Hobbs Batting

Sunday Summary March 2

/ quiltinggail / 20 Comments

Someone asked me how many sewing machines I have! I have several … In my studio are:

  • Janome M7 for quilting
  • Janome 8900 for piecing
  • Janome Pro 4DX (serger)
  • Janome embroidery machine (500E)

In travelling totes:

  • a Janome 4120
  • a Singer featherweight

In the basement:

  • a hand-crank

SAHRR is almost done!

I will not be having a separate SAHRR post on March 3, but I thought I’d show you the results of participants that do not blog or have IG:

  • Carolyn said, ” I made a “checker” strip (1st initial of my name). Ready to quilt.”
  • Katie said, “I combined the last 2 prompts for my next border–quarter log cabins in the corners, and the kites in the center all finishing at 2″, so my top is now 20″ square.  I think I’ll bind it with the darker brown.”
  • Robin
  • Judy said, “Top is finished – ready to sandwich”
  • Jacomina said “I would never have sewn anything like this if it was not for the prompts.  But at least the remnant from the center block is repeated”

Come back on March 24th for the Final Parade!

A Favourite Finish for February

Yvonne @ Quilting Jetgirl hosts a monthly Favourite Finish. You can read about this Island Batik (Lumin) challenge featuring Studio 180 tool and the Radiant Burst collection HERE.

I did have several finishes in February, but I can’t show you until later in March or April or … Trust me, when I can show you, I will!

A Winner

A random winner was chosen for the fabric draw… C. will receive the fabric later this month! I’m 100% positive that she will enjoy using this beautiful “Radiant Burst” Island Batik fabric! (This is from this POST)

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January – February: 58 / 59 days
  • March: 2 / 2 days
  • Total: 60 / 61 98 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Blue Blocks: Making blocks with 2 1/2” squares … Picture below … still have several 16 patch blocks to make and then add sashing around the 4 patch blocks … this will make a decent sized comfort quilt. (All the squares are from my Island Batik stash!)
  • IB April Project: as leaders & enders … and no picture!
  • Yellow – I’ll be cutting up my scraps for something … I don’t know what, yet!

Quilting projects:

  • 2 Blue Charm Star quilts – the borders are from Stash Builder rolls! No yardage cut for either of these quilts … well, except for the solid white background fabric! But, it’s all Island Batik fabric!
  • Quilt Guild Hospice Quilt – the blocks were made by guild members and I believe Regina pieced them together.

Sunday Stash

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!

No changes in numbers this week because I can’t show you my finishes yet! 😁

  • Fabric used in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     10.5 yards. {3 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              10.5 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

  1. Sandwich and Quilt Blue charm star quilts. XX NOT DONE XX
  2. Get Blue 2 1/2” squares to flimsy stage XX NOT DONE XX
  3. IB March Project: Finish: Quilt & Bind. √   DONE
  4. Sandwich and Quilt Guild Hospice Quilt in progress. Quilt sandwiched
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Sandwich & Quilt Blue charm star quilts.
  2. Get Blue 2 1/2” squares to flimsy stage
  3. Quilt Guild Hospice Quilt
  4. IB April Project: get to flimsy stage
  5. Cut up Yellow scraps and decide what to make … or I should probably decide first, before I cut! 😉
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

2 Blog Hops this Week

I’m participating in TWO blog hops this week. That’s correct 2! I urge you all to follow along as with these gorgeous fabric collections, the hops promise to be full of beautiful eye candy!

Meadow Hues

The first one, Meadow Hues starts today!! I’ll be posting tomorrow with my quilt!

Here’s the Meadow Hues schedule:

Sunlit Garden

The 2nd one is: Sunlit Garden and starts on Monday. I’ll be posting my quilt on Thursday!

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: February 23

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

Isn’t this the truth? I have a friend who could never find her seam ripper. So, she bought a pack of 3. Now, she says, “I’m looking for one of my 4 seam rippers!” 😁

SAHRR is in progress!

Tomorrow is Round #6 hosted by Emily at The Darling Dogwood Here’s where you can find each of my rounds, along with links to the co-hosts!

A Finish from Last Week

Last week, for the Island Batik “Runner Up” Blog Hop, I posted about my runner. You can read about it HERE. I thoroughly enjoyed making this runner! Using a Studio 180 tool and following directions made for almost perfect points. I say “almost” because I’m not perfect!

And the day before my post went live, I showed the runner at the Boundary Bay Guild meeting. (Photo credit: Irene Hamilton). Our speaker was Julie Plotniko, who spoke about ‘Precision Piecing.’ I am definitely NOT a Precision piecer, but using the Studio 180 tool (Rapid Fire® Lemoyne Star), my runner was pretty close to being precision pieced! (Thanks to the 2 gals on the stage who held the quilts!)

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January: 31 / 31 days
  • February: 23 / 23 days
  • Total: 54/ 54 100 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Blue Blocks: Making blocks with 2 1/2” squares … Blue is the colour for February for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge
  • IB April Project: as leaders & enders … and no picture!

Quilting projects:

  • IB March Project
  • 2 Blue Charm Star quilts

Sunday Stash

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 my Island Batik “Runner Up” project! Also, I gave away a huge bag of scraps to a friend. I didn’t measure the amount, so I can’t include it, but it was fun to give her a bag of scraps!!! I know how much fun it is to sew with someone else’s fabrics! 😁

  • Fabric used in the last 2 weeks: 2 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     10.5 yards. {3 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              10.5 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

  1. Finish Blue charm star quilt. in progress. 2 flimsies completed
  2. Decide what to do with cut Blue 2 1/2” and 2″ squares. √   DONE Decision made for the 2 1/2” squares!
  3. IB March Project: Quilt & Bind in progress
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Sandwich and Quilt Blue charm star quilts.
  2. Get Blue 2 1/2” squares to flimsy stage
  3. IB March Project: Finish: Quilt & Bind
  4. Sandwich and Quilt Guild Hospice Quilt
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Island Batik’s Runner Up Blog Hop

This is the last week. Visit Lumin Blog (Island Batik) to see a recap of last week’s Runners! PLUS, an opportunity for YOU to win a fat quarter bundle.

WEEK 4 – the last week!

February 24:

February 25:

February 26:

End of Blog Hop + Final Round Up

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Runner Up – Studio 180 Design Tool

/ quiltinggail / 46 Comments

I was sent the beautiful collection called “Radiant Burst” by Jerry Khiev. This fabric will be shipping to stores this month!

Here’s some of the instructions that we were given:

Project Type: Table Runner or Bed Runner
Size: Runner
Fabric: Must use Fall 2024 fabric bundle (see the season of your collection bundle on the sticker!)
Must use as many collection SKUs as possible
Pick any size unit that you want to work with
Must use at least 12 units total, made with the Studio 180 Design tool you received. (If you received a Rapid Fire® Lemoyne Star or Wedge Star tool you only need to make at least 3 full blocks for your project)

I received the Rapid Fire® Lemoyne Star tool to use with my Radiant Burst collection! Studio 180 has free Downloads on how to use the tools and links to instructional videos where Deb Tucker explains the process very clearly!! By following the instructions (either by video or paper) it makes the process of using the tools easy. Please note: I did say EASY, not fast and quick!

Since I am not a precision quilter, I’m always amazed at how great the units and blocks turn out when I use a Studio 180 tool!

Here are pictures of the components of the Lemoyne Blazing Star in progress (a technique sheet … you can find it HERE.) The first picture shows the Studio 180 Magic Wand being used to mark the 1/4” for accurate piecing. I used my wonderful Oliso M3Pro iron. I LOVE this iron!! The last picture shows the finished component prior to trimming and adding the background pieces.

I made 8 basic components for Blazing Lemoyne Stars There are basically 4 different layouts in the following 3 pictures. The middle one has 2 (blue & purple centres and the one on the right is a combination of the Left one and the centre one).

I paired the Lemoyne Stars with Platinum (a neutral I received in my January boxes).

Now, I know that the instructions said that if I was using a Rapid Fire® Lemoyne Star, I could just make 3 stars. But, if I made 3 blazing stars (that finish at 12″), that would only use 9 of the fabrics in the collection. When it’s a blog hop, I make it a personal challenge to use as many of the 20 fabrics as possible. So I made 8 – 6″ stars, using 2 fabrics each from the collection. They were fun to make! In total, I used 19 of the fabrics in the collection for the stars. The 20th fabric I used on the back and with self-binding, there are a total of 20 fabrics seen on the top! YAY!!!

The backing is the only fabric that I didn’t use in the stars: Camellia Flower-Pink. I did a self-binding and it also is on the front:

The runner fits perfectly on my deacon’s bench!!

My grand-dog is guarding the bench!

And a couple of close-ups of the quilting. I used Silly Moon‘s “Rocket” to outline the centre star and the curved edges for the small sides of each piece. Then a simple meander for the background pieces.

Preeti, from Sew Preeti Quilts also received Radiant Burst. Make sure to visit her blog to see what she created!

Quilt Stats:

Radiant Burst Give-away!

I am giving away 19 fabrics from the Radiant Burst collection … the smallest is 10″ x 13″ and the largest is 10″ x 16″. Leave a comment stating what you might do with these fabrics. The winner will randomly be chosen on February 26 and notified by email.

Unfortunately, this is ONLY available for those in Canada 🇨🇦 . Thank you for understanding!

Island Batik Ambassadors

Visit the other Island Batik Ambassadors to see the runners they made this month:

Thank you!

Thank you to the generosity of Island Batik and Industry partners! They have supplied the products for free as my role as an Island Batik Ambassador! Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles, Oliso Iron, Studio 180 Designs,

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: February 9, 2025

/ quiltinggail / 11 Comments

This would be an awesome drawer to have at my sewing station!!! Although, I fear it would be empty more often than not!

SAHRR is in progress!

We’ve had the Centre Blocks and 2 rounds so far. Tomorrow, Round #3 will be hosted by ME. Here’s where you can find each of my rounds, along with links to the co-hosts!

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January: 31 / 31 days
  • February: 9 / 9 days
  • Total: 40/ 40 100 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Blue Blocks: This month’s rainbow scrap colour is BLUE … LOTS of cutting of my Island Batik scraps: a Charm Star quilt is started, 2 1/2” and 2″ squares … not sure what will happen with them yet!
  • IB March Project: as leaders & enders … and no picture!

Quilting projects:

  • SAHRR ’25: needs binding
  • Meadow Hues: a lap sized quilt for a blog hop hosted by Claudia Porter of Create with Claudia. It is using her newest signature collection.

Sunday Stash

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 had a finish last week!!! You can read more about it HERE.

  • Fabric used in the last week: 3.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     8.5 yards. {3 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              8.5 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

I got a lot done last week, but much of it I can’t show you yet …

  1. Work on Blue Blocks in progress
  2. 2025 SAHRR – bind it. XX Not Done XX
  3. Sandwich and Quilt “Pink Blocks” √   DONE.
  4. Sandwich and Quilt IB February Project √   DONE.
  5. Work on IB March Project in progress
  6. Sandwich and Quilt Sunlit Garden √   DONE.
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Finish Blue charm star quilt
  2. Decide what to do with cut Blue 2 1/2” and 2″ squares
  3. 2025 SAHRR – bind it
  4. Get IB March Project to flimsy stage
  5. Meadow Hues: Quilt & Bind
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Island Batik’s Runner Up Blog Hop

Started last week. Visit Lumin Blog (Island Batik) to see a recap of last week’s Runners! PLUS, an opportunity for YOU to win a fat quarter bundle.

WEEK 2

February 10:

February 11:

February 12:

February 13:

February 14:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

WEEK 3

February 17:

February 18:

February 19:

February 20:

February 21:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 3 and Final Giveaway

WEEK 4

February 24:

February 25:

February 26:

End of Blog Hop + Final Round Up

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Another February Finish!

/ quiltinggail / 28 Comments

So Scrappy provides a different colour each month for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. January’s colour was “Pink.” I pulled out all my Island Batik scraps and started to play. I started out with rectangles that were 2 1/4” x 4 1/2“. I know it’s a super weird size, but my binding is cut at 2 1/4” and I started out with cutting binding scraps. I added a 1″ of solid white between the 2 rectangles.

I wasn’t sure if I would have enough blocks for a totally pink quilt and thought I’d add another colour into the mix. It turned out that I had enough to make this baby quilt.

I don’t know what I was thinking when I made the sashing 1″ wide and the cornerstones were 1″ squares that finished at 1/2” square. The quilt would have been bigger and easier to assemble if I had made the sashing 2″ wide and the cornerstones 2″ square. However, I did get it assembled, quilted and bound. The simple quilting was straight line with a walking foot on my domestic sewing machine. The label is already on it – ready for donation at the next guild meeting.

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 39.5″ x 39.5″
  • Fabric: Island Batik: Scraps and solid white
  • Hobbs Batting: Heirloom Natural 100% cotton
  • Aurifil Thread:
    • Piecing: #2600 (Dove Grey)
    • Quilting: #2440 (Peony)
  • Sewing Machine: Pieced and Quilted on Janome M7

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: February 2, 2025

/ quiltinggail / 12 Comments

Can you guess what I’ve been doing a LOT of this week? Yup, lots of staring!!!

SAHRR is in progress!

We’ve had the Centre Blocks and 2 rounds so far. Tomorrow, Round #3 will be hosted by ME. Here’s where you can find each of my rounds, along with links to the co-hosts!

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January: 31 / 31 days
  • February: 2 / 2 days
  • Total: 33 / 33 100 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Blue Blocks: This month’s rainbow scrap colour is BLUE … so I’ll be starting that this week! See this post.
  • Meadow Hues: a lap sized quilt for a blog hop hosted by Claudia Porter of Create with Claudia. It is using her newest signature collection.
  • IB March Project: as leaders & enders … and no picture!

Quilting projects:

  • Test Quilt: SSB
  • IB February Project: sorry, no picture, except for the Studio 180 tool and the fabric!
  • Sunlit Garden: a small lap quilt for a blog hop hosted by Jennifer of Curlicue Creations
  • Need to sandwich the Pink Blocks

Sunday Stash

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 made it through January without buying any fabric!!! I’m very happy about that! I did finish 2 projects since my last summary. The pink baby quilt (details HERE) and the small zipper pouch (see THIS POST).

I find it interesting that no matter how I put these 2 items into the ‘gallery’ the zipper pouch (6 1/2” x 12″) looks bigger than the quilt (35″ x 35″)!

  • Fabric used in the last 2 weeks: 4.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     5 yards. {1.5 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              5 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

  1. 2025 SAHRR – bind it XX Not Done XX
  2. Bind Glorified 9 patch. √   DONE. 
  3. Work on “Pink Blocks“. in progress
  4. Work on IB February Project. in progress
  5. Do IB March Project as leaders and enders … for now. in progress
  6. Get Sunlit Garden to flimsy stage √   DONE. 
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Work on Blue Blocks
  2. 2025 SAHRR – bind it
  3. Sandwich and Quilt “Pink Blocks“
  4. Sandwich and Quilt IB February Project
  5. Work on IB March Project
  6. Sandwich and Quilt Sunlit Garden
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Island Batik’s Runner Up Blog Hop

This blog hop starts tomorrow!!! Be sure to follow along, I promise lots of eye candy! Here’s a list of the fabrics and ambassadors:

WEEK 1

February 4:

February 5:

February 6:

November 7:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway

WEEK 2

February 10:

February 11:

February 12:

February 13:

February 14:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

WEEK 3

February 17:

February 18:

February 19:

February 20:

February 21:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 3 and Final Giveaway

WEEK 4

February 24:

February 25:

February 26:

End of Blog Hop + Final Round Up

Visit Lumin’s blog (Island Batik) for your opportunity to win one of the two fabulous Fat Quarter bundles of collections by our very own Jerry Khiev – Botanical Dreams or Fall Flair.

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

A Little Finish

/ quiltinggail / 29 Comments

In September, when I was at a retreat at Loon Lake, I was given a little mini charm pack. I immediately arranged them and sewed them together as leaders and enders. It didn’t take long and I soon had a rectangle of cute little squares.

They have been sitting on my sewing table since the retreat. I’ve moved them a few times, more than a few times! A few months ago, I got out the fabric that would be the lining for a future little bag. Another day, I choose the zipper that I would use. These 3 components got moved a LOT, but always to a different spot on my sewing table.

Finally, I got sick and tired of moving them around! I found some scraps of Hobbs 80/20 batting and spent about an hour making this little bag!! YAY – it’s finally done!!!!!

And the opposite side, with a peak of the lining:

And, it is no longer on my sewing table!!!

Favourite Finish of the Month

Fav Finish '25

Each month, Yvonne, @ Quilting Jetgirl, hosts a Linky party where people link a picture of their Favourite Finish of the Month. It’s well worth going to have a look!!! There is a ton of talent showcased and lots of eye candy.

This month, can you believe it? I only have one favourite finish!!! Usually I have several and can’t decide. You can read more about this quilt on THIS POST.

Don’t Forget:

I am a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Aurifil Thread and a Finish!

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

As an Island Batik Ambassador, I receive a lot of thread from Aurifil Thread, plus, I have purchase lot of it from Carola when she vends at quilt shows. And recently, the small fabric store (Essem) that I occasionally teach and work at is also selling Aurifil thread. Yup, I do LOVE it!

Karen Neary is a Canadian Aurifil seller. She is prompt and thorough with her products. It’s well worth visiting THIS POST to see some beautiful creations using Aurifil Thread. I was able to purchase some Monofiliment (invisible) thread from her! Karen recently posted this picture on Facebook to illustrate the various thread weights.

From Left to Right, the weights are. 12.   28.   40.  50.  80. I use 50 weight for piecing and either 50 or 40 weight for quilting.

