Free Motion Quilting

Pin Dot Floral and other things

/ quiltinggail / 17 Comments

This Island Batik collection is absolutely gorgeous!

This collection is for Megan Best. She is an Island Batik Ambassador and we always had plans to meet. We only live about 17 miles apart … however, she lives in Washington State and I live in Canada 🇨🇦. I don’t need to tell you why it took over 3 years for us to meet in person.

Anyhow, last year, I needed to go down to Washington and I stopped by her place. She gave me a tour of her awesome studio! (Sorry, no pictures) and she showed me the beautiful quilts she has made with this collection. All of them are absolutely stunning! Then she asked if I’d like to make a quilt with this collection. Well, of course, I said “yes!!!”

I was gifted a fat quarter bundle … and then it was time to play. EQ 8 to the rescue!! But nothing said, “make me!” … So, I went to my Accuquilt dies and saw the Kite die in the 8″ Qube Angles box and paired it with the Triangles in a Square die. And I started cutting.

It’s such pretty fabric, it’ll make pretty blocks, right?

Well, no! It was too busy … and I hated it. And I didn’t take any pictures of the not-so-nice blocks. So I cut more triangle blocks out of white fabric and came up with this quilt:

The white set off the beautiful fabrics from the collection. I was happy! I used Hobbs 80/20 batting and quilted it with Silly Moon “Rocket” to make the straight lines. It is bound with a scrappy binding with left-over pieces. It is 44″ x 52.”

Then, I had the dilemma of what to do with the side pieces I had cut. I didn’t want the quilts to look the same, so I cut out lots of black triangles, using the Triangle in a Square die.

I add all of the side triangles I had cut with Pin Dot Floral and this quilt was born:

Such a different look with the same fabrics! For this one, I used Hobbs black batting. It’s perfect for dark quilts and doesn’t dull the beautiful colours! And again, I used Silly Moon’s “Rocket” for the straight line quilting. I love how the markings on the ruler make it super easy to have a pattern without marking the quilt! This quilt is 44″ square.

And a close up of the quilting:

I still have some left-overs of this beautiful fabric and I have a plan in mind!

Commitment

Do you remember, way back in January, I told you that my word for 2024 was Commitment? You don’t? Well, don’t worry … I had sort of forgotten as well.

I didn’t have enough UFOs to run the PHD in 2024 and Ms P Designs took it over. See HERE. But, I knew that I needed to be accountable and at least finish what I had started in 2024 … thus “Commitment.”

So far this year, I have started 10 projects and have completed half of them! I’m totally fine with that because I KNOW that none of them are being placed in a bin and hidden until who knows when! They will get done! Unfortunately, none of the UFOs have been completed – YET … but they are in the works … and the SAHRR ’24 needs to be completed for the SAHRR parade in March. It will get done!

Temptation!

Scrappy quilts have definitely been on my radar recently! The project I’m working on for March’s Island Batik challenge is definitely scrappy! Then our guild recently had Cheryl Arkinson speak.  She’s all scraps and scrappy. And then I attended a Zoom presentation by Carola from Carola’s Quilt Shop and it was all about scrappy quilts. Carola’s blog has lots of ideas and easy to follow!

The problem: I now have TOO MANY ideas!!! I want to start at least 20 of them!!! How can I even resist starting half of them?????

Favourite Finish of the Month

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl has a Linky Party at the end of each month where we are to choose our favourite quilt of the month!!! Oh me, oh my. How do I choose just ONE Favourite quilt? As an Island Batik Ambassador, I get to work with many, many beautiful fabric collections!!! They are all quite different and beautiful. Each has a unique beauty! I must admit, I LOVE my Island Batik quilts … and these 3 are the favourites for this month!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: Feb. 25

/ quiltinggail / 12 Comments

This is why some people figure quilting is HARD!!!

SAHRR Round #5 is almost done … ready for Round #6!

The hosts have shown their centre blocks, many rounds, and other’s have joined in on the fun. See This Post for all the details! Here’s my centre block with the rounds, including the last round #5! My blog post HERE has links to all of the participating bloggers. Tomorrow is the last round! Almost done!

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!

  • Jan 1-28: 22 / 31 days
  • Feb 1-25: 25 / 25 days
  • Total: 47 / 56. 83%

Design Wall Mondays

Judy, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week. Sorry, no pictures to share!

Piecing projects:

  • Island Batik April project
  • Fast and More Fun: blog hop project
  • Give it a Whirl: blog hop project

Quilting:

  • 2023 Fall Mystery Quilt. I have the backing now … no excuses!
  • Finish Quilting “Gardenia“
  • IB March project
  • SAHRR 2024

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!

This past week, I showed you this sweet baby quilt … You can read about it HERE.

  • Fabric Used this week:  2.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:     28 yards  from non-IB: 10
  • Fabric Added this week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     8 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              20 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last report:

  1. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt” sandwiched, not quilted
  2. Continue to work on SAHRR ’24 in progress. Round #6 completed, needs quilting
  3. Finish Quilting “Gardenia“ not done
  4. Finish IB March project  not done in progress.
  5. Work on Fast and More Fun: blog hop project. in progress
  6. Work on Give it a Whirl: blog hop project. in progress
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE I actually spent about 2 hours tidying and cleaning … what a difference it made!

To Do for next week:

  1. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”
  2. Continue to work on SAHRR ’24 finish quilting and binding
  3. Finish Quilting “Gardenia“
  4. Finish IB March project 
  5. Work on Fast and More Fun: blog hop project.
  6. Work on Give it a Whirl: blog hop project.
  7. Start IB April project
  8. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  9. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Upcoming Blog Hops

Last week of Island Batik’s Blog Hop

This is the last week of a FABULOUS blog hop!! Be sure to visit the Zen Funk log cabins!

February 26:

February 27:

End of Blog Hop and Final Round-Up

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:  

How to Make a Diagonal Quilt Back …

/ quiltinggail / 20 Comments

This blog post contains:

  • How to make a quilt back when you don’t have quite enough fabric for the backing.
  • Winner of the Fabric Draw from THIS Post

Making the Back

When I made one of my Log Cabin quilts for the Island Batik challenge, (see HERE) I wanted to use the lovely dark purple fabric (Gears – Purple Hyacinth) to back one of my log cabin quilts. But, alas, there was not enough. I have sometimes been asked how to make my diagonal backs, so I thought I’d do a short tutorial on it.

My quilt top is on the design wall. I took the dark purple and pinned it close to the top, folded it diagonally (not at 45o), just diagonally, from corner to corner. You can see how it looks ‘off’ from the quilt. That’s OK. You just want to have it diagonal.

Then I took my roller and pressed that diagonal line. The next step was to use my fabric shears and cut the diagonal line. I placed the 2 halves over the quilt, going beyond the quilt by about 3″ on each side. (that’s the extra I like to have when I’m free motion quilting). If you are worried about cutting on the bias, you can always put a small strip of iron-on interfacing on the cutting line before cutting. In this case, you may want to mark the line instead of ‘pressing’ it. When working with Island Batik fabrics, I don’t worry about the bias stretching and I am gentle with it!

