Island Batik

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 

Linking to:  

Jelly Roll Mystery Quilt: Clue #5

/ quiltinggail / 10 Comments

This quilt will be 47″ x 57″ when finished.

I used a strip set from Island Batik called “Playful Purples” and Island Batik solid white for the background. If you want to use the same fabric, both the strip set and the solid white is available at Creekside Quilts HERE.

Clue #5

This is the final clue. I was going to have you sew portions of this together first, but a couple of people said, “no, let the participants organize the fabrics how they want.” So, that’s what I’ve done!

Edit: Cut 2 more 5″ squares. Cut them in half diagonally. These 4 HST will be your corner blocks.

Fall ’24 Mystery Quilt – jelly roll Clue 5Download

Here’s a picture of my top … I’ve started quilting it … if you look hard, you can see the straight lines through the coloured blocks and on the top left, the curved lines in the white block. I’m hoping that next week I will have the quilt quilted and bound. Once it’s finished, I’ll have a link party where you can add your quilt to show everyone.

Edit from Clue #4: You will need 124 sections for the quilt. If you can’t get 8 from each strata, you can make a shorter quilt … but it needs to be shorter in groups of 12. For example 112 will work.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

A Little Finish

/ quiltinggail / 24 Comments

Happy Halloween!

A few months ago, I was asked to use some left-over fabric from a quilt I made for an Island Batik catalogue quilt and send the mini to Hobbs batting. They have hung it in their booth at the Houston Quilt Market! It’s probably the only time I’ll have a quilt at the show (ha! ha!)

The collection for this mini is Petal Poetry, a signature collection for Megan Best of Best Quilter. This collection is so very pretty!

I ‘borrowed’ the following pictures from Hobbs Batting as I can’t seem to find one that I took. I find that highly unusual since I ALWAYS take pictures of my finished projects … but I’ve looked several times and can’t find it!

Here's the Mini Quilt I made for Hobbs batting. #islandbatikambassador #islandbatik #iloveislandbatik @aurifil @aurifilthread #aurifil #aurifilthread @SCHMETZneedles #schmetz #schmetzneedles @Oliso @olisohome #olisoconnects #createwitholiso

I used all 20 SKUs in this mini!

Quilt Stats:

Yes, I’m on a Dresden Plate trend … my November Island Batik challenge is to use a Dresden Plate with a another beautiful new line of fabric!

Island Batik Dresden Plate Blog Hop

This hop starts on Monday. Here’s a list of the upcoming blog hop blogs to check out!

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:

(Island Batik posts: Blog Hop Week 1 Round Up + giveaway)

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:

(Island Batik: Blog Hop Week 2 Round Up + giveaway)

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:

(Island Batik: End of Week 3 Round Up)

Week 4:

November 25:

Victoria Johnson @ Forever Quilting for You Willow Creek

Sandra Starley @ Textile Time Travels

November 26:

(Island Batik: End of Blog Hop + Final Round Up 

Favourite Finish of October

 Yvonne, @ Quilting Jetgirl, has a link party with the Favourite Finish of the Month. As usual, I find it extremely difficult to choose only ONE favourite!! How can I even begin to choose only ONE??? Well, I can’t! I guess it’s because I generally like everything that I make! Which one is your favourite?

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: October 20

/ quiltinggail / 10 Comments

A Triple Finish!

I made 3 quilts for Create with Claudia’s Twilight blog hop. You can read about them 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!

Since we’re home now, I’ve been able to sew every day!

  • January – September:  245 / 272 days
  • October: 19 / 20 days
  • 28 missed days since January 1
  • Total: 264 / 292 90 %

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 #5
  • November 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!

  • Fabric Used in the last week:  13.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2024:     176.5 yards  from non-IB: 70
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     29.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              131.5 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! in progress
  2. Quilt Floral Fusion NOT DONE
  3. 2025 SAHRR get prompt 4 done √   DONE.
  4. Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind NOT DONE
  5. Work on Island Batik November project (Dresden Plate) 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. Get Jelly Roll Mystery next clue & blog post ready!
  2. Quilt Floral Fusion
  3. 2025 SAHRR Work on Prompt 5
  4. Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind
  5. Work on Island Batik November project (Dresden Plate)
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Jelly Roll Mystery Quilt

Upcoming Blog Hops

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:  

Twilight

/ quiltinggail / 13 Comments

Claudia asked if I would be interested in participating in her blog hop featuring her Island Batik signature collection. I love the blues and golds … it’s such a pretty collection! I paired it with Eggwhite, an Island Batik foundation that is available year round.

When I ordered fabric from her, I ordered what EQ8 said I needed. I should know better! It was way more than I needed!! So, out of guilt, I ended up making 3 quilts!

This first one was designed in EQ8 and is paper pieced. I like how the centre blocks go every which way. It measures 51″ x 63.5″

This was quilted with Silly Moon’s Drop 3 and Drop 1 rulers.

This 2nd one was cut with similar measurements in the squares. And they were all cut the same. It didn’t matter which way I oriented the blocks, the centre block looks like it is always in the same orientation. This quilt measures 52″ x 52″.

This one was free motion quilted, attempting to quilt daisies – like in some of the fabrics!

One of the fabrics reminded me of a giraffe. Of course, giraffes do not have blue spots, but I thought it would make a cute quilt. The grass and sky were from my Island Batik stash. The cloud is eggwhite. This quilt is 43″ x 47.”

I won binding chicken when I was binding this quilt!

And here’s a picture of all 3 quilts hanging on the clothesline:

The Blog Hoppers

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 

What’s in Your Bag? Island Batik Challenge

/ quiltinggail / 21 Comments

We are excited to have our great friends from ByAnnie.com feature this month’s challenge!  ByAnnie will generously provided each ambassador with a pattern and all the necessary hardware to make a bag of our choice! We had to choose a pattern that had a supporting Add-On video.

As you can see from the above picture, I chose to make Payday in both sizes. ByAnnie supplied all the hardware and supplies I needed and Island Batik provided the fabric I had chosen.

I started out by reading through the pattern a couple of times. I often will skip this step, but not when making a ByAnnie bag!

The fabrics were all pressed with my Oliso Iron.

My next step was to print out the labels and cut out the fabric, Soft & Stable, and Interfacing. ByAnnie patterns have little boxes that you can check off as you complete each step. This, and the excellent cutting directions make cutting out the pieces easy. Although, I find I do need to measure twice or 3 times before cutting. (don’t ask me why I tell you this! LOL!!!)

Here are the labelled pieces of both bags up on the design wall. Yes, they are all bunched together, so you can’t see the measurements, but after the pictures were taken, they were spread out to make it easy to access the pieces I needed.

With the lining of the Large PayDay the same fabric as the outer of the Small, I didn’t dare try making both of them at the same time!

I got so involved in making the bags that I forgot to take progress pictures! Sorry! However, I did refer to the Add-on video several times to ensure that I was making it correctly!

Here are pictures showing the inside (large on the left, small on the right):

This is the large Payday:

This is the small Payday:

Both bags together on my design wall:

Bag Stats:

  • Size:
    • LARGE: 6″H x 10½”W x 1¼”D when closed,13¼”H x 10½”W when open
    • SMALL: 4¾”H x 9″W x 1¼”D when closed,10¾”H x 9″W when open
  • Fabric: Island Batik: from the Midnight Garden collection
    • Large Bag:
      • Outer: Medium Floral Multi-E
      • Lining: Mini Floral Multi Blue
    • Small Payday:
      • Outer: Mini Floral Multi Blue.
      • Lining: Vines and Sprigs – Blue
  • Aurifil Thread: 2805 (Light Grey Turquoise)

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, ByAnnie, Schmetz Needles, Oliso Iron.

Island Batik Ambassadors

Visit the other Island Batik Ambassadors to see what they made for the ByAnnie challenge!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: October 6

/ quiltinggail / 12 Comments

I know it’s just the last day of the weekend, but I think this is true each and every day!!

I had a finish this week: It’s Jam Session. A pattern by Brenda at Songbird Designs. You can read about it HERE:

Monthly Colour Challenge

October’s colour is Black and Grey. 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. I am obviously rebelling and using pink! My sashing and border are black and grey, so I wanted this block to be different.

Here’s all my blocks to date:

WIPS-B-GONE

Leanne, from Devoted Quilter, is doing a WIPS-B-Gone again this year. I did it last year, and every day I worked on a project AND I cleaned my studio!!! It was great!! By the end of 2 months, I had a LOT of things accomplished and breathing room in my studio!

Obviously, I choose the flowers … Each petal indicates at least 15 minutes. Green is for piecing, Orange is for Quilting and Purple is for cleaning.

Here is the link, if you want to join in the fun. Get your projects finished, clean your studio or whatever you choose to do!

Here’s a picture of my clean cutting table: Yes, I know that I need to tidy up the bulletin board above the cutting table.

Floral Fusion Blocks

Denise at A Quiltery is doing “Floral Fusion” – a Sew Along with new blocks each Monday. This promises to be beautiful!!! Hurry and get this week’s block while it’s still free! (See HERE).

Here is a picture of my flower blocks all assembled. I’m using a variety of Island Batik scraps. I know that I’m biased, but I think it’s absolutely beautiful!!! Thank you, Denise.

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!

Since we’re home now, I’ve been able to sew every day!

  • January – September:  245 / 272 days
  • October: 6 / 6 days
  • 27 missed days since January 1
  • Total: 251 / 278 90 %

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:

  • Work on Floral Fusion border
  • Twilight blog hop project
  • SAHRR ’25: working on Prompt #3

Quilting:

  • “5 fat quarter” quilt is partially quilted.

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!

The Jam Session quilt used about 8 yards of fabric. No shopping, no fabric purchases.

  • Fabric Used in the last week:   8 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2024:     161 yards  from non-IB: 66.5
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     29.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              116.5 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 blog post ready! √   DONE. 
  2. Appliquéing Floral Fusion blocks √   DONE. 
  3. 2025 SAHRR get prompt 3 done √   DONE. 
  4. Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind. NOT DONE
  5. Twilight blog hop 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. Get Jelly Roll Mystery next clue & blog post ready!
  2. Work on Floral Fusion border
  3. 2025 SAHRR get prompt 4 done
  4. Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind
  5. Twilight blog hop project
  6. Work on Island Batik November project (Dresden Plate)
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Jelly Roll Mystery Quilt

On Tuesday, October 1, the fabric requirements were posted HERE. Each following week the clues will be published on Tuesdays. I hope you will join this mystery quilt!

Upcoming Blog Hops

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: September 29

/ quiltinggail / 23 Comments

Ain’t this the truth!

We were Away

I was away for most of this month. First I had a quilt retreat at Loon Lake. Retreats are always lots of fun! Then we made a quick trip to the interior to try out our new (to us) 5th wheel. It was good that we were just doing a trial run. The water pump in the 5th wheel broke and needed replacing, so we were home for several days while handy hubby fixed it.

Our next trip took us to the east. We were dry camping. (That means no electricity!). This can be a hardship for a die-hard, must sew EVERY day quilter!! But, I took along my hand crank! Here I am, at the Kettle Valley Provincial Park, working on the sashing strips for the monthly colour challenge.

Here are some pictures of my set up and view. Although I didn’t get a picture of one, I was able to occasionally watch deer!

Floral Fusion Blocks

Denise at A Quiltery is doing “Floral Fusion” – a Sew Along with new blocks each Monday. This promises to be beautiful!!! Hurry and get this week’s block while it’s still free! (See HERE).

While we were glamping, I was able to cut out some appliqué flowers and glue them onto background squares. Then, there is a picture of my flower blocks to date. I’m using a variety of Island Batik scraps.

Stitching Stuff

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

I got lots of sewing done while I was at a retreat, but not a lot while we were dry camping. However, I did count the time I spent cutting out appliqué pieces as sewing time.

  • January – August:  225 / 243 days
  • September: 23 / 29 days
  • 27 missed days since January 1
  • Total: 237/ 272 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:

  • Appliquéing Floral Fusion blocks
  • Rope bowl
  • Twilight blog hop project
  • SAHRR ’25: working on Prompt #3

Quilting:

  • “5 fat quarter” quilt is partially quilted.

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 figure that the tissue holders used up about 1.5 yards of fabric. Yes, I used bits and pieces, but they all came from my Island Batik stash.

  • Fabric Used in the last week:   1.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2024:     153 yards  from non-IB: 63.5
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     29.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              108.5 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. Appliquéing Floral Fusion blocks. in progress
  2. 2025 SAHRR get prompt 3 done in progress
  3. Working on sashing and borders for Monthly Colour Challenge. √   DONE. I finished this on my hand crank sewing machine, but no pictures until December after the final block is revealed!
  4. Twilight Blog Hop project in progress
  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:

  1. Get Jelly Roll Mystery blog post ready!
  2. Appliquéing Floral Fusion blocks
  3. 2025 SAHRR get prompt 3 done
  4. Monthly Colour Challenge – need to sandwich, quilt and bind
  5. Twilight blog hop 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

On Tuesday, October 1, the fabric requirements will be given. Each following week the clues will be published on Tuesdays. I hope you will join this mystery quilt!

Upcoming Blog Hops

Don’t Forget

Here is my Affiliate link: https://glnk.io/mzmmj/quiltinggail 

PLEASE NOTE: Missouri Star is having a ton of promotions in September to celebrate their birthday! You will NOT receive 20% off these. Although, I may still receive a small commission! Thank you for your support!

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:  

Be Kind: Blog Hop

/ quiltinggail / 34 Comments

Joan, from Moose Stash Quilting is hosting this month’s blog hop: Bee Kind

Challenge: September is the time to remember that a little kindness goes a long way. Share your “kind” projects. Your favorite charity project, a free online pattern or anything that shows you spread a little kindness, everywhere you go. The Bee’s are an important part of life as well, and we all need to be kind to them too!

I thought it would be cute to make a quilt with a bee on it. But “NO” was my mind’s response to that thought. I’m allergic to bees (their stings) and I generally don’t like them. Yes, I know they are good for growing things and are necessary, but honestly, I don’t want them anywhere near me. And not close-up in a quilt!

I do a LOT of donation quilts for numerous charities (see below), but I wanted to do something different.

So what to do???

I was thinking about what to do as I was making a ton of tissue holders. I was getting ready for a retreat and making them for every attendee. Tissues are something that we all use and need at one time or another. The holders are quick and easy to make. But making over 20 of them takes time. And yes, I was doing it as a kindness to everyone!

Here’s how to make them:

Step #1: Take a 6″ x 6″ square and an 6″ x 8″ rectangle. Sew them together on the long ends of the 8″ rectangle, wrong sides together, using a 1/4” seam.

Step #2: Turn it right side out and ensure the ends of the 8″ rectangle form a small ‘border’ on each end. (I don’t measure, I just estimate that they are close to the same width).

Step #3: Fold over one of the edges, measuring 1 3/4” up. Overlap the second side, folding down 1 1/2“. Clip into place and sew the ends. (Yes, they will overlap).

Step #4: Sew the ends, using a 1/4” seam.

Step #5: Make boxed corners. Fold as in the picture and sew a line 1/2” from the corner. Trim boxed corners and turn right side out.

I used tissues from Dollarama.

Quilt Stats:

Other Kindnesses

Boundary Bay Quilting Guild accepts donations for baby quilts, comfort quilts and Quilts of Valour. I regularly donate to the baby quilt and comfort quilt committees. I make a lot of quilts and it’s nice to know that they are going someplace where they are loved. Here are a few that I’ve made in the last while:

At Christmas time, the guild collects placemats for meals on wheels. I make these throughout the year, using left-overs from quilts. I simply put some Christmas fabric on the back and the recipient will have a reversible placemat. Sorry, no pictures.

Bee Kind Blog Hoppers

Bee sure to see all the Kindness of other bloggers

Monday Sept 23

Tuesday Sept 24

Wednesday Sept 25

Thursday Sept 26th

Don’t Forget

Here is my Affiliate link: https://glnk.io/mzmmj/quiltinggail 

For September, there is no 20% off an order of $50 or more. However, MSQC is having fantastic sales this month and if you use my Affiliate link, I will still receive a small commission.

Thank you for your support!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary, September 15

/ quiltinggail / 12 Comments

Do you have Fabracadabra happening in your sewing studio? I do … and it’s often hiding in sight where I can see it!

Monthly Colour Challenge

September’s colour is Brown. 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’s all my blocks to date:

Floral Fusion Blocks

Denise at A Quiltery is doing “Floral Fusion” – a Sew Along with new blocks each Monday. This promises to be beautiful!!! Hurry and get this week’s block while it’s still free! (See HERE).

The pink and purple flowers on the left are all appliquéd on. I used batting as the stabilizer and will trim around all the stitching to give them a trapunto look. The 2 columns on the right have been glued into place and need stitching.

Stitching Stuff

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

I got lots of sewing done while I was at a retreat, but not a lot while we were dry camping. However, I did count the time I spent cutting out appliqué pieces as sewing time.

  • January – August:  225 / 243 days
  • September: 12 / 15 days
  • 22 missed days since January 1
  • Total: 237/ 259 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:

  • Appliquéing Floral Fusion blocks
  • A Mini for Quilt Market
  • Working on sashing and borders for Monthly Colour Challenge
  • Twilight blog hop project
  • Work on Prompt #3 for SAHRR ’25

Quilting:

  • “5 fat quarter” quilt is partially quilted.

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 shared my Adventurous Appliqué Quilt this week … it used approximately 10 yards of fabric and a ton of thread! You can read about my process and this fun technique HERE.

  • Fabric Used in the last week:   10 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2024:     151.5 yards  from non-IB: 63.5
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     29.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              117 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. Appliquéing Floral Fusion blocks. in progress
  2. Make Rope bowl √   DONE
  3. Working on sashing and borders for Monthly Colour Challenge. not done
  4. Twilight Blog Hop project in progress
  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:

I won’t be home a lot in the next couple of weeks, so my list is limited, and likely beyond reasonable expectations.

  1. Appliquéing Floral Fusion blocks
  2. 2025 SAHRR get prompt 3 done
  3. Work on sashing and borders for Monthly Colour Challenge
  4. Twilight blog hop project
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Upcoming Blog Hops

Adventurous Appliqué Blog Hop

The last week of this fantastic Blog Hop promises to be wonderful!

Week 3:

September 16:

Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt.

Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations.

September 17:

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts.

Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood.

Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights.

September 18:

Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels.

Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts Studio

September 19:

Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts

Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting

Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine.

September 20:

Visit Island Batik Blog for an opportunity to win some awesome fabric and see a recap of this week’s blog hop quilts!n some awesome fabric and see a recap of this week’s blog hop quilts!

Don’t Forget

Here is my Affiliate link: https://glnk.io/mzmmj/quiltinggail 

PLEASE NOTE: Missouri Star is having a ton of promotions in September to celebrate their birthday! You will NOT receive 20% off these. Although, I may still receive a small commission! Thank you for your support!

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: Adventurous Appliqué Blog Hop

/ quiltinggail / 28 Comments

For this challenge, we were encouraged to use an edge-painting technique that was used for a quilt called Full Bloom. A great youtube tutorial was the inspiration. (Click HERE). The basic premise is to appliqué the pieces using the edge painting technique.

This is the fantastic fabric I received, along with 5 spools of 40 weight Aurifil thread. The collection is called Poetic Bouquet, designed by Kathy Engle for Heidi Pridemore of The Whimsical Workshop.

I decided to use the Garden Party quilt pattern by Laura Heine. You can get the pattern HERE. I wanted a pattern that had some fairly large pieces and this fit pattern with flowers and butterflies fit my purpose!

I traced out the pattern onto six 22″ background squares of Frosting – an Island Batik neutral that is available year round. The individual pattern pieces were cut out using 19 of the 20 fabrics in the collection. (The 20th fabric was used for the binding.). The design board was handy for pinning each of the fabrics on the main squares. I was able to ensure that the purple petals and the light petals were in different positions.

Then I started to glue each piece into place, using Acorn Seam Align glue. (You can get the glue HERE). I had this glue in a “Precision Piecing” kit that has been sitting in a drawer for a LONG time. I had never used the kit because I don’t see the point in gluing each and every seam that I sew. ANYHOW, I decided to try it for gluing the pieces onto the background. It worked like a charm!!!! Especially with the Oliso Iron, to press it into place.

When the 6 squares had the individual pieces ironed on them, it was time to audition the layout. The first was an attempt at alternating the butterflies. The 2nd had all the squares in the same orientation and the 3rd had the 3/4 flowers. The 3rd layout won!

I decided that I would appliqué each square on it’s own. Since it would be easier to manipulate a 22″ square than a whole quilt. I chose to use Hobbs Batting Heirloom Cotton with scrim as I knew that it would appliqué nicely on my machine and not get caught up in the feed dogs. (Yes, it required frequent cleaning, but it worked). I was able to cut several layers of the batting easily with the Missouri Star Amelia Scissors as the rotary cutter would not cut through the layers. A test sample was made to make sure I was on the right path.

I was using the 40 weight Aurifil Thread I had received in my July box and quickly realized that I shouldn’t (or didn’t need to) use the 40 weight in the bobbin or I would run out of thread for the top. I used a lot of various Aurifil Thread 50 weight bobbins in colours close to what I was using on the top. Here is what the stitches looked like on the back of the batting. I used a few different Appliqué stitches on my Janome M7 to thread paint the sides of the pieces. #18 was used the most, #17 was used occasionally and a simple zig zag was used once in a while (on the stems and leaf centres).

Here are some close-ups of the stitching from the front.

Once each of the squares was appliquéd, they were sashed together with Island Batik‘s solid grey and a backing applied. The background was free-motion quilted around each of the appliqué pieces. The sashing and borders were quilted using the same appliqué stitch that was used for the edge stitching.

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 48″ x 70″
  • Fabric: Island Batik: Poetic Bouquet, Solid Black (butterfly centres), Amber (flower centres, from Opulent Orange), Frosting (Background) and Solid Grey (sashing and borders).
  • Hobbs Batting Heirloom with scrim binder: 80/20
  • Aurifil Thread: 40 weight
    • 2745: Midnight
    • 2545: Medium Purple
    • 5005: Bright Turquoise
    • 1128: Light Blue Violet
    • 2515: Light Orchid
    • 4661: Mint Julep (Variegated)
  • Aurifil Thread: 50 weight
    • 2140: Orange Mustard 
    • 2600: Dove Grey
    • 2692: Black
  • Quilting: Aurifil Thread 50 weight: #2600, Dove Grey (a cone that I received from Missouri Star Quilt Co.)
  • Schmetz Needles: Microtex 70/10 and Microtex 80/12

Make sure you visit Megan Best‘s blog! She has the same collection as me!!! And, I also heard that she used some of the same appliqué stitches as me!! I can’t wait to see her quilt!!

Where can you find Poetic Bouquet?

There are several stores throughout the USA that sell Poetic Bouquet, here are a few:

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.

Adventurous Appliqué Blog Hop

Week 1: Visit Island Batik’s blog for a recap of Week 1: HERE.

Week 2:

September 9:

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs.

Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion

September 10:

Gail Sheppard: Quilting Gail you are here!

Megan Best ~ BestQuilter

September 11:

Kim Jamieson-Hirst ~ Chatterbox Quilts

Jane Hauprich ~ Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting.

September 12:

Carol Stanek ~ Stitch with Color

Julia Schweri ~ Inflorescence Designs.

Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You.

September 13:

Visit Island Batik Blog for an opportunity to win some awesome fabric and see a recap of this week’s blog hop quilts!

Week 3:

September 16:

Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt.

Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations.

September 17:

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts.

Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood.

Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights.

September 18:

Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels.

Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts Studio

September 19:

Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts

Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting

Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine.

September 20:

Visit Island Batik Blog for an opportunity to win some awesome fabric and see a recap of this week’s blog hop quilts!

Don’t Forget

Here is my Affiliate link: https://glnk.io/mzmmj/quiltinggail 

PLEASE NOTE: Missouri Star is having a ton of promotions in September to celebrate their birthday! You will NOT receive 20% off these. Although, I may still receive a small commission!

Thank you for your support!

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:  

Silly Moon Rulers

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

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.

So, you might be wondering WHY I’m a Silly Moon affiliate? Well, I was asked and said, “yes.” But also, I absolutely LOVE ❤️ the rulers.

Here’s a little about the beginning of my Silly Moon journey:

The first Silly Moon ruler I bought was “Turkey.” A friend of mine was helping vend at a quilt show and convinced me to buy it (Thanks, Judy D!). It was something that sat and sat. Finally, one day, I decided that I would use it on this donation quilt. You can read about it HERE.

My next venture with Silly Moon was with a “Cupid” ruler. I did all over hearts. I backtracked on a heart, then did another one from that point … it’s fun and simple and fast! The quilt on the left used all 4 sizes, the one on the right used mostly one size.

I believe it was during the Covid days that our guild had Kellie (owner of Silly Moon) do a workshop using 2 rulers, “Charming” and “Edgie 6“. We were instructed to make a small table mat using 5” squares. Well, for those of you that know, me, you know that I often don’t follow the exact instructions and I obviously made the following quilt bigger than a small table mat. In the centre, I followed the instructions in the class and used the appropriate rulers. Practicing the different motifs on different blocks. Then, I used a mixture of the Charming and Cupid rulers when finishing the quilt. You can read about it on THIS POST. I found the class was excellent and the rulers were easy to handle. You can access the on-line class HERE.

I’ve been buying Silly Moon rulers ever since. Rare is the quilt that doesn’t have some ruler quilting on it!! I think “Rocket” is the most used ruler I have. It is fantastic for stitch in the ditch, or a 1/4” echo and a zillion other uses.

At one point, I bought the “Twinkle” rulers. I made this Christmas wreath for an Island Batik challenge in July 2021. I used the Twinkle ruler in the centre and the 4 corners. You can read about it HERE.

“Rocket” was used to do a 1/4” outline on all the stars. You can see a close-up of it HERE.

The “Beanie” rulers are VERY versatile! They can do circles, arches and tons of things. I used them to do a Baptist Fan on this quilt. You can read about it HERE.

Visit Silly Moon to shop for the rulers and also visit their YouTube channel to see videos!

I have other Silly Moon rulers, but these were quilts that were quilted when I began my Silly Moon journey!

Don’t Forget!

Here is my Affiliate link: https://glnk.io/mzmmj/quiltinggail 

PLEASE NOTE: Missouri Star is having a ton of promotions in September to celebrate their birthday! You will NOT receive 20% off these. Although, I may still receive a small commission!

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: August 18

/ quiltinggail / 4 Comments

Is this you? It certainly describes me!

A Give Away!

As a Missouri Star Quilt Company Affiliate, I was given the opportunity to receive some Christmas Templates.

And the BEST part: Is that YOU have an opportunity to win a set as well. You have to follow both Missouri Star and myself on Instagram (@quiltinggail and @missouriquiltco). Find my IG post that talks about the templates and leave a comment. I will choose a winner on August 25!

A Finish!

This has been waiting to be finished for quite a while! This quilt was made with the left-overs from the Lone Star Quilt I made with Island Batik‘s Pin Dot Floral (a signature collection for Megan Best). You can read about that quilt on THIS POST! I didn’t want to do a straight piece in the back, so I used a bunch of the left-overs and made the strip piece in the middle. The quilt was quick and easy to quilt – just a simple stipple.

A Squirrel hit me!

Something new to tempt me!! And it promises to be oh, so pretty!

Denise at A Quiltery is starting “Floral Fusion” a Sew Along with new blocks each Monday. Hurry and get this week’s block while it’s still free! (See HERE).

Here’s my first block … isn’t it pretty? It was pretty quick to cut out and fuse onto the background fabrics!

Stitching Stuff

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

  • January – July:  194 / 212 days
  • August: 18 / 18 days
  • Total: 212/ 238 89 %

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:

  • Island Batik October project. This is a byAnnie bag called “Payday.” I’m making both the Large and Small bags.
  • Fall ’24 mystery quilt. Some progress made
  • 2025 SAHRR. I’ve started …
  • Monthly Colour Challenge: Layout (Jen has posted the sashing and border blocks for this challenge. You can access it HERE.). I’ll be doing this as a leader and ender.
  • Twilight Blog Hop – for Create with Claudia – in progress
  • Floral Fusion: work on Block 2 on Monday!

Quilting:

  • “Stash Yardage” I took 2 pieces of stash and sandwiched them.
  • “5 fat quarter” quilt is sandwiched … need to decide how to quilt it!

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!

The Lone Star- left-overs was finished. It used 5.5 yards of fabric. No shopping this week!

  • Fabric Used in the last week:   5.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2024:     146 yards  from non-IB: 57
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     29.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              101.5 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. Work on Island Batik October project. in progress
  2. Finish the Fall Mystery Quilt flimsy and writing directions. in progress flimsy almost done!
  3. 2025 SAHRR. get centre block done. √   DONE. 
  4. Monthly Colour Challenge: Layout (Jen has posted the sashing and border blocks for this challenge. You can access it HERE.). I’ll be doing this as a leader and ender. in progress
  5. Twilight Blog Hop — square up the blocks and web the quilt in progress Blocks are squared … need to figure out the layout and then web them
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! Not Successful. I started the Floral Fusion
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for next week:

  1. Work on Island Batik October project. Try to finish the Large one.
  2. Finish the Fall Mystery Quilt flimsy and finish writing directions
  3. 2025 SAHRR. get prompt 1 done
  4. Monthly Colour Challenge: Layout (Jen has posted the sashing and border blocks for this challenge. You can access it HERE.). I’ll be doing this as a leader and ender.
  5. Twilight Blog Hop — web the quilt
  6. Make a decision on the Be Kind blog hop.
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Upcoming Blog Hops

Here’s the links to the “It’s a Jungle” blog hop! Starting Monday!

Monday August 19

Tuesday August 20

Wednesday August 21

Thursday August 22

Don’t Forget

Here is my Affiliate link: https://glnk.io/mzmmj/quiltinggail If you order over $50 from Missouri Star, you will get 20% off your order and I may receive a small commission. Thank you for your support!

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: