Sewing

Sew Stylish Challenge with ByAnnie

/ quiltinggail / 19 Comments

ByAnnie generously provided me with my chosen pattern and all the necessary hardware to make Switchback. The only criteria for choosing a bag was to make sure it had an Add-On Video!

Here’s a picture of everything I received from ByAnnie!

Before I began, I pressed all the fabrics with my wonderful Oliso m3pro iron!!! I LOVE this iron for quilting and used it during the making of Switchback when I needed to press a seam.

ByAnnie patterns come with a label sheet so you can label all of your cut pieces. This makes gathering the specific components easy. It is VERY important to do this. It saves lots of re-measuring and prevents future headaches. The picture below is of all my cut & labelled pieces. I pin these onto my design wall for easy access.

For the quilting, I did a wavy stitch with my walking foot. I used the same thread in the bobbin as in the top, that’s why you can see the quilting on the lining. The 2nd picture shows most of the quilted and cut pieces. Yes, I used a Schmetz needle! The 4th picture is close to the end … lots of clips to hold pieces in place! Unfortunately, I neglected to take other pictures as I went along.

Here are some pictures of the inside of the bag: Lots of pockets and extra hardware for keys or a carabiner. The 3rd pictures shows the extra hardware being used for extra security for the bag.

The Switchback can be worn as a backpack, an over-the-shoulder bag or as a cross-body bag.

Here is a picture of the finished bag! I’m loving it!

Bag Stats:

Thank you!

Thank you to the generosity of Island Batik and Industry partners! They have supplied the products for free as my role as an Island Batik Ambassador! Island Batik, ByAnnie, Aurifil Thread, Schmetz Needles, and Oliso Iron.

Island Batik Ambassadors

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Sunday Summary: August 24

/ quiltinggail / 12 Comments

A Purple Finish

Purple was July’s colour for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge hosted by So Scrappy. See THIS POST for more details.

I have attempted to make at least one baby or comfort quilt for each month’s challenge … but unfortunately, I haven’t been totally successful. Here are the ones I’ve made so far: January: pink, February: Blue (3), March: yellow, June: Orange, July: purple (2) I did miss April: red and May: green. Does it count that some of the months I made 2 or 3 quilts? All of these quilts were made with Island Batik (Lumin Fabrics), Hobbs Batting, and pieced and quilted with Aurifil Thread.

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: 207 / 211 days
  • August: 24 / 24 days
  • Total: 231 / 235 98 %

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:

  • “Bloomers:” I decided to use fabric from the Radiant Burst collection! And the main blocks are started with Eggwhite and Solid White. All the embroidery blocks and hexi and half hexi blocks are done! Need to add the borders.
  • Rainbow Scrap challenge, Teal fabrics: making Jacob’s Ladder blocks … so pretty!
  • “Sliver of Silver” for the guild’s 25th Anniversary.

Quilting projects:

  • Splish Splash is webbed together and needs a backing, sandwiching and quilting.

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 used at least 7 yards of fabric for the Butterfly Quilt.

  • Fabric used in the last week: 7 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     163.5 yards. {53 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    24.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              139 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

  1. Piece backing, sandwich and quilt Jelly Roll Twist / Splish Splash. XX NOT DONE XX
  2. Finish quilting  Purple for Rainbow Scrap Challenge & bind √   DONE. 
  3. Continue to work on Bloomers – get to flimsy stage √   DONE. 
  4. Cut out Finish blocks for Rainbow Scrap Challenge – Teal √   DONE. 
  5. Start on October Island Batik Challenge. XX NOT DONE XX
  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 this week:

  1. Finish “Sliver of Silver” (this is a project for the Boundary Bay Quilt Guild’s 25th Anniversary.)
  2. Piece backing, sandwich and quilt Jelly Roll Twist / Splish Splash.
  3. Finish quilting  Purple for Rainbow Scrap Challenge & bind
  4. Sandwich “Bloomers“
  5. Get- Teal blocks to flimsy stage.
  6. Start on October Island Batik Challenge.
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Free Sew Along

Denise at Quiltery has done a fantastic job of designing this beautiful quilt! The directions come out every 2 weeks. If you want to purchase the embroidery designs, they are also available to purchase for some formats. (I used the embroidery designs!)

