Hobbs Batting

Monday Moments: August 15

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I finished the 3 yard quilt. (Remember I started it when my cousin, Connie, was here visiting!)

I quilted it with Silly Moon “Beanie” rulers. (I LOVE their rulers). My plan was to do a Baptist fan over the whole quilt. Well, uh, I changed my mind and just did the Baptist fans in the border. On the rest of the quilt, I used the 4″ Beanie and did circles which made orange peels. I liked the finished look! Would you believe that the backing is actually a dark dark brown? It certainly doesn’t look like it in the pictures! I used Glide thread “wheat” and Hobbs 80/10 batting.

This quilt is from a pattern called “Dream Weaver” from the book “Quick as a Wink 3-Yard Quilts.” It was a quick and fun quilt to piece … however, when I went to put on the binding, I realized that the instructions called for 1.25″ binding. I obviously wasn’t thinking straight when I cut the red fabric for the binding. I ended up with strips of 1.25″ and I wasn’t about to make binding with it. And this quilt was definitely NOT calling for a flange binding! I didn’t have enough of the red fabric left, so I went to my stash and found the darker beige fabric. The moral of this story is to THINK about what you’re cutting and don’t just follow the directions!

Stitching Time

‘

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 – July: 178 / 211
  • August:  14 / 14
  • Total:  192 / 225
  • Percentage = 85% 

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 finished the 3 yard quilt … 3 yards for the front, 3 for the back & half a yard for binding …

  • Fabric Used since the last report    6.5  yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       68.5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    14 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                 54.5 yards 

To Do

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

The To Do list from last week:

  1. Sandwich Island Batik’s September project √   DONE
  2. Quilt:  3 Yard Quilt √   DONE
  3. Work on project for “See Ya Later” Blog Hop √   DONE
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Quilt Island Batik’s September project
  2. Finish dealing with scraps from Island Batik’s September project (can’t let them go to waste!)
  3. Work on project for “Get on Board with Sewing” Blog Hop (I have a plan!)
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

  1. Work with scraps from Island Batik’s September project
  2. Work on project for “Get on Board with Sewing” Blog Hop

Quilting:

  1. Island Batik’s September project (sorry no picture!)

Upcoming Blog Hops

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Class: How to paper piece the EASY way

/ quiltinggail / 18 Comments

I taught a class at Essem Textiles on how to paper piece WITHOUT sewing on the paper.

They all worked on a Storm at Sea block. This was the block they had for inspiration: (made with Island Batik fabric, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread was used for the quilting.)

Continue reading →

Friday Finishes

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I don’t have anything new that is finished … but I have had a couple of finishes in the last week or so.

The first finish was my July Island Batik project that used the Accuquilt Tree of Life Block on Board. The 73 pieces of the block can be cut in one run through of the die. But of course, I had to do it differently and make it scrappy. You can read more about the quilt at this BLOG POST.

I must admit that I am very pleased with how this quilt turned out.

Yes, this quilt used Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread for the quilting.

Oh, and Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs hosts a favourite quilt of the month linky party, and this happens to be mine!

My 2nd finish is my post for the UFO blog hop. This kit had been languishing in my “To Do” box and was on my UFO list both last year and this! You can read about it HERE. Here’s a picture:

Monthly Colour Challenge

Jen, of Patterns by Jen holds a monthly colour challenge. This month’s challenge is purple.

Here is my purple block, made with the rich colours of Island Batik fabrics!

And all of my 7 blocks so far for this year … I think it will be a very pretty quilt when it’s finished!

I don’t have a lot of purple quilts … but these are a few that I’ve done in the past couple of years.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

UFO Blog Hop

/ quiltinggail / 37 Comments

This blog hop came from the creative mind of Joan at Moose Stash Quilting!

Many of us have lots of UFOs ! These are known in the quilting world at UnFinished Objects. In the past I had over 100 UFOs. I thought I only had 80-something, but I kept finding more and more! On my blog, I run a PHD in (the year). PHD stands for Projects Half Done, but is a cute play on the academic PhD. The idea is to complete at least 12 UFOs and finish every project you start that year. This Blog Hop fits nicely into my PHD in 2022 and I managed to get another UFO finished!

One of my UFOs on the list was called “Kit – Narrows.” This was a Row by Row kit from Fiber Lilly in St. John’s, Newfoundland. I bought the kit 5 years ago when my husband and I were there. Fiber Lilly is a lovely quilt store, and one I would frequent if I lived nearby!

I know that I’ve been frequently known to call applique “CR-APplique.” I have hated applique. But, I am determined to do more and hopefully, one day, I might even like it!

I used Hobbs Thermore for the batting. It is a thin polyester batting that is low loft and does not beard. I find it is perfect for small projects!

Here is the quilt, after the pieces were fused on and before the quilting.

Then, it needed quilting and the button houses attached. The land, and boat were all outlined with an applique stitch. I did a large meander for the clouds in the sky and waves in the water. The iceberg is easy to see, but can you spot the whale’s tale?

I took my time with the quilting and used the following Aurifil Threads:

  • # 5004 – Grey Smoke (land, whale & motor)
  • # 2311 – Muslin (Iceberg, boat, fisherman)
  • # 4655 – Storm @ Sea – variegated (sky)
  • # 4669 – Stonewash Blues – variegated (water and binding)

In my latest Island Batik box, I received a lovely pressing mat from Prairie Spirit Alpacas. I’ll talk more about it in a future post, but I LOVED using it !

Visit the other UFO bloggers:

Monday July 25

Tuesday July 26

Wednesday July 27

Thursday July 28

Friday July 29

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Christmas in July with Accuquilt

/ quiltinggail / 23 Comments

Here’s what Island Batik told us about this challenge:

AccuQuilt just launched its exciting GO! Tree of Life Block on Board Die! This die assists quilters in quickly cutting the seventy-three pieces needed to create a 3-color, 14” traditional tree of life (also known as the tree of paradise) quilt block after one pass through a fabric cutter. The GO! Tree of Life Die was specially designed with no y-seams – making it accessible to quilters of all skill levels. There is no need to cut all the pieces by hand or use multiple dies to create this popular quilt block.

When you finish, AccuQuilt would like you to give the project you have made to someone you know who needs a little joy or donate it to a charity of your choosing to gift it to someone. When gifting the completed project, be sure to take photos, so this moment of kindness and love can be shared on social media!

Here is a picture of some of the purples cut with the Accuquilt Tree of Life die:

All of the Island Batik Ambassadors received an Pressing Mat from Prairie Spirit Alpacas. I used it to press everything as I made this quilt. The Alpaca/Wool mat made the seams crisp and perfect!

And here’s a couple of pictures of the quilting in progress. I used Silly Moon rulers for a lot of the quilting. The left hand picture shows me using the 8″ Beanie ruler and the right hand picture is some border quilting using “Rocket”. The burgundy “thing” is called “Dude” and is perfect for measuring exactly where the ruler needs to sit. Aurifil Thread #2600 (Dove) was used for the quilting.

For a unique photo shoot, we went to Redwood Park here in Surrey. Here’s what the City of Surrey says about the park:

The unique forest found at Redwood Park is a legacy of Peter and David Brown, twin brothers born to one of Surrey’s earliest pioneering families. In 1893, their father gifted them this large plot of land, logged and ripe for farming.
However, the brothers instead filled the vast space with their favourite trees from all around the world. Fully committed to their forest sanctuary, the eccentric duo built a treehouse where they lived in solitude until their deaths in 1949 and 1958.
Today, a replica of their treehouse stands in the centre of the park.

A picture of the quilt at the treehouse.

And under the Treehouse:

And in the Fairy Forest:

My finished quilt is being mailed to a dear friend of mine. I would LOVE to be able to hug her in person, but that is not possible at this time.

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 49.5″ x 49.5″
  • Fabric: Scraps of Island Batik from many collections along with Solid White. The purple tree and the binding used Roast.
  • Hobbs Batting 80/20 Natural
  • Aurifil Thread #2600 – 50 wt – (Dove) was used for the quilting and piecing // #2360 – 40 wt: (Chocolate) was used for the binding
  • Piecing, Quilting and Binding done on my Janome M7

Too many HST!

Yes, I made too many half-square triangles … I did not figure out how many I needed for the borders and I certainly did not count how many I made!

So, I made this little zipper bag …

Thank you!

Disclosure: The items needed to make this quilt were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik  Aurifil Thread  Hobbs Batting, Accuquilt, Schmetz Needles and Prairie Spirit Alpacas !!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

No finishes today … just quilting

/ quiltinggail / 8 Comments

I’m still quilting my July Island Batik project … just working on the border with Silly Moon “Rocket” ruler and “dude” to ensure its lined up properly! I’m using Aurifil thread (2600 – Dove) and you can see Hobbs 80/20 batting poking out!

I was Featured

Jennifer featured this sweet panel from last week. You can read about it HERE.

Andrée / Free Motion Mavericks featured my Pop Star Quilt. For more details read this POST.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Sunday’s Thoughts

/ quiltinggail / 13 Comments

My cousin, Connie, is visiting from Ontario and we’re having a blast! We spent one day at Quilt Canada, with my husband enjoying it as well! (I’ll talk about Quilt Canada in a future post). Then we did a tour of Trend-tex (a fabric distributor). Today, we went to a fabric sale in a home and to a fabric store. Such fun! There’s a few more days before she heads home … who knows how much trouble we can get into?

Pop Star

Pop Star is finished … and I will be linking to the Pop Star QAL Final Parade. If you want the pattern you can find it HERE. MMM Quilts has some fantastic designs! I LOVE making her patterns!

This quilt was made with Island Batik fabrics: the background is linen, the light blue is pool, and the dark blue is raven. It was sandwiched with Hobbs 80/20. I backed it with a light yellow flannel.

Here’s a closeup of the quilting in the corner … the star used Silly Moon’s Twinkle ruler.

Stitching Time

‘

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’ve been doing more “unsewing” than sewing … but it still counts, right? And, I’ve been gallivanting around with my cousin, so that has cut into sewing time.

  • January – May:  119 / 150
  • June 1 – 20:  15 / 20
  • Total: 134 / 170
  • Percentage = 79% 

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 was at Quilt Canada last week … and I absolutely fell in love with this beautiful fat quarter bundle. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it … but I do LOVE it. It’s called Bluebird, by Edyta Sitar and I bought it at the Chitterchatter booth. There is a total of 5.5 yards.

When Connie and I went on the Trend-tex tour, we did get a lot of swag … but I’m not counting it because it’s too hard to calculate different sizes of fabric and I didn’t buy it. Also included was a water bottle, a scone and a delicious treat! I have no idea what I’ll do with the fabric, but it’ll be used or it’ll go to the guild’s free table.

The Pop Star quilt used 1.25 yards of background …

  • Fabric Used since the last report      10.5  yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       53.5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   5.5 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    11.75 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                 41.75 yards 

To Do

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

The To Do list from last week:

  1. Work on Here Comes the Sun  blog hop project √   DONE
  2. Finish 2 quilts for an upcoming Island Batik Catalogue … I’ll show you once the catalogue is out.Quilt  not completed
  3. Pop Star Quilt √   DONE 
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Finish both Island Batik Catalogue quilts
  2. Make something … but I’m not sure what!
  3. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  4. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

  1. Even I’m surprised that I don’t have anything being pieced at the moment!

Quilting:

  1. Squirrel is sandwiched and I have a plan for the quilting!

2. The Island Batik Catalogue quilt tops are done – one is quilted and needs the hanging sleeve and the other is in the process of having all of the quilting removed and will be re-quilted … I used an OLD Aurifil Variegated Rayon thread that looked great on the top … and the back was HORRID!!!! Of course, I did not check the back until I was done! Call me dumb, call me stupid, but it serves me right for not checking the back!

Here comes the Sun Blog Hop

This blog hop starts this week! My day is on Tuesday!

Island Batik Blog Hop

Have you been following the latest Island Batik Blog Hop? With quilts featuring the New York Beauty pattern? It’s been quite a variety of wonderful quilts!

I posted mine on June 6 … you can read about it HERE. Here’s links to the blogs that will be posting this week:

June 20:

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia
Brianna Roberts, Sew Cute and Quirky

June 21:

Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads
Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts

June 22:

Megan Best, Bestquilter
Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

June 23:

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt
Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

Opportunity to win!

You can win a fat quarter bundle of Tranquility or Woodblock Bouquets … both wonderful collections! Just follow the prompts in the Rafflecopper giveaway below

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Some of my followers tell me that the Rafflecopter doesn’t work for them … if that’s you, go to Island Batik’s blog and enter there.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Fons & Porter: Love of Quilting

/ quiltinggail / 35 Comments

Have you seen the latest issue of Fons & Porter, Love of Quilting? I am super excited about this issue!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I’ve been looking high and low for it, with little luck. Until today! YEAH!!!

Why? you ask … Because, I have a quilt in the issue. They did a fabulous job photographing it. I absolutely LOVE the table in front of it.

I was so excited to see this in the magazine! A few people emailed me saying that they had seen it – but I hadn’t! It was pretty cool to see it in the magazine!

Quilt Stats:

  • Designed, pieced and quilted by ME!
  • 42.5″ x 42.5″
  • Island Batik fabrics: Contempo and
  • Hobbs 80/20 Batting
  • Aurifil thread (yellow)
  • Free motion quilting on my domestic machine
  • Backing is Fireside

The directions for the quilt are in the magazine. If you make it, I’d love to see a picture!

Here’s a picture of my quilt where you can see all the quilting!

I was Featured!

Jennifer from Inquiring Quilter and Kelly from My Quilt Infatuation both featured my quilts from last week! You can read about it HERE.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Monday Moments: June 13

/ quiltinggail / 22 Comments

I have a finish to show you. I finished this quite a while ago, but couldn’t show you. It was the latest mystery quilt that the guild did! The pattern is from a book, but I re-wrote the instructions to use strip piecing. It makes it so much easier to construct the quilt. And because the original directions were from a “Mystery Quilt” book, I cannot share them with you! Sorry!

This quilt was made with fabrics from my stash. And I only put on the one border … the original directions called for 3 borders.

Here’s a close-up of the quilting … it sort-of looks like feathers, but in reality, it’s just an elongated swirl – way easier than feathers to do!

Stitching Time

‘

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!

Not many days of sewing this week.

  • January – May:  119 / 150
  • June 1 – 13:  9 / 12
  • Total: 128 / 162
  • Percentage = 79% 

Stash Report

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

The guild mystery quilt used 9.25 yards

  • Fabric Used since the last report      9.25  yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       52.25 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    6.25 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                 43. yards 

To Do

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

The To Do list from 3 weeks ago:

  1. Quilt Pop Star Quilt √   DONE (you’ll see this on the 15th!) access the steps at MMM Quilts HERE.
  2. Work on Here Comes the Sun Pop Star Quilt blog hop project √   DONE
  3. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE
  4. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Work on Here Comes the Sun Pop Star Quilt blog hop project
  2. Finish 2 quilts for an upcoming Island Batik Catalogue … I’ll show you once the catalogue is out.
  3. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  4. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

  1. Here Comes the Sun project

2. Island Batik Catalogue quilts (2)

Quilting:

  1. Squirrel is sandwiched and I have a plan for the quilting!

2. Once the Island Batik Catalogue quilt tops are done – they need to be quilted.

Island Batik Blog Hop

Have you been following the latest Island Batik Blog Hop? With quilts featuring the New York Beauty pattern? It’s been quite a variety of wonderful quilts!

I posted mine on June 6 … you can read about it HERE.

June 13:

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations
Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine

June 14:

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts
Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum

June 15:

Michelle Roberts, Creative Blonde Gifts
Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

June 16:

Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese
Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs

Opportunity to win!

You can win a fat quarter bundle of Savannah or Santorini … both wonderful collections! Just follow the prompts in the Rafflecopper giveaway below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Some of my followers tell me that the Rafflecopter doesn’t work for them … if that’s you, go to Island Batik’s blog and enter there.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Saturday 

Jewel Carvings and TGIFF

/ quiltinggail / 37 Comments

I’m hosting TGIFF this week … see the Linky party below ….

A long time ago, in my quilting studio, I had the opportunity to use the fantastic Island Batik collection “Jewel Carvings” by Kathy Engle. It was for a quilt for the Island Batik catalogue. You can check it out HERE – on p.99. I absolutely LOVED working with this collection. It is SEW pretty with the teals, greens and soft yellows and purples …

Here is the quilt I made using Island Batik’s solid black fabric for the background.

My friend, Amy, tested my pattern and made the quilt with a light background. This quilt used the exact same fabrics with “Milkshake” as the background.

Here’s the 2 quilts together … which one would you make?

You have an opportunity to win!

If you’re loving the fabrics in these quilts, Island Batik is giving away a fat-quarter bundle of Jewel Carvings and Nightshade! Both lucious collections! (But you better hurry, the offer ends on Friday night)

Follow the rafflecopter instructions below!

a Rafflecopter giveawayhttps://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

These quilts were made with Hobbs Batting and  Aurifil Thread

TGIFF

Join the Linky Party and show us your Friday Finish!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
https://fresh.inlinkz.com/js/widget/load.js?id=a8b40ada7693d64e5923

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

New York Beauty

/ quiltinggail / 59 Comments

Way back in December, I received this “Surprise” package in one of my Island Batik boxes. I didn’t know which line of fabric it contained.

Along with the 1/2 yard cuts of Harvest Night, I received 2 yards of Wheat Leaves Latte and 2 yards of Midnight Blue.

We were instructed to make a “New York Beauty” quilt.

P.A.N.I.C.

YIKES!!!! Google “New York Beauty” and you’ll see why I was in a panic!

EQ to the rescue! They have plenty of blocks to choose from. I chose to do a Checked Arc Beauty. Then, in order to have enough fabric for the design I chose, I foolishly chose a 9″ block. If I had been wise at the time, I would have chosen a 12″ block. But, I might have run out of fabric making those 9 blocks that run down the centre.

I printed out the pattern, taped the necessary parts together and started to sew. It took me over 3 hours to sew my first block. Oh my … what had I gotten myself into?

When I paper piece, I do NOT sew on the paper. This way, I can chain piece my pieces and use a regular sized stitch … and the bonus – I don’t have to remove paper!!! AND it’s easier to “unsew!”

When I was doing the curved seams … I pinned, pinned, pinned. I wanted those points to match up. And for the most part, they did! That was a LOT of pins for me to use – especially since I rarely use pins!

Here’s an assortment of pieces of one block …

I went to a retreat in March. I took my project with me … I only got 4 blocks completed on the weekend! Sigh!!! But, I must admit, I was busy visiting, taking pictures, eating, visiting, eating, taking pictures, visiting and only sewing in between!

Once I got home from the retreat, it was pedal to the medal and the quilt top was done.

This quilt told me it needed a simple, fairly skinny border which finishes at 1 1/2″. The dark border is “Midnight Blue” and the light border is “Wheat Leaves Latte.” Both of these fabrics are foundations that are available at any time.

To sandwich the quilt, I used 505 Spray baste and Hobbs Batting 80/ 20. It hung on the design wall for several days while I decided how to quilt it. There is a LOT of stitch in the ditch and some 1/4″ outlining … it took awhile to quilt! Aurifil Thread #2370 (Sandstone) was used. Schmetz Needle microtex chrome 70/10 was used for the quilting. The scrappy binding used each of the 20 fabrics.

Here is a close-up of the quilting. And yes, I like this thread so much, I’ve almost used a cone and a lot of a large spool! (Not all on this quilt!) I hate having to unthread my machine to wind a bobbin – that’s why I like to have the extra spool – just for bobbins!

I didn’t have enough of the Wheat Leaves Latte for the backing … SEW … I cut what I had in half diagonally, put it up on the design wall and measured what the distance was between the 2 pieces. I took some of the left-over pieces and made the center strip. Then I had a backing that was big enough – and pretty as well!

Here is a closeup of the quilting on the back:

There is a give-away!

Island Batik has a give-away! You have the opportunity to win a fat-quarter bundle of Jewel Carvings or Nightshade! Both lucious collections! Follow the rafflecopter instructions below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.js

Visit Elizabeth

Visit Elizabeth at Epida Studio. She received the same surprise bundle of Harvest Night as me. I can’t wait to see her New York Beauty!!! I bet they look totally different. But I need to wait until she posts to see 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 !!

Blog Hop Schedule

Everyone is making New York Beauties this month! Be sure to visit each of them. You are in for a lot of fantastic eye candy! Here is the schedule:

June 6:

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail
Elizabeth DeCroos, Epida Studio

June 7:

Reed Johnson, Blue Bear Quilts
Andi Stanfield, True Blue Quilts

June 8:

Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

June 9:

Jennifer Fulton, Inquiring Quilter
Mania Hatziioannidi, Mania for Quilts

June 10:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway

June 13:

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations
Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine

June 14:

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts
Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum

June 15:

Michelle Roberts, Creative Blonde Gifts
Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

June 16:

Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese
Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs

June 17:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

June 20:

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia
Brianna Roberts, Sew Cute and Quirky

June 21:

Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads
Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts

June 22:

Megan Best, Bestquilter
Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

June 23:

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt
Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

June 24:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 3 and Giveaway

June 27:

Jane Hauprich, Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting
Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Triangle Tricks

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Here’s what we were told, “The Triangle Tricks Challenge is designed to take you out of your comfort zone with square or rectangle blocks and have you work with triangles. Have fun!”

I’ve done oodles of triangle quilts, half-square triangles, tri-recs triangles, flying geese is all about triangles … Lots of different quilts … and I have a current leader and ender project that is also all about triangles, but I wanted something a bit different.

I spied Triangle Stars in our guild library … it looked great … it said “Deceptively Easy.” Time to try it out!

I chose to use the precut “Starry Night” that I received last year. Isn’t it a beautiful collection??? And with my favourite blues …

Here’s the first triangle I made …

Lots and lots of triangles … They are paired with Island Batik black solid with either white solid or rice. The black, white and rice are basics and available all the time.

Sew, I put all these triangles together and was thinking, “yeah, I’ve almost got this top done.” THEN, I went to iron it … oh my … I told a friend that it was a mess with multiple Double E sized bra cups all over it. Groan … I tried to press it into submission, but nothing worked … and I forgot to take a picture.

But, lots and lots of unstitching …

Then I realized that the triangles were off! They were SUPPOSED to be 60 degree triangles … so they all got squared (triangled?) up to be 60 degrees. I’m not sure that you can see much difference in the picture, but the one on the right is a 60 degree triangle and I have no idea what the one on the left is …

but there was a LOT of trimming! Depending on the triangle, there was anywhere from 1/2″ to 1/16″. That in my book is way to much variation. I checked my templates … yup – they were correct. I checked my seam allowance … yup – they were all the same 1/4″ … I have NO idea what happened! But I do know that IF I EVER make this quilt again, I will draw out a paper piecing pattern and there will be no templates used!

Here is the finished quilt! I must admit that it went together much easier once I made the triangles all the same size. And there were no Double E bra sized lumps … there was one “A” sized one, but that was easily quilted out!

I used Hobbs Batting BLACK 80/20 batting … it was perfect for this quilt! The stars and the shadow stars were quilted with Aurifil Thread #4644 (Smoke Blue) and the rest of the black was swirled with #2692 (Black). I used a microtex from Schmetz Needles.

Wait, there’s more!

As I was cutting up the left-over fabric to use for my leader and ender project, I thought “why not use it right away?” I do need 2 small table toppers for the newly painted and carpeted guest room – so I should make them now!

I used my 8″ Cube  Accuquilt #4 & #5 dies to cut out triangles with the left-over Starry Night fabrics. Then I cut tons of triangles with #5 die using Chevron – Iceberg … my plan was to make something cool with HST and flying geese. I made lots of HST and flying geese, but my plan did not come to be. That was OK … I decided I’d make one topper with HST turned into pinwheels and another with the flying geese.

To finish these, I used scraps of Hobbs Batting 80/20, a Schmetz Needle microtex and Aurifil Thread #2600 (Dove).

Thank you!

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Friday … the end of the week …

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It has been a busy week … yesterday, I zoom quilted with several guild members … it’s always a LOT of fun and I managed to get 2 tops to flimsy stage. One is next month’s Island Batik challenge and the other is my Squirrel Attack quilt! Both are now waiting to be sandwiched.

I do have a finish to show … one of my blog followers suggested that I finish the baby panel with the kitty on it. I listened to her … and here it is! It was a LOT of fun to quilt … and miraculously the green for the binding was just the right amount! This UFO has Hobbs batting and was quilted with Glide thread.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Teddy Bear Class #1

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A few weeks ago, I taught a Teddy Bear class at Essem Textiles. It was very popular and there was a wait list! The class will be repeated on April 21 and 28th! Contact Essem to sign up … there isn’t many spots left!

This Teddy Bear pattern is in the Book “Fat Quarter Baby.” In the class, I offer 2 sizes, along with speedier cutting and piecing directions. The pattern in the book is 33″ x 37″ and the larger size is 41″ x 46.”

Here are pictures from the class:

Some are busy cutting their fabrics!

This is Madeline’s. She’s started to quilt it with a serpentine stitch.

Linda almost has her top completed … so cute with all the dotted fabric!

Nancy claims she’s not a quilter! I beg to differ with her! She’s done an awesome job with this teddy bear.

I love Lorraine’s with the honey bees! Perfect!

This was Anne’s first Teddy Bear and she didn’t quite have enough fabric for the back … so she learned how to do the diagonal stripe … super simple and very effective!

Anne’s 2nd Teddy Bear

And this is Simina’s first quilt! I think she’s hooked!

And here is the one I made: I used Hobbs 80/20 batting. It is quilted with a thread that is new to me “Seracycle.” It is made by Mettler out of recycled 100% PET bottles. SEW – what did I think? The thread quilted very nicely. The small spool did not contain enough thread to sew this quilt and I had to substitute a white thread to finish the quilt. It’s a great idea, but the spools need to be bigger. If you are interested in using Seracycle, Essem Textiles carries it. I think it would be great for garment sewing.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Saturday 

Monday’s Status

/ quiltinggail / 13 Comments

I’ve had a busy week! And I have gotten lots done! My Macaron Mystery is completed. This was a mystery quilt from  Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs. I love her mystery quilts! You can be sure I’ll be following and quilting when she starts the Melodic Mystery in July!

And … did you see Gracie the Gorilla? A Funky Friends pattern for Island Batik’s April challenge. She was so much fun to make! I used Island Batik fabrics, Schmetz needles, and Aurifil thread to make her!

Overhauling the Craft Room

Kim of Persimon Dreams and Kim of Gogokim have joined together and created this Overhaul. If you saw my room, you would KNOW that I NEED to do an Overhaul!!! In a couple of weeks, our quilt guild is having a garage sale … a perfect opportunity to get rid of some quilting junk useful items … I’m not totally following their direction, but I am in the process of going through EVERY container. And I’ll tackle every surface!

Here’s some pictures … as the room was before I started going through things: What a mess, eh? Every available surface cluttered with projects and fabric I need to put away, some baby quilts to be quilted, things to be unpacked from my latest class, fabric to be sorted through, papers cluttering up my computer desk, and left-over batting and fabric on my cutting table!

I’ve already gone through my books … and they’ll be on the free table at the garage sale. I don’t expect the guild library will want them … some are quite old!

Stitching Time

‘

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 – Mar:  90 / 90
  • Apr 1 – 10: 10 / 10
  • Total: 100 / 100
  • 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!

Macaron used 12 yards of stash. I was thrilled to pieces when I realized that I had the perfect backing! It’s nice to be using up my stash.

  • Fabric Used this week      12   yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       25.5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    4.25 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                 21.25 yards 

To Do

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

I had month to work on my previous To Do list … let’s see how I did …

The To Do list 2 weeks ago:

  1. Bind Macaron Mystery √   DONE
  2. Bind BBQG mystery quilt √   DONE
  3. Teddy #3 – Finish top √   DONE
  4. Complete Colour Your World Blog Hop project √   DONE
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Quilt & Bind Teddy #3
  2. Quilt & Bind at least 2 Baby Quilt Panels
  3. Work on Foodie Blog Hop project
  4. Go through the Fabric and Project containers.
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

1. Foodie Blog Hop: These fabrics are from my stash. You’ll just have to wait until May 24th to see what is happening with this fabric!

Quilting:

I have 5 Baby Quilt panels lined up to be quilted and 2 that need binding. Boy, will I ever be glad when I no longer have cute panels in my stash! Some of these were panels that were given to me … I sandwiched them ages ago, but the quilting didn’t happen! And, I did find some of them when I went through a container – part of the Overhaul! 2 of the Baby Quilt panels are partially hand quilted … they will have machine quilting for the finish!

One UFO was finished: Macaron Mystery! That leaves me with 7 more to complete for my PHD in 2022. The New Starts are gradually getting completed! Personally, I really like how completing the New Starts does NOT add to the UFO list! And it is gradually getting smaller!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Funky Friends

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Funky Friends Factory is sponsoring this month’s Island Batik challenge. We got to choose from a TON of different animals. It was hard to choose! They are all so cute! Thank you Pauline McArthur for allowing us to pick which one we wanted to do and sending us the pattern!

I chose Gregory Gorilla. He looked so cute. I already have made a few Funky Friends and I wanted a different one and I just couldn’t resist making Gregory!

The fabrics I chose are: for the dark – Blackberry, and for the light – Begonia. These are basics and available at all times.

There are lots of parts for Gregory … and here they are, all cut out. The pattern pieces are still pinned to the fabric because many of them contain necessary markings for when you’re making the critter.

The Funky Friends patterns are very well written and easy to follow. If you don’t quite “get it,” there are on-line photos that take you step by step!

And the head is starting to take shape! Can you see his nostrils? They make me laugh! I used Aurifil Thread 2581 (Dark Dusty Grape) to sew with a Schmetz Needle.

I originally wanted to give Gregory away as a gift, but alas, I couldn’t find any safety eyes. Well, I did find some, but they were green and not what I was looking for. I found the googly eyes with eye lashes, so perhaps Gregory should be a girl and I’ll now name her Gracie the Gorilla.

I used a polyfill stuffing for the areas close to Gracie’s ‘skin.’ And the rest of Gracie was stuffed with remnants of Hobbs 80/20 batting — I pulled it apart into very small pieces and it worked great!

Gracie escaped and I found her basking in the sun by the hyacinths and daffodils.

The next time she escaped, she was hanging out in the cherry blossoms with a plethora of bees!

Then she hopped over to the magnolia tree and I could finally rescue her!

This was a fun challenge to make!

Here are the other Funky Friends I have made over the past few years: The elephant, alpaca and rhino. These also used Island Batik fabrics!

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 !! And a special mention to Funky Friends!

Want to see More Funky Friends?

Visit all of the other Island Batik Ambassadors.

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs
Megan Best ~ Bestquilter
Pamela Boatright ~ Pamelaquilts
Elizabeth DeCroos ~ Epida Studio
Jennifer Fulton ~ Inquiring Quilter

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts
Jane Hauprich ~ Stitch By Stitch Custom Quilting
Reed Johnson ~ Blue Bear Quilts
Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs

Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney ~ 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
Claudia Porter ~ Create with Claudia
Gail Renna ~ Quilt Haven Threads
Brianna Roberts ~ Sew Cute And Quirky
Michelle Roberts ~ Creative Blonde
Andi Stanfield ~ True Blue Quilts
Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels
Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Macaron Mystery is Complete

/ quiltinggail / 34 Comments

This is a mystery quilt that was offered by Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs. This is the 2nd mystery I’ve done of hers and I have LOVED doing each one. I know that some of you highly dislike doing mystery quilts, but she offers to give you a sneak peak – so you’re not totally doing a mystery. However, since I LOVE mystery quilts, I do it as a mystery! No peeking for me.

Cheryl’s directions are very clear and easy to follow! Here’s a few of the progress pictures of this mystery:

The fabric all came from my stash. As did the backing fabric. It has Hobbs 80/20 batting and I used Glide thread (Mercury) to quilt it. The binding is the medium blue print.

And the completed quilt! (And yes, I did alter some of the setting triangles to make the quilt symmetrical. The quilt insisted on it!)

And some quilting close-ups! Some free motion and some ruler work.

And … Cheryl has announced that there will be another mystery quilt starting in July! I already know that I’m going to join in! It’s called the Melodic Mystery! Are you going to join?

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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I Have MPD … do you?

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That’s right, I have MPD … I hadn’t heard of it until today. I seriously have it!! It’s actually a serious case.

My sister sent this to me … sigh! It’s from Quilt Digest’s FB page and apparently you can buy it on Amazon HERE … but it’s currently unavailable. That’s OK … I know I have MPD and really don’t need a sign in my studio to tell me about it! I’m happiest when I’m working on 2 or 3 or 4 projects at once! I love the challenge of keeping them all straight!

Eye Candy

If you want to see all of the Island Batik ambassador projects from March, Mania has them all together in one blog post with the threads that each ambassador used. Go HERE to see them all!

This was mine, made with Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread.

Stitching Time

‘

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 – Mar:  90 / 90
  • Apr 1 – 3: 3 / 3
  • Total: 93 /
  • 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 have NO finishes this week. But that’s OK … I have 2 quilts that are ready for binding and they both use fabric that came from my stash … so hopefully next week, I’ll have some different numbers.

I did use stash in a couple of my March finishes … The backings for the SAHRR (see HERE), the Time in a Bottle Quilt (see HERE) and the GAYG table runner (see HERE). 3 1/2 yards, 1 1/4 yards, and 1 yard respectively. That totals 5 3/4 yards!

  • Fabric Used this week      0   yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       13.50 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    4.25 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                 8.75 yards 

To Do

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

I had month to work on my previous To Do list … let’s see how I did …

The To Do list 2 weeks ago:

  1. Finish quilting Macaron Mystery √   DONE
  2. Work on IB May challenge √   DONE
  3. Work on April’s Colour Challenge √   DONE
  4. Sandwich and possibly quilt BBQG mystery quilt √   DONE
  5. Teddy #3 – Sew for class sample Finish IB March project √   DONE in progress
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! √   DONE
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Bind Macaron Mystery
  2. Bind BBQG mystery quilt
  3. Teddy #3 – Finish top
  4. Complete Colour Your World Blog Hop project
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

1. Teddy #3: These fabrics are from my stash. This is still in progress

2. Wonderful World of Colour: In progress … you’ll see this at the blog hop later this month!

Quilting:

Nothing being quilted at the moment … but Macaron Mystery and the BBQG Mystery are both quilted and waiting for their binding!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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