Or … Worldwide Quilting Day!
Here’s my front yard … they’re all made with Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread.
As I was out taking a picture, I met a neighbour that has a quilt in her window … and she works at a quilt store in the community. So, of course, I had to walk down the road and take a picture!
Yup, I have not ONE, not TWO but 3 little finishes.
I had some signature blocks left over from my SAHRR. Here they are added to my quilt. I used the Flutterfly fabric collection for my SAHRR. You can read more about the SAHRR HERE.
I was dusting the shelf above my ironing station and realized that the spray bottles of water and Terial magic were sticking to the shelf – as was the lint brush! I NEEDED a few small coasters.
I took 6 of the extra signature blocks and 3 small squares of Hobbs 80/20 batting. I layered the signature blocks right sides together with the batting and sewed around the outside, leaving a 2″ unsewn edge on one side. The corners were clipped and the coaster was turned right-side out. A quick press, pinning the open sections in place and I sewed around the coaster with an 1/8″ and a 1/4″ seam. No hand sewing! In short order I had 3 coasters placed under my spray bottles and lint brush!
I’m not the only person to use some of their left-over blocks from the SAHRR … Check out Wendy’s super cute table runner HERE. She used left over signature and star blocks and other blocks …
Have you done anything with your leftover blocks, if you have any?
There is a new quilt shop in Chilliwack. It is about an hours drive from my home. It’s a lovely shop with a delightful owner, Angela. It’s been open for just a few weeks. It’s called Cozy Cottons Quilting. Here’s a few pictures from the inside. She’s going to look into getting Island Batik fabrics! Whoot Whoot! And she’s got a few of my patterns to sell! YEAH!!! But in the meantime, she’s got a lot of lovely fabrics, flannels, fireside, Aurifil thread and rulers …. and so much more. Do you see the star quilt below? That’s made with Kansas Troubles … my hubby’s favourite fabric line! (He took the pictures!)
Carol, of Just Let Me Quilt is hosting this blog hop.
Here is the challenge:
Here is my first Hourglass block:
I had a few 60 degree triangles left over from the Island Batik “gradations” project that I made in January. You can read about it HERE.
But, I needed 45 degree and 90 angles to make the hourglass block. Accuquilt to the rescue! I paired all of these triangles with Island Batik’s solid grey material. 50 blocks later, the quilt was put together, the border added and the quilt was finished.
And, for the most part, my gradations are all gone! It’s bitter sweet. I was able to have fun using them and I actually got 3 quilts out of the fat quarter bundle they sent!
This quilt was sandwiched with Hobbs 80/20 and I use Aurifil #2600 (Dove) to quilt it. I started with my walking foot and a small serpentine stitch to outline all of the triangles, then I free motioned a swirly flower “thingy” in the grey areas. The binding is a scrappy binding and it is used with the same serpentine stitch that I quilted with.
This quilt will be donated to the Boundary Bay baby quilt committee.
Visit each of them to see their interpretations of the theme!
March 14
March 15
March 16
March 17
March 18
Both of these classes took place at Essem Textiles in Cloverdale. There are 2 more classes planned and others coming in the future. The Fat-Quarter Teddy Bear starts later this month (in 2 different sizes) and the 3D Pinwheels will be in April. The Teddy Bear class is almost full – but Essem will start a wait list for a 2nd class if there is enough interest! If you haven’t sewn at Essem – you are in for a delightful surprise. The classroom is fantastic, lots of plug-ins, great lighting and the hosts are the BEST!!!
I taught this class a few weeks ago … the participants were amazing and the table runners so diverse! It was pretty awesome … Here’s a peak at them – finished or in progress
Here is Kathy’s … all finished – including the binding!
And here’s Tina’s … the flowers and dragonflies are so pretty!
I haven’t received pictures from any of the other, but here they all are in progress. They are all so very different!
This is my Quilt-as-you-Go Table Runner. I finished it today and it’s my TGIFF for this week! I used fabrics from Island Batik’s Vintage Lace collection. You can read about the quilt that I made with this collection HERE. For the table runner I used the following fabrics:
The center was quilted with Silly Moon’s “Drop” ruler.
I taught the group a ton of tricks for binding quilts totally by machine. I think they enjoyed learning my radical techniques!
Here they are – hard at work. On the le
2 of the participants brought their Quilt-as-you-Go table runners to learn how to do those tricky angled corners and the regular 90 degree corners. How did I miss getting pictures of 2 of the projects? (Sorry, ladies!) As you can see, the bindings turned out fantastic! I’m super impressed with the 2 that did the straight line final attachment. It took me a LONG time before I ventured from decorative stitches! All of the ladies did a fantastic job!
