Hobbs Batting

SAHRR the Parade!

/ quiltinggail / 47 Comments

If you need more information on the SAHRR … you can go to THIS POST.

My Finished 2023 SAHRR

I used the Island Batik fabrics from the Baby Bloomers collection (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton) along with solid white.

When I had the guild’s Accuquilt, I originally cut out the birds and flowers for the centre block. I then proceeded to cut out more shapes. When I put in the coping strips, I purposely made them wide enough for the small appliqued shapes. Once the shapes were added, I then quilted the quilt, ensuring that the appliqued shapes were quilted into place. It was actually fun to do!

Here’s a close up of some of the quilting! It was so fun to quilt!!!

Now, you Need to go to the co-hosts blogs and see their quilts! Their links are in the schedule below.

Linky Party

Here’s the Linky party so you can see everyone’s Finished Quilts … or partially finished quilts! The Link party is open until midnight on March 20. A few days following, the SAHRR hosts are zoom meeting to choose the winners of the wonderful prizes provided by our sponsors.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

Non-blogger’s Quilts

This is what Jacomina had to say (she didn’t make it in time for the Round 6 blog post): “The squares within squares are made. The round is not yet fully ready. I used up the braid from the scrap bags first to add some filler rounds. Now I am very curious what you will make us do this week as that scrap bag has lots of strips already sewn together and it would be fun to use them too. By now it has become a triple challenge: the assigned blocks; the retirement ladies scrap bags; and my own green orange improv crumb blocks“

Here’s what she said when she sent in the final picture: “Top done. Almost all from donated fabric or cuttings on my table so I will pass it on for donation. Hopefully someone will enjoy this mix of fabrics, blocks and focus on finding little gems in the scrappy blocks or the Thanksgiving border. I will also use donated fabric for the back and binding. Thanks for a fun challenge.”

And then she sent a picture of her back! So fun!

Ioleen’s has definitely a ‘heart-felt’ theme! She says “I will be adding a small border.” And the 2nd picture has the borders added!

Charlene is loving hers! (Can you blame her? LOL)

Here’s what Kathy P has to say, “have attached my row of pinwheels for this week.  It is always a fun block to do, versatile and has a lot of movement,  just digging thru my “grab” bag contents to find more colorful fabrics to put in my baby quilt top.  Now to tie them all together by next week.“

Enclosed is a near final photo of my baby quilt that becoming a very large “baby” quilt.  Need to get the  upper section larger so it goes with the center panel.  I had set the hourglass block before the square in a square row info came out so that row works for both weeks.   I  substituted the “attic window” for a challenge instead, now to get the upper portion to fit the center panel.  Note to self:  “Chasing fabric when working from the grab bags makes the project  a lot harder.“

Here’s what Heather has to say, “Thanks for a fun round Robin. Top is finished. Hope to quilt it in the next week or so “

Here’s Chere’s! She says “Just enough fabric to finish!”

Sarah says, “It’s a flimsy.  I really like how this came together.  The hourglass blocks have been exiled to the parts department, and I skipped the pinwheels.  This is supposed to be for my daughter for Christmas, but we’ll see.”

Quilt Stats

  • Size: 48″ x 58″
  • Pieced and Quilted with Aurifil Thread #2311 – Muslin
  • Hobbs 80/20 batting inside
  • All pieced blocks and appliques were cut with Accuquilt dies
    • Go! Birds (BBQG guild)
    • Rose of Sharon. (BBQG guild)
    • Qube 8″ dies
  • Fabric used: Baby Bloomers collection (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton) along with solid white

Our Wonderful Sponsors

Here’s a list of the sponsors and their generous gifts!

The Linky party for the 2023 SAHRR is open until March 20. Following that, the co-hosts and I will zoom together, use a number generator and choose who wins the wonderful gifts from our sponsors. We will announce the winners on our blogs.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 


A Finish … Baby Stars

/ quiltinggail / 21 Comments

This quilt was finished quite a while ago for Island Batik’s catalogue. Quite awhile ago, I designed it, made it and sent it to California for it’s own photo shoot. Jerry Khiev of Island Batik always does a fabulous job with the photography and makes the quilts look fantastic!

This was made with the Bamboo Blooms collection by Kathy Engle and to quote Island Batik’s Instagram post, “Inspired by the classic Asian motifs, the line features mums, cherry blossoms, and ginkgo leaf designs in a vibrant color palette of pink, magenta, blue, turquoise and green that are sure to make a statement.”