Then, I measured the distance between the two halves … it was about 12.” I added 1/2” for seam allowance and I cut pieces of fabric 12 1/2” wide. Those were pieced together to make one long strip. Each half of the diagonally cut piece was sewn onto the long strip. 

Yes, I could have used one piece of fabric for the long strip, but I chose to use some of my favourite fabrics from the line in the strip.

When I go to sandwich my quilts, I make sure that the 2 opposite diagonal corners of the quilt end up on the centre piece. This will avoid any nasty build up of seams in the corners.

I’d love to hear if you’ve ever done this or if you plan to!

I’ll be linking to Kathleen McMusing’s Tips and Tutorials. If you’ve never been to her blog … the Tips and Tutorials has a plethora of fantastic quilting information. It’s well worth the visit. HERE.

Winner of the Fabric Draw

When I posted my Island Batik Log Cabin Challenge, I offered readers / followers to have an opportunity to win some Heavy Metal fabric. The Rafflecopter only worked for some people, so I took the list from the Rafflecopter and the list from the comments and combined them. I used a Random Number Generator and the it’s #14 … Stella M. I have emailed her and the fabric will be in her hands soon!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

It Moose Be Love Blog Hop (Feb)

/ quiltinggail / 41 Comments

It Moose Be Love is organized and hosted by Joan, from Moose Stash Quilting.

Challenge: It’s the month of “Love”. Show us what it is, you love. Moose are optional of course. LOL!!

Here’s a few ‘heart’ shaped quilts & wall hangings, plus a hugs and kisses quilt that I have made in the past.

For this blog hop, I opted to omit the moose! 🫎

Here is the start of my pink heart quilt. It’s the same pattern as the grey and Dr. Suess one above: I think. I no longer have the quilt, so am unsure as to it’s size. I’m using 5″ squares for this. I started with 5″ strips of Island Batik pinks from a Stash Builder roll, plus another pink in my stash and it’s paired with Island Batik’s solid white! 

Then, using the Easy Angle ruler, I paired the pink with the Island Batik solid white and cut triangles for 10 half square Triangles. (If you use an Easy Angle ruler, there’s no fabric waste, and once the HST are sewn, you only need to trim dog ears and viola! they are the perfect size!) Then I cut (20) 5″ squares. From the white (after cutting the HST), I cut: (6) 5″ squares, (2) 5″ x 9 1/2” rectangles, (2) 9 1/2” squares, and (2) 5″ strips WOF. The borders were from a similar Stash Builder bundle and were cut at 2 1/2” wide. The binding used the remaining strips in the bundle.

I quilted this on my domestic sewing machine and covered the whole quilt with hearts using the 5″ Cupid ruler from Silly Moon. Below is a close up of the quilting.

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 40″ x 40″
  • Batting: Hobbs 80/20
  • Piecing: Aurifil 2600 (Dove Grey)

Blog Hoppers

If you want to see some FABULOUS eye candy, be sure to visit each of the following blogs!

Monday February 19

Tuesday February 20

Wednesday February 21

Thursday February 22

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Sunday Summary: Feb. 18

/ quiltinggail / 12 Comments

If this is TRUE ??? I am immortal!!! but also broke!!! 😅

SAHRR Round #4 is almost done … ready for Round #5!

The hosts have shown their centre blocks and other’s have joined in on the fun. See This Post for all the details! Here’s centre and Round #4! Visit Brenda @ Songbird Designs. to see lots of other Round #4s.

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!

  • Jan 1-28: 22 / 31 days
  • Feb 1-18: 18 / 18 days
  • Total: 40 / 49. 81%

Design Wall Mondays

Judy, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week. Sorry, no pictures to share!

Piecing projects:

  • SAHRR ’24 (Round 6 … trying to work ahead!)
  • Fast and More Fun: blog hop project
  • Give it a Whirl: blog hop project

Quilting:

  • 2023 Fall Mystery Quilt. I have the backing now … no excuses!
  • Finish Quilting “Gardenia“
  • IB March project

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 showed the retreat bag that I finished this past week HERE (1.25 yards). Plus, I finished 2 log cabin quilts for the Island Batik Log Cabin Blog Hop; Spiral (7 yards), Pinwheel (8.75 yards)

  • Fabric Used this week:  17 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:     25 1/2 yards  from non-IB: 9
  • Fabric Added this week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    8 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              17 1/2 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last report:

  1. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt” sandwiched, not quilted
  2. Continue to work on SAHRR ’24 in progress
  3. Finish Quilting “Gardenia“ not done
  4. Finish IB February project √   DONE. and posted
  5. Work on “It Moose be Love” blog hop project √   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. Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”
  2. Continue to work on SAHRR ’24 (rounds 6)
  3. Finish Quilting “Gardenia“
  4. Finish IB March project
  5. Fast and More Fun: blog hop project
  6. Give it a Whirl: blog hop project
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Upcoming Blog Hops

Island Batik’s Log Cabin Blog Hop

Island Batik’s first challenge of 2024 is to make a Log Cabin. I must admit, Log Cabins are one of my favourite quilts to make!! You’ve seen my 2 Log Cabins, but there is some awesome ones made!

This week’s giveaway is live now! Follow the simple Rafflecopter prompts on the Island Batik blog for a chance to win one of the two fabulous Fat Quarter bundles! Squiggles, Dots and Lines OR Romance and Garden!

February 6:

February 7:

February 8:

February 9:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway

February 12:

February 13:

February 14:

February 15:

February 16:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

February 19:

February 20:

February 21:

February 22:

February 23:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 3 and Giveaway

February 26:

February 27:

End of Blog Hop and Final Round-Up

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:  

Island Batik’s Log Cabin Blog Hop: My Day!

/ quiltinggail / 92 Comments

I received “Heavy Metal” by Kathy Engle (for Swan Amity Studios) in my January Island Batik box!! This fabric will be shipping to shops in February. This is the fantastic fabric I used for the Log Cabin Blog Hop!

I searched for a pattern that I had on paper and couldn’t find it. I went to EQ8 and downloaded the Heavy Metal SKUs into the fabric portion and started designing various log cabins. I designed this quilt. It’s a based on the courthouse block, with the fabrics placed so that it spirals. Sort of fun, eh?

Spiral Logs

This quilt used every fabric in the collection. So, I started cutting and sewing. I attempted to keep the fabrics in some order so that each block would be totally unique. I surprised myself by doing it! There are 20 fabrics in the collection and of the coloured fabrics, each one is in the centre of each block.

This one is called “Spiral Logs.” The quilting was simple: wavy lines along each of the logs. 

I will give a tutorial on how to make the diagonal backing in a future post.

Quilt Stats:

WAIT!!! There is more!!!

Once I had the blocks up on the design wall for the spiral log cabin and I was ready to web the quilt, I found the sketch of the pattern I had been working on YEARS ago. I stopped in my tracks and designed the block in EQ8. I was a happy camper. Yes, I knew that this would give me 2 quilts, but I can live with that!

