Free Motion Quilting

Drunkard’s Path Block

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

Here’s some of the guidelines we were given:

  • Project Type: Quilt
  • Size: Lap or larger
  • Technique: Curved Piecing (not appliqué!)

We were given lots of links for inspiration and of course, Pinterest has a plethora of whatever you might be wanting to look at! A Drunkard’s Path block is typically a quarter circle with an inner circle and the outer portion.

When I saw this “Wee Animal Quilt Tutorial” I just KNEW that this would be my inspiration for what to make!

Once I had my inspiration, I arranged to borrow the Boundary Bay Quilt Guild’s “Drunkard’s Path” Accuquilt dies. The large die cuts blocks that are 7″ finished and the small die cuts blocks that are 3 1/2” finished.

Using my Accuquilt and the guild’s dies, I got to work cutting some Drunkard’s Path with the Island Batik solids. I used the Solid White for the background and the following solids for the animals & birds.

BlackGreenPink
ColbaltGreyRed
Dark GreyLime Green Turquoise
Fushia0rangeYellow

Somewhere, either on our Island Batik Facebook group or when we were zooming, someone mentioned gluing the blocks. I tried gluing the centre notches and it worked like a charm. Gluing more than the centre did not work for me. And, as usual when sewing curves, I had to take my time. Lots of time!!! I certainly can’t sew at 100 miles an hour when sewing these blocks. LOL!!!

Here’s the blocks as I was preparing to assemble the various animals and birds.

I had to fill in a lot of the gaps with white blocks and strips.

It was a fun quilt to quilt. The background was loops within loops and the quilting of each one was different. There was a LOT of quilting. I used at least 7 bobbins!

And here’s a closeup of all the individual animals/birds:

Quilt Stats:

There’s a little bit more!

There was talk about how the little Accuquilt Drunkard’s Path blocks were way too hard to piece. Of course, knowing me, I took that as a challenge!! Here’s a picture of an unfinished 4″ and 7 1/2” block. They will finish at 3 1/2” and 7.”

Although, I did not want to make a lap sized quilt with small Drunkard’s Path blocks, I did make a small wall hanging.

I did not find that the smaller blocks were any harder to piece than the larger ones. As with any curved piecing, you just have to take your time. Again, I put a tiny dab of glue on the notches and sewed the blocks.

Of course the quilting was simpler with the smaller blocks and only used 2 bobbins.

You will notice that the smaller quilt is a bit different than the bigger quilt.

Quilt Stats:

Thank you!

Thank you to the generosity of Island Batik and Industry partners! They have supplied the products for free as my role as an Island Batik Ambassador! Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles, Oliso Iron, and Accuquilt.

Island Batik Ambassadors

Visit the other Island Batik Ambassadors to see what they made this month:

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Star Spangled Bouquet

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

Just before Christmas, my friend, and fellow Island Batik Ambassador Brenda Alburl (Songbird Designs) asked if I could do a pattern test for her! She always has unique quilts and I didn’t hesitate in saying “yes.”

This was the quilt she asked me to test:

It’s a very Patriotic quilt, for Americans. I’m Canadian, so I immediately knew that I would not be making it in red, white and blue.

I’m wanting to use up my stash … so here’s Block #1 using Kansas Troubles fabric:

When I got the first 12 blocks done, I thought, “this looks great, maybe I should stop now!” However, I had Block #2 cut out and started … so I carried on!

Here’s a picture of the Block #2s and then the quilt layout.

I used Silly Moon Rulers to quilt: Rocket and Beanie … and of course, Dude for accurate measurements!

A close-up of some of the quilting:

And the finished quilt:

I know that my quilt looks quite different than Brenda’s, but that’s what you get when you use totally different fabrics.

If you like this quilt, be sure to get the pattern from Brenda at Songbird Designs! Her patterns are very well written, lots of colour pictures, and easy to follow directions!! Thank you, Brenda, for having me test this pattern for you!

Quilt Stats:

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Sunday Summary: March 30

/ quiltinggail / 12 Comments

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

A Finish!

Here are my Blue Blocks … all quilted and finished. It’s been raining so much, that I haven’t taken a picture outside, so all you get is a picture of it on my design wall. It’s made totally of 2 1/2” squares of Island Batik blue scraps … including aqua, light & dark blue and any scrap IB fabric with blue in it. Along with Island Batik solid white. Quilted on my domestic sewing machine (Janome M7) using a rounded swirl motif (that’s my name for the motif).

Quilt Stats:

Retreat!

I’m off to a retreat tomorrow at Over the Rainbow Lodge. It’s an excellent place to retreat and I’m really looking forward to spending time with my quilting friends!! Of course, I’m taking more projects than I can possibly finish in a week, but I’m OK with that! The last 2 black & white photos are my May and June Island Batik challenges. I hope to get the May one pieced and we’ll see about June’s!

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January – February: 58 / 59 days
  • March: 30 / 30 days
  • Total: 88 / 89 98 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Yellow – The sashing has been added and I’ve started to web the top!
  • Yellow – I’m making some Dresden flowers … no picture yet.
  • Canuck Quilter Colour Value Mystery. I’m loving the colours I’ve chosen. It’s all cut out! I’m doing the traditional one.

Quilting projects:

  • 2 Blue Charm Star quilts – the borders are from Stash Builder rolls! No yardage cut for either of these quilts … well, except for the solid white background fabric!

Sunday Stash

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

Nope, I still haven’t bought any fabric yet this year!!! However, since I’m going to a retreat at Over the Rainbow, that might change in the next week!

I used about 6 yards of fabric in this quilt.

  • Fabric used in the last week: 6 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     53 yards. {10 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              53 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

  1. Finish Binding IB April Project. √   DONE. I’ll be posting about this after I return from the retreat.
  2. Sandwich & Quilt 2nd Blue charm star quilt. in progress
  3. Quilt Blue 2 1/2” squares. √   DONE
  4. Finish webbing Yellow rectangle squares. in progress
  5. Start to get projects ready to take to a retreat: (no pictures yet)
    • Swan – cut all the squares. √   DONE
    • Train – cut all the pieces. √   DONE
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Pack for the retreat!
  2. Work on projects at the retreat
    • Butterfly
    • Swan
    • Train
    • misc. projects
    • Island Batik: May
    • Island Batik: June
  3. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  4. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Leaving Comments on my Blog

I appreciate each of you that leaves comments on my blog!! It’s fun to read about YOU!!

However, I know that many of you have difficulty leaving comments and I honestly do not know what to do about it. I moderate each of the comments (that’s why they don’t show up right away) so that you don’t have to read about the ugly stuff / junk that some try to slip in!

Anyhow, I notice that the vast majority of comments are “anonymous” and I have no idea who you are. If you could simply put your name after the comment, I’d appreciate it! Thank you! And Thank you to those that leave your name!

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

SAHRR ’25: The Parade!

/ quiltinggail / 40 Comments

The Schedule

For my SAHRR 2025, I used the Island Batik fabric collection “Poetic Bouquet,” designed by Kathy Engle for Heidi Pridemore of The Whimsical Workshop and Island Batik’s solid white. (I ran out of blues from Poetic Bouquet for the final round of kites, so I added some similar coloured fabrics from other collections).

Here is my finished quilt:

And Close-up of the quilting!

Link Party

Here is the Link for the finished quilts Parade. If you have your top done, you can add the link. It doesn’t need to be quilted! But Koodos to you if you get it quilted for the parade!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

Pictures of other participants

Here’s pictures and comments from the non-bloggers:

  • Rosie said, “I put 5 & 6 in the same round and added more strips to bring it up to QOV size.”
  • Carolyn said, “All material from my stash, some better quality than others.  An odd conglomerate of patterns, but I got each week in there.  Used 2 C blocks….Cardinal rather than crown block and checker board rather than the last one.  Machine quilted on my 40 year old Kenmore.  I have never done a sewn on border before and it turned out fairly well. No hand sewing saved my fingers some work.”
  • Jacomina said, “It is likely going to the guild’s charity destination: a shelter for women and Children fleeing domestic violence. The star block just did not fit in. Maybe on the back.”
  • Robin’s is so pretty! It’s all ready for quilting!
  • Judy had hoped to have her’s quilted, but instead, she spent time sewing with grandkids over spring break!

We have Sponsors!

We reached out to several companies that we all LOVE and many of them agreed to sponsor the SAHRR 2025!!! We will keep track of all of the participants that link to our Linky parties each week. We will make a list and use a random number generator to choose the winners for each prize! So, if you link up to 3 Linky parties, you will have 3 opportunities to win! If you don’t have a blog or Instagram account, contact me, or one of the other co-hosts and we will post your SAHRR on our blog. This way you still have an opportunity to win!

The SAHRR team will be meeting via Zoom in the 2nd week of April to pick the winners. We have a data base with numbers assigned to each entry that each person has provided. Using a random number generator, we choose each of the winners. It is done while we are on Zoom. Winners will be notified by email. Once all winners accept, we will announce the winners on our blogs!

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: March 23

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

Even though I’m sewing Every. Single. Day. This seems like the flow chart that’s appropriate for my life at the moment!

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January – February: 58 / 59 days
  • March: 23 / 23 days
  • Total: 81 / 82 98 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Yellow – The sashing has been added and I’ve started to web the top!
  • Yellow – I’m making some Dresden flowers … no picture yet.
  • Canuck Quilter Mystery Quilt. Oh, yes, I’m a sucker for mystery quilts and I’ve done at least one, if not more from Canuck Quilter. Her designs are always fun to make! This mystery started on March 13, so obviously, I’m a bit behind. I’ve settled on 3 of the 4 fabrics needed. Once I’ve made the final choice, I’ll begin cutting. You can access the free pattern HERE.

Quilting projects:

  • IB April Project: I’m having fun quilting this one!
  • 2 Blue Charm Star quilts – the borders are from Stash Builder rolls! No yardage cut for either of these quilts … well, except for the solid white background fabric!
  • Blue Blocks: sandwiched …

Sunday Stash

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

Nope, I still haven’t bought any fabric yet this year!!! I’m not sure, but this might be a new record for me!

I finished this little zipper pouch using Island Batik fabric, Hobbs 80/20 batting, Aurifil thread and Schmetz needles. The project used just over 1/2 yard of fabric.

  • Fabric used in the last week: 0.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     47 yards. {7.5 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              47 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

  1. Finish Quilting IB April Project in progress
  2. Sandwich & Quilt 2nd Blue charm star quilt. in progress
  3. Quilt Blue 2 1/2” squares XX NOT DONE XX
  4. Add sashing to Yellow rectangle squares. in progress
  5. Start to get projects ready to take to a retreat: (no pictures yet)
    • May IB project – cut it out in progress
    • June IB project – cut out the pieces in progress
    • Swan – cut all the squares XX NOT DONE XX
    • Train – cut all the pieces XX NOT DONE XX
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Finish Binding IB April Project
  2. Sandwich & Quilt 2nd Blue charm star quilt.
  3. Quilt Blue 2 1/2” squares
  4. Finish webbing Yellow rectangle squares.
  5. Cut and start sewing Canuck Quilter Mystery Quilt.
  6. Start to get projects ready to take to a retreat: (no pictures yet)
    • Swan – cut all the squares
    • Train – cut all the pieces
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

SAHRR Parade!

Make sure you come back to the blog tomorrow for the final wrap-up and start of the Parade!

Leaving Comments on my Blog

I appreciate each of you that leaves comments on my blog!! It’s fun to read about YOU!!

However, I know that many of you have difficulty leaving comments and I honestly do not know what to do about it. I moderate each of the comments (that’s why they don’t show up right away) so that you don’t have to read about the ugly stuff / junk that some try to slip in!

Anyhow, I notice that the vast majority of comments are “anonymous” and I have no idea who you are. If you could simply put your name after the comment, I’d appreciate it! Thank you!

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

A Quick Finish & TGIFF

/ quiltinggail / 12 Comments

I thought I needed a small gift … so I made this zipper pouch. No pattern, but I loved the fabric and felt that the zipper was a perfect match. The fabric was from my Island Batik stash and it was from an older collection. I quilted some feathers on the front and back, but you can’t really see them very well.

And a picture of the lining.

Zipper Pouch Stats:

TGIFF

Here’s where you can link up and show us your Finished Project!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

Boundary Bay Quilt Guild

Thanks, Irene, for taking pictures!! My husband says it’s a typical picture – I’ve got my eyes closed! LOL

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: March 16

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

Yesterday was Worldwide Quilting Day, and for the first time in many years, I did not participate. The weather was very uncooperative … raining very hard … and I didn’t want to get soaked, nor did I want my quilts to get soaked and heavy and risk breaking the line. I will participate next year – providing the weather is half-decent!

Recent Finish

Did you see my most recent finish?

My Island Batik March challenge was a LOT of fun to make and running out of fabric made for an excellent chance to alter my plan. You can read about it HERE.

Another Finish. The quilt top was made by various members of the Boundary Bay Quilt Guild. I brought the top home and found backing and batting (Hobbs Batting: 80/20), then quilted it on my domestic sewing machine using Aurifil Thread (#2600, Dove Grey). It is quilted all over with various flower motifs. And bound with a striped fabric from my stash!

The blue floral border print was perfect for the backing!

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January – February: 58 / 59 days
  • March: 16 / 16 days
  • Total: 74 / 75 98 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Yellow – Here’s a picture of my 4 1/2” 10 1/2” rectangles. I need to sash them and sew them into a top
  • Yellow – I’m making some Dresden flowers … no picture yet.

Quilting projects:

  • IB April Project: I’m having fun quilting this one!
  • 2 Blue Charm Star quilts – the borders are from Stash Builder rolls! No yardage cut for either of these quilts … well, except for the solid white background fabric!
  • Blue Blocks: sandwiched …

Sunday Stash

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

Nope, I still haven’t bought any fabric yet this year!!! I’m not sure, but this might be a new record for me!

2 finishes to add to my done list! The bear claw used 10 1/2 yards of fabric and the guild quilt used 3 1/2 yards for backing and 1/2 yard of binding from my stash.

  • Fabric used in the last week: 14.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     46.5 yards. {7.5 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              46.5 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

  1. Sandwich & Quilt 2nd Blue charm star quilt. XX NOT DONE XX
  2. Quilt Blue 2 1/2” squares XX NOT DONE XX
  3. Finish Quilting & Bind Guild Hospice Quilt. √   DONE
  4. IB April Project: sandwich and quilt in progress it’s SLOW going … so far I’ve used 5 bobbins and I still have just over 1/4 of the quilt to quilt.
  5. Cut up Yellow scraps. √   DONE
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Finish Quilting IB April Project
  2. Sandwich & Quilt 2nd Blue charm star quilt.
  3. Quilt Blue 2 1/2” squares
  4. Add sashing to Yellow rectangle squares.
  5. Start to get projects ready to take to a retreat: (no pictures yet)
    • May IB project – cut it out
    • June IB project – cut out the pieces
    • Swan – cut all the squares
    • Train – cut all the pieces
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Leaving Comments on my Blog

I appreciate each of you that leaves comments on my blog!! It’s fun to read about YOU!!

However, I know that many of you have difficulty leaving comments and I honestly do not know what to do about it. I moderate each of the comments (that’s why they don’t show up right away) so that you don’t have to read about the ugly stuff / junk that some try to slip in!

Anyhow, I notice that the vast majority of comments are “anonymous” and I have no idea who you are. If you could simply put your name after the comment, I’d appreciate it! Thank you!

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

It’s All Up To You: March’s Island Batik Challenge

/ quiltinggail / 22 Comments

Here’s what Island Batik had to say about our March project:

March brings a free month for you to determine your own project of any size, using any theme and any technique!! This is an opportunity for you to express your creativity without guidelines. Have fun!

Almost the minute I saw this 10″ stack, I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to make!

It’s called, “Earthly Stories” by Jean Wells of The Stitchin’ Post and was paired with 2 yards of Weave-Brownie (Blenders) and 2 yards of Cornsilk (Neutral) [Both are available year round]. Pre-cuts and yardage of Earthly Stories is available in stores now. Here’s a picture of all of the fabrics in Earthly Stories:

I wanted to make a “Bear Paw” block (with a difference) … I’d use the Cornsilk for the background and sashing. The Weave-Brownie would be used for some of the cornerstones and the binding. Unfortunately, I did not put my ideas in EQ and my plan turned out different than I thought. However, I do like the end result!!

First, I cut 6 1/2” squares from 24 of the darkest 10″ squares. From the remnants of the squares I cut, I used the Accuquilt, Qube 8″, die #5, to make 2 1/2” unfinished half-square triangles (HST), pairing them with the Cornsilk fabric. Then 3 HST were sewn together and added to one side of the 6 1/2” squares. 3 more HST were sewn, along with a cornerstone and added to the adjoining side. Throughout the process, I used my Oliso M3 ProLight Iron. (I LOVE ❤️ this little iron!!!)

Once I had the 24 blocks done, I arranged them on my design wall. If you look closely, you will be able to se that some of the blocks were not square and needed to be trimmed by about 1/4” on the 2 sides without the HSTs. I wanted to add some “Brownie” cornerstones, but only in select areas.

While I was working on the sashing, I had this niggling feeling that I might not have enough of the Cornsilk fabric for the cornerstones… groan …

And yes, the niggling feeling was correct! What to do? Make the quilt smaller? I didn’t like that idea … use the left-over 10″ squares as cornerstones? I neglected to take a picture, but it looked way too busy! I auditioned the Weave-Brownie and immediately thought, “YES!!!” So, that’s what I used!!

The quilting: I used Silly Moon‘s Rocket to outline the bear claws (stitch in the ditch) and Beanie 2/6 to make the flowers in the brown cornerstones and the main squares in the bear claw.

And yes, there is a flange binding:

Here’s a picture of the finished quilt:

Quilt Stats:

Thank you!

Thank you to the generosity of Island Batik and Industry partners! They have supplied the products for free as my role as an Island Batik Ambassador, making it possible to make this project! Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles, Oliso Iron, and Accuquilt,

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: March 9

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

Yup … I probably have a few “WHIMM” and have forgotten what it was, it was so very hidden!

Leaving Comments on my Blog

I appreciate each of you that leaves comments on my blog!! It’s fun to read about YOU!!

However, I know that many of you have difficulty leaving comments and I honestly do not know what to do about it. I moderate each of the comments (that’s why they don’t show up right away) so that you don’t have to read about the ugly stuff / junk that some try to slip in!

Anyhow, I notice that the vast majority of comments are “anonymous” and I have no idea who you are. If you could simply put your name after the comment, I’d appreciate it! Thank you!

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January – February: 58 / 59 days
  • March: 9 / 9 days
  • Total: 67 / 68 98 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Blue Blocks: Making blocks with 2 1/2” squares … Picture below … still have several 16 patch blocks to make and then add sashing around the 4 patch blocks … this will make a decent sized comfort quilt. (All the squares are from my Island Batik stash!)
  • IB April Project: as leaders & enders … and no picture!
  • Yellow – I’ll be cutting up my scraps for something … I don’t know what, yet!

Quilting projects:

  • 2 Blue Charm Star quilts – the borders are from Stash Builder rolls! No yardage cut for either of these quilts … well, except for the solid white background fabric!
  • Blue Blocks: sandwiched …

Sunday Stash

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

I was able to show you 2 finishes this week. I was very thrilled with each of them. They used signature collections from Island Batik. The first one is Meadow Hues, designed by Jerry Khiev for Claudia Porter of Create with Claudia and the 2nd one is Sunlit Garden, also designed by Jerry Khiev for Jennifer Thomas of Curlicue Creations. You can read about them HERE and HERE. The fabrics should be in stores now.

  • Fabric used in the last week: 20.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     31 yards. {3 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              31 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

  1. Sandwich & Quilt Blue charm star quilts. in progress. Partially done. One is sandwiched
  2. Get Blue 2 1/2” squares to flimsy stage. √   DONE
  3. Quilt Guild Hospice Quilt. in progress.
  4. IB April Project: get to flimsy stage in progress.
  5. Cut up Yellow scraps and decide what to make … in progress. decision made … now to cut!
  6. Sandwich and Quilt Guild Hospice Quilt in progress. Quilt sandwiched
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Sandwich & Quilt 2nd Blue charm star quilt.
  2. Sandwich & Quilt Blue 2 1/2” squares
  3. Finish Quilting & Bind Guild Hospice Quilt
  4. IB April Project: sandwich and quilt
  5. Cut up Yellow scraps
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Don’t Forget

I am a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunlit Garden Blog Hop

/ quiltinggail / 17 Comments

Way back in early December, Jennifer asked if I’d be interested in participating in a blog hop in early March. One look at this BEAUTIFUL fabric collection and I knew I HAD to say “YES!”

I went to EQ8 and started designing … all these pretty fabrics will make a very pretty quilt!

Unfortunately, I enjoyed sewing this quilt together so much that I forgot to take many progress pictures! Here are the blocks on my design wall:

A Close-up of the quilting:

The finished quilt:

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 44″ x 58″
  • Fabric: Island Batik: “Sunlit Garden” by Jerry Khiev for Jennifer Thomas, paired with Eggwhite (an Island Batik neutral that is available all the time)
  • Hobbs Batting: Heirloom Natural 100% cotton
  • Aurifil Thread:
    • Piecing: #2600 (Dove Grey)
    • Quilting: #2835 (Medium Mint)
  • Silly Moon Rulers: Rocket, Beanie, and Cheesie
  • Oliso Iron

Here is the schedule for the Sunlit Garden blog hop, beginning on March 3rd and going through March 9th.  

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Meadow Hues

/ quiltinggail / 24 Comments

When Claudia asked if I would make something with her signature fabric, I could not resist the opportunity to work with gorgeous fabric collection, and immediately said “yes.” I downloaded the fabric images into EQ8 and played with the fabrics and several different blocks. I used “Almond” for the background. This was the result:

Here’s a close-up of one of the quilted blocks and the back of one block in the sunshine! The backing is “Lavender” (part of the Island Batik “Playful Purples” collection). I used Silly Moon‘s “Rocket” to outline the chain and star blocks and the 3″ Beanie in the centre of the stars. The background was filled in with swirls.

And a picture of the finished quilt:

Quilt Stats:

The Blog Hoppers

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Sunday Summary: February 23

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

Isn’t this the truth? I have a friend who could never find her seam ripper. So, she bought a pack of 3. Now, she says, “I’m looking for one of my 4 seam rippers!” 😁

SAHRR is in progress!

Tomorrow is Round #6 hosted by Emily at The Darling Dogwood Here’s where you can find each of my rounds, along with links to the co-hosts!

A Finish from Last Week

Last week, for the Island Batik “Runner Up” Blog Hop, I posted about my runner. You can read about it HERE. I thoroughly enjoyed making this runner! Using a Studio 180 tool and following directions made for almost perfect points. I say “almost” because I’m not perfect!

And the day before my post went live, I showed the runner at the Boundary Bay Guild meeting. (Photo credit: Irene Hamilton). Our speaker was Julie Plotniko, who spoke about ‘Precision Piecing.’ I am definitely NOT a Precision piecer, but using the Studio 180 tool (Rapid Fire® Lemoyne Star), my runner was pretty close to being precision pieced! (Thanks to the 2 gals on the stage who held the quilts!)

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 days
  • February: 23 / 23 days
  • Total: 54/ 54 100 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Blue Blocks: Making blocks with 2 1/2” squares … Blue is the colour for February for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge
  • IB April Project: as leaders & enders … and no picture!

Quilting projects:

  • IB March Project
  • 2 Blue Charm Star quilts

Sunday Stash

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

I finished my Island Batik “Runner Up” project! Also, I gave away a huge bag of scraps to a friend. I didn’t measure the amount, so I can’t include it, but it was fun to give her a bag of scraps!!! I know how much fun it is to sew with someone else’s fabrics! 😁

  • Fabric used in the last 2 weeks: 2 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     10.5 yards. {3 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              10.5 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

  1. Finish Blue charm star quilt. in progress. 2 flimsies completed
  2. Decide what to do with cut Blue 2 1/2” and 2″ squares. √   DONE Decision made for the 2 1/2” squares!
  3. IB March Project: Quilt & Bind in progress
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Sandwich and Quilt Blue charm star quilts.
  2. Get Blue 2 1/2” squares to flimsy stage
  3. IB March Project: Finish: Quilt & Bind
  4. Sandwich and Quilt Guild Hospice Quilt
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Island Batik’s Runner Up Blog Hop

This is the last week. Visit Lumin Blog (Island Batik) to see a recap of last week’s Runners! PLUS, an opportunity for YOU to win a fat quarter bundle.

WEEK 4 – the last week!

February 24:

February 25:

February 26:

End of Blog Hop + Final Round Up

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: February 9, 2025

/ quiltinggail / 11 Comments

This would be an awesome drawer to have at my sewing station!!! Although, I fear it would be empty more often than not!

SAHRR is in progress!

We’ve had the Centre Blocks and 2 rounds so far. Tomorrow, Round #3 will be hosted by ME. Here’s where you can find each of my rounds, along with links to the co-hosts!

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 days
  • February: 9 / 9 days
  • Total: 40/ 40 100 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Blue Blocks: This month’s rainbow scrap colour is BLUE … LOTS of cutting of my Island Batik scraps: a Charm Star quilt is started, 2 1/2” and 2″ squares … not sure what will happen with them yet!
  • IB March Project: as leaders & enders … and no picture!

Quilting projects:

  • SAHRR ’25: needs binding
  • Meadow Hues: a lap sized quilt for a blog hop hosted by Claudia Porter of Create with Claudia. It is using her newest signature collection.

Sunday Stash

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

I had a finish last week!!! You can read more about it HERE.

  • Fabric used in the last week: 3.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     8.5 yards. {3 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              8.5 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

I got a lot done last week, but much of it I can’t show you yet …

  1. Work on Blue Blocks in progress
  2. 2025 SAHRR – bind it. XX Not Done XX
  3. Sandwich and Quilt “Pink Blocks” √   DONE.
  4. Sandwich and Quilt IB February Project √   DONE.
  5. Work on IB March Project in progress
  6. Sandwich and Quilt Sunlit Garden √   DONE.
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Finish Blue charm star quilt
  2. Decide what to do with cut Blue 2 1/2” and 2″ squares
  3. 2025 SAHRR – bind it
  4. Get IB March Project to flimsy stage
  5. Meadow Hues: Quilt & Bind
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Island Batik’s Runner Up Blog Hop

Started last week. Visit Lumin Blog (Island Batik) to see a recap of last week’s Runners! PLUS, an opportunity for YOU to win a fat quarter bundle.

WEEK 2

February 10:

February 11:

February 12:

February 13:

February 14:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

WEEK 3

February 17:

February 18:

February 19:

February 20:

February 21:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 3 and Final Giveaway

WEEK 4

February 24:

February 25:

February 26:

End of Blog Hop + Final Round Up

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Another February Finish!

/ quiltinggail / 28 Comments

So Scrappy provides a different colour each month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. January’s colour was “Pink.” I pulled out all my Island Batik scraps and started to play. I started out with rectangles that were 2 1/4” x 4 1/2“. I know it’s a super weird size, but my binding is cut at 2 1/4” and I started out with cutting binding scraps. I added a 1″ of solid white between the 2 rectangles.

I wasn’t sure if I would have enough blocks for a totally pink quilt and thought I’d add another colour into the mix. It turned out that I had enough to make this baby quilt.

I don’t know what I was thinking when I made the sashing 1″ wide and the cornerstones were 1″ squares that finished at 1/2” square. The quilt would have been bigger and easier to assemble if I had made the sashing 2″ wide and the cornerstones 2″ square. However, I did get it assembled, quilted and bound. The simple quilting was straight line with a walking foot on my domestic sewing machine. The label is already on it – ready for donation at the next guild meeting.

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 39.5″ x 39.5″
  • Fabric: Island Batik: Scraps and solid white
  • Hobbs Batting: Heirloom Natural 100% cotton
  • Aurifil Thread:
    • Piecing: #2600 (Dove Grey)
    • Quilting: #2440 (Peony)
  • Sewing Machine: Pieced and Quilted on Janome M7

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: February 2, 2025

/ quiltinggail / 12 Comments

Can you guess what I’ve been doing a LOT of this week? Yup, lots of staring!!!

SAHRR is in progress!

We’ve had the Centre Blocks and 2 rounds so far. Tomorrow, Round #3 will be hosted by ME. Here’s where you can find each of my rounds, along with links to the co-hosts!

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 days
  • February: 2 / 2 days
  • Total: 33 / 33 100 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Blue Blocks: This month’s rainbow scrap colour is BLUE … so I’ll be starting that this week! See this post.
  • Meadow Hues: a lap sized quilt for a blog hop hosted by Claudia Porter of Create with Claudia. It is using her newest signature collection.
  • IB March Project: as leaders & enders … and no picture!

Quilting projects:

  • Test Quilt: SSB
  • IB February Project: sorry, no picture, except for the Studio 180 tool and the fabric!
  • Sunlit Garden: a small lap quilt for a blog hop hosted by Jennifer of Curlicue Creations
  • Need to sandwich the Pink Blocks

Sunday Stash

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

I made it through January without buying any fabric!!! I’m very happy about that! I did finish 2 projects since my last summary. The pink baby quilt (details HERE) and the small zipper pouch (see THIS POST).

I find it interesting that no matter how I put these 2 items into the ‘gallery’ the zipper pouch (6 1/2” x 12″) looks bigger than the quilt (35″ x 35″)!

  • Fabric used in the last 2 weeks: 4.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     5 yards. {1.5 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              5 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

  1. 2025 SAHRR – bind it XX Not Done XX
  2. Bind Glorified 9 patch. √   DONE. 
  3. Work on “Pink Blocks“. in progress
  4. Work on IB February Project. in progress
  5. Do IB March Project as leaders and enders … for now. in progress
  6. Get Sunlit Garden to flimsy stage √   DONE. 
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Work on Blue Blocks
  2. 2025 SAHRR – bind it
  3. Sandwich and Quilt “Pink Blocks“
  4. Sandwich and Quilt IB February Project
  5. Work on IB March Project
  6. Sandwich and Quilt Sunlit Garden
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Island Batik’s Runner Up Blog Hop

This blog hop starts tomorrow!!! Be sure to follow along, I promise lots of eye candy! Here’s a list of the fabrics and ambassadors:

WEEK 1

February 4:

February 5:

February 6:

November 7:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway

WEEK 2

February 10:

February 11:

February 12:

February 13:

February 14:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

WEEK 3

February 17:

February 18:

February 19:

February 20:

February 21:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 3 and Final Giveaway

WEEK 4

February 24:

February 25:

February 26:

End of Blog Hop + Final Round Up

Visit Lumin’s blog (Island Batik) for your opportunity to win one of the two fabulous Fat Quarter bundles of collections by our very own Jerry Khiev – Botanical Dreams or Fall Flair.

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Aurifil Thread and a Finish!

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

As an Island Batik Ambassador, I receive a lot of thread from Aurifil Thread, plus, I have purchase lot of it from Carola when she vends at quilt shows. And recently, the small fabric store (Essem) that I occasionally teach and work at is also selling Aurifil thread. Yup, I do LOVE it!

Karen Neary is a Canadian Aurifil seller. She is prompt and thorough with her products. It’s well worth visiting THIS POST to see some beautiful creations using Aurifil Thread. I was able to purchase some Monofiliment (invisible) thread from her! Karen recently posted this picture on Facebook to illustrate the various thread weights.

From Left to Right, the weights are. 12.   28.   40.  50.  80. I use 50 weight for piecing and either 50 or 40 weight for quilting.

She also sent me this … which explains what the bottom (print side) or label on the Aurifil Thread spool is all about:

A Finish!

January’s colour for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is Pink (see So Scrappy). I started 2 projects using my Island Batik Scraps … and this one is finished.

This quilt was made with the Accuquilt die “Glorified 9 Patch.” Of course, using the die makes sewing curves so very easy!!!

I used Aurifil Thread for piecing and quilting.

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 35″ x 35″
  • Fabric: Scraps of pink Island Batik and Island Batik Solid White
  • Hobbs Batting: Heirloom 100% Cotton
  • Aurifil Thread
    • Piecing: #2600 (Dove Grey)
    • Quilting: #2510 (Light Lilac)
    • Binding: #4660 (Variegated Pink Taffy)
  • Accuquilt Die: Glorified 9 patch
  • Quilting: Free Motion on my domestic Janome M7

I’m hoping to teach this quilt at Essem in March. Class participants will use the Accuquilt Die to cut PERFECT pieces and learn how to piece curves together easily. Contact Essem Textiles if you are interested in the class.

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: January 12

/ quiltinggail / 18 Comments

This is true for every day!!!

An Unusual site at my house in January

This is a heritage rose that my dad planted in Victoria in 1965. I dug it up and transplanted it here (near Vancouver, BC) after my mother passed away. To my surprise it has thrived! The one branch with a few buds was not cut down in the fall … and now it’s blooming! And, it smells heavenly!

SAHRR is starting soon!

You can read all about it on THIS POST. The Centre Blocks will be shown tomorrow!

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: 12 / 12 days
  • Total: 12 / 12 100 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Pink Blocks: just cause I’m trying to use Island Batik scraps. This might be combined with other colours in the near future
  • Sunlit Garden: a small quilt for a blog hop hosted by Jennifer of Curlicue Creations … it will be her newest signature collection and it’s absolutely gorgeous!!! Unfortunately, until the blog hop, you’ll only see black and white!!

Quilting projects:

  • Test Quilt: SSB
  • Glorified 9 patch
  • Helen Godden’s Christmas Countdown ’24 (my sister & I are doing this by zoom) Traced the pattern on to Island Batik’s solid white and started quilting with Aurifil Black thread. Hobbs 80/20 is in the middle.

Sunday Stash

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

No finishes, no shopping … the numbers remain at “0”

  • Fabric Used in the last week:  0 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     0
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              0 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

  1. 2025 SAHRR finish quilting it. √   DONE. 
  2. Quilt Test Quilt: SSB. XX Not Done XX
  3. Finish Glorified 9 patch for class sample in progress
  4. Work on “Pink Blocks” in progress
  5. Work on Sunlit Garden in progress
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Finish: Helen Godden’s Christmas Countdown ’24
  2. 2025 SAHRR – bind it
  3. Quilt Glorified 9 patch
  4. Work on “Pink Blocks”
  5. Work on Sunlit Garden
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Island Batik projects 2024!

/ quiltinggail / 20 Comments

I have been an Island Batik ambassador since 2019 and have a bit of a stash of Island Batik fabrics (And I LOVE it!!!). Aside from the monthly projects and challenges, I often use Island Batik fabrics for other projects. I absolutely LOVE the richness of the colours and the quality of the fabric. Below is an example of what I made this year.

January

I worked on this Helen Godden topper while Zoom quilting with my sister (she did the same one at the same time!). The details of where you can get the pattern and instructions are on THIS POST. I used Island Batik’s solid white for the background, coloured it with Sharpie Stained markers and used a dark green for the binding.

White Rabbit Blog Hop. This was a super fun quilt to make!! You can read about it HERE.

February

Island Batik Blog Hop Log Cabin Challenge. You can read more about these 2 quilts on THIS POST.

And the directions for how to make the diagonal backing is HERE.

This was a retreat bag I made … see HERE for details.

This heart quilt was made for the “It Moose Be Love” blog hop. The informal instructions and details can be found HERE.

March

The Island Batik challenge for March was all up to us. I got carried away and made these 3 quilts using greens from my Island Batik Scraps. I did use yardage for the borders of the one on the right and left. You can read more about them HERE.

This purple / blue quilt was made for the Fast and Fun Blog Hop sponsored by Villa Rosa. It is their Gypsy Rose pattern. See THIS POST for more details.

The Stay at Home Round Robin wrapped up in March. You can read about it and access the links to the various prompts HERE. (And yes, we’re doing it again in 2025!)

The Give it a Whirl blog hop had me making this fun quilt. Details and close-ups are available HERE.

April

Making a Funky Friend was April’s challenge. This is Taylor the Tiger. It was challenging to make, but fun! He had a few adventures and you can read about them on THIS POST.

May

The first weekend in May was the Boundary Bay Quilt Guild Show. The Baby Challenge was “Forest Friends”. This was my entry … You can read about it HERE.

This Fall Mystery Quilt was finished in time for the Boundary Bay Quilt Show. You can read about it HERE and see other Mystery Quilts that were at the show.

The May Island Batik challenge was to Paper Piece a quilt for a celebration. I chose Christmas and made a tree skirt. You can read about it HERE.

I made a rocket quilt for the “On the Road Again” blog hop. It was about transportation … you can read about it HERE.

June

Island Batik’s June challenge was to make a quilt for the Sleep in Heavenly Peace charity. You can read about it HERE.

A fellow Island Batik ambassador (Denise Looney) offered a free quilt-a-long making a St. Paddy’s quilt. You can read about it HERE.

A former Island Batik ambassador (Claudia Porter) had a signature collection and asked if I wanted to participate in a blog hop. This is the quilt I made, using “Prisms.” You can read about it at THIS POST.

July

Nothing like celebrating Canada Day with a red maple leaf! You can read about it HERE.

These next 2 quilts were a pattern by mmmquilts and you can read about them HERE. I love how the same pattern with different fabrics look so different!

This whale was made for the “Something Smells Fishy” blog hop and you can read about it HERE. And also find a link to the free pattern!

August

These were 2 mini quilts that I made. Read about it HERE.

This quilt used left-overs from a Lone Star quilt … the fabric is from the Pin Dot Floral collection. You can read about it HERE.

September

This was a very fun quilt to Applique! This POST has all the details.

I made a bunch of tissue holders. You can read about them on THIS POST.

October

Island Batik’s October challenge was a ByAnnie bag. I chose to make “Payday” in the small and large size. You can read about them on THIS POST.

I was invited to make a quilt using “Twilight,” a signature fabric collection for Claudia Porter. I ended up making 3 quilts. Read about them HERE.

This little mini was made for Hobbs Batting and hung in their booth at the Houston Quilt Market. See THIS POST for more details.

November

Island Batik’s Challenge for this month was Dresden Plates. I made this vase with flowers … you can read more about it on THIS POST.

The Jelly Roll mystery quilt reveal. See this post and the links to all the clues.

December

I made this Christmas card using Island Batik fabric and a MSQC Template. You can read about it HERE.

This table mat used various Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread. The bows and poinsettia were cut out using Templates from Missouri Star Quilt Company. You can see more details on THIS POST.

I made 2 large Clam-up ByAnnie bags for the Butterfly Haven blog hop. See HERE for more details.

This was the block of the month Colour Challenge, hosted by Patterns by Jen. It was a fun BOM to do! You can read about it on THIS POST.

It was up to us to make whatever we wanted for the December challenge. I made this quilt using Peppermint Sprinkles. You can read about it on THIS POST.

Floral Fusion was a free quilt-along by Denise Looney!! I LOVE her patterns, so I had to sew along. I really really like the final quilt! This POST has all the details.

My last project of the year was super simple … you can read about it on THIS POST.

Thank you!

Many Thanks to Island Batik and Industry partners that made all of the projects possible. They supplied the products for free as my role as an Island Batik Ambassador! Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles, Oliso Iron, Studio 180 Designs, and Funky Friends.

 One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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Sunday Summary: December 29

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My current state of life, only you can see more of the floor in this picture than in my room!

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 – November:  295 / 335 days
  • December: 29 / 29 days
  • 40 missed days since January 1
  • Total: 323 / 363 88 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Glorified 9 patch: for class sample

Quilting projects:

  • Test Quilt: SSB
  • SAHRR ’25

Sunday Stash

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash numbers. This has really kept my stash from growing (somewhat!) Before I buy anything, I am always mindful of the fact that I need to report it on my blog … That sometimes stops me in my tracks!

In the past 2 weeks, I posted about my Floral Fusion (9 yards) and a small table topper (2 yards).

  • Fabric Used in the last 2 weeks:  11 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2024:     221 yards  from non-IB: 89
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     32 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              189 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last report:

  1. 2025 SAHRR Finish Prompt 6. √   DONE
  2. Work on Test Quilt: SSB – block #1 & start block #2 √   DONE
  3. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  4. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

Still keeping the list small!

  1. 2025 SAHRR Quilt it!
  2. Quilt Test Quilt: SSB
  3. Work on Glorified 9 patch for class sample
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Favourite Finish for December 2024

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl has a blog post with the Favourite finishes of the month. Well worth the visit to see all the eye candy!

As usual, I’m having trouble choosing just 1!!! It’s between these 2 quilts. I’m in LOVE with both of them!!!

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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A Last Minute Finish

/ quiltinggail / 15 Comments

I wasn’t going to … I really wasn’t going to be doing any last minute sewing/quilting. Nope … I was all organized and didn’t need to … until ….

I went to set up my nativity scene. It’s beautiful ceramic figures that a fellow nursing classmate made. When she passed away during Covid, I gratefully accepted the set! What memories accompany the figures. I know that she completed them in the mid 70’s when taking a year away from nursing school. I had placed them on a piece of gorgeous dark blue fabric (Ravine), fully intending to make it into a table mat … but of course I forgot until I went to set up the set!

I figured that I had time, so I pulled out backing, Hobbs fusible batting and did a very quick meander with Aurifil #2600 (Dove Grey). Binding it with the same fabric and called it ‘done.’

I love how the lights and the fabric really show off the figures!

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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