She also sent me this … which explains what the bottom (print side) or label on the Aurifil Thread spool is all about:

A Finish!

January’s colour for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge is Pink (see So Scrappy). I started 2 projects using my Island Batik Scraps … and this one is finished.

This quilt was made with the Accuquilt die “Glorified 9 Patch.” Of course, using the die makes sewing curves so very easy!!!

I used Aurifil Thread for piecing and quilting.

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 35″ x 35″
  • Fabric: Scraps of pink Island Batik and Island Batik Solid White
  • Hobbs Batting: Heirloom 100% Cotton
  • Aurifil Thread
    • Piecing: #2600 (Dove Grey)
    • Quilting: #2510 (Light Lilac)
    • Binding: #4660 (Variegated Pink Taffy)
  • Accuquilt Die: Glorified 9 patch
  • Quilting: Free Motion on my domestic Janome M7

I’m hoping to teach this quilt at Essem in March. Class participants will use the Accuquilt Die to cut PERFECT pieces and learn how to piece curves together easily. Contact Essem Textiles if you are interested in the class.

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: January 12

/ quiltinggail / 18 Comments

This is true for every day!!!

An Unusual site at my house in January

This is a heritage rose that my dad planted in Victoria in 1965. I dug it up and transplanted it here (near Vancouver, BC) after my mother passed away. To my surprise it has thrived! The one branch with a few buds was not cut down in the fall … and now it’s blooming! And, it smells heavenly!

SAHRR is starting soon!

You can read all about it on THIS POST. The Centre Blocks will be shown tomorrow!

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January: 12 / 12 days
  • Total: 12 / 12 100 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Pink Blocks: just cause I’m trying to use Island Batik scraps. This might be combined with other colours in the near future
  • Sunlit Garden: a small quilt for a blog hop hosted by Jennifer of Curlicue Creations … it will be her newest signature collection and it’s absolutely gorgeous!!! Unfortunately, until the blog hop, you’ll only see black and white!!

Quilting projects:

  • Test Quilt: SSB
  • Glorified 9 patch
  • Helen Godden’s Christmas Countdown ’24 (my sister & I are doing this by zoom) Traced the pattern on to Island Batik’s solid white and started quilting with Aurifil Black thread. Hobbs 80/20 is in the middle.

Sunday Stash

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!

No finishes, no shopping … the numbers remain at “0”

  • Fabric Used in the last week:  0 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     0
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              0 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

  1. 2025 SAHRR finish quilting it. √   DONE. 
  2. Quilt Test Quilt: SSB. XX Not Done XX
  3. Finish Glorified 9 patch for class sample in progress
  4. Work on “Pink Blocks” in progress
  5. Work on Sunlit Garden in progress
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Finish: Helen Godden’s Christmas Countdown ’24
  2. 2025 SAHRR – bind it
  3. Quilt Glorified 9 patch
  4. Work on “Pink Blocks”
  5. Work on Sunlit Garden
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Island Batik projects 2024!

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I have been an Island Batik ambassador since 2019 and have a bit of a stash of Island Batik fabrics (And I LOVE it!!!). Aside from the monthly projects and challenges, I often use Island Batik fabrics for other projects. I absolutely LOVE the richness of the colours and the quality of the fabric. Below is an example of what I made this year.

January

I worked on this Helen Godden topper while Zoom quilting with my sister (she did the same one at the same time!). The details of where you can get the pattern and instructions are on THIS POST. I used Island Batik’s solid white for the background, coloured it with Sharpie Stained markers and used a dark green for the binding.

White Rabbit Blog Hop. This was a super fun quilt to make!! You can read about it HERE.

February

Island Batik Blog Hop Log Cabin Challenge. You can read more about these 2 quilts on THIS POST.

And the directions for how to make the diagonal backing is HERE.

This was a retreat bag I made … see HERE for details.

This heart quilt was made for the “It Moose Be Love” blog hop. The informal instructions and details can be found HERE.

March

The Island Batik challenge for March was all up to us. I got carried away and made these 3 quilts using greens from my Island Batik Scraps. I did use yardage for the borders of the one on the right and left. You can read more about them HERE.

This purple / blue quilt was made for the Fast and Fun Blog Hop sponsored by Villa Rosa. It is their Gypsy Rose pattern. See THIS POST for more details.

The Stay at Home Round Robin wrapped up in March. You can read about it and access the links to the various prompts HERE. (And yes, we’re doing it again in 2025!)

The Give it a Whirl blog hop had me making this fun quilt. Details and close-ups are available HERE.

April

Making a Funky Friend was April’s challenge. This is Taylor the Tiger. It was challenging to make, but fun! He had a few adventures and you can read about them on THIS POST.

May

The first weekend in May was the Boundary Bay Quilt Guild Show. The Baby Challenge was “Forest Friends”. This was my entry … You can read about it HERE.

This Fall Mystery Quilt was finished in time for the Boundary Bay Quilt Show. You can read about it HERE and see other Mystery Quilts that were at the show.

The May Island Batik challenge was to Paper Piece a quilt for a celebration. I chose Christmas and made a tree skirt. You can read about it HERE.

I made a rocket quilt for the “On the Road Again” blog hop. It was about transportation … you can read about it HERE.

June

Island Batik’s June challenge was to make a quilt for the Sleep in Heavenly Peace charity. You can read about it HERE.

A fellow Island Batik ambassador (Denise Looney) offered a free quilt-a-long making a St. Paddy’s quilt. You can read about it HERE.

A former Island Batik ambassador (Claudia Porter) had a signature collection and asked if I wanted to participate in a blog hop. This is the quilt I made, using “Prisms.” You can read about it at THIS POST.

July

Nothing like celebrating Canada Day with a red maple leaf! You can read about it HERE.

These next 2 quilts were a pattern by mmmquilts and you can read about them HERE. I love how the same pattern with different fabrics look so different!

This whale was made for the “Something Smells Fishy” blog hop and you can read about it HERE. And also find a link to the free pattern!

