Island Batik’s Quilt Modern … Just look at these beautiful fabrics!!!! I’ve had a sneak peak at some of the creations and believe me, you are in for a treat …
I believe there will be a draw for some fabric, but we haven’t received any information yet … so stay tuned!
and here are the participants …
May 17:
Sometimes it’s a lot of fun! Sometimes, it just gets you into trouble!!!
Four of us met in the park on a sunny afternoon to visit and show our latest projects. Part of the conversation went like this:
One: Did you know there’s a new store in town … a fabric store?
All of us: NO! Where???
One: gives us the address (downtown Cloverdale, across from where the liquor store used to be) Edit: 5625 176 St Cloverdale (Surrey) BC.
The rest of us: What do they have?
One: I’m not sure, the sign said fashion and quilting
The rest of us: We’ll have to check it out.
Yesterday, one of the gals checked it out … Today I checked it out.
It’s bright, cheerful and the owners were VERY welcoming!!! It’s called Essem Textiles. On a rack outside the store, she has some cute little tops that must fit a size 0-4 adult … um, not for me! But inside … See what I mean about bright and cheerful? (and yes, I ‘borrowed’ this picture from Essem’s Intstagram) AND, I LOVE all the notions on the back wall!
In March, I took an Improv class, hoping that I would learn something that I could use to make the quilt for this month’s challenge! And I did. (You can see information about that class and what I learned HERE. I decided to use the freehand curved piecing technique (more pictures below).
The fabric I was given for this blog hop is Napa Valley, designed by Kathy Engle. I LOVE the colours! They are so rich! The motif’s on the fabric are so fun! There are grapes, wheat, pumpkins, corn, leaves and dots! Such a fun collection! And of course, the fabric is fantastic!
I started by pairing an 8″ square of Napa Valley with an 8″ square of Island Batik grey solid. Then I free-hand cut the quarter circles.
I sewed the print and the grey together without using pins. In the picture below, you can see the print of the inner circle with the grey on the outer circle. The reverse is just below it. The blocks were then trimmed to 6 ¾”.
The blocks were arranged on the design wall. And, I forgot to take a picture! The quilt was webbed together, sandwiched and then the quilting began. I used Hobbs Heirloom Natural Cotton batting.
I used Schmetz Quilting Needle 90/40 for both the piecing and the quilting.
All of the quilting happened on my domestic machine: Janome M7 Continental. Aurifil #2600 (Dove) was used. I love how is contrasts slightly with the grey solid fabric!
And, a close up of the quilting
And a picture with the last of the pink “snow” (cherry blossoms)
2. From Me! If you want to win fabric from me you have to be from Canada (and sorry, not Quebec). In the comments, answer the following questions: (they won’t be published)
For those of you that have difficulty leaving comments, you can email me with your answers (quiltinggail@yahoo.ca)
Each entry will be given a number and I’ll use a random number generator to pick the winner.
I’m giving away 19 pieces of Napa Valley that are 8″ x 9.5″
Be sure to visit Emily at the Darling Dogwood. She used the same collection of fabric and her quilt is stunning! And totally different than mine!
Disclosure: The fabrics, thread, batting and needles were generously supplied by the following companies:
You know what? Years after you have gifted a baby quilt, it’s lovely to see it actually being used! This was a quilt made with left-over blocks from watching an Eleanor Burns video around 2017. This quilt was gifted to my daughter’s co-worker and they recently sent her this picture! I don’t know about you, but knowing that my quilts are being used makes my heart smile!
The word “May” means “is it possible?” As in “May I ____”. However the month, MAY, comes from a Greek goddess of fertility and spring. It made me wonder if I’m going to have a lot of new projects spring forward this month, or if my UFO completion list will increase in numbers? I know, it’s a stretch either way! If you’re curious, you can read more about May HERE.
This week starts the wonderful Quilt Modern Blog Hop. I’ve had a sneak peak of some of quilts and all I can say is “Be prepared to be Amazed!!!”
May 3:
May 4:
May 5:
May 6:
An opportunity to win some awesome Island Batik Fabric from the Forecast collection: Click on the following link.
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d463e29d26/
This baby panel is now completed and the binding on.
Last week I had a couple of polls asking your opinion on wool mats. Thank you to everyone that completed the polls … The results were very clear. Definitely a 12″ x 18″ mat with rounded corners.
I will let you know when these Canadian made mats are ready.
#1 Follow your own path: I have made the first 4 left facing arrows and the first 4 right facing arrows. I reversed them since I want the shadow (the grey) under the arrows. I’m now double guessing my chose of “Moonstone” as the background. Yes, it’s very pretty, but when cut into small pieces surrounding the arrows, it loses something. Oh well … I shall carry on …
#2 Thailand Batiks Well, I didn’t receive much help from you all as for suggestions as to what to do. I pulled out a bunch of different Island Batiks and decided on the light purple “Lavender” to use to border the blocks. A bit of fudging here and there and the blocks are ready to sew together. I decided to not use the 5th block. You can see more about these hankies HERE.
#1 Speed Dating still needs a facing. “Story-less Improv.”
#2 Born to Be Wild (blog hop later this month) is ready for quilting.
The baby panel (above) used 2 yards of fabrics
I’m aiming for at least 30 minutes a day.
I have stitched for over 30 minutes each day
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
Chris from ChrisKnits is hosting it “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.
Again, I did not focus on my “To Do” list … but a couple of things got done.
Emily, from the Darling Dogwood, nominated me! I must confess, someone nominated me a few weeks ago, and I couldn’t find the blog post … sigh … so I didn’t follow up. (Sorry, whoever you are! …) The purpose of the Outstanding Blogger Award is to applaud our fellow bloggers and learn more about them by answering questions that are asked.
Here are the questions that Emily asked:
2. What is something on your Quilty Bucket List? I’ve always wanted to make a Storm at Sea! And, I hope to make one later this year.
3. Is there a color or fabric style that you really dislike working with? I used to hate working with orange. But orange goes nicely with so many other colours … and when I’m using Island Batik fabrics … well, what can I say … it’s growing on me.
4. Do you have a favorite traditional quilt block? The quick answer to this question is no. I don’t have ONE favourite block. I have several … Log Cabin, Pinwheels, Friendship Star, 8 point star … and the list goes on.
5. What one non-quilting thing about you that your readers might not know? I was a swimming instructor and lifeguard prior to going into nursing school. I also scuba dived at that time. I played the oboe and bassoon when I was in middle and high school.
Who to nominate? I have a zillion blogs that I follow … and I honestly couldn’t say that I know who has or has not been nominated …
If you choose to accept the nomination, here are your questions:
Light blue was the chosen colour for this month’s Table Runner. The pattern is from QUILTsocial and you can find it HERE. I also talked about this runner HERE.
After I had this quilt top done, I saw my Studio 180 “Split Recs” ruler. It’s still in the package. I’ll have to pull it out and try it. I suspect that I will prefer the Studio 180 method, but I do need to try it to be sure!
I used Scraps from my Island Batik box with Coconut as the neutral. The batting is Hobbs Poly Down and it is quilted with Aurifil #1148 (light jade). I didn’t have a light blue Aurifil, but the Light Jade was a perfect fit!
I will be linking to The Joyful Quilter.
Oh yes!!!
A blogging friend of mine, Sandra, from MMM Quilts is having a quilt-a-long. For a couple of weeks, I’ve been telling myself, “NO … don’t start this quilt.”
Sandra hosts a quilt-a-long every year. And every year, I regret that I didn’t do it! And for awhile, I was pretending that I didn’t want to do it. But who was I kidding?
SEW … this year is different and I’m going to do it!!! Follow Your Own Path! Yup, I’m going to follow my own path and sew along with Sandra!
There are 2 sizes … but I thought the small one would be perfect for a baby quilt! The cutting directions are out. I have pulled my fabric, but haven’t started cutting! The fabrics are all Island Batik. The background is “Moonstone,” an Island Batik basic. The top left and bottom right are from “Primo” by Ebony Love. The top right is a basic called “Lavender” and the bottom left is a nameless fabric, likely a basic. I’m using the solid grey as the shadows of the arrows.
Are you going to join me in this Quilt-A-Long?
#1 Blue Table Runner It is started … this is for the monthly Rainbow Scrap Challenge. As you can tell, the first couple of rows are sewn together … the rest is webbed.
One of our guild members posted a link to a website on “Learn to make Half Rectangles with this Easy Technique.” Well, since I didn’t want to be distracted by a squirrel project, and the technique was for a table runner – to me it was an easy decision to try the technique. You can visit QUILTsocial for all of the steps.
I tried to follow the directions, honestly, I did. But I messed up with the marking of 8 of the rectangles, so basically the table runner is backwards. And, I only used 4 fabrics instead of 6 … so I had to play a bit – but it was fun! I always enjoy playing!
And yes, The fabrics are all Island Batik, with Coconut as the background!
#2 June Island Batik Challenge: is in progress and being used as my leaders and enders. (Sorry no pictures).
#3 Follow your own path: As stated above … I have the cutting to do.
#1 House Wall hanging. This UFO is now pieced and sandwiched. It needs to be quilted.
#2 Speed Dating still needs a facing. “Story-less Improv.”
May Island Batik challenge is quilted and I will give you a sneak peak of it … That’s the only peak you’ll get until my day on the Blog Hop.
May’s Island Batik challenge is completed and I used 4 yards of fabric from my stash for the backing.
I’m aiming for at least 30 minutes a day.
I have stitched for over 30 minutes each day
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
Chris from ChrisKnits is hosting it “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.
Again, I did not focus on my “To Do” list … but a couple of things got done.
I’m participating in the “In the Kitchen blog hop” … My project is done. Photo is taken and I just need to write the blog post. My day is April 22 … Thursday!
Yes, it’s TGIFF … I LOVE this linky party and host it every so often. It’s a great way to see other bloggers and what they are working on!
I know … I know … some of you are thinking “Wait, is it Friday? I thought it was Thursday!” And you’d be correct. I am posting this on Thursday – so that others around the globe can see it on Friday. Does that make sense?
Unfortunately, I do not have a NEW finish for today, but I have had several finishes this month! Don’t you just love finishes?
My favourite for this month is … well, I have 2. Both of them are made with Island Batik fabrics! The one on the left is my scrappy Starry Irish Chain that was made for March’s Island Batik challenge and the one on the right is my version of the SAHRR. You can read more about them HERE and HERE.
I had a fun day today, sewing and chatting with other Island Batik Ambassadors. It’s certainly fun getting to know each other! To discuss what we’re working on, what concerns us, and what’s new!
Last week, I said that I had nothing on my design wall. Well, that wasn’t exactly the truth … I just had nothing NEW on the design wall … I did have the pieces from the class “Speed Dating with Improv.”
And, they have changed a bit … they are now sewn into a block and need borders.
As we were taking the course, Krista (the instructor) told us to think of a story to help with the assembly. Some of the ladies had fabulous stories and you could see it in their quilt layout. Me? I couldn’t think of a story. On a Zoom chat, (as this was being assembled, someone suggested that I had an apple in the middle. OK … I guess so, if you use your imagination … So, the final title of this little sampler might just be, “Maybe it’s an apple?” OR … what do you see in this sampler? PLEASE tell me …
My April Island Batik challenge is being quilted. (Sorry – no pictures until April
The SAHRR is finished and although the top is all Island Batik, the back was from my stash … so that used 4.5 yards of fabric. You can read about it on tomorrow’s post!
I’m aiming for at least 30 minutes a day.
I have stitched for over 30 minutes each day
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
Chris from ChrisKnits is hosting it “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.
I accomplished everything on my To Do List!!!
I will post more about PHD in 2021 on Wednesday with a linky party for YOU!
Tomorrow!!!!! March 29 – SAHRR parade … there will be a linky party for all the SAHRR quilts
And … I’m waiting to find out what colour April will be! Then I’ll think about a table runner!
In April, there’s the “In the Kitchen” blog hop happening!!
Doesn’t this sound like a fun fun, FUN blog hop??? And … I just might have an idea of what I’m going to do!
In January, Carol, from Just Let Me Quilt, announced that she’d be hosting this blog hop in March. Of course, I signed up immediately! And, even though I knew that I could change my mind (happens often), I actually had an idea of what I would make for this blog hop! And, surprise, surprise, I didn’t change my mind.
I made this cute little Zipper Bag … It is an Anita Goodesign called “Shadow Work Design.” I altered the design a bit, because I didn’t have any sheer fabric. All of the fabric is from Island Batik (are you surprised???) Most of the bag is made with Coconut – one of their wonderful basics – available all the time. The applique is a small piece from Nautilus Floral-Baja from the Mystery Collection. This is the same collection that I used in February for my “Create for a Cause” challenge. You can view that quilt HERE.
Since I wasn’t about to go to a wet, soggy beach, I took this picture in the front yard. If you use your imagination, the lava rock can represent beach rock and the side of the raised bed could be a log, right?
And, since we have a few flowers blooming, I had to take a picture of it with the flowers! And trust me, those hyacinths smell heavenly!
Here’s a list of today’s blog hoppers … Lots of eye candy for you!!!
Just Let Me Quilt
Websterquilt
Samelia’s Mum
Quilt Fabrication
Little Penguin Quilts
Just Sew Quilter
Inflorescence
I had a lot of fun making my March green table runner. I thought I’d try some of the improv blocks I learned from my “Speed Dating” class (see HERE). Using the techniques I learned, it was pretty quick, easy and fun to put together!!! And, no, the quilt I started in the Speed Dating class is not finished … YET!
This used Island Batik fabrics: light and dark grey solids, and the greens were: Marble Frog – BE, Celery, Bubbles: sprout, and 2 other greens that were in my IB scrap bag. The backing is a combination of Celery and Light grey solid. You can see the back HERE. Hobbs 80/20 Cotton batting was used and it was quilted with Aurifil #2600 (Dove).
I must admit that I had a super fun time making this!!! Improv is fun! I like the freedom – anything goes – within my own limits!
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On Saturday, it was International Quilt Day. Time to hang out a few quilts … It was a bit windy and rainy, but all of the quilts are washable!! And they actually didn’t get too wet!
Zoom quilting with my sister and one cousin dropped in for a chat! Both my sister and I worked on quilting our quilts. In the afternoon, I played with green fabric. I have a green table topper / runner challenge to meet this month. On the right is a picture of the back … Amazingly, I managed to finish it this evening!
Would you believe that I’m NOT piecing anything at the moment? What is wrong??? I guess I’m just concentrating on getting some UFOs done. However, I have plans for an Island Batik project and haven’t even pulled fabric for it yet … and I can’t tell you what it’s going to be, because it’s a secret!
SAHRR is in the process of being quilted!!!
I finished the T-shirt quilt. Between the backing, the hanging sleeve and the binding, I used over 12 yards of fabric!
You can read more about this quilt HERE.
I’m aiming for at least 30 minutes a day.
I have stitched for over 30 minutes each day
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
Chris from ChrisKnits is hosting it “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.
I accomplished everything on my To Do List!!!
Another UFO completed … but there are a few new Starts that need to be completed.
Salt and Sand Blog Hop … This project is done and ready for the hop. My day is Friday, March 26 ! Visit THIS BLOG to see a list of this week’s participants.
March 29 – SAHRR parade … there will be a linky party for all the SAHRR quilts
And … I’m ready for the March challenge!
In April, there’s the “In the Kitchen” blog hop happening!!
Lots of things happening here. All in my studio … no travelling …
On Friday, I taught a Scrappy Irish Chain class. It’s the first class I’ve taught by Zoom. It was a lot of fun! And the ladies were wonderful!
There are 2 things that I did not like about teaching via Zoom and both of these help me in reducing my own stash!
I make 4 patches as leaders and enders … and occasionally, they work into a quilt. I have a lot of Irish Chain pieces and they were put back in the box until I teach this class again.
As I was demo-ing various parts, I managed to get some of the components sewn. This is 9 completed blocks.
Then on Saturday, I took a class “Speed Dating with Improv” with Krista Hennebury @ Poppyprint. I don’t do Improv … I’ve not been too interested in Improv … but … it doesn’t hurt to learn something new, right? But, to be brutally honest: I was scared!!! Improv is so out of my box!!!
However, I certainly felt a LOT different after the class!!! We cut things free hand. Yes, straight lines and curves!!! With NO rulers!!!! The piecing doesn’t have to match!!! Woo Hoo!!! After years of attempting to get great points and to match corners … it didn’t matter!!! It was a LOT of fun!!!! If you’re interested in Improv, check out Krista’s classes @ Poppyprint.
I used Island Batik solids: black, white and turquoise.
Here’s a picture of what’s on my design wall. Now, to organize and arrange and put all the fillers in.
The T-shirt quilt is now a pieced top … and is sandwiched. There is a TON of stretch with the T-shirts – even though they all have interfacing on the back. They still stretch! Sew, I thought I’d use Hobbs fusible batting with the hopes that it would decrease the stretch. However, there is the issue of using heat on top of the logos. Sew, I used a pressing cloth. It took 2 full days to press everything … and it didn’t always stick very well. Sew, a lot of pins were inserted!
I started out with a Schmetz 90/14 quilting needle. It didn’t like it. Then, once I re-thought what I was sewing through … T-shirt material, iron-on interfacing, fusible batting and cotton backing … a light bulb went off in my brain and I switched to a ball point needle (Janome blue-tip). Much better!
Then there was issues with the thread. I started off with Glide … it bunched up above the needle and broke a ton!! Then I switched to the same colour in a CanSew polyester thread … same problem. Finally, I switched to Aurifil and viola! It’s the perfect thread for this quilt.
Here’s some pictures of me quilting the quilt! It’s big … it’s over 6′ x 8′. It will be a wall hanging / banner.
The Moorewood Mystery is finished. It used 12 yards from my stash. You can read about it HERE.
I’m aiming for at least 30 minutes a day.
I have stitched for over 30 minutes each day
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
Chris from ChrisKnits is hosting it “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.
I accomplished everything on my To Do List!!!
One UFO completed … but the list in Starts in 2021 is getting longer …
Salt and Sand Blog Hop … Just thinking of this blog hop makes me want to travel and visit someplace warm! But alas, I’ll be staying home for now. But, I’m positive when we get to travel, I will appreciate it much much more!
March 29 – SAHRR parade … there will be a linky party for all the SAHRR quilts
And … I need to think of my project for the Table Runner Scrap Challenge:
I do have a ‘few’ Island Batik scraps! I save anything that is larger than 2″. I know that some of my fellow ambassadors save scraps that are smaller … I’ll let them do that, but it doesn’t mean that I have to. When it came to deciding what to do, I immediately thought of a scrappy Irish Chain. I have made a few and I love quilting the feather wreaths in the plain white block. I started sewing my 2″ squares into 4 patches … all the while thinking about how I could make it more unique. I thought of stars … and I was happy … here’s the chain blocks with a few of the first stars I made. Yes, I liked it.
Sew, I sewed and I sewed and I sewed. I tried to count how many different fabrics there were in this quilt. I got to 150 and then I started to second guess myself: Is this one in the quilt, or is it a similar one from the same collection? I quit counting. As I was sewing this together, there were lots of memories … oh, I made a log cabin with this fabric … this was from a table runner … this fabric was in a quilt I gave as a wedding gift … Such a lot of fun!!!
There are 782 coloured 2″ squares and 136 coloured Half-Square Triangles. I did not count how many white squares, half square triangles or rectangles are in this quilt. I know there are a LOT.
Then the quilt is . Hobbs 80/20 batting was used. I spray baste my quilts together, using Odif 505 spray. It was quilted on my Janome Continental M7 domestic sewing machine using the following threads: Aurifil #5004 – Grey Smoke and #2021 – Natural White. The binding was sewn on with #2692 – Black. Each square was stitched in the ditch with the Grey Smoke. The Natural White outlined the star and each of the blocks on the white.
There is a single crocus blooming in the garden, it’s in the middle pot, just in front of the rose stems … but I can barely see it in the picture, so you’ll just have to trust me!
This quilt was unexpected. It just happened. It wasn’t planned. I was to take a ruler quilting course (by Zoom) with Silly Moon Quilting Co. and I needed to make a placemat or table runner, using 5″ squares. I pulled out a couple of neutral Island Batik Stashbuilder rolls and cut them into 5″ squares. (Stash builder rolls are perfect for this since they are 5″ wide by width of fabric.) But, I really didn’t want a placemat or table runner with them. So I made a heart quilt with squares and half-square triangles. Outlined the neutrals in soft dusty blues. I was liking it!!! I ended up adding a few more borders. Then I wanted it to be a rectangle, not a square, so the borders on the top and bottom became larger than the borders on the sides.
I was sewing with a friend (Zoom) and she saw the penguins and wanted to know if it was a fabric that is currently available. It’s an older line because it was in the stashbuilder bundle. But aren’t they cute?
Hobbs 80/20 batting was used, Aurifil #2610 – Light Blue Grey, and Schmetz needles were used for piecing and quilting.
Disclosure: The fabrics, thread, batting and needles were generously supplied by the following companies:
Just to remind you … SAHRR is Stay At Home Round Robin. If you missed the previous posts about this year’s SAHRR – you can see them
Today is the day that I tell you to add pinwheels. If you take a close look, you will see that I changed my log cabin layout from last week. (See HERE). I put 4 of them together to make a diamond … It helped to make the quilt longer and not square. I really like the look!
For the Pinwheels, I used the Accuquilt die # 4 of the 8″ Cube set. I wanted the half-square triangles to be bigger than the ones in the stars. It worked! Since I was working with awesome Island Batik Fabric, I didn’t have to worry a lot about bias!
I will be adding 6″ white borders onto the top and bottom and 3″ white borders onto the sides.
Again, I continued to use a variety of fabrics from Island Batik’s Ohana collection. I hope I have enough scraps to bind it! It’s getting close!
Make sure to visit all of the other co-leaders. Here’s their links:
Here is a Linky Party to link your flimsy. MARK you calendars for March 29th !!! I will have a linky party for everyone to show their final quilts or tops!
How are you doing with your PHD in 2021. So far I have 4 UFOs completed, but I still feel like I’m cheating. Three were started in December and were easy finishes. All of these were made with wonderful Island Batik fabrics. The 4th was a panel, so that was also a quick finish.
I have started working on the Echo Lake T-shirt quilt. The T-shirts are cut and interfacing is on each piece. Now, to decide the layout and how to piece it together!
Link up and show us your PHD in 2021 Progress.
A fellow candidate for PHD in 2021, Sheila from “So This is Kentucky” posted about using Trello. It’s free to start with and gives you a visual of what projects you have going. See Sheila’s post HERE. You may also find it helpful!
February’s colour is Yellow. I made another coaster. Again, I used Island Batik fabrics. The yellow fabric is “butter” that is available year round. I’m not sure what the beige is (but it is Island Batik) and the green was in a stash buster bundle. The pattern is a free embroidery design from Kreative Kiwi – the Mother’s Day coaster. Obviously, I omitted the writing. On the rose, I used my yellow and oragne inktense pencils to add a little more colour.
The guild librarian, asked me to have a look at a new book they got in the library.
“The Big Book of Little Quilts” by Martindale.
This book is jam packed with a variety of small quilts. They range from a fresh, modern look, to homespun and many can be scrappy or controlled scrappy. Some of the patterns are pieced, some are paper pieced, some have applique and some have hand embroidery. There is something in this book that will appeal to you! It is a book I will definitely take out from the library when I’m looking for something small and a little different.
This month I had a DrEAMI project. DRop Everything And Make It. I will be linking to Sandra @ MMMQuilts. These little baskets were quick and easy to make! You can read more about them HERE.
Just to remind you … SAHRR is Stay At Home Round Robin. If you missed the previous posts about this year’s SAHRR – you can see them
Today is the day that Susan told us to add Log Cabin blocks. Again, I’m rebelling! I am not going to do the blocks all around the quilt. Just in the middle of the next round. This quilt is getting bigger than I had planned and this will keep the size down. The logs started out at 1.5″ wide strips and finished at 1″ wide. As you can see, I paired the colours with the white fabric.
Again, I continued to use a variety of fabrics from Island Batik’s Ohana collection.
Next week will be our final round!!! I’m loving the variety of quilts that are being made!!! Aren’t they wonderful? MARK you calendars for March 29th !!! I will have a linky party for everyone to show their final quilts or tops!
Make sure to visit all of the other co-leaders and link up to Susan’s linky party to show us your blocks! HERE
Here’s their links:
Island Batik’s blog hop “Create for a Cause” is over. I hope you enjoyed it!!! If you want a lot of wonderful eye candy – you can go HERE to see all of the quilts in one place!
As well, one of our ambassadors has put together a wonderful video that shows all of the beautiful quilts. You can view it HERE.
AND … just in case you forgot – I had a giveaway on my blog when I posted my “Create for a Cause” quilt (see HERE.) And the winner is …. drum roll … Donna H. She has sent me her address and I hope to get it in the mail soon!!!
I’ve started the Echo Lake t-shirt quilt that has been on my UFO list for … well, um … ah … yes … well … It’s about time I started on it!!!!
There’s a huge pile of t-shirts. I’ve cut some and I’ve learned 2 things.
I’m working on my March Island Batik project. Sorry, no pictures yet!
I finished the guild’s Jan / Feb mystery quilt. I used Island Batik fabrics for the top, but I did back it with flannel from my stash. So that fabric will be included as “used this week.”
You can read more about this quilt HERE.
I’m aiming for at least 30 minutes a day.
I have stitched for over 30 minutes each day
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
Chris from ChrisKnits is hosting it “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.
Well, I worked on everything that didn’t get done, but I was successful with a few things! And, even a little progress is moving forward!
I organize the mystery quilts for the quilt guild (Boundary Bay Quilt Guild). Of course, I HAVE to make each mystery prior to presenting it to the guild. Our latest mystery was designed by Sue Pontifex (of Piece Arch Quilters) and I originally made it around 2013.
Here it is! It is an alternate layout to Sue’s original. And yes, I used Island Batik fabrics, Aurifil thread and Hobbs fusible 80/20 batting. The free motion quilting is a simple hook with flower petals around it.
Here’s the original one I made in 2013, following the directions!
Members of the guild that have made this quilt will be forwarding me their finished tops and I’ll put them all here on the blog. From what I’ve seen, there’s going to be some pretty fantastic quilts!
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I donate a LOT of quilts through the guild (Boundary Bay Quilt Guild): Baby Quilts, Comfort Quilts for Cancer patients and Quilts of Valour. The quilt that I made for this blog hop is going to be a comfort quilt. There’s not a scrap of red in this beautiful collection … and I’ve already got several baby quilts ready to donate. So a Comfort Quilt it is. This has double meaning for me as I lost a friend of 48 years to cancer last week.
Aren’t these fabrics wonderful? So rich!!! I love the purples and greens with a touch of blue! This collection will be shipping to your favourite quilt store this month.
I started out by making a design in EQ. I absolutely LOVE using the Island Batik fabrics in EQ as I plan my design.
I really like using quarter square triangles. I used the same technique (although MUCH smaller) and using the Accuquilt GO!Me when I made the Christmas tree wall hangings last year. You can read about them HERE.
Once I had decided on my design, I cut 9″ squares, using my ShapeCut Ruler.
Marked the centre line and sewed a ¼”seam on each side of the line.
After that, the squares were cut in half and with right sides together, nesting the seams. they sewn together with another set of half-square triangles. Again, a centre line was marked. Seams were sewn on each side of the centre line.
The centre line was cut, resulting in quarter square triangles. These were then trimmed to 8″ square. On the design wall, they were rearranged until their final position was decided upon.
Custard is the lovely neutral that was used for the background.
The squares were webbed together (you can see how to web a quilt HERE.
Once the quilt was a flimsy and sandwiched together … I started quilting, using the 3″, 4″ and 5″ Silly Moon Cupid rulers (the 5/3 and the 6/3). After I finished one of the hearts, I back-tracked along the ruler and made a heart of a different size, going in all different directions.
I used the Hobbs Poly-Down batting. I’m in LOVE!!!! This batting is awesome!!! It’s light. It’s easy, easy to quilt and it has a fantastic loft!!! You must give it a try!!!
This was quilted with Aurifil #5003 – wine on top and #2000 – light stand in the bobbin.
The binding is “Square Circle Mardig” from the Mystery collection. I love how it changes colour from purple to blue to green. The binding was sewn on with Aurifil #2370 … sandstone that blends in nicely!!!
Make sure you visit Michelle @ Creative Blonde today. She is my blog hop partner and is using the same fabrics! I’m eager to see her Create for a Cause quilt!
Island Batik is offering a 10″stack or a 2.5″ strip set of Mystery. There are 20 different fabric designs.
I’m offering Ten 10″ squares of Mystery to a blog follower that lives in Canada.
a Rafflecopter giveaway https://widget-prime.rafflecopter.com/launch.jsDisclosure: The fabrics, thread, batting and needles were generously supplied by Island Batik and the following companies:
Quilting Gail 