It truly is a fabulous and fun collection.

Bamboo Blooms is available at the following stores. The stores may have Strip Sets (2.5″ strips), Stacks (10″ squares) or yardage.

  • A Royal Quilt Shop: Longs, SC
  • Appletree Fabrics, Auburn, MA
  • Cotton & Chocolate: Sim Valley, CA
  • Creations Quilt Shop: Clouquet, MN
  • Pine Tree Quilt Shop: Salem, NH
  • Sew N Bee Cozy-AK: Seward, AK
  • Swifty Stitches-CA: Carmichael, CA

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 44″ x 44″
  • Cut with Accuquilt 8″ Qube dies
  • Pieced and Quilted with Aurifil Thread
  • Free Motion Quilted on my domestic Janome M7
  • Hobbs 80/20 batting is on the inside

Quilt Pattern is available with both regular rotary cutting and Accuquilt directions. Please email me if you are interested (quiltinggail@yahoo.ca)

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Dust Off a Quilt Book

/ quiltinggail / 37 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Quilt Stats:

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

Blogs to see!

March 6th

March 7th

March 8th

March 9th

March 10th

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Sunday Summation: March 5 ’23

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

SAHRR

Have you been following the Stay At Home Round Robin? Last week was Round #6: Pinwheels. I’m using fabric collection “Baby Bloomers”  (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton). I absolutely LOVE the fabrics in this collection! On March 13, we will have a parade of all the SAHRR quilts! It’ll be fun to see all the different ones!

One Gift a Month Challenge

Days Filled with Joy is hosting this challenge. March’s gift is a Round Quilted Pot Holders. See HERE for the tutorial.

Here’s my January and February gifts:

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January – February: 59/ 59
  • March: 5 / 5
  • Percentage: 100%

Stash Report

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

In the last 2 weeks, I’ve used 6 yards for the star quilt, 1/2 yard for the heart pouches and 2 yards for the bags …

I’d be lying if this meme was still true! I needed backing. I knew exactly what I needed an my husband went and picked it up … so (maybe) I could technically say I haven’t bought any fabric yet this year … but in reality, I did send my husband to the store for it!

  • Fabric Used this week:     8.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:        18.5 yards from non-IB: 14.5
  • Fabric Bought this week:   3 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     3 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              24 yards 

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

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from last week:

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

This week’s list:

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

  1. Sandwhich Gardenia
  2. Melodic Mystery: Sandwhich
  3. Chilhowie: start quilting.
  4. Quilt Bird Panels
  5. Quilt Nutcracker
  6. Finish March Island Batik Challenge.
  7. Work on Little Green Apples blog hop project.
  8. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing)
  9. Bind SAHRR ’23
  10. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  11. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

  1. Little Green Apples blog hop project
  2. March Island Batik project.

Quilting:

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

Upcoming Blog Hops

Beaquilter: Dust off a Quilt Book (Mar 7)

Just Let Me Quilt: Little Green Apples (March)

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Ohhh … a Friday Finish for March 3

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

I actually have 23 finishes for today! What???? 23 you ask???

Well, yes. The guild has requested that members make small bags for our guild show in 2024. I went through some of my stash and found fabric that absolutely does not go with any other fabric that I have. I cut out the bags, marked the opening lines and used the bags as a ‘leader and ender’ project. It actually didn’t seem to take long to make them as they were done while I was working on other projects!

Scissors

Do you have good sewing scissors? I used to, but over the years, they have become “not so good.” Maybe from cutting paper patterns when cutting out fabric? Maybe someone ‘borrowed’ them without my knowledge. Whatever the reason … they are not like they should be.

One day in January, I was teaching at Essem and they had received some scissors. The price was very good and I thought I’d give them a try! Well, they are absolutely FANTASTIC!!!! They cut through fabric, like butter. So very smooth and very sharp!

I don’t see the scissors on the website, but I know if you contact them, they can send you some!

I’ll be Teaching

On March 25, I’ll be teaching “Hugs and Kisses” at Essem. Phone or email them to reserve your spot in the class! You can read more about this quilt HERE.

Winner of Island Batik Fabric

When I posted my February Island Batik Puff Quilt, (see HERE), I said I would have a give-away.

Today, I used a random generator and it chose #33, which is Carol. I have sent her an email and the fabric will be shipped to her within the next week.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

PHD in 2023: February Report

/ quiltinggail / 22 Comments

Did you decide to join us with PHD in 2023???

Are you determined to finish a bunch of UFOs and to NOT increase the number of quilts or projects on your UFO list???

Congratulations on making that choice!!!

Do you Procrastinate????

Procrastination is how I often approach UFOs. Hmmm … unfortunately, it doesn’t work very well! And the UFOs sit there (or hide – in some cases) and don’t get done.

SEW … how can I move along and avoid procrastination? One of the most common ways to help avoid procrastination is to set up small goals, or tasks.

Here is one way that it can be tackled:

  • Pull out ONE UFO, just one. It could be the one that just needs a little bit of work, or it could be one that needs a LOT of work. The rest of the UFOs can rest and take a vacation, for now!
  • Then, set your mind to work on it for 10 – 15 minutes a day. That’s all. Once I’ve worked on it for 10 minutes or so, I can put it aside and work on my latest “this is fun to do” project.

SEW … I want you to pull out ONE of your UFOs and work on it for 10 minutes today. That’s all, just 10 minutes. Then tomorrow, work on it for 10 more minutes!

I PROMISE you will see progress!!!

My plan is to finish the SAHRR ’23 (just binding to do) and the KT quilt – that is being made and written for an upcoming mystery! Those are the items I’ll work on for 10 – 15 minutes a day!

My Tally Sheets

I finished two UFOs this month. 1: the Naturescape Lone Star and 2: the Sweet on You quilt. You can read more about them HERE and HERE. (These used Island Batik fabrics, Aurifil thread and Hobbs batting).

6 projects were started this month. One project started in January was finished and 1 that was started in February. They are both Gifts of the Month projects. I also started and finished the “Dust Off a Quilt Book” project, but I can’t show you that until the blog hop on the 7th.

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. This helps me keep track of what I’ve accomplished and what I need to do.

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

Linky Party

Show us your progress with your PHD in 2023!

Edit: This link should work!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

What? Another February Finish?

/ quiltinggail / 18 Comments

A friend sent me this! It made me laugh out loud. It reminded me of when we first met when taking a Free Motion Quilting class! A few of the comments that were made (and will remain private for now) had us in stitches. That friend has become a fantastic Free Motion Quilter! So, I’d say it was a good class!!! And we have always encouraged each other to free motion quilt and try something new! This brings smiles to my face!

Yup, another February Finish!

It seems like I’m on a roll here!

I posted this quilt on Wednesday for the Sweet on You blog hop. You can read about it HERE!

I hope to be teaching a class at Essem for this quilt. It’s quick and easy, but I also have some tricks up my sleeve to make it even easier! We haven’t decided on a date yet, but once we do, Essem will be announcing it in their newsletter.

Quilt Stats:

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

A DrEAMI as well

Sandra, from MMM Quilts, hosts a linky party every month for DrEAMI. If you’re not aware, DrEAMI stands from DRop Everything And Make It. So I did – sort-of.

Days Filled with Joy is hosting a “One Gift a Month” challenge. February’s gift is a Heart Shaped Zipper Pouch. See HERE for the tutorial.

It doesn’t use a lot of fabric! I used Island Batik fabric from a Stash Builder bundle. I also used scraps of Hobbs 80/20 batting and Aurifil thread for piecing and top stitching.

These are perfect for earbuds! And, I think they are super cute as well! These were both made in an afternoon – and I was also working on something else at the same time! So EASY PEASY!

I’ve been Featured!

Jennifer, from  Inquiring Quilter, Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation and Andrée from Quilting & Learning – What a combo! featured my puff quilt. You can read about it HERE.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Sweet on You … Sew it – Show it

/ quiltinggail / 40 Comments

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

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

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

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

Quilt Stats:

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

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

Blog Hop participants!

Monday Feb 20

Tuesday Feb 21

Wednesday Feb 22

Thursday Feb 23

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Another February Friday Finish

/ quiltinggail / 18 Comments

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

I like the back as much as the front!

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

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

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

Two opportunities to win!

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

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

I was Featured!

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Another February Friday Finish!

/ quiltinggail / 40 Comments

In December, I needed to make a Lone Star Quilt for my Island Batik challenge. I made this pink Lone Star using Baby Bloomers (a signature collection by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton). You can read more about it HERE.

I LOVED this quilt SEW much, I went to my Island Batik pre-cuts and found a strip pack of Naturescape (by Jerry Khiev) which came with a 2 yard cut of “Large Netting – Pineneedle” (a dark green). It was the PERFECT fabric for my centre star and to radiate out to the star points.

Enter EQ8, to plan it! I downloaded the Naturescape fabrics and the dark green into the program. Paired it with the solid grey.

It’s a totally different look than the pink one, but I like it! Here are some pictures of the quilt in progress. I’m not a great pinner, but for this quilt, I measured and pinned EVERY. SINGLE. INTERSECTION. And, for the most part, the seams were pretty good. But I’d be lying if I told you that everyone was perfect!

And here’s a picture of it finished! I quilted it with Aurifil #2615

I quilted it the same as the previous lone star – with small arcs in the diamonds and fake feathers on the grey!

Quilt Stats

  • Fabric: Island Batik Naturescape strip pack, solid grey and Large Netting – Pineneedle
  • Size: 62″ x 62″
  • Hobbs 80/20 on the inside
  • I quilted it with Aurifil #2615 (Aluminium) on my Domestic Machine (Janome M7)
  • Bound with Large Netting – Pineneedle

Will I make another Lone Star Quilt? Probably, but not for awhile! LOL!!! You know … pinning all the intersections … (grin)

And, just for the record, this is my 2nd UFO finish for February! WooHoo!!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

PHD in 2023: January Report

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

Did you decide to join us with PHD in 2023???

Are you determined to finish a bunch of UFOs and to NOT increase the number of quilts or projects on your UFO list???

Congratulations on making that choice!!!

Did you realize that each stitch you take is one stitch closer to finishing that project? Think about it … it’s the only way those projects are going to get done! You just need to take that first stitch, and then the next … and before you know it, that project will be done!!!

My Tally Sheets

I finished one UFO this month, my Shades of Blue project. You can read more about it HERE. (These used Island Batik fabrics, Aurifil thread and Hobbs batting).

Two projects were started this month, but I’ve also spent a lot of time working on the following (you can see my progress on my task sheet).

  • Panel Birds
  • Melodic Mystery
  • Chilhowie
  • Nutcracker
  • SAHRR ’23
  • Colour Challenge ’23
  • Sweet on You

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. This helps me keep track of what I’ve accomplished and what I need to do.

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

Linky Party

Show us your progress with your PHD in 2023!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Sunday Summation: Jan 29 ’23

/ quiltinggail / 20 Comments

Island Batik Unboxing Videos

Island Batik ambassadors have been posting their Unboxing Videos on their blogs and social media! It’s a great way to “meet” the ambassador’s and see all the awesome fabric and goodies they have received from Island Batik and the industry partners. My day to post is tomorrow … so stay tuned!

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

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

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

Has started!!! Be sure to come back and see all the wonders that are happening!!! If you need some incentive to join in the fun, we have a lot of wonderful sponsors!!! and you could win some fantastic quilting goodies! You can see the beginning posts linked below.

Please note that I will be posting this week’s SAHRR on Tuesday!

One Gift a Month Challenge

Have you heard of this challenge? I’m a sucker for challenges and blog hops … they all keep my creative juices flowing and they also keep me busy in my quilting studio. OK, I admit it, sometimes they keep me TOO busy!

However, as quilters, we sometimes need to have small gifts on hand … those secret gift exchanges … something little to show someone they are loved … you get the idea.

Days Filled with Joy is hosting this challenge. This month it’s a little basket that Pink Penguin has a tutorial for (See HERE). Since I just found out about this challenge last week, I’m not sure I’ll get this basket done before the end of the month … but it might be done in February! However, I have started it! The fabric is cut out and I started sewing the little blocks together. The fabric is Island Batik from the Deco Revival collection.

Are you going to join me in this challenge????

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: 29 / 29
  • Percentage: 100%

Stash Report

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

I did finish 3 table toppers … They used Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs 80/20 batting and Aurifil thread #2600 (Dove Grey) for the piecing, quilting and binding.

I can still brag … !

  • Fabric Used this week:   3  yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:       4 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:               4 yards 

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

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from a last week:

  1. Finish the sashing and borders Clue #7 Chilhowie √   DONE
  2. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM – Sept / Oct. in progress. (Just a note, I am working ahead on this so that the finished quilt is done in time for the final reveal. )
  3. More Nutcracker colouring. in progress
  4. Continue working on Island Batik February project in progress
  5. Sandwich Bird Panels not done
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  not done I started the One Gift a Month challenge.

This week’s list:

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

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

  1. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM. (sorry no picture)
  2. February Sweet on You Blog Hop project
  3. One Gift a Month

Quilting:

Naturescape Lone Star is ready to quilt

Binding:

Island Batik’s February project … Sorry, just a glimpse of the fabric … you’ll have to wait until February 13 to see the whole quilt.

Upcoming Blog Hops

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

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

Beaquilter: Dust off a Quilt Book (Mar 7)

Just Let Me Quilt: Little Green Apples (March)

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Shades of Blue: Sew It – Show It Challenge

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

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

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

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

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

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

Monday, January 23rd

Tuesday, January 24th

Wednesday, January 25th

Thursday, January 26th

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

SAHRR – Round #1

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If you need more information on the SAHRR … you can go to THIS POST.

For the Center Block see This post

Round #1

Roseanne & Sue @ Home Sewn by Us have chosen Spools for the first round! I must admit that I don’t think I’ve ever made a spool block before!

I continued to use Island Batik fabrics from the Baby Bloomers collection (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton).

Now, you Need to go to the co-hosts blogs and see their first rounds! Their links are in the schedule below.

How I made my spool blocks

The half square triangles are tiny … they finish at 1″ …. so they are 1 1/2” unfinished … the blocks below the top HST are 1 1/2” square, unfinished and the center column is 1 1/2” x 3 1/2” unfinished … the whole block will finish at 3″ …

Linky Party

Roseanne & Sue @ Home Sewn by Us will have a linky party so you can see everyone’s 1st Round!

More Centre Blocks

Some people are participating in the SAHRR, but don’t do social media … so I and another hosting blogger are posting their blocks for them … It’ll be fun to see how these blocks grow into their own quilts!

This is Charlene’s … Winter Wonderland

Here’s Heather’s …

This is Sarah from  Franklin, TN.

Next week?

Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life will tell us what to do. Are you following her blog?

Relax … this is easy … and it’s only one round each week!

Our Wonderful Sponsors

Here’s a list of the sponsors and their generous gifts!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

A Friday Finish!!

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SAHRR has started

This is my centre block using Island Batik’s Baby Bloomer’s by Kathy Engle with Island Batik solid white as the background. You can read more about it HERE and see all the wonderful centre blocks that others have chosen!

I started this little mini wall hanging when I was at a retreat last week. It was a partial kit that came in Missouri Star’s Advent Christmas box. We were given a full charm pack of Kona solids, but since I LOVE blue so much, I picked out the blues for the border.

Since it is a wall hanging, I didn’t worry too much about getting all the letters sewn into place and I just quilted it with a wavy stitch with my walking foot, using Aurifil thread. I had the perfect size piece of Hobbs Poly-down for the batting.

I didn’t have binding fabric with me at the retreat and I didn’t want to go shopping for fabric. I’m trying really hard to stick to a very strict “no buying fabric” diet. So, the project needed to wait until I got home.

In my stash, I had the perfect solid navy blue for the binding. It didn’t take too long and the project was trimmed, binding cut and sewn on. And ta-da!!! it’s DONE!!!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Sunday Summation: January 15, ’23

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Starts tomorrow!!! Be sure to come back and see all the wonders that are happening!!! If you need some incentive to join in the fun, we have a lot of wonderful sponsors!!! and you could win some fantastic quilting goodies!

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: 15 / 15
  • Percentage: 100%

Stash Report

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

In 2023, I haven’t finished any projects, so haven’t used any fabric, but I haven’t bought any either!

  • Fabric Used this week:   0  yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:       0 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:                0 yards 

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

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from a last week:

  1. Start Clue #7 Chilhowie. √   DONE
  2. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM – July / Aug √   DONE
  3. Start colouring Nutcracker. √   DONE
  4. Work on Naturescape Lone Star. √   DONE
  5. Start Island Batik February project
  6. Pack for retreat! √   DONE
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE
  8. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Finish the sashing and borders fClue #7 Chilhowie
  2. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM – Sept / Oct
  3. More Nutcracker colouring.
  4. Sandwich Naturescape Lone Star.
  5. Work on Shades of Blue Blog Hop project
  6. Continue working on Island Batik February project
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

  1. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM
  2. Chilhowie – Clue #7, sashing and borders picture shows most of the sashing blocks ready to sew …
  3. Island Batik February project – isn’t the fabric beautiful?
  4. Shades of Blue Blog Hop project

Quilting:

Nothing … I need to colour the Nutcracker before I can start quilting!

Naturescape Lone Star is ready for sandwiching …

Maybe I’ll get Chilhowie to the flimsy stage!

The Quilt More just needs to be trimmed and bound.

The bird panels are ready for sandwiching.

Upcoming Blog Hops

Creatin’ in the Sticks: Sew It – Show It: Shades of Blue (January) My day is January 26!

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

Island Batik: February Blog Hop!

Just Let Me Quilt: Little Green Apples (March)

Shades of Blue

Plans for 2023

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

  • PHD in 2023 – come and join us! It’s a great way to decrease your UFOs!
  • 2023 SAHRR – starts January 16!!! TOMORROW!! And we have some fantastic sponsors!
  • 2023 Appliqué  BOM (I bet this surprises a LOT of people!) – This will start later in January … I’m still working out the details!
  • Winter 2023 Mystery Quilt – probably start in February or early March

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

2022 Island Batik projects

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I’ve made and posted all of these during the past year! Enjoy!

January

This was a UFO from the “Any Which Way” mystery that was hosted on the blog in ’21. See HERE for the finishing details!

The first Island Batik challenge of the year was to use a Fat 1/4 bundle of Tantalizing Teals. You can see details on this challenge HERE.

February

I used Kelly Young’s book “Scrappy Improve Quilting.” You can see details of it here.

This was a quilt I made for Island Batik’s catalogue featuring the “Evergreen and Pine” fabric collection. See the link HERE.

This quilt was made for Island Batik’s catalogue featuring the “Contempo” fabric collection.

The February Island Batik challenge was to create a quilt with the Row by Row theme. I used the “Vintage Lace” collection, designed by Kathy Engle. You can read more about it HERE.

I made this cute little basket using Deco Revival fabrics. You can read about it HERE.

March

Here is the Stay at Home Round Robin that I made using the Flutterfly collection and Island Batik’s solid white. You can read more details HERE.

We were challenged to create a piece based on the Italian thread that we received from Aurifil. I received “Pompeii Red” colour builder set. See HERE for more details.

This was a table runner that I made for the Quilt as You Go class that I taught. See HERE.

I made these little coasters with left-over fabric blocks from my SAHRR. See HERE for details.

This quilt was made for the Time in a Bottle Blog Hop. I used fabrics that were left-over from my gradation quilts (January). See HERE for more details.

April

April’s challenge was to make a Funky Friend. I chose Gregory Gorilla. He was a lot of fun to make!! See all the details HERE.

This little zipper pouch was made for the “World of Colour” Blog Hop. Details can be found HERE.

May

The following 3 projects were made for Island Batik’s challenge called “Triangle Tricks. I found the first one very difficult to make, but the last 2 were quite easy! See HERE for details.

June

June’s Challenge was to make a New York beauty and I was given the Harvest Night fabric collection. See HERE for details.

These 2 quilts were made with the “Jewel Carvings” fabric collection (designed by Kathy Engle) for the Island Batik catalogue. My friend, Amy, made the one with the light background and I made the one with the dark. See more details HERE.

This quilt was my very first magazine publication. It was in the Fons & Porter Love of Quilting July/August issue. See HERE for more pictures and details.

This quilt was designed by Sandra Walker at MMM Quilts. You can see more details of it HERE. If you want the pattern you can find it HERE

I made this window hanging in an on-line class with Epida Studio. Elizabeth is a great teacher! More details of my window hanging can be found HERE.

July

Island Batik’s challenge for July was “Christmas in July with Accuquilt.” We were all given the Tree of Life die. This was a super fun quilt to make and it was super fun to give it to a dear friend on mine! See more pictures HERE.

I had left-over HST from the Tree of life, so I made this little zipper pouch!

August

August’s challenge was to make a Marvelous Mini Quilt. I was inspired by a speaker we had at the guild, as well as many different Dresdens made with friends. This was my mini. Details HERE.

September

I received the “Corner Pop” tool from Studio 180 and was challenged to use it, along with a 1/2 yard bundle of “Flourish” by Kathy Engle It was a lot of fun to make this quilt using the tool, along with other Studio 180 tools! See HERE for details.

These were made using “Left-overs” from the above quilt. See HERE for details.

This was made for the Queen of Gadgets Blog Hop. You can read about all the gadgets I used to make this quilt HERE I used a 10″ stack of Pumpkin Spice and the background is “Celery”.

October

October’s challenge was a ByAnnie bag. I chose to make the “A Place for Everything 2.0” bag and paired it with fabrics from the “Bee Kind” collection. The pattern was easy to follow and with supplemental videos – it came together easily! See details HERE.

This tree skirt was made for Island Batik’s catalogue using the Winter Sky collection. I just LOVE the blues!

This quilt was made for Pinktober. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. My heart is all a flutter when I think of the story behind the gifting of this quilt. You can read about it HERE.

And little bags made from the left-overs from the Pinktober quilt.

November

Island Batik’s November challenge was to make a Christmas stocking. These were fun to make! You can read about how I made them and used an Accuquilt die for the snowflackes … HERE.

This quilt was made with a 2 1/2″ strip pack of “Citified.” It was fun to make and I had a blast quilting it! You can read about it HERE.

This was made for the class I was teaching called “Travel Posts.” You can see class participants’ quilts HERE.

These little baskets were made with left-over fabric from making the Winter Sky tree skirt (see above). You can read more about them HERE.

I did a trunk show for Boundary Bay Quilter’s Guild – with ONLY Island Batik quilts and projects that I have made in the past 4 years as an Island Batik ambassador. You can see a glimpse of some of the trunk show HERE.

December

Island Batik’s challenge for December was to make a Lone Star! It was SEW rewarding to have this quilt turn out so nice! You can read about it HERE.

Left-overs from the Lone Star quilt turned into this cute quilt! Read about it HERE.

Little Pencil cases made with the left-overs from the Lone Star and the Baby Quilt:

The Scrappy Fall Mystery Quilt, background is “Linen,” all scraps from my Island Batik scrap bin:

This was my Spicy BOM Colour challenge Quilt. You can read more about it HERE.

A Winter Branches Table Runner … made a bit bigger to fit on the top of my piano.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Friday Finish featuring Winter Sky

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I made this beautiful tree skirt for Island Batik’s Fall/Winter ’21 catalogue. You can see the catalogue HERE. And, it’s now under my Christmas tree! There is Hobbs 80/20 in the middle and it was quilted with Aurifil #2600, Dove Grey.

And, in a previous post, I showed you a couple of little baskets that I’ve made with this same line of fabric.

“Goodness Bowl” by Jean Paccagnan.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Monday Moments: Dec 19 ’22

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The Mystery Quilt is done!!!

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

Lone Star Blog Hop: Week 3

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

December 19:

Mania Hatziioannidi

Michelle Roberts

December 20:

Pamela Boatright

Connie Kauffman

Sandra Stanfield

December 21:

Jane Hauprich

Lisa Pickering

December 22:

Brianna Roberts

Elizabeth DeCroos

Anorina Morris

December 23:

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

Another Finished Branches Table Runner

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

Another DREAMI

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

Another UFO Finish

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

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

Stitching Stuff

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

Lots of stitching in the past week!

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

Stash Report

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

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

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

  • Fabric Used since the last report   7  yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       109.5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  3.5 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    33 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:                76.5 yards 

To Do

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

The To Do list from last week:

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

This week’s list:

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

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

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

Quilting:

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

Upcoming & Current Blog Hops

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

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

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

Shades of Blue

Plans for 2023

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

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Spicy Block of the Month!

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This year, I participated in the Spicy Block of the Month, hosted by Patterns by Jen.

I used scraps of Island Batik fabrics to make the blocks.

Each month, Jen provides free directions for a 6″ and a 12″ block. When the month is over, you need to purchase the block for a minimal price.

Here is my December block: And yes, I goofed up and had to make adjustments, so it’s not exactly like Jen’s directions …

Here are the blocks in order …

And here is my finished quilt … I used Island Batik’s solid black for the sashing, 2 1/2″ squares of fabric left-over from the blocks for the corner stones.

And … with the quilt being a bit busy, I used wild quilting and thoroughly enjoyed quilting it!

2023 Colour Challenge

The 2023 Monthly Colour Challenge will be based on Classic Cars! Will you join me with the different monthly blocks? Make sure you follow Patterns by Jen and myself so you don’t miss a month! Jen will be posting the new blocks at the beginning of the month – me? I’ll be posting later in the month except for December, when I will post on the 1st!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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