Island Batik

SAHRR ’25: Round #2

/ quiltinggail / 26 Comments

The prompt for this was Anja Quilts: Triangles. I love pinwheels, so this was the perfect time to make them! The half square blocks are 2 1/2” square (unfinished). I cut them in groups of 4, using an Accuquilt Qube 8 die. Then I sewed them together to make the pinwheels. Each pinwheel finishes at 4″ square.

I also added a 1 3/4” coping border.

Edit: For my SAHRR 2025, I am using the Island Batik fabric collection “Poetic Bouquet,” designed by Kathy Engle for Heidi Pridemore of The Whimsical Workshop and Island Batik’s solid white.

Please note: If you plan to do EVERYTHING that I do on this Round Robin, you will end up with a queen size quilt. If you want a smaller quilt and want to do the same as me, then just add to 2 sides with each of the remaining rounds.

The Schedule

Link Party

You can find this week’s Link Party at Anja’s blog: Anja Quilts.

Please note: When you link up, you should receive a comment from at least one of the SAHRR hosts. There have been a few links that do not go anywhere. Obviously, we can’t comment on those links. Please ensure that you’ve linked properly.

Pictures of other participants

If you wish to send me pictures to include on the blog, please do so by Saturday at Midnight.

Here are the pictures of Round #1

My first name, Jacomina, is a feminine form of Jacob, used in the provincie of Zeeland in the Netherlands. So, an easy choice for this blockI have been able to trace my first name back to my sixth great Grandmother Born in 1732 about a mile from where I was born.

Fauntie’s block from last year’s SAHRR!!! She plans to finish it this year!

Judy has sent me a pic of her blocks. The blocks are 16″ square, so she’s decided to just go with 2 blocks.

Robin has added 2 blocks to her centre block

Kristen has added blue & purple triangles all around her centre block.  “S” is for Susan and Sawtooth border. Susan told Kristen that she needs more purple in her life, so this quilt is for her!

Carolyn is waiting to see where she wants to place this block. The Cardinal is an excellent “C” block!

Angie has a very pretty block in blues

Gail H. said, “Here’s my round 1 24” x 24” using Geometry blocks.”

Gene is using a block from when he was teaching himself Seminole patchwork.

Kristi said, “I started with Kings Crown and tweaked it a bit to add more HST’s and the little square in square. “

We have Sponsors!

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

Don’t Forget:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Aurifil Thread and a Finish!

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

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

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

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

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

A Finish!

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

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

I used Aurifil Thread for piecing and quilting.

Quilt Stats:

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

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

Don’t Forget:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

SAHRR ’25: Prompt 1

/ quiltinggail / 27 Comments

Kathleen has chosen Prompt 1. She chose it according to the first initial of her name. “K.” And she has chosen King’s Cross.

But WAIT!! I didn’t want to do a “K” block. So …

I chose the first initial of my name; “G.” After looking at the “G” blocks in Quilter’s Cache, I settled on “Geese.” I actually did migrating geese and followed Deb Tucker’s Youtube video HERE.

I did the migrating geese and trimmed the geese blocks to 6 1/4” x 13 3/4“. My centre block is 12 1/2” unfinished. I figured to fit the geese blocks onto my centre block, I need to add 1″ to each side. I cut 4 strips 1 1/2” wide and added them to the centre block. The corner stones are 6 1/4” x 6 1/4“.

This round finishes at 26″ x 26.”

The Schedule

Link Party

You can find this week’s Link party at Kathleen’s blog: Kathleen McMusing

Pictures of other participants

Please note that future pictures need to be sent to me by midnight on Saturday. Thank you.

  • Rosie is doing her SAHRR as a QOV! What a great Centre Block!
  • Judy B’s Dresden Plate is 16 1/2” x 16 1/2” So pretty!
  • Kristin’s using an old orphan block – love the scrappiness!
  • Kristi is using a pretty block from Today’s Quilter’s Magazine Issue #111.
  • Robin has a very pretty soft pallet for her centre block!
  • Sue has used 4 tiny orphan blocks and is planning a very scrappy quilt!
  • Jacomina has a pretty block with a circle inside lime green!
  • Patricia is using turtle fabric for her centre block.
  • Carolyn has a pretty Christmas block

We have Sponsors!

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

Don’t Forget:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Sunday Summary: January 19

/ quiltinggail / 12 Comments

This sums it up nicely!!!

SAHRR has started!

The Centre Blocks were linked on THIS POST. Tomorrow, Round #1 will be hosted by Kathleen @ Kathleen McMusing!

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: 19 / 19 days
  • Total: 19 / 19 100 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Pink Blocks: just cause I’m trying to use Island Batik scraps. This might be combined with other colours in the near future. The pink blocks are cut 2 1/4” x 4 1/2” and the white strip is 1″ x 4 1/2“. This project was inspired by the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2025. If I have enough pink blocks, it will become a baby quilt. If I don’t have enough, it will be joined by another colour.
  • Sunlit Garden: a small quilt for a blog hop hosted by Jennifer of Curlicue Creations … it will be her newest signature collection and it’s absolutely gorgeous!!! Unfortunately, until the blog hop, you’ll only see black and white!!
  • IB February Project: sorry, no picture, except for the Studio 180 tool and the fabric!
  • IB March Project: as leaders & enders … and no picture!

Quilting projects:

  • Test Quilt: SSB
  • Glorified 9 patch

Sunday Stash

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

I did finish my Helen Godden’s Christmas Countdown . You can read about it HERE. This project used over 1/2 yard of fabric … not a lot, I know, but it still counts!

Fabric Used in the last week:  0.5 yards

  • Fabric Used in 2025:     0.5
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              0.5 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

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

To Do for next week:

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

Teaching

I’m teaching at Essem today. It’s binding by machine and the class is full!!! If you’d like to take this class let Essem know.

OR … I might consider doing it on Zoom. If you’re interested, let me know!

Don’t Forget

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

SAHRR ’25: Centre Block

/ quiltinggail / 32 Comments

Everyone that is doing the SAHRR starts with a Centre Block. It’s up to each person to choose which block they want to use. Some people use an orphan block. Or you can use one of the blocks that one of the SAHRR team has used. OR you can use any block of your choice!! Any size that you want! It can be square or rectangle … even a triangle if you wish! 😁

My block is the Starflower block. I found this block at The Quilter’s Cache: Quilt Blocks Galore. If you want to be overwhelmed by block choices, this is the place to go. There are blocks from 4″ to 24″ and several that you can make any size you desire! The lists of block patterns tell you the level difficulty and if they are paper pieced or have appliqué.

For my SAHRR 2025, I am using the Island Batik fabric collection “Poetic Bouquet,” designed by Kathy Engle for Heidi Pridemore of The Whimsical Workshop and Island Batik’s solid white.

The Starflower block can be found HERE. I made the block exactly according to the directions. Here’s 2 of the Half-square triangles before trimming.

And my Centre block, it is currently is 12 1/2” and will finish at 12″ in the quilt:

The Schedule

Link Party

Use this Link to show us your Centre block. If you don’t have a blog, FB or IG email me a picture of your block & I’ll post it on next weeks SAHRR blog and enter you into the draw. (quiltinggail@yahoo.ca)

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

We have Sponsors!

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

Don’t Forget:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Sunday Summary: January 12

/ quiltinggail / 18 Comments

This is true for every day!!!

An Unusual site at my house in January

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

SAHRR is starting soon!

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

Stitching Stuff

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

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

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

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

Quilting projects:

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

Sunday Stash

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

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

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

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

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

To Do for next week:

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

Don’t Forget

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Island Batik projects 2024!

/ quiltinggail / 20 Comments

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

January

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

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

February

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

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

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

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

March

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

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

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

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

April

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

May

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

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

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

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

June

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

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

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

July

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

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

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

August

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

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

September

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

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

October

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

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

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

November

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

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

December

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Thank you!

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

 One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: December 29

/ quiltinggail / 10 Comments

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

Stitching Stuff

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

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

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • Glorified 9 patch: for class sample

Quilting projects:

  • Test Quilt: SSB
  • SAHRR ’25

Sunday Stash

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

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

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

To Do

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

To Do from the last report:

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

To Do for next week:

Still keeping the list small!

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

Favourite Finish for December 2024

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

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

Don’t Forget

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

A Last Minute Finish

/ quiltinggail / 15 Comments

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

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

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

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

Don’t Forget:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Announcing the 2025 SAHRR!!

/ quiltinggail / 20 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

What is a Round Robin?

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

So, I stay at home?

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

How do I join?

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

How often does this happen?

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

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

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

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

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

We have Sponsors!

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

Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

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

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

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

Will you cut my fabric for me? No!

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

What do I do now?

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

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

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

Next Week

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Floral Fusion

/ quiltinggail / 19 Comments

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

I’m using scraps of Island Batik fabric!

Here’s some in-progress pictures:

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

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

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

Quilt Stats:

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

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

Don’t Forget

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary Dec 15

/ quiltinggail / 11 Comments

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

Stitching Stuff

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

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

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

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

Sunday Stash

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

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

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

To Do

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

To Do from the last report:

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

To Do for next week:

Still keeping the list small!

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

Don’t Forget

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Linking to:  

December: Island Batik

/ quiltinggail / 25 Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Quilt Stats:

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

Thank you!

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

Island Batik Ambassadors

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

Don’t Forget:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: December 8

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

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

Monthly Colour Challenge

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

I’m using Island Batik fabrics for my blocks. 

Here are all my blocks:

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

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

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

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

Quilt Stats:

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

Stitching Stuff

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

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

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

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

Sunday Stash

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

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

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

To Do

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

To Do from the last report:

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

To Do for next week:

Keeping the list small!

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

Don’t Forget

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Butterfly Haven Blog Hop

/ quiltinggail / 13 Comments

Earlier in the fall, Jennifer asked if I would be willing to make a project that featured her Signature collection … Butterfly Haven is so very pretty, I couldn’t resist saying “yes.” But, due to time restraints, I knew it had to be something small …

I decided to make 2 large byAnnie Clam Up bags. These are the fabrics that I ordered from Jennifer:

  • Outside of #1:   712401852.  Coordinating #1:  712404891
  • Outside of #2:  712401873.  Coordinating #2:   712403891

I always like the inside of bags to be lighter, so I can find what I’m looking for!

And here is individual pictures of each bag:

Blog Hop

I know each of the participating bloggers. They are all talented quilters, so it promises to be a great blog hop!! Here’s a list of the other participating bloggers:

Here’s a list of shops that carry Butterfly Haven:

  • Creekside Quilts-OR
  • Fabric and Quilting Delights-HI
  • Fabric Square-OH
  • JellyRollFabric.Net
  • Roosters Mercantile
  • Mike & Mollys-CO

Don’t Forget:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange

/ quiltinggail / 27 Comments

Here’s what the instructions said:

Challenge: You don’t have to bake anything for this, but if you have a favorite recipe or tradition, that’s what we’d love to see. Share a Christmas project with mean ole’ Mr. Grinch or a past/present quilt you’ve made.

I don’t bake every Christmas, but when I do, these Snickerdoodle cookies are always a hit! There’s nothing fancy about them. They are easy to make and to make them a little festive, I add a small piece of cherry. 

Earlier this year, I was given a fantastic group of templates from Missouri Star Quilt Company. You can read more about them on THIS POST.

I cut out 5 bows and one poinsettia template to make this small table topper. The top was backed with Hobbs 80/20 batting and I used a simple zig zag stitch to appliqué the cut-outs. The backing was ‘enveloped’ and 2 rows of stitching secured the outside. Simple stippling completed the table mat.

And here’s a picture of the back: (the fabric is Swirl Snowflake from the Peppermint Sprinkles collection.

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 13″ round
  • Fabric: Island Batik: background is Eggwhite and the red is from scraps.
  • Hobbs Batting Heirloom: 80/20
  • Aurifil Thread: #5013 (Asphalt) for applique and #2311 (Muslin) for quilting
  • Quilting: free motion, stippling.

Christmas Cookie Bloggers

Visit each of the participating bloggers to see what their virtual cookies are!

December 2

December 3

December 4

December 5

A HUGE THANK YOU!!!

For many months of the past several years, I have participated in blog hops hosted by Carol of MooseStashQuilting and Joan of Just Let Me Quilt. They have cute little logos for each month and the challenges change. Sometimes, it’s easy to come up with a project that fits the theme and other times it’s not. But it’s always been good!! I LOVED seeing how others have interpreted the theme and there has been a LOT of inspiration. This is the last blog hop that they are initiating and I, for one, am sorry to see them end!

♥️ 🩵 🩷 💚 💜 💙 ♥️ 🩵 🩷 💚 💜 💙 ♥️ 🩵 🩷 💚 💜 💙 ♥️ 🩵 🩷 💚 💜 💙 ♥️ 🩵 🩷 💚 💜 💙 ♥️ 🩵 🩷

Thank you, Carol and Joan for the years of inspiration!

♥️ 🩵 🩷 💚 💜 💙 ♥️ 🩵 🩷 💚 💜 💙 ♥️ 🩵 🩷 💚 💜 💙 ♥️ 🩵 🩷 💚 💜 💙 ♥️ 🩵 🩷 💚 💜 💙 ♥️ 🩵 🩷

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Missouri Star Templates

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

A couple of months ago, I received a fantastic set of Christmas templates from Missouri Star Quilt Company. Each of the larger templates has a smaller one in the middle. Here’s a picture of them:

You can order them HERE.

I needed an early Christmas card … and I searched and searched and searched … and I could not find my box of Christmas cards. And, they still have not shown themselves to me! Where or where are they hiding???

Christmas Templates to the rescue! I used Island Batik fabrics and cut out a green Christmas tree and a red bow.

Then I glued the green Christmas tree onto a blank coloured card. I like the simplicity of it! I wrote my Merry Christmas message on the inside and put it in with the parcel.

Favourite Finish

Yvonne, from Quilting Jetgirl hosts a Favourite Finish of the Month Link Party. I always struggle with picking out my favourite each month!!! And this month, it’s no different!! Do I choose the Mystery Quilt done in purples or my Island Batik Dresden Plate challenge? Which would YOU choose?

Don’t Forget:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary November 24

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

We were away on a Mexican cruise and I didn’t take my machine (shocking, I know!!) I thoroughly enjoyed our time!

We did a ‘glass bottom’ boat tour … had to laugh at the name of the boat “Sex Machine Too!” And the glass bottom was a bit of a joke … a 1′ x 3′ piece of algae covered plexiglass in the middle. But the rest of the tour was great!

A Blog Hop Finish

This was my finish for “Gnome for Thanksgiving.” You can read about it HERE.

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January – October:  276 / 304 days
  • November: 12 / 24 days
  • 40 missed days since January 1
  • Total: 288 / 328 87 %

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

  • SAHRR ’25: working on Prompt #6
  • Virtual Cookie Exchange blog hop project

Quilting:

  • December’s Island Batik project
  • Floral Fusion: not started, yet

Sunday Stash

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

Even though I was in 2 fabric stores in Mazatlan, I didn’t purchase anything! Nothing said “buy me” and believe me, I looked!!!

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

To Do

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

To Do from the last report:

Not a lot done while I was away …

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

To Do for next week:

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

Upcoming Blog Hops

Dresden Plate Blog Hop

There have been a ton of awesome Dresden Plate quilts! Visit the Island Batik blog for an update on the quilts from the last 3 weeks and an opportunity to win some awesome Fat Quarters!

Week 4:

November 25:

Victoria Johnson @ Forever Quilting for You Willow Creek

Sandra Starley @ Textile Time Travels

November 26:

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

Don’t Forget

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: November 10

/ quiltinggail / 4 Comments

This is my thinking!

An Island Batik Challenge Finish!

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

Stitching Stuff

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

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

Design Wall Mondays

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

Piecing projects:

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

Quilting:

  • Floral Fusion: not started, yet

Sunday Stash

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

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

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

To Do

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

To Do from the last report:

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

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

To Do for next week:

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

Jelly Roll Mystery Quilt

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

Upcoming Blog Hops

Dresden Plate Blog Hop

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

Week 2:

November 12:

Kim Jamieson-Hirst @  Chatterbox Quilts

Julia Schweri @ Inflorescence Designs

Lana Russel @ Lana Quilts

November 13:

Brenda Alburl @ Songbird Designs

Denise Looney @ A Quiltery

November 14: P

Jane Hauprich @ Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting

Jennifer Thomas @ Curlicue Creations

November 15:

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

Week 3:

November 18:

Susan Deshensky @  Lady Blue Quilts Studio

Preeti Harris @  Sew Preeti Quilts

November 19:

Renee Atkinson @  Pink Tulip Quilting Shadow Blooms

Brittany Fisher @ Bobbin with Brittany

November 20:

Leah Malasky @  Quilted Delights Tropical Bliss

Sarah Pitcher @ Pitcher’s Boutique

Suzy Webster @ Websterquilt Tropical Bliss

November 21:

Emily Leachman @ The Darling Dogwood Turtle Cove

Carol Stanek @ Stitch with Color

November 22:

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

Week 4:

November 25:

Victoria Johnson @ Forever Quilting for You Willow Creek

Sandra Starley @ Textile Time Travels

November 26:

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

Don’t Forget

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Island Batik: Dresden Plate Blog Hop

/ quiltinggail / 25 Comments

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

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

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

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

Here are a few pictures of blades in progress.

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

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

On to plan B …

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

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

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

The process of putting the plates together:

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

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

The following pictures show:

And here is the final quilt:

Quilt Stats:

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

Where can you buy Flutter Fields?

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

Thank you!

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

Island Batik Dresden Plate Blog Hop

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

November 4: Butterfly Haven

Maryellen McAuliffe @ Mary Mack Made Mine

Lisa Pickering @ Lisa’s Quilting Passion

November 5: Flowing Meadow

Pamela Boatright @PamelaQuilts

Connie Kresin Campbell @ Freemotion by the River

November 6: Flutter Fields

Mania Hatziioannidi @ Mania for quilts

Gail Sheppard You are HERE

November 7: Island Zest

Megan Best @ BestQuilter.

Connie Kauffman @ Kauffman Designs

November 8:

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

Week 2:

November 12: Midnight Garden

Kim Jamieson-Hirst @  Chatterbox Quilts

Julia Schweri @ Inflorescence Designs

Lana Russel @ Lana Quilts

November 13: Misty Mornings

Brenda Alburl @ Songbird Designs

Denise Looney @ A Quiltery

November 14: Paradise Palms

Jane Hauprich @ Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting

Jennifer Thomas @ Curlicue Creations

November 15:

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

Week 3:

November 18: Peach Blossom

Susan Deshensky @  Lady Blue Quilts Studio

Preeti Harris @  Sew Preeti Quilts

November 19:

Renee Atkinson @  Pink Tulip Quilting Shadow Blooms

Brittany Fisher @ Bobbin with Brittany

November 20:

Leah Malasky @  Quilted Delights Tropical Bliss

Sarah Pitcher @ Pitcher’s Boutique

Suzy Webster @ Websterquilt Tropical Bliss

November 21:

Emily Leachman @ The Darling Dogwood Turtle Cove

Carol Stanek @ Stitch with Color

November 22:

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

Week 4:

November 25:

Victoria Johnson @ Forever Quilting for You Willow Creek

Sandra Starley @ Textile Time Travels

November 26:

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

Don’t Forget:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

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