This month, half of the Island Batik ambassadors were involved in the “A Piece of …” Blog Hop and the rest of us were challenged to use our favourite tool and make a quilt. I started out with one idea and made the top. However, I had forgotten to take pictures of me using the tool with the Island Batik fabric. Now that was plan dumb!!! So – that quilt got put aside and I changed my tool and design. I did use EQ to plan both quilts. That was tool #1. Continue reading
Yes, you read that correctly! I have a finish. YEAH!!!!
October’s Island Batik challenge is “Top It Off.” We were told to create a holiday themed table runner or table topper that includes appliqué. Well, you all know how much I love applique (NOT!!). However, with my Janome 500E embroidery machine, applique has become SEW much easier!
In the spring, at our guild, I demo’d how to web a quilt. They asked me to provide written instructions. Well, that proved extremely difficult for me. SEW … as I was webbing my demo quilt for the Baby Quilt Marathon, I decided to do a video. You can see it on YouTube HERE. The quilt in the video is below.
This challenge scared me! I’m not an artsy-fartsy quilter. I don’t do “art.” The challenge directions were: Use any fabric art/non-traditional quilting/sewing/thread painting technique using 3 Aurifil thread weights. Oh me, oh my … what to do? I literally had NO idea. None at all. I was wondering if I could skip this challenge? Perhaps pay someone to do it for me? no … that’s not my style … I couldn’t live with the guilt!
Then, I was looking at a crazy quilt hanging in a sewing machine store and it hit me!!!
YEAH!!! Suddenly, I knew what to do. I would do a crazy quilt block, embroider it with at least 3 weights of Auriful thread, make it into a little bag and call it done! What a relief to have a plan!
And, thankfully, I had the perfect fabric left-over from my Christmas RAPPing table runner. (see HERE). Along with pieces from the Island Batik Stash Builder bundles.
In April, we travelled across the country, which meant a few LONG plane rides. I quickly made my crazy quilt blocks, sewing them onto Hobbs 80/20 batting. One was partially embroidered on our trip.
Is Canada Day! And the start of:
Earlier this spring, Jennifer Strauser. an Island Batik ambassador, reached out and asked if any of us would like to do a Quilt of Valor. I said, “yes,” provided I could do a Canadian one. The answer was “yes!” SEW, I knew I would be using only the white and red fabrics. We were all sent a stack (like a layer cake) of red, white, and blue fabric. Along with yardage: a solid white, 2 reds and 3 blues. It was a bit of a challenge to use just the red and white in the package. I did end up using one navy with red poppies on it. Also, I needed to use a red fabric from a stash builder bundle and some white=ish fabric left over from my “Stars on Ice” quilt.
Here is a picture of the stack from the Freedom line:
This quilt is my own pattern “Ivan’s Diamonds” and I’ve made it several times. You can check them out HERE, HERE, and HERE. Although, this is the first time I’ve put a maple leaf in the middle. I used the Artistic Cutter to cut out the Maple Leaf.
The quilt will hang in the Quilt of Valour display at the Ladner Car and Quilt Show in August. After that, Lynn, our guild’s Quilts of Valour volunteer, will deliver it to a representative from Quilts of Valour and it will eventually be presented to a past or present member of the Canadian Armed Forces who is ill or injured as a result of their service to Canada.
Here is a close-up of the centre of the quilt. This picture shows the true colours better than the above picture. It is grafitti quilted with a light grey, Aurifil #2600 and Hobbs 80/20 batting. I did bind it with a dark navy as there was not enough red fabric left for binding.
Visit the other blogs in the hop.
Today it’s
Becca Fenstermaker — Pretty Piney
Denise Looney — For the Love of Geese
Gail Sheppard — Quilting Gail You are already HERE! 🙂
Tomorrow, July 2
Pamela Boatright — Pamela Quilts
Anne Wiens —Seams Like a Plan
Wednesday, July 3
Bea Lee —Bea Quilter
Carla Henton — Creatin’ In the Sticks
Thursday, July 4
Emily Leachman — The Darling Dogwood
Joan Kawano — MooseStash Quilting
Jen Strauser – Dizzy Quilter
Friday, July 5
Steph Jacobson — Steph Jacobsen Designshttp://Dizzyquilter.com
Leah Malasky — Quilted Delights
Anja Clyke — Anja Quilts
Maryellen McAuliffe — Mary Mack Made Mine
A few blog posts ago, I mentioned that I have 3 UFO baby quilts and 2 new baby quilt starts. A couple of readers suggested that I have a Baby Quilt Marathon and get those little quilts done!
SEW … that germinated a few seeds and got me thinking … What would a Baby Quilt Marathon look like?
According Merriem-webster, one of the definitions of a marathon is an endurance contest. It can include an event, an activity or requiring concentrated effort.
Typically runninmarathons can be around 26 miles or 42 kilometres.
Now, I know that I can not sit at the sewing machine for 26 hours, let alone 42 hours … SEW … I decided that I can concentrate on these baby quilts for 26 hours … over the space of 2 weeks. That’s less than 2 hours a day. I can do that! And so can YOU!
SEW … are you going to join me? All you need to do is keep track of your hours and make a concentrated effort to work on baby quilts and get them done!
OK OK …. so you don’t have 5 baby quilts that you need to finish? … that’s OK … you can work on whatever project you want. But it has to be a concentrated effort to a goal of finishing the project.
What happens if you don’t sew for 26 hours in 15 days? Absolutely nothing. But you need to make an honest effort to do so.
When people run marathons all sorts of things happen. I did a half marathon several years ago (before my back became nasty about it) and I was SLOW!!! My son text me when I was about the 1/2 way mark and said he was finished!!! That made me a bit mad, but also made me determined to finish. Some people that were running didn’t finish … but at least they tried. That’s all that I will ask of you … that you try! 🙂
I won’t show you all 5 of the baby quilts, but I will show you one of the new starts … I have started to add borders.
The Island Batik challenge for this month is: “Try a Technique” Challenge. Oh, lots and lots of things to choose from!!! I had been wanting to try Angela Walter’s “Free Motion Challenge, Layered Quilting.” Sew, that became my project!
Angela Walter’s
Last week, I told you I was piecing 3 other projects …
One is finished, finished, finished! … (yeah) but I can’t show you until July.
One is ready to sandwich … but I can’t show you until July!
The Fractured Paint brush is ready to be sandwiched. I will be opening a new roll of Hobbs 80/20 for this quilt!
The last block for the Daisy Chain Mystery is up. The clues had me guessing until the very last minute!!! It’s a great mystery! Thank you, Little Bunny Quilts!!!
So, I pieced the last blocks together and I was so excited to see this quilt put together, I didn’t take any pictures of the block until the quilt was sandwiched! 
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These “cross” blocks pieced together very quickly! All the units were previously put together, so it was very easy to do!
Once I had the blocks done, I was eager to see how my quilt would look. SEW … I put it all together. The instructions tell you to pay attention to the orientation of the “star” blocks and the “cross” blocks. Amazingly, I did pay attention and I didn’t have to reach for my seam ripper!!!! Perhaps, I’m learning to follow directions? Continue reading
When we were in Hawaii in January, we went to Pearl Harbour. I was captivated by the history of the bombing and intrigued by the “Tree of Life” relief. According to “A Day at Pearl Harbor – USS Arizona Memorial” the design “has come to be known as a symbol of peace and harmony”.
I had already recieved an outline from Island Batik of our upcoming projects. “Make it Modern” was the title for the month of May. As I looked at the structure and took the photo, I pondered, “Could I? Should I? Can I?”
And the answers to my questions were: Yes, yes, yes…. Continue reading
What’s this? Christmas in May? Well, yes and no. The blog hop from Christmas RAPPING is in progress … and just because the book is titled “Christmas,” it doesn’t mean that you have to make the projects in Christmas colours. I was tired of winter and wanted to do a quilt in spring/ summer colours! Island Batik generously sent me the fabric I requested. I also used Hobbs 80/20 batting and Aurifil thread #5008 (blue) for the quilting.
If you know me, I know you’re surprised and saying “look at all those appliquéd stars.” Well … read on … (and the centre block is paper pieced, not appliquéd!
Continue reading
I have 5 UFO finishes for 2019!
The first picture shows, Ivan’s Diamonds, Carpenter’s Wheel and a Star Table runner
My 2 April finishes are Good Fortune and a Retreat Bag.
I have an Inlinks party for PHD in 2019 participants to link up to. However, you you want to link up, feel free! Just be sure to mention this blog in your blog post, Instagram or Pinterest picture!
Close up pictures of a couple of quilts: This first one was the Island Batik Accuquilt Challenge. Free Motion quilting did not call to me and it’s totally stitched in the ditch. (And yes, I used my ruler foot and a ruler for most of the quilting.) I used Aurifil Thread and Hobbs batting. The fabrics are Island Batik and mostly came from the Stash Builder Rolls or my yardage.
This is a Close up of Good Fortune and the quilting. I just did an all-over pattern that was inspired by Roseanne of Home Sewn by US, but then it morphed into my own design.
This awesome blog hop is continuing. If you haven’t checked out the great projects – be sure to do so. And, there is a chance for YOU to win! Check it out!
April 29 Joan @ MooseStash Quilting
April 30 Linda @ One Quilting Circle
May 1 Kathy @ Kathy’s Kwilts
May 2 Bea @ Beaquilter
May 3 Sherry @ Powered by Quilting
May 4 Jennifer @ Dizzy Quilter
May 5 Barbara Gaddy @ Bejeweledquilts by Barb
May 6 Nancy Myers @ Patchwork Breeze
May 7 Vicki @ Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting
May 8 Gail @ Quilting Gail THIS IS ME come back and see what I made!
May 9 Michelle @ Creative Blonde
May 10 Maryellen @ Mary Mack’s Blog
May 11 Denise @ For the Love of Geese
May 12 Maria @
Click on the Rafflecopter giveaway link to have a chance to WIN 9 Island Batik FQ’s and 3 Aurifil spools of thread to 2 lucky winners!
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If you want to see the newest fabric and patterns from Island Batik … go to the Spring and Summer 2019 Catalog. Be prepared for an online magazine full of the most beautiful fabric and tons of patterns for wonderful quilts and tuffets, clothing and other projects.
I received these Aurifil threads in the mail today! The dark purple is 40 wt, blue is 12 wt and the pink is 28 wt. Very pretty!!! I need to use all 3 weights in an upcoming Island Batik Challenge.
What will I do? I’m not sure. I haven’t used 12 wt or 28 wt thread before. I used 40 wt once on a quilt. It will be fun to come up with something that uses all 3 weights of thread! Continue reading
YES!1! This winter table runner is DONE!!! (And, I couldn’t resist taking a picture of it beside some crocuses! (Look carefully and you’ll see a couple of purple flowers!)
There are secret things happening here. Slow progress is being made on each of these. There are challenge quilts for the upcoming guild show in May as well as Island Batik challenges for the next few months.
Of course – once I am able, I will show you ALL of the secret projects … just not yet. Continue reading
Woohoo!!! I’m so excited that this UFO is done, DONE, DONE!
Quilting Gail 