Quilting

Sunday Summation: February 19 ’23

/ quiltinggail / 22 Comments

SAHRR

Have you been following the Stay At Home Round Robin? Last week was Round #4: Flying Geese! I’m using fabric collection “Baby Bloomers”  (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton). I absolutely LOVE the fabrics in this collection! As you can see from the picture below, there’s a range of colours! Each one is SEW pretty!

Come back tomorrow and see what the latest prompt is!

One Gift a Month Challenge

Days Filled with Joy is hosting this challenge. February’s gift is a Heart Shaped Zipper Pouch. See HERE for the tutorial.

At first, I thought this little pouch is too small, and then I spotted my ear buds, lying there, the connecting wires spread here and there … they need somewhere safe to live! So I’m going to be making one for me! I think I’ll make 2.

Since, it calls for 5″ squares, I went to my Island Batik stash and found some beautiful heart prints from a stash builder roll! Perfect! Hearts for a Heart Shaped pouch! Aren’t these pretty 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: 31 / 31
  • February: 19 / 19
  • Percentage: 100%

Stash Report

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

Lots of fabric used since last time I posted about my stash. The Lone Star Quilt Used 7.5 yards of fabric and the Puff Quilt used 6 yards

I can still brag … ! I’ve made it one month and a bit … can I make it for 2 months?

  • Fabric Used this week:     13.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:        18.5 yards from non-IB: 9 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:     0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              18.5 yards 

Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from a few weeks ago:

of course, having 2 weeks, makes it easier to ‘get er done – grin!!!

  1. Quilt Bird Panels not done
  2. Quilt Naturescape Lone Star √   DONE. and posted!
  3. Work on Gardenia. √   DONE
  4. Work on Melodic Mystery: January’s clue √   DONE
  5. Sandwich Chilhowie √   DONE
  6. Work on February Sweet on You Blog Hop project. √   DONE
  7. Sandwich Nutcracker √   DONE
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE
  9. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE

This week’s list:

For me, this list is big … it’s what’s on my To Do list, but the ones with purple text are my priority. If I get beyond those, I’ll be extremely happy!

  1. Finish Gardenia to flimsy stage
  2. Melodic Mystery: Finish top
  3. Chilhowie: start quilting
  4. Quilt Bird Panels
  5. Quilt Nutcracker
  6. Start March Island Batik Challenge
  7. Start Dust off a Quilt Book project
  8. Work on Little Green Apples blog hop project
  9. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  10. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

  1. Melodic Mystery – finish top (left picture)
  2. Gardenia – finish top (centre picture)
  3. March Island Batik project (right picture)

Quilting:

  • Chilhowie
  • Nutcracker is ready to quilt
  • Bird Panel is ready to quilt

Upcoming Blog Hops

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Sweet on You (my day is February 22) – this week!!!

Beaquilter: Dust off a Quilt Book (Mar 7)

Just Let Me Quilt: Sew It – Show It: Little Green Apples (March)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Say What? (April 19)

Current Blog Hop

Week 3 starts Monday!

Take a look at the following snapshots of some of the fabrics in each collection. Which is your favourite?

Week 3:

February 20:

Brittany Fisher @ Bobbin’ with Brittany

Lisa Pickering @ Lisa’s Quilting Passion

February 21:

Mania Hatziioannidi @ Mania for Quilts

Victoria Johnson @ Forever Quilting 4 You

February 22:

Pamela Boatright @ Pamela Quilts

Lana Russel @ Lana Quilts

February 23:

Jennifer Thomas @ Curlicue Creations

Maryellen McAuliffe @ Mary Mack Made Mine

February 24:

(Island Batik: Blog Hop Week 3 Round Up + giveaway)

Week 4:

February 27:

Connie Kauffman @ Kauffman Designs

Leah Malasky @ Quilted Delights

Sweet on You

There promises to be a lot of wonderful projects with this hop! Many of my blogging friends are participating and I know they do awesome work! Come and join in the fun and be inspired!

Monday Feb 20

Tuesday Feb 21

Wednesday Feb 22

Thursday Feb 23

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

SAHRR Round #4

/ quiltinggail / 25 Comments

If you need more information on the SAHRR … you can go to THIS POST.

Round #4

Anja @ Anja Quilts has chosen Flying Geese blocks for the 4th round!

I continued to use Island Batik fabrics from the Baby Bloomers collection (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton).

To be honest, I have NO IDEA how the math worked out on this!!! The hourglass blocks were 3″ finished and the flying geese are 2″ x 4″ … and it worked out on all sides! Boggles my mind!

Now, you Need to go to the co-hosts blogs and see their first rounds! Their links are in the schedule below.

How I made my Flying Geese blocks

I used the Accuquilt 8″ Qube die #4 and die #5 to make the Flying Geese blocks. They finished at 2 1/2” x 4 1/2” and when sewn into the quilt will finish at 2″ x 4″.

Linky Party

Anja @ Anja Quilts will have a linky party so you can see everyone’s 4th Round!

Non-blogger’s Rounds

Here’s Heather’s:

Jacomina said, “I found these braids in the bags received from quilters going into retirement homes.  A nice filler round. Now 23″ by 15.5”

This is what Chere has to say, “Playing catch up on this .  My centre block is a Japanese  Sashiko block which I did the running stitch in cream and red. Had purchased a few Japanese cotton fabrics to go with block, but not much. Hoping to keep it small so I’ll have enough fabric left .”

Great job catching up, Chere!

Next week?

Emily @ The Darling Dogwood will tell us what to do. Are you following her blog?

I hope you’re having fun!

Our Wonderful Sponsors

Here’s a list of the sponsors and their generous gifts!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Puff Quilt

/ quiltinggail / 72 Comments

A Puff Quilt??? A Bubble Quilt??? I’ve never made one before. It wasn’t even on my bucket list. I didn’t know where to start. Thankfully, many fellow Island Batik ambassadors were in the same boat! We discussed many options and had a lot of suggestions for each other!

I ended up looking at many you-tube videos and a few Instagram posts to figure out how to make my Puff Quilt. The video that made the most sense to me was this one: How To Make A Puff Quilt The Easy Way ~Bubble Quilt ~ Puffer Quilt. I didn’t use a minky on the back as the video suggested … I used more of the Island Batik fabric from the collection I was given.

I was given “Fruit and Veggies” collection by Kathy Engle. Along with 2 yards of Veggie Garden – Green (one of the collection fabrics) and 2 yards of Mint (a foundation fabric). Isn’t it a beautiful green & blue collection?

I started out using EQ8 to decide the placement of the fabrics. The final decision was this Trip Around the World.

I cut the fabric into 5″ strips and then squares to get my layout. Once on the design board, I webbed the quilt together. You can see the technique on my Youtube channel HERE.

I forgot to take a picture of it totally webbed together … this picture shows some of the rows sewn together with the bottom webbed.

Then I put a pleat or tuck on each side of the squares … in this picture you can see where I’ve pinned the squares so they could be sewn all the same size.

Here is the top with all the tucks/pleats sewn …

Then I needed to make the back … I only used 13 fabrics for the top, so the back uses the other 7 fabrics, plus the fabric that is in the centre of the front.

I used 10″ width of fabric slices and sewed them on the diagonal, thinking that the seams would not ‘clash’ with the seams on the front. It worked!

I lined up the top of the quilt front with the back and sewed them together. Then, I sewed down 2 blocks worth and started stuffing the squares. I used almost 2 bags of polyester fibre fill for the stuffing.

Here’s a picture of the puff quilt in progress as I’m sewing down the latest stuffed row.

I must admit that the binding was a bit difficult to put on. The blocks were all wavy and I had to straighten them while pushing the stuffing out of the way. It took a lot longer than I expected, but it slowly got done!

Here is the finished quilt from the front.

And a view from the back! The intent was to just have the puffs on the front, but the back also became a little puffy.

I loved seeing the textured puffs!

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 42″ x 60″
  • Pieced with Aurifil Thread #2625 (Arctic Ice), Bound with Aurifil Thread #2890 (Very Dark Grass Green)
  • Schmetz Needles: Microtex Chrome 80/12
  • Blocks on front: started as 5″ squares. With pleats became 4.5″
  • Binding is Veggie Garden – Green.

2 Opportunities to win Island Batik Fabric!

Island Batik is giving away 2 fat quarter bundles! One of King’s Castle and the other Juicy Mosaics. Visit Island Batik’s blog for your opportunity to win this amazing fabric! Click HERE and follow the Rafflecopter prompts.

I am giving away over 1 yard of fabric from the Fruits and Veggies collection. Leave a comment on my blog stating what you like about this collection and what you might make with the fabric if you were to win. This is open to anyone in Canada or the USA.

Another Picture!

The lilac trees are no where near ready to bloom, but I just had to take a picture of this quilt in the garden!

Make sure you visit “The Quiltery, For the Love of Geese” to see Denise’s puff quilt. She used the same fabrics as I did and I bet they are totally different puff quilts!

Week 2: All Puffed Up

February 13:

Denise Looney @ For the Love of Geese

Gail Sheppard @ Quilting Gail. You are here!

February 14:

Sandra Starley @ Textile Times

Anorina Morris @ Samilia’s Mum

February 15:

Susan Deshensky @ Lady Blue Quilts

Randy Jones @ Randi’s Roost

February 16:

Renee Atkinson @ Pink Tulip Quilting

Thank you!

Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread and needles were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik,  Aurifil Thread,  and Schmetz Needles!!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Another February Friday Finish!

/ quiltinggail / 40 Comments

In December, I needed to make a Lone Star Quilt for my Island Batik challenge. I made this pink Lone Star using Baby Bloomers (a signature collection by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton). You can read more about it HERE.

I LOVED this quilt SEW much, I went to my Island Batik pre-cuts and found a strip pack of Naturescape (by Jerry Khiev) which came with a 2 yard cut of “Large Netting – Pineneedle” (a dark green). It was the PERFECT fabric for my centre star and to radiate out to the star points.

Enter EQ8, to plan it! I downloaded the Naturescape fabrics and the dark green into the program. Paired it with the solid grey.

It’s a totally different look than the pink one, but I like it! Here are some pictures of the quilt in progress. I’m not a great pinner, but for this quilt, I measured and pinned EVERY. SINGLE. INTERSECTION. And, for the most part, the seams were pretty good. But I’d be lying if I told you that everyone was perfect!

And here’s a picture of it finished! I quilted it with Aurifil #2615

I quilted it the same as the previous lone star – with small arcs in the diamonds and fake feathers on the grey!

Quilt Stats

  • Fabric: Island Batik Naturescape strip pack, solid grey and Large Netting – Pineneedle
  • Size: 62″ x 62″
  • Hobbs 80/20 on the inside
  • I quilted it with Aurifil #2615 (Aluminium) on my Domestic Machine (Janome M7)
  • Bound with Large Netting – Pineneedle

Will I make another Lone Star Quilt? Probably, but not for awhile! LOL!!! You know … pinning all the intersections … (grin)

And, just for the record, this is my 2nd UFO finish for February! WooHoo!!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Sunday Summation: February 5 ’23

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

SAHRR

Have you been following the Stay At Home Round Robin? Last week was Round #2: Stars! I’m using fabric collection “Baby Bloomers”  (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton). I absolutely LOVE the fabrics in this collection! As you can see from the picture below, there’s a range of colours! Each one is SEW pretty!

One Gift a Month Challenge

Days Filled with Joy is hosting this challenge. This month it’s a little basket that Pink Penguin has a tutorial for (See HERE).

I finished this basket and posted about it on Friday (see HERE).

February’s gift is a Heart Shaped Zipper Pouch. See HERE for the tutorial.

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: 31 / 31
  • February: 5 / 5
  • Percentage: 100%

Stash Report

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

The basket above used 1 yard of fabrics. Yes, many were scraps, but it still adds up.

I can still brag … ! I’ve made it one month … can I make it 2?

  • Fabric Used this week:   1  yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:       5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              5 yards 

Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from a last week:

  1. Sandwich Bird Panels √   DONE
  2. Sandwich Chilhowie. not done
  3. Work on February Sweet on You Blog Hop project √   DONE
  4. Bind Island Batik’s February project √   DONE
  5. Finish colouring Nutcracker √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Quilt Bird Panels
  2. Quilt Naturescape Lone Star
  3. Work on Gardenia
  4. Work on Melodic Mystery: January’s clue
  5. Sandwich Chilhowie
  6. Work on February Sweet on You Blog Hop project
  7. Sandwich Nutcracker
  8. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  9. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

  1. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM
  2. February Sweet on You Blog Hop project. (1st picture)
  3. Gardenia (2nd picture). I’m making this for Essem Textiles and may teach it in March. It’s a pattern from Simply Half Yards by It’s SEW Emma
  4. Melodic Mystery … playing catch-up! How in the world did I miss January’s clue???? So, I’m actually a month behind now! groan!

Quilting:

  • Naturescape Lone Star is ready to quilt
  • Bird Panel is ready to quilt

Upcoming Blog Hops

Island Batik: February Blog Hop! (My day is February 13)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Sweet on You (my day is February 22)

Beaquilter: Dust off a Quilt Book (Mar 7)

Just Let Me Quilt: Little Green Apples (March)

This blog hop is starting Monday!!! The next 4 weeks have LOTS of eye candy for you!!! The Island Batik Ambassadors have mad a Puff Quilt from their assigned collections! I’ve seen glimpses of some of them … you are in for a treat!

And there’s already a chance for you to win some fantastic fabric. Visit Island Batik’s blog to enter! Island Batik is giving giving away a Fat Quarter bundle of the complete Island Batik collections – Broken Glass by Kathy Engle or Exuberance by Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design!

Take a look at the following snapshots of some of the fabrics in each collection. Which is your favourite?

Week 1:

February 6:

Emily Leachman @ The Darling Dogwood Bits and Pieces

Sarah Pitcher @ Pitcher’s Botique

February 7:

Claudia Porter @ Create with Claudia

Brenda Alburl @ Songbird Designs

February 8

Elita Sharpe @ Busy Needle

Reed Johnston @ Blue Bear Quilts

February 9:

Preeti Harris@ Sew Preeti Quilts

Suzy Webster @ Webster Quilts

February 10:

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

Week 2:

February 13:

Denise Looney @ For the Love of Geese

Gail Sheppard @ Quilting Gail

February 14:

Sandra Starley @ Textile Times

Anorina Morris @ Samilia’s Mum

February 15:

Susan Deshensky @ Lady Blue Quilts

Randy Jones @ Randi’s Roost

February 16:

Renee Atkinson @ Pink Tulip Quilting

February 17:

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

Week 3:

February 20:

Brittany Fisher @ Bobbin’ with Brittany

Lisa Pickering @ Lisa’s Quilting Passion

February 21:

Mania Hatziioannidi @ Mania for Quilts

Victoria Johnson @ Forever Quilting 4 You

February 22:

Pamela Boatright @ Pamela Quilts

Lana Russel @ Lana Quilts

February 23:

Jennifer Thomas @ Curlicue Creations

Maryellen McAuliffe @ Mary Mack Made Mine

February 24:

(Island Batik: Blog Hop Week 3 Round Up + giveaway)

Week 4:

February 27:

Connie Kauffman @ Kauffman Designs

Leah Malasky @ Quilted Delights

February 28:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

February’s First Friday’s Finish

/ quiltinggail / 19 Comments

I told you earlier this week that I was joining a challenge called “One Gift a Month.” I showed you the start of the project.

Well, I worked on it for a bit and finished it!

It was an easy project to make! If I were to make it again (if I remember this), I would make the boxed corners on the lining about 1/4″ larger so that the lining would be a bit smaller and fit into the main part of the basket without extra fabric floating around.

I used “Deco Revival” fabric from Island Batik. It was pieced, quilted and top stitched with Aurifil #2581 (Dark Dusty Grape).

Upcoming Blog Hops

Island Batik: February Blog Hop! (My day is February 13)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Sweet on You (my day is February 22)

Beaquilter: Dust off a Quilt Book (Mar 7)

Just Let Me Quilt: Little Green Apples (March)

The next 4 weeks have LOTS of eye candy for you!!! The Island Batik Ambassadors have mad a Puff Quilt from their assigned collections! I’ve seen glimpses of some of them … you are in for a treat!

The pictures below give you a taste of some of the designs in each collection. Which is your favourite?

Week 1:

February 6:

Emily Leachman @ The Darling Dogwood Bits and Pieces

Sarah Pitcher @ Pitcher’s Botique

February 7:

Claudia Porter @ Create with Claudia

Brenda Alburl @ Songbird Designs

February 8

Elita Sharpe @ Busy Needle

Reed Johnston @ Blue Bear Quilts

February 9:

Preeti Harris@ Sew Preeti Quilts

Suzy Webster @ Webster Quilts

February 10:

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

Week 2:

February 13:

Denise Looney @ For the Love of Geese

Gail Sheppard @ Quilting Gail

February 14:

Sandra Starley @ Textile Times

Anorina Morris @ Samilia’s Mum

February 15:

Susan Deshensky @ Lady Blue Quilts

Randy Jones @ Randi’s Roost

February 16:

Renee Atkinson @ Pink Tulip Quilting

February 17:

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

Week 3:

February 20:

Brittany Fisher @ Bobbin’ with Brittany

Lisa Pickering @ Lisa’s Quilting Passion

February 21:

Mania Hatziioannidi @ Mania for Quilts

Victoria Johnson @ Forever Quilting 4 You

February 22:

Pamela Boatright @ Pamela Quilts

Lana Russel @ Lana Quilts

February 23:

Jennifer Thomas @ Curlicue Creations

Maryellen McAuliffe @ Mary Mack Made Mine

February 24:

(Island Batik: Blog Hop Week 3 Round Up + giveaway)

Week 4:

February 27:

Connie Kauffman @ Kauffman Designs

Leah Malasky @ Quilted Delights

February 28:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

PHD in 2023: January Report

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

Did you decide to join us with PHD in 2023???

Are you determined to finish a bunch of UFOs and to NOT increase the number of quilts or projects on your UFO list???

Congratulations on making that choice!!!

Did you realize that each stitch you take is one stitch closer to finishing that project? Think about it … it’s the only way those projects are going to get done! You just need to take that first stitch, and then the next … and before you know it, that project will be done!!!

My Tally Sheets

I finished one UFO this month, my Shades of Blue project. You can read more about it HERE. (These used Island Batik fabrics, Aurifil thread and Hobbs batting).

Two projects were started this month, but I’ve also spent a lot of time working on the following (you can see my progress on my task sheet).

  • Panel Birds
  • Melodic Mystery
  • Chilhowie
  • Nutcracker
  • SAHRR ’23
  • Colour Challenge ’23
  • Sweet on You

If you want to keep track of your own progress, please feel free to download the 2023 Template.

template-2023Download

Here’s my Task Sheet. This helps me keep track of what I’ve accomplished and what I need to do.

You can download your own Task list from Ms P Designs HERE.

Linky Party

Show us your progress with your PHD in 2023!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

SAHRR Round #2

/ quiltinggail / 20 Comments

If you need more information on the SAHRR … you can go to THIS POST.

Round #2

Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life has chosen Stars for the 2nd round! I would usually piece stars for a round robin quilt, but since I had access to an accuquilt die with small stars, I opted to use them. I’m determined to get better at applique this year.

I continued to use Island Batik fabrics from the Baby Bloomers collection (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton).

Now, you Need to go to the co-hosts blogs and see their star rounds! Their links are in the schedule below.

More Round #1

Here’s Jacomina’s. Aren’t her improv blocks great?

Here’s Heather’s: I watched her work on some of these at the guild sew day!

Here’s Sarah’s. She says, “Resized the spools and changed the proportions” … looks great, doesn’t it?

Here’s Charlene’s. She says, “Spools are done, think I’m doing row by row, still deciding on end blocks for my snowman row.” It’ll be fun to see what she decides to do!

If you’re not on social media, send me a photo of your progress (quiltinggail@yahoo.ca) by noon on Sunday and I’ll post your photo on next week’s blog.

How I made my stars

I used an Accuquilt die and cut out the stars … at the moment they are ironed in place, but will be appliquéd when it’s quilted.

Linky Party

Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life will have a linky party so you can see everyone’s 2nd Round!

Next week?

Chris @ Chrisknitssews will tell us what to do. Are you following her blog?

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

Our Wonderful Sponsors

Here’s a list of the sponsors and their generous gifts!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

January 2023 Island Batik Unboxing Video

/ quiltinggail / 10 Comments

All 2023 Island Batik Ambassadors received 2 boxes of wonderful products!

For some reason, unknown to me, IMovie is not working on my mac. When I tried to download the videos, it told me I didn’t have enough space. So I tried to download a simple text picture and it said the same thing …

The end result is that you now have 2 un-edited videos to watch in order to see all the wonderful fabric and products I received!

Lots of AWESOMENESS in the boxes! Details of everything is below.

So Much Goodness!

Awesome batting from Hobbs Batting!

  • Queen Size Poly-Down
  • Queen Size Heirloom Black 80/20
  • Queen Size Heirloom Bleached 80/20
  • Queen Size Heirloom Cotton 80/20

All the fabric and notions:

Stash Builder bundles! Each roll contains (4) 5″ width of fabric! Such fun to use in a variety of projects!

Studio 180 Designs Wedge Star Tool! This will be used for a project in May.

 Schmetz Needles included 10 Costume pack, 5 vinyl needles and 5 piecing and quilting needles …

Wonderful Aurifil Thread. The Golden Shrimp Plant contains (3) 50 weight spools: #3817 Variegated Marrekesh, #4150 Variegated Creme Brule & #2145 Yellow Orange

This fabric collection is called “Fruit and Veggies,” designed by Kathy Engle. It will be in shops in February. I will be using it for my February challenge. The 2 coordinating fabrics are “Veggie Garden – Green” (part of the collection) and Mint (a foundation.)

6 yards of the neutral “Ghost.”

1/2 yard cuts of basics. These fabrics are available at all times and go with many different fabric collections!

1st Column:

  • Amber – from Opulent Oranges
  • Chameleon – from Tantalizing Teals
  • Marble – Leprechaun – Blender
  • Marble – Aqua – Blender
  • Bubbles – Copper – Blender
  • Marble – Frog – Blender

2nd Column

  • Green Solid
  • Orange Solid
  • Lime Green Solid
  • Turquoise Solid
  • Oatmeal – from Opulent Oranges
  • Grass – from Glorious Greens

This is a “Maple Island” stack of 10″ squares. Paired with 2 yards of Seaweed (from Tantalizing Teals) and 2 yards of Dot-Sky (a blender). I can’t wait to start playing with these!!!

4 yards each of solid White, Grey & Black!!! Fantastic fabric!!

This stack of 10″ squares is called “Opulent Orange.” There are 20 different fabrics and 2 of each colour in the stack!

This strip pack of Prairie Dreams is paired with 2 yards of Chalk (a Naturally Neutral) and 2 yards of Slate (from the Bodacious Black collection).

Brilliant Blues!!! a 2 1/2” strip set. 20 different blues, 2 of each colour!!! How fun!!!

Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread and needles were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik,  Aurifil Thread,  Hobbs Batting,  Schmetz Needles,   Studio 180 Designs

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Sunday Summation: Jan 29 ’23

/ quiltinggail / 20 Comments

Island Batik Unboxing Videos

Island Batik ambassadors have been posting their Unboxing Videos on their blogs and social media! It’s a great way to “meet” the ambassador’s and see all the awesome fabric and goodies they have received from Island Batik and the industry partners. My day to post is tomorrow … so stay tuned!

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs
Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting
Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts
Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts
Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts
Reed Johnson ~ Blue Bear Quilts
Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You
Randi Jones ~ Randi’s Roost

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs
Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney ~ Quiltery – For The Love Of Geese
Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights
Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine

Anorina Morris ~ sameliasmum.com
Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique
Claudia Porter ~ Create with Claudia
Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts

Elita Sharpe ~ Busy Needle
Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail
Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels
Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

Has started!!! Be sure to come back and see all the wonders that are happening!!! If you need some incentive to join in the fun, we have a lot of wonderful sponsors!!! and you could win some fantastic quilting goodies! You can see the beginning posts linked below.

Please note that I will be posting this week’s SAHRR on Tuesday!

One Gift a Month Challenge

Have you heard of this challenge? I’m a sucker for challenges and blog hops … they all keep my creative juices flowing and they also keep me busy in my quilting studio. OK, I admit it, sometimes they keep me TOO busy!

However, as quilters, we sometimes need to have small gifts on hand … those secret gift exchanges … something little to show someone they are loved … you get the idea.

Days Filled with Joy is hosting this challenge. This month it’s a little basket that Pink Penguin has a tutorial for (See HERE). Since I just found out about this challenge last week, I’m not sure I’ll get this basket done before the end of the month … but it might be done in February! However, I have started it! The fabric is cut out and I started sewing the little blocks together. The fabric is Island Batik from the Deco Revival collection.

Are you going to join me in this challenge????

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: 29 / 29
  • Percentage: 100%

Stash Report

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

I did finish 3 table toppers … They used Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs 80/20 batting and Aurifil thread #2600 (Dove Grey) for the piecing, quilting and binding.

I can still brag … !

  • Fabric Used this week:   3  yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:       4 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:               4 yards 

Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from a last week:

  1. Finish the sashing and borders Clue #7 Chilhowie √   DONE
  2. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM – Sept / Oct. in progress. (Just a note, I am working ahead on this so that the finished quilt is done in time for the final reveal. )
  3. More Nutcracker colouring. in progress
  4. Continue working on Island Batik February project in progress
  5. Sandwich Bird Panels not done
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  not done I started the One Gift a Month challenge.

This week’s list:

  1. Sandwich Bird Panels
  2. Sandwich Chilhowie
  3. Work on February Sweet on You Blog Hop project
  4. Bind Island Batik’s February project
  5. Finish colouring Nutcracker
  6. Finish “One Gift a Month” project
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

  1. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM. (sorry no picture)
  2. February Sweet on You Blog Hop project
  3. One Gift a Month

Quilting:

Naturescape Lone Star is ready to quilt

Binding:

Island Batik’s February project … Sorry, just a glimpse of the fabric … you’ll have to wait until February 13 to see the whole quilt.

Upcoming Blog Hops

Island Batik: February Blog Hop! (My day is February 13)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Sweet on You (my day is February 22)

Beaquilter: Dust off a Quilt Book (Mar 7)

Just Let Me Quilt: Little Green Apples (March)

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Shades of Blue: Sew It – Show It Challenge

/ quiltinggail / 43 Comments

In November, Carla from Creatin’ in the Sticks announced the Sew It – Show It Challenge: Shades of Blue. How could I resist? Blue is my absolute favourite colour!!

I have a LOT of blue flying geese and half-square triangles that I have made as a leader and ender project. I put them together to make these 3 table toppers. (All different sizes since my table tops are different sizes!) They use all sorts of Island Batik fabrics from my Island Batik scraps. That means that they were left-overs from some projects and pieces from stash-builder rolls.

Hobbs batting (80/20) is in the middle and they are Free-motion quilted with Aurifil #2600 (Dove Grey).

I taught a binding class to a wonderful group of ladies this week and thought these 3 little table toppers would be perfect for demonstrating my easy method of machine binding!

Here’s a closeup of 2 different stitches that can be used for securing the binding down.

Here’s the list of all the “Shades of Blue” Blog Hoppers. They all have awesome “blue” projects and it’s well worth visiting each and every one of them!

Monday, January 23rd

Tuesday, January 24th

Wednesday, January 25th

Thursday, January 26th

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

SAHRR – Round #1

/ quiltinggail / 30 Comments

If you need more information on the SAHRR … you can go to THIS POST.

For the Center Block see This post

Round #1

Roseanne & Sue @ Home Sewn by Us have chosen Spools for the first round! I must admit that I don’t think I’ve ever made a spool block before!

I continued to use Island Batik fabrics from the Baby Bloomers collection (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton).

Now, you Need to go to the co-hosts blogs and see their first rounds! Their links are in the schedule below.

How I made my spool blocks

The half square triangles are tiny … they finish at 1″ …. so they are 1 1/2” unfinished … the blocks below the top HST are 1 1/2” square, unfinished and the center column is 1 1/2” x 3 1/2” unfinished … the whole block will finish at 3″ …

Linky Party

Roseanne & Sue @ Home Sewn by Us will have a linky party so you can see everyone’s 1st Round!

More Centre Blocks

Some people are participating in the SAHRR, but don’t do social media … so I and another hosting blogger are posting their blocks for them … It’ll be fun to see how these blocks grow into their own quilts!

This is Charlene’s … Winter Wonderland

Here’s Heather’s …

This is Sarah from  Franklin, TN.

Next week?

Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life will tell us what to do. Are you following her blog?

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

Our Wonderful Sponsors

Here’s a list of the sponsors and their generous gifts!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Sunday Summation Jan. 22 ’23

/ quiltinggail / 19 Comments

Has started!!! Be sure to come back and see all the wonders that are happening!!! If you need some incentive to join in the fun, we have a lot of wonderful sponsors!!! and you could win some fantastic quilting goodies!

Classic Car BOM

The colour for January is pink. I used scraps of Island Batik to make this beautiful block. Visit Patterns by Jen to download the pattern this month. It’s free until the end of the month. She also has a video to help you make the funky flying geese!

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: 22 / 22
  • Percentage: 100%

Stash Report

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

I did finish this little wall hanging … and used 1 yard of fabric!

Actually, I could brag … it was a bit hard to resist going shopping with other retreaters … but I resisted!

  • Fabric Used this week:   1  yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:       1 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:               1 yards 

Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from a last week:

  1. Finish the sashing and borders Clue #7 Chilhowie. in progress
  2. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM – Sept / Oct in progress – blocks are cut
  3. More Nutcracker colouring. in progress
  4. Sandwich Naturescape Lone Star. √   DONE
  5. Work on Shades of Blue Blog Hop project in progress
  6. Continue working on Island Batik February project in progress
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE
  8. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Finish the sashing and borders Clue #7 Chilhowie
  2. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM – Sept / Oct
  3. More Nutcracker colouring.
  4. Finish Shades of Blue Blog Hop project – I post on the 26th!
  5. Continue working on Island Batik February project
  6. Sandwich Bird Panels
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

  1. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM – Sept / Oct
  2. Chilhowie – Clue #7, sashing and borders picture shows most of the sashing blocks ready to sew … still in progress
  3. Island Batik February project – isn’t the fabric beautiful?
  4. Shades of Blue Blog Hop project – need to ‘get er done!’

Quilting:

Naturescape Lone Star is ready to quilt

The bird panels are ready for sandwiching.

Current Blog Hop

Shades of Blue

This blog hop starts Monday, hosted by Creatin’ in the Sticks: here are the links to all the participants:

Monday, January 23rd

Tuesday, January 24th

Wednesday, January 25th

Thursday, January 26th

Upcoming Blog Hops

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Sweet on You (February 22)

Island Batik: February Blog Hop!

Beaquilter: Dust off a Quilt Book (Mar 7)

Just Let Me Quilt: Little Green Apples (March)

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

SAHRR Starts! Center Block!

/ quiltinggail / 39 Comments

If you need more information on the SAHRR … you can go to THIS POST.

Centre Block

Here is my centre block. The birds and the flowers were cut with Accuquilt dies that I borrowed from our guild’s die collection. (Go! Birds and Rose of Sharon). This piece is 9.5″ x 12.5″. I will do the applique stitching when I quilt it. I used Island Batik fabrics from the Baby Bloomers collection (by Kathy Engle for Karen Overton) and solid white. I initially used the Baby Bloomer fabrics for a Lone Star Quilt you can see HERE.

Now, you Need to go to the co-hosts blogs and see their center blocks! Their links are in the schedule below.

Show us your Center Block!

The link is open from now until Saturday night!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

If you do not have a way to join the linky party, email me your photo by Sunday noon, and I’ll post it on my blog the following week. (quiltinggail@yahoo.ca)

Next week?

Roseanne & Sue will tell us what to do. Make sure you follow their blog, Home Sewn by Us .

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

Our Wonderful Sponsors

We will be drawing for prizes from our sponsors after the March 13 Parade.

Here’s a list of the sponsors and their generous gifts!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Sunday Summation: January 15, ’23

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

Starts tomorrow!!! Be sure to come back and see all the wonders that are happening!!! If you need some incentive to join in the fun, we have a lot of wonderful sponsors!!! and you could win some fantastic quilting goodies!

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: 15 / 15
  • Percentage: 100%

Stash Report

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

In 2023, I haven’t finished any projects, so haven’t used any fabric, but I haven’t bought any either!

  • Fabric Used this week:   0  yards
  • Fabric Used in 2023:       0 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    0 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:                0 yards 

Just an FYI: I do not count any fabric that is given to me (Island Batik), but this year, I am going to count it as fabric used.

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from a last week:

  1. Start Clue #7 Chilhowie. √   DONE
  2. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM – July / Aug √   DONE
  3. Start colouring Nutcracker. √   DONE
  4. Work on Naturescape Lone Star. √   DONE
  5. Start Island Batik February project
  6. Pack for retreat! √   DONE
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE
  8. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Finish the sashing and borders fClue #7 Chilhowie
  2. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM – Sept / Oct
  3. More Nutcracker colouring.
  4. Sandwich Naturescape Lone Star.
  5. Work on Shades of Blue Blog Hop project
  6. Continue working on Island Batik February project
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

  1. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM
  2. Chilhowie – Clue #7, sashing and borders picture shows most of the sashing blocks ready to sew …
  3. Island Batik February project – isn’t the fabric beautiful?
  4. Shades of Blue Blog Hop project

Quilting:

Nothing … I need to colour the Nutcracker before I can start quilting!

Naturescape Lone Star is ready for sandwiching …

Maybe I’ll get Chilhowie to the flimsy stage!

The Quilt More just needs to be trimmed and bound.

The bird panels are ready for sandwiching.

Upcoming Blog Hops

Creatin’ in the Sticks: Sew It – Show It: Shades of Blue (January) My day is January 26!

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Sweet on You (February)

Island Batik: February Blog Hop!

Just Let Me Quilt: Little Green Apples (March)

Shades of Blue

Plans for 2023

There are a few things I’m planning for 2023. More details in the coming weeks.

  • PHD in 2023 – come and join us! It’s a great way to decrease your UFOs!
  • 2023 SAHRR – starts January 16!!! TOMORROW!! And we have some fantastic sponsors!
  • 2023 Appliqué  BOM (I bet this surprises a LOT of people!) – This will start later in January … I’m still working out the details!
  • Winter 2023 Mystery Quilt – probably start in February or early March

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Strip Poker and “Row, Row, Row the Boat”

/ quiltinggail / 22 Comments

So, what does Strip Poker and “Row, Row, Row the Boat” have in common?

They were happenings at the retreat I attended this week. (and dang it … that silly song is still singing in my head!)

Yes, Strip Poker was played with different 2.5″ strips of fabric … lots of fun! And “Row, Row, Row the Boat” was sung by everyone that participated in the secret sister exchange!

Here’s a glimpse of what happened at the retreat … the first group of pictures were taken by Judy B.

And I took these pictures …

Unfortunately, I didn’t get pictures of what everyone was working on … but, believe me, there was a LOT of creativity happening!

So what did I get done?

I didn’t get a single thing finished … but I did get a few things done on a few things. Here is the list of what I took to work on and what I got done …

  • Birds panel (ufo). … to the flimsy stage
  • Wallet #1 (ufo) … a little bit of work on it … snaps are in
  • Wallet #2 (ufo). … a little bit of work on it
  • Colour BOM (ufo). … not even touched
  • MSQ wall hanging (Quilt More, Worry Less) … put together and quilted.
  • Chilhowie … one row of sashing on …
  • Shades of Blue project … not even touched
  • Nutcracker and Inktense pencils … a little colouring done

I could have easily finished the Quilt More, Worry Less wall hanging, but I didn’t have binding fabric with me and I did not want to buy any more fabric … but it may be finished soon!

Starting Monday …

Yes, the SAHRR (pronounced Stay At Home Round Robin) starts on Monday. You can read more about it HERE. Be sure to follow all of the bloggers and join in the fun!!!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Sunday Summation – Jan 8 ’23

/ quiltinggail / 15 Comments

I’ve been busy, but don’t have much to show for it!

I’m going to a 4 day retreat tomorrow and hope to get a LOT done! Well … you know how that goes … I take a dozen projects to work on and finish one or 2! LOL!!!

Here’s my list of what I’m taking:

  • Birds panel (ufo)
  • Wallet #1 (ufo)
  • Wallet #2 (ufo)
  • Colour BOM (ufo)
  • MSQ wall hanging (Quilt More, Worry Less)
  • Chilhowie
  • Shades of Blue project
  • Nutcracker and Inktense pencils

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!

2022 Stitching!

  • Total:  318 / 365
  • Percentage = 87% 

2023 Stitching

  • January: 8 / 8
  • Percentage: 100%

Stash Report

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

In 2022, I used a net total of 76.5 yards of fabric.

  • Fabric Used since the last report   0  yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       109.5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    33 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:                76.5 yards 

In 2023, I haven’t finished any projects, so haven’t used any fabric, but I haven’t bought any either!

To Do Tuesday

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

The To Do list from a last week:

  1. Start Clue #6 Chilhowie. √   DONE
  2. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM – May / June √   DONE
  3. Re-do Nutcracker. … when I went to start colouring the Nutcracker, I realized that many of the black lines had run … well, duh, Helen said to use UNWASHED calico … and Batik has been washed a zillion times … √   DONE
  4. Work on Naturescape Lone Star. √   DONE
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Start Clue #7 Chilhowie
  2. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM – July / Aug
  3. Start colouring Nutcracker.
  4. Work on Naturescape Lone Star
  5. Start Island Batik February project.
  6. Pack for retreat!
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

  1. Classic Cars Colour Challenge BOM
  2. Chilhowie – Clue #7, sashing and borders
  3. Naturescape Lone Star …. after making the Lone Star for the December Island Batik challenge, I fell in LOVE with Lone Stars!!! I just happened to have an Island Batik 2 1/2” strip pack of Naturescape with coordinating green and so I started sewing and cutting! Yes, there is a LOT of matching of seams … every. single. one. But the end result is great – even if I can’t sew at 100 miles an hour!

Quilting:

Nothing … I need to colour the Nutcracker before I can start quilting!

And maybe I’ll get the Naturescape Lone Star top ready for sandwhiching …

And maybe I’ll get Chilhowie to the flimsy stage!

Upcoming Blog Hops

Creatin’ in the Sticks: Sew It – Show It: Shades of Blue (January)

Moose Stash Quilting: Sew It – Show It: Sweet on You (February)

Island Batik: February Blog Hop!

Just Let Me Quilt: Little Green Apples (March)

Shades of Blue

Plans for 2023

There are a few things I’m planning for 2023. More details in the coming weeks.

  • PHD in 2023 – come and join us! It’s a great way to decrease your UFOs!
  • 2023 SAHRR – starts January 16!!! In just over a week!! And we have some fantastic sponsors!
  • 2023 Appliqué  BOM (I bet this surprises a LOT of people!) – This will start later in January … I’m still working out the details!
  • Winter 2023 Mystery Quilt – probably start in February or early March

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

PHD in 2022: December Report

/ quiltinggail / 18 Comments

December’s Accomplishments!

  • Island Batik Lone Star – December’s challenge
  • Left-overs from Lone Star
  • Colour BOM – from patterns by Jen (made with Island Batik scraps) (a UFO)
  • Necessary Clutch wallet (a UFO)
  • Pencil Cases (free pattern byAnnie)
  • Missouri Star Mini Quilt
  • Winter Branches Table Runner

The Tally Sheets

I managed to get 12 UFOs completed this year. The New Starts in 2022 have been completed, except for the ones that won’t finish until 2023 and projects that I started in December … and just didn’t have enough time to complete … (and that’s allowed! – They will be on the 2023 UFO list!)

My Task sheet has not changed … And here is the link where you can find the colourful Task Sheet at Ms P Designs.

The Linky Party

Show us your PHD in 2022 Progress!

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

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

Favourite Finish of the Month

This month, my favourite is the Lone Star quilt!!! I was pretty intimidated with this challenge, but in the end, following the directions (who me?) made it easy! It was so much fun!! Check out Meadow Mist Designs for more “Favourite Finishes”.

DrEAMI

DrEAMI stands for Drop Everything And Make It.

PHD in 2023

Yes, there is a PHD in 2023 … see THIS POST for details

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Announcing SAHRR 2023

/ quiltinggail / 34 Comments

Earlier this year, as we had a parade for the SAHRR (pronounced Stay At Home Round Robin), we announced that we would be doing it again in 2023.

For the past 3 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 2 years, I had some fantastic blogging/quilting friends join in the fun!

Here’s the quilts from previous SAHRRs. The two on the are from 2022 & 2021 and the two on the right 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.

What’s 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.

How do I join?

There’s nothing to join, no sign up. All you need to do is follow our blogs.

How often does this happen?

On January 16, we will show you our centre blocks … I haven’t seen any of my friends blocks – so it’s going to be a surprise for each of us. This will give you some ideas of what you can make or use (do you have orphan blocks?)

Then on January 23 (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-leaders in the order of what we will be doing and the linky parties we will be holding each week. (There will only be one linky party each week … and we’ll direct you to it …)

  • January 16: I will host the first linky party … for you to show each of your centre blocks … but you’ll have to visit each of the SAHRR co-host bloggers to see their centre blocks
  • January 23: 1st Round: Roseanne & Sue @ Home Sewn by Us
  • January 30 :  2nd Round: Wendy @ Pieceful Thoughts of My Quilting Life
  • February 6: 3rd Round: Chris @ Chrisknitssews
  • February 13: 4th Round: Anja @ Anja Quilts
  • February 20: 5th Round: Emily @ The Darling Dogwood
  • February 27: 6th Round: ME!!! @ Quilting Gail 
  • March 13: Parade – showing all of your finished SAHRRs!

This Year we have Sponsors!

We reached out to several companies that we all LOVE and many of them agreed to sponsor the SAHRR 2023!!! 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, it you link up to 3 Linky parties, you will have 3 opportunities 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.

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

2022 Island Batik projects

/ quiltinggail / 10 Comments

I’ve made and posted all of these during the past year! Enjoy!

January

This was a UFO from the “Any Which Way” mystery that was hosted on the blog in ’21. See HERE for the finishing details!

The first Island Batik challenge of the year was to use a Fat 1/4 bundle of Tantalizing Teals. You can see details on this challenge HERE.

February

I used Kelly Young’s book “Scrappy Improve Quilting.” You can see details of it here.

This was a quilt I made for Island Batik’s catalogue featuring the “Evergreen and Pine” fabric collection. See the link HERE.

This quilt was made for Island Batik’s catalogue featuring the “Contempo” fabric collection.

The February Island Batik challenge was to create a quilt with the Row by Row theme. I used the “Vintage Lace” collection, designed by Kathy Engle. You can read more about it HERE.

I made this cute little basket using Deco Revival fabrics. You can read about it HERE.

March

Here is the Stay at Home Round Robin that I made using the Flutterfly collection and Island Batik’s solid white. You can read more details HERE.

We were challenged to create a piece based on the Italian thread that we received from Aurifil. I received “Pompeii Red” colour builder set. See HERE for more details.

This was a table runner that I made for the Quilt as You Go class that I taught. See HERE.

I made these little coasters with left-over fabric blocks from my SAHRR. See HERE for details.

This quilt was made for the Time in a Bottle Blog Hop. I used fabrics that were left-over from my gradation quilts (January). See HERE for more details.

April

April’s challenge was to make a Funky Friend. I chose Gregory Gorilla. He was a lot of fun to make!! See all the details HERE.

This little zipper pouch was made for the “World of Colour” Blog Hop. Details can be found HERE.

May

The following 3 projects were made for Island Batik’s challenge called “Triangle Tricks. I found the first one very difficult to make, but the last 2 were quite easy! See HERE for details.

June

June’s Challenge was to make a New York beauty and I was given the Harvest Night fabric collection. See HERE for details.

These 2 quilts were made with the “Jewel Carvings” fabric collection (designed by Kathy Engle) for the Island Batik catalogue. My friend, Amy, made the one with the light background and I made the one with the dark. See more details HERE.

This quilt was my very first magazine publication. It was in the Fons & Porter Love of Quilting July/August issue. See HERE for more pictures and details.

This quilt was designed by Sandra Walker at MMM Quilts. You can see more details of it HERE. If you want the pattern you can find it HERE

I made this window hanging in an on-line class with Epida Studio. Elizabeth is a great teacher! More details of my window hanging can be found HERE.

July

Island Batik’s challenge for July was “Christmas in July with Accuquilt.” We were all given the Tree of Life die. This was a super fun quilt to make and it was super fun to give it to a dear friend on mine! See more pictures HERE.

I had left-over HST from the Tree of life, so I made this little zipper pouch!

August

August’s challenge was to make a Marvelous Mini Quilt. I was inspired by a speaker we had at the guild, as well as many different Dresdens made with friends. This was my mini. Details HERE.

September

I received the “Corner Pop” tool from Studio 180 and was challenged to use it, along with a 1/2 yard bundle of “Flourish” by Kathy Engle It was a lot of fun to make this quilt using the tool, along with other Studio 180 tools! See HERE for details.

These were made using “Left-overs” from the above quilt. See HERE for details.

This was made for the Queen of Gadgets Blog Hop. You can read about all the gadgets I used to make this quilt HERE I used a 10″ stack of Pumpkin Spice and the background is “Celery”.

October

October’s challenge was a ByAnnie bag. I chose to make the “A Place for Everything 2.0” bag and paired it with fabrics from the “Bee Kind” collection. The pattern was easy to follow and with supplemental videos – it came together easily! See details HERE.

This tree skirt was made for Island Batik’s catalogue using the Winter Sky collection. I just LOVE the blues!

This quilt was made for Pinktober. October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. My heart is all a flutter when I think of the story behind the gifting of this quilt. You can read about it HERE.

And little bags made from the left-overs from the Pinktober quilt.

November

Island Batik’s November challenge was to make a Christmas stocking. These were fun to make! You can read about how I made them and used an Accuquilt die for the snowflackes … HERE.

This quilt was made with a 2 1/2″ strip pack of “Citified.” It was fun to make and I had a blast quilting it! You can read about it HERE.

This was made for the class I was teaching called “Travel Posts.” You can see class participants’ quilts HERE.

These little baskets were made with left-over fabric from making the Winter Sky tree skirt (see above). You can read more about them HERE.

I did a trunk show for Boundary Bay Quilter’s Guild – with ONLY Island Batik quilts and projects that I have made in the past 4 years as an Island Batik ambassador. You can see a glimpse of some of the trunk show HERE.

December

Island Batik’s challenge for December was to make a Lone Star! It was SEW rewarding to have this quilt turn out so nice! You can read about it HERE.

Left-overs from the Lone Star quilt turned into this cute quilt! Read about it HERE.

Little Pencil cases made with the left-overs from the Lone Star and the Baby Quilt:

The Scrappy Fall Mystery Quilt, background is “Linen,” all scraps from my Island Batik scrap bin:

This was my Spicy BOM Colour challenge Quilt. You can read more about it HERE.

A Winter Branches Table Runner … made a bit bigger to fit on the top of my piano.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail