Yes, I’ve had a busy week. Since Covid started, my calendar has been pretty blank. A couple of weekly Zoom things, daily walks and not much else, you tend to get use to it! Then BAM … all of a sudden, I had 2 dentist appointments (cleaning and fillings), a blood work appointment, a doctor’s appointment, a short guild Zoom meeting, a family Zoom quilting day, as well as the usual 3 weekly Zooms … Oh me, oh my … I felt almost overwhelmed. And to think, I used to have all those appointments, work full time and still managed to get a lot of quilting done! Sigh … Enough of my week … back to what’s important to me: Quilting!
Design Wall
Piecing:
Scrappy 4 patches: On point was the final decision on making this little quilt. I know it looks like a mess at the moment! I have some of the setting triangles sewn on … some are pinned and one row ready to be sewn together. I got most of this done at the family Zoom quilting day!
How can this be? Sometimes it seems like the days take their sweet time … and I turn around and it’s close to the end of another month!
SEW – What’s happening?
Design Wall
Piecing:
I’ve been slowly working on my Charming Bag. The last picture I showed was of it pieced together. (HERE). If you go back to the last picture, you’ll notice that the ties are not in the picture. That’s because I forgot them. Thankfully, I remembered before it was quilted … it was a simple matter of taking about 3/4″ stitching out and inserting the ties.
It is now quilted. Nice simple 1/4″ lines. I like the look … and it’s what the pattern suggests. Aurifil # 2625 (grey) was used for the quilting and the edges of the ties.
Quilting:
Quilted the above bag …
Stash Report
No finishes … no shopping …
Fabric Used this week 0 yards
Fabric Used this year: 277 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 50.5 yards (my husbands amounts as well)
Net Fabric used 260 yards
Husband’s purchases: 11.5 yards
Stitchin’ Time
I’m aiming for at least 30 minutes a day.
January – Sept: 260 / 274
30 min days/ Oct: 25 / 25
Total days in 2020: 286 / 299
Percentage = 95%
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
TO DO
I’m linking up to Roseanne & Sue’s “TO DO” Tuesday. Their blog is “Home Sewn by Us.”
Last week’s list:
IB November: Sandwich not done
Work on Secret projects √ done
Work on Charming Bag√ done
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √ done
This week’s list:
IB November: Sandwich
Work on Secret projects
Finish Charming Bag
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.
From the Heart Blog Hop
Did you see the post HERE? It’s a wonderful blog hop that’s happening now. Make sure you check it out. Plus … I want to know what YOU are going to make from all the inspiration!
Here’s what I made:
Are you interested?
If you’re interested in applying click HERE. You can read all about the program and what is involved. It’s a fun program to be in and one that has expanded my quilting abilities! I LOVE being an ambassador!
Carol from “Just Let Me Quilt” mentioned this blog hop WAY back in July … and of course, I jumped on the band-wagon. What could be better than a blog hop a mere 2 months before Christmas featuring small gift ideas? Carol comes up with the BEST blog hops!
Here’s my small gift(s) … they all nest inside this one!
Here they are poking out:
What they look like inside: (sorry it was hard to get a good picture with no shadows!)
And all 4 of them:
Details:
Island Batik fabric from the Deco Revival collection was used for the lining and outer side.
Make sure you visit all of the participating blogs … there promises to be LOTS of eye candy and all sorts of projects to tempt you into making some gifts “from the heart!” Let me know which ones YOU plan to make!
Usually, I try to have something to show on Fridays … and I like it best when it’s a finish … but this Friday all I have to show is this:
This is some playing with rulers on the guild’s mystery quilt … it’s all I’m showing because I don’t want to give away what the quilt will be. Plus, I am still in the process of quilting it … so it’s not even finished!
Other happenings …
I have TWO machines in to be serviced and have a spa visit. I took my Janome 6500 in before we left on holidays … they told me a month … I know they’ll phone when it’s ready … but I’m getting impatient!
With the 6500 visiting the spa doctor, I pulled out my trusty Featherweight and … GROAN … I’m not sure what happened, but it decided it also needed to go to the spa!
However, this meme is NOT true in my house!
I’ve also been working on some “behind the scenes” work … I’ll show you eventually … but it’s taking it’s time …
Socks …
I got my alpaca socks from Prairie Spirit Alpacas. It is cool enough today to have them on! They are pretty awesome! My toes are warm and my feet are not itchy! (they get itchy with wool). Alpaca fleece is hypoallergenic – so perfect for me! (If you order from them, put “Gail” in the code and you’ll receive a discount). (I don’t make anything from your order, except a smile!)
I’ll be ordering more socks for Christmas presents … I just need to find out if they want “Lux” for hanging out in or “Slim” for wearing with shoes …
Island Batik
Did you see the Elephant quilt that I made for Island Batik’s October challenge “Thread Painting with Auriril?” You can read about it HERE.
Scrappy Repro is now webbed together. (See How to Web a Quilt) And next up is borders … I’m thinking a burgundy for the 1st border and a neutral for the 2nd … or who knows … I need to audition some fabric before I make that decision!
Guild “Clue-Sew Fall 2020” Mystery Quilt: Sorry, no pictures … in the piecing stage …
Quilting:
I finished October’s Island Batik Thread Painting Challenge and shared that HERE. I used the fabric collection “Deco Revival.”
Stash Report
No finishes. I needed backing fabric, so I bought 4 yards.
Fabric Used this week 0 yards
Fabric Used this year: 261 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 4 yards
Fabric Added this year: 50.5 yards (I added my husbands amounts in … )
Net Fabric used 244 yards
Husband’s purchases: 11.5 yards
Stitchin’ Time
On Sept. 6, I stated that I had stitched 13 out of 13 days in September … that was SEW incorrect! Impossible to stitch for 13 days when only 6 days had passed … it should have read “6 / 6“!!!
I only sewed one day while we were away.
January – Sept: 260 / 274
30 min days/ Oct: 4 / 4
Total days in 2020: 264 / 278
Percentage = 94%
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
TO DO
I’m linking up to Roseanne & Sue’s “TO DO” Tuesday. Their blog is “Home Sewn by Us.”
Last week’s list:
Web Scrappy Repro√ done
Work on the guild mystery quilt (I’m leading this challenge, so I can’t show you until the Mystery Sleuths have all the clues.) √ done
I am NOT an artist – as far as drawing and thread painting goes. Nope, not me! So, this was a very challenging and intimidating challenge for me to attempt!
I started with an idea … and started it and … it sat, because it wasn’t quite right …
I had this circle on the design wall for the longest time … I had cut 2 wedges out of each of the Deco Revival fabric package that I was sent in my July Island Batik box. Many of the pieces were directional and I needed to piece them to get the wedges to go in the direction I wanted.
I hesitated in piecing the wedges together, because I just wasn’t sure … and so they sat some more, were rearranged a few times and sat … and sat …
I had NO problems at all with the fabrics … I love them, but my idea … parts of it were good … parts of it were not …
So, the wedges sat.
By the way …. this fabric should be in quilt stores now … make sure you ask for it!
I haven’t finished any UFOs this month … Scrappy Repro is close … but it’s still a UFO and it’s still NOT finished.
Here’s a recap of the UFOs I’ve completed this year! There’s a total of 15, but some of them turned into 2 or 3 quilts (Dog/cat and Florabunda) … but they counted as 1.
New Starts
I’m hosting a mystery quilt for our guild … so of course, I can’t show you that until they have all the clues.
A couple more Island Batik projects … which I will show you when the time is right!
“From the Heart” blog hop is later this month, and that project is still a WHIMM (Work Hidden in My Mind)
I was going to link up to Cheryl at Meadow Mist Designs for my Favourite Finish for September. At the time this is going live, I don’t see her link … I’m going to post it anyways and will link up when it’s available!
This purse, pattern byAnnie, is my favourite!!! I also think this is my favourite purse EVER!!! I’ve been using it a lot! It has tons of pockets and I’m able to keep everything organized! You can read about it HERE. This purse was made for the Island Batik blog hop “It’s in the Bag.”
I just feel like I haven’t gotten a lot done this month … but that is probably because I was away for almost 2 weeks!
3 Housekeeping / Updating things
First
Did you see my post about when we were visiting friends who live off-grid in the wilds of British Columbia? I showed a picture of a quilt being made by one of the girls. I thought she was at least 14 or 15 … and it turns out she’s actually 13!!!! WOW!! Oh to be able to quilt at that level, using scissors (no rotary cutter) is amazing. You can see the post HERE.
That’s right! Alpacas! We visited a dear friend, Carmen, I’ve known her for ages and ages … she has an alpaca farm … just a few alpacas! It was a ton of fun! Her farm is called Prairie Spirit Alpacas,
Every single alpaca has a name! I can remember a few of the names, but Georgia is the only one I can identify! She’s the one with the spots on her. We were in the barn and it was feeding time for the gals and young gents that need extra food.
Each one has a different face and expression! I don’t think they liked me very much – many of their ears were back. And some of them looked at me as if to say, “who are you?”
I hope you enjoy the slide show … and can you pick out Georgia??? And to make this about quilting … look at all the various neutrals in their fleece!
The alpaca fleece is very soft – especially from the young. One thing I love about alpaca fleece is that it is hypoallergenic. AND, it’s warmer than sheep’s wool. Now if you’re interested in trying any alpaca products, from Prairie Spirit Alpacas, put “Gail” in the purchase code and you will receive a 10% discount! I’ll be putting in an order for some socks for my cold feet!
Ah yes, shopping. While we were visiting my sister in Edmonton, we just happened to visit a couple of quilt stores!
Our first stop was Quincy’s Quilting in Leduc (just south of Edmonton). I bought a couple of rulers and no fabric. And yes, there was a lovely sleepy dachshund in the store!
At Lori’s Country Cottage I bought a few Studio 180 rulers and my husband bought some fabric … I didn’t buy any fabric. Do you remember in August, for the Island Batik challenge, I used the “Four Patch Square Up” ruler and how much I LOVED it? (see HERE) Well, I bought 4 more Studio 180 rulers. I can’t wait until I’m able to play with them!!!
Design Wall
Piecing:
I finished all the blocks that I need for the Scrappy Repro quilt. And here’s some of the blocks – ready to be organized into groups to start sewing them together.
Quilting:
I’m working on October’s Island Batik challenge (sorry, no pictures, yet)!
Stash Report
No finishes, but my husband bought fabric from the sale area at one of the quilt stores. He rationalized it all. The red might be enough for a backing, the bug fabric will go in the quilt he’s planning (for me to make) and the green is to add to my stash because he thinks I need more green). I think he is an enable-er.
Fabric Used this week 0 yards
Fabric Used this year: 261 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 35 yards
Net Fabric used 237.5 yards
Husband’s purchases: 11.5 yards
Stitchin’ Time
On Sept. 6, I stated that I had stitched 13 out of 13 days in September … that was SEW incorrect! Impossible to stitch for 13 days when only 6 days had passed … it should have read “6 / 6“!!!
I only sewed one day while we were away.
January – July: 239 / 243
30 min days/ Sept: 10 / 20
Total days in 2020: 249 / 263
Percentage = 94%
For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces
TO DO
I’m linking up to Roseanne & Sue’s “TO DO” Tuesday. Their blog is “Home Sewn by Us.”
2 week’s ago list:
Work on Scrappy Repro√ done
Welcome Fall project√ done
Work on Oct. Island Batik project √ done
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √ done
This week’s list:
Work on Scrappy Repro
Work on Oct. Island Batik project
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.
No changes from the last report …
BLOG HOP
This is Week 3 of a delightful blog hop. So many projects that are not quilts, but are using Island Batik’s wonderful amazing fabrics! Make sure you visit the other Island Batik Ambassadors that are showing their byAnnie creations!
For your opportunity to win some AWESOME fabrics – a fat quarter pack of Urbanization or Nouveau Soul check out the Rafflecoper at Island Batik’s blog.
Yes, HOLIDAYS! We loaded up the camper and went to northern BC and then over to Alberta … I’ll tell you more about a few of the visits in future blog posts, but this is about our first stop …
Off Grid
We visited some friends that live in the wilds of northern British Columbia and they are off-grid. We had a wonderful time. They have a parcel of land and have homesteaded and … well, it’s just great. If you want to know more, visit their website or youtube channel and watch some of their videos …
An exciting part for me was Christina and her quilt. (I forgot to ask, but I think she’s about 14 or 15). She has an electric sewing machine (they have power from solar panels) and she is making a quilt for one of her sisters. This is the first quilt she has made. No rotary cutter … totally cut with scissors … What a LOT of work!!!
The pictures were taken with natural light from outside … Here’s a closeup of the piecing … I was in awe!!! Where the pieces are suppose to meet up – they are PERFECT!
Here is a picture of Christina – about to measure the width of the quilt because she wants to add borders to make it bigger.
I can’t wait to see the finished quilt!
It’s in the Bag Blog Hop
Week 2 of the blog hop is finished! What an awesome week with many wonderful bags! To see all the bags, go to this POST and follow all the links.
Go HERE to have an opportunity to win some AWESOME Island Batik Fabric!
This month’s Island Batik challenge is to make a ByAnnie bag. There are SEW many bags to choose from and I choose the “Bowl Me Over 2.0” bag.
When I did my unboxing video from Island Batik in July, the kit to make this bag was in the box. (You can see the video HERE.) Annie had picked out the Island Batik fabric from the Deco Revival fabric collection. Everything to make the bag was included: Soft and Stable batting, the hardware, zippers, mesh, elastic and webbing … Everything I needed to make the bag. There was also a coupon with the pattern to access the videos to assist in making the bag. Here are the fabrics from the Deco Revival collection that I was to use:
Deco Revival is shipping to stores now!!! It’s a wonderful line of fabric … can’t you just imagine all the wonderful bags and quilts you could make with it?
The Bag
Here’s a picture of the kit that was in my box!
When I make bags, I usually end up doing my own thing … but I needed to follow directions with this one.
Making the Bag
The instructions first told us to print out a sheet with labels on it to keep all of our cut fabrics organized. WOW!! Am I glad I did that! It helped a LOT!
Before I cut the coordinating fabric, I needed to decide what I wanted for handles. I choose Option 1 which gives me an over the shoulder strap along with short handles. It was fantastic to be able to choose how I would carry the bag! We all carry our bags differently and have our favourite ways!
I quilted the fabric with Soft and Stable (byAnnie) between 2 batik fabrics. The pattern suggested either straight lines or quilt as desired. Of course, I chose to do my own thing and quilted lines that sort-of followed the fabric. Aurifil #4225, a purple that came in my July box, was used for the quilting.
As I followed the cutting directions, I carefully labeled each piece, using hair clips to hold each label on. There are a LOT of pieces and the labelling was both a life saver and a time saver! A life saver because I didn’t become frustrated with which piece was which! And a time saver because I could identify each piece easily as I followed the pattern.
One of the inside pockets gave me the choice of using fabric or mesh. Well, since I had never sewn with mesh fabric before and I like the idea of seeing what’s in the pocket, I chose the mesh. For that pocket, I used Aurifil #2625 – Grey – to match the grey zipper.
As I followed the pattern, each of the components were made as directed.
Finally, I was able to put the bag together. Using clips was a great way to go. As you can see in the photo below, I used a couple of hair clips (on the right) because I had run out of the “cool” clips. The hair clips easily popped off. I obviously need to get some more “cool” clips!
Schmetz Super Nonstick 80/12 was used. It was the perfect needle, especially at the end when I was sewing through 6 layers of batik and 3 layers of Soft & Stable.
Then the bag was done!
The Front View … the flap at the front has a magnet closure and it’s nice and strong!
The Back View … there is a nice roomy pocket with a zipper.
The mesh pocket inside is large enough to hold my iPad!
The pocket with fold-over elastic is in 3 sections … will be perfect for my phone, reading glasses and a small notepad …
I LOVE it!
I had some fabric left over … SEW … I made a couple of coordinating masks using by Annie’s free mask pattern. The mask on the left was made with the alternate fabric for the inside pocket (where I used mesh). Annie’s mask pattern is a different from the usual pleated masks … there is a small pleat at the bottom which helps the mask fit better.
Questions:
Would I make this bag again? Absolutely! Even though I’m not a great bag maker, it was made and I’m very happy with it!
Was it hard? It was challenging for me. However, the videos that Annie provides for the difficult, or more challenging steps, made those sections a lot easier.
Did I like “Soft and Stable?” Yes. It was easy to use and it gives the bag fantastic body!
Was the mesh hard to put in? Absolutely not … Annie has a unique way (to me) of inserting zippers and it was easy peasy!
Do I have any suggestions for someone who is thinking of making this bag? Yes … go to ByAnnie’s website and make the free pattern, “Easy Does It.” I watched a lot of the videos for this bag as I was making my Bowl Me Over 2.0 and it helped tremendously.
Would I make another byAnnie pattern? YES!! I already have the patterns for “Running with Scissors,” “Take a Stand,” “Easy Does It,” and “Clam Up.” Obviously, ByAnnie’s patterns appealed to me prior to making the “Bowl Me Over 2.0” bag!
Disclaimer: All products used for this bag were provided by Island Batik and the industry partners: byannie, Aurifil and Schmetz needles.
BLOG HOP
Make sure you visit the other Island Batik Ambassadors that are showing their byAnnie creations! It’s a wonderful blog hop!
Yes! We Zoomed again … although it was only Terry and I quilting. Cousin Connie felt she needed to be outside in her garden and at the lake (can you blame her?) and my sister, Lynn was not feeling well, but she did visit with us from time to time.
I finished my “Hello Fall” project! So you’ll see that during the “Hello Fall” Blog Hop … my day is Sept 22. And if you ask me, it’s just stinking cute!
The other project I worked on was the “Scrappy Repro” UFO … I managed to finish up all the blocks and decided on a layout where I won’t have to match seams. Yup, I know that’s being lazy – but I’m not totally in love with this project any more, so it’s just got to be DONE.
SEW … I don’t have a finish for this Friday … but I will show you some close-ups of the quilt I showed on Monday. (For details see HERE).
And closeups … so you don’t have to zoom in to see the details.
Straight line, ruler quilting in the border, flange binding and random swirls in the background.
Straight line, ruler quilting in the dark blue and floral blue prints, with a vine scroll in the middle.
More of the straight line quilting, ore of the random swirls …
Picnic in the Park
Earlier this week, some of the guild members met in a park for lunch … everyone practiced social distancing and there was show and tell. I hadn’t met Brenda before, but I was thrilled to meet her! She had just finished her top from the “Stay at Home Round Robin” that I hosted in the spring. (See Here for the finish and Here for the start.)
Doesn’t Brenda’s top look fantastic in black & white with a pop of red? She wants to make it bigger … so ideas were flying around. Koodos to Brenda for knowing “it’s not a race” and for sticking with it! I can’t wait to see the finish!
What’s Happening Soon?
Next week, I’ll be hosting TGIFF. So make sure you come back and see the marvelous quilts and projects that others are working on!
A Couple of Blog Hops
First up is the Island Batik Block Hop “It’s in the Bag.” I’m super excited about this one! “It’s in the Bag” will be featuring all sorts of byAnnie bags! It promises to be absolutely fantastic!!! Make sure that you follow along and take advantage of opportunities to WIN some wonderful Island Batik fabrics!!!
Second will be the “Hello Fall” Blog Hop that starts later in September. This one is hosted by Carla from “Creatin’ in the Sticks.” Hmmm … perhaps, I need to work on this one and get it finished? The answer to that question is a definite YES!!!
The August Challenge for Island Batik is “Try a Tool” using a Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design tool.
In my July box, I received the 4 Patch Square Up tool. This tool gave me the choice of 4 Patches or Offset 4 Patches. No pattern was provided. We were to make a quilt with at least 16 of the “units” made with the tool.
I have never used any of Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design rulers before (except for the Quilter’s Magic Wand for one marking half square triangle). As you read through this post, you’ll discover how delighted I was to use this ruler!
⇐ Mesa Verde
I received a fat quarter pack in my July box.
Designing
EQ7 was used to design my quilt using the “Mesa Verde” fabric collection, along with Island Batik’s solid black. The black just seemed so right with this line of fabric! I had several layouts to choose from. It was fun to manipulate the quilt by changing the block orientations with a click or 2 of the mouse!
But in the end, this is the quilt I decided on:
Of course the location of where the fabrics ended up in the quilt is totally different than in the EQ version!
Sewing the Creation
I used Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 tool “Four Patch Square Up.” I made the Offset 4 patches. There is no accompanying video -yet – for the Offset 4 patches … but after watching the video for the 4 patches and reading the directions for the Offset 4 patches – it was easy to make. Really easy!!!
Here is the back of the first unit I made. The instructions teach you how to “spin” the seams. If you’ve taken a class from me, you know how much I LOVE to spin the seams. It certainly makes the quilt lie flatter. But, you do need to be consistent when sewing your unit blocks together.
I was able to spin ALL of the seams when I put the quilt together. It certainly made it lie nice and flat!
I readily admit that I am NOT a perfect quilter! I learned to fudge A LOT when I was learning to quilt … in the last century! BUT … with using this ruler … not to boast or anything … but each block is perfect!!! It sewed together like a dream. PERFECTLY!!!
OH MY!!! Now, I get why people like to have perfection in their sewing!!!
YUP … I’m in LOVE ♥ with the 4 Patch Square Up ruler and can’t wait to try some of the other Studio 180 rulers!
Anyhow … on to the quilt I made!
The Quilt
Here it is on the clothesline. I made the largest Offset 4 patch block: 5″. The smallest is 3/4″ … that’s a super mini size! The quilt measures 43″ x 53″ … The binding is scrappy and used the every scrap of the green fabric that was left from the small blocks.
I used my walking foot with an olive green Aurifil thread #2887 to quilt, Hobb’s Heirloom 80/20 Black batting, and Schmetz Microtex Chrome 80/12.
The quilting is super simple: I just did diagonal lines through the black rectangles and then straight lines through the Mesa Verde fabrics.
I like how the quilting looks pretty funky on the back. I backed this quilt with the same black I used on the front – but with the sun shining, the colour certainly isn’t true!
I love the earthy tones in the Mesa Verde fabrics and this tree said “lay the quilt here for a picture.”
And the wooden fence said the same thing …
Disclaimer: All of the fabric and supplies (other than my sewing machine and iron) were given to me by Island Batik and the industry partners! Thank you!
Carol from Just Let Me Quilt has organized this blog hop. It is to feature quilts from “Then” or from “Now” or both. Make sure you wander through the blogs and see how things have changed (or not) from Then and Now.
THEN
Years ago, I took a paper piecing class to do this quilt. There was NOTHING said about needing prior paper piecing experience. It’s not a large quilt, so I had hoped that it would be done in a couple of days. The teacher laughed at me and said that even she couldn’t finish it in a couple of days. It is a pretty complex pattern for a beginner!
And she was right – it took me several years (working on it in short bursts of time) to finish it. The fabrics were in a kit and there was not enough of the background fabric, so I had to take out some of the piecing and replace it with a different fabric. But it got done & I LOVE it!
NOW
The snowman table runner was a free pattern from Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting. and the towels were embroidered with free patterns from Little Santa and Redwork Snowman from Kreative Kiwi.
And yes, I did make the snowman previously with Island Batik fabrics and you can see it HERE.
And I’ve already shown you my Island Batik “Christmas in July” project. You can read more about it HERE.
Make sure you check out the other blogs that are participating in this blog hop! There is LOTS of Christmas eye candy! You will see mice, Santas, Christmas trees, stockings, quilts, FREE patterns, perhaps a give-away or two and more …. much much more! Perhaps you’ll be inspired to start on something for Christmas.
Well, my boxes FINALLYarrived!!! It took them only a few days to travel from California to Vancouver … but it took over 2 weeks for them to travel from Vancouver to my home, about 45 minutes away!
But they came! I resisted opening them until I was ready to do the video. Lots of beautiful surprises!
Here’s the video:
Stash Builders
Width of Fabric, 5″ wide
4 in each bundle
20 in each package!
Mesa Verde – designed by Kathy Engle
Fat Quarter pack
20 fabrics from the collection
Fall/Winter collection
Foundation Packages
5 fabrics in each package
1/2 yard cuts
Solids, blenders and basics
Available all the time
2 Yard Cuts
Celery
Dandilion
4 Yard Cuts
Solid Black, White & Grey
Neutral: Custard
Nouveau Soul
Strip Pack: 2½” by width of fabric
2 of each 20 fabrics in the collection
Bag Kit “ByAnnie”
Fabric
Pattern
Zippers
Mesh
Hardware
Webbing
Elastic
Interfacing
Aurifil Thread
50 weight
Purple: 4225
Dark Blue: 2783
Light blue: 2815
Grey: 2625
Light grey: 2600
Black: 2692
Studio 180 – Deb Tucker
Accuquilt Go!me
You can see the projects I made with it and the gifting of it HERE.
Our monthly challenge for July’s Island Batik Ambassador program is to use the Accuquilt Go! Me cutter and dies that we received in our 2nd boxes from Island Batik. My June boxes took their time getting here. They spent over 2 weeks at Customs in Vancouver (a mere 45 minute drive). Once they arrived, I did my unboxing video (you’ll see that next week) and got to work on my challenge.
The GO! me cutter comes with 2 dies, a Quarter Square and a Half Square Triangle.
The Go! me is a perfect starting set! It’s small, it’s portable and it will help new quilters make those perfect HST and QST.
It was easy to come up with a design and I used EQ 7 to plan it out. However, all of the neutral blocks consisted of a HST and 2 portions of a QST … I loved the end result of all the scrappy neutrals! And the scrappy greens!
Here are a couple of the sample squares that I teased you with earlier in the week. Do you see how they fit into the quilt?
I had some green scraps in my Island Batik stash, and some neutrals … but I was SUPER excited when the stash builder bundles I received had some neutrals and some greens!! Heaven!! You can’t have too much variation when making something scrappy!
The 2nd part of this challenge was to gift the GO! me to a new quilter. My sister is starting to quilt and it was the obvious choice for her to receive the cutter. The only problem is … she lives 12 hours away and I can’t just pop over to her home and give it to her. SEW … what to do? We are in a Zoom Yoga class and at the end of the class, I took a little video and told her that she was being gifted the Go! me. She was over the moon. She couldn’t believe it! She’s the one in the upper left corner. And, you can see the partially finished wall hanging on my design wall.
My sister wants the pattern for this tree as does one of the other yoga classmates. They live close to each other, so I’m sure my sister may lend the cutter to her! Sew, a pattern will be written up in the near future.
And finally … here is the finished wall hanging:
Yes, I made 2! One for my sister and one for me! I decided to take the picture with petunia’s in front of them. It is July!
And here is the back which shows the FMQ. Swirls in the neutral areas, arcs in the tree, straight lines in the tree trunk and on the border. I used 2 squares (6″) folded into triangles to hold the dowel to hang it with.
Wall Hanging Stats:
26″ square
Hobbs 80/20 batting
Aurifil Thread
Cream (neutral area) #2311
Red (border) #2460
Green Variegated (tree) #4653
Brown (tree trunk) # 1285
Green (binding) # 5012
Schmetz Needles
Backing: Island Batik solid Grey
Fabric: assorted Island Batik Greens and Neutrals. Red is “Wavy Dot Cherry” and the Green used in the binding is “Grass.”
Disclaimer: Thanks to Island Batik for the fabrics, Hobbs batting, Schmetz Needles, Aurifil thread and AccuQuilt for providing the necessary tools and supplies to make the quilts!
When I make bags, I usually end up doing my own thing … but I needed to follow directions with this one.
In my July box, I received the 4 Patch Square Up tool. This tool gave me the choice of 
Here is the back of the first unit I made. The instructions teach you how to “spin” the seams. If you’ve taken a class from me, you know how mu
And yes, I did make the snowman previously with Island Batik fabrics and you can see it 
Here are a couple of the sample squares that I teased you with earlier in the week. Do you see how they fit into the quilt?