August

These were 2 mini quilts that I made. Read about it HERE.

This quilt used left-overs from a Lone Star quilt … the fabric is from the Pin Dot Floral collection. You can read about it HERE.

September

This was a very fun quilt to Applique! This POST has all the details.

I made a bunch of tissue holders. You can read about them on THIS POST.

October

Island Batik’s October challenge was a ByAnnie bag. I chose to make “Payday” in the small and large size. You can read about them on THIS POST.

I was invited to make a quilt using “Twilight,” a signature fabric collection for Claudia Porter. I ended up making 3 quilts. Read about them HERE.

This little mini was made for Hobbs Batting and hung in their booth at the Houston Quilt Market. See THIS POST for more details.

November

Island Batik’s Challenge for this month was Dresden Plates. I made this vase with flowers … you can read more about it on THIS POST.

The Jelly Roll mystery quilt reveal. See this post and the links to all the clues.

December

I made this Christmas card using Island Batik fabric and a MSQC Template. You can read about it HERE.

This table mat used various Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread. The bows and poinsettia were cut out using Templates from Missouri Star Quilt Company. You can see more details on THIS POST.

I made 2 large Clam-up ByAnnie bags for the Butterfly Haven blog hop. See HERE for more details.

This was the block of the month Colour Challenge, hosted by Patterns by Jen. It was a fun BOM to do! You can read about it on THIS POST.

It was up to us to make whatever we wanted for the December challenge. I made this quilt using Peppermint Sprinkles. You can read about it on THIS POST.

Floral Fusion was a free quilt-along by Denise Looney!! I LOVE her patterns, so I had to sew along. I really really like the final quilt! This POST has all the details.

My last project of the year was super simple … you can read about it on THIS POST.

Thank you!

Many Thanks to Island Batik and Industry partners that made all of the projects possible. They supplied the products for free as my role as an Island Batik Ambassador! Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles, Oliso Iron, Studio 180 Designs, and Funky Friends.

 One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: December 29

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My current state of life, only you can see more of the floor in this picture than in my room!

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January – November:  295 / 335 days
  • December: 29 / 29 days
  • 40 missed days since January 1
  • Total: 323 / 363 88 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Glorified 9 patch: for class sample

Quilting projects:

  • Test Quilt: SSB
  • SAHRR ’25

Sunday Stash

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

In the past 2 weeks, I posted about my Floral Fusion (9 yards) and a small table topper (2 yards).

  • Fabric Used in the last 2 weeks:  11 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2024:     221 yards  from non-IB: 89
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     32 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              189 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last report:

  1. 2025 SAHRR Finish Prompt 6. √   DONE
  2. Work on Test Quilt: SSB – block #1 & start block #2 √   DONE
  3. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  4. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

Still keeping the list small!

  1. 2025 SAHRR Quilt it!
  2. Quilt Test Quilt: SSB
  3. Work on Glorified 9 patch for class sample
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Favourite Finish for December 2024

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl has a blog post with the Favourite finishes of the month. Well worth the visit to see all the eye candy!

As usual, I’m having trouble choosing just 1!!! It’s between these 2 quilts. I’m in LOVE with both of them!!!

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

A Last Minute Finish

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I wasn’t going to … I really wasn’t going to be doing any last minute sewing/quilting. Nope … I was all organized and didn’t need to … until ….

I went to set up my nativity scene. It’s beautiful ceramic figures that a fellow nursing classmate made. When she passed away during Covid, I gratefully accepted the set! What memories accompany the figures. I know that she completed them in the mid 70’s when taking a year away from nursing school. I had placed them on a piece of gorgeous dark blue fabric (Ravine), fully intending to make it into a table mat … but of course I forgot until I went to set up the set!

I figured that I had time, so I pulled out backing, Hobbs fusible batting and did a very quick meander with Aurifil #2600 (Dove Grey). Binding it with the same fabric and called it ‘done.’

I love how the lights and the fabric really show off the figures!

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Announcing the 2025 SAHRR!!

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Earlier this year, as we had a parade for the 2024 SAHRR (pronounced Stay At Home Round Robin), we announced that we would be doing it again in 2025.

This year’s logo was designed by Brenda of Songbird Designs … isn’t it fantastic?

For the past 5 years, I have done a SAHRR and have made different quilts. The first year I did it on my own and then for the next 4 years, I had some fantastic blogging/quilting friends join in the fun!

Here’s my quilts from previous SAHRRs. The last 2 are ones I did on my own. It’s so much MORE fun with others! Here’s the LINK where you can see all the quilts made last year.

As you can tell, except for the 2 I did on my own, the rounds are all different. This year promises to be different as well!

All of my SAHRR quilts are made with Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread.

What is a Round Robin?

This is a common activity in many quilt guilds. A round robin (in quilting terms) is where each person makes a centre block. This block is put in a bag or container, maybe with extra fabric, perhaps with a notebook, and the bag is passed onto another quilter in the group. They are given instructions as to what kind of border (or round) they are to add on to the quilt. Sometimes the next person will make a border for each side, or one side or two sides of the block. It’s then passed on to another quilter and it continues on … when the quilt centre and all the borders are completed, it is returned to the original maker of the centre block.

So, I stay at home?

That’s correct! You and your centre block and the borders all stay home. You have to make the decisions as to what to add when given directions. How big, how many … it’s up to you. We will let you know what each of us does and there may be short tutorials on some of our blogs.

How do I join?

There’s nothing to join, no sign up. All you need to do is follow our blogs (see the links below)

How often does this happen?

Once a week. On January 13, we will show you our centre blocks.

The SAHRR Team met in July and I haven’t seen any of the centre blocks … so it’s going to be a surprise for me as well!

Then on January 20 (and each Monday following) we will give you instructions as to what the next border/round is to be. Again, we will all show you our centre blocks with the first border to give you some ideas.

Here are my blogging co-hosts in the order of what we will be doing and the linky parties we will be hosting each week. (There will only be one linky party each week … and we’ll direct you to it …)

  • January 13:   Each of the co-leaders will be sharing their centre blocks (you will have to visit each of their blogs to see them). I will host the first linky party and you can also show your centre block.
  • January 20: 1st Round:   Kathleen @ Kathleen McMusing
  • January 27: 2nd Round: Anja @ Anja Quilts
  • February 3: 3rd Round: ME!!! @ Quilting Gail 
  • February 10: 4th Round:   Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life
  • February 17: 5th Round: Brenda @ Songbird Designs
  • February 24: 6th Round:  Emily @ The Darling Dogwood
  • March 24:  Parade: showing all of your finished SAHRRs!

We have Sponsors!

We reached out to several companies that we all LOVE and many of them agreed to sponsor the SAHRR 2025!!! We will keep track of all of the participants that link to our Linky parties each week. We will make a list and use a random number generator to choose the winners for each prize! So, if you link up to 3 Linky parties, you will have 3 opportunities to win! If you don’t have a blog or Instagram account, contact me, or one of the other co-hosts and we will post your SAHRR on our blog. This way you still have an opportunity to win!

Frequently Asked Questions

What if I don’t want to make that round? It’s your quilt – you can leave it out.

What size do I make it? That’s up to you … you are sort-of the designer here.

Are the rounds hard? No … each round is pretty simple … squares, rectangles, half-square triangles with perhaps a surprise.

What colours do I use? That’s up to you … you can follow what one of the SAHRR leader uses or have your own colour scheme.

What if I miss a round? You can leave it out, or go back to the blog where the directions are given.

Will you cut my fabric for me? No!

How often will the quilt police check on me and my progress? There are NO quilt police!! None!!

What do I do now?

Make sure that you follow each of the SAHRR leaders so that you don’t miss their posts.

Start thinking about what you might do for a centre block. Do you have an orphan block you’d like to use? Or do you want to try a new block … now is the time!

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

Next Week

Next week, I’ll have a wrap-up of my 2024 tallies: Stash Report & Stitching Stuff. I will also talk about my goals for 2025, share my To Do list and what’s on my Design wall …

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Floral Fusion

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Denise, from A Quiltery, had a free sew-a-long called “Floral Fusion.” It promised to be a small quilt and I jumped right in! I LOVE her patterns!

I’m using scraps of Island Batik fabric!

Here’s some in-progress pictures:

All of the appliquéd pieces were applied with batting underneath as I wanted them to pop!

I used Hobbs Wool batting to further influence the loft of the flowers … and here is the final result:

And a close up of the quilting: outlining the flowers and most of the leaves … with swirls in the background …

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 47″ x 57″
  • Fabrics: Assorted Island Batik scraps
  • Thread: Aurifil #2600 (Dove Grey) for both piecing and quilting. Many different colours of Aurifil thread for appliqué!
  • Hobbs Batting: Heirloom Premium Wool Batting
  • Quilting: Free motion on my domestic Janome M7

Thank you very much, Denise, for this beautiful pattern. Be sure to visit Quiltery and buy the pattern!!

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary Dec 15

/ quiltinggail / 11 Comments

That’s a great reason to quilt on … and leave the dust there! 😁

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January – November:  295 / 335 days
  • December: 15 / 15 days
  • 40 missed days since January 1
  • Total: 301 / 341 88 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • SAHRR ’25: working on Prompt #6
  • Test Quilt: SSB

Sunday Stash

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

In the past week, I posted about my Island Batik December challenge. You can read about it HERE.

  • Fabric Used in the last week:  8 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2024:     210 yards  from non-IB: 85
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     32 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              180 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last report:

  1. Bind Floral Fusion. √   DONE
  2. 2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6. in progress
  3. Work on Test Quilt: SSB – block #1. in progress
  4. Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind. √   DONE
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

Still keeping the list small!

  1. 2025 SAHRR Finish Prompt 6.
  2. Work on Test Quilt: SSB – block #1 & start block #2
  3. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  4. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Linking to:  

December: Island Batik

/ quiltinggail / 25 Comments

Here’s what Island Batik said about this month’s challenge:

December brings another month to embark on your own project, regardless of its size, theme, or technique! Seize this chance to unleash your creativity without constraints. Enjoy the process!

Way back in May, we had to make a paper pieced quilt that celebrated a holiday of our choice. I chose to make this Christmas tree skirt:

You can read about it HERE. The fabric is Peppermint Sprinkles. And, I LOVED it!

I wanted a quilt to coordinate with the tree skirt. I cut a bunch of 2 1/2” strips from Peppermint Sprinkles and made this Judy Niemeyer quilt “Fractured Paint Box.” I also used, Island Batik’s solid black. You can access the pattern HERE.

I was so involved with the piecing, I forgot to take any progress pictures. However, I can tell you that I used my Oliso Iron with every single seam that was sewn!

And pictures of the back and close-up of the quilting:

The back diagonal strip was made with the extra block I had as well as left over strips of fabric, along with solid black.

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 59″ x 59″
  • Fabric: Island Batik: Peppermint Sprinkles
  • Hobbs Batting Heirloom: 80/20
  • Aurifil Thread: Piecing and Quilting: #2600 (Dove Grey)
  • Schmetz Needles: Universal 80/12
  • Quilting: All done on my domestic sewing machine: Janome M7. Rulers used were Silly Moon’s 7″ Beanie (for the centre circle) and Rocket for the stitch in the ditch around each block. The rest of the quilt was free motioned with feathers.

Thank you!

The following, Island Batik and Industry partners made this project possible. They supplied the products for free as my role as an Island Batik Ambassador! Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles, Oliso Iron.

Island Batik Ambassadors

Visit the other Island Batik Ambassadors to see what they made this month:

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: December 8

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

Good thing that quilt shops don’t give out tickets!!! I would have a plethora of them!

Monthly Colour Challenge

December’s colour is Gold. Visit Jen at Patterns by Jen to get your free pattern for this month. It’s free for the month and after that you’ll need to pay a small fee for it.

I’m using Island Batik fabrics for my blocks. 

Here are all my blocks:

Remember when I was on holidays and sewing on my hand-crank in the 5th wheel?

I was working on the border and sashing in the above video. I actually pieced the whole top while we were dry camping!

The quilt was quilted using a HUGE variety of Silly Moon rulers (Drop 3, Twinkle, Jelly, Rocket, Cupid, Beanie and Turkey was used in the sashing/border). I went to my bin of left-over binding and pulled out a variety of colours that were used in the quilt … it was fun to use them (and I still have lots left-over!)

Thank you, Jen for the great inspiration and fun BOM!!!

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 47″ x 62″
  • Fabric: Island Batik: Assortment, with solid light grey and solid black for the sashing & border.
  • Hobbs Batting Heirloom: 80/20
  • Aurifil Thread: Piecing and Quilting: #2600 (Dove Grey)
  • Quilting: All ruler quilted on my domestic sewing machine: Janome M7. Rulers used were Silly Moon’s 6″ Beanie, Rocket, Cupid, Drop, Jelly & Turkey.

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January – November:  295 / 335 days
  • December: 10 / 10 days
  • 40 missed days since January 1
  • Total: 296 / 336 88 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • SAHRR ’25: working on Prompt #6
  • Test Quilt: SSB

Sunday Stash

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

In the past week, I have posted about the following finishes. I estimate that the round table topper used about 1 yard of fabric total (check it out HERE). I’m not going to count the fabric in the clam-up bags since Jennifer sent it to me recently for the purpose of making the bags (see THIS POST). The block of the month (above) used over 9 yards … so a total of 10 yards this week.

  • Fabric Used in the last week:  10 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2024:     202 yards  from non-IB: 85
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     32 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              170 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last report:

  1. Finish quilting Floral Fusion. √   DONE
  2. 2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6. NOT DONE
  3. Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind. √   DONE
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

Keeping the list small!

  1. Bind Floral Fusion.
  2. 2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6.
  3. Work on Test Quilt: SSB – block #1
  4. Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind.
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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Sunday Summary: November 10

/ quiltinggail / 4 Comments

This is my thinking!

An Island Batik Challenge Finish!

The challenge was to make a quilt with Dresden Plates … you can read all the details HERE.

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January – October:  276 / 304 days
  • November: 10 / 10 days
  • 28 missed days since January 1
  • Total: 286 / 314 91 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • SAHRR ’25: working on Prompt #6
  • December’s Island Batik project

Quilting:

  • Floral Fusion: not started, yet

Sunday Stash

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 bought 2.5 yards of solid red fabric to coordinate with a Christmas fabric that I have.

  • Fabric Used in the last week:  8 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2024:     192 yards  from non-IB: 80.5
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     32 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              160 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last report:

A little bit of this and a little bit of that was done, but nothing finished from the list this week.

  1. Get Jelly Roll Mystery next clue & blog post ready! √   DONE
  2. Make project for the Butterfly Haven Blog Hop in December. in progress
  3. Quilt Floral Fusion. NOT DONE
  4. Quilt Jelly Roll Mystery Quilt. √   DONE
  5. 2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6. in progress
  6. Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind. NOT DONE
  7. Work on Island Batik December project. in progress
  8. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  9. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Finish Butterfly Haven Blog Hop project
  2. Quilt Floral Fusion.
  3. 2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 6.
  4. Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind.
  5. Work on Island Batik December project.
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Jelly Roll Mystery Quilt

The Mystery Quilt is finished. Some are asking for directions on how to sew the quilt “on Point.” I don’t have time to write them up at the moment, but here’s a YouTube video that may help: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEFekuJIP5k

Upcoming Blog Hops

Dresden Plate Blog Hop

Visit the Island Batik blog for an update on the quilts from the first week and an opportunity to win some awesome Fat Quarters!

Week 2:

November 12:

Kim Jamieson-Hirst @  Chatterbox Quilts

Julia Schweri @ Inflorescence Designs

Lana Russel @ Lana Quilts

November 13:

Brenda Alburl @ Songbird Designs

Denise Looney @ A Quiltery

November 14: P

Jane Hauprich @ Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting

Jennifer Thomas @ Curlicue Creations

November 15:

Visit Island Batik blog for a Round-up and an opportunity to win a fat-quarter bundle of fabric!

Week 3:

November 18:

Susan Deshensky @  Lady Blue Quilts Studio

Preeti Harris @  Sew Preeti Quilts

November 19:

Renee Atkinson @  Pink Tulip Quilting Shadow Blooms

Brittany Fisher @ Bobbin with Brittany

November 20:

Leah Malasky @  Quilted Delights Tropical Bliss

Sarah Pitcher @ Pitcher’s Boutique

Suzy Webster @ Websterquilt Tropical Bliss

November 21:

Emily Leachman @ The Darling Dogwood Turtle Cove

Carol Stanek @ Stitch with Color

November 22:

Visit Island Batik blog for a Round-up and an opportunity to win a fat-quarter bundle of fabric!

Week 4:

November 25:

Victoria Johnson @ Forever Quilting for You Willow Creek

Sandra Starley @ Textile Time Travels

November 26:

Visit Island Batik blog for a Round-up and an opportunity to win a fat-quarter bundle of fabric!

Don’t Forget

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Island Batik: Dresden Plate Blog Hop

/ quiltinggail / 25 Comments

Here’s what Island Batik had to say about this challenge: “Welcome to the much-anticipated Dresden Plate Blog Hop! The Dresden Plate, a quintessential block in quilting, is known for its captivating radial design featuring pie-shaped wedges arranged in a circular pattern, resembling a delicate flower. As you embark on this quilting adventure, you’ll be exploring this timeless pattern, infusing it with your unique style and vision. Your challenge is to make a quilt, lap-sized or larger, using the assigned Summer ‘24 fabric collection that will showcase your individuality. May your needles be nimble, your creativity boundless, and your Dresden Plate quilts truly shine!“

We are to use the fabric collection that came in our surprise bundles that arrived in June/July.

My surprise bundle contained an awesome collection “Flutter Fields” designed by Jerry Khiev. Aren’t they just gorgeous? They are paired with Buttermilk and Midnight Blue.

I originally decided that I would make one large Dresden Plate. I started out by putting the fabrics in an order that was pleasing to me … and I made sure to label each piece so that I wouldn’t get confused! I left out the 2 lighter fabrics as I knew they would blend too much with the background fabric.

Here are a few pictures of blades in progress.

My one large Dresden Plate didn’t work out very well! You can’t tell really well from the picture, but the centre did not lie well. If you look closely at the upper right part of the centre circle, you can see that it isn’t a nice circle – it sort-of goes straight.

I tried to fix it by doing a few things: Take out one or 2 blades … unstitch a few blades that formed the ‘straight’ part of the circle and re-sew … sigh … it didn’t work.

On to plan B …

A few years ago, our guild had a zoom presentation by Candace Copp Grisham. Shortly after the presentation, I was at a guild retreat and “Dresden” fever was evident. Almost everyone at the retreat was making a Dresden plate! I ended up buying the book and played around with some of the ideas.

There is a LOT of inspiration on Candace’s website HERE. Also, a friend had made a wall hanging with Dresden plates and a vase … between the website and my friends quilt, my inspiration was newly born!

Here is a close-up of some of the Dresden plates, using different techniques:

The process of putting the plates together:

  • Using my Oliso iron to press open the seams
  • Showing the ‘wrong’ side of the curved Dresden
  • The original layout (I initially was going to use the Midnight Blue for the vase, but decided on using one of the green fabrics with gold stars on it.
  • One of the centre circles
  • My batting of choice for this quilt: Hobbs Heirloom Premium Wool Batting

The background was pieced, then the vase and flowers were placed on the background. I did this on the spare bed so that I could use glue (Acorn Precision Piecing Seam Align Glue) and press all the pieces into place. Yes, the spare bed makes a fantastic ironing surface for large projects!

The following pictures show:

And here is the final quilt:

Quilt Stats:

Make sure you visit Mania Hatziioannidi @ Mania for quilts as she is using the same fabric collection! She’s quite the artist, so I’m 100% positive that her quilt will be totally awesome!

Where can you buy Flutter Fields?

There are several stores throughout the USA that sell Flutter Fields:

Thank you!

The following, Island Batik and Industry partners made this project possible. They supplied the products for free as my role as an Island Batik Ambassador! Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles, Oliso Iron.

Island Batik Dresden Plate Blog Hop

Visit the other Island Batik Ambassadors to see what their Dresden Plate Quilts are:

November 4: Butterfly Haven

Maryellen McAuliffe @ Mary Mack Made Mine

Lisa Pickering @ Lisa’s Quilting Passion

November 5: Flowing Meadow

Pamela Boatright @PamelaQuilts

Connie Kresin Campbell @ Freemotion by the River

November 6: Flutter Fields

Mania Hatziioannidi @ Mania for quilts

Gail Sheppard You are HERE

November 7: Island Zest

Megan Best @ BestQuilter.

Connie Kauffman @ Kauffman Designs

November 8:

Visit Island Batik blog for a Round-up and an opportunity to win a fat-quarter bundle of fabric!

Week 2:

November 12: Midnight Garden

Kim Jamieson-Hirst @  Chatterbox Quilts

Julia Schweri @ Inflorescence Designs

Lana Russel @ Lana Quilts

November 13: Misty Mornings

Brenda Alburl @ Songbird Designs

Denise Looney @ A Quiltery

November 14: Paradise Palms

Jane Hauprich @ Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting

Jennifer Thomas @ Curlicue Creations

November 15:

Visit Island Batik blog for a Round-up and an opportunity to win a fat-quarter bundle of fabric!

Week 3:

November 18: Peach Blossom

Susan Deshensky @  Lady Blue Quilts Studio

Preeti Harris @  Sew Preeti Quilts

November 19:

Renee Atkinson @  Pink Tulip Quilting Shadow Blooms

Brittany Fisher @ Bobbin with Brittany

November 20:

Leah Malasky @  Quilted Delights Tropical Bliss

Sarah Pitcher @ Pitcher’s Boutique

Suzy Webster @ Websterquilt Tropical Bliss

November 21:

Emily Leachman @ The Darling Dogwood Turtle Cove

Carol Stanek @ Stitch with Color

November 22:

Visit Island Batik blog for a Round-up and an opportunity to win a fat-quarter bundle of fabric!

Week 4:

November 25:

Victoria Johnson @ Forever Quilting for You Willow Creek

Sandra Starley @ Textile Time Travels

November 26:

Visit Island Batik blog for a Round-up and an opportunity to win a fat-quarter bundle of fabric!

Don’t Forget:

I am now a Silly Moon affiliate! So what does that mean? When you use my affiliate code Quiltinggail2024 at Silly Moon, you will receive 10% off your order and I will receive a small commission.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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Jelly Roll Mystery Quilt: Clue #5

/ quiltinggail / 10 Comments

This quilt will be 47″ x 57″ when finished.

I used a strip set from Island Batik called “Playful Purples” and Island Batik solid white for the background. If you want to use the same fabric, both the strip set and the solid white is available at Creekside Quilts HERE.

Clue #5

This is the final clue. I was going to have you sew portions of this together first, but a couple of people said, “no, let the participants organize the fabrics how they want.” So, that’s what I’ve done!

Edit: Cut 2 more 5″ squares. Cut them in half diagonally. These 4 HST will be your corner blocks.

Fall ’24 Mystery Quilt – jelly roll Clue 5Download

Here’s a picture of my top … I’ve started quilting it … if you look hard, you can see the straight lines through the coloured blocks and on the top left, the curved lines in the white block. I’m hoping that next week I will have the quilt quilted and bound. Once it’s finished, I’ll have a link party where you can add your quilt to show everyone.

Edit from Clue #4: You will need 124 sections for the quilt. If you can’t get 8 from each strata, you can make a shorter quilt … but it needs to be shorter in groups of 12. For example 112 will work.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail