Thank you very much, Denise, for this beautiful pattern. Be sure to visit Quiltery and buy the pattern!!
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.
That’s a great reason to quilt on … and leave the dust there! 😁
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!
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 week, I posted about my Island Batik December challenge. You can read about it HERE.
Fabric Used in the last week: 8 yards
Fabric Used in 2024: 210 yards from non-IB: 85
Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 32 yards
Net Fabric used: 180 yards
To Do
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
To Do from the last report:
Bind Floral Fusion.√ DONE
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6. in progress
Work on Test Quilt: SSB – block #1. in progress
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind. √ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE.
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE.
To Do for next week:
Still keeping the list small!
2025 SAHRR Finish Prompt 6.
Work on Test Quilt: SSB – block #1 & start block #2
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
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.
Here’s what Island Batik said about this month’s challenge:
December brings another month to embark on your own project, regardless of its size, theme, or technique! Seize this chance to unleash your creativity without constraints. Enjoy the process!
Way back in May, we had to make a paper pieced quilt that celebrated a holiday of our choice. I chose to make this Christmas tree skirt:
You can read about it HERE. The fabric is Peppermint Sprinkles. And, I LOVED it!
I wanted a quilt to coordinate with the tree skirt. I cut a bunch of 2 1/2” strips from Peppermint Sprinkles and made this Judy Niemeyer quilt “Fractured Paint Box.” I also used, Island Batik’s solid black. You can access the pattern HERE.
I was so involved with the piecing, I forgot to take any progress pictures. However, I can tell you that I used my Oliso Iron with every single seam that was sewn!
And pictures of the back and close-up of the quilting:
The back diagonal strip was made with the extra block I had as well as left over strips of fabric, along with solid black.
Quilting: All done on my domestic sewing machine: Janome M7. Rulers used were Silly Moon’s 7″ Beanie (for the centre circle) and Rocket for the stitch in the ditch around each block. The rest of the quilt was free motioned with feathers.
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.
Good thing that quilt shops don’t give out tickets!!! I would have a plethora of them!
Monthly Colour Challenge
December’s colour is Gold. Visit Jen at Patterns by Jen to get your free pattern for this month. It’s free for the month and after that you’ll need to pay a small fee for it.
Remember when I was on holidays and sewing on my hand-crank in the 5th wheel?
I was working on the border and sashing in the above video. I actually pieced the whole top while we were dry camping!
The quilt was quilted using a HUGE variety of Silly Moon rulers (Drop 3, Twinkle, Jelly, Rocket, Cupid, Beanie and Turkey was used in the sashing/border). I went to my bin of left-over binding and pulled out a variety of colours that were used in the quilt … it was fun to use them (and I still have lots left-over!)
Thank you, Jen for the great inspiration and fun BOM!!!
Quilt Stats:
Size: 47″ x 62″
Fabric: Island Batik: Assortment, with solid light grey and solid black for the sashing & border.
Quilting: All ruler quilted on my domestic sewing machine: Janome M7. Rulers used were Silly Moon’s 6″ Beanie, Rocket, Cupid, Drop, Jelly & Turkey.
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!
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 week, I have posted about the following finishes. I estimate that the round table topper used about 1 yard of fabric total (check it out HERE). I’m not going to count the fabric in the clam-up bags since Jennifer sent it to me recently for the purpose of making the bags (see THIS POST). The block of the month (above) used over 9 yards … so a total of 10 yards this week.
Fabric Used in the last week: 10 yards
Fabric Used in 2024: 202 yards from non-IB: 85
Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 32 yards
Net Fabric used: 170 yards
To Do
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
To Do from the last report:
Finish quilting Floral Fusion.√ DONE
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6. NOT DONE
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind. √ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE.
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE.
To Do for next week:
Keeping the list small!
Bind Floral Fusion.
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6.
Work on Test Quilt: SSB – block #1
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind.
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
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.
Earlier in the fall, Jennifer asked if I would be willing to make a project that featured her Signature collection … Butterfly Haven is so very pretty, I couldn’t resist saying “yes.” But, due to time restraints, I knew it had to be something small …
I decided to make 2 large byAnnie Clam Up bags. These are the fabrics that I ordered from Jennifer:
Outside of #1: 712401852. Coordinating #1: 712404891
Outside of #2: 712401873. Coordinating #2: 712403891
I always like the inside of bags to be lighter, so I can find what I’m looking for!
And here is individual pictures of each bag:
Blog Hop
I know each of the participating bloggers. They are all talented quilters, so it promises to be a great blog hop!! Here’s a list of the other participating bloggers:
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.
The challenge was to make a quilt with Dresden Plates … you can read all the details 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!
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 bought 2.5 yards of solid red fabric to coordinate with a Christmas fabric that I have.
Fabric Used in the last week: 8 yards
Fabric Used in 2024: 192 yards from non-IB: 80.5
Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 32 yards
Net Fabric used: 160 yards
To Do
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
To Do from the last report:
A little bit of this and a little bit of that was done, but nothing finished from the list this week.
Get Jelly Roll Mystery next clue & blog post ready! √ DONE
Make project for the Butterfly Haven Blog Hop in December. in progress
Quilt Floral Fusion.NOT DONE
Quilt Jelly Roll Mystery Quilt. √ DONE
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6. in progress
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind. NOT DONE
Work on Island Batik December project. in progress
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE.
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE.
To Do for next week:
Finish Butterfly Haven Blog Hop project
Quilt Floral Fusion.
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6.
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind.
Work on Island Batik December project.
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.
Jelly Roll Mystery Quilt
The Mystery Quilt is finished. Some are asking for directions on how to sew the quilt “on Point.” I don’t have time to write them up at the moment, but here’s a YouTube video that may help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEFekuJIP5k
Visit Island Batik blog for a Round-up and an opportunity to win a fat-quarter bundle of fabric!
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.
Here’s what Island Batik had to say about this challenge: “Welcome to the much-anticipated Dresden Plate Blog Hop! The Dresden Plate, a quintessential block in quilting, is known for its captivating radial design featuring pie-shaped wedges arranged in a circular pattern, resembling a delicate flower. As you embark on this quilting adventure, you’ll be exploring this timeless pattern, infusing it with your unique style and vision. Your challenge is to make a quilt, lap-sized or larger, using the assigned Summer ‘24 fabric collection that will showcase your individuality. May your needles be nimble, your creativity boundless, and your Dresden Plate quilts truly shine!“
We are to use the fabric collection that came in our surprise bundles that arrived in June/July.
My surprise bundle contained an awesome collection “Flutter Fields” designed by Jerry Khiev. Aren’t they just gorgeous? They are paired with Buttermilk and Midnight Blue.
I originally decided that I would make one large Dresden Plate. I started out by putting the fabrics in an order that was pleasing to me … and I made sure to label each piece so that I wouldn’t get confused! I left out the 2 lighter fabrics as I knew they would blend too much with the background fabric.
Here are a few pictures of blades in progress.
My one large Dresden Plate didn’t work out very well! You can’t tell really well from the picture, but the centre did not lie well. If you look closely at the upper right part of the centre circle, you can see that it isn’t a nice circle – it sort-of goes straight.
I tried to fix it by doing a few things: Take out one or 2 blades … unstitch a few blades that formed the ‘straight’ part of the circle and re-sew … sigh … it didn’t work.
On to plan B …
A few years ago, our guild had a zoom presentation by Candace Copp Grisham. Shortly after the presentation, I was at a guild retreat and “Dresden” fever was evident. Almost everyone at the retreat was making a Dresden plate! I ended up buying the book and played around with some of the ideas.
There is a LOT of inspiration on Candace’s website HERE. Also, a friend had made a wall hanging with Dresden plates and a vase … between the website and my friends quilt, my inspiration was newly born!
Here is a close-up of some of the Dresden plates, using different techniques:
The process of putting the plates together:
Using my Oliso iron to press open the seams
Showing the ‘wrong’ side of the curved Dresden
The original layout (I initially was going to use the Midnight Blue for the vase, but decided on using one of the green fabrics with gold stars on it.
One of the centre circles
My batting of choice for this quilt: Hobbs Heirloom Premium Wool Batting
The background was pieced, then the vase and flowers were placed on the background. I did this on the spare bed so that I could use glue (Acorn Precision Piecing Seam Align Glue) and press all the pieces into place. Yes, the spare bed makes a fantastic ironing surface for large projects!
Silly Moon Rulers: Rocket for all the straight lines, Charming and Kite (for the wavy line)
Make sure you visit Mania Hatziioannidi @ Mania for quilts as she is using the same fabric collection! She’s quite the artist, so I’m 100% positive that her quilt will be totally awesome!
Where can you buy Flutter Fields?
There are several stores throughout the USA that sell Flutter Fields:
Visit Island Batik blog for a Round-up and an opportunity to win a fat-quarter bundle of fabric!
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.
I used a strip set from Island Batik called “Playful Purples” and Island Batik solid white for the background. If you want to use the same fabric, both the strip set and the solid white is available at Creekside Quilts HERE.
Clue #5
This is the final clue. I was going to have you sew portions of this together first, but a couple of people said, “no, let the participants organize the fabrics how they want.” So, that’s what I’ve done!
Edit: Cut 2 more 5″ squares. Cut them in half diagonally. These 4 HST will be your corner blocks.
Here’s a picture of my top … I’ve started quilting it … if you look hard, you can see the straight lines through the coloured blocks and on the top left, the curved lines in the white block. I’m hoping that next week I will have the quilt quilted and bound. Once it’s finished, I’ll have a link party where you can add your quilt to show everyone.
Edit from Clue #4: You will need 124 sections for the quilt. If you can’t get 8 from each strata, you can make a shorter quilt … but it needs to be shorter in groups of 12. For example 112 will work.
A few months ago, I was asked to use some left-over fabric from a quilt I made for an Island Batik catalogue quilt and send the mini to Hobbs batting. They have hung it in their booth at the Houston Quilt Market! It’s probably the only time I’ll have a quilt at the show (ha! ha!)
The collection for this mini is Petal Poetry, a signature collection for Megan Best of Best Quilter. This collection is so very pretty!
I ‘borrowed’ the following pictures from Hobbs Batting as I can’t seem to find one that I took. I find that highly unusual since I ALWAYS take pictures of my finished projects … but I’ve looked several times and can’t find it!
Yvonne, @ Quilting Jetgirl, has a link party with the Favourite Finish of the Month. As usual, I find it extremely difficult to choose only ONE favourite!! How can I even begin to choose only ONE??? Well, I can’t! I guess it’s because I generally like everything that I make! Which one is your favourite?
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.
Do you have quilts or partial quilts that are waiting to get finished? Just start on one part of it … and gradually, it’ll get done!
A Birthday Finish!
I finished this quilt for my son’s birthday … you can read about it 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!
Since we’re home now, I’ve been able to sew every day!
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!
Fabric Used in the last week: 7 yards
Fabric Used in 2024: 183.5 yards from non-IB: 77
Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 29.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 138.5 yards
To Do
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
To Do from the last report:
A little bit of this and a little bit of that was done, but nothing finished from the list this week.
Jelly Roll Mystery next clue & blog post ready! in progress
Quilt Floral FusionNOT DONE
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 5. √ DONE
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind. NOT DONE
Work on Island Batik November project (Dresden Plate)Get in progress
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE.
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE.
To Do for next week:
Get Jelly Roll Mystery next clue & blog post ready!
Quilt Floral Fusion
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind
Work on Island Batik November project (Dresden Plate)
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
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.
Back in May, when my son and his partner, Sara, were helping me to set up a booth for Essem Textiles, Carola’s Quilt Shop was setting up sort-of across the way. They saw a quilt she had hanging there and fell in love with it. Later, I went and bought the 5 fat quarters I needed to make the quilt. Here is a picture of the bundles of Tim Holtz fabric: (picture borrowed from Carola’s FB page).
It’s taken me since then to make the quilt and I gifted it to my son for his 42nd birthday – and yes, it was late! (How did my baby boy turn 42???).
Here’s a picture of him (and me and grand-dog) with the quilt:
And a picture of the quilt itself:
The quilting in the blocks used the Silly Moon ruler “Kite” … which broke as I was fighting with it on my little machine with a low shank. I didn’t have the proper ruler for my bigger high shank machine. And simple swirls with variegated thread were quilted in the sashing.
I used a light grey fireside on the back and it shows off the quilting! It’s a nice cozy quilt!
I used Hobbs 80/20 batting and Aurifil thread.
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.
I made 3 quilts for Create with Claudia’s Twilight blog hop. You can read about them 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!
Since we’re home now, I’ve been able to sew every day!
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!
Fabric Used in the last week: 13.5 yards
Fabric Used in 2024: 176.5 yards from non-IB: 70
Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 29.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 131.5 yards
To Do
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
To Do from the last report:
A little bit of this and a little bit of that was done, but nothing finished from the list this week.
Get Jelly Roll Mystery next clue & blog post ready! in progress
Quilt Floral FusionNOT DONE
2025 SAHRR get prompt 4 done √ DONE.
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind NOT DONE
Work on Island Batik November project (Dresden Plate) in progress
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE.
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE.
To Do for next week:
Get Jelly Roll Mystery next clue & blog post ready!
Quilt Floral Fusion
2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 5
Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind
Work on Island Batik November project (Dresden Plate)
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
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.
Claudia asked if I would be interested in participating in her blog hop featuring her Island Batik signature collection. I love the blues and golds … it’s such a pretty collection! I paired it with Eggwhite, an Island Batik foundation that is available year round.
When I ordered fabric from her, I ordered what EQ8 said I needed. I should know better! It was way more than I needed!! So, out of guilt, I ended up making 3 quilts!
This first one was designed in EQ8 and is paper pieced. I like how the centre blocks go every which way. It measures 51″ x 63.5″
This was quilted with Silly Moon’s Drop 3 and Drop 1 rulers.
This 2nd one was cut with similar measurements in the squares. And they were all cut the same. It didn’t matter which way I oriented the blocks, the centre block looks like it is always in the same orientation. This quilt measures 52″ x 52″.
This one was free motion quilted, attempting to quilt daisies – like in some of the fabrics!
One of the fabrics reminded me of a giraffe. Of course, giraffes do not have blue spots, but I thought it would make a cute quilt. The grass and sky were from my Island Batik stash. The cloud is eggwhite. This quilt is 43″ x 47.”
I won binding chicken when I was binding this quilt!
And here’s a picture of all 3 quilts hanging on the clothesline:
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.
Do you have Fabracadabra happening in your sewing studio? I do … and it’s often hiding in sight where I can see it!
Monthly Colour Challenge
September’s colour is Brown. Visit Jen at Patterns by Jen to get your free pattern for this month. It’s free for the month and after that you’ll need to pay a small fee for it.
I’m using Island Batik fabrics for my blocks.
Here’s all my blocks to date:
Floral Fusion Blocks
Denise at A Quiltery is doing “Floral Fusion” – a Sew Along with new blocks each Monday. This promises to be beautiful!!! Hurry and get this week’s block while it’s still free! (See HERE).
The pink and purple flowers on the left are all appliquéd on. I used batting as the stabilizer and will trim around all the stitching to give them a trapunto look. The 2 columns on the right have been glued into place and need stitching.
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 got lots of sewing done while I was at a retreat, but not a lot while we were dry camping. However, I did count the time I spent cutting out appliqué pieces as sewing time.
Working on sashing and borders for Monthly Colour Challenge
Twilight blog hop project
Work on Prompt #3 for SAHRR ’25
Quilting:
“5 fat quarter” quilt is partially quilted.
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 shared my Adventurous Appliqué Quilt this week … it used approximately 10 yards of fabric and a ton of thread! You can read about my process and this fun technique HERE.
Fabric Used in the last week: 10 yards
Fabric Used in 2024: 151.5 yards from non-IB: 63.5
Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 29.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 117 yards
To Do
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
To Do from the last report:
A little bit of this and a little bit of that was done, but nothing finished from the list this week.
Appliquéing Floral Fusion blocks. in progress
Make Rope bowl√ DONE
Working on sashing and borders for Monthly Colour Challenge.not done
Twilight Blog Hop project in progress
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE.
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE.
To Do for next week:
I won’t be home a lot in the next couple of weeks, so my list is limited, and likely beyond reasonable expectations.
Appliquéing Floral Fusion blocks
2025 SAHRR get prompt 3 done
Work on sashing and borders for Monthly Colour Challenge
Twilight blog hop project
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Visit Island Batik Blog for an opportunity to win some awesome fabric and see a recap of this week’s blog hop quilts!n some awesome fabric and see a recap of this week’s blog hop quilts!
PLEASE NOTE: Missouri Star is having a ton of promotions in September to celebrate their birthday! You will NOT receive 20% off these. Although, I may still receive a small commission! Thank you for your support!
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.
For this challenge, we were encouraged to use an edge-painting technique that was used for a quilt called Full Bloom. A great youtube tutorial was the inspiration. (Click HERE). The basic premise is to appliqué the pieces using the edge painting technique.
This is the fantastic fabric I received, along with 5 spools of 40 weight Aurifil thread. The collection is called Poetic Bouquet, designed by Kathy Engle for Heidi Pridemore of The Whimsical Workshop.
I decided to use the Garden Party quilt pattern by Laura Heine. You can get the pattern HERE. I wanted a pattern that had some fairly large pieces and this fit pattern with flowers and butterflies fit my purpose!
I traced out the pattern onto six 22″ background squares of Frosting – an Island Batik neutral that is available year round. The individual pattern pieces were cut out using 19 of the 20 fabrics in the collection. (The 20th fabric was used for the binding.). The design board was handy for pinning each of the fabrics on the main squares. I was able to ensure that the purple petals and the light petals were in different positions.
Then I started to glue each piece into place, using Acorn Seam Align glue. (You can get the glue HERE). I had this glue in a “Precision Piecing” kit that has been sitting in a drawer for a LONG time. I had never used the kit because I don’t see the point in gluing each and every seam that I sew. ANYHOW, I decided to try it for gluing the pieces onto the background. It worked like a charm!!!! Especially with the Oliso Iron, to press it into place.
When the 6 squares had the individual pieces ironed on them, it was time to audition the layout. The first was an attempt at alternating the butterflies. The 2nd had all the squares in the same orientation and the 3rd had the 3/4 flowers. The 3rd layout won!
I decided that I would appliqué each square on it’s own. Since it would be easier to manipulate a 22″ square than a whole quilt. I chose to use Hobbs Batting Heirloom Cotton with scrim as I knew that it would appliqué nicely on my machine and not get caught up in the feed dogs. (Yes, it required frequent cleaning, but it worked). I was able to cut several layers of the batting easily with the Missouri Star Amelia Scissors as the rotary cutter would not cut through the layers. A test sample was made to make sure I was on the right path.
I was using the 40 weight Aurifil Thread I had received in my July box and quickly realized that I shouldn’t (or didn’t need to) use the 40 weight in the bobbin or I would run out of thread for the top. I used a lot of various Aurifil Thread 50 weight bobbins in colours close to what I was using on the top. Here is what the stitches looked like on the back of the batting. I used a few different Appliqué stitches on my Janome M7 to thread paint the sides of the pieces. #18 was used the most, #17 was used occasionally and a simple zig zag was used once in a while (on the stems and leaf centres).
Here are some close-ups of the stitching from the front.
Once each of the squares was appliquéd, they were sashed together with Island Batik‘s solid grey and a backing applied. The background was free-motion quilted around each of the appliqué pieces. The sashing and borders were quilted using the same appliqué stitch that was used for the edge stitching.
Quilt Stats:
Size: 48″ x 70″
Fabric: Island Batik: Poetic Bouquet, Solid Black (butterfly centres), Amber (flower centres, from Opulent Orange), Frosting (Background) and Solid Grey (sashing and borders).
Make sure you visit Megan Best‘s blog! She has the same collection as me!!! And, I also heard that she used some of the same appliqué stitches as me!! I can’t wait to see her quilt!!
Where can you find Poetic Bouquet?
There are several stores throughout the USA that sell Poetic Bouquet, here are a few:
PLEASE NOTE: Missouri Star is having a ton of promotions in September to celebrate their birthday! You will NOT receive 20% off these. Although, I may still receive a small commission!
Thank you for your support!
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.
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.
So, you might be wondering WHY I’m a Silly Moon affiliate? Well, I was asked and said, “yes.” But also, I absolutely LOVE ❤️ the rulers.
Here’s a little about the beginning of my Silly Moon journey:
The first Silly Moon ruler I bought was “Turkey.” A friend of mine was helping vend at a quilt show and convinced me to buy it (Thanks, Judy D!). It was something that sat and sat. Finally, one day, I decided that I would use it on this donation quilt. You can read about it HERE.
My next venture with Silly Moon was with a “Cupid” ruler. I did all over hearts. I backtracked on a heart, then did another one from that point … it’s fun and simple and fast! The quilt on the left used all 4 sizes, the one on the right used mostly one size.
I believe it was during the Covid days that our guild had Kellie (owner of Silly Moon) do a workshop using 2 rulers, “Charming” and “Edgie 6“. We were instructed to make a small table mat using 5” squares. Well, for those of you that know, me, you know that I often don’t follow the exact instructions and I obviously made the following quilt bigger than a small table mat. In the centre, I followed the instructions in the class and used the appropriate rulers. Practicing the different motifs on different blocks. Then, I used a mixture of the Charming and Cupid rulers when finishing the quilt. You can read about it on THIS POST. I found the class was excellent and the rulers were easy to handle. You can access the on-line class HERE.
I’ve been buying Silly Moon rulers ever since. Rare is the quilt that doesn’t have some ruler quilting on it!! I think “Rocket” is the most used ruler I have. It is fantastic for stitch in the ditch, or a 1/4” echo and a zillion other uses.
At one point, I bought the “Twinkle” rulers. I made this Christmas wreath for an Island Batik challenge in July 2021. I used the Twinkle ruler in the centre and the 4 corners. You can read about it HERE.
“Rocket” was used to do a 1/4” outline on all the stars. You can see a close-up of it HERE.
The “Beanie” rulers are VERY versatile! They can do circles, arches and tons of things. I used them to do a Baptist Fan on this quilt. You can read about it HERE.
Visit Silly Moon to shop for the rulers and also visit their YouTube channel to see videos!
I have other Silly Moon rulers, but these were quilts that were quilted when I began my Silly Moon journey!
PLEASE NOTE: Missouri Star is having a ton of promotions in September to celebrate their birthday! You will NOT receive 20% off these. Although, I may still receive a small commission!
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.
In a previous post, I mentioned I had taken 2 fabrics, sandwiched them and needed to quilt them. The one side is a bunch of flannel squares that were yardage. I can’t remember for sure, but I think that I originally bought it to make a housecoat. That never happened – probably because there wasn’t enough fabric to make it! Anyhow, I matched it with a solid navy that was in my stash and this is the result:
You can’t see much from the flannel side, but here’s some pictures of the graffiti quilting I did on the back! I had a lot of fun quilting this! Feathers, hearts, flowers, loop-d-loop, spirals and whatever else I could think of … Like I said, it was fun!
This will be a donation quilt … I just need to sew the label on it and it’ll be ready to go!
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!
Monthly Colour Challenge: Layout (Jen has posted the sashing and border blocks for this challenge. You can access it HERE.). I’ll be doing this as a leader and ender.
“5 fat quarter” quilt is sandwiched … need to decide how to quilt it!
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!
The Lone Star- left-overs was finished. It used 5.5 yards of fabric. No shopping this week!
Fabric Used in the last week: 5.5 yards
Fabric Used in 2024: 151.5 yards from non-IB: 63.5
Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 29.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 107 yards
To Do
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
To Do from the last report:
A little bit of this and a little bit of that was done, but nothing finished from the list this week.
Work on Island Batik October project. Try to finish the Large one. √ DONE
Finish the Fall Mystery Quilt flimsy and finish writing directions. in progress
2025 SAHRR. get prompt 1 done. √ DONE
Monthly Colour Challenge: Layout (Jen has posted the sashing and border blocks for this challenge. You can access it HERE.). I’ll be doing this as a leader and ender. in progress
Twilight Blog Hop — web the quilt √ DONE.
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE.
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE.
To Do for next week:
Plan what to take to a retreat. Pack everything that I will need.
Work on Island Batik October project. Try to finish the Small one.
Finish the Fall Mystery Quilt flimsy and finish writing directions
2025 SAHRR. get prompt 2 done
Monthly Colour Challenge: Layout (Jen has posted the sashing and border blocks for this challenge. You can access it HERE.). I’ll be doing this as a leader and ender.
Twilight Blog Hop — sandwich and quilt
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
I had a give-away on Instagram … Anja is the winner. She has been sent an email requesting her snail mail address and then the templates will be on their way to her!
Don’t Forget
Here is my Affiliate link: https://glnk.io/mzmmj/quiltinggail If you order over $50 from Missouri Star, you will get 20% off your order and I may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!
PLEASE NOTE: Missouri Star is having a ton of promotions in September to celebrate their birthday! You will NOT receive 20% off these. Although, I may still receive a small commission!
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.
Joan from Moose Stash Quilting has challenged us with It’s a Jungle blog hop. And today is my day!
The Challenge: Animals, plants, trees…what’s in your jungle?
I have actually lived in the jungle in Venezuela and didn’t want to do a quilt with snakes or tarantulas on it. But, I did travel to South Africa and went on a safari. Although, it was quite different than the jungle I was familiar with, we did see elephants. Oh, how I loved seeing them in the wild!!! Along with the giraffe’s, zebras, springbok, and a zillion other animals!
I’ve made this quilt a few times before and have given them all away (either as baby gifts or donation quilts). I need to have another baby quilt on hand for September baby. I have no idea if it will be a boy or a girl, so I made 2. I know, I could give the green one away to either a boy or a girl, but I had some super cute pink flannel with elephants on it, so that made the decision for the pink one!
Here is my Affiliate link: https://glnk.io/mzmmj/quiltinggail If you order over $50 from Missouri Star, you will get 20% off your order and I will receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!
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.
A Give Away!
As a Missouri Star Quilt Company Affiliate, I was given the opportunity to receive some Christmas Templates.
And the BEST part: Is that YOU have an opportunity to win a set as well. You have to follow both Missouri Star and myself on Instagram (@quiltinggail and @missouriquiltco). Find my IG post that talks about the templates and leave a comment. I will choose a winner on August 25!
As a Missouri Star Quilt Company Affiliate, I was given the opportunity to receive some Christmas Templates.
And the BEST part: Is that YOU have an opportunity to win a set as well. You have to follow both Missouri Star and myself on Instagram (@quiltinggail and @missouriquiltco). Find my IG post that talks about the templates and leave a comment. I will choose a winner on August 25!
A Finish!
This has been waiting to be finished for quite a while! This quilt was made with the left-overs from the Lone Star Quilt I made with Island Batik‘s Pin Dot Floral (a signature collection for Megan Best). You can read about that quilt on THIS POST! I didn’t want to do a straight piece in the back, so I used a bunch of the left-overs and made the strip piece in the middle. The quilt was quick and easy to quilt – just a simple stipple.
A Squirrel hit me!
Something new to tempt me!! And it promises to be oh, so pretty!
Denise at A Quiltery is starting “Floral Fusion” a Sew Along with new blocks each Monday. Hurry and get this week’s block while it’s still free! (See HERE).
Here’s my first block … isn’t it pretty? It was pretty quick to cut out and fuse onto the background 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!
Island Batik October project. This is a byAnnie bag called “Payday.” I’m making both the Large and Small bags.
Fall ’24 mystery quilt. Some progress made
2025 SAHRR. I’ve started …
Monthly Colour Challenge: Layout (Jen has posted the sashing and border blocks for this challenge. You can access it HERE.). I’ll be doing this as a leader and ender.
“Stash Yardage” I took 2 pieces of stash and sandwiched them.
“5 fat quarter” quilt is sandwiched … need to decide how to quilt it!
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!
The Lone Star- left-overs was finished. It used 5.5 yards of fabric. No shopping this week!
Fabric Used in the last week: 5.5 yards
Fabric Used in 2024: 146 yards from non-IB: 57
Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 29.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 101.5 yards
To Do
Carol from Quilt Schmilt is hosting “To Do” every week.
To Do from the last report:
A little bit of this and a little bit of that was done, but nothing finished from the list this week.
Work on Island Batik October project. in progress
Finish the Fall Mystery Quilt flimsy and writing directions. in progress flimsy almost done!
2025 SAHRR. get centre block done. √ DONE.
Monthly Colour Challenge: Layout (Jen has posted the sashing and border blocks for this challenge. You can access it HERE.). I’ll be doing this as a leader and ender. in progress
Twilight Blog Hop — square up the blocks and web the quilt in progress Blocks are squared … need to figure out the layout and then web them
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! Not Successful. I started the Floral Fusion
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE.
To Do for next week:
Work on Island Batik October project. Try to finish the Large one.
Finish the Fall Mystery Quilt flimsy and finish writing directions
2025 SAHRR. get prompt 1 done
Monthly Colour Challenge: Layout (Jen has posted the sashing and border blocks for this challenge. You can access it HERE.). I’ll be doing this as a leader and ender.
Twilight Blog Hop — web the quilt
Make a decision on the Be Kind blog hop.
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Here is my Affiliate link: https://glnk.io/mzmmj/quiltinggail If you order over $50 from Missouri Star, you will get 20% off your order and I may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!
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.
In the spring, we had company and they commented on my ‘heart’ quilt on the piano. It was April and well past Valentines … call me lazy, but I hadn’t changed it.
I mentioned that I needed to make a mini quilt for a future Island Batik project. Tessa, age 13, suggested that I make one for Thanksgiving. Jokingly, I asked if she wanted to design one for me. She eagerly said, “Yes!” I gave her some graft paper and she went to work drawing up this cute turkey!! Isn’t he sweet? And, although I didn’t time her, she had the drawing done in less than 30 minutes!! Talk about a talented young lady!
Then, we visited my boxes of Island Batik Stash and these are the fabrics she picked!
Here is a list of the fabrics that were labelled:
Spots – Green Hunter
Dot Orange Cheddar
Dots – Brown – from Harvest Night
Circle Orange from Celtic Fields
Celtic Fields Mini Knot Red
Acorn Wheat – from Napa Valley
Cheerios – Walnut from Harvest Night
Dijon
Dark Grey is the border
Hexagon – Orange is the binding
The next step was to enlarge the picture, so that I could accurately cut out the pieces. (Note: The enlarged picture has numbers to help me keep the fabrics in order!)
Once all the applique was done, as well as the quilting, I measured the outside to make sure I had enough fabric for the binding. OOPS!!! It measured 24″ x 26.” The maximum size for this mini quilt was to be 24″ x 24″. It was 2″ too long!! I immediately saw where I went wrong. See that strip of mottled orange under the turkey? I had forgotten that it was there. At this point, I had 3 choices:
The first was to take off the stitching at the top and shorten it. YUCK. I hated the idea of doing that!
The second was to make the whole border 1″ wide instead of 2.” No … I think that would unbalance it.
The third was to make another mini quilt and give one of them to Tessa. My sister had suggested that I do this – to thank Tessa for designing it and picking out the fabrics!! This felt like the right decision! However, I didn’t have any more of the background fabric she choose. But, I did have something similar. So, away I went!
Here is my Affiliate link: https://glnk.io/mzmmj/quiltinggail If you order over $50 from Missouri Star, you will get 20% off your order and I may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!
Quilting Gail 