Don’t Forget

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

A Purple Friday Finish

/ quiltinggail / 23 Comments

Purple was the Rainbow Scrap Challenge for July. This is hosted by So Scrappy. I do know it’s August, and Teal is the colour for this month. But sometimes, things don’t get done right when I want them to and they need to wait to be finished! This is the Butterfly quilt from the book Picture Patchwork book by JoAnn Lepore. This is the 4th quilt I have made from this book. Hmmm … I think I highly recommend that you buy it!

And here’s a close up of the quilting. I used Rocket for the straight lines, and free motioned the curves on the dark purple and swirls on the lighter purples.

Quilt Stats:

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: August 17

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

2 Retreat Bag Finishes

I finished these 2 Retreat Bags this past week. The blue hexi one is the small size and the bee one is the large … even though the pictures don’t look like it. See THIS POST for more details.

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: 207 / 211 days
  • August: 17 / 17 days
  • Total: 224 / 228 98 %

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:

  • “Bloomers:” I decided to use fabric from the Radiant Burst collection! And the main blocks are started with Eggwhite and Solid White. All the embroidery blocks and hexi and half hexi blocks are done!
  • Rainbow Scrap challenge, Teal fabrics: making Jacob’s Ladder blocks … so pretty!
  • I’ve cut out the pieces for the Magnificent Mystery by Meadow Mist Designs (See HERE … it’s definitely NOT too late to join!). I used fabrics from my stash … they are OLD. I bought them at the Wild Rose Quilt store in Orting, WA, many many years ago!

Quilting projects:

  • Splish Splash (an Island Batik fabric strip pack) is webbed together and needs a backing, sandwiching and quilting.
  • Purple for Rainbow Scrap Challenge : It’s sandwiched

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 used about 1 yard of fabric for the 2 retreat bags (see above).

  • Fabric used in the last week: 1 yard
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     156.5 yards. {50 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    24.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              132 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

  1. Piece backing, sandwich and quilt Jelly Roll Twist / Splish Splash. XX NOT DONE XX. still need to piece the backing
  2. Quilt  Purple for Rainbow Scrap Challenge in progress
  3. Continue to work on Bloomers – finish embroidery blocks √   DONE.
  4. Continue to work on Island Batik September challenge. Finish it! √   DONE. 
  5. Cut out Rainbow Scrap Challenge – Teal √   DONE. 
  6. Start on October Island Batik Challenge XX NOT DONE XX
  7. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √   DONE. 
  8. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for this week:

  1. Piece backing, sandwich and quilt Jelly Roll Twist / Splish Splash.
  2. Finish quilting  Purple for Rainbow Scrap Challenge & bind
  3. Continue to work on Bloomers – get to flimsy stage
  4. Cut out Finish blocks for Rainbow Scrap Challenge – Teal
  5. Start on October Island Batik Challenge
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Free Sew Along

Denise at Quiltery has done a fantastic job of designing this beautiful quilt! The directions come out every 2 weeks. If you want to purchase the embroidery designs, they are also available to purchase for some formats. (I used the embroidery designs!)

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:  

Two Finishes For Friday!

/ quiltinggail / 11 Comments

I finished 2 retreat bags … one small and one large. This is a free pattern from Emmaline Bags. You can find the pattern HERE. If you insert the hardware, the bags stay open. However, if you choose to make the bag without the hardware, you will still end up with a nice zipper bag. Or if you use Soft & Stable or Bosal foam for the interfacing (instead of fusible fleece), you actually do not need the hardware.

This is the Large one. I used left-over fabric from the backing of the “yellow” quilt, see HERE. For the interfacing, I used left-over pieces of Hobbs 80/20. I used Aurifil black thread to do the loop-d-loop quilting and top stitching.

This is the small one. I used a couple of fat quarters left from when I made the Glowing Hearts Quilt. I purposely saved the Hexi fabric for a bag!

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: August 10

/ quiltinggail / 14 Comments

A Challenge Completed!

This was my August September Island Batik project. We were instructed to decorate an Oliso carrying case! See THIS POST for more details.

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: 207 / 211 days
  • August: 10 / 10 days
  • Total: 217 / 221 98 %

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:

  • “Bloomers:” I decided to use fabric from the Radiant Burst collection! And the main blocks are started with Eggwhite and Solid White. Here are blocks 9 & 10 and the birdhouse.
  • Rainbow Scrap challenge, Teal fabrics … (no picture)
  • I’ve cut out the pieces for the Magnificent Mystery by Meadow Mist Designs (See HERE … it’s definitely NOT too late to join!). I used fabrics from my stash … they are OLD. I bought them at the Wild Rose Quilt store in Orting, WA, many, many, many years ago! Some of it is from a collection called “Buttons and Blooms” and some are from the back wall where the reproduction fabrics were.

Quilting projects:

  • Splish Splash is webbed together and needs a backing, sandwiching and quilting.
  • Purple for Rainbow Scrap Challenge : It’s sandwiched

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 used about 1.5 yards of fabric for the ironing mat cover and the decorations for my Oliso iron.

  • Fabric used in the last week: 1.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     155.5 yards. {49 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    24.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              131 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

I didn’t accomplish much on my To Do list this week. I was focused on completing my September Island Batik project … and it got done! YAY!

  1. Piece backing, sandwich and quilt Jelly Roll Twist / Splish Splash. XX NOT DONE XX. still need to piece the backing
  2. Quilt  Purple for Rainbow Scrap Challenge XX NOT DONE XX. Still need to quilt it.
  3. Continue to work on Bloomers – finish embroidery blocks in progress
  4. Continue to work on Island Batik September challenge. Finish it! √   DONE. 
  5. Decide on Rainbow Scrap Challenge – Teal √   DONE. 
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! XX NOT DONE XX. I got distracted and decided to definitely do the Meadow Mist Mystery!
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes. √   DONE. 

To Do for this week:

  1. Piece backing, sandwich and quilt Jelly Roll Twist / Splish Splash.
  2. Quilt  Purple for Rainbow Scrap Challenge
  3. Continue to work on Bloomers – finish embroidery blocks
  4. Cut out Rainbow Scrap Challenge – Teal
  5. Start on October Island Batik Challenge
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Free Sew Along

Denise at Quiltery has done a fantastic job of designing this beautiful quilt! The directions come out every 2 weeks. If you want to purchase the embroidery designs, they are also available to purchase for some formats. (That’s what I’m doing!)

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: August 3

/ quiltinggail / 15 Comments

A Practical Finish

I finished the Estrella bag!! I’ve used it for a few days and am LOVING it! Yes, I know that I put the “Handmade” in the wrong place, but at least it was easy to turn it over and put it right side up!

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: 207 / 211 days
  • August: 3 / 3 days
  • Total: 210 / 214 98 %

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:

  • “Bloomers:” I decided to use fabric from the Radiant Burst collection! And the main blocks are started with Eggwhite and Solid White. Here are blocks 1-5 (with #2 reversed). The Hexi and half Hexi blocks are done.
  • Rainbow Scrap challenge, Teal fabrics …

Quilting projects:

  • Splish Splash is webbed together and needs a backing, sandwiching and quilting.
  • Purple for Rainbow Scrap Challenge : It’s sandwiched

Sunday Stash

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

No purchases this week, but I used 4 1/2 yards for the orange/grey disappearing 9 patch and I don’t think I added in the fabric from the Estrella kit, so I’m not going to use those amounts.

  • Fabric used in the last week: 4.5 yards
  • Fabric Used in 2025:     154 yards. {49 yards of non Island Batik fabric}
  • Fabric Added in the last week: 0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    24.5 yards 
  • Net Fabric used:              129.5 yards

To Do

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

To Do from the last week:

  1. Make backing, sandwich and quilt Disappearing 9 patch: “ORANGE“. √   DONE. quilted and posted!
  2. Piece backing, sandwich and quilt Jelly Roll Twist / Splish Splash. XX NOT DONE XX. still need to piece the backing
  3. Piece backing, sandwich and quilt   Purple for Rainbow Scrap Challenge XX NOT DONE XX. Still need to quilt it.
  4. Continue to work on Bloomers – make Hexi and half-Hexi blocks and other embroidery blocks √   DONE.
  5. Continue to work on Island Batik September challenge. 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 this week:

  1. Piece backing, sandwich and quilt Jelly Roll Twist / Splish Splash.
  2. Quilt  Purple for Rainbow Scrap Challenge
  3. Continue to work on Bloomers – finish embroidery blocks
  4. Continue to work on Island Batik September challenge. Finish it!
  5. Decide on Rainbow Scrap Challenge – Teal
  6. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  7. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.

Free Sew Along

Denise at Quiltery has done a fantastic job of designing this beautiful quilt! The 1st block for appliqué is now available HERE and if you want to purchase the embroidery designs, they are also available to purchase for some formats. (That’s what I’m doing!)

Here’s Block #5. I’m in love with these flower blocks!

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:  

Get on Board with Sewing

/ quiltinggail / 39 Comments

This blog hop is to celebrate National Sewing Month. ?? National ?? the hosts are in the US and I live in Canada, so I’m declaring it International Sewing Month. Works for me!

My mother taught me to sew at a young age. By the time I was in Grade 8 and taking Home Ec, I was pretty bored with making an hair kerchief and an apron. My next project was a skirt with a zipper in it. The teacher put the zipper in to demonstrate the insertion. When I got the final marks for the project, she gave me 2/10 for zipper insertion. WHAT???? Unfortunately, I had NO assertiveness skills at that time and didn’t argue with her. When it was time to choose courses for Grade 9, I definitely knew that Home Ec was one course I wasn’t going to take! By the way, I had the same teacher for cooking and was not impressed with having to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for our first project! Can you blame me?

I made this V-neck top! It was a quick easy project! Even though I haven’t been sewing garments for a LONG time! It’s a nice cool top for the warm summer days!

There are PRIZES!

That’s right! Lots of prizes that you could win! Click on the Rafflecopter and follow the prompts!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sometimes, the rafflecopter does not work on my blog … so click on THIS LINK and you will be taken to another site for the rafflecopter.

Visit the other Bloggers!

Thursday, September 1

Friday, September 2

Monday, September 5

Tuesday, September 6

Wednesday, September 7

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Here Comes the Sun Blog Hop

/ quiltinggail / 66 Comments

Carol, from Just Let Me Quilt is hosting this blog hop. Here comes the Sun is a great title for a June blog hop. However, I live in Western Canada … on the WET coast! We haven’t seen much sun and it has been cool! On the news, they are calling it “June-uary.”

What is the challenge for “Here Comes The Sun”?

Sew something that has a summer theme like: sunglasses, beach items, sunny skies, and/or yellow colors. It can be a quilt, a bag, a toy, or whatever you want it to be.

So, I took a class from Elizabeth at Epida Studio and made this great window hanging with the sun inside the flower! (She has several different classes and is a fantastic teacher! I highly advise that you look into taking a class from her)

The technique to make this was totally new to me. It’s called Pojagi. It’s a technique that Elizabeth learned in Korea. The seams make it look like stained glass.

And here’s a picture of it in the window!

The fabrics are Island Batik … The yellow is Ogee Petal Sunshine, the flower petals are Floral Wonders and the background is Butterfly Blooms.

Once this was stitched together, it was a bit flimsy, so I sprayed it with Terial Magic and it was perfect!

Here’s the list of all of the blogs that are participating! Enjoy the sunny eye candy!

June 20

June 21

June 22

June 23

July 24

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Monday Moments … May 30

/ quiltinggail / 2 Comments

Stitching Time

‘

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’ve missed 2 days of sewing in the past 2 weeks … that’s what happens when you spend full days helping someone move!

  • January – April:  117 / 120
  • May 1 – 29:  17 / 29
  • Total: 134 / 159
  • Percentage = 84% 

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 apron used 1.25 yards and the 2 small quilts used a yard each for backing … for a total of 3.25 yards used since my last report. No shopping, so nothing added!

  • Fabric Used since the last report      3.25  yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       43 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    6.25 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                 36.75 yards 

To Do

Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is hosting “To Do” every week.

The To Do list from 2 weeks ago:

  1. Finish May Island Batik challenge. √   DONE you can see it HERE
  2. Work on Pop Star Quilt √   DONE flimsy completed
  3. Sandwich Squirrel Attack Quilt (see below). √   DONE
  4. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!  √   DONE
  5. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Quilt Pop Star Quilt
  2. Work on Here Comes the Sun Pop Star Quilt blog hop project
  3. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  4. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

  1. Here Comes the Sun project

2. A Squirrel Attack: The flimsy is done – but I forgot to take a picture …

Quilting:

  1. Squirrel is sandwiched and I have a plan for the quilting!

2. Quilting is in progress. I have been working on Sandra Walker’s Pop Star Quilt … Yesterday, the instructions for adding the border were posted. You can access the steps at MMM Quilts HERE.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Monday’s Status

/ quiltinggail / 13 Comments

I’ve had a busy week! And I have gotten lots done! My Macaron Mystery is completed. This was a mystery quilt from  Cheryl of Meadow Mist Designs. I love her mystery quilts! You can be sure I’ll be following and quilting when she starts the Melodic Mystery in July!

And … did you see Gracie the Gorilla? A Funky Friends pattern for Island Batik’s April challenge. She was so much fun to make! I used Island Batik fabrics, Schmetz needles, and Aurifil thread to make her!

Overhauling the Craft Room

Kim of Persimon Dreams and Kim of Gogokim have joined together and created this Overhaul. If you saw my room, you would KNOW that I NEED to do an Overhaul!!! In a couple of weeks, our quilt guild is having a garage sale … a perfect opportunity to get rid of some quilting junk useful items … I’m not totally following their direction, but I am in the process of going through EVERY container. And I’ll tackle every surface!

Here’s some pictures … as the room was before I started going through things: What a mess, eh? Every available surface cluttered with projects and fabric I need to put away, some baby quilts to be quilted, things to be unpacked from my latest class, fabric to be sorted through, papers cluttering up my computer desk, and left-over batting and fabric on my cutting table!

I’ve already gone through my books … and they’ll be on the free table at the garage sale. I don’t expect the guild library will want them … some are quite old!

Stitching Time

‘

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 – Mar:  90 / 90
  • Apr 1 – 10: 10 / 10
  • Total: 100 / 100
  • 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!

Macaron used 12 yards of stash. I was thrilled to pieces when I realized that I had the perfect backing! It’s nice to be using up my stash.

  • Fabric Used this week      12   yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       25.5 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:   0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:    4.25 yards 
  • Net Fabric used                 21.25 yards 

To Do

Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is hosting “To Do” every week.

I had month to work on my previous To Do list … let’s see how I did …

The To Do list 2 weeks ago:

  1. Bind Macaron Mystery √   DONE
  2. Bind BBQG mystery quilt √   DONE
  3. Teddy #3 – Finish top √   DONE
  4. Complete Colour Your World Blog Hop project √   DONE
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! √   DONE
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √   DONE

This week’s list:

  1. Quilt & Bind Teddy #3
  2. Quilt & Bind at least 2 Baby Quilt Panels
  3. Work on Foodie Blog Hop project
  4. Go through the Fabric and Project containers.
  5. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  6. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

Design Wall

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

Piecing:

1. Foodie Blog Hop: These fabrics are from my stash. You’ll just have to wait until May 24th to see what is happening with this fabric!

Quilting:

I have 5 Baby Quilt panels lined up to be quilted and 2 that need binding. Boy, will I ever be glad when I no longer have cute panels in my stash! Some of these were panels that were given to me … I sandwiched them ages ago, but the quilting didn’t happen! And, I did find some of them when I went through a container – part of the Overhaul! 2 of the Baby Quilt panels are partially hand quilted … they will have machine quilting for the finish!

One UFO was finished: Macaron Mystery! That leaves me with 7 more to complete for my PHD in 2022. The New Starts are gradually getting completed! Personally, I really like how completing the New Starts does NOT add to the UFO list! And it is gradually getting smaller!

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

Linking to:

Funky Friends

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Funky Friends Factory is sponsoring this month’s Island Batik challenge. We got to choose from a TON of different animals. It was hard to choose! They are all so cute! Thank you Pauline McArthur for allowing us to pick which one we wanted to do and sending us the pattern!

I chose Gregory Gorilla. He looked so cute. I already have made a few Funky Friends and I wanted a different one and I just couldn’t resist making Gregory!

The fabrics I chose are: for the dark – Blackberry, and for the light – Begonia. These are basics and available at all times.

There are lots of parts for Gregory … and here they are, all cut out. The pattern pieces are still pinned to the fabric because many of them contain necessary markings for when you’re making the critter.

The Funky Friends patterns are very well written and easy to follow. If you don’t quite “get it,” there are on-line photos that take you step by step!

And the head is starting to take shape! Can you see his nostrils? They make me laugh! I used Aurifil Thread 2581 (Dark Dusty Grape) to sew with a Schmetz Needle.

I originally wanted to give Gregory away as a gift, but alas, I couldn’t find any safety eyes. Well, I did find some, but they were green and not what I was looking for. I found the googly eyes with eye lashes, so perhaps Gregory should be a girl and I’ll now name her Gracie the Gorilla.

I used a polyfill stuffing for the areas close to Gracie’s ‘skin.’ And the rest of Gracie was stuffed with remnants of Hobbs 80/20 batting — I pulled it apart into very small pieces and it worked great!

Gracie escaped and I found her basking in the sun by the hyacinths and daffodils.

The next time she escaped, she was hanging out in the cherry blossoms with a plethora of bees!

Then she hopped over to the magnolia tree and I could finally rescue her!

This was a fun challenge to make!

Here are the other Funky Friends I have made over the past few years: The elephant, alpaca and rhino. These also used Island Batik fabrics!

Thank you!

Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread and needles were generously supplied by the following companies: Thank you, Island Batik  Aurifil Thread  Hobbs Batting & Schmetz Needles !! And a special mention to Funky Friends!

Want to see More Funky Friends?

Visit all of the other Island Batik Ambassadors.

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs
Megan Best ~ Bestquilter
Pamela Boatright ~ Pamelaquilts
Elizabeth DeCroos ~ Epida Studio
Jennifer Fulton ~ Inquiring Quilter

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts
Jane Hauprich ~ Stitch By Stitch Custom Quilting
Reed Johnson ~ Blue Bear Quilts
Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs

Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney ~ 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
Claudia Porter ~ Create with Claudia
Gail Renna ~ Quilt Haven Threads
Brianna Roberts ~ Sew Cute And Quirky
Michelle Roberts ~ Creative Blonde
Andi Stanfield ~ True Blue Quilts
Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels
Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

What’s Happening in the Studio?

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First, I need to show you a finish … not a quilty finish, but a finish. While I was at Essem Textiles, I spotted some super cute knit teddy bear fabric. I LOVE teddy bears! Years ago, in the last century, I made a cute nightshirt with teddybears on it. That nightshirt was loved for years and years. This summer, I noticed that it was pretty thread barren and it’s time was near! Well, I might have noticed it much longer than just this summer! When I saw the fabric at Essem, I just knew I had found the perfect fabric to replace the nightshirt with. And the old night shirt is re-purposed as cleaning cloths in the garage. However, I did rescue the button off the old one and put it on the new one!

I’m not going to model it, but here it is on my design wall:

It was fun to use my serger and complete a project in less than a day! That doesn’t happen when I’m quilting!

Island Batik’s Storm at Sea Blog Hop

Did you get to see all of the Storm at Sea quilts? They were all based on the Storm at Sea block. Some people used Paper Piecing (me), some used Studio 180 rules, and some used the Accuquilt Block on Board die. Andi (from True Blue Quilts) made a great youtube video that showcases all of the quilt. Watch it and Enjoy!

Design Wall

#1 Scrappy Improv Quilting …

Absolutely NO change from the last month! None at all!

#2.  A Christmas Tree Skirt

These are fabrics from Essem Textiles. I have started piecing the tree skirt … such pretty fabrics to work with!

Quilting: 

#1  The last Secret Island Batik project is being quilted

#2 Scrappy Improv Quilting This is from the pattern “Prismatic … just made bigger … lots bigger … (from Kelly Young’s book “Scrappy Improv Quilting.” This book is SEW much fun … make sure you order yours before it’s too late!

  • Fabric Used this week     0  yards
  • Fabric Used this year:       100.25 yards
  • Fabric Bought this week:  0 yards
  • Fabric Added this year:      50. 75 yards  (my husbands amounts as well)
  • Net Fabric used                  49.5 yards 
  • Husband’s purchases:  0 yards (which are added into my total amount of Fabric added this year). For those of you who don’t know … my husband often buys more fabric than I do … so, I’m keeping track! Unfortunately, he doesn’t sew!

Stitchin’ Time

  • January – October –  292/ 303
  • Nov – 21 / 21
  • Total: 313 / 324
  • Percentage = 96 % 

For more Stitchin’ Time, you can check out Kate’s blog: Life in Pieces

To Do

Linda from Texas Quilt Gal is now hosting “To Do” every week. You can check out her blog HERE.

The To Do list from 2 Weeks ago:

  1. Quilt Island Batik Secret #2 √   DONE 
  2. Quilt Island Batik Secret #4 in progress
  3. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS!  Got inspired to make a tree skirt  not done
  4. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes   √   DONE  

This week’s list:

  1. Finish Quilting Island Batik Secret #4
  2. Finish Tree Skirt
  3. Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! 
  4. Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes

I have finished enough UFOs for my PHD, but I still have a few “Starts in 2021” to finish …

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Linking to:

Stitchin’ in the Kitchen Blog Hop

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Carla, from “Creatin in the Sticks” is the wonderful organizer for this week’s blog hop: Stitchin in the Kitchen.

I had several ideas of what to make … but none of them felt just right. Then I remembered this apron that was cut-out. It just needed to be sewn together. Nice and simple, right? And for once, it was a simple finish!!!

Here’s the front:

And the back:

The other bloggers in the blog hop:

Make sure that you visit them! Lots of ideas … (and you know that the holiday in December will arrive before you’re ready … you could get started now! )

Monday, April 19th

Tuesday, April 20th


Wednesday, April 21st


Thursday, April 22nd

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Friday, Finished and an Unfinished

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Finish

I did finish the Raggedy Andy doll for the “Show your Stripes” Blog Hop. Thank you everyone for your kind comments! He was a fun finish! You can read more about him HERE.

Unfinished UFO

I’ve got a lot of T-shirts cut and interfacing on them. They are temporarily laid out on the bed. I hope to get sewing them together soon! There are lots of small spaces that I will use bits and pieces of the T-shirts to fill in.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:

Show Your Stripes blog hop

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Carla, from Creatin’ in the Sticks has organized this blog hop. Here’s what she said: “Add a stripe, or two, or three to your project.It can be striped fabric, striped binding (a favorite of mine), or strips of fabric to make stripes.It’s your interpretation of a striped project.  Anything with a stripe.  You decide.Just “Show Your Stripes!“

I finished a Raggedy Andy doll that was started by a friend of mine. When she was first diagnosed with cancer, she knew that she would not be able to sew again. She asked if I could make one for her newest great nephew. Of course, I said “yes.” In mid-January, I obtained the box that was to contain the supplies for the doll.

There was lots of fabric for a Raggedy Anne, but not Andy. However, the body parts were made and the face had been embroidered by my friend. Bonus!! Here are the unstuffed body parts lying on the floor.

I have a stash and found a white and red gingham for the shirt and the navy fabric for the pants and hat. It was strange to be making clothes with 5/8″ seams and pressing them open. When I was making the clothes, I thought that Raggedy Andy, with his striped legs, would be perfect for this blog hop!

Well, Raggedy Andy just had to go climbing the apple tree!

Blog Hoppers

Here is a list of all the “Show Your Stripes” blog hoppers. Make sure you visit them all and see what they have made!

Monday, February 22nd

Tuesday, February 23rd

Wednesday, February 24th

Thursday, February 25th

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Island Batik Projects – 2019 Review

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What a YEAR!!!

This has been a year of growth for me as a quilter.  Becoming an Island Batik Ambassador has been a highlight of my year! Thanks to the monthly challenges, I stepped outside my comfort zone and made things that I NEVER would have.   As well, a short photography class helped me go beyond my “quilt on a clothesline” photos!

Island Batik provided all of the fabrics for the quilts and projects this year.  My heart is over-filled with gratefullness for their generousity and that of the co-sponsers (Aurifil, Hobbs batting & Accuquilt).  I was totally spoiled this year by being an Island Batik Ambassador!

I am also grateful to my fellow Island Batik Ambassadors!  They offered a ton of support and encouragement.  Not to mention the plethora of ideas that flowed … it’s been a fun year!

February: Magnificent Mini

The first challenge for the year was to make a mini.  I wasn’t sure what to do … My love of fall colours and the desire to make something I would use, lead me to make this Suduko mini quilt.  For more details, go HERE.

Magnificent Mini

On the huge boulders on the side of our yard.

March:  Vintage Re-Imagined

What happens when you have beautiful fabric, an idea and EQ7?  Stars on Ice became the reality of that dream. See HERE.

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April: Accuquilt Baby Quilt

All ambassadors received an Accuquilt cutter and dies.  I used the 8″ cube dies to make this beautiful baby quilt.  See HERE.

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May: Make it Modern

Me? Make a modern quilt???  Find out more about how it came about HERE.

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Christmas RAPPing

This table runner was made for a Blog Hop celebrating the book “Christmas RAPPing” by Margaret Brewster Willingham and Nan Baker.  You can see the blog post HERE.

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June:  Try It

We were challenged to try a new technique … sew, I used one of Angela Walters quilting tutorial series and this table runner was born.  See HERE.

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A Zipper Pouch

This little zipper pouch was made with my embroidery machine, using an AnitaGoodesign pattern.  For more details see this POST.

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July: Artsy Fartsy

I do not do Artsy-Fartsy … I’m a more traditional quilter.  However, this project was enlightening.  I remembered how to do some simple embroidery stitches … and with it being “Artsy-Fartsy” I didn’t need to worry about it being exact.  You can read about it HERE.  This bag was made for travelling and I used it on my month long trip to Europe & Africa.

Quilt of Valour

One of my fellow Island Batik Ambassadors organized a group of us to make Quilts of Valour out of a wonderful line of fabric called “Freedom.”  It had lots of red, white & blue fabric.  Since I was making one for a Canadian veteran, I just wanted to use the red and white.  I did have to dip into the blue fabric for a few squares (scattered randomly) and the binding.  It is my own pattern.  Read more about it HERE.

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August: Beat the Heat

This was made for a blog hop.  The line is “Soil & Seeds.”  I loved the line and wanted to be able to showcase each fabric.  This quilt was perfect for that.  For more details, see HERE.

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September: Child’s Play

This quilt used the Accuquilt Die “Cleopatra’s Fan.”  It was an intimidating block for me to make: it had CURVED piecing.  However, I did learn that with the die, the pieces are cut perfectly and sewing the curves was not all that difficult.  It was fun to design the butterfly. Except for the antenna, the butterfly was cut with the Accuquilt 8 ” Cube dies.  You can read about the post HERE.

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Biscournu Pin Cushions

These little pin cushions were made with the “mistake” blocks from making the Christmas Rapping table runner (May). I think they are so stinking cute! And a fantastic way to use up those orphan blocks.  For more details see HERE.

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October:  Top it Off – using Applique!

Nothing says “October” to me more than pumpkins.  I had some great orange fabric, a great background fabric, my embroidery machine and this table runner fell into place.  For more details, see HERE.

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Island Batik Rayon

I needed new clothes … I had an ancient T-shirt pattern, I had this beautiful rayon fabric … SEW this top, which fits me perfectly, was made!  Check it out HERE.

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November: Tool Time

We needed to use our favourite tool.  My favourite is the Tri-rec ruler … and the Shape-cut ruler … and … a zillion other tools that are necessary for my quilt making … Visit THIS BLOG POST to see a video on how I used these tools.

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The Tool Time Mistake

I forgot to take pictures as I was making this quilt.  And it can easily be made with the Accuquilt Go, 8″ Cube dies. See HEREand HEREI love how this quilt used the same fabrics as the quilt above, but with a white background instead of black.  It certainly gives the quilts a very different look!

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Randy the Rhino

Many fellow Ambassadors made various “Funky Friends” for quilt market.  After my trip to Africa, I just HAD to make the Rhino!  See this POST for more details.

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December: 3D Challenge

This quilt pattern has always spoken “3D” to me. It was the obvious choice for a quilt!  See HERE  for more details!

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Sewing Machine Cover:  3D Challenge #2

I needed to make sewing machine covers for all of my machines.  I used the extra fabric from the 3D quilt to make this serger cover.  To find out how I did it, go HERE.

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Snowman Table Runner

You can call it a squirrel, you can call it a DrEAMI, but I’m calling it DONE.  Check out the details HERE.

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Alice Alpaca: 3D Challenge #3

Alice was fun to make!  See this POST for more details!

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Disclaimer: The products featured in this Blog post were given to me by Island Batik, and their co-sponsers Aurifil, Hobbs Batting & AccuQuilt!  And the Patterns for the Stuffed Animals were from Funky Friends.

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting! 
Gail 

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Linking to:

3D Challenge #2

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I posted about Challenge # 1 HERE.

Island Batik did not say we needed to do 2 challenges this month … this was my choice.  Especially since this project is also 3D.  And,  since I need to make sewing machine covers, this just made sense to me!

IMG_5774 Continue reading →

PHD in 2019 – October Update

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I have another finish!!  I cut into my Island Batik rayon and finished a top!  It’s the same pattern as the one I showed last week (see HERE) – except I altered the neckline a bit.  It fits perfectly!  My hubby is not home at the moment, so no photos with it on me! Just one of it pinned onto the design wall!img_5651-scaled-2560-e1572571190440-scaled-2560.jpg Continue reading →