Joan of Moose Stash Quilting is the organizer of this blog hop. Here’s what she had to say about this Blog Hop:
We all know that crazy and scary feeling of wondering what we were thinking, when we started or were in the middle of sewing something out of our comfort zone. Now’s the time to share them with us all! It always make me feel better, knowing I’m not truly the only crazy person out there!
The rules are simple, make your project, write a post and have it scheduled to publish by midnight EST, the day your scheduled.
Well, I OBVIOUSLY did not read the instructions. I took it to mean that we had to do some Crazy Quilting. Probably since I’ve made a few projects in recent months … You can read about these projects HEREand HERE.
I used a pattern by Karen Overton, The Quilt Rambler. You can access the pattern HERE and the Youtube video HERE.
I was inspired by a fellow Island Batik ambassador who made a crazy quilted book cover for the “Crazy Quilt” challenge. You can see Emily’s (Darling Dogwood) book cover HERE.
I used an Island Batik fabric collection called Wild Blooms. There is Hobbs 80/20 batting in the middle and Aurifil thread was used for the piecing and quilting. The button came from my button box and I think it might have been one of my mom’s buttons! That translates to “It’s likely OLD!”
I’m always asked about my quilting. I quilt on a domestic sewing machine, a Janome M7. I LOVE my M7!!!!
Here is mine:
The following pictures show the Back insert, the button applied, the zipper and vinyl pocket and the bookmark in the composition notebook!
Here are the rest of the Crazy Blog Hoppers
Be sure to visit each of them! I promise you’ll be inspired!
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.
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
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! 🤪
August’s Classic Car colour is brown …. Visit Patterns by Jen HERE for your free download of this month’s block … it’s an easy one!!!
Here’s my August block, followed by the rest of the monthly blocks. I’ve used scraps of Island Batik for all of my blocks.
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: 6 / 6
Total: 215 / 218
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!
Since the last report: The Amish panel quilt used 7.5 yards of fabric and the Call Me pouch used 1/2 yard.
Yearly Tally:
Fabric Used the last week: 8 yards
Fabric Used in 2023: 140 yards from non-IB: 59.5
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 15.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 124.5 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 Dolist from last week:
Finish August IB challenge. not finished … In Progress
Get “Splendor” Quilt to flimsy stage … not finished … need to fix an error and add borders … In Progress
Work on September’s IB challenge … I worked on it, it’s still In Progress
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish August IB challenge
Get “Splendor” Quilt to flimsy stage
Work on September’s IB challenge
Work on Pin Dot Floral Quilt
Cut out Malted Mystery Fabrics
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Just in case you’re not aware, a DrEAMI stands for “Drop Everything And Make It.” And I did. I put all the things I was working on aside and made this cute “Call Me” pouch. It’s a free pattern byAnnie and is super easy to make!
Our grand-dog is here and we go for daily walks. It’s too warm to wear a jacket and I HATE carrying my phone in my jeans … so I made this! I tried it out this morning and it’s perfect!!!
Island Batik fabrics were used: Nautilus Floral Baja, from the Mystery collection and Cherio – Bermuda from basics. Quilted and pieced with Aurifil Thread. The Annie’s Soft & Stable, mesh, vinyl and fold-over elastic were left-overs from a previous by Annie bag.
At the end of the month, Sandra, from MMM Quilts holds a link party for DrEAMIs. Since it’s the beginning of the month, I’ll have to wait until the end to link up!
A Mistake
When I finished my pouch, I went back to working on a few works in progress. There are 2 mistakes in this Splendor quilt … can you find them?? Time to get the seam ripper out! And then give this one a good press!
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 Joyfor 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!
July’s gift is a Trivet. You can go to Days Filled With Joyfor 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).
So, I’ve made progress. I just need to sew the binding down … hopefully it will be done by next week. Why is it that sometime changing your thread is such a huge task??? sigh …
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: 23/ 23
Total: 201 / 204
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 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: 0 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 Dolist from last week:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). √ DONE And one of my pattern testers is working on it now!
Continue working on August IB challenge.√ DONEIn Progress
Quilt and Bind “Pin Dot Blossoms” #1 √ DONE
Quilt and Bind “Pin Dot Blossoms” #2 √ DONE
Quilt and Bind Island Batik October challenge √ DONE
Finish binding “Test” quilt … come on, Gail! It’s almost done! √ DONE
Continue piecing “Splendor” Quilt In Progress
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish August IB challenge
Get “Splendor” Quilt to flimsy stage
Work on September’s IB challenge
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
This picture shows “Splendor” blocks and part of the August Island Batik challenge (using left-overs from the “Prairie Dreams” bargello quilt (you can see it HERE.). And no, it’s not another bargello quilt.
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
Blenders
GradationBasics
Solids
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!
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 Joyfor 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 Dolist from last week:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing) In Progress I figured out what I need to do.
Start August IB challenge.√ DONE. it’s started!!!
Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “Pin Dot Blossoms” #1 In Progress it’s sandwiched
Sandwich, Quilt and Bind “Pin Dot Blossoms” #2 to flimsy stage In Progress it’s sandwiched
Sandwich, Quilt and Bind Island Batik October challenge In Progress it’s sandwiched
Finish binding “Test” quilt In Progress no change from last week
Continue piecing “Splendor” Quilt. √ DONE. still more to be done, but it’s being worked on
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing)
Continue working on August IB challenge
Quilt and Bind “Pin Dot Blossoms” #1
Quilt and Bind “Pin Dot Blossoms” #2 to flimsy stage
Quilt and Bind Island Batik October challenge
Start working on September IB challenge
Finish binding “Test” quilt … come on, Gail! It’s almost done!
Continue piecing “Splendor” Quilt
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
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!
July’s Classic Car colour is Purple …. Visit Patterns by Jen HERE for your free download of this month’s block …
Here’s my July block, followed by the rest of the monthly blocks. I’ve used scraps of Island Batik for all of my blocks.
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: 2 / 2
Total: 180 / 183
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 didn’t buy any fabric this week and I didn’t finish anything this week! So, my yearly numbers will stay the same.
Yearly Tally:
Fabric Used the last week: 0 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 Dolist from last week:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing) In Progress
Finish project for “Picnic Party” Blog Hop. √ DONE but I can’t show you until the blog hop!
“Pin Dot Blossoms” #1 In Progress
“Pin Dot Blossoms” #2 In Progress
Island Batik October challenge In Progress
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing)
Complete “Pin Dot Blossoms” #1 to flimsy stage
Complete “Pin Dot Blossoms” #2 to flimsy stage
Island Batik October challenge to flimsy stage
Finish quilting “Test” quilt and bind it
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
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:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing) In Progress
Finish the Secret Project#1 for Kelly Young’s new book √ DONE and posted
Finish the Secret Project#2 for Kelly Young’s new book. √ DONE and posted
Lone Star Left-overs – make back √ DONE and posted
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing)
Finish project for “Picnic Party” Blog Hop
“Pin Dot Blossoms“
Island Batik October challenge
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
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!
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
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:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). In Progress … the quilt is quilted … I just need to sit down and finish writing the pattern.
Make the Crazy quilt with Decorative stitches for Essem … I’m teaching this class in a few weeks. √ DONE
Finish the Secret Project#1 for Kelly Young’s new book – I’ll be telling you all about it later this month! In Progress
Finish the Secret Project#2 for Kelly Young’s new book In Progress
Lone Star Left-overs – get it to a flimsy stage √ DONE (see photo under “design wall”)
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing)
Finish the Secret Project#1 for Kelly Young’s new book
Finish the Secret Project#2 for Kelly Young’s new book
Lone Star Left-overs – make back
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
#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 Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book. (Island Batik, “Wild Blooms”) Top is done … back is being pieced
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!
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!
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:
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.
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.
Finish “When Pigs Fly” project √ DONE … you’ll see this on June 19!
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
Lone Star Left-overs – get it to a flimsy stage. … Partially done. I’m still webbing the top
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing).
Make the Crazy quilt with Decorative stitches for Essem … I’m teaching this class in a few weeks.
Finish the Secret Project#1 for Kelly Young’s new book – I’ll be telling you all about it later this month!
Finish the Secret Project#2 for Kelly Young’s new book
Lone Star Left-overs – get it to a flimsy stage
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
#1 Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book (mostly the purples and greens from the Island Batik Napa Valley collection)
#2 Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book. (Island Batik, “Wild Blooms”)
Crazy Quilt for Essem using Grunge and other fabric
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 …
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.
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!
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.
Quilting Gail 