Hobbs Batting

Sunday Summary: August 13

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This Made Me Smile!

I couldn’t resist taking a picture of the animals reading amongst mushrooms and beautiful flowers!

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 – July:  209 / 212
  • August:  13 / 13
  • Total: 222 / 225
  • Percentage: 98%

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!

My Housecoat / Robe took about 6 yards of fabric. I used Hobbs silk batting, Accuquilt dies and Aurifil thread, along with a multitude of Island Batik fabrics. For more details, see this BLOG POST.

Yearly Tally:

  • Fabric Used the last week: 6 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:    146 yards  from non-IB: 59.5
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    15.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:             130.5 yards 

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

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from last week: 

  1. Finish August IB challenge √   DONE and posted HERE.
  2. Get “Splendor” Quilt to flimsy stage Not done
  3. Work on September’s IB challenge √   DONE but still In Progress
  4. Work on Pin Dot Floral Quilt √   DONE but still In Progress
  5. Cut out Malted Mystery Fabrics Not done
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Get “Splendor” Quilt to flimsy stage: FIX those mistakes !!!!!
  2. Work on September’s IB challenge
  3. Work on Pin Dot Floral Quilt
  4. Cut out Malted Mystery Fabrics
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Design Wall

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

Piecing projects:

  1. “Splendor” Quilt: Fix mistakes and adding borders
  2. Island Batik September challenge … lots of Paper Piecing blocks
  3. Work on another Pin-Dot Floral quilt

This picture shows “Splendor” blocks and part of the August Island Batik challenge and part of September’s Island Batik challenge.

Quilting:

  • Nothing at the moment

Upcoming Blog Hops

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Call Me Crazy (My day is August 21)

Island Batik: Pieced to Perfection (My day is September 11)

Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: It’s a Dog’s Life (September 18 is my day)

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

August: It’s All Up to You

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So, this month, Island Batik has given us freedom to make whatever our heart desires. My heart has many desires, but unfortunately not enough time to make everything!

When I was at a retreat at Over the Rainbow at the beginning of April, one of the retreaters, Dana, was wearing her quilted housecoat / robe and it looked great. It is super scrappy and very beautiful!! I’ve been meaning to make my own for some time. I’m always cold these days, so a quilted house coat will be perfect for me. Pamela, from Pamela Quilts made a quilted jacket for the Island Batik Fly Away challenge and I fell in LOVE. You can see her jacket HERE.

Now blue and teal are my favourite colours, so that was an easy decision to make. I went through my old garment patterns and found a few housecoat patterns. I pulled them out and none of them would be good for what I wanted to do. BUT I had a silk robe (that was bought in China eons ago) that was perfect. Boxy sleeves, a rectangle front and back. So, with seam ripper in hand, deconstruction began. I made my pattern pieces from the deconstructed robe.

I started out with cutting Hobbs silk batting larger than my pattern pieces; wanting to leave extra room in case the quilting shrunk the pieces too much. I drew the 45o lines on the batting and then using, a Brilliant Blues gradations strip pack that I received in January, I did a quilt as you go and got the sleeve bases done.

My plan was to do the quilt as you go on the batting and then later line the housecoat/robe with rayon.

The housecoat/robe was basically designed as I went along …. After I had fun making the sleeves, I pulled out my AccuQuilt Tree of Life block and made it. It was quilted onto the back.

This picture is making sure the dark blue border around the Tree of Life is the correct width! I was turning the edge under 1/4” so that the other pieces could be added.

I was zoom sewing with my sister and she said that with having a Tree of Life, I needed something “earthy” below. These Prairie Dreams strips were left-over from a Bargello quilt that I made for our March “It’s All Up to You” Challenge. You can read about it HERE. I did it as a quilt as you go under the Tree of Life and slipped each piece under the dark blue border around the Tree of Life.

Then I made 10 Glorified 9 patches, made with the Accuquilt die. These squares use “Rice,” a lovely neutral, a variety of dark teals along with “Nautilus teal” from Claudia Pfeil’s Mystery collection that I received a few years ago. These are intended for the front of the housecoat.

And here are the pieces laid out on my design wall. Once I had them on the wall, I realized that the sleeves made with the Brilliant Blue strips was a “NO.” They are beautiful and I’ll use them in another project – they won’t be wasted.

I dug through my Island Batik stash and found the teal/gold print with turtles on it. It’s a piece I’ve been hoarding keeping for something special. So why not use it for my cozy housecoat? A much better fit, right?

The edge of the robe, the tie, and the back lining is made with an Island Batik rayon “Night Moves” that I received a few years ago in one of my boxes. The half stars above the tree of life were made with Studio 180 Wedge Tool using a blue fabric that was in a stash builder’s roll.

Housecoat / Robe Stats:

  • Fabrics: Variety of Island Batik cotton and rayon
  • Needles: Schmetz Microtex
  • Thread: Aurifil:
    • #2785: 50 (very dark navy) wide binding and hem
    • #4661: 40 wt (variegated mint julep) sleeve quilting
    • #4655: 50 wt (variegated storm at sea) Tree of Life quilting
    • #4182: 50 wt (dark turquoise) Glorified 9 patch quilting
    • #2600: 50 wt (dove) piecing
  • Hobbs Batting: Silk
  • Accuquilt dies: Tree of Life, Glorified 9 patch
  • Studio 180 tool: Wedge

So would I make this housecoat/robe again? The answer is “not this way!” If I were to make another one, I’d quilt the lining as I quilted the top and simply serge the inside seams. But that won’t be happening anytime soon! 🤪

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,   Studio 180 Designs, Accuquilt

Island Batik Ambassadors

Visit the rest of the Island Batik Ambassadors to see what they have made for this challenge:

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs
Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting
Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts
Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts
Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts
Reed Johnson ~ Blue Bear Quilts
Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You
Randi Jones ~ Randi’s Roost

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs
Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney ~ Quiltery – For The Love Of Geese
Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights
Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine

Elita Sharpe ~ Busy Needle
Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail
Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels
Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

Anorina Morris ~ sameliasmum.com
Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique
Claudia Porter ~ Create with Claudia
Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

A Friday Finish!!! YAY!!!

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

I finally got around to finishing my Trivet!!! It’s not a hard project at all, but when I put it on the back burner and leave it there – it takes FOREVER to get it done!!! I’m sure if I had put my mind to it, it could have been made in an afternoon!

My Trivet was made with fabric from the Island Batik collection “Winter Sky.” The inside has a layer of insul-brite and a layer of Hobbs 80/20. It was finished using a variegated blue Aurifil thread on the top and Aurifil #2000 on the bottom.

This trivet is for Joy’s One gift a Month! You can go to Days Filled With Joy for information and the link to the tutorial.

This made me Smile

As I was out walking my daughter’s dog this morning, I saw this … and I had to stop and take a picture. I know I’ve seen it before, but sometimes I forget to take my phone with me. Today I had it!! Can’t you just imagine the fun thoughts that someone has about this fairy door and the variety of painted rocks next to it?

I was Featured

Andrée, from Free Motion Mavericks, Susan from Midweek Makers, and Jennifer from Inquiring Quilter all featured my picnic bag!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Island Batik: Unboxing July ’23

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Here is my video:

The fabrics from Island Batik!

This is a surprise pack … sorry I can’t show it to you, yet!

A 2 1/2 ” strip pack Of Pin Dot Floral by Kathy Engle, a signature collection for Megan Best. It is paired with a 2 yard piece of Azure (from Brilliant Blues) and a 2 yard piece of Icicle (from Tantalizing Teals).

6 Yards of Fondant! Awesome! I have purchased several yards of this fabric from Castles and have LOVED it … and used it!

A 10″ stack of Precious Pinks … luscious! MMMM … what will I make with this?

Cool! A 2 1/2 ” strip pack of Glorious Greens!

1/2 cuts of

BlendersGradation BasicsSolids
Round Petal Floral – Can … Cactus (Glorious Green)Red
Large Netting – Pineneedle (blender)Bronze (Breathtaking Browns)Pink
Cherio – Bermuda (blender)Acorn (Opulent Oranges)Lime Green
Bubbles – Raspberry (blender)Lagoon (Tantalizing Teals)Orange

This is a yard bundle of “Copper Patina,” designed by Kathy Engle. Paired with 2 yards of “Egg White” and 2 yards of “Swirl Teal Jade” from the collection.

  • 12 wt: 8079: Lana Wool Blend: soft blend of 50% Acrylic and 50% Wool: Linen Heather
  • Cotton Floss: 6 strand: #2225: Salmon
  • Monofilament
  • 80 wt: 2000: Light Sand
  • 50 wt: 6723: Fairy Floss

Fantastic Hobbs batting:

  • Thermore: great for wall hangings, placemats, table runners etc.
  • Heirloom Premium Wool Batting: Queen Size: nice and cozy. Also shows the quilting beautifully!
  • Heirloom Natural Cotton Batting: Queen Size
  • Tuscany Cotton Wool Blend: Throw size (60″ x 60″)

Everything I need to make by Annie’s Take a Stand: both the Small and Large size. Fabric is from Island Batik and ALL the other supplies are from byAnnie’s!

Accuquilt is a wonderful fabric cutting system.

North Carolina Star is a Block on Board. The entire block can be cut at one time!

Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread and Accuquilt die were generously supplied by the following companies:  Island Batik,  Aurifil Thread,  Hobbs Batting,  Accuquilt and ByAnnie

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Monday Moments: July 17

/ quiltinggail / 18 Comments

A Heart-warming Email

This weekend, I received an email from the local coordinator of Quilts of Valour. The quilt I made was given to the longest serving combat doctor in Canadian History! How cool is that? And now I wonder if he’s aware that the quilt was designed and made by a former nurse educator?

I’ve given a few Quilts of Valour over the years, but never knew what happened to them. It’s truly an honour to know where this quilt went! Dr. W, I’m glad you were the recipient!

The quilt was made with Accuquilt “Maple Leaf” die and dies from the 8 ” Qube. I used Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread. You can read more about it HERE.

One Gift a Month

July’s gift is a Trivet. You can go to Days Filled With Joy for information and the link to her tutorial (when you go to Raewyn’s blog, click on the Patterns & Techniques tab.) Or, you can visit Kaye Wood’s youtube video HERE. (That’s where Raewyn originally got the instructions).

I found my Insul-Brite!!! (remember last week I asked if anyone knew where I had put it?) It was in the space under my ironing board, tucked behind my bolts of fabric. Not exactly where I would expect it to be! But I found it when I was searching for something else! Hopefully next week I can show you my finished trivet!

So far for the One Gift a Month, I have made gifts for January, February, April and May.

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 – June:  178 / 181
  • July:  16 / 16
  • Total: 194 / 197
  • Percentage: 98%

Stash Report

Donna at Quilt Paint Create hosts a weekly link 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 to buy backing … 3 yards to be exact … I’ll be using it soon … well, maybe soon, I still need to make the top, but I knew the company had gone out of business, so I had to buy it soon! YUP, that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

Yearly Tally:

  • Fabric Used the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:    131.5 yards  from non-IB: 52
  • Fabric Bought this week:   3 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    15.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:             116 yards 

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

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from last week: 

  1. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing) In Progress I figured out what I need to do.
  2. Start August IB challenge. √   DONE. it’s started!!!
  3. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “Pin Dot Blossoms” #1 In Progress it’s sandwiched
  4. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “Pin Dot Blossoms” #2 to flimsy stage In Progress it’s sandwiched
  5. Sandwich, Quilt and Bind Island Batik October challenge In Progress it’s sandwiched
  6. Finish binding “Test” quilt In Progress no change from last week
  7. Continue piecing “Splendor” Quilt. √   DONE. still more to be done, but it’s being worked on
  8. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE
  9. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing)
  2. Continue working on August IB challenge
  3. Quilt and Bind “Pin Dot Blossoms” #1
  4. Quilt and Bind “Pin Dot Blossoms” #2 to flimsy stage
  5. Quilt and Bind Island Batik October challenge
  6. Start working on September IB challenge
  7. Finish binding “Test” quilt … come on, Gail! It’s almost done!
  8. Continue piecing “Splendor” Quilt
  9. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  10. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Design Wall

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

Piecing projects:

  1. “Splendor” Quilt (blocks in progress in the picture.
  2. Island Batik August challenge (I finally decided what I was going to do!)
  3. Island Batik’s September challenge

Quilting:

  • “Pin Dot Blossoms“ #1
  • “Pin Dot Blossoms“ #2
  • Island Batik October challenge (A secret … obviously until October)
  • Finish Binding Secret Project (Test quilt)

Upcoming Blog Hops

Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Picnic Party. (My day is July 20)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Call Me Crazy (My day is August 21)

Island Batik: Pieced to Perfection (My day is September 11)

Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: It’s a Dog’s Life (September 18 is my day)

Here’s a list of the Picnic Party bloggers;

July 17

 July 18

July 19

July 20

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Accuquilt: Covering the World

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This was a Hugs and Kisses quilt that used various Island Batik pinks, purples, and greens. If you recall, I made a blue & green Hugs & Kisses quilt and cut out too many greens (you can read about it HERE). So not wanting to waste those blocks, I cut out the pinks and purples and joined them up to make the following quilt.

I used the Accuquilt Go! to cut the pieces: Die #10 from the 8″ Qube ‘Corners’ collection paired with Die #5 from the 8″ Qube set. It made piecing the Hugs and Kisses very simple. Each Hugs or Kisses block uses 4 mini blocks composed of 1 Die #10 and 2 Die #5. Then the blocks are arranged to form a Hug or a Kiss. I added sashing and borders and the quilt was a flimsy!

Hobbs 80/20 is in the middle and I used Odif 505 spray baste to hold the layers together.

It was quilted with both the 3″ and 4″ Cupid ruler from Silly Moon.

This quilt was donated to the “Comfort Quilts” committee at the guild and will be given to the B.C. Cancer Agency at Surrey Memorial Hospital. Here I am giving the quilt to Dawn, one of the volunteers of the “Comfort Quilts” committee.

Why did I choose “Comfort Quilts” as my charity? I don’t know anyone that hasn’t been touched by cancer. We all know family members and friends that have dealt with cancer. When I was working as a nurse in the hospital, we cared for cancer patients daily: it didn’t matter what department I was working in. It’s a heart-breaking disease and the treatments can often be grueling and harsh as one fights an uphill battle. If providing a quilt can give someone comfort, I’ll all for it!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Sunday Summary: June 25

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I had a busy week with blog posts … showing you my “When Pigs Fly” project and all the projects for “Perfectly Pieced Backs.”

One Gift a Month

June’s gift is Little Gift Pouches. You can go to Days Filled With Joy for information and the link to her tutorial. She initially made the pouches for tea bags, but they can be used for many different gift ideas: lip balm, gift cards, … you get the idea! And the bonus is that they take less than 5 minutes to make. I know it’ll take me longer to pick out the fabric and ribbon! 😊

So far for the One Gift a Month, I have made gifts for January, February, April and May.

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 – May:  147 /150
  • June:  25/ 25
  • Total: 172 / 175
  • Percentage: 98%

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 following quilts used 17 yards of fabric.

Yearly Tally:

  • Fabric Used the last week: 17 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:    131.5 yards  from non-IB: 52
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    12.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:             119 yards 

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

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from 2 weeks ago: 

  1. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing) In Progress
  2. Finish the Secret Project #1 for Kelly Young’s new book √   DONE and posted
  3. Finish the Secret Project #2 for Kelly Young’s new book. √   DONE and posted
  4. Lone Star Left-overs – make back √   DONE and posted
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing)
  2. Finish project for “Picnic Party” Blog Hop
  3. “Pin Dot Blossoms“
  4. Island Batik October challenge
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Design Wall

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

Piecing projects:

  1. “Picnic Party” Blog Hop project
  2. “Pin Dot Blossoms” (a secret, I can’t show you until September)
  3. Island Batik October challenge (A secret … obviously until October)

Quilting:

  • Quilt Secret Project (Test quilt). Here’s a picture of the back …

Upcoming Blog Hops

Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Picnic Party. (My day is July 20)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Call Me Crazy (My day is August 21)

Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: It’s a Dog’s Life (September)

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Perfectly Pieced Quilt Backs

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Kelly Young has done it again!!! She has a fantastic new book out that you will absolutely LOVE!!!

This book has an amazing number of quilt backs in different sizes … some backings are scrappy and use left-overs and others use stash.

One bonus is that there are 18 FREE downloadable patterns that you can make for the front of the quilt to go with the backing – or vs versa.

This book is available at Essem Textiles now! Phone or order your book right away!

I am going to show you 1 front and 4 backs that I made using this book, “Perfectly Pieced Backs!”

Back #1 – Plus Front

This is the quilt top “front” I decided to make: It’s called “Waverunner.” It is one of the 18 free patterns available with the book!

Cutting out this quilt was very very quick!

I was working on the ‘front’ while I was at a guild sewing day and the ladies were thrilled to get a sneak peak of a book that was not available to purchase – yet! 🥹

Now, the first thing you’ll notice is that mine is not done in teals / blues … I used purple and green fabrics from the Island Batik fabric collection called “Napa Valley.” And, my quilt is smaller although the blocks are the same size. I just didn’t make as many because I didn’t have enough of the fabric from the collection to make more.

As I was piecing the front, I quickly realized that it was the perfect opportunity to make half-squared triangles instead of discarding the excess fabric. I made a lot of HST.

Here is my completed top.

And all those HST I made? I decided to join them into groups and sort-of follow the backing for “Islands.” I didn’t have focus fabric for the “Islands,” so I thought that making my own ‘Islands’ would work. My ‘Islands’ used up all of the HSTs! Perfect – no left-overs!

Here’s my “Islands” placed into the back. I paired them with the background fabric “Wheat-Dusk,” also from the Napa Valley fabric collection. The quilt was quilted with “Wild” or “Graffiti” quilting – Anything goes!

Backing #2

I made a top called “Lone Star Left-overs” (right). Yes, I used left-overs from the lone star quilt I made earlier this year (picture on the left).

I took a lot of the pieces and made “Crosses.” I used the “Cross Purposes” backing as my inspiration. The “Crosses” were made from scraps. Again the quilt was quilted with “Wild” or “Graffiti” quilting! So easy and quick!

Backing #3

I can’t show you the front of this quilt – YET – because it was made as a test quilt and the pattern is not available until later this year. However, I can show you the back! And, you probably notice that it’s not even sandwiched, let alone quilted! This is based on the backing pattern, “Every Little Bit.” The fabric scraps are from Island Batik’s “Wild Blooms” fabric collection.

Backing #4

Earlier this month, I showed you my June Island Batik challenge with flying geese. You can read more about it HERE.

My inspiration for the back was “Coin Strip.” I made 2 strips and here is the back:

Book Review

As with all of Kelly’s books, this one is very well written!!! The directions are very easy to follow and the diagrams are great! There are multiple sizes for each of the backings! Of course, the 18 free lap sized patterns are also well written and easy to download.

One of my former concerns with backings that have straight lines is getting it straight. I inevitably have them crooked and off set and anything but straight. Kelly has that covered in this book with clear directions on how to get you backs straight! My backs turned out straight! Thank you, Kelly!

This book is available at several online stores: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Connecting Threads, and Missouri Star to name a few. However if you want a signed copy by the author, you can get it from her Etsy shop HERE.

Along with all the backing patterns, links to 18 additional patterns, this book also features full quilt finishing instructions.

This book will definitely be a fantastic addition to your quilting library!

Other Bloggers

Here is a list of the other bloggers that are posting today with their “Perfectly Pieced Backs.” I can’t wait to visit each blog and see what they made!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Sew It – Show It: When Pigs Fly

/ quiltinggail / 42 Comments

June 19

Joan, of Moose Stash Quilting dreamed up this blog hop!!! At first I wasn’t sure if I could do a quilt with a pig on it. Boy, was I not thinking or paying attention!!!! Of course, with the PHD in 2023 happening on my blog, this blog hop is right up my alley!

Of course I have PIGS

  • PIGS: (Projects In Grocery Sacks)… they might not be in grocery sacks, but I have them!!!
  • UFOs??? (UnFinished Objects) Of course, I have a list … and I keep finding more!!
  • WIPS (Works in Progress) … usually many many of those!

Here’s what Joan had to say in May: Our next month’s challenge is all about those pesky projects that we haven’t finished. If you haven’t joined already, you might want to look in the corners of your sewing area and see if there isn’t something you can finish and share with us, too! 

It’s never too late to finish a PIG, UFO or WIP … but you can certainly go find one and work on it!

My “When Pigs Fly”

I’ve had my 2022 “Nutcracker” (by Helen Godden) on my To Do list as a UFO since Christmas. I decided it was time … time to ‘get-er-done’!

I have done several projects, guided by Helen Godden. You can visit her website HERE … she has some free patterns and there are Youtube videos to guide you in your quilting. The first picture is “Flower Power” and each block is around 8-9″ square (you can read about it HERE) and the 2nd picture is the Merry Christmas from 2020 or ’21.

I had outlined the Nutcracker with a sharpie. and had coloured it in with Inktense pencils. I used Aloe Vera to set the colour, sandwiched it with Hobbs Batting – Thermore (which is perfect for wall hangings) … and it has sat and sat and sat …

In May, I pulled it out … and started to work on it. The first thing I needed to do was all of the outlining with black thread. I used Aurifil Thread #2692. I started that and within about 30 minutes, I was bored. I did think about tossing it aside, but I resisted. I looked at the youtube video to see what the December 1 stitching was. It was the cap/crown. OK … so I continued to do the outlining until I reached the cap/crown. Figuring that I would do the rest of the outlining as I went along! December 1 was the cap/crown … easy peasy, December 2 was the red part of the crown … easy peasy … and on it went … checking out each day and stitching as directed.

I didn’t take a picture of each day’s directions, but I took a few as I went along. I completed the quilting in about 3 days … doing a little here and a little there. (So I obviously did not do one day at a time!)

In the following pictures, you should be able to see the progress … and yes, the definite imperfections!

When I went to outline the “Merry Christmas,” I realized that Helen had coloured hers in black. So, I pulled out my trusty “Stained” Sharpies and coloured mine in as well. This was easier and faster than pulling out my Inktense pencils and Aloe Vera gel.

Here is my finished Nutcracker from the back. I cut out 3″ squares of the binding fabric and folded it in half to give me the corner hangers.

And from the front where I used Aurifil Thread #2311 (Muslin) for the background quilting.

Other Piggy Participants

Here’s a list of everyone that’s participating in the blog hop! I’m exited to see what everyone’s been working on!

Monday June 19

Tuesday June 20

Wednesday June 21

Thursday June 22

Pinterest

Joan has set up a Pinterest Board where you can see all of the projects from this blog hop. It’s HERE.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

TGIFF: June 16’23

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I am hosting TGIFF this week!

Here is my finish. It’s left-overs from a lone star quilt that I made earlier this year using Island Batik’s Naturescape fabric collection, solid grey and a blender. You can read about the Lone Star HERE. I will show you a close-up of the back next week when I showcase “Perfectly Pieced Backs” a new book by Kelly Young.

Quilt Stats:

  • 48″ X 55″
  • Hobbs 80/20 is in the middle
  • Wild / Grafitti quilting
  • Island Batik Fabric: Naturescape, Solid Grey and Blender: BE24-E2
  • Pieced with Aurifil 2000 (Light Sand)
  • Quilted with Aurifil 2600 (Dove Grey)

Link YOUR Friday Finish!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter
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One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Monday Moments: June 12

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Did you see?

Did you see my Island Batik Fly Away challenge? I had a lot of fun making and quilting this!!! You can read more about it HERE.

This table runner used Island Batik’s “Maple Island,” Solid grey & Midnight Blue fabrics. The Wing Clipper Tool by Studio 180 was used to make the flying geese. It was pieced with Aurifil, on my Singer Featherweight, using Schmetz needles. The quilting was done on my domestic sewing machine, Janome M7.

Remember: I’m wondering if I’m Going Crazy?

Last week, when I was wondering if I was going crazy and I had said that I didn’t swear (the walking foot on my sewing machine would not work) see HERE for the full story.

Pat had commented in the comments, “Sometimes you just need to use your ‘sewing words’ eg “Oh, baste it!” Or mutter mutter- “edgestitch”. It’s the tone that matters and often, by the time you’ve said something like, a smile comes to your face. I encourage ‘sewing words’ and find others come up some I’ve never considered like “Rotary cutter” or something other.”

I LOVE this idea!!! 🩷 🩵 💜 So, in the future, if I’m sewing with you and I use my ‘sewing words’ in THAT tone of voice, you can smile and laugh with me!

One Gift a Month

May’s gift is Soup Bowl Cozies. You can go to Days Filled With Joy for information and links to several different on-line tutorials.

So far for the One Gift a Month, I have made January’s, February’s, and April’s gifts.

May’s gift was Soup Bowl Cozies … mine were made in June! I found 2 more squares of Pumpkin spice and made 2 bowl cozies. The pattern I followed was HERE. I did 2 things differently. (1) Before turning the cozy right side out, I clipped all the corners, ensuring that I did not clip through the stitching. (2) I did 2 rows of top stitching … the 1/4” as directed, then I added an 1/8” so I wouldn’t need to hand stitch.

June’s One Gift A Month hasn’t been posted yet … hopefully soon!

New Classes

I’m teaching 2 classes at Essem. The first one is the Hugs and Kisses quilt. You will come with your fabric and use my Accuquilt to cut out perfectly sized pieces! The quilt will go together easily!

The other class is a Quilt-as-you-go table runner, using decorative stitches on your machine. Come and have some fun with this technique.

Once you make the table runner, it’s easy sailing to make a quilt!

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 – May:  147 /150
  • June:  11/ 11
  • Total: 158 / 161
  • Percentage: 98%

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 fabrics for the Quilt-as-you-go Quilt were from Essem, so they don’t count. However, most of the fabric from the Quilt-as-you-go table runner and the bowl cozies were from my stash, as was the Flying Geese table topper. 4.5 yards

No shopping. No fabric added!

Yearly Tally:

  • Fabric Used the last week: 4.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:    115.5 yards  from non-IB: 51
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    12.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:             103 yards 

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

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from last week: 

  1. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). In Progress … the quilt is quilted … I just need to sit down and finish writing the pattern.
  2. Make the Crazy quilt with Decorative stitches for Essem … I’m teaching this class in a few weeks. √   DONE
  3. Finish the Secret Project #1 for Kelly Young’s new book – I’ll be telling you all about it later this month! In Progress
  4. Finish the Secret Project #2 for Kelly Young’s new book In Progress
  5. Lone Star Left-overs – get it to a flimsy stage √   DONE (see photo under “design wall”)
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing)
  2. Finish the Secret Project #1 for Kelly Young’s new book
  3. Finish the Secret Project #2 for Kelly Young’s new book
  4. Lone Star Left-overs – make back
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Design Wall

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

Piecing projects:

  1. #1 Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book (mostly the purples and greens from the Island Batik Napa Valley collection) Top is done … back is being pieced
  2. #2 Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book. (Island Batik, “Wild Blooms”) Top is done … back is being pieced
  3. Lone-Star Left-overs (Island Batik “Naturescape”) Top is completed, back is being pieced

Quilting:

  • I’m hoping to get the piecing projects to the quilting stage this week!

Upcoming Blog Hops

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: When Pigs Fly (My day is June 19)

Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Picnic Party. (My day is July 20)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Call Me Crazy

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Fly Away: Island Batik’s June Challenge

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Here’s what Island Batik had to say about this challenge:

This month, your challenge is to use one of the four Strip or Stack precut bundles that you received in your December box and play with the versatile Flying Geese blocks to create a fun quilt or table runner! Your project must use Flying Geese blocks as the focus but you can combine other blocks to enhance the project. 

What makes Flying Geese quilts so popular? First, blocks can be used in a variety of quilt designs, from traditional to modern, and arranged in rows, columns, diagonals, and more, making them a versatile choice for quilters. Second, flying geese blocks are relatively easy to make and require only basic sewing skills. Third, the flying geese design creates a sense of movement and visual interest in a quilt, making it eye-catching and dynamic. We can’t wait to see your Flying Geese quilt!

Well, a couple of years ago, I would have totally disagreed with Island Batik. I certainly didn’t find them easy to piece unless I was paper piecing … which isn’t a favourite of mine. However, I have discovered the perfect way to make flying geese … more about that later in this post.

I went to EQ8 to play with flying geese and fabrics. I decided to use the beautiful stack of 10″ squares from the Island Batik fabric collection “Maple Island” designed by Kathy Engle.

While I was playing and designing, I paired the fabric with Island Batik’s solid grey and this is what I came up with.

To make the flying geese, I used Studio 180’s Wing Clipper Tool. Using it guarantees PERFECT flying geese EVERY SINGLE TIME!

The 1st picture is of sewing flying geese in progress on my featherweight … a new package of Schmetz Needles at the ready. (There was already a Schmetz needle in the machine.) Then, using the Studio 180 Wing Clipper Tool to square up the flying geese and the 3rd picture is of the pretty pieces that were trimmed off.

The star points are flying geese blocks.

Once I had my star blocks and the flying geese sashing blocks made, I put them on my design wall. OH DEAR!!! It did not look as good as it did in EQ8!!! It looked washed out … I was not happy!!! So, I auditioned the blocks on the 2 coordinating fabrics that I was sent:

I was still not totally happy … although “Seaweed” was better than “Dot Sky,” I still wasn’t happy. I pulled out lots of different fabric from my Island Batik stash. The solid black was better, but not quite ‘just right.’ Then “Midnight Blue” was the perfect one! Midnight Blue almost looks black, but it has mottled bits of blue in it.

It was super hot (35oC or 95oF) when I was piecing this … so I set up my featherweight outside and was enjoying the warmth! And yes, that’s my grand-dog “Daphne” supervising! Plus, you can see that I use a cone of Aurifil Thread when I’m piecing.

I decided that I would do an all-over quilting pattern and feathers was the perfect choice to go with flying geese!

Aurifil Thread #6734 (Swallow), 40 wt was the perfect colour for this table topper. Hobbs Batting Thermore is inside and is just right for a light-weight topper! And, as per my usual, it was quilted on my domestic Janome M7 sewing machine.

Here is my flying geese table topper. There are 92 flying geese … 4 flying geese to make each star and there are 4 flying geese in each of the 17 blocks that surround the star blocks. This is 25″ x 36.”

This picture shows the feathers much better than the front picture!

Where can I find Maple Island?

Here’s a partial list of where you can find Maple Island. Check with your local quilt store and ask!

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 Studio 180 Designs.

Island Batik Ambassadors

Visit the following blogs to see the flying geese creations!

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs
Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting
Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts
Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts
Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts
Reed Johnson ~ Blue Bear Quilts
Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You
Randi Jones ~ Randi’s Roost

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs
Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney ~ Quiltery – For The Love Of Geese
Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights
Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine

Elita Sharpe ~ Busy Needle
Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail
Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels
Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

Anorina Morris ~ sameliasmum.com
Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique
Claudia Porter ~ Create with Claudia
Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Sunday Summary: June 5

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I’m wondering if I’m Going Crazy?

Last week, on Monday, I was teaching at Essem and we were looking at walking foot quilting. My machine wouldn’t work with the walking foot on it. Dang! I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. The class participants were stellar and so I didn’t need to demonstrate on my machine. When I came home, I pulled the machine out and it worked like a charm. I was relieved that it wouldn’t need to go to the machine doctor or have a spa appointment!

Fast forward to Friday. I went to a Quilt-as-you-Go workshop. When I got there, I set up my machine. I put the extension table in place, with the slip slide thing taped in place. Turned on my machine. The walking foot wouldn’t work! WHAT???? Knowing that I needed it, or at the very least, I wanted to use it, I sat and stared (maybe GLARED) at it. I did not swear – promise! 🤪

The feed dogs were not working. WHY? The feed dogs were not lowered. I checked that! What is wrong???

I stared glared some more … and then it hit me! DUH!!! DUH!!! DUH!!! The slip slide thingy is good for free motion, but it does cover up the feed dogs. As soon as I removed it, the walking foot worked like a charm!

Yup, sometimes I think I’m going crazy!

Classic Cars: Monthly Colour Challenge

May’s Classic Car colour is Grey …. Visit Patterns by Jen HERE for your free download of this month’s block …

Here’s my May block, followed by the January, February, March, April and May blocks … I know that I ‘stretched’ the grey colour a bit, but I’m trying to use up my bits and pieces of Island Batik scraps and this seemed to fit the bill!

One Gift a Month

May’s gift is Soup Bowl Cozies. You can go to Days Filled With Joy for information and links to several different on-line tutorials.

So far for the One Gift a Month, I have made January’s, February’s, and April’s gifts.

Yes, I will be making Soup Bowl Cozies … soon, it obviously won’t be in May! Here is the fabric for my bowl cozy … These are 10″ squares from a stack of Island Batik “Pumpkin Spice” that I had. Now to get some cotton batting that doesn’t have scrim on it! …

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 – May:  147 /150
  • June:  4/ 4
  • Total: 151 / 154
  • Percentage: 98%

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 saw this meme on a friends blog (Brenda) and it just cracked me up! “I’m not a Hoarder … I’m the Curator of an Extensive Private Fabric collection.” And with the chicken holding all the extra fabric, it’s perfect. You can see this at Songbird Designs HERE.

This meme is very appropriate for me!

So, as I mentioned, I took a workshop making a Quilt-as-you-Go quilt. It was a LOT of fun!!! Thanks to Dawn and Nora for organizing and teaching. This quilt used 3 yards of fabric from my extensive stash collection, plus about 1/2 yard for binding and Hobbs 80/20 batting from left-over pieces. It will be donated to the guild’s baby quilt charity!

No shopping. No fabric added!

Yearly Tally:

  • Fabric Used the last week: 3.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:    111 yards  from non-IB: 50
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    12.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:             98.5 yards 

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

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from last week: 

  1. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). Partially done. I have the quilt quilted and just need to bind it. The border portion needs to be written.
  2. X’s & O’s #1 & #2: bind √   DONE #2 is bound, but I need to do a photo shoot and then I can show it to you.
  3. Finish “When Pigs Fly” project √   DONE … you’ll see this on June 19!
  4. Finish the Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book – I’ll be telling you all about it in June! Partially done. It’s still a work in progress
  5. Lone Star Left-overs – get it to a flimsy stage. … Partially done. I’m still webbing the top
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing).
  2. Make the Crazy quilt with Decorative stitches for Essem … I’m teaching this class in a few weeks.
  3. Finish the Secret Project #1 for Kelly Young’s new book – I’ll be telling you all about it later this month!
  4. Finish the Secret Project #2 for Kelly Young’s new book
  5. Lone Star Left-overs – get it to a flimsy stage
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Design Wall

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

Piecing projects:

  1. #1 Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book (mostly the purples and greens from the Island Batik Napa Valley collection)
  2. #2 Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book. (Island Batik, “Wild Blooms”)
  3. Crazy Quilt for Essem using Grunge and other fabric
  4. Some blocks ready for webbing from Lone-Star Left-overs (Island Batik “Naturescape”)

Yup … it’s official, I am crazy … working on 4 projects at once!!! I know I often work on at least 2, along with a leader and ender … but 4??? Actually 6 … I don’t have a picture of the back for Secret Project #1 … it’s also in progress, as is the back for the Lone-Star Left-overs. YIKES!!!!

Quilting: These are all sandwiched and ready to quilt …

  • Nutcracker
  • Bird Panel

Upcoming Blog Hops

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: When Pigs Fly (My day is June 19)

Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Picnic Party. (My day is July 20)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Call Me Crazy

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

PHD in 2023: May Report

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Did you decide to join us with PHD in 2023???

Are you determined to finish a bunch of UFOs and to NOT increase the number of quilts or projects on your UFO list???

Congratulations on making that choice!!!

Did you?

Last month, I talked about getting at least ONE UFO done before the end of May! How did you do??? Did you get started on one?? Did you even pull one out to start on it? Did you work on it for at least 15 minutes? Hmmm … so many “Did you” questions!

I did … but I can’t show you because I’m keeping it a secret until the “When Pigs Fly” blog hop! The project is done and the blog post is almost all written!! Woohoo!!

Shall we try for another UFO for June?

My Tally Sheets

I finished 3 New Starts this month. You can read about them here: Wedge Star, Retreat Bag, and Hugs & Kisses #1. The Wedge Star and Hugs & Kisses #1 were made with Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs 80/20 batting in the middle and pieced and quilted with Aurifil thread.

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

template-2023Download

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

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

Linky Party

Show us your progress with your PHD in 2023!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

FavouriteFinish of the Month

Cheryl, from Meadow Mist Designs hosts a monthly linky party where you post your favourite quilt of the month. This Wedge Star, using Studio 180 designs is my favourite for May!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

A Fun Friday Finish! May 26

/ quiltinggail / 31 Comments

I LOVE having quilty finishes!

This was a Hugs and Kisses quilt that used various Island Batik blues and greens. I used the Accuquilt Go! to cut the pieces: Die #10 from the ‘Corners’ 8″ Qube collection paired with Die #5 from the 8″ Qube set. It made piecing the Hugs and Kisses very simple. Each Hugs or Kisses block uses 4 mini blocks composed of 1 Die #10 and 2 Die #5. Then the blocks are arranged to form a Hug or a Kiss. I added sashing and borders and the quilt was a flimsy!

Unfortunately, I didn’t count very well and I had too many green blocks … so I cut some pinks and purples and I’ll show you that quilt next week (if it’s finished!)

One person that saw this quilt called it my “Sea Hawks” quilt. I’m not a sports fan … but I know lots of people that are and I get that it’s the colours of the team!

Hobbs 80/20 is in the middle and I used Odif 505 spray baste to hold the layers together.

I was zoom quilting with my sister and cousins at the beginning of the month. I wasn’t sure how to quilt it, but I knew I wanted an all-over pattern. My cousin, Terry (machine quilter extraordinaire! ) suggested these curly c’s that go every which way and back-track on themselves. I gave it a try, I must admit, the back-tracking was not fun, but it was well worth it in the end and I LOVE the look! I’ll be using that random pattern again! Thanks, Terry for your fabulous suggestion!!!

I was Featured

Andree from Free Motion Quilters featured my Studio 180 Wedge Star Quilt with Island Batik Sandalwood fabric collection. You can read about it HERE.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Monday Moments: May 22

/ quiltinggail / 24 Comments

One Gift a Month

This month’s gift is Soup Bowl Cozies. You can go to Days Filled With Joy for information and links to several different on-line tutorials.

So far for the One Gift a Month, I have made January’s, February’s, and April’s gifts.

Yes, I will be making Soup Bowl Cozies … soon. But I need to warn you, somewhere – a while ago, I read that one lady made a Soup Bowl Cozy and her biggest complaint was that it leaked! Yes, you read correctly! She was complaining that the bowl leaked! I guess she didn’t understand that the Cozy was intended for the bowl to be placed in the cozy, not for the soup to be placed in it! I know that none of my readers will make that mistake! Right?

Classic Cars: Monthly Colour Challenge

May’s Classic Car colour is Baby Blue …. ooohhhh … a favourite colour of mine! Visit Patterns by Jen HERE for your free download of this month’s block …

Here’s my May block and the January, February, March, April and May blocks … all made with Island Batik scraps …

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 – April:  117 /120
  • May: 21 / 21
  • Total: 138 / 141
  • Percentage: 97%

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!

When I was at the retreat a few weeks ago, a group of us went to Overseas Fabrics. As we left the retreat room, I insisted that I was NOT going to buy any fabric!!! Well, that lasted until I saw the following fabric. Really, how could I resist? I purchased 2 yards of each.

The past 2 week’s finishes include:

  • Studio 180 Island Batik challenge (May) 7 yards
  • Baby Stars 6 yards
  • Retreat Bag 1 yard

Yearly Tally:

  • Fabric Used the past 2 weeks: 14 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:     101 yards  from non-IB: 43.5
  • Fabric Bought this week:   4 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    12.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:             88.5 yards 

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

To Do Tuesday

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

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

  1. Pack for the retreat: Wallets, test quilt for Brenda, June IB challenge, Retreat bag. All was packed!!! Partially done: The only thing finished was the Retreat bag … Test Quilt is still in progress, as is the June IB challenge. Wallets were not touched.
  2. X’s & O’s #1 & #2: quilt and bind Partially done: Both are quilted, neither are bound
  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. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing).
  2. Finish June IB challenge
  3. X’s & O’s #1 & #2: bind
  4. Quilt for Kelly Young’s new book
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Design Wall

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

Piecing projects:

  1. June IB challenge (The luscious teal and green 10″ stack – 1st picture)
  2. Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book (mostly the purples and greens from the Island Batik Napa Valley collection – 2nd picture)
  3. Project for When Pigs Fly

Quilting: These are all sandwiched and ready to quilt …

  • Nutcracker
  • Bird Panel

Upcoming Blog Hops

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: When Pigs Fly (My day is June 9)

Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Picnic Party. (My day is July 20)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Call Me Crazy

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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You Never Know

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A few years ago, Patti participated in a Stay at Home Round Robin … she diligently sent me photos of her progress … then decided she was DONE. She can’t remember if she put it on the “Free” table or put it somewhere else … but it was out of her hands … she was done with it!

Fast forward to the present day …

Patti is on the “Comfort Quilt Committee” for our guild (Boundary Bay Quilter’s Guild). She was given a quilt that was donated for the cancer centre. She absolutely HAD to show it to me … Can you see why????

And here you can really see Patti’s started SAHRR …

The lady that picked up the discarded SAHRR added lots of her own fabrics and made a super beautiful quilt …

Sew, You Never Know!

IB Blog Hop is Over

Island Batik has had a blog hop over the last 3 weeks. Did you see it? It featured Studio 180 Tools and new fabric lines.

I was given the “Sandalwood” collection, designed by Kathy Engle for Kari Nichols of Quilting Renditions and the Wedge Star Tool. You can read more about this quilt, the fabric and the tool HERE. It was a lot of fun to make! I was especially thrilled when I had PERFECTLY pieced star centres (well, on most of them!)

And here’s the back and a close up of the quilting.

If you would like to see a recap of all of the quilts from the hop, (without visiting each blog) visit Island Batik’s blog HERE.

I Was Featured

Jennifer, from  Inquiring Quilter and Andree from Quilting and Learning – what a combo … featured my 2nd Baby Stars quilt on her blog.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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Tool Craze with Studio 180 Tools

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At the beginning of the year, when I got my first 2 Island Batik boxes for 2023, I had a “Surprise” package:

I didn’t know what fabric collection was hidden inside the wrapping!

This is what I found when I opened it: and yes, I ohhh and ahhh’d over it! I LOVE these beautiful fall colours!

The collection is “Sandalwood” designed by Kathy Engle for Kari Nichols of Quilting Renditions. And the collection is paired with 2 yards of Dijon (from Opulent Oranges) and 2 yards of Mocha (from Neutrals).

I also received the Wedge Star tool from Studio 180. So many options to play with!

And as an ambassador, I was also able to get the extra Technic Sheets that accompany the tool. Studio 180 also has a plethora of videos that go with all of the tools and several of the Technic Sheets! So, if you have a Studio 180 tool and are not sure how to proceed, visit the videos for clear instructions. HERE.

I followed the directions and started making the stars … sewing and trimming …

My first 3 blocks and then the start of the “Twisted Wedge Star” on my Prairie Spirit Alpaca/wool pressing mat.

One thing that I was totally amazed at was how, after all the sewing and trimming most of the blocks had PERFECT centres. If you know me at all … this is totally amazing! I was SOOOOOO excited!! It’s no wonder that I LOVE Studio 180 tools!

It was SEW much fun to make all these blocks that I didn’t take the time to photograph many progress pictues!

All in all, I made 6 Wedge Stars and 6 Twisted Wedge Stars. I used all 20 of the fabric skews in the top! The back used 3 of the skews and the Dijon yardage that was paired with the collection.

When the top was pieced together, I pulled out a batt of Hobbs Batting 80/20 (I buy this by the roll and I receive lots of Hobbs batting as an ambassador I LOVE Hobbs batting! and sandwiched the quilt using 505 spray baste!

And the quilting began … NOTE: many people think I have a long arm … I don’t !! I quilt on my Janome M7. I had my husband take pictures fo there is some proof! (grin)

Schmetz Needles, Microtex Chrome 70/10, was used for the quilting. I know that a LOT of people think that you need a larger needle when quilting batiks, but you don’t. These needles work great!

You can see the Aurifil Thread 2370 (Sandstone) that I used to quilt this quilt.

Here is the final quilt:

And with the fall colours, the only place to take a ‘fall-ish” picture was pinning the quilt to the wood pile. I didn’t think the rose coloured tulips or the ornamental cherry blossoms would look great with this quilt! This wood pile will be cut and split in the near future … all ready for next winter!

The back and close-up of the quilting:

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 43″ x 57″
  • Fabric: Sandalwood Collection, with Moocha (sashing & borders) and Dijon (in some blocks & backing)
  • Backing fabrics: Dijon, Berries Gold Oc re, Pine Leaves Cone Gr, & Rock Yellow Amber
  • Binding: Various greens from the Sandalwood Collection for a scrappy binding.
  • Piecing thread: Aurifil 2600 (Dove Grey)
  • Quilting & Binding thread: Aurifil Thread 2370 (Sandstone)
  • Batting: Hobbs 80/20

Where can I find?

If you are interested in the Sandalwood fabric line, it can be found at the following stores. Many many other stores carry Island Batik and specifically Sandalwood fabrics, but I’ve kept my list to Washington State and Oregon – stores within my driving distance! The fabrics should be shipping soon!

  • Creative Union Fabric, Port Townsend, WA
  • Creekside Quilts, Gales, OR
  • Will-n-Bee’z, Salem, OR

To find stores that carry Island Batik fabrics, check the store locator HERE.

One Canadian Store that carries many of the collections seen in this blog hop is Lori’s Country Cottage. I visit it almost every time I visit my sister!

  • Lori’s Country Cottage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA

Week 2 of the Blog Hop

May 8

Reed Johnson, Blue Bear Quilts

Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

May 9

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail

Lana Russel, Lana Quilts

May 10

Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia

Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum

May 11

Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations

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,   Studio 180 Designs

Island Batik Ambassadors

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs
Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting
Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts
Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts
Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts
Reed Johnson ~ Blue Bear Quilts
Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You
Randi Jones ~ Randi’s Roost

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs
Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney ~ Quiltery – For The Love Of Geese
Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights
Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine

Elita Sharpe ~ Busy Needle
Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail
Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels
Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

Anorina Morris ~ sameliasmum.com
Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique
Claudia Porter ~ Create with Claudia
Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

More Friday Finishes!

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Yes, I have another finish!!!

These little bags are April’s One Gift a month from Days Filled with Joy … I started them in April, finished in May. They both use Island Batik fabrics from different collections.

These are January and February’s gifts … since I made 2 in February, and March’s slipped away from me … That’s 5 gifts that I’ve made in 4 months … I figure that’s OK!

May’s gift of the Month won’t be posted until later this month as “days filled with Joy” has a lot on her plate.

Blog Hop

To see a recap of Week 1: visit Island Batik’s blog HERE.

Week 2 of Island Batik’s Blog Hop will start on Monday. My day is Tuesday!!!

May 8

Reed Johnson, Blue Bear Quilts

Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

May 9

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail

Lana Russel, Lana Quilts

May 10

Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia

Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum

May 11

Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations

More opportunity to win

If you would like the opportunity to win one of these fat quarter bundles, check out Island Batik’s Blog and follow the rafflecopper directions.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

I was Featured

Jennifer at Inquiring Quilter and Andree from Quilting & Learning – What a combo! featured my Meadow Mist Mystery Quilt. You can read about it HERE.

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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PHD in 2023: April Report & other stuff …

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Did you decide to join us with PHD in 2023???

Are you determined to finish a bunch of UFOs and to NOT increase the number of quilts or projects on your UFO list???

Congratulations on making that choice!!!

Let’s Get ‘er Done!

So, we’ve all got this list of UFOs to do. And we have the list of “NEW Starts in ’23” … Are you feeling overwhelmed?

We’re a third of the way through the year! Do you have a third of your UFOs done? It’s OK if you don’t, this isn’t a challenge where you have to get one done each month, but it does help.

So, let’s take one of your UFOs. It won’t get done sitting in it’s box, or stashed under the bed, or in the back of the closet. Get it out!

Decide what do you need to do? Can you start where you left off? Do you need to figure out where you left off? Whatever it is, DO IT!!!

Your UFO will get finished the same as everything else … one stitch at a time. Take the time to do at least 15 minutes of stitching today … if you can stitch for 30 minutes, then that’s even better!

Let’s get at least ONE UFO done before the end of May! Sound good?

My Tally Sheets

I finished 2 UFOs this month. You can read about them here: Chilhowie // Meadow Mist Melodic Mystery Quilt.

Only 1 NEW starts was finished this month. It’s my April Island Batik challenge.

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

template-2023Download

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

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

Linky Party

Show us your progress with your PHD in 2023!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

A Gifted Quilt

My Brother in Law, Dale, LOVES puffy quilts! He Loves bright and cheerful quilts. I gifted him the puff quilt that I made for the February Island Batik challenge. Obviously, their little dog, Brûlée, loves it as well! You can read more about this Puff quilt 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!

I missed 1 days this week because I was travelling, so that was a total of 3 days missed so far this year!

  • January – March:  90 / 90
  • April: 27 / 30
  • Total: 117 / 120
  • Percentage: 97%

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!

This week’s finishes include:

  • Meadow Mist’s Mystery Quilt: Melodic Mystery (12 yards)

  • Fabric Used the past week:  12 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:        86 yards  from non-IB: 40
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     8.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              77.5 yards 

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

To Do Tuesday

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

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

  1. Work on a couple of quilt tops for my sister. √   DONE
  2. Work on May IB Challenge. in progress √   DONE
  3. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). Not done
  4. X’s & O’s: Add Border, Quilt & Bind Not done
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Finish IB Catalogue Quilt
  2. Finish May IB Challenge.
  3. Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing).
  4. X’s & O’s: Add Border, Sandwich, Quilt & Bind
  5. Work on “Rose Coloured Glasses” blog hop project
  6. Gather projects to take to the next retreat!
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Design Wall

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

Piecing projects:

  1. May IB challenge : Sandelwood and the Wedge Star tool
  2. June IB challenge (The luscious teal and green 10″ stack)
  3. Xs & Os. #1 & #2. – cut with Accuquilt dies

Quilting: These are all sandwiched and ready to quilt …

  • IB Catalogue Quilt (not shown)
  • Nutcracker
  • Bird Panel

Current Blog Hop

Island Batik Blog Hop: Tool Craze: This Blog Hop starts TOMORROW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My day is May 9

Each Ambassador was given a 1/2 yard of each fabric in a collection, along with coordinating fabric, as well as a Studio 180 tool … It’s going to be fun to see what each person creates!

If you visit Island Batik’s blog, HERE, you have an opportunity to win some awesome fabric. These fat quarter bundles are soooooo beautiful!!!

Here’s the list of who’s participating in the blog hop this week:

May 1: Celebrate

May 2: Holiday at Home

May 3: Let It Snow

May 4: Make a Wish

Upcoming Blog Hops

Island Batik Blog Hop: Tool Craze: week 2 & 3. (my day is June 9)

Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Rose Colored Glasses (My day is May 16)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: When Pigs Fly (My day is June 9)

Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Picnic Party

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Call Me Crazy

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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