Our challenge was to “create a piece inspired by your assigned Italian destination.”
I was sent Pompeii Red Aurifil colour builder set. It contains 3 beautiful reds: 5002 (Medium Red), 2250 (Red) and 1103 (Burgundy).
Pompeii is a city with lots of red stone buildings and ruins with Mount Vesuvius in the background. Mount Vesuvius is an active volcano, with the latest eruption in 1944. However, in 79 AD, it’s eruption buried the city and it was abandoned for centuries. In the 1700s, a group of explorers started to dig and discovered that many of the artifacts and people were still intact. Today, Pompeii continues to be an active archaeological dig.(Information obtained from: https://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/pompeii)
I really didn’t want to work on buildings. Mount Vesuvius looks beautiful, but doesn’t have any red features. What to do?
Then, as I was surfing the internet more, I came across some amazing pictures of the mountain erupting. This photo is the inspiration for my mini quilt.
I started with making the sky … the light blue and the dark blue (Both were scraps of 10″ squares from the Starry Night stack I had). I added the 2 brown fabrics for the mountain: one is Wavy Dots-Cappuccino and the other is Brownie. The orange fabric was from a stash builder bundle. These were all joined with wavy improv seams. In the 2nd picture, the 3 threads on the left are the Pompeii threads, the 3 on the right are from my thread stash. The grey was intended to be used for the smoke but I didn’t use it. This piece measured 19 1/2″ x 20″ … I thought with adding a border, It would easily be 20″ x 20.”
Once the base was made, I used Hobbs fusible batting and the backing is “Brownie.” I LOVED using the fusible batting, there was absolutely NO need for spray … and I knew that it would not shift while I was quilting.
I wanted to stretch myself and thought I’d do some thread painting. I started by using the 3 Pompeii Red threads. This was sewn on my Janome M7, using the straight free motion stitch and the free motion zig-zag stitch #1.
It definitely needed the lighter threads … so I went to my Aurifil stash (yes, I do have many, many colours!) I chose the following threads: 2134 (Spun Gold), 2140 (Orange Mustard), and 2220 (Light Salmon).
Wow … I used over 10 bobbins of thread and it shrunk … A LOT!!! I knew it would likely shrink a little, but I was shocked at how much it did! After I squared it up and added the border, this mini is 16″ x 18.” I knew it would likely shrink a little, but I was shocked at how much it did! And it shrunk the most in the middle and was an hourglass shape!
This is my finished piece and I called it “Mt. Vesuvius Eruption.” Not a very imaginative title, but at least I have named it!
Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread and needles were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik Aurifil Thread Hobbs Batting & Schmetz Needles !!
I was walking by a fitness studio and saw this sign in the window … I pondered it for awhile and then thought, “This makes a lot of sense.”
When you think about working on a UFO, that’s what you’re doing. Thinking. However, if you take the UFO out of the box and start working on it … that’s Action. How many times have you been working on something and all of a sudden, it’s “Let’s get this done!” That’s Motivation. I find that often happens to me. So I Need to take some Action and work on a UFO … who knows – maybe in March, I can show you a finish!
So how are you doing with your PHD in 2022 February progress?
No UFO finishes this month, but two, Macaron Mystery and the SAHRR are seeing some progress.
The first chart shows my overall PHD standing and New Starts … the 2nd more colourful chart shows all the tasks, or steps I need to take to complete my UFOs.
Show us your PHD in 2022 February progress!
This first one is my February, Island Batik project “Row by Row.” I had a beautiful fabric collection called Vintage Lace by Kathy Engle. You can read about this quilt HERE. I used Hobbs 80/20 batting, Aurifil thread and Schmetz needles. As well, I used the Accuquilt Qube 8″ die set to cut all the blocks.
This is my favourite finish in February. I’m linking to Meadow Mist Designs.
I’ve already talked about this little basket. You can read about it HERE.
Then there is the DrEAMI I made. DrEAMI stands for Drop Everything And Make It. You know about those projects! Sandra, of MMM Quilts has a linky party each month for us to show our DrEAMIs. They are also known as Squirrels …
Here’s how my DrEAMI came about: On the guild Facebook page, one of the members posted a cute Thread-catcher … my comment at the time was “No! No! No! I’ve got NO time to make these!!! But why oh why did I bookmark the page????????? And I’m thinking about what fabrics to use ….” It was bugging me … I just HAD to make it!
The pattern / tutorial can be found at The Sewing Chick, HERE.
I used Island Batik Fabrics. The main fabric is Buildings-Peon, the lining is Chevron-Gaze and the binding is Columns-Olive … all from the Deco Revival collection. The small pieces are scraps from the same collection. Along with the canvas, Hobbs 80/20 batting was used and it was quilted with Aurifil thread.
This basket didn’t take long at all. Less than 3 hours, and that included the hunt for the canvas (it wasn’t in my sewing room), writing down the fabrics used and re-cutting the lining because I goofed when cutting out the corners (my own fault). The pattern is easy to follow!
Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash. 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, I am human and I do break down and buy fabric!
This week … the Wagon Broke … and I bought fabric!
I can easily justify it. (Can’t we all?) It’s Island Batik fabric!!! And I found it at a store within about 3 miles of my house! Castle’s Sewing Center. They don’t have a lot, but they have 8 bolts!!! That’s a start! Especially since I haven’t been able to find it anywhere else in the lower mainland! (I’m talking at least 100 miles or more). Yes, Over the Rainbow in Washington carries Island Batik fabric, but it’s a huge hassle to cross the border right now and return to Canada – so I’ll be staying put!
I bought 3 m of the neutral … It’s a chevron with hints of blue … of course I fell in love right away. And, I DO have a plan for it!
The fabric basket used 1/2 yard of fabric and my DrEAMI used 3/4 yard.
Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is hosting “To Do” every week.
I had 2 weeks to work on my previous To Do list … let’s see how I did …
Nothing is being pieced at the moment … 3 Projects are waiting to be quilted.
#1: SAHRR: Round 6 is on
#2. Time in a Bottle is Ready to be Sandwiched and Quilted.
#3 Macaron Mystery. Top is together … Sorry, I forgot to take a picture … It’s upstairs ready to be sandwiched
Saturday
So, last week, after having a root canal, I taught a Basket class at Essem. There was only one participant in the class, Wendy. She was super speedy and was able to finish up her basket very quickly! She’s used a variety and Kafe fabrics and her basket is stunning! Don’t you agree?
Here is my basket. I used fabric from my stash. I used 2 fabrics and like the effect! If you’d like to learn how to make this basket – let Simina or Rajan at Essem know and they’ll start a wait list.
On March 10, I will be teaching a binding class at Essem. You will learn how to attach binding totally by machine! There will be lots of time-saving tricks and the results will be amazing! I’ll be demonstrating regular binding, scrappy binding, and flange binding. Bring projects ready for binding and you will leave with the binding completed! Contact Essem Textiles to sign up for the class. There are only a few spots left!
This week, it was my day to share my February Row by Row quilt on Island Batik’s Blog Hop! It was such a fun quilt to make, with beautiful fabrics from a collection called “Vintage Lace” by Kathy Engle. You can read more about it HERE.
This quilt is 50″ x 60″. I used Accuquilt dies to cut the whole quilt. It’s quilted with a Schmetz needle, Aurifil thread, using Silly Moon’s “Beanie” rulers, and has Hobbs 80/20 batting.
Last week I showed my finish “In the Woods” featuring Evergreen and Pine by Kathy Engle that is in the Island Batik Catalogue. You can read about it HERE.
This week, my pattern tester, Carol, posted a picture of her quilt … it has a totally different look using different fabrics! I love it. You can read what Carol has to say about the quilt pattern HERE. Thank you for testing the pattern, Carol!
I am always fascinated by how different quilts look when you use different fabrics!
Let me know if you would like to purchase the “In the Woods” pattern!
Saturday
I received “Vintage Lace” collection, designed by Kathy Engle. It should be in the stores in February.
The top and bottom rows have 4 colours each, the other 4 rows have 3 … which means that I used all 20 fabrics in the blocks. The sashing is a basics called “Snow” and the cornerstones and binding are “Hunter.” (All of the fabrics are pictured below.)
The name of the collection made me think of traditional blocks and I pulled out my Accuquilt cutter and this wonderful book “GO! QUBE” by Quilt in a Day / Eleanor Burns.
I drew out many of the blocks in EQ and used the program to colour in the blocks.
Using the Accuquilt ensures perfect size quilt pieces … in this case the 2 1/2″ half-square triangles. Once sewn together, there will be no dog ears to cut off and, as long as my 1/4″ seam is accurate, the block will finish at 2″ square.
As I was piecing many of the blocks, the colour combinations made me think of my grandma. I didn’t get to visit her often, but the fabrics reminded me of her sofa and doilies … I know she had a rocking chair that was similar in colour to the lighter green fabric … perhaps that’s where the memories come from!
There was nothing in my Island Batik stash that was large enough for the backing, so I cut large squares from the left-over fabric and used the following fabrics:
I used Hobbs 80/20 batting, a Schmetz needle and Aurifil # 2375 Antique Blush.
Here is a picture of me just starting the quilting. I used Silly Moon “Beanie” rulers and quilted a Baptist fan over the entire quilt. And, just in case you’re wondering, I did take out that stitching (see the skipped stitches?) and changed the needle (the previous one had pieced this quilt and probably 2 others!) … much better results!
Here are pictures of the individual blocks.
Make sure that you visit The Inquiring Quilter, Jennifer also received “Vintage Lace” and I’m dying to see what she made with this great collection!
The other Island Batik Ambassadors . make sure you visit each one … they all have beautiful quilts!
Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread and needles were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik Aurifil Thread Hobbs Batting & Schmetz Needles !!
TGIFF stands for Thank Goodness It’s Finished Friday and I’m hosting the linky party this week.
This was a “secret” quilt that I was working on in the fall. It’s for the Island Batik catalogue. It was a fun quilt to make and I loved fussy cutting the animals … they are SEW cute! The Fabric collection is Evergreen and Pine by Kathy Engle. It should be in stores this month! And yes, I used Aurifil thread for piecing and quilting and Hobbs 80/20 batting. Let me know if you would like to purchase the pattern!
And here’s a picture of each of the fabrics that is in the quilt! I used all of them … can you find them in the quilt?
Show us your Finished Project for this week!
This was a super fun quilt to make. It’s made with Island Batik scraps. You can read more about it HERE. The pattern is from a great book that I highly recommend! “Scrappy Improv Quilting” written by Kelly, of My Quilt Infatuation.
Both Jennifer, from the Inquiring Quilter, and Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation featured the quilt I showed last Friday, 3 D Pinwheels. Please contact me if you would like to purchase the pattern.
Carla, From Creatin’ in the Sticks, announced this blog hop WAAAY back in December and I immediately knew what I was going to make! I pulled the fabric and … set it aside … but I got back at it in January and actually finished it pretty quickly!
This little mini quilt is made of scraps of Island Batik purple and pink, plus a couple of strips of pink hearts from a Scrap Builder’s bundle that I received in December. I used Hobbs 80/20 batting and it was quilted with a light mauve thread.
The pattern is from the book “Scrappy Improv Quilting” written by Kelly, of My Quilt Infatuation. It’s a fabulous book … and I’ve made a few quilts and mini quilts from the book!
I promise that there is a plethora of eye candy if you visit these sites!
Monday, February 14th
Tuesday, February 15th
Wednesday, February 16th
Thursday, February 17th
Way back in the fall, I was madly working on some Secret Quilts. These were quilts for the Island Batik catalogue that came out a while ago. But, we’re not supposed to show you until the fabrics are available in the stores. Well, the fabrics are now available – so I can show you!
This quilt was made with “Contempo” a Signature collection, designed for Kate Colleran by Kathy Engle. Aren’t they BEAUTIFUL??? And I paired these beauties with Island Batik’s solid grey and solid black.
Believe it or not, this quilt is actually amazingly simple to make! Let me know if you would like to purchase the pattern! (quiltinggail@yahoo.ca)
This quilt used Aurifil 2600 (Dove) for the quilting and Hobbs 80/20 batting.
The February Island Batik Blog Hop starts on Monday! The theme is Row by Row …
Make sure you visit each of the ambassadors to see what they made … and some of them may have a giveaway and you could have a chance to win some awesome Island Batik fabric!
January 31:
Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations
Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese
February 1:
Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts
Andi Stanfield, True Blue Quilts
February 2:
Megan Best, Bestquilter
February 3:
Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine
Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs
My Island Batik quilts for the January challenge? These were for the challenge “Step by Step” using 20 gradations of Tantalizing Teal. Of course, Island Batik fabric was used with Hobbs batting and Aurifil Thread.
Here are the pictures, but you can read more about them HERE.
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!
Last year I managed to sew 97% of the days. What will this year bring?
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash. 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, I am human and I do break down and buy fabric!
I love this meme that I saw recently (but can’t find the source) …
The Teddy Bear quilt took 5.5 yards of fabric. You can see the post HERE.
Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is now hosting “To Do” every week.
I had 2 weeks to work on my previous To Do list … I’m starting to realize that if I give myself 2 weeks, I can usually accomplish what I want to do in one week. Hmmm … What does that say about my expectations?
There are a few things on my Design Wall and I can only show you little bits of what’s there!
#1 SAHRR is in progress … You can read about it HERE and HERE
#2 … February Island Batik project Row by Row … Here’s a picture of the fabric that I’m using. It’s the Vintage Lace by Kathy Engle and should be shipping to stores in February. Aren’t they soft and lovely?
Nothing is being quilted at the moment!
2 UFOs finished this week! The Polar Bear Blog hop and the Tickled Pink Blog Hop quilts!
When Joan at Moosestash Quilting first announced this blog hop, I just couldn’t resist!
I knew I was going to make a teddy bear quilt for this challenge. The book, Fat Quarter Baby, has the cutest teddy bear quilt! A Christmas gift bundle of Fat Quarters was the perfect choice.
Here is a picture of the quilt – prior to me adding eyes and a mouth. It’s cute, but a teddy must have eyes and a smile – right?
The eyes were appliqued on (gasp!) and the smile was stitched with a fairly tight zigzag stitch. Simple “in the ditch” quilting finished this little guy!
Make sure you visit all of the other bloggers in this hop! There’s a lot of creativity happening!
Monday Jan 24
Tuesday Jan 25
Wednesday Jan 26
Thursday Jan 27
Friday Jan 28
Each ambassador has been given a gradation package containing 20 different shades of fat quarters. The Basics Gradations yardage is available at your local quilt shops.
I am not known for swooning … but I certainly came close when I opened my box and saw the lovely bundle of Tantalizing Teals … Oh my … aren’t they beautiful?
We were challenged to make a lap quilt that shows the 20 gradations … I had to think about what to make.
I started out by putting them on the design wall and then using a black/white filter. I know it was obvious that the 4th from the left on the bottom had to be moved.
I shuffled a few others around … the end result was MUCH better! I then labelled them #1 – #20. Some of the fabrics are so similar in colour, that I needed to keep them organized!
I started by cutting 1 1/2″ strips from each of the 20 colours and sewing them in groups of 4.
Then, I used my 60 degree ruler and cut them all into triangles … and this is what my design wall looked like. Not too bad, but not too great. I was not happy, even though I liked the randomness of the triangles …
Then the Hexies started to form …
And eventually, plain triangles were added in. The hexies go from light on the top to dark on the bottom and the triangles have dark on the top going to light on the bottom.
They were all pieced together and quilted. I used Hobbs 80/20 batting, a Schmetz needle and Aurifil # 2815 Teal … and it is bound with the “Lagoon” fabric that I had received in a previous box (which is part of the Tantalizing Teals).
The weather was not cooperating and there was a breeze … consequently, the quilt looks as though it has a wavy bottom … but it is straight.
This quilt was made … just because I had just enough of some of the fabrics to make it. Once the inspiration hit, I got busy making it and forgot to take pictures of the process. I started out with 5″ squares of white Island Batik solid and 1″ x 5 1/2″ strips of all of the blues. The 5″ squares were randomly cut diagonally and the blue strip was inserted. The blocks were then squared up to 4 3/4″.
This quilt used 13 of the Tantalizing Teals:
I used Hobbs Cotton Bleached batting, a Schmetz needle and Aurifil # 2600 Dove.
The other Island Batik Ambassadors are busy posting their “Gradation” quilts … make sure you visit each one … they all have beautiful quilts!
Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread and needles were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik Aurifil Thread Hobbs Batting & Schmetz Needles !!
I am so HONOURED to be chosen again as an Island Batik Ambassador!! It truly is an honour to have all the wonderful support of the Island Batik team and to work alongside so many talented quilters!
On Wednesday night, I did a trunk show for the Chilliwack Piecemakers Guild and they were asking about “What came in the boxes?” So here’s a chance for them to see!
Oh – and apparently there is more coming later this month … I will show you what comes in that package after it arrives!
Here is the video of me opening the boxes.
Here’s pictures and details of what came in my boxes:
6 yards of “Linen.” This is a basic that is available any time.
Aurifil Thread: 40 weight # 6724 (Moonshine), #2375 (Antique Blush), #6731 (Tiramisu)
Foundations Bundle: These fabrics are available all the time.
Fat Quarter Bundle: Tantalizing Teals. These fabrics are available in yardage from your local quilt store. There are 20 fabrics in this bundle and I will show you what I’ve made in the next week!
Vintage Lace Fabric Collection: 1/2 yard bundle of 20 fabrics PLUS 2 yards of Snow & 2 Yards of Hunter! These gorgeous fabrics will be available in February.
4 yard cuts of Solid Black, White & Grey. Totally fantastic neutrals! I love these solids!
2 1/2″ strips of Citified along with 2 yards each of “Lavender” and “Blackberry.” Can’t you just imagine something awesome being made with these?
Stash-builder bundles. These bundles are 5″wide by width of fabric and there are 4 fabrics in each roll. Each package of 5 rolls contains 2.8 yards of fabric!
A Surprise Package! This is for the May blog hop. As I am writing this, I have no idea what is inside!
Batting – Lots of Batting!
Island Batik Aurifil Thread Hobbs Batting
I have a UFO finish! It is the Any Which Way Mystery Quilt … it was finally trimmed and the binding was added! The first picture was taken in the sun … and the 2nd picture was taken on the snow – just because I could!
The binding was finished today while I was Zoom quilting with fellow Island Batik Ambassadors! It’s so fun to get together and see what everyone is working on!
This quilt used Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs 80/20 batting and was quilted with Aurifil thread using Schmetz needles. It finishes at 44″ x 44.” It’s nice to have this UFO done!
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!
This week, I managed to only sew for 15 min a day …
Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly linky party where you can display your stash. 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, I am human and I do break down and buy fabric!
I love this meme that I saw recently (but can’t find the source) …
I used 1.5 yards of fabric for the backing of the Any Which Way Mystery Quilt.
Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is now hosting “To Do” every week.
I didn’t get a lot done this week. I’ve had a bad back and can only sit for very short periods of time.
There are a few things on my Design Wall and there is NOTHING I can show you … yet!
#1 SAHRR is in progress … Centre block comes out Tomorrow! Be sure to come back so you don’t miss it!!!
#2 Polar Bear Plunge: This is for a blog hop in January … it should be fun! Of course, I can’t show you until the blog hop!
#3 Tickled Pink: This is for a blog hop in February … and again, I can’t show you until then!
#4 … Island Batik January Gradation project is getting there! and it will remain a total secret for now!
#5 Macaron Mystery by Meadow Mist Designs I have printed off the January clue – but haven’t done any sewing … yet …
Nothing is being quilted at the moment!
One UFO done!
Ms. P. Designs has this nifty colourful tool that you can use to track the tasks you have to do for your PHD. You can access the tool HERE.
As an Island Batik Ambassador, I am to make 12 projects, one a month using ONLY Island Batik fabrics. This is my 3rd year as an Ambassador and I have a bit of an Island Batik stash. The projects below are either the monthly challenge or ones I have done on my own. As you might guess, I LOVE Island Batik fabrics!
Between Christmas and New Years 2020, I hosted a Holiday Seclusion Mystery here on the blog. You can see a summary of it HERE.
These are the 2 quilts I made to test the mystery. The first one uses an older Island Batik that I bought, but neglected to keep record of the name of the fabric. It is paired with solid white. Although it was started in 2020, it was not finished until 2021.
This one was made with Scrapbuilder bundles in blue, teal and green, along with a solid grey. I love the overall graffiti or wild quilting on it!
January’s Island Batik challenge was to make placemats. I LOVE blue and LOVED making these placemats! You can read about them HERE.
I joined in the monthly Scrap Happy Table Runner challenge hosted by So Scrappy. January’s colour was PINK. Here is the mug rug I made.
These 2 baskets were a free byAnnie pattern and you can read more about them HERE.
This quilt was provided as a mystery quilt for the guild. The Designer is Sue Pontifex, from Piece Arch Quilters in White Rock. This is a variation of the original design. You can read more about the quilt HERE.
February’s Island Batik challenge was “Create for a Cause.” Each ambassador was to create a quilt to give to a charity of our choice. The guild I belong to gives “comfort” quilts to a local cancer agency. This quilt is destined to go there when they start receiving quilts (after Covid). You can read more about this quilt HERE.
This quilt used the beautiful “Mystery” collection of fabric designed by Claudia Pfeil.
This month’s colour for the Scrap Happy Table Runner challenge hosted by So Scrappy. was yellow. You can read more about this mug rug HERE.
Scrapbusting ws Island Batik’s challenge for March. What a fun fun challenge. My 2 quilts are shown below …
You can read more about these quilts HERE.
This was my SAHRR 2021 quilt. You can read more about it HERE. As well as find the links to all of the steps.
I made this pouch for the Salt & Sand Blog Hop. Read more about it HERE.
Green was this months Scrap Happy Table Runner challenge hosted by So Scrappy. You can read about it HERE.
The Island Batik challenge was “It’s All Up to You.” We could make our own project / design, the choice was ours.
First, I made this quilt … More details are available HERE.
And, I made these fun little baskets … SEW fun!!!
This was my monthly table topper for the colour Blue. Details are available HERE. Scrap Happy Table Runner challenge is hosted by So Scrappy.
Quilt Modern. You can read the details HERE.
This is a quilt, designed by an Island Batik alumni, Sandra Walker, you can read more about this quilt HERE and Here and HERE.
The Island Batik challenge for this month was “Spread Love & Joy with Accuquilt.” Boy, did I have fun! I love using the Accuquilt cutter and the precision cutting. You can read about my 2 quilts HERE.
In March, I took a course “Speed Dating with Improv” by Krista from PoppyPrints. It took me a while to get the facing done, but it was finally finished in June! I used Island Batik solids for this piece.
I finally put the facing on my Story-less Improv and you can read more about it here, here and HERE. This was from a by Krista’s classes @ Poppyprint. It has the super fun title of “Speed Dating.”
Purple is June’s Scrap Happy Table Runner challenge hosted by So Scrappy. You can read more about this coaster HERE.
July’s Island Batik challenge was “Never Too Early.” I made a mini quilt and a basket. You can read about them HERE.
Try a Tool was Island Batik’s August challenge! Oh! Did I have fun with this one! Check out the details HERE.
Another quilt designed by Island Batik alumni, Sandra Walker. This is “Let your Star Shine.” You can read about it HERE and HERE.
This quilt was created for the “Orange you Glad” Blog Hop. You can read about it HERE.
This month’s scrappy table runner challenge was “aqua.” I wanted to try paper piecing a “Storm at Sea” block and ended up with this 14″ x 14″ square table topper. You can read about it HERE.
Island Batik’s September challenge was to make a byAnnie bag. I made this wonderful “Round Trip Duffle.” Read about it HERE.
This table runner was made for the Table Scraps monthly challenge (orange) and the Falling For You blog hop … you can read more about it HERE.
Kelly Young launched her newest book “Scrappy Improv Quilting” and I couldn’t help but enlarge this quilt and make a baby sized hot air balloon. You can read about it HERE.
October’s Island Batik challenge was to use Aurifil thread related to our assigned Endangered Species. I was given the Pangolin … it was fun zen-doodling the scales … you can find out more details HERE.
Then, I was involved in a blog hop, featuring Kelly Young’s book, “Scrappy Improv Quilting.” I made this ornament wall hanging for the blog hop. See details HERE.
The challenge for Island Batik, for November was the “Storm at Sea” block. I made 2 totally different quilts using the same block. You can read about them HERE.
I finished another quilt – with inspiration from Kelly Young’s book “Scrappy Improv Quilting.” This quilt used a lot of orphan log cabin blocks … For more details see HERE.
English Paper Piecing was the challenge for December. It was a HUGE challenge for me, but I got it done! And I’m happy with the result! See more details HERE.
This is another hot air balloon from Kelly Young’s book, “Scrappy Improv Quilting.” You can read about it HERE.
There were 3 quilts that were published in the Island Batik Spring/Summer 2021 Catalogue. You can access the Catalogue HERE.
Left to right: Modern Squares, Feather Chain & Flutterfly Stars.
Disclosure: The fabrics, thread, batting and needles were generously supplied by the following companies:
Yes, it seems like the year has gone by quickly! And, with the Covid numbers increasing and talks of future lockdowns, I’ll be hunkering down and quilting!!!
Next week, starting on Boxing Day, I will be hosting a mystery quilt. It’s a quick and easy mystery – and it will be fun! Are you going to join me?
Do you remember the picture on the left? After lots of procrastination and neglect, I finally finished this hot air balloon quilt. The pattern is from Kelly Young’s book “Scrappy Improv Quilting.”
Before I taught a class, using this book, I wanted to demonstrate a few different techniques in making the slabs. There are many different ways. In this quilt, I used stripes, bargello, “twosies, foursies, eightsies …” and my own invention “random pieces in a line.” I have also use orphan blocks.
The baskets were chain pieced and made all at the same time.
Once the baskets were attached to the balloons, I played around with the layout and positioned them all slightly different … I wanted it to look like balloons were in the sky.
The fabrics were all from my Island Batik stash … bits and pieces of this and that. The background is BE34-E1 Dot Sky from the Blender’s collection. Hobbs 80/20 is used for the batting. The free motion quilting was pretty simple … clouds and meandering in the sky and vertical wavy lines on the balloons. The baskets were a grid of mish-mashed straight lines. It is bound with Island Batik’s Black solid.
The binding looks a little wonky on the bottom right, but that’s because it won’t be finished until after a special baby is born and I can put the label on it.
#1 SAHRR: I have my centre block done! Whoo hoo!!! And plan to work on the other rounds! The SAHRR will start on January 10. I’ll show you the centre block then!
Here’s the Schedule of Events for SAHRR:
SEW … start thinking about what you can use for your centre block. Will it be an orphan block? Will you start something new? something different? Will it be square or rectangle? It’ll be fun to see what you choose!
#2 Polar Bear Plunge: This is for a blog hop in January … it should be fun! Of course, I can’t show you until the blog hop!
#3 Tickled Pink: This is for a blog hop in February … and again, I can’t show you until then!
#4 Monthly Colour Challenge – with Patterns by Jen. Yes, I’ve pulled my fabrics for the first few months. I’m excited to show you January’s block on January 1!
#2 A&A’s Quilt: This quilt is under the machine at the moment!
The back of the balloon quilt used 2 1/2 yards of flannel – from my stash.
This will be my last stash report for 2021! By the end of the year, I will have used at least another 9 yards of fabric, but I’m not counting it until it’s finished. I will continue with my Sunday Stash report in 2022 – it keeps me honest about what I buy. And, I will often 2nd guess a fabric purchase when I think that I need to report it on my blog! (and that’s a good thing!)
Well, my husband didn’t add any fabric this year. Yes, he was with me on a few occasions when we were in a fabric store, but he didn’t pick up anything for me to buy! Well, the next trip to a fabric store could be another story!
This is my last Stitchin’ Time for 2021. The “Any Which Way” Mystery quilt is happening next week and I want to focus on that!
As for this year, I think I did pretty good … only missed 9 days in the whole year! Wow!! It does help that, aside from one 10 day trip, we didn’t go anywhere! If Kate continues this next year, I’ll be back with more Stitchin’ Time in 2022!
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is now hosting “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.
I won’t be posting a To Do list next week, but I’ll be back in 2022 with updated lists!
I have 2 projects to finish before the end of the year. Unless something weird happens, I should be able to get them done this week! The BBQG Mystery #3 just needs the binding done and A&A’s quilt needs the quilting finished and the label and binding … doable … I hope!
Here’s what’s happening in the studio …
This week I posted my final Island Batik challenge for 2021. It’s been a fantastic year! I will soon have a blog post that will show all of the projects I’ve made with wonderful Island Batik fabrics! You can read more about this finish HERE. It was pieced and quilted with Aurifil thread and Hobbs batting was used.
#1 Scrappy Improv Quilting …
Absolutely NO change from the last month! None at all! Even though I analyzed why it wasn’t getting done – I still haven’t worked on it! I need to get it finished in order to achieve my PHD in 2021!
#2 A&A’s Quilt: This quilt which was started in Mar. is getting pieced into a top. I was suppose to get some direction on how they wanted it pieced, but no direction came, so I decided to do my own thing. … I’m looking forward to quilting some of the negative space …
Amy and I had another “Playing with Rulers” day at Essem Textiles. I was working on my Guild’s fall mystery quilt. I struggled the whole time. First, I did not have my slip slidey thing for my machine, then I realized that my quilting gloves no longer had any grip on them … If we have more “Playing with Rulers” days, I will definitely choose a smaller project! And I will have my slip slidey thing and some good gloves! In spite of my challenges, it was a fun couple of days!! It is so rewarding to see quilters become comfortable with ruler quilting!!! If you live in the area and would like to join us for a “Playing with Rulers” session – let Simina or Rajan at Essem Textiles know. They will put you on a waiting list.
No finishes that used fabric from my stash.
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is now hosting “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.
OK … I’ve got 3 projects to finish before the end of the year. I think I can get them done! I hope I can get them done.
Earlier this week, I posted my English Paper Piecing table runner. It was my last Island Batik challenge of the year. If you know me, I highly dislike hand sewing – it hurts! However, I took my time and had fun! You can read all about it HERE.
This table runner was pieced and quilted with Aurifil threads and Hobbs 80/20 Black batting was used.
It has been a great year with Island Batik. Sometime, in the next few weeks, I will show you all of the projects that were made with Island Batik fabrics this year. It’s a post that always takes a LOT of time to put together!
My cousin, Terry, sent me this! I’ve seen it before – a LONG time ago, but I did laugh out loud when I read it again!
This quilt is on it’s way up north. I’m not sure if I showed it before or not. It’s been finished for awhile. Once I had the baby’s details, I made the label, added it to the quilt and finished the binding.
Jennifer, from Inquiring Quilter, featured these two panel quilts that were recently finished! You can read about them HERE.
Quilting Gail 