Hobbs Batting

PHD in 2023: March Report

/ quiltinggail / 19 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!!!

Let’s re-visit Procrastination!

OK … this is me … today

This week I’ve been SEW busy, I honestly can’t believe where the time has gone!

First, it was working with the hosts of the SAHRR to choose the winners, contact the sponsors and just get everything organized. Finally, on Wednesday, the last piece was put into place. (see the list of winners below).

Then, I was attempting to finish 2 quilts before I leave for the retreat. Neither will get totally finished.

Next, I need to gather all the junk wonderful fabric and supplies that I want to take.

  • Project #1: cutting fabric, counting blocks, making sure that I have enough pieces (baby stars #2)
  • Same for Project #2. (X & Os)
  • Project #3 is ready. (haven’t touched it since I went to the last retreat!) (UFO – wallet)
  • Project #4 I need to figure out what thread I’m going to use for quilting … (Melodic Mystery)
  • Project #5. …. Really Gail, do you NEED to take 5 projects? But I will take the Island Batik catalogue quilt … just in case I run out of things to do!

This retreat has us doing our own cooking … so there was baking involved … and gathering food items.

I need clean clothes to take to the retreat – so there’s laundry to do …

So … what do I do now?

First, I need to take a deep breath and realize that I can’t do everything!!!

Prioritize what NEEDS to be done.

  • First, I can’t possibly finish the 2 quilts before I go. So they will have to wait.
  • My laundry must be done. I can’t take dirty clothes to a retreat when I’m surrounded by other people!
  • Do I really need to do the baking? Can I buy what I was going to bake? Of course I can!
  • Do I need to gather food items? Yes.
  • Do I need to prepare projects for the retreat? Absolutely!!!

My Tally Sheets

I finished 1 UFOs this month. It’s my SAHRR ’23!!! I’m in LOVE with this quilt! (it used Island Batik fabrics, Aurifil thread and Hobbs batting). You can read more about it HERE.

4 NEW starts were finished this month. The Little Green Apple Clam-Up bags, the bags for the guild, the Ruler Quilting Quilt and the Bargello Quilt. All used Island Batik fabrics, except for the bags for the guild.

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

template-2023Download

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

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

Linky Party

Show us your progress with your PHD in 2023!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

SAHRR Winners!

Here’s a list of the winners! Congratulations to each one! And a special “Thank YOU” to all of the sponsors! We couldn’t have done it without your generous gifts!

  • Island Batik fat quarter bundle:  Mari @ Academic Quilter
  • Island Batik fat quarter bundle: Julie Ann @ Quilts and Costumes
  • Island Batik fat quarter bundle: Janice @ Sing Read Sew.com
  • Hobbs Wool Batt: Bernie @ Needle & Foot
  • Aurfil Thread:  Heather F
  • Oliso Mini Iron : Laura Kate @ Daily Fiber Fun
  • Pattern from For the Love of Geese (Denise): Dawn at Quilting by Dawn
  • Prairie Spirit Alpaca Pressing Mat: Diann at Little Penguin Quilts
  • Gift Certificate of choice from Chris: Carol @ Quilt Schmidt
  • Fat Quarter Shop Gift Certificate: Gretchen from Gretchen’s Little Quilts
  • MSQ Gift Certificate from Roseanne: Joy at The Joyful Quilter

And again, the picture of Roseanne, Anja, Gail & Emily doing the draw! We had the list, a random number generator and a fun time!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail PHD

Linking to:

Sunday Summation: March 26

/ quiltinggail / 10 Comments

SAHRR winners

Roseanne (top left), Anja (bottom left), me (top right) and Emily (bottom right) got together by zoom to choose the winners. We had the list of participants, the linky parties they joined, the list of prizes and a random number generator! It was fast, fun and great to “meet” each other!

      Not all winners have responded to me (I contacted them either in their email, blog comments or IG accounts) and they have until Monday evening to do so. If we haven’t heard from them by then, then we will be drawing for more winners. Here is who I’m waiting to hear from: (please email me at quiltinggail@yahoo.ca). Thank you! All other winners have been notified.

      • Janice from Sing Read Sew.com
      • Laura Kate – Daily Fiber Fun
      • Diann at Little Penguin Quilts

      If you know Janice, Laura Kate or Diann, please tell them to contact me! Thank you!

      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. And no, I haven’t started to think about what fabric I’m going to use!

      Now that March is almost over … I’m sort-of wondering if I’ll make this gift? I made 2 in February – so does that count? LOL!!!

      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: 26 /26
      • 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 bargello quilt, 12.5 yards for the free motion ruler quilting quilt. and 2 yards for the “Little Green Apples”

      No further fabric purchases since my last report;

      • Fabric Used the past 2 weeks:  20.5 yards
      • Fabric Used in 2023:        51.5 yards from non-IB: 20
      • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
      • Fabric Added this year:     3 yards 
      • Net Fabric used:              48.5 yards 

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

      To Do Tuesday

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

      The To Do list from last week: I didn’t get a lot ticked off on my list … maybe this next week!

      1. Quilt Melodic Mystery. Not Done
      2. Quilt Gardenia. Not Done
      3. Quilt Chilhowie Not Done I started this – did a short demo of wild quilting at a guild function.
      4. Quilt Bird Panels. Not Done
      5. Quilt Nutcracker Not Done
      6. Start April IB project. √   DONE
      7. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). Not Done
      8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE
      9. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE

      This week’s list:

      The purple text items are my priority. If I get beyond those, I’ll be extremely happy!

      1. Pack for the upcoming retreat!
      2. Quilt Melodic Mystery.
      3. Quilt Gardenia.
      4. Quilt Chilhowie
      5. Quilt Bird Panels.
      6. Quilt Nutcracker
      7. Finish April IB project.
      8. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing).
      9. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
      10. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

      Design Wall

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

      Piecing:

      1. April IB project. in progress …
      2. ??? Maybe start May IB challenge
      3. ??? Maybe start June IB challenge (The fabric in the last photo)

      Quilting: These are all sandwiched and ready to quilt …

      • Melodic Mystery
      • Gardenia
      • Chilhowie – started
      • Nutcracker
      • Bird Panel

      Upcoming Blog Hops

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

      Island Batik May Challenge

      Just Let Me Quilt: Rose Colored Glasses (May)

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting! 
      Gail 

      Linking to:

      A Finish I can Finally tell you about!

      / quiltinggail / 35 Comments

      The May/June issue of McCalls Quilting is now on the magazine racks!

      The quilt arrived at my house the same day that I found the magazine in the grocery store!! This is a picture of the quilt that I took in mid-October, the day before it was sent to Colorado for it’s photo shoot.

      Island Batik fabrics are used for this quilt! Wild Blooms is the colourful fabrics and will be available in stores in May. The rich dark blue is “Ravine” and is perfect for setting off the star!

      If you want the pattern for this quilt, it is included in the magazine!

      Quilt Stats:

      • 68″ x 68″
      • Hobbs 80/20 is in the middle
      • Quilted with Aurifil Thread
      • The back is “Ravine,” an Island Batik basic.

      I was Featured!

      Jennifer, from Inquiring Quilter featured my SAHRR quilt! I was thrilled to see that 4 other SAHRR quilts were also featured! See THIS POST for more details

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting!    
      Gail 

      Linking to:

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

      / quiltinggail / 29 Comments

      This month’s challenge is to make something of our own choosing. I had SEW many ideas! The hardest part was choosing exactly what I wanted to do! I often do at least one extra Island Batik project each month, but this is a little different. I didn’t want the project to be suggested for a blog hop, but I wanted it to be something I’ve been wanting to do! SEW, I decided to do 2 different projects.

      #1 Bargello Quilt

      I was given a 2 1/2” strip set of Prairie Dreams. Isn’t it beautiful???? Island Batik also included 2 yards of Chalk and 2 yards of Slate.

      Prairie Dreams is available at: Creekside Quilts OR and JellyRollFabric.Net

      I had recently seen a number of different bargello quilts. I wanted it to have a random, scrappy look, so I arranged the strips in a manner that I thought was fun. I added (2) 2 1/2” strips of Chalk and a 6 1/2” strip of Slate. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of all the strips sewn together.

      Here’s a picture of some of the strips at the beginning.

      The strips were sewn into a loop. Then, I cut strips of various widths from 3″ to 1.” Then I arranged them on the design board, and “unstitched” one portion of each loop. Amazingly, I only had to re-sew one strip where I “unstitched” the wrong one!

      Here’s a close-up of the walking foot quilting. I just did a ‘straight-ish’ line through each block.

      If I was to make this quilt again, I would make the smallest cut 1 1/2” or 2″. The 1″ cuts were a bit small (for me!)

      Quilt Stats:

      • Size: 36″x 58″
      • Quilted: Walking Foot with Aurifil 2600
      • Hobbs Batting 80/20 is in the middle
      • Binding: Island Batik “Slate”, Thread: Aurifil 2785

      #2 Ruler Quilting

      I’ve been wanting to improve my ruler quilting and have had the Jewel Quilt book for quite some time with good intentions to follow the book’ ‘s directions and make this quilt.

      Prepping the fabric: I started out by cutting all of the fabric, using Island Batik solids with a different colour-way for each side of the quilt. Ghost is the only ‘non-solid’ that I used, but it reads as a solid. Then I sandwiched them with Hobbs Batting 80/20.

      Side #1 Side # 2
      grey ghost
      turquoise green
      pinkred
      cobalt dark grey
      fuchsiaorange

      After sandwiching each of the segments, I pressed them on both sides using my Prairie Spirit Alpacas pressing mat. It made them super smooth!

      Marking the blocks: I tested a water soluble marker and then marked the blocks.

      Here’s a picture of some of the first individual blocks in progress:

      This project used a LOT of thread. No, not a full cone, but I use this thread a LOT … it’s my favourite go-to and it goes with just about every single fabric!

      I used Aurifil Thread #2600, Dove Grey for all of the quilting. Schmetz Needles: 2 Microtex 80/12 were used for the quilting and binding. Why 2, you ask? Because about 3/4 of the way through, I could hear that ‘thud’ that indicates you need a new needle.

      It was actually pretty easy to use the rulers on the small pieces. Sort of like your sample sandwiches when you’re learning to quilt. HOWEVER, once the blocks were quilted, they needed to be assembled in a quilt-as-you-go manner. This involved HAND sewing. UGGG!!!! My hands can only handle hand sewing for about 15 minutes – so sewing the blocks together took a LONG time.

      Here is a picture of the scrappy binding being sewn on … only one Schmetz Needles Microtex Chrome 80/12 left … guess I might need to go shopping! (grin)

      Here is the finish on one side … If you look closely at the grey segments, you’ll notice that the upper and lower segments are slightly different than the right and left segments. I had to add some variety!

      And the finish on the opposite side. It’s totally reversible!

      And some close up pictures!

      I must admit, that I’m totally amazed that I quilted this quilt!!! It was certainly easier to do once I marked the fabrics. Generally, I’m a “no Mark” person and a “just go for it” person. But, it was certainly worth it!!

      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, & Prairie Spirit Alpacas!!

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting!    
      Gail 

      Sunday Summation: Mar. 19 ’23

      / quiltinggail / 28 Comments

      World Wide Quilting Day

      Yesterday was World Wide Quilting day … or International Quilting Day … or if you’re in the USA it was National Quilting Day. Whatever … a day to celebrate quilting.

      I hung out 5 quilts … all made with Island Batik fabrics! Thank you,  Island Batik,  Aurifil Thread,  and Schmetz Needles!!

      SAHRR

      The SAHRR ’23 has come to an end. For those that want to link to the Parade, the linky closes Monday at midnight. See THIS POST to link up. Later in the week the co-hosts and I will be meeting to randomly choose the winners of the generous gifts provided by our sponsors. We will all announce them afterwards.

      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. And no, I haven’t started to think about what fabric I’m going to use!

      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: 19 / 19
      • Percentage: 100%

      Stash Report

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

      In the last 2 weeks, I’ve used 6.5 yards for the SAHRR and the same for Baby Stars … for a total of 13 yards.

      No further fabric purchases since my last report;

      • Fabric Used the past 2 weeks:     13 yards
      • Fabric Used in 2023:        31.5 yards from non-IB: 17
      • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
      • Fabric Added this year:     3 yards 
      • Net Fabric used:              28.5 yards 

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

      To Do Tuesday

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

      The To Do list from last week:

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

      This week’s list:

      The purple text items are my priority. If I get beyond those, I’ll be extremely happy!

      1. Quilt Melodic Mystery
      2. Quilt Gardenia
      3. Quilt Chilhowie
      4. Quilt Bird Panels.
      5. Quilt Nutcracker
      6. Start April IB project
      7. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing)
      8. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
      9. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

      Design Wall

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

      Piecing:

      1. April IB project. (Opulent Orange and Golden Shrimp Plant Aurifil Thread)
      2. ??? Maybe start May IB project (secret fabric) or June IB challenge (Maple Island 10″ stack)

      Quilting: I have a LOT of quilts to quilt!

      • Melodic Mystery
      • Gardenia
      • Chilhowie
      • Nutcracker is ready to quilt
      • Bird Panel is ready to quilt

      Upcoming Blog Hops

      Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Little Green Apples (my day is tomorrow!)

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

      Island Batik: May Challenge: May 9

      Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Rose Colored Glasses

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting! 
      Gail 

      Linking to:

      A March Finish and TGIFF

      / quiltinggail / 19 Comments

      TGIFF

      TGIFF is Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday. There is a linky party every week.

      You can link up your FINISHED project here. The link opens at 2 PM (PST) and will remain until midnight (PST) on Saturday, March 18. I can’t wait to see your finishes!!

      You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

      My TGIFF this week

      Earlier this week, I showed you a picture of my finished SAHRR ’23!

      I’m in LOVE with this quilt! It was so fun to host the SAHRR with 5 blogging friends! I couldn’t have done it without them!

      My blog post with the Parade of all of the finished (or almost finished) SAHRR can be found HERE. I started this quilt in the fall, and with the recent finish, it counts as one of my completed UFOs! YAY!!!

      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 (my collection)
      • Fabric used: Baby Bloomers collection (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton) along with solid white

      I was Featured!

      Jennifer from Inquiring Quilter featured my Baby Stars quilt!

      One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

      Happy Quilting!    
      Gail 

      Linking to:

      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

      / quiltinggail / 43 Comments

      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

      / quiltinggail / 30 Comments

      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