I’ve called the second one “Pinwheel” Logs. All of the strips are cut at 2 1/2” wide and finish at 2″ in the quilt. 

Here’s a picture from EQ8 of the designed block with Heavy Metal fabrics inserted. The block is 16″ x 16″.

I started by making 48 half square triangles. Then coloured fabrics were cut in groups of 3 at

  • 21/2“x 81/2“
  • 21/2” x 61/2“
  • 21/2” x 41/2”
  • 21/2” x 21/2“. 

Then the background fabrics were cut

  • (48) 21/2” x 21/2”
  • (96) 21/2” x 41/2“.

And a few progress pictures:

Quilt Stats:

Heavy Metal Give-away

Here’s the Rafflecopter to enter … You must live in Canada or the USA to win. If the Rafflecopter doesn’t work … make sure you do the following:

  • Follow my Instagram: Quilting Gail
  • Follow my Facebook page: Quilting Gail
  • Leave a comment below telling me which of the 2 Log Cabin quilts you like the most (Spiral or Pinwheel)
a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Thank You!

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

Blog Hop Schedule

February 6:

February 7:

February 8:

February 9:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway

February 12:

February 13:

February 14:

February 15:

February 16:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

February 19:

February 20:

February 21:

February 22:

February 23:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 3 and Giveaway

February 26:

February 27:

End of Blog Hop and Final Round-Up

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Saturday’s Summary

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

This is TRUE!!!

Monthly Colour Challenge

January’s colour is Orange!!! Here is my February block. Visit Jen at Patterns by Jen to get your free pattern for February. It’s free for the mo

I’m using Island Batik fabrics for my blocks. Here’s January’s

And the January & February blocks:

SAHRR Round #2 is almost done … ready for Round #3!

The hosts have shown their centre blocks and other’s have joined in on the fun. See This Post for all the details! Here’s my centre block with the first round! Visit Anja @ Anja Quilts to see lots of other Round #2. Return to Quilting Gail on Monday to see Round #3!

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!

Of course, with being away and not taking my sewing machine with me, my numbers decreased a LOT! That’s OK … the percentage is bound to increase – as long as I don’t go on holidays again! 😁

  • Jan 1-31: 23 / 31 days
  • Feb 1-3: 3 /3 days
  • Year total: 26 / 34 days
  • 76%

Design Wall Mondays

Judy, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week. Sorry, no pictures to share!

Piecing projects:

  • SAHRR ’24 (Round 4 & 5 … trying to work ahead!)
  • It Moose be Love: blog hop project

Quilting:

  • Island Batik February Log Cabin Quilt
  • 2023 Fall Mystery Quilt
  • Finish Quilting “Gardenia“

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 bought backing for my 2023 Fall Mystery Quilt. At least this didn’t put me in the red!!! I shouldn’t have to by backing for quite a while now! 

  • Fabric Used in 2023:    8 1/2 yards  from non-IB: 5
  • Fabric Used this week: 4 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    8 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              1/2 yard

To Do

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

To Do from the last report:

  1. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt” not done
  2. Continue to work on SAHRR ’24 in progress
  3. Finish Quilting “Gardenia“ not done
  4. Work on IB February project in progress
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”
  2. Continue to work on SAHRR ’24 (rounds 4 & 5)
  3. Finish Quilting “Gardenia“
  4. Finish IB February project
  5. Work on “It Moose be Love” blog hop project
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Upcoming Blog Hops

Island Batik’s Log Cabin Blog Hop

Island Batik’s first challenge of 2024 is to make a Log Cabin. I must admit, Log Cabins are one of my favourite quilts to make!! 

Although the Island Batik Log Cabin starts next Tuesday, the first week’s giveaway is live now! Follow the simple Rafflecopter prompts on the Island Batik blog for a chance to win one of the two fabulous Fat Quarter bundles – Breezy by Kate Colleran Designs or Fairy Floss by Tamarinis!

The Log Cabin Blog Hop starts on Monday. 

Here’s what Island Batik has to say about the Log Cabin Blog Hop: We are thrilled to kick off the eleventh season of the Island Batik Ambassador Program with the Log Cabin Blog Hop! It’s a delightful challenge inspired by an enduring favorite in the quilting world. The versatility of the Log Cabin block offers endless creative possibilities. Will our Ambassadors opt for the graceful curves, geometric precision of triangles, whimsical wonky designs, celestial star motifs, innovative twists, or stick with the timeless classic? With boundless imagination and skill, our Ambassadors are poised to showcase a diverse array of interpretations. The sky truly is the limit as we start on this captivating adventure!

Here is the schedule:

February 6:

February 7:

February 8:

February 9:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway

February 12:

February 13:

February 14:

February 15:

February 16:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

February 19:

February 20:

February 21:

February 22:

February 23:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 3 and Giveaway

February 26:

February 27:

End of Blog Hop and Final Round-Up

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: January 28

/ quiltinggail / 20 Comments

Sounds reasonable to me, too!

Monthly Colour Challenge

January’s colour is GREEN!!! Here is my January block. Visit Jen at Patterns by Jen to get your free pattern for January. Hurry, because you’ll have to pay for January’s block if you wait until the month is over!

I’m using Island Batik fabrics for my blocks. Here’s January’s

SAHRR Round #1 is almost done … ready for Round #2!

The hosts have shown their centre blocks and other’s have joined in on the fun. See This Post for all the details! Here’s my centre block with the first round! Visit Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life to see lots of other Round #1.

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!

Of course, with being away and not taking my sewing machine with me, my numbers decreased a LOT! That’s OK … the percentage is bound to increase – as long as I don’t go on holidays again! 😁

  • Jan 1-28: 19 / 28 days
  • 67%

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:

  • SAHRR ’24 (Round 3 & 4 … trying to work ahead!)
  • IB February (a couple of pictures – works in progress!)

Quilting:

  • 2023 Fall Mystery Quilt” (waiting for the backing)
  • Finish Quilting “Gardenia“

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 shopping, so nothing new bought!

I did finish my White Rabbit (bunny hugs) quilt. 6 1/2 yards

  • Fabric Used in 2023:    8 1/2 yards  from non-IB: 5
  • Fabric Used this week: 6 1/2 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    4 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:             4 1/2 yards 

To Do

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

To Do from the last report:

  1. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt” not done (still waiting on backing)
  2. Continue to work on SAHRR ’24 in progress
  3. Finish White Rabbit project. √   DONE. and posted
  4. Finish Quilting “Gardenia“ not done
  5. Work on IB February project 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. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”
  2. Continue to work on SAHRR ’24 (rounds 3 & 4)
  3. Finish Quilting “Gardenia“
  4. Work on IB February project
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Upcoming Blog Hops

Favourite Finish of the Month

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl is now hosting the Favorite Finish of the Month. 

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:  

Finishing Friday

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This week, I managed to finish this quilt in time for the White Rabbit Blog Hop. The weather has been raining and pouring and raining, not to mention the snow that we had, so I have not been able to take a picture of it outdoors. A picture on my design wall will have to do. 

I used Island Batik’s “Baby Bloomers” collection along with some Porcelain Fireside to add texture to the bunnies. Hobbs 80/20 is in the middle. The quilting was a simple walking foot straight line along with stippling in the dark purple areas. I must admit, I really enjoyed making this quilt! To find links to all of the White Rabbit bloggers, go to THIS POST.

I was featured

Wednesday Wait Loss

Jennifer from Wednesday Wait Loss @  Inquiring Quilter featured this little quilt:

Up coming Blog Hops

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

We Ran Away …

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That’s right, my husband and I ran away. It was a spur of the moment trip. It started with an idea, it fell into place and away we went.

We went to Hawaii’s Big Island. Compared to all of the other Hawaiian islands – it got it’s name for a reason!

The weather was OK … not good for snorkeling, but a lot warmer than here at home! We explored a lot of places, walked a lot of beaches, saw some sun, some rain and some wind. And, I visited 2 quilt stores. I’d say that was a fun thing to do when it’s raining out!

The first store we visited was Quilt Passions in Kona. It was FULL of fabulous eye candy and lots of Island Batik fabrics!

While in the the store, I met Steve. He showed me a few nifty notions. See the blue scissor holder on the end of his featherweight? That is “Annie’s Tool.” She’s 11 years old and makes them, using a 3D printer. 

Then we went to Kilauea Kreations in Hilo. A smaller store, but friendly and bursting at the seams will all sorts of goodness.

While in these 2 stores, I bought a few yards of fabric and some patterns. So much for my “I’m NOT buying any fabric” mantra!

  • Sea Cookies – Teal Cool
  • Floral – Multi Green
  • Blender: Lg Wheat Leaves (and the rest of the tag was cut off)

A Finish

Just before we left, I did manage to add the binding and finish this Christmas Countdown!  It is a free pattern from Helen Godden Quilts and there are Youtube videos to help you do the quilting. My sister and I Zoom quilted and did this together, after the holidays. I used Island Batik solid white for the base, outlined the bobbles and ribbon with Sharpie Stained markers. Hobbs 80/20 batting is in the middle. It’s quilted with Aurifil Black (Bobbles), Red (Ribbon), White (stippling), and a Green (binding). The bobbles and ribbon were coloured with Inktense pencils and I used Aloe Vera gel to set the colours. This is now destined to one of the Christmas boxes and will appear next December.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Vanishing Hunter’s Star

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In July, my Island Batik box contained a surprise package of Celtic Fields by Kathy Engle. It came with Doughnut (the neutral, on the left) and Celtic Mini Knot Red-B (from the Celtic Fields collection, on the right). I used some of the fabrics from this collection to make the 2 Take a Stand bags (see HERE) (I was given extra for this) and I still had the 1/2 yard cut of the collection. It was the perfect collection for a Turkey Trot Blog Hop where I chose to feature fall fabrics.

I used the Hunter’s Star Accuquilt die to cut out all the pieces for this quilt. There wasn’t enough of the ‘Doughnut’ neutral for this, so I added several other Island Batik neutrals to the mix. Some were unlabelled small pieces, but larger pieces of Snow and Egg White were added in.

My intent WAS to make a scrappy Hunter’s Star quilt. Then, when I was dividing the blocks up by colour, it emerged into this:

I decided to border 2 sides of the quilt with “Large Netting Pineneedle” (dark green) and the other 2 sides with Celtic Mini Knot Red-B (from the collection).

My quilting friends decided that I should call it “Disappearing Hunter’s Star.” But, since the Hunter’s star block wasn’t actually cut (like most disappearing blocks), it has morphed into “Vanishing Hunter’s Star.” That’s it’s official name now. 

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 65″ x 75″
  • Fabric collection: Island Batik Celtic Fields, Doughnut and various neutrals
  • Binding: Island Batik “Doughnut”
  • Pieced with Aurifil #2600 (Dove)
  • Quilted with Glide Shell using Silly Moon Rulers: Drop & Rocket for the blocks and 6″ Beanie on the border. 
  • Batting: Hobbs 80/20

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:  316 / 333
  • December:  24 / 24
  • Total:  335 / 357
  • Percentage: 93%

Stash Report

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

The Vanishing Hunter’s Star used 14 yards of fabric.

Yearly Total:

  • Fabric Used since the last report: 14 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:    254 yards  from non-IB: 105
  • Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    37 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:             218 yards 

Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.

To Do Tuesday

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

To Do List from Last Week

  1. Finish Quilting and Binding “Not a Hunter’s Star“ ”Vanishing Hunter’s Star“. √   DONE
  2. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt” not done
  3. Piece “SS 24 Catalogue Quilt” quilt partially done … piecing in progress
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

This Week’s To Do List:

  1. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”
  2. Finishing Piecing & adding borders “SS 24 Catalogue Quilt”
  3. Work on SAHRR ’24
  4. Finish Quilting “Gardenia“
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Design Wall

Judy, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week. Sorry, no pictures to share!

Piecing projects:

  1. Island Batik “SS 24 Catalogue Quilt”
  2. SAHRR ’24 (yes, I’ve started!)
  3. Plan White Rabbit Blog Hop Quilt

Quilting:

  • “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”
  • Finish Quilting “Gardenia“

Here’s a picture of Gardenia prior to being a flimsy and partially quilted. This was started in February. It’s hard to say if it will be totally done before the end of the year.

Upcoming Blog Hops

Just Let Me Quilt: White Rabbit (January 23. 2024)

Moose Stash Quilting: It Moose be Love (February 20, 2024)

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Sunday Summary

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First, I want to show you a secret quilt I was working on earlier this summer and it no longer needs to be a secret. In my July Island Batik box, I received a 2 1/2” strip set of “Pin Dot Floral,” a signature collection by Kathy Engle for Megan Best of Bestquilter. It was paired with a 2 yard piece of Azure (from Brilliant Blues) and a 2 yard piece of Icicle (from Tantalizing Teals). How lucky was I???? So VERY VERY lucky! I immediately knew what I would make with this strip pack!

It’s a lone star that is loosely based on a Youtube video by Jordan’s Fabrics, but of course, I did my own thing. You can watch the video HERE. This quilt takes a LONG time for me to piece because Every. Single. Intersection. needs to be measured and pinned. But, it is worth it in the end!

Here’s a couple of photos of me using “Charming” a Silly Moon ruler to make arcs on all of the pieces.

The large flowers in the corners, and the smaller ones in the ‘v’s were quilted using 2 different “Drop” rulers (Silly Moon). I used “Kite” in the Azure border. Then a flange binding finished the quilt!! I’m in LOVE with this quilt. And I’m keeping it!

It is 62″ x 62″. I used Aurifil #5007 (light grey blue) for the piecing and quilting. Hobbs 80/20 is in the middle.

Here’s a list of a few of the places you can get Pin Dot Floral:

  • Creekside Quilts – OR
  • Hancocks of Paducah, KY
  • Quilter’s Cove, OR

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:  316 / 333
  • December:  12 / 17
  • Total:  328 / 350
  • Percentage: 93%

Stash Report

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

Last week, I told you that I might buy some fabric when I was in California. On the left is 4 yards of Porcelain fireside that I bought at Essem Fabrics (here at home) to back a few quilts. Rosie’s Calico Cupboard was dangerous! The fun sewing machine fabric was too fun to resist (1/2 yard) and same with the cardinals (3 yards)! On the right is Island Batik fabrics: 4 yards of “Egg Shell” and below that is 4 yards of “Flour.”

Yearly Total:

  • Fabric Used since the last report: 8 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:    241 yards  from non-IB: 101
  • Fabric Bought this week: 15.5
  • Fabric Added this year:    37 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:             204 yards 

Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.

To Do Tuesday

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

I was away for several days, so not a lot got done.

The To Do List from last week:

  1. Finish Quilting and Binding “Not a Hunter’s Star“ not done – in progress
  2. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”  not done
  3. Piece “SS 24 Catalogue Quilt” quilt. not done – in progress
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

This week’s To Do List (same as last week)

  1. Finish Quilting and Binding “Not a Hunter’s Star“
  2. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”
  3. Piece “SS 24 Catalogue Quilt” quilt
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Design Wall

Judy, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week. Sorry, no pictures to share!

Piecing projects:

  1. Island Batik “SS 24 Catalogue Quilt”
  2. SAHRR (yes, it’s happening again in ’24 – I’ll be posting about it in a couple of days!)

Quilting:

  • “Not a Hunter’s Star”
  • “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”

Here’s a couple of pictures of me quilting the “Not a Hunter’s Star” on my domestic machine.

Upcoming Blog Hops

Just Let Me Quilt: White Rabbit (January 23. 2024)

Moose Stash Quilting: (February 20, 2024)

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Monday Moments

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I’m writing this blog post ahead of time. I’ll be in Southern California when this goes live.

Christmas Countdown

I told you about this project a few weeks ago. I have downloaded the pattern and that’s as far as it’s gone. I will likely work on it between Christmas and New Years. If you want to join, you can access the free pattern HERE. All of quilting directions are on Helen’s Youtube videos.

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:  316 / 333
  • December: 7 / 10
  • Total:  323 / 343
  • Percentage: 94%

Stash Report

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

As I write this, I have not bought any fabric, but I am in California with my sister and visiting a few quilt stores, so I might be changing some numbers next week!

I’ve finished some projects in the last few weeks: (Placemats & napkins: 9 yards, Tree Skirt: 7 yards, Classic Car Colour Challenge: 9 yards)

Yearly Tally:

  • Fabric Used since the last report: 0 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:    233 yards  from non-IB: 101
  • Fabric Bought this week: 0
  • Fabric Added this year:    21.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:             211.5 yards 

Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.

To Do Tuesday

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

After looking at my list, I realized that I STILL had NOT cut out my Malted Mystery fabrics … and the cutting directions came out in July, I decided to put the fabrics back in my stash. It obviously is not a priority for me at the moment and hasn’t been for several months. I had good intentions, but I have enough on my plate for the time being. Thus Malted Mystery is now striked off my list.

The To Do list from a few weeks ago: 

  1. Quilt and Bind “Turkey Trot” project … now renamed “Not a Hunter’s Star“ partially done. Quilting in progress.
  2. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”. Not done
  3. Finish IB December Challenge. √   DONE.
  4. Start Christmas blog hop challenge. √   DONE.
  5. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Classic Car Monthly Colour Challenge.” √   DONE.
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

This week’s list:

  1. Finish Quilting and Binding “Not a Hunter’s Star“
  2. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”
  3. Piece “SS 24 Catalogue Quilt” quilt
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Design Wall

Judy, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week. Sorry, no pictures to share!

Piecing projects:

  1. Island Batik “SS 24 Catalogue Quilt”

Quilting:

  • “Not a Hunter’s Star”
  • “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”

Upcoming Blog Hops

Just Let Me Quilt: White Rabbit (January 23. 2024)

Moose Stash Quilting: (February 20, 2024)

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

December: Celebrations Challenge

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December’s Island Batik challenge is to “Select a holiday that holds special meaning for you, such as Halloween, Christmas, Diwali, Thanksgiving, Easter  etc. and make a project of any kind.”

Here’s my story:

When we went to Newfoundland in August, my niece and her fiancé graciously took us to the East Coast Quilt Company in St. John’s. As they waited for me, sitting on this fabulous sofa, I told them to look through the book I was buying (The Quilted Stash) to see if there was anything they wanted.

They chose the dark blue tree skirt (photo on the right) … and the pattern was not in the book! No fear, it was early in our trip and I knew I’d be visiting a few more quilt stores. I looked for the pattern, but with no luck. After I got home, I looked on-line and the stores I searched were sold out.

That’s no problem!!! I figured I could use some of the appliqué designs in the book, add a few others and the tree skirt could happen. (As it turned out, I used none of the designs in the book!)

The extra bonus (for me) was that Island Batik’s December challenge was to create something inspired by my chosen holiday!!! The inspiration was Christmas and the dark blue tree skirt.

Elements of the Tree Skirt

The reindeer and the sleigh were cut with the Accuquilt die “Go Sleigh & Snowflakes. ” The trees were cut with the Go! Holiday Medley.

A simple zigzag outlined the sleigh and reindeer, while a stitch with intermittent stars outlined the trees.

I found a free colouring book page of some Jellybean Row Houses (famous in St. John’s) here. I simplified the page and made a row of 5 houses. Here is a couple of pictures of some of the actual Jellybean Row Houses, followed by my 5 houses.

Some of the family ancestors were fishermen. My husband fondly remembers many fishing days in a small dory.

The dory was from a Row by Row from Fibre Lily in 2017. I finished the Row by Row in July ’22 and you can read about it HERE.

Many older houses in Newfoundland are called “Salt Box Houses.” I found a colouring picture of one HERE.

The rugged coast of Newfoundland has many lighthouses! The lighthouse is a simplified and smaller version of one I designed in 2019.

Here is the tree skirt, prior to the applique, with snowflakes I decided to not use. The skirt was spray basted onto black 80/20 Hobbs Batting … and then the appliqué began.

The first picture shows a tree mid-appliqué. The garland was stitched first, and then the outline. The stars were quilted using the smallest “Twinkle” ruler from Silly Moon Quilt Company.

The Tree Skirt

Here it is on the design wall, before we took it for a photo shoot.

The photo shoot was a bit of a bust. We went to a nursery that has tons of trees, but it was hard to get pictures with the trees squashed together. Then we went to a hardware store, and again, it wasn’t easy. Most of the trees had huge cones around them. I have a geranium still blooming and it worked for the centre, as well as the shrub. I refuse to dig out my own Christmas tree until later in the month, so, it will have to wait until it travels across the country and arrives at it’s destination!

Tree Skirt Stats:

Size: 52″ diameter

Fabrics:

All Fabrics were from Island Batik: The tree skirt body was cut out with 18o wedges and was made with “Ravine.” I love the mottled dark blue/navy. The reindeer and trees were from “Celtic Fields.” The sleigh was from a 10″ square from the “Cheers” collection. The rest of the elements were from my Island Batik scrap box. The binding is “Ice” … I had to chuckle at the name of the fabric as it was perfect for the binding and very typical of Newfoundland winters!

Thread: I used a large number of Aurifil Threads

  • #2325 (linen): outline reindeer
  • #2250 (red): outline sleigh, interior of tree garland, lighthouse door
  • #5007 (light grey blue): garland, reindeer harness, stars
  • #2840 (loden green): tree outline
  • #2692 (black): house and lighthouse definition, lighthouse window
  • #2134 (spun gold): lighthouse light
  • #2000 (light sand): lighthouse outline
  • #5004 (grey smoke): outline houses and windows
  • #2309 (silver white): snow
  • #6724 (40 wt) (moonshine): binding
  • monofilament: quilting

Thank You!

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

Island Batik Ambassadors

Visit the rest of the Ambassadors to see what they are celebrating and their chosen projects!

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs
Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting
Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts
Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts
Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts
Reed Johnson ~ Blue Bear Quilts
Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You
Randi Jones ~ Randi’s Roost

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs
Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney ~ Quiltery – For The Love Of Geese
Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights
Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine

Elita Sharpe ~ Busy Needle
Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail. You are here!
Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels
Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

Anorina Morris ~ sameliasmum.com
Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique
Claudia Porter ~ Create with Claudia
Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

PHD in 2023: November Report

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Creativity

The Cambridge Dictionary defines Creativity as :

the ability to produce or use original and unusual ideas

This certainly applies to quilting. I see this a lot with some of my classes or original patterns. Different people will choose different fabrics or place them in alternative ways. It always fascinates me and I am in awe of what people do!

I remember years ago, I was teaching a class at the guild and one participant approached me and asked, “Is it OK if I make the quilt bigger?” of course, YES! Then, “Is it OK if I have it off centre?” of course, YES! I love that people can view my classes as a starting point for creating something new!

As I was looking up the official definition of creativity, this statement caught my eye, “Too many rules might deaden creativity.“ Well, “duh” I thought:” “That’s why the quilt police have no business being anywhere around anyone who is quilting!”

OK … so what does this have to do with working on my PHD or getting those UFOs done and gone … or simply gone?

I want you to think 2 things about your UFOs … are they UFO’s because you don’t think they measure up to the ‘rules?’ Are they UFOs because they lack the creativity they once sparked?

Quilting is a journey. One where you are always learning. ALWAYS. So, if there is a ‘rule’ that is impossible to conquer … ignore it, and carry on, doing your best. Just to be honest here, I’ve been quilting for YEARS … and I’m still working on getting my points to match, getting those seams to nest nicely … I’m a work in progress. Those who have taken classes from me will be laughing … I’m sure they can hear me saying similar things!

Now, about that UFO that lacks creativity that it once sparked … Why? what’s gone wrong? Is it really that bad? If it is – give it away. OR … are you just bored with it? Will a few hours of work on it help get it done? If so … do that!

We have ONE month left to complete our PHD in 2023!

BIG Announcement

When I started the PHD in 2018, I had more than 56 UFOs. I know there was many more, because my original post (HERE) about this mentioned 29 more: which means there was at least 85. And I know I found even more as I moved into my sewing studio and open every single box, carton and container!

When I first started, the idea was to finish HALF of your UFOs in the year. I must have been crazy!!! The only way to do that is to not start a single new project and to work 24 hours a day. Impossible!

Later, I decided that 1 UFO a month was reasonable, along with finishing EVERY. SINGLE. START. I know that stopped me (sometimes) from starting every new project that caught my eye!

And this brings me to the current state of my UFOs … after this month, I will have 3 UFOs to complete. That’s not enough to carry on with the PHD in 2024.

PHD in 6 years has worked for me to get my projects under control! I know that I finished most of them, but I also put a few on the ‘free’ table at the guild.

So … is there someone in blog land that would like to do the PHD in 2024? Let me know!!! (quiltinggail@yahoo.ca)

Did you try this?

This is what I wrote before: Leanne, of Devoted Quilter is hosting a WIPS-B-Gone ’23 challenge. This runs from October 1 to November 30th. WIPS is Works in Progress. And, for my PHD in 2023, I want them Gone.

This has worked well for me as far as tidying/cleaning my sewing space! The only days I didn’t do the cleaning was when I was away at a retreat. Sewing each day was easy. And several WIPS were completed!

Now, if I can only keep tidying/cleaning every day, my room should remain half decent! Thanks Leanne for the motivation!

My Tally Sheets

This month, I finished the “It’s in the Bag” challenge with byAnnie (Take a Stand) (HERE). A retreat gift (see this POST). The Layer Cake mystery quilt first used a Kansas Troubles Layer Cake which was a UFO You can read about it HERE. And the Necessary Clutch wallets were a UFO finish! (see This Post)

I have finished 2 UFOs this month … the wallets and the Colour Challenge ’23 … However, I won’t be showing you the Colour Challenge until December. So, this leaves me with 1 UFO to finish before Dec. 31. And the “Panel Birds” is ready to quilt.

As for the Starts in 2023 … well, that is another story … I have 3 that need quilting and binding: Gardenia, Fall Mystery with IB fabric and the Not Hunter’s Star. It’s touch and go as to whether I will finish all 3 or not!

Here’s my tally sheet:

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

template-2023Download

Here’s my Task Sheet of my UFOs. This helps me keep track of what I’ve accomplished with my UFOs and what I need to do. I made a little progress on the wallet this month.

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

Linky Party

Show us your progress with your PHD in 2023!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

Favourite Finish of the Month

Cheryl, from Meadow Mist Designs hosts a monthly linky party where you post your favourite quilt of the month.

I’m loving the byAnnie “Take a Stand” bags!!! They are so pretty and so useful!!

I was Featured

Free Motion Mavericks featured many of my “Wild Blooms” quilts. (HERE)

For the Love of Geese featured my tree skirt (HERE)

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Sunday Synopsis: November

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

How do you feel about free motion quilting? Most of you know that I really enjoy free motion quilting on my domestic sewing machine. It’s taken a LOT of practice and I’m still learning. Helen Godden is an excellent teacher and her youtube tutorials are great!

I have completed 3 of her tutorials: 2 Christmas ones and the Flower Power sampler. I used Inktense pencils on each of them. They were fun to make!

Helen is having another Christmas Countdown. You can access the free pattern HERE. EDIT: Apparently the link isn’t working … Helen posted on her FB page that the site was “melting.” and to try again later. In the meantime, you can go to her FB page and see her video. HERE.

How it works: each day from Dec. 1 – 24, Helen has a youtube video showing you what to quilt. It doesn’t take long. She offers hints along the way. It’s easy! And it is a fantastic way for you to practice free motion quilting!

It was from following along in the you tube videos that helped me do the FMQ on the Pangolin and the Elephant quilts. These were done for an Island Batik challenge using Aurifil Thread. You can read more about the Pangolin HERE and the Elephant HERE.

SEW … are you going to join me in doing the Christmas Countdown?

Mystery Quilt is Done!

Links to all the clues can be found at the top of my blog HERE.

WIP-B-Gone

Leanne, of Devoted Quilter is hosting a WIPS-B-Gone ’23 challenge. I decided to not only sew every day, but to also clean/tidy each day!!! I’m managing to find things to tidy or clean each and every day!!! It’s never ending! But, what do I expect when I’m tearing my room apart to find specific fabric for another project? Or, when a project is finished, I need to put the excess fabric away …

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 –October:  287 / 304
  • November:  26 / 26
  • Total:  313 / 330
  • Percentage: 94%

Stash Report

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

I didn’t have the right colour for backing, so I ran over to Essem Textiles and bought 2 yards of flannel to back this quilt.

Yearly Tally:

  • Fabric Used since the last report: 0 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:    207 yards  from non-IB: 94
  • Fabric Bought this week:  2 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    21.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:             185.5 yards 

Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.

To Do Tuesday

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

After looking at my list, I realized that I STILL had NOT cut out my Malted Mystery fabrics … and the cutting directions came out in July, I decided to put the fabrics back in my stash. It obviously is not a priority for me at the moment and hasn’t been for several months. I had good intentions, but I have enough on my plate for the time being. Thus Malted Mystery is now striked off my list.

The To Do list from last week: 

  1. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “Turkey Trot” project … now renamed “Not a Hunter’s Star“. Partially done! It’s sandwiched
  2. Cut out Malted Mystery Fabrics Not done
  3. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt” Not done
  4. Work on IB December Challenge. It was worked on, but I still need to quilt it! It’s a fun project and I can’t wait to show you! partially   DONE
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. With the WIP-B-Gone … I’m actually doing this for 15 minutes DAILY!!!!

This week’s list:

  1. Quilt and Bind “Turkey Trot” project … now renamed “Not a Hunter’s Star“
  2. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”
  3. Finish IB December Challenge
  4. Start Christmas blog hop challenge.
  5. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Classic Car Monthly Colour Challenge.”
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Design Wall

Judy, at Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, hosts a linky party for “What’s on your Design Wall” every week. Sorry, no pictures to share!

Piecing projects:

  1. Work on December Blog Hop Challenge / Cookie Exchange
  2. Start Island Batik “SS 24 Catalogue Quilt”

Quilting: 2 of these need sandwiching, all need quilting and binding!

  • “Not a Hunter’s Star”
  • “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”
  • “2023 Classic Car Monthly Colour Challenge.”

Upcoming Blog Hops

Just Let Me Quilt: Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange and Christmas Blog Hop (December 4)

Just Let Me Quilt: White Rabbit (January 23. 2024)

Linking to:

Island Batik’s “Wild Blooms”

/ quiltinggail / 13 Comments

Wild Blooms is an awesome fabric collection!

I made 2 quilts for the Island Batik ’22 Fall / Winter Catalog: “Stepping Out” with a black background and an light background (Sprinkles). I LOVE how the different backgrounds give the quilts a totally different look!

McCall’s Quilting: May / June issue

I was very excited to have another quilt in a magazine!!! The magazine put out a call for quilts that are “out of this world.” I immediately thought of this star quilt that’s been in the back of my mind! I submitted the draft (from EQ8) and it was accepted.

After, “talking” with Island Batik, the fabric collection, Wild Blooms, along with Ravine (a basic) was selected and they sent it on it’s way very quickly! It arrived and the top was completed before I went on holidays last year. I LOVE quarter square triangles and it was a fun quilt to put together!

After my holidays, there were a few very intense days of quilting (and shoulders complaining!) then Nova was on it’s way to the publisher!

The directions for making this quilt are in the magazine and digital copies are still available.

I also used Wild Blooms to make this crazy quilted composition book cover. You can read more about it HERE. (and find the links to the pattern).

And, I made this cute tote bag, using Wild Blooms …. using left-overs from the Nova (the star quilt above).

I made the following quilt as a Pattern Tester for Brenda at Songbird Designs. You can order the pattern from her HERE.

This Picnic Tote was made for a Sew It-Show It Blog Hop. See HERE.

And now, all I have left is a few scraps … but the joy I had in making all these projects is huge!

Can you tell I LOVE this fabric collection?

Where you can find Wild Blooms:

  • Hancocks of Paducah, KY
  • Threads That Bind, OR
  • Creekside Quilts, OR
  • Missouri Star, MO
  • plus many more … ask at your local quilt store.

I was Featured

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Sunday Synopsis: November 19

/ quiltinggail / 10 Comments

Classic Cars: Monthly Colour Challenge

November’s Classic Car colour is Green. Visit Patterns by Jen HERE for your free download of this month’s block …

Here’s my November block, followed by the rest of the monthly blocks. I’ve used scraps of Island Batik for all of my blocks.

Upcoming Class

I will be teaching the “Retreat Bag” at Essem Textiles on December 4. It is a free pattern from Emmaline Bags, but in this class, you will get lots of help and hints to making the bag easily! There is still room available!

Mystery Quilt is almost done!

WIP-B-Gone

Leanne, of Devoted Quilter is hosting a WIPS-B-Gone ’23 challenge. I decided to not only sew every day, but to also clean/tidy each day!!! I’m managing to find things to tidy or clean each and every day!!! It’s never ending! But, what do I expect when I’m tearing my room apart to find specific fabric for another project? Or, when a project is finished, I need to put the excess fabric away … This morning, I vacuumed all the dust bunnies that reproduced in the past week … boy, they multiply quickly!

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 –October:  287 / 304
  • November:  19 / 19
  • Total: 306 / 323
  • Percentage: 94%

Stash Report

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

Except this week, I did buy 1 yards of fabric for a backing.

I finished a testing a quilt pattern for a friend. The quilting is done and it’s already been given away. I can show you the quilt when my friend can release the pattern. However, I can tell you that I used 13 yards of blue fabric from my stash to make the quilt. In my opinion, it’s one beautiful quilt!!! I’m sure that you’ll all be racing to get the pattern when it’s available. The pattern is called “Dashing through the Snow.” It’s the fabric line that lead to the quilt name, but it will be lovely in any colour way! I’ll show you the quilt and give you the link to the pattern at a later date!

The “Take a Stand” totes used 5 yards for the 2 totes. You can read about these byAnnie bags HERE.

The “Modern Squares 2” quilt used 7 yards. You can read about it HERE.

  • Size: 52″ x 52″
  • Batting: Hobbs 80/20
  • Quilting: Free Motion ruler quilting on my domestic Janome M7, Silly Moon’s 4″ Beanie ruler was used for the flowers and Rocket was used for all of the straight seams.
  • Thread:
    • Quilted with: Aurifil #2835 (Mediium Mint)
    • Binding attached with: Aurifil #2265 (Lobster Red)

Yearly Tally:

  • Fabric Used since the last report: 25 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:    207 yards  from non-IB: 94
  • Fabric Bought this week:  2 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    19.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:             187.5 yards 

Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from a few weeks ago: 

  1. Work on “Turkey Trot” project. √   DONE
  2. Cut out Malted Mystery Fabrics Not done
  3. Finish quilting and bind “Dashing Through the Snow” √   DONE and mailed off!
  4. Complete next “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt” clue √   DONE
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “Turkey Trot” project … now renamed “Not a Hunter’s Star“
  2. Cut out Malted Mystery Fabrics
  3. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”
  4. Work on IB December Challenge
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Design Wall

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

Piecing projects:

  1. Work on IB December Challenge
  2. Cut out Malted Mystery Fabrics

Quilting: Both of these need sandwiching, quilting and binding!

  • “Not a Hunter’s Star”
  • “2023 Fall Mystery Quilt”

Upcoming Blog Hops

Just Let Me Quilt: Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange and Christmas Blog Hop (December 4)

Just Let Me Quilt: White Rabbit (January 23. 2024)

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

IB Catalog Quilt: Flutter Wings

/ quiltinggail / 23 Comments

Yes, I had another quilt published in Island Batik’s catalog. You can see the catalogue HERE. It’s in the Fall / Winter ’23 catalog on page 33.

My quilt uses the fabric collection “Flutter Wings” by Kathy Engle with Almond (an Island Batik neutral) for the background. I wasn’t suppose to post this quilt until February because that’s when the yardage will arrive at the stores! However, I happened to see a couple of FB posts from a local quilt store and they had received many pre-cuts of the new fabric collections.

I spied some Flutter Wings strip packs. I immediately wrote to Island Batik asking permission to post my quilt since my quilt uses a 2 1/2” strip pack. They said yes.

Phoning Cozy Cottons Quilting was next on my ‘to do’ list and I talked with Angela. She’s the wonderful owner of Cozy Cottons and is so excited to be receiving Island Batik fabrics again! And she ordered patterns for my quilt. They are on their way to Chilliwack now!

Without making you read more, here is a picture of the quilt I made using Flutter Wings. This photo was taken by Jerry Khiev of Island Batik. He always does a fantastic job!!!

Simple quilting … 1/4″ around the coloured squares and a flower in the larger centre squares.

The back is Chameleon

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 52″ x 52″
  • Batting: Hobbs 80/20
  • Quilting: Free Motion ruler quilting on my domestic Janome M7, Silly Moon’s 4″ Beanie ruler was used for the flowers and Rocket was used for all of the straight seams.
  • Thread:
    • Quilted with: Aurifil #2835 (Mediium Mint)
    • Binding attached with: Aurifil #2265 (Lobster Red)

So head over to Cozy Cottons Quilt shop in Chilliwack to get your strip pack of Flutter Wings and the pattern! Or, choose from one of the other wonderful strip packs!

Here are a few other places that you can buy Flutter Wings:

  • The Quilt Connection. Rapid City, SD. (They also have the pattern for this quilt. If they are sold out, you can contact me directly).
  • Cali Quilt Co – CA
  • Creekside Quilts – OR
  • Jambearies Quilt Co – FL

Here is a picture of the quilt, without the borders, that my pattern tester made. I forget which line of fabric she used, but I’m pretty sure it was an Island Batik 2 1/2” strip pack. (Thanks, Lynn!)

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

By Annie: It’s in the Bag – Blog Hop

/ quiltinggail / 19 Comments

I’m excited to be in this byAnnie Blog Hop!!! Annie Unrein and her amazing team has provided me with a pattern and all the necessary hardware I need to make my bag.

First, I needed to select fabrics from Island Batik‘s Celtic Fields collection, along with a pattern:

The pictures below show Celtic Fields with Doughnut (the neutral) and Celtic Mini Knot Red-B (from the Celtic Fields collection).

Here is a picture of everything that was supplied for the Take a Stand bag. Fabric is from Island Batik and ALL of the other products are from byAnnie‘s!

byAnnie bags have excellent instructions! So although I’m not a great bag maker, I already know that I can make any bag and it will look fantastic! However, there are a few things that I KNOW I need to do to have success. Besides knowing that I need to take my time and follow the instructions, I need to:

  • First: to copy the labels to ensure that I cut the proper sizes and use the proper pieces in the proper order. (1st picture) and to make it much, much easier when making the project!
  • Second: to read through the pattern (YES!! I do!) and since I’m making 2 sizes of “Take a Stand,” I highlighted the small one with yellow and underlined the large one with teal. (2nd picture)

The first thing I needed to do was quilt the main pieces … I did watch a Youtube video by Randi (of Randi’s Roost and a fellow Island Batik ambassador) with ideas for quilting. Randi used straight lines, and I used masking tape to give me a rough guide, but I used curvy lines and made ‘curvy’ diamonds.

For the quilting and the top stitching I used Aurifil Thread #3817 called Variegated Marrakesh and for the majority of the seams that would not show, I used Aurifil Thread #5012 (Dark Green).

Once all the pieces were cut and labelled, I put them on the design wall. Since I was going to do both sizes a step at a time, I just doubled them up (left picture). Then I went to work, preparing all of the components (right picture). I used a Microtex needle from Schmetz Needles.

Aurifil Thread #2220 (light salmon) was used on the fold over elastic on the mesh pockets. Then, I forgot to take pictures of the rest of the process.

The byAnnie videos are invaluable when constructing the bags! As a bonus, Randi (who was mentioned above) had 2 videos on the final construction of the bags! Visit her YouTube channel for extra videos.

The neighbour’s dog, Lexi, approves of the bags!

And here’s some pictures of the inside:

Are you Intimidated?

Are you intimidated with byAnnie bags? There’s a few things you can do to help you in your journey. First go to the byAnnie site, find the free patterns, watch the videos and make them. Another option is to join the byAnnie Facebook group (HERE). There’s lots of hints and tips. Randi does a group on Facebook where she walks you through the steps slowly. So you have lots of time to make each step and ask questions as you go along. Her future plans are to do Get Out of Town 2.1 (January) and Travel Essentials 2.0 (April). Sign up for her notifications HERE.

Thank You!

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

Where can I find Celtic Fields?

Here’s a list of a few of the stores, plus you can ask your Local Quilt Store:

  • Creekside Quilts – OR
  • Bird in Hand – PA
  • Laurals Fabrics and More – MN
  • Sew Ewe Quilt Shop – WY

Blog Hopping Island Batik Ambassadors

Week 1:

November 1:

November 2:

November 3:

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

Week 2:

November 6:

November 7:

November 8:

November 9:

November 10:

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

Week 3:

November 13:

November 14:

November 15: White and Blooms

November 16: Vintage Charm

November 17: 

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

Week 4:

November 20:

November 21:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail