Are you a “Rose Colored Glasses” kind of person? Do you think things are better than they really are? Do you think positive most of the time?
What’s the challenge?
Your sewn project must have one or more of the following: Rose/pink fabric Eyeglasses Roses Positive Words
I thought of a LOT of things … and some friends came up with other options:
wine glasses with re wine in the glass
wine coasters
eye glass cases
Well, when I was packing for my guild’s retreat last week, I had this “Retreat Bag” from Emmaline Bags that I wanted to finish. When I saw the lining fabric and some of the fabric for the outside of the bag, I just KNEW that finishing this bag would fit the project! Rosebuds and roses …
By the way, the pattern for the Retreat bag comes in 2 sizes from Emmaline Bags .
Are you going??? This Quilt Show is known to be one of the best!!! It’s in Red Deer. On Friday, May 12 & Saturday, May 13.
Exhibition Hall, Westerner Park
4847 – 19 St. Red Deer Alberta T4R 2N7
I’m super excited about this show. My friend, Carmen, who owns Prairie Spirit Alpacas, will be there with her Alpaca/wool pressing mats …. If you see her … say “hi” and tell her that you “know” me! 😀.
PLUS: she will be selling a lot of my patterns!
PLUS: she will have this quilt there … It’s made with the Baby Stars pattern in Island Batik fabrics and the batting is Alpaca fleece. It will be a super super warm quilt!!! It was quilted on my domestic Janome M7. The Alpaca fleece certainly gives the quilting great texture! The fleece was doubled for this quilt, but I think it would have been just as good, if not better, with a single layer!
And this is my Friday Finish!
This is the original Baby Stars, it’s the picture you’ll see on my pattern … photo credit: Jerry Khiev, Island Batik.
Let me know if you buy a pattern, a mat, or some wool … buy some alpaca batting if you want to try it!
Retreat
I just came back from a 4 day retreat! LOTS of fun!!! I’ll tell you all about it on Sunday!
At the beginning of the year, when I got my first 2 Island Batik boxes for 2023, I had a “Surprise” package:
I didn’t know what fabric collection was hidden inside the wrapping!
This is what I found when I opened it: and yes, I ohhh and ahhh’d over it! I LOVE these beautiful fall colours!
The collection is “Sandalwood” designed by Kathy Engle for Kari Nichols of Quilting Renditions. And the collection is paired with 2 yards of Dijon (from Opulent Oranges) and 2 yards of Mocha (from Neutrals).
I also received the Wedge Star tool from Studio 180. So many options to play with!
And as an ambassador, I was also able to get the extra Technic Sheets that accompany the tool. Studio 180 also has a plethora of videos that go with all of the tools and several of the Technic Sheets! So, if you have a Studio 180 tool and are not sure how to proceed, visit the videos for clear instructions. HERE.
I followed the directions and started making the stars … sewing and trimming …
My first 3 blocks and then the start of the “Twisted Wedge Star” on my Prairie Spirit Alpaca/wool pressing mat.
One thing that I was totally amazed at was how, after all the sewing and trimming most of the blocks had PERFECT centres. If you know me at all … this is totally amazing! I was SOOOOOO excited!! It’s no wonder that I LOVE Studio 180 tools!
It was SEW much fun to make all these blocks that I didn’t take the time to photograph many progress pictues!
All in all, I made 6 Wedge Stars and 6 Twisted Wedge Stars. I used all 20 of the fabric skews in the top! The back used 3 of the skews and the Dijon yardage that was paired with the collection.
When the top was pieced together, I pulled out a batt of Hobbs Batting 80/20 (I buy this by the roll and I receive lots of Hobbs batting as an ambassador I LOVE Hobbs batting! and sandwiched the quilt using 505 spray baste!
And the quilting began … NOTE: many people think I have a long arm … I don’t !! I quilt on my Janome M7. I had my husband take pictures fo there is some proof! (grin)
Schmetz Needles, Microtex Chrome 70/10, was used for the quilting. I know that a LOT of people think that you need a larger needle when quilting batiks, but you don’t. These needles work great!
You can see the Aurifil Thread 2370 (Sandstone) that I used to quilt this quilt.
Here is the final quilt:
And with the fall colours, the only place to take a ‘fall-ish” picture was pinning the quilt to the wood pile. I didn’t think the rose coloured tulips or the ornamental cherry blossoms would look great with this quilt! This wood pile will be cut and split in the near future … all ready for next winter!
The back and close-up of the quilting:
Quilt Stats:
Size: 43″ x 57″
Fabric: Sandalwood Collection, with Moocha (sashing & borders) and Dijon (in some blocks & backing)
Backing fabrics: Dijon, Berries Gold Oc re, Pine Leaves Cone Gr, & Rock Yellow Amber
Binding: Various greens from the Sandalwood Collection for a scrappy binding.
If you are interested in the Sandalwood fabric line, it can be found at the following stores. Many many other stores carry Island Batik and specifically Sandalwood fabrics, but I’ve kept my list to Washington State and Oregon – stores within my driving distance! The fabrics should be shipping soon!
Creative Union Fabric, Port Townsend, WA
Creekside Quilts, Gales, OR
Will-n-Bee’z, Salem, OR
To find stores that carry Island Batik fabrics, check the store locator HERE.
One Canadian Store that carries many of the collections seen in this blog hop is Lori’s Country Cottage. I visit it almost every time I visit my sister!
Lori’s Country Cottage, Sherwood Park, Alberta, CANADA
I never get tired of looking at snow capped mountains, especially in the Rockies … this was from our recent trip to Edmonton.
One Gift a Month
This month’s gift is a Drawstring Gift Bag with a Divider. You can go to Days Filled With Joy for information.
Once I had the fabric picked out (from my Island Batik stash), It was very quick to cut the bags out and make them. Would you believe that the hardest part was pulling out the bin with ribbon in it? That took me a week to ‘get a round to it.’ Once I had the ribbon cut, it was a simple matter to use my “Purple Thang” to pull the ribbon through the channels.
Why, oh WHY, does it take so long to do simple tasks?
I’m not sure what I’m going to do with these bags, but they are sure cute! And they will be ready for gifting!
A Finished Quilt
I absolutely LOVE it when participants from my classes send me pictures of their finished quilts! This was Marissa’s. Doesn’t it look fabulous? In this class, she learned how to use the easy angle ruler and strip piece.
Congratulations Marissa for finishing it!!!
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 – April: 117 /120
May: 7 / 7
Total: 117 / 120
Percentage: 97%
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!
This week’s finishes include:
Gift Bags (1 yard) (see above)
Yearly Tally:
Fabric Used the past week: 1 yard
Fabric Used in 2023: 87 yards from non-IB: 40
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 8.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 78.5 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 hosting “To Do” every week.
The To Do list from last week:I didn’t get a lot ticked off on my list … maybe this next week!
Finish May IB Challenge.√ DONE. including photo shoot and blog post!!! WooHoo!!!
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). not done
X’s & O’s: Add Border, Sandwich, Quilt & Bind not done border’s added and one is sandwiched
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Pack for the retreat: Wallets, test quilt for Brenda, June IB challenge, Retreat bag.
X’s & O’s#1 & #2: quilt and bind
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
I went to Edmonton to visit my sister and brother-in-law. While there, my sister and I pieced 2 tops. The pattern is Three & Change by GAIL SCHAFFLER and is available at Lori’s Country Cottage. There is a plethora of layout designs, but this was the one that was chosen for both quilts! They are intended as a “his & hers” wedding gift this summer.
It was tempting to bring these home with me to quilt, but I resisted. I really don’t have time to quilt them! But they would have been fun to quilt!
Piecing projects:
June IB challenge (The luscious teal and green 10″ stack)
Xs & Os.#1 & #2. – cut with Accuquilt dies. (misc pink is shown, blue & green not shown)
Quilting: These are all sandwiched and ready to quilt …
Nutcracker
Bird Panel
Current Blog Hop
Island Batik Blog Hop: Tool Craze: Week 2!!
My day is May 9
Each Ambassador was given a 1/2 yard of each fabric in a collection, along with coordinating fabric, as well as a Studio 180 tool … It’s going to be fun to see what each person creates! I received the beautiful Sandalwood collection and the Wedge Star tool.
If you visit Island Batik’s blog, HERE, you have an opportunity to win some awesome fabric. These fat quarter bundles are soooooo beautiful!!!
These little bags are April’s One Gift a month from Days Filled with Joy … I started them in April, finished in May. They both use Island Batik fabrics from different collections.
These are January and February’s gifts … since I made 2 in February, and March’s slipped away from me … That’s 5 gifts that I’ve made in 4 months … I figure that’s OK!
May’s gift of the Month won’t be posted until later this month as “days filled with Joy” has a lot on her plate.
Blog Hop
To see a recap of Week 1: visit Island Batik’s blog HERE.
Week 2 of Island Batik’s Blog Hop will start on Monday. My day is Tuesday!!!
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!!!
Let’s Get ‘er Done!
So, we’ve all got this list of UFOs to do. And we have the list of “NEW Starts in ’23” … Are you feeling overwhelmed?
We’re a third of the way through the year! Do you have a third of your UFOs done? It’s OK if you don’t, this isn’t a challenge where you have to get one done each month, but it does help.
So, let’s take one of your UFOs. It won’t get done sitting in it’s box, or stashed under the bed, or in the back of the closet. Get it out!
Decide what do you need to do? Can you start where you left off? Do you need to figure out where you left off? Whatever it is, DO IT!!!
Your UFO will get finished the same as everything else … one stitch at a time. Take the time to do at least 15 minutes of stitching today … if you can stitch for 30 minutes, then that’s even better!
Let’s get at least ONE UFO done before the end of May! Sound good?
My Brother in Law, Dale, LOVES puffy quilts! He Loves bright and cheerful quilts. I gifted him the puff quilt that I made for the February Island Batik challenge. Obviously, their little dog, Brûlée, loves it as well! You can read more about this Puff quilt HERE.
Stitching Stuff
Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!
I missed 1 days this week because I was travelling, so that was a total of 3 days missed so far this year!
January – March: 90 / 90
April: 27 / 30
Total: 117 / 120
Percentage: 97%
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!
May IB challenge : Sandelwood and the Wedge Star tool
June IB challenge (The luscious teal and green 10″ stack)
Xs & Os.#1 & #2. – cut with Accuquilt dies
Quilting: These are all sandwiched and ready to quilt …
IB Catalogue Quilt (not shown)
Nutcracker
Bird Panel
Current Blog Hop
Island Batik Blog Hop: Tool Craze: This Blog Hop starts TOMORROW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My day is May 9
Each Ambassador was given a 1/2 yard of each fabric in a collection, along with coordinating fabric, as well as a Studio 180 tool … It’s going to be fun to see what each person creates!
If you visit Island Batik’s blog, HERE, you have an opportunity to win some awesome fabric. These fat quarter bundles are soooooo beautiful!!!
Here’s the list of who’s participating in the blog hop this week:
This is my Melodic Mystery. Meadow Mist designs has a mystery quilt each year! I LOVE her patterns and the variety of quilts is amazing! Although I had the top done in time for the parade, I didn’t have it quilted … so I didn’t enter it into the parade. You can see the post with the parade HERE.
It was totally made from my stash. I used to collect Kansas Troubles, so it was easy to pull out a few charm packs and coordinating fabrics.
Here’s a picture of the quilting on the back. I did use Silly Moon “beanie” for the orange peal quilting and “rocket” for the straight line quilting … the rest was FMQ. Hobbs 80/20 is in the middle.
Cheryl has 7 mystery quilts and the clues are still available on her blog. You can check them out HERE. She will be hosting another mystery quilt starting in July 6. It will be called “Malted Mystery.” I’m pretty sure I’ll be joining in!
Trunk Show
In my last post, I told you that I had done a trunk show in person, in Hope, BC. I also mentioned that because my husband was helping to hold up the quilts, I didn’t get any pictures. Well, Maureen saw the post and immediately sent me a bundle of pictures! Thank you Maureen for being so willing to share your photos!
I started with some of my older quilts (not shown), then what my husband calls the “Bonnie Hunter years” (first 3 quilts – although I showed more of them.) Then a collection of Island Batik quilts with an Irish chain thrown in (from a class I teach). And I finished with several mini quilts.
I did a trunk show in Hope B.C. It was a lovely group of ladies!!! It was fun to meet them! My husband helped hold up the quilts, so I didn’t get any pictures of the actual trunk show. Thank you HOPE for inviting me!
One of the ladies at the meeting had participated in the Stay at Home Round Robin and brought her quilt for me to see! So fun! It was fantastic to see it in person! And so much bigger than I had thought! I loved looking at all the different fabrics that she used! Thanks, Charlene!
One Gift a Month
This month’s gift is a Drawstring Gift Bag with a Divider. You can go to Days Filled With Joy for information and the link on this cute bag. I’ll definitely be making one!
I’ve picked out the fabric … just need to start cutting … I might make 2 … without the divider.
Stitching Stuff
Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!
I missed 2 days this week because I was travelling.
January – March: 90 / 90
April: 20 / 22
Total: 110 / 112
Percentage: 98%
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!
This is my finished Bonnie Hunter Mystery: Chilhowie. I used scraps of Island Batik to make this. Interestingly, I still have a LOT of scraps left!!!
Quilt Stats:
size: 78″ x 78″
fabrics: Island Batik scraps from many collections
batting: Hobbs 80/20
Quilted and Pieced with Aurifil thread #2600: Dove Grey
Wild Quilting: anything goes.
When you make a quilt as busy as this one, it’s a great quilt to do wild or graffiti quilting. It was a LOT of fun to quilt!!! I demonstrated wild quilting at a guild function … it was fun to have different people tell me what to quilt next. And yes, I did have a page full of motifs that are appropriate for wild quilting!
Joan, from Moose Stash Quilting came up with this fun theme! She said, “We have all heard that our quilts speak to us, so just what are they saying?”
There are a zillion quilting memes out there, for example:
When life gives you scraps, make quilts
I only quilt on days that end in “y”
And here’s a few memes that I found on Google!
But, I didn’t choose any of the above!
I was at a retreat at Over The Rainbow Lodge (on Camano Island, Washington State) a couple of weeks ago and I saw this wall hanging. Of course, I had to buy the panel and quilt it up! I used some of my stash for the border, binding and backing.
“What happens at a Quilt Retreat … Stays at a Quilt Retreat”
While at the retreat, a dear friend of mine had 2 sewing machine covers: one for her computerized machine and one for her featherweight. I thought it was a fantastic idea and that this panel would be perfect for a machine cover.
I decided that it needed a label. I took the “Iron on Quilt Labels” book, found the sewing machine label and pressed the design directly onto the back of this little quilt. Using my “Stained” Sharpie markers, I traced the image and put the information in.
Here is a closeup of the quilting … Baptist fan using the 2″, 4″, 6″ and 8″ Silly Moon Beanie rulers and a free motion loop-d-loop in the border. Then a loop-d-loop decorative stitch on the binding!
I’m going to a another retreat in May and I’ll be taking this quilt to cover my machine at night!
Other Blog Hoppers
Here’s a list of all the bloggers that are participating in the blog hop!!! Be sure to visit each one – you’ll be amazed at what THEIR quilts say to them!
This month’s gift is a Drawstring Gift Bag with a Divider. You can go to Days Filled With Joy for information and the link on this cute bag. I’ll definitely be making one! Just need to pick out the fabric and what I’ll use for the drawstring!
Monthly Colour Challenge
This month’s colour is Olive Green. You can access the free block pattern (until the end of the month) HERE.
Here is my block and the first 4 blocks of the month:
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 – February: 59/ 59
March: 31 /31
April: 16 / 16
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!
No shopping this week!!! So no fabric was bought! However, this Crazy Quilt was finished and used 6.5 yards of fabric!
Fabric Used the past week: 6.5 yards
Fabric Used in 2023: 58 yards from non-IB: 23
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 8.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 49.5 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 hosting “To Do” every week.
The To Do list from last week:I didn’t get a lot ticked off on my list … maybe this next week!
Sandwich, Quilt & Bind: IB Catalogue Quilt: Not done
Quilt Melodic Mystery. finish quilting and bind. √ DONE
Quilt Gardenia: This will be finished after I teach the class. It’s now hanging at Essem. Not done
Bind Chilhowie: √ DONE
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). Not done
X’s & O’s: Add Border, Quilt & Bind Not done. Border added, but it’s not sandwiched or quilted
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Sort through quilts and organize for the Hope in-person Trunk Show.
Sandwich, Quilt & Bind: IB Catalogue Quilt
Work on May IB Challenge
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing).
X’s & O’s: Add Border, Quilt & Bind
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
We were challenged to make a Crazy Quilt using the Colour Builder thread set that Aurifil provided us with! The project could be any size and anything! We were to use decorative stitches to highlight the thread.
I was given “Golden Shrimp Plant.” This plant is from Peru and is “also known as the Golden Candle Plant ... It attracts hummingbirds, butterflies, and is resistant to deer… it is a popular houseplant.” This information and the pictures below are from Aurifil: https://www.aurifil.com/golden-shrimp-plant
I decided to use a 10″ stack of Island Batik‘s Opulent Orange. Aren’t they absolutely gorgeous? I paired it with “Marble Frog.” I originally was thinking grey or black, but I really liked Marble Frog much better!
First, I cut (20) 10″ squares of Hobbs Batting, 80/20 batting.
20 squares of Opulent Orange were divided into groups of 4.
I pressed all of the squares on my Prairie Spirit Alpacas mat. Then I chose a group of 4 squares and placed them on the cutting mat.
Then I randomly cut the stack of 4 squares. Then I arranged the fabrics so that each one was in a different location. The top left segment had the top fabric placed to the bottom of the pile. The top right segment had the top 2 fabrics placed to the bottom of the pile. The bottom right segment had the top 3 fabrics placed to the bottom of the pile. Each set of blocks (there are 4) was pinned to a 10″ square of batting
Then the Quilt-as-you-go started.
the first 2 pieces were sewn with right sides together
the seam was pressed
A decorative stitch was sewn from end to end
The next pieces were sewn into place. First the gold fabric, then the orange fabric
The block was then squared to 9 1/2” square. A 1/2” line was drawn around the cut block. The picture shows both the 3/4” line and the 1/2” line. You only need to mark the 1/2” line. Cut the sashing strip at 2″ wide. The sashing was lined up against this line and sewn on with a 1/4” seam. The last picture shows the sashing pressed into place.
I used my Stitch in the Ditch foot to guide the stitches and Schmetz Needles for the stitching.
A KID IN A CANDY SHOP!!!
I had a blast picking different decorative stitches to use! I used over 100 different stitches. I remember when I bought my Janome M7, they were emphasizing how many decorative stitches it had. I laughed! When would I ever use them?? Well, now the laugh is on me. I used almost every one!
I was telling my husband how much fun it was to use all the different stitches. He said I was behaving like a Kid in a Candy Shop! So that’s name of the quilt!
The picture below shows the variations of the different threads.
A photo shoot on the rocks in my neighbours front yard.
Judy sent me her pictures from the retreat! The first ones are the view from the house, the house, and a garden down the road. The next is an example of the yummy food we had … and of course, pictures of quilts in the making!
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 – February: 59/ 59
March: 31 /31
April: 9 / 9
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!
Well, I was at a retreat at Over the Rainbow last week and that’s just plain dangerous as far as fabric purchases go. I bought 5 yards of Island Batik fabric … a solid white and that yummy fan fabric. Plus I bought a panel that I’ll quilt in the near future (you’ve got a peek view of it at the top of the picture).
Nothing was finished this week, but LOTS of things in progress!
Fabric Used the past week: 0 yards
Fabric Used in 2023: 51.5 yards from non-IB: 20
Fabric Bought this week: 5.5 yards
Fabric Added this year: 8.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 43 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 hosting “To Do” every week.
The To Do list from last week: I didn’t get a lot ticked off on my list … maybe this next week!
Quilt Melodic Mystery.Not Done partially done. Binding is ready
Quilt Gardenia.Not Done partially done
Bind ChilhowieNot Done binding is cut
Quilt Bird Panels.Not Done
Quilt NutcrackerNot Done
Finish April IB project.√ DONE. If it ever quits raining, I’ll take some pictures!!!!
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). Not Done
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Sandwich, Quilt & Bind: IB Catalogue Quilt
Quilt Melodic Mystery. finish quilting and bind
Quilt Gardenia. This will be finished after I teach the class. It’s now hanging at Essem.
Bind Chilhowie
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing).
X’s & O’s: Add Border, Quilt & Bind
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
We were at Over The Rainbow Lodge on Camano Island for almost a week. It’s a beautiful place to retreat! And, since we’re an established group, we’re booked in until 2030!!!! WOOHOO!!!
I think all 12 people that attended the retreat enjoyed themselves … lots and lots of sewing and laughter!
We took turns cooking supper and had fabulous gourmet meals!!! DELICIOUS!!!
As I was preparing this blog post, I realized that I didn’t get any pictures of the food, the snack counter (TONS!), or of the 12 people sewing in one room and having fun!
I didn’t get a picture of each of the projects that people were working on … there was a great variety and a LOT of creativity happening! Here’s a few pictures of what was happening:
Pillow cases, kits from quilts, jelly roll quilts, quilts using templates, hand sewn hexi quilt, tiny tiny pieces, 3 yard quilts, scrappy quilts, coordinated quilts …. so many different things happening!
I know someone is going to ask … the dog chart was found on Pinterest and Kandy used 5″ blocks to make the quilt.
What did I work on?
I attempted to quilt my Melodic Mystery, but it was difficult on a smaller machine, eventually I gave up. The Black & white photo is of an Island Batik catalogue quilt and the top is completed! The blocks for the X’s & O’s were completed and the top is almost done. I just need to add the border …
The Melodic Mystery is made with Kansas Troubles fabric. The other 2 quilts are Island Batik fabric. The X’s & O’s were cut with Accuquilt
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!!!
Let’s re-visit Procrastination!
OK … this is me … today
This week I’ve been SEW busy, I honestly can’t believe where the time has gone!
First, it was working with the hosts of the SAHRR to choose the winners, contact the sponsors and just get everything organized. Finally, on Wednesday, the last piece was put into place. (see the list of winners below).
Then, I was attempting to finish 2 quilts before I leave for the retreat. Neither will get totally finished.
Next, I need to gather all the junk wonderful fabric and supplies that I want to take.
Project #1: cutting fabric, counting blocks, making sure that I have enough pieces (baby stars #2)
Same for Project #2. (X & Os)
Project #3 is ready. (haven’t touched it since I went to the last retreat!) (UFO – wallet)
Project #4 I need to figure out what thread I’m going to use for quilting … (Melodic Mystery)
Project #5. …. Really Gail, do you NEED to take 5 projects? But I will take the Island Batik catalogue quilt … just in case I run out of things to do!
This retreat has us doing our own cooking … so there was baking involved … and gathering food items.
I need clean clothes to take to the retreat – so there’s laundry to do …
So … what do I do now?
First, I need to take a deep breath and realize that I can’t do everything!!!
Prioritize what NEEDS to be done.
First, I can’t possibly finish the 2 quilts before I go. So they will have to wait.
My laundry must be done. I can’t take dirty clothes to a retreat when I’m surrounded by other people!
Do I really need to do the baking? Can I buy what I was going to bake? Of course I can!
Do I need to gather food items? Yes.
Do I need to prepare projects for the retreat? Absolutely!!!
My Tally Sheets
I finished 1 UFOs this month. It’s my SAHRR ’23!!! I’m in LOVE with this quilt! (it used Island Batik fabrics, Aurifil thread and Hobbs batting). You can read more about it HERE.
4 NEW starts were finished this month. The Little Green Apple Clam-Up bags, the bags for the guild, the Ruler Quilting Quilt and the Bargello Quilt. All used Island Batik fabrics, except for the bags for the guild.
If you want to keep track of your own progress, please feel free to download the 2023 Template.
Here’s a list of the winners! Congratulations to each one! And a special “Thank YOU” to all of the sponsors! We couldn’t have done it without your generous gifts!
Island Batik fat quarter bundle: Mari @ Academic Quilter
Island Batik fat quarter bundle: Julie Ann @ Quilts and Costumes
Island Batik fat quarter bundle: Janice @ Sing Read Sew.com
Hobbs Wool Batt: Bernie @ Needle & Foot
Aurfil Thread: Heather F
Oliso Mini Iron : Laura Kate @ Daily Fiber Fun
Pattern from For the Love of Geese (Denise): Dawn at Quilting by Dawn
Prairie Spirit Alpaca Pressing Mat: Diann at Little Penguin Quilts
Gift Certificate of choice from Chris: Carol @ Quilt Schmidt
Fat Quarter Shop Gift Certificate: Gretchen from Gretchen’s Little Quilts
MSQ Gift Certificate from Roseanne: Joy at The Joyful Quilter
And again, the picture of Roseanne, Anja, Gail & Emily doing the draw! We had the list, a random number generator and a fun time!
Roseanne (top left), Anja (bottom left), me (top right) and Emily (bottom right) got together by zoom to choose the winners. We had the list of participants, the linky parties they joined, the list of prizes and a random number generator! It was fast, fun and great to “meet” each other!
Not all winners have responded to me (I contacted them either in their email, blog comments or IG accounts) and they have until Monday evening to do so. If we haven’t heard from them by then, then we will be drawing for more winners. Here is who I’m waiting to hear from: (please email me at quiltinggail@yahoo.ca). Thank you! All other winners have been notified.
Janice from Sing Read Sew.com
Laura Kate – Daily Fiber Fun
Diann at Little Penguin Quilts
If you know Janice, Laura Kate or Diann, please tell them to contact me! Thank you!
One Gift a Month Challenge
Days Filled with Joy is hosting this challenge. March’s gift is a Round Quilted Pot Holders. See HERE for the tutorial. And no, I haven’t started to think about what fabric I’m going to use!
Now that March is almost over … I’m sort-of wondering if I’ll make this gift? I made 2 in February – so does that count? LOL!!!
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 – February: 59/ 59
March: 26 /26
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 the last 2 weeks, I’ve used 6 yards for the bargello quilt, 12.5 yards for the free motion ruler quilting quilt. and 2 yards for the “Little Green Apples”
No further fabric purchases since my last report;
Fabric Used the past 2 weeks: 20.5 yards
Fabric Used in 2023: 51.5 yards from non-IB: 20
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 3 yards
Net Fabric used: 48.5 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 hosting “To Do” every week.
The To Do list from last week: I didn’t get a lot ticked off on my list … maybe this next week!
Quilt Melodic Mystery.Not Done
Quilt Gardenia.Not Done
Quilt ChilhowieNot Done I started this – did a short demo of wild quilting at a guild function.
Quilt Bird Panels.Not Done
Quilt NutcrackerNot Done
Start April IB project.√ DONE
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). Not Done
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes √ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
This week’s list:
The purple text items are my priority. If I get beyond those, I’ll be extremely happy!
Pack for the upcoming retreat!
Quilt Melodic Mystery.
Quilt Gardenia.
Quilt Chilhowie
Quilt Bird Panels.
Quilt Nutcracker
Finish April IB project.
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing).
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
The May/June issue of McCalls Quilting is now on the magazine racks!
The quilt arrived at my house the same day that I found the magazine in the grocery store!! This is a picture of the quilt that I took in mid-October, the day before it was sent to Colorado for it’s photo shoot.
Island Batik fabrics are used for this quilt! Wild Blooms is the colourful fabrics and will be available in stores in May. The rich dark blue is “Ravine” and is perfect for setting off the star!
If you want the pattern for this quilt, it is included in the magazine!
Quilt Stats:
68″ x 68″
Hobbs 80/20 is in the middle
Quilted with Aurifil Thread
The back is “Ravine,” an Island Batik basic.
I was Featured!
Jennifer, from Inquiring Quilter featured my SAHRR quilt! I was thrilled to see that 4 other SAHRR quilts were also featured! See THIS POST for more details
This month’s challenge is to make something of our own choosing. I had SEW many ideas! The hardest part was choosing exactly what I wanted to do! I often do at least one extra Island Batik project each month, but this is a little different. I didn’t want the project to be suggested for a blog hop, but I wanted it to be something I’ve been wanting to do! SEW, I decided to do 2 different projects.
#1 Bargello Quilt
I was given a 2 1/2” strip set of Prairie Dreams. Isn’t it beautiful???? Island Batik also included 2 yards of Chalk and 2 yards of Slate.
I had recently seen a number of different bargello quilts. I wanted it to have a random, scrappy look, so I arranged the strips in a manner that I thought was fun. I added (2) 2 1/2” strips of Chalk and a 6 1/2” strip of Slate. Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of all the strips sewn together.
Here’s a picture of some of the strips at the beginning.
The strips were sewn into a loop. Then, I cut strips of various widths from 3″ to 1.” Then I arranged them on the design board, and “unstitched” one portion of each loop. Amazingly, I only had to re-sew one strip where I “unstitched” the wrong one!
Here’s a close-up of the walking foot quilting. I just did a ‘straight-ish’ line through each block.
If I was to make this quilt again, I would make the smallest cut 1 1/2” or 2″. The 1″ cuts were a bit small (for me!)
Binding: Island Batik “Slate”, Thread: Aurifil 2785
#2 Ruler Quilting
I’ve been wanting to improve my ruler quilting and have had the Jewel Quilt book for quite some time with good intentions to follow the book’ ‘s directions and make this quilt.
Prepping the fabric: I started out by cutting all of the fabric, using Island Batik solids with a different colour-way for each side of the quilt. Ghost is the only ‘non-solid’ that I used, but it reads as a solid. Then I sandwiched them with Hobbs Batting 80/20.
Side #1
Side # 2
grey
ghost
turquoise
green
pink
red
cobalt
dark grey
fuchsia
orange
After sandwiching each of the segments, I pressed them on both sides using my Prairie Spirit Alpacas pressing mat. It made them super smooth!
Marking the blocks: I tested a water soluble marker and then marked the blocks.
Here’s a picture of some of the first individual blocks in progress:
This project used a LOT of thread. No, not a full cone, but I use this thread a LOT … it’s my favourite go-to and it goes with just about every single fabric!
I used Aurifil Thread #2600, Dove Grey for all of the quilting. Schmetz Needles: 2 Microtex 80/12 were used for the quilting and binding. Why 2, you ask? Because about 3/4 of the way through, I could hear that ‘thud’ that indicates you need a new needle.
It was actually pretty easy to use the rulers on the small pieces. Sort of like your sample sandwiches when you’re learning to quilt. HOWEVER, once the blocks were quilted, they needed to be assembled in a quilt-as-you-go manner. This involved HAND sewing. UGGG!!!! My hands can only handle hand sewing for about 15 minutes – so sewing the blocks together took a LONG time.
Here is a picture of the scrappy binding being sewn on … only one Schmetz Needles Microtex Chrome 80/12 left … guess I might need to go shopping! (grin)
Here is the finish on one side … If you look closely at the grey segments, you’ll notice that the upper and lower segments are slightly different than the right and left segments. I had to add some variety!
And the finish on the opposite side. It’s totally reversible!
And some close up pictures!
I must admit, that I’m totally amazed that I quilted this quilt!!! It was certainly easier to do once I marked the fabrics. Generally, I’m a “no Mark” person and a “just go for it” person. But, it was certainly worth it!!
In February, I made a puff quilt using Island Batik’s “Fruit and Veggies” fabric line. As I looked at the fabric, I knew, without a doubt, that I’d be using some of the fabric for this blog hop.
The Clam UP pattern is a byAnnie pattern and I made the Large, Medium, Small and Extra-Small sizes.
Apples-Green Pineneedle (Large and Small outer)
Apples – Multi Blue Green (Medium and Extra-Small outer)
Dot – Teal Aqua (Lining)
Stone – Multi Blue Green (Various Tabs, Side Panel, bindings)
Cheerios – Multi Blue Green (Various Tabs, Side Panel, bindings)
I thoroughly enjoyed using this fabric for this blog hop!!!
Here they are in front of our first daffodil of the season!
And sitting in the apple tree … without a single sign of a blossom!
They nest inside each other !!
Other bloggers!
Here are the links to all the other bloggers participating in this hop! Be sure to visit each one as I’m 100% positive there will be a lot of creativity shown!
Quilting Gail 