block of a quilt but not the 80s colors or maybe you like the colors but not the quilt or the size or whatever, the book is just supposed to INSPIRE you to make something.”

By the way, I don’t know if any of you follow Bea Lee (@ Bea Quilter) but she is a fabulous designer! If you have any Accuquilt dies, she has a plethora of them and most of her designs use them! She’s well worth following!

Anyhow, back to the blog hop. I’m sure this is one of the first books that I purchased after I graduated from nursing school and was newly married. I’m sure I’ve looked at it several times, I’ve never made anything from it … until now!

This book was published in 1979. And the promise of an 8 Hour quilt was appealing.

I had a 10″ stack of this beautiful Island Batik fabric collection called “Constellation” and I’ve been dying to open it and start to use it! I was also given 2 yards of “Ice” that co-ordinated with this stack and I used it as well.

True to how I make quilts, I didn’t follow the directions … I made rectangles using the 10″ squares and squared them to 9″. I also did not sew a 3/8″ or 1/2″ seams … I sewed a 1/4″ seam. I didn’t miter the corners of the borders and I didn’t use muslin. I also did not ‘envelope’ the quilt … I sandwiched it in my usual manner.

However, this was used for inspiration for a quilt for this blog hop!

I have no idea if this quilt took me 8 hours to make! I usually work on a couple of projects at the same time, but I do know that the top was put together easily in an afternoon … along with other projects being sewn! It was quilted and bound in an afternoon … so it might have taken me less than 8 hours!

Close-ups of the quilting. I used Silly Moon “Twinkle” for ruler quilting the stars and meandered between them.

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 42″ square
  • Fabrics: Island Batik “Constellation” and “Ice”
  • Piecing and Quilting: Aurifil #2600 (Dove Grey)
  • Quilting Rulers: Silly Moon “Twinkle”
  • Batting: Hobbs 80/20
  • Binding: Fabric: “Harbour” and Aurifil 2775 (Steel Blue)

Blogs to see!

March 6th

March 7th

March 8th

March 9th

March 10th

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Sweet on You … Sew it – Show it

Joan from Moose Stash Quilting announced this blog hop way back in December! I had an idea of what I wanted to do, so I signed up right away!

It was a fun and easy quilt to make! It is called “Hugs and Kisses Quilt” from Melissa Corry’s book “Charming Baby Quilts.”

All of the fabrics were from my Island Batik scraps and I only cut into pieces that were smaller than a fat quarter. Many were from various collections. And for something scrappy like this – they all work well together.

I finished quilting and binding this one day while sewing on Zoom with some friends. I rushed outside to attempt to take a picture in the sun, but the sun was gone and the wind had picked up. How I managed to get a still picture is amazing to me!

Quilt Stats:

  • Fabrics: Island Batik scraps paired with Island Batik’s solid white.
  • Size: 48″ x 48″
  • Pieced with Aurifil #2600 Dove Grey
  • Quilted with Glide thread “Peacock” using mostly 4″ Cupid ruler (Silly Moon) with the occasional 3″ heart.
  • Hobbs 80/20 on the inside
  • Scrappy binding

For quilting all the hearts, I would stitch a heart and then back-track to a spot, then start the next heart. This way, each of the hearts are joined together. And here are close-ups of the quilting:

Blog Hop participants!

Monday Feb 20

Tuesday Feb 21

Wednesday Feb 22

Thursday Feb 23

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Sunday Summation: February 19 ’23

SAHRR

Have you been following the Stay At Home Round Robin? Last week was Round #4: Flying Geese! I’m using fabric collection “Baby Bloomers”  (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton). I absolutely LOVE the fabrics in this collection! As you can see from the picture below, there’s a range of colours! Each one is SEW pretty!

Come back tomorrow and see what the latest prompt is!

One Gift a Month Challenge

Days Filled with Joy is hosting this challenge. February’s gift is a Heart Shaped Zipper Pouch. See HERE for the tutorial.

At first, I thought this little pouch is too small, and then I spotted my ear buds, lying there, the connecting wires spread here and there … they need somewhere safe to live! So I’m going to be making one for me! I think I’ll make 2.

Since, it calls for 5″ squares, I went to my Island Batik stash and found some beautiful heart prints from a stash builder roll! Perfect! Hearts for a Heart Shaped pouch! Aren’t these pretty fabrics?

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: 31 / 31
  • February: 19 / 19
  • 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!

Lots of fabric used since last time I posted about my stash. The Lone Star Quilt Used 7.5 yards of fabric and the Puff Quilt used 6 yards

I can still brag … ! I’ve made it one month and a bit … can I make it for 2 months?

  • Fabric Used this week:     13.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:        18.5 yards from non-IB: 9 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              18.5 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 now hosting “To Do” every week.

The To Do list from a few weeks ago:

of course, having 2 weeks, makes it easier to ‘get er done – grin!!!

  1. Quilt Bird Panels not done
  2. Quilt Naturescape Lone Star √   DONE. and posted!
  3. Work on Gardenia. √   DONE
  4. Work on Melodic Mystery: January’s clue √   DONE
  5. Sandwich Chilhowie √   DONE
  6. Work on February Sweet on You Blog Hop project. √   DONE
  7. Sandwich Nutcracker √   DONE
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE
  9. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE

This week’s list:

For me, this list is big … it’s what’s on my To Do list, but the ones with purple text are my priority. If I get beyond those, I’ll be extremely happy!

  1. Finish Gardenia to flimsy stage
  2. Melodic Mystery: Finish top
  3. Chilhowie: start quilting
  4. Quilt Bird Panels
  5. Quilt Nutcracker
  6. Start March Island Batik Challenge
  7. Start Dust off a Quilt Book project
  8. Work on Little Green Apples blog hop project
  9. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  10. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

  1. Melodic Mystery – finish top (left picture)
  2. Gardenia – finish top (centre picture)
  3. March Island Batik project (right picture)

Quilting:

  • Chilhowie
  • Nutcracker is ready to quilt
  • Bird Panel is ready to quilt

Upcoming Blog Hops

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Sweet on You (my day is February 22) – this week!!!

Beaquilter: Dust off a Quilt Book (Mar 7)

Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Little Green Apples (March)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Say What? (April 19)


Current Blog Hop

Week 3 starts Monday!

Take a look at the following snapshots of some of the fabrics in each collection. Which is your favourite?

Week 3:

February 20:

Brittany Fisher @ Bobbin’ with Brittany

Lisa Pickering @ Lisa’s Quilting Passion

February 21:

Mania Hatziioannidi @ Mania for Quilts

Victoria Johnson @ Forever Quilting 4 You

February 22:

Pamela Boatright @ Pamela Quilts

Lana Russel @ Lana Quilts

February 23:

Jennifer Thomas @ Curlicue Creations

Maryellen McAuliffe @ Mary Mack Made Mine

February 24:

(Island Batik: Blog Hop Week 3 Round Up + giveaway)

Week 4:

February 27:

Connie Kauffman @ Kauffman Designs

Leah Malasky @ Quilted Delights

Sweet on You

There promises to be a lot of wonderful projects with this hop! Many of my blogging friends are participating and I know they do awesome work! Come and join in the fun and be inspired!

Monday Feb 20

Tuesday Feb 21

Wednesday Feb 22

Thursday Feb 23

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Another February Friday Finish

This puff quilt was made for Island Batik‘s February challenge.

I like the back as much as the front!

This quilt was made with fabric from the Fruit and Veggies (designed by Kathy Engle) collection. This collection is available at Creekside Quilts in Oregon. (BTW – they carry a LOT of Island Batik fabric!)

It was pieced with Pieced with Aurifil Thread #2625 (Arctic Ice), Bound with Aurifil Thread #2890 (Very Dark Grass Green) and Schmetz Needles: Microtex Chrome 80/12.

You can read more about how I made this quilt HERE.

Two opportunities to win!

First: Go  HERE to Island Batik’s blog and follow the Rafflecopter prompts.

Second: I am giving away over 1 yard of fabric from the Fruits and Veggies collection. Leave a comment on my blog stating what you like about this collection and what you might make with the fabric if you were to win. This is open to anyone in Canada or the USA. I will use a number generator to randomly pick the winner when the blog hop is completed.

I was Featured!

Jennifer from Inquiring Quilter, Andrée from Quilting and Learning, and Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation all featured the Lone Star Quilt I posted last week! You can read more about this quilt HERE.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Puff Quilt

A Puff Quilt??? A Bubble Quilt??? I’ve never made one before. It wasn’t even on my bucket list. I didn’t know where to start. Thankfully, many fellow Island Batik ambassadors were in the same boat! We discussed many options and had a lot of suggestions for each other!

I ended up looking at many you-tube videos and a few Instagram posts to figure out how to make my Puff Quilt. The video that made the most sense to me was this one: How To Make A Puff Quilt The Easy Way ~Bubble Quilt ~ Puffer Quilt. I didn’t use a minky on the back as the video suggested … I used more of the Island Batik fabric from the collection I was given.

I was given “Fruit and Veggies” collection by Kathy Engle. Along with 2 yards of Veggie Garden – Green (one of the collection fabrics) and 2 yards of Mint (a foundation fabric). Isn’t it a beautiful green & blue collection?

I started out using EQ8 to decide the placement of the fabrics. The final decision was this Trip Around the World.

I cut the fabric into 5″ strips and then squares to get my layout. Once on the design board, I webbed the quilt together. You can see the technique on my Youtube channel HERE.

I forgot to take a picture of it totally webbed together … this picture shows some of the rows sewn together with the bottom webbed.

Then I put a pleat or tuck on each side of the squares … in this picture you can see where I’ve pinned the squares so they could be sewn all the same size.

Here is the top with all the tucks/pleats sewn …

Then I needed to make the back … I only used 13 fabrics for the top, so the back uses the other 7 fabrics, plus the fabric that is in the centre of the front.

I used 10″ width of fabric slices and sewed them on the diagonal, thinking that the seams would not ‘clash’ with the seams on the front. It worked!

I lined up the top of the quilt front with the back and sewed them together. Then, I sewed down 2 blocks worth and started stuffing the squares. I used almost 2 bags of polyester fibre fill for the stuffing.

Here’s a picture of the puff quilt in progress as I’m sewing down the latest stuffed row.

I must admit that the binding was a bit difficult to put on. The blocks were all wavy and I had to straighten them while pushing the stuffing out of the way. It took a lot longer than I expected, but it slowly got done!

Here is the finished quilt from the front.

And a view from the back! The intent was to just have the puffs on the front, but the back also became a little puffy.

I loved seeing the textured puffs!

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 42″ x 60″
  • Pieced with Aurifil Thread #2625 (Arctic Ice), Bound with Aurifil Thread #2890 (Very Dark Grass Green)
  • Schmetz Needles: Microtex Chrome 80/12
  • Blocks on front: started as 5″ squares. With pleats became 4.5″
  • Binding is Veggie Garden – Green.

2 Opportunities to win Island Batik Fabric!

Island Batik is giving away 2 fat quarter bundles! One of King’s Castle and the other Juicy Mosaics. Visit Island Batik’s blog for your opportunity to win this amazing fabric! Click HERE and follow the Rafflecopter prompts.

I am giving away over 1 yard of fabric from the Fruits and Veggies collection. Leave a comment on my blog stating what you like about this collection and what you might make with the fabric if you were to win. This is open to anyone in Canada or the USA.

Another Picture!

The lilac trees are no where near ready to bloom, but I just had to take a picture of this quilt in the garden!

Make sure you visit “The Quiltery, For the Love of Geese” to see Denise’s puff quilt. She used the same fabrics as I did and I bet they are totally different puff quilts!

Week 2: All Puffed Up

February 13:

Denise Looney @ For the Love of Geese

Gail Sheppard @ Quilting Gail. You are here!

February 14:

Sandra Starley @ Textile Times

Anorina Morris @ Samilia’s Mum

February 15:

Susan Deshensky @ Lady Blue Quilts

Randy Jones @ Randi’s Roost

February 16:

Renee Atkinson @ Pink Tulip Quilting

Thank you!

Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread and needles were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik,  Aurifil Thread,  and Schmetz Needles!!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Sunday Summation: February 5 ’23

SAHRR

Have you been following the Stay At Home Round Robin? Last week was Round #2: Stars! I’m using fabric collection “Baby Bloomers”  (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton). I absolutely LOVE the fabrics in this collection! As you can see from the picture below, there’s a range of colours! Each one is SEW pretty!

One Gift a Month Challenge

Days Filled with Joy is hosting this challenge. This month it’s a little basket that Pink Penguin has a tutorial for (See HERE).

I finished this basket and posted about it on Friday (see HERE).

February’s gift is a Heart Shaped Zipper Pouch. See HERE for the tutorial.

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: 31 / 31
  • February: 5 / 5
  • 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!

The basket above used 1 yard of fabrics. Yes, many were scraps, but it still adds up.

I can still brag … ! I’ve made it one month … can I make it 2?

  • Fabric Used this week:    yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:       5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              5 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 now hosting “To Do” every week.

The To Do list from a last week:

  1. Sandwich Bird Panels √   DONE
  2. Sandwich Chilhowie. not done
  3. Work on February Sweet on You Blog Hop project √   DONE
  4. Bind Island Batik’s February project √   DONE
  5. Finish colouring Nutcracker √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Quilt Bird Panels
  2. Quilt Naturescape Lone Star
  3. Work on Gardenia
  4. Work on Melodic Mystery: January’s clue
  5. Sandwich Chilhowie
  6. Work on February Sweet on You Blog Hop project
  7. Sandwich Nutcracker
  8. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  9. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

  1. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM
  2. February Sweet on You Blog Hop project. (1st picture)
  3. Gardenia (2nd picture). I’m making this for Essem Textiles and may teach it in March. It’s a pattern from Simply Half Yards by It’s SEW Emma
  4. Melodic Mystery … playing catch-up! How in the world did I miss January’s clue???? So, I’m actually a month behind now! groan!

Quilting:

  • Naturescape Lone Star is ready to quilt
  • Bird Panel is ready to quilt

Upcoming Blog Hops

Island Batik: February Blog Hop! (My day is February 13)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Sweet on You (my day is February 22)

Beaquilter: Dust off a Quilt Book (Mar 7)

Just Let Me Quilt: Little Green Apples (March)


This blog hop is starting Monday!!! The next 4 weeks have LOTS of eye candy for you!!! The Island Batik Ambassadors have mad a Puff Quilt from their assigned collections! I’ve seen glimpses of some of them … you are in for a treat!

And there’s already a chance for you to win some fantastic fabric. Visit Island Batik’s blog to enter! Island Batik is giving giving away a Fat Quarter bundle of the complete Island Batik collections – Broken Glass by Kathy Engle or Exuberance by Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design!

Take a look at the following snapshots of some of the fabrics in each collection. Which is your favourite?

Week 1:

February 6:

Emily Leachman @ The Darling Dogwood Bits and Pieces

Sarah Pitcher @ Pitcher’s Botique

February 7:

Claudia Porter @ Create with Claudia

Brenda Alburl @ Songbird Designs

February 8

Elita Sharpe @ Busy Needle

Reed Johnston @ Blue Bear Quilts

February 9:

Preeti Harris@ Sew Preeti Quilts

Suzy Webster @ Webster Quilts

February 10:

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

Week 2:

February 13:

Denise Looney @ For the Love of Geese

Gail Sheppard @ Quilting Gail

February 14:

Sandra Starley @ Textile Times

Anorina Morris @ Samilia’s Mum

February 15:

Susan Deshensky @ Lady Blue Quilts

Randy Jones @ Randi’s Roost

February 16:

Renee Atkinson @ Pink Tulip Quilting

February 17:

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

Week 3:

February 20:

Brittany Fisher @ Bobbin’ with Brittany

Lisa Pickering @ Lisa’s Quilting Passion

February 21:

Mania Hatziioannidi @ Mania for Quilts

Victoria Johnson @ Forever Quilting 4 You

February 22:

Pamela Boatright @ Pamela Quilts

Lana Russel @ Lana Quilts

February 23:

Jennifer Thomas @ Curlicue Creations

Maryellen McAuliffe @ Mary Mack Made Mine

February 24:

(Island Batik: Blog Hop Week 3 Round Up + giveaway)

Week 4:

February 27:

Connie Kauffman @ Kauffman Designs

Leah Malasky @ Quilted Delights

February 28:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

February’s First Friday’s Finish

I told you earlier this week that I was joining a challenge called “One Gift a Month.” I showed you the start of the project.

Well, I worked on it for a bit and finished it!

It was an easy project to make! If I were to make it again (if I remember this), I would make the boxed corners on the lining about 1/4″ larger so that the lining would be a bit smaller and fit into the main part of the basket without extra fabric floating around.

I used “Deco Revival” fabric from Island Batik. It was pieced, quilted and top stitched with Aurifil #2581 (Dark Dusty Grape).

Upcoming Blog Hops

Island Batik: February Blog Hop! (My day is February 13)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Sweet on You (my day is February 22)

Beaquilter: Dust off a Quilt Book (Mar 7)

Just Let Me Quilt: Little Green Apples (March)


The next 4 weeks have LOTS of eye candy for you!!! The Island Batik Ambassadors have mad a Puff Quilt from their assigned collections! I’ve seen glimpses of some of them … you are in for a treat!

The pictures below give you a taste of some of the designs in each collection. Which is your favourite?

Week 1:

February 6:

Emily Leachman @ The Darling Dogwood Bits and Pieces

Sarah Pitcher @ Pitcher’s Botique

February 7:

Claudia Porter @ Create with Claudia

Brenda Alburl @ Songbird Designs

February 8

Elita Sharpe @ Busy Needle

Reed Johnston @ Blue Bear Quilts

February 9:

Preeti Harris@ Sew Preeti Quilts

Suzy Webster @ Webster Quilts

February 10:

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

Week 2:

February 13:

Denise Looney @ For the Love of Geese

Gail Sheppard @ Quilting Gail

February 14:

Sandra Starley @ Textile Times

Anorina Morris @ Samilia’s Mum

February 15:

Susan Deshensky @ Lady Blue Quilts

Randy Jones @ Randi’s Roost

February 16:

Renee Atkinson @ Pink Tulip Quilting

February 17:

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

Week 3:

February 20:

Brittany Fisher @ Bobbin’ with Brittany

Lisa Pickering @ Lisa’s Quilting Passion

February 21:

Mania Hatziioannidi @ Mania for Quilts

Victoria Johnson @ Forever Quilting 4 You

February 22:

Pamela Boatright @ Pamela Quilts

Lana Russel @ Lana Quilts

February 23:

Jennifer Thomas @ Curlicue Creations

Maryellen McAuliffe @ Mary Mack Made Mine

February 24:

(Island Batik: Blog Hop Week 3 Round Up + giveaway)

Week 4:

February 27:

Connie Kauffman @ Kauffman Designs

Leah Malasky @ Quilted Delights

February 28:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Shades of Blue: Sew It – Show It Challenge

In November, Carla from Creatin’ in the Sticks announced the Sew It – Show It Challenge: Shades of Blue. How could I resist? Blue is my absolute favourite colour!!

I have a LOT of blue flying geese and half-square triangles that I have made as a leader and ender project. I put them together to make these 3 table toppers. (All different sizes since my table tops are different sizes!) They use all sorts of Island Batik fabrics from my Island Batik scraps. That means that they were left-overs from some projects and pieces from stash-builder rolls.

Hobbs batting (80/20) is in the middle and they are Free-motion quilted with Aurifil #2600 (Dove Grey).

I taught a binding class to a wonderful group of ladies this week and thought these 3 little table toppers would be perfect for demonstrating my easy method of machine binding!

Here’s a closeup of 2 different stitches that can be used for securing the binding down.

Here’s the list of all the “Shades of Blue” Blog Hoppers. They all have awesome “blue” projects and it’s well worth visiting each and every one of them!

Monday, January 23rd

Tuesday, January 24th

Wednesday, January 25th

Thursday, January 26th

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Monday Moments: Dec 19 ’22

The Mystery Quilt is done!!!

If you missed the parade, it’s worth taking a look! See THIS POST.

Lone Star Blog Hop: Week 3

This blog hop is pretty fantastic!!!! Lots and lots of eye candy !!!! Make sure you visit each of the bloggers to see their wonderful creations!

December 19:

Mania Hatziioannidi

Michelle Roberts


December 20:

Pamela Boatright

Connie Kauffman

Sandra Stanfield


December 21:

Jane Hauprich

Lisa Pickering


December 22:

Brianna Roberts


Elizabeth DeCroos

Anorina Morris

December 23:

Visit Island Batik’s Blog for your opportunity to win!

Another Finished Branches Table Runner

I decided that I needed another table runner for the top of my piano. I chose a beautiful dark blue Island Batik fabric called “Ravine” and paired it with “Rice. This was also a DREMI: DRop Everything And Make It. This is the result:

Another DREAMI

I received a lovely charm pack and pattern from Missouri Star Quilting … and I just had to make it! Yup, it was a DRop Everything And Make It project! Such a fun project.

Another UFO Finish

The Spicy Colour Challenge quilt was started last December and I finally got it finished this month! You can read about it HERE. That makes 12 UFOs that I’ve finished this year. SEW … I will be getting my PHD in 2022. However, I still have a list of UFOs that need to be finished, so I will be having PHD in 2023!

  • Island Batik Fabric
  • Hobbs 80/20 on the inside
  • Aurifil thread (to piece and quilt)

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!

Lots of stitching in the past week!

  • January – November: 288 / 333
  • Dec:  18 / 18
  • Total:  306 / 351
  • Percentage = 87% 

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!

However, this week, I went out to Chilliwack to Cozy Cotton Quilting to pick up some quilts, deliver patterns and give her another quilt for display. Angela had recently received a lot of Island Batik bolts (mostly from the Pumpkin Spice collection) and I just couldn’t resist … so I had 3 fabrics cut for me! Aren’t they beautiful ???? I will definitely be making the trip out to Cozy Cotton just to buy Island Batik fabric!!!

The Spicy BOM used 4.5 yards of fabric. The newest branches table runner used 1 yard. And the mugs / snowflake used 1.5 yards

  • Fabric Used since the last report    yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       109.5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  3.5 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    33 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:                76.5 yards 

To Do

Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is hosting “To Do” every week.

The To Do list from last week:

  1. Finish my Winter Branches Table runner. √   DONE,
  2. Work on and Finish a UFO (a wallet). √   DONE,
  3. Finish Clue #3 Chilhowie. √   DONE,
  4. Write blog post : Spicy BOM. √   DONE,
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Finish Clue #4 Chilhowie
  2. Start Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM – Jan / Feb
  3. Start colouring the Nutcracker
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

Judy, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week. I must apologize, I’ve been calling Judy by the wrong name !!! I’m so glad that she let me know and now I’m calling her by the correct name!

Piecing:

  1. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM
  2. Chilhowie – Clue #4 in progress

Quilting:

Once I do some colouring with Inktense pencils, I’ll start quilting the Nutcracker. Here he is on my window for tracing.

Upcoming & Current Blog Hops

Island Batik‘s December’s Lone Star Blog Hop. Week #3 is started! LOTS and LOTS of fabulous quilts!

Creatin’ in the Sticks: Sew It – Show It: Shades of Blue (January)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Sweet on You (February)

Plans for 2023

There are a few things I’m planning for 2023. More details in the coming weeks.

  • PHD in 2023
  • 2023 SAHRR (with some wonderful sponsors this year!)
  • 2023 Appliqué  BOM (I bet this surprises a LOT of people!)
  • Winter 2023 Mystery Quilt

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Island Batik’s December Lone Star Challenge

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 1/2Accuquilt 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!

My Prairie Spirit Alpaca/Wool pressing mat made for perfect points!

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).

Hobbs Batting 80/20 was used as well as an assortment of Schmetz Needles for piecing and quilting.

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!

Lone Star Blog Hop Schedule

Week 1:

December 5:

Maryellen McAuliffe

Gail Sheppard YOU ARE HERE!


December 6:

Megan Best

Brenda Alburl


December 7:

Preeti Harris

Emily Leachman


December 8:

Jennifer Thomas


December 9:

Visit Island Batik’s Blog for your opportunity to win!

Week 2:

December 12:

Reed Johnson

Suzy Webster


December 13:

Jennifer Fulton

Gail Renna


December 14:

Denise Looney

Claudia Porter


December 15:

Leah Malasky

Andi Stanfield


December 16:

Visit Island Batik’s Blog for your opportunity to win!

Week 3:

December 19:

Mania Hatziioannidi

Michelle Roberts


December 20:

Pamela Boatright

Connie Kauffman

Sandra Stanfield


December 21:

Jane Hauprich

Lisa Pickering


December 22:

Brianna Roberts


Elizabeth DeCroos

Anorina Morris

December 23:

Visit Island Batik’s Blog for your opportunity to win!

Hashtags for industry (only if you are actually using the products): #hobbsbatting #accuquilt #accuquiltgo #schmetzneedles #doyoueq #janome #bernina #juki #dritz #olfacreates #junetailor #brothersews #cloverusa #oliso #studio180design #omnigrid

Thank you!

Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread and needles were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik,  Aurifil Thread,  Hobbs Batting,  Schmetz NeedlesAccuquilt & Prairie Spirit Alpacas!!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Music Blog Hop

Carla, from Creatin’ in the Sticks, has organized this great blog hop! Do you love music? I certainly do! I’ve played the piano for years and the oboe and bassoon in high school. Although, I must admit that I haven’t played much in the last few years.

However, I have sewn and I have a few pieces (yes, just a few … not even a dozen) of fabric with music on it!

I decided to use some scraps of 2 similar fabrics and make some zipper pouches. I also used scraps of Hobbs 80/20 batting! The larger pouches are 9-10″ x 11″ and the smaller ones are roughly 4″ x 5.” When I was finished with these, I found that I only had a 2″ x 4″ scrap of fabric left! It was a great feeling to have used up all of this fabric!

Continue reading

Queen of Gadgets Blog Hop

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!

Continue reading

Island Batik Tool Talk with Studio 180 Design

I received this fantastic fabric collection: Flourish by Kathy Engle, along with 2 yards of Dots-Brown Brownie and 2 yards of Vertical Vine-Orange

And the collection of 20 half-yard cuts of Flourish s to be paired with Studio 180’s Corner Pop tool.

I browsed through the Studio 180 Blockbuster blocks for a block that used the Corner Pop ruler, plus some of the other Studio 180 rulers that I have. I found Blockbuster #52, Sparkler and Blockbuster #17, Salem Star. I drew the blocks in EQ, changing them slightly and came up with this quilt:

One requirement is that I use 30 units using the Corner Pop ruler! No problem!!! This quilt has WAY more Corner Pop units! The Salem Star has 160 Corner Pop units and the Sparkler Star has 80 Corner Pop units – for a total of 240 units!

And, of course, true to how I work, the colours in each block would change. This quilt used 18 of the 20 fabrics in this collection on the front. But, knowing how I work, I knew at this point, I would divide the blocks into 2 fabrics and go from there.

Before I started cutting, I visited online instructional videos at Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design YouTube channel to learn more about the corner pop ruler. I did not need to review the Tucker Trimmer video or the V-block video as I have used them several times!

I was so excited to get started making the 10 Salem Star blocks that I forgot to take any pictures! {groan} Let me tell you, there was a LOT of trimming, but I must admit, the points came together perfectly! And, if you know me at all – perfection is not my claim to fame!

I used a lot of the Vertical Vine-Orange in each block, with Dots-Brown Brownie in the corners and the border.

Here’s the 10 Salem Star blocks completed:

Here I am, using the Corner Pop ruler to cut the large corner of the Sparkler block. The Vertical Vine-Orange looks very faded in these to pictures.

Here is the Prairie Spirit Alpaca / Wool mat making pressing the blocks perfect! Using the mat and trimming the blocks makes for perfect blocks! I’m amazed!

This picture shows a truer colour of the Vertical Vine-Orange. As well, it shows the completed corner using the V-block ruler. And pressing on the Prairie Spirit Alpaca/Wool mat = crisp seams!

The 2nd trim on this block … looks like I need to adjust the ruler just a smidge!

More trimming! The first picture is using the Tucker Trimmer ruler and the second picture is using the Corner Pop ruler.

Swirling those centers of the pinwheel block. I love the look of the tiny pinwheels and I really LOVE the ease with quilting over that area without dealing with lumpy seams!

Here is a close-up of some of the quilting. All quilting is done on my domestic Janome M7.

Here is the completed quilt with Floral Leaves-Brown for the binding.

Quilt Stats:

When I make Island Batik Blog Hop quilts, I attempt to use ALL 20 fabrics in the quilt. Well, there were a couple of orange fabrics that blended in too much with the background and corner triangles, so I used them on the back, with a few other fabrics from the collection!

Here’s a close-up of the quilting from the back:

A Give-away!

I’m giving away this little bundle of fabric that is left-over from making the quilt. If you live in Canada and would like to receive this bundle, leave a comment or email me. In your comment (or email) tell me what you might make with the fabric … At the end of the Blog Hop, I will put all of the names in a hat and my husband will draw the winning name.

Visit the other Blog Hoppers!

Week 1:

September 6

Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads

Michelle Roberts, Creative Blonde Gifts


September 7

Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations


September 8

Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

Jennifer Fulton, Inquiring Quilter


WEEK 2

September 12

Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt


September 13

Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail


September 14

Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts

Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs


September 15

Megan Best, Bestquilter

Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine


September 16

Visit Island Batik’s Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

WEEK 3

September 19

Elizabeth DeCroos, Epida Studio

Jane Hauprich, Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting


September 20

Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

Andi Stanfield, True Blue Quilts


September 21

Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia


September 22

Mania Hatziioannidi, Mania for Quilts

Reed Johnson, Blue Bear Quilts


September 23

Visit Island Batik’s Blog Hop Week 3 Round Up + giveaway

WEEK 4

September 26

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts


September 27

Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum

Brianna Roberts, Sew Cute and Quirky


September 28

Visit Island Batik’s Blog Hop + Final Round Up

Thank you!

Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread, pressing mat and needles were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik  Aurifil Thread  Hobbs Batting  Prairie Spirit AlpacasSchmetz Needles !!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Get on Board with Sewing

This blog hop is to celebrate National Sewing Month. ?? National ?? the hosts are in the US and I live in Canada, so I’m declaring it International Sewing Month. Works for me!

My mother taught me to sew at a young age. By the time I was in Grade 8 and taking Home Ec, I was pretty bored with making an hair kerchief and an apron. My next project was a skirt with a zipper in it. The teacher put the zipper in to demonstrate the insertion. When I got the final marks for the project, she gave me 2/10 for zipper insertion. WHAT???? Unfortunately, I had NO assertiveness skills at that time and didn’t argue with her. When it was time to choose courses for Grade 9, I definitely knew that Home Ec was one course I wasn’t going to take! By the way, I had the same teacher for cooking and was not impressed with having to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for our first project! Can you blame me?

I made this V-neck top! It was a quick easy project! Even though I haven’t been sewing garments for a LONG time! It’s a nice cool top for the warm summer days!

There are PRIZES!

That’s right! Lots of prizes that you could win! Click on the Rafflecopter and follow the prompts!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sometimes, the rafflecopter does not work on my blog … so click on THIS LINK and you will be taken to another site for the rafflecopter.

Visit the other Bloggers!

Thursday, September 1

Friday, September 2

Monday, September 5

Tuesday, September 6

Wednesday, September 7

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Monday Moments: Sept 5, 2022

Look at this beautiful Naturescape pre-cut that I received from Island Batik! Along with 2 yards of Glacier and 2 yards of Large Netting-Pineneedle. PLUS, 4 spools of Aurifil Thread:

  • 50 wt: #4250: Variegated Flamingo
  • 50 wt: #2890: Very Dark Grass Green
  • 40 wt: # 2410: Pale Pink
  • 40 wt: # 2770: Very light Delft

I’m dreaming of what wonderful quilt I can design with these beauties!!!

And, I also received this stack of fabrics “Positively Pink,” Breast Cancer Awareness with coordinating yardage for the Pinktober Blog Hop.

Island Batik Tool Time Blog Hop

Here is this week’s fabric collections and blogs:

September 6


September 7

Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations


September 8

Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

Jennifer Fulton, Inquiring Quilter


September 9

Visit Island Batik’s blog to see all of this week’s projects in one place!

You could win!!

This week, you have an opportunity to win a fat-quarter bundle of “Bee Kind” or “Baroque.” Both collections are absolutely beautiful!

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Stitching Time

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 – Aug: 209 / 242
  • Sept:  4 / 4
  • Total:  203 / 236
  • Percentage = 86% 

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!

No finishes since my last update! No shopping.

  • Fabric Used since the last report     yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       75 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    14 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:                61 yards 

To Do

Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is hosting “To Do” every week.

The To Do list from a few weeks ago:

  1. Quilt Island Batik’s September project √   DONE
  2. Finish dealing with scraps from Island Batik’s September project   √   DONE
  3. Work on project for “Get on Board with Sewing” Blog Hop   √   DONE
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Complete Island Batik’s September Blog Hop post
  2. Write “Get on Board with Sewing” Blog Hop post
  3. Start Pinktober’s project
  4. Work on “Queen of Gadgets” blog hop project
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

  1. Working with 10″ squares from Pinktober’s project

Quilting:

Nothing being quilted at the moment.

Upcoming Blog Hops

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to: