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!!!
Is this you?
So … did you get a UFO worked on in June? Or did you spend the month eating cookies?
Me … well, I do like cookies … especially Oatmeal Chocolate Chip … and Snickerdoodles … and what our family calls “horse poop” cookies …
OK … so I didn’t get a UFO done this month. I posted about one on the “When Pigs Fly” blog hop, but that was finished in May (even though I counted it in June because of the blog hop).
I can’t be eating cookies all the time, so my goal for July is to get out a UFO and FINISH it!
As I was writing this … I decided to pull out the UFO I was thinking of … It’s this Amish panel that I cut apart and added sashing. I just need to add borders, sandwich it, quilt and bind it and I can call it done.
Now that I’ve shown my intention … it will motivate me to work on it and get ‘er DONE!!! (And the added bonus, I also discovered that I had the backing in the container – so that makes one less decision that is needed!).
My Tally Sheets
I finished lots this month. You can read about the Pieced Backs HERE and the Crazy Quilts HERE.
If you want to keep track of your own progress, please feel free to download the 2023 Template.
June’s gift is Little Gift Pouches. You can go to Days Filled With Joy for information and the link to her tutorial. She initially made the pouches for tea bags, but they can be used for many different gift ideas: lip balm, gift cards, … you get the idea! And the bonus is that they take less than 5 minutes to make. I know it’ll take me longer to pick out the fabric and ribbon! 😊
So far for the One Gift a Month, I have made gifts for January, February, April and May.
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 – May: 147 /150
June: 25/ 25
Total: 172 / 175
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!
The following quilts used 17 yards of fabric.
Yearly Tally:
Fabric Used the last week: 17 yards
Fabric Used in 2023: 131.5 yards from non-IB: 52
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 12.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 119 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 2 weeks ago:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing) In Progress
Finish the Secret Project#1 for Kelly Young’s new book √ DONE and posted
Finish the Secret Project#2 for Kelly Young’s new book. √ DONE and posted
Lone Star Left-overs – make back √ DONE and posted
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing)
Finish project for “Picnic Party” Blog Hop
“Pin Dot Blossoms“
Island Batik October challenge
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Kelly Young has done it again!!! She has a fantastic new book out that you will absolutely LOVE!!!
This book has an amazing number of quilt backs in different sizes … some backings are scrappy and use left-overs and others use stash.
One bonus is that there are 18 FREE downloadable patterns that you can make for the front of the quilt to go with the backing – or vs versa.
This book is available at Essem Textiles now! Phone or order your book right away!
I am going to show you 1 front and 4 backs that I made using this book, “Perfectly Pieced Backs!”
Back #1 – Plus Front
This is the quilt top “front” I decided to make: It’s called “Waverunner.” It is one of the 18 free patterns available with the book!
Cutting out this quilt was very very quick!
I was working on the ‘front’ while I was at a guild sewing day and the ladies were thrilled to get a sneak peak of a book that was not available to purchase – yet! 🥹
Now, the first thing you’ll notice is that mine is not done in teals / blues … I used purple and green fabrics from the Island Batik fabric collection called “Napa Valley.” And, my quilt is smaller although the blocks are the same size. I just didn’t make as many because I didn’t have enough of the fabric from the collection to make more.
As I was piecing the front, I quickly realized that it was the perfect opportunity to make half-squared triangles instead of discarding the excess fabric. I made a lot of HST.
Here is my completed top.
And all those HST I made? I decided to join them into groups and sort-of follow the backing for “Islands.” I didn’t have focus fabric for the “Islands,” so I thought that making my own ‘Islands’ would work. My ‘Islands’ used up all of the HSTs! Perfect – no left-overs!
Here’s my “Islands” placed into the back. I paired them with the background fabric “Wheat-Dusk,” also from the Napa Valley fabric collection. The quilt was quilted with “Wild” or “Graffiti” quilting – Anything goes!
Backing #2
I made a top called “Lone Star Left-overs” (right). Yes, I used left-overs from the lone star quilt I made earlier this year (picture on the left).
I took a lot of the pieces and made “Crosses.” I used the “Cross Purposes” backing as my inspiration. The “Crosses” were made from scraps. Again the quilt was quilted with “Wild” or “Graffiti” quilting! So easy and quick!
Backing #3
I can’t show you the front of this quilt – YET – because it was made as a test quilt and the pattern is not available until later this year. However, I can show you the back! And, you probably notice that it’s not even sandwiched, let alone quilted! This is based on the backing pattern, “Every Little Bit.” The fabric scraps are from Island Batik’s “Wild Blooms” fabric collection.
Backing #4
Earlier this month, I showed you my June Island Batik challenge with flying geese. You can read more about it HERE.
My inspiration for the back was “Coin Strip.” I made 2 strips and here is the back:
Book Review
As with all of Kelly’s books, this one is very well written!!! The directions are very easy to follow and the diagrams are great! There are multiple sizes for each of the backings! Of course, the 18 free lap sized patterns are also well written and easy to download.
One of my former concerns with backings that have straight lines is getting it straight. I inevitably have them crooked and off set and anything but straight. Kelly has that covered in this book with clear directions on how to get you backs straight! My backs turned out straight! Thank you, Kelly!
This book is available at several online stores: Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Connecting Threads, and Missouri Star to name a few. However if you want a signed copy by the author, you can get it from her Etsy shop HERE.
Along with all the backing patterns, links to 18 additional patterns, this book also features full quilt finishing instructions.
This book will definitely be a fantastic addition to your quilting library!
Other Bloggers
Here is a list of the other bloggers that are posting today with their “Perfectly Pieced Backs.” I can’t wait to visit each blog and see what they made!
Joan, of Moose Stash Quilting dreamed up this blog hop!!! At first I wasn’t sure if I could do a quilt with a pig on it. Boy, was I not thinking or paying attention!!!! Of course, with the PHD in 2023 happening on my blog, this blog hop is right up my alley!
Of course I have PIGS
PIGS: (Projects In Grocery Sacks)… they might not be in grocery sacks, but I have them!!!
UFOs??? (UnFinished Objects) Of course, I have a list … and I keep finding more!!
WIPS (Works in Progress) … usually many many of those!
Here’s what Joan had to say in May: Our next month’s challenge is all about those pesky projects that we haven’t finished. If you haven’t joined already, you might want to look in the corners of your sewing area and see if there isn’t something you can finish and share with us, too!
It’s never too late to finish a PIG, UFO or WIP … but you can certainly go find one and work on it!
My “When Pigs Fly”
I’ve had my 2022 “Nutcracker” (by Helen Godden) on my To Do list as a UFO since Christmas. I decided it was time … time to ‘get-er-done’!
I have done several projects, guided by Helen Godden. You can visit her website HERE … she has some free patterns and there are Youtube videos to guide you in your quilting. The first picture is “Flower Power” and each block is around 8-9″ square (you can read about it HERE) and the 2nd picture is the Merry Christmas from 2020 or ’21.
I had outlined the Nutcracker with a sharpie. and had coloured it in with Inktense pencils. I used Aloe Vera to set the colour, sandwiched it with Hobbs Batting – Thermore (which is perfect for wall hangings) … and it has sat and sat and sat …
In May, I pulled it out … and started to work on it. The first thing I needed to do was all of the outlining with black thread. I used Aurifil Thread #2692. I started that and within about 30 minutes, I was bored. I did think about tossing it aside, but I resisted. I looked at the youtube video to see what the December 1 stitching was. It was the cap/crown. OK … so I continued to do the outlining until I reached the cap/crown. Figuring that I would do the rest of the outlining as I went along! December 1 was the cap/crown … easy peasy, December 2 was the red part of the crown … easy peasy … and on it went … checking out each day and stitching as directed.
I didn’t take a picture of each day’s directions, but I took a few as I went along. I completed the quilting in about 3 days … doing a little here and a little there. (So I obviously did not do one day at a time!)
In the following pictures, you should be able to see the progress … and yes, the definite imperfections!
When I went to outline the “Merry Christmas,” I realized that Helen had coloured hers in black. So, I pulled out my trusty “Stained” Sharpies and coloured mine in as well. This was easier and faster than pulling out my Inktense pencils and Aloe Vera gel.
Here is my finished Nutcracker from the back. I cut out 3″ squares of the binding fabric and folded it in half to give me the corner hangers.
And from the front where I used Aurifil Thread #2311 (Muslin) for the background quilting.
Other Piggy Participants
Here’s a list of everyone that’s participating in the blog hop! I’m exited to see what everyone’s been working on!
Here is my finish. It’s left-overs from a lone star quilt that I made earlier this year using Island Batik’s Naturescape fabric collection, solid grey and a blender. You can read about the Lone Star HERE. I will show you a close-up of the back next week when I showcase “Perfectly Pieced Backs” a new book by Kelly Young.
Quilt Stats:
48″ X 55″
Hobbs 80/20 is in the middle
Wild / Grafitti quilting
Island Batik Fabric: Naturescape, Solid Grey and Blender: BE24-E2
Did you see my Island Batik Fly Away challenge? I had a lot of fun making and quilting this!!! You can read more about it HERE.
This table runner used Island Batik’s “Maple Island,” Solid grey & Midnight Blue fabrics. The Wing Clipper Tool by Studio 180 was used to make the flying geese. It was pieced with Aurifil, on my Singer Featherweight, using Schmetz needles. The quilting was done on my domestic sewing machine, Janome M7.
Remember:I’m wondering if I’m Going Crazy?
Last week, when I was wondering if I was going crazy and I had said that I didn’t swear (the walking foot on my sewing machine would not work) see HERE for the full story.
Pat had commented in the comments, “Sometimes you just need to use your ‘sewing words’ eg “Oh, baste it!” Or mutter mutter- “edgestitch”. It’s the tone that matters and often, by the time you’ve said something like, a smile comes to your face. I encourage ‘sewing words’ and find others come up some I’ve never considered like “Rotary cutter” or something other.”
I LOVE this idea!!! 🩷 🩵 💜 So, in the future, if I’m sewing with you and I use my ‘sewing words’ in THAT tone of voice, you can smile and laugh with me!
One Gift a Month
May’s gift is Soup Bowl Cozies. You can go to Days Filled With Joy for information and links to several different on-line tutorials.
So far for the One Gift a Month, I have made January’s, February’s, and April’s gifts.
May’s gift was Soup Bowl Cozies … mine were made in June! I found 2 more squares of Pumpkin spice and made 2 bowl cozies. The pattern I followed was HERE. I did 2 things differently. (1) Before turning the cozy right side out, I clipped all the corners, ensuring that I did not clip through the stitching. (2) I did 2 rows of top stitching … the 1/4” as directed, then I added an 1/8” so I wouldn’t need to hand stitch.
June’s One Gift A Month hasn’t been posted yet … hopefully soon!
New Classes
I’m teaching 2 classes at Essem. The first one is the Hugs and Kisses quilt. You will come with your fabric and use my Accuquilt to cut out perfectly sized pieces! The quilt will go together easily!
The other class is a Quilt-as-you-go table runner, using decorative stitches on your machine. Come and have some fun with this technique.
Once you make the table runner, it’s easy sailing to make a quilt!
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 – May: 147 /150
June: 11/ 11
Total: 158 / 161
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!
The fabrics for the Quilt-as-you-go Quilt were from Essem, so they don’t count. However, most of the fabric from the Quilt-as-you-go table runner and the bowl cozies were from my stash, as was the Flying Geese table topper. 4.5 yards
No shopping. No fabric added!
Yearly Tally:
Fabric Used the last week: 4.5 yards
Fabric Used in 2023: 115.5 yards from non-IB: 51
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 12.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 103 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:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). In Progress … the quilt is quilted … I just need to sit down and finish writing the pattern.
Make the Crazy quilt with Decorative stitches for Essem … I’m teaching this class in a few weeks. √ DONE
Finish the Secret Project#1 for Kelly Young’s new book – I’ll be telling you all about it later this month! In Progress
Finish the Secret Project#2 for Kelly Young’s new book In Progress
Lone Star Left-overs – get it to a flimsy stage √ DONE (see photo under “design wall”)
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing)
Finish the Secret Project#1 for Kelly Young’s new book
Finish the Secret Project#2 for Kelly Young’s new book
Lone Star Left-overs – make back
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
#1 Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book (mostly the purples and greens from the Island Batik Napa Valley collection) Top is done … back is being pieced
#2 Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book. (Island Batik, “Wild Blooms”) Top is done … back is being pieced
Lone-Star Left-overs (Island Batik “Naturescape”) Top is completed, back is being pieced
Quilting:
I’m hoping to get the piecing projects to the quilting stage this week!
Here’s what Island Batik had to say about this challenge:
This month, your challenge is to use one of the four Strip or Stack precut bundles that you received in your December box and play with the versatile Flying Geese blocks to create a fun quilt or table runner! Your project must use Flying Geese blocks as the focus but you can combine other blocks to enhance the project.
What makes Flying Geese quilts so popular? First, blocks can be used in a variety of quilt designs, from traditional to modern, and arranged in rows, columns, diagonals, and more, making them a versatile choice for quilters. Second, flying geese blocks are relatively easy to make and require only basic sewing skills. Third, the flying geese design creates a sense of movement and visual interest in a quilt, making it eye-catching and dynamic. We can’t wait to see your Flying Geese quilt!
Well, a couple of years ago, I would have totally disagreed with Island Batik. I certainly didn’t find them easy to piece unless I was paper piecing … which isn’t a favourite of mine. However, I have discovered the perfect way to make flying geese … more about that later in this post.
I went to EQ8 to play with flying geese and fabrics. I decided to use the beautiful stack of 10″ squares from the Island Batik fabric collection “Maple Island” designed by Kathy Engle.
While I was playing and designing, I paired the fabric with Island Batik’s solid grey and this is what I came up with.
To make the flying geese, I used Studio 180’s Wing Clipper Tool. Using it guarantees PERFECT flying geese EVERY SINGLE TIME!
The 1st picture is of sewing flying geese in progress on my featherweight … a new package of Schmetz Needles at the ready. (There was already a Schmetz needle in the machine.) Then, using the Studio 180 Wing Clipper Tool to square up the flying geese and the 3rd picture is of the pretty pieces that were trimmed off.
The star points are flying geese blocks.
Once I had my star blocks and the flying geese sashing blocks made, I put them on my design wall. OH DEAR!!! It did not look as good as it did in EQ8!!! It looked washed out … I was not happy!!! So, I auditioned the blocks on the 2 coordinating fabrics that I was sent:
I was still not totally happy … although “Seaweed” was better than “Dot Sky,” I still wasn’t happy. I pulled out lots of different fabric from my Island Batik stash. The solid black was better, but not quite ‘just right.’ Then “Midnight Blue” was the perfect one! Midnight Blue almost looks black, but it has mottled bits of blue in it.
It was super hot (35oC or 95oF) when I was piecing this … so I set up my featherweight outside and was enjoying the warmth! And yes, that’s my grand-dog “Daphne” supervising! Plus, you can see that I use a cone of Aurifil Thread when I’m piecing.
I decided that I would do an all-over quilting pattern and feathers was the perfect choice to go with flying geese!
Aurifil Thread #6734 (Swallow), 40 wt was the perfect colour for this table topper. Hobbs Batting Thermore is inside and is just right for a light-weight topper! And, as per my usual, it was quilted on my domestic Janome M7 sewing machine.
Here is my flying geese table topper. There are 92 flying geese … 4 flying geese to make each star and there are 4 flying geese in each of the 17 blocks that surround the star blocks. This is 25″ x 36.”
This picture shows the feathers much better than the front picture!
Where can I find Maple Island?
Here’s a partial list of where you can find Maple Island. Check with your local quilt store and ask!
Last week, on Monday, I was teaching at Essem and we were looking at walking foot quilting. My machine wouldn’t work with the walking foot on it. Dang! I couldn’t figure out what was wrong. The class participants were stellar and so I didn’t need to demonstrate on my machine. When I came home, I pulled the machine out and it worked like a charm. I was relieved that it wouldn’t need to go to the machine doctor or have a spa appointment!
Fast forward to Friday. I went to a Quilt-as-you-Go workshop. When I got there, I set up my machine. I put the extension table in place, with the slip slide thing taped in place. Turned on my machine. The walking foot wouldn’t work! WHAT???? Knowing that I needed it, or at the very least, I wanted to use it, I sat and stared (maybe GLARED) at it. I did not swear – promise! 🤪
The feed dogs were not working. WHY? The feed dogs were not lowered. I checked that! What is wrong???
I stared glared some more … and then it hit me! DUH!!! DUH!!! DUH!!! The slip slide thingy is good for free motion, but it does cover up the feed dogs. As soon as I removed it, the walking foot worked like a charm!
Yup, sometimes I think I’m going crazy!
Classic Cars: Monthly Colour Challenge
May’s Classic Car colour is Grey …. Visit Patterns by Jen HERE for your free download of this month’s block …
Here’s my May block, followed by the January, February, March, April and May blocks … I know that I ‘stretched’ the grey colour a bit, but I’m trying to use up my bits and pieces of Island Batik scraps and this seemed to fit the bill!
One Gift a Month
May’s gift is Soup Bowl Cozies. You can go to Days Filled With Joy for information and links to several different on-line tutorials.
So far for the One Gift a Month, I have made January’s, February’s, and April’s gifts.
Yes, I will be making Soup Bowl Cozies … soon, it obviously won’t be in May! Here is the fabric for my bowl cozy … These are 10″ squares from a stack of Island Batik “Pumpkin Spice” that I had. Now to get some cotton batting that doesn’t have scrim on 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 – May: 147 /150
June: 4/ 4
Total: 151 / 154
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!
I saw this meme on a friends blog (Brenda) and it just cracked me up! “I’m not a Hoarder … I’m the Curator of an Extensive Private Fabric collection.” And with the chicken holding all the extra fabric, it’s perfect. You can see this at Songbird Designs HERE.
This meme is very appropriate for me!
So, as I mentioned, I took a workshop making a Quilt-as-you-Go quilt. It was a LOT of fun!!! Thanks to Dawn and Nora for organizing and teaching. This quilt used 3 yards of fabric from my extensive stash collection, plus about 1/2 yard for binding and Hobbs 80/20 batting from left-over pieces. It will be donated to the guild’s baby quilt charity!
No shopping. No fabric added!
Yearly Tally:
Fabric Used the last week: 3.5 yards
Fabric Used in 2023: 111 yards from non-IB: 50
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 12.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 98.5 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:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). Partially done. I have the quilt quilted and just need to bind it. The border portion needs to be written.
X’s & O’s#1 & #2: bind √ DONE #2 is bound, but I need to do a photo shoot and then I can show it to you.
Finish “When Pigs Fly” project √ DONE … you’ll see this on June 19!
Finish the Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book – I’ll be telling you all about it in June! Partially done. It’s still a work in progress
Lone Star Left-overs – get it to a flimsy stage. … Partially done. I’m still webbing the top
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing).
Make the Crazy quilt with Decorative stitches for Essem … I’m teaching this class in a few weeks.
Finish the Secret Project#1 for Kelly Young’s new book – I’ll be telling you all about it later this month!
Finish the Secret Project#2 for Kelly Young’s new book
Lone Star Left-overs – get it to a flimsy stage
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
#1 Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book (mostly the purples and greens from the Island Batik Napa Valley collection)
#2 Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book. (Island Batik, “Wild Blooms”)
Crazy Quilt for Essem using Grunge and other fabric
Some blocks ready for webbing from Lone-Star Left-overs (Island Batik “Naturescape”)
Yup … it’s official, I am crazy … working on 4 projects at once!!! I know I often work on at least 2, along with a leader and ender … but 4??? Actually 6 … I don’t have a picture of the back for Secret Project #1 … it’s also in progress, as is the back for the Lone-Star Left-overs. YIKES!!!!
Quilting: These are all sandwiched and ready to quilt …
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?
Last month, I talked about getting at least ONE UFO done before the end of May! How did you do??? Did you get started on one?? Did you even pull one out to start on it? Did you work on it for at least 15 minutes? Hmmm … so many “Did you” questions!
I did … but I can’t show you because I’m keeping it a secret until the “When Pigs Fly” blog hop! The project is done and the blog post is almost all written!! Woohoo!!
Shall we try for another UFO for June?
My Tally Sheets
I finished 3 New Starts this month. You can read about them here: Wedge Star, Retreat Bag, and Hugs & Kisses #1. The Wedge Star and Hugs & Kisses #1 were made with Island Batik fabrics, Hobbs 80/20 batting in the middle and pieced and quilted with Aurifil thread.
If you want to keep track of your own progress, please feel free to download the 2023 Template.
Cheryl, from Meadow Mist Designs hosts a monthly linky party where you post your favourite quilt of the month. This Wedge Star, using Studio 180 designs is my favourite for May!
This month’s gift is Soup Bowl Cozies. You can go to Days Filled With Joy for information and links to several different on-line tutorials.
So far for the One Gift a Month, I have made January’s, February’s, and April’s gifts.
I need to pick out my fabric for my Soup Bowl Cozies … and to find some 100% cotton batting. Cotton fabric and cotton thread (Aurifil) I have.
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: 28/ 28
Total: 145 / 148
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!
The past week’s finishes is this blue & green Hugs and Kisses quilt. It used 6.5 yards. You can read more about this quilt HERE.
Yearly Tally:
Fabric Used the last week: 6.5 yards
Fabric Used in 2023: 107.5 yards from non-IB: 46.5
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 12.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 95 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.
My To Do list from last week:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing). Partially done. I have someone who agreed to test it – so I need to get the pattern to her soon! And, I am starting to quilt it!
Finish June IB challenge√ DONE just need to finish writing the blog post and I’ll be posting in June, sometime.
X’s & O’s#1 & #2: bind Partially done. #1 was bound and I blogged about it on Friday see HERE. #2 still needs binding! The binding is cut and ready to go on …
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE I actually spent over an hour vacuuming and tidying … but I’m thinking that perhaps I need to spend more time each day!
This week’s list:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing).
Finish “When Pigs Fly” project
Finish the Secret Project for Kelly Young’s new book – I’ll be telling you all about it in June!
Lone Star Left-overs – get it to a flimsy stage.
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
This was a Hugs and Kisses quilt that used various Island Batik blues and greens. I used the Accuquilt Go! to cut the pieces: Die #10 from the ‘Corners’ 8″ Qube collection paired with Die #5 from the 8″ Qube set. It made piecing the Hugs and Kisses very simple. Each Hugs or Kisses block uses 4 mini blocks composed of 1 Die #10 and 2 Die #5. Then the blocks are arranged to form a Hug or a Kiss. I added sashing and borders and the quilt was a flimsy!
Unfortunately, I didn’t count very well and I had too many green blocks … so I cut some pinks and purples and I’ll show you that quilt next week (if it’s finished!)
One person that saw this quilt called it my “Sea Hawks” quilt. I’m not a sports fan … but I know lots of people that are and I get that it’s the colours of the team!
Hobbs 80/20 is in the middle and I used Odif 505 spray baste to hold the layers together.
I was zoom quilting with my sister and cousins at the beginning of the month. I wasn’t sure how to quilt it, but I knew I wanted an all-over pattern. My cousin, Terry (machine quilter extraordinaire! ) suggested these curly c’s that go every which way and back-track on themselves. I gave it a try, I must admit, the back-tracking was not fun, but it was well worth it in the end and I LOVE the look! I’ll be using that random pattern again! Thanks, Terry for your fabulous suggestion!!!
I was Featured
Andree from Free Motion Quilters featured my Studio 180 Wedge Star Quilt with Island Batik Sandalwood fabric collection. You can read about it HERE.
This month’s gift is Soup Bowl Cozies. You can go to Days Filled With Joy for information and links to several different on-line tutorials.
So far for the One Gift a Month, I have made January’s, February’s, and April’s gifts.
Yes, I will be making Soup Bowl Cozies … soon. But I need to warn you, somewhere – a while ago, I read that one lady made a Soup Bowl Cozy and her biggest complaint was that it leaked! Yes, you read correctly! She was complaining that the bowl leaked! I guess she didn’t understand that the Cozy was intended for the bowl to be placed in the cozy, not for the soup to be placed in it! I know that none of my readers will make that mistake! Right?
Classic Cars: Monthly Colour Challenge
May’s Classic Car colour is Baby Blue …. ooohhhh … a favourite colour of mine! Visit Patterns by Jen HERE for your free download of this month’s block …
Here’s my May block and the January, February, March, April and May blocks … all made with Island Batik scraps …
Stitching Stuff
Kate, from Life in Pieces, is hosting “Stitching Stuff” and the goal is to sew for at least 15 minutes a day. I use Kate’s guideline, but my personal goal is to sew for 30 minutes a day. On those “blah” days, it does motivate me to sit at my machine and 30 minutes often turns into several hours. Thank you Kate for the motivation!
January – April: 117 /120
May: 21 / 21
Total: 138 / 141
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!
When I was at the retreat a few weeks ago, a group of us went to Overseas Fabrics. As we left the retreat room, I insisted that I was NOT going to buy any fabric!!! Well, that lasted until I saw the following fabric. Really, how could I resist? I purchased 2 yards of each.
The past 2 week’s finishes include:
Studio 180 Island Batik challenge (May) 7 yards
Baby Stars 6 yards
Retreat Bag 1 yard
Yearly Tally:
Fabric Used the past 2 weeks: 14 yards
Fabric Used in 2023: 101 yards from non-IB: 43.5
Fabric Bought this week: 4 yards
Fabric Added this year: 12.5 yards
Net Fabric used: 88.5 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!
Pack for the retreat: Wallets, test quilt for Brenda, June IB challenge, Retreat bag. All was packed!!! Partially done: The only thing finished was the Retreat bag … Test Quilt is still in progress, as is the June IB challenge. Wallets were not touched.
X’s & O’s#1 & #2: quilt and bind Partially done: Both are quilted, neither are bound
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes.√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish Mystery Quilt (making and writing).
Finish June IB challenge
X’s & O’s#1 & #2: bind
Quilt for Kelly Young’s new book
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
A few years ago, Patti participated in a Stay at Home Round Robin … she diligently sent me photos of her progress … then decided she was DONE. She can’t remember if she put it on the “Free” table or put it somewhere else … but it was out of her hands … she was done with it!
Fast forward to the present day …
Patti is on the “Comfort Quilt Committee” for our guild (Boundary Bay Quilter’s Guild). She was given a quilt that was donated for the cancer centre. She absolutely HAD to show it to me … Can you see why????
And here you can really see Patti’s started SAHRR …
The lady that picked up the discarded SAHRR added lots of her own fabrics and made a super beautiful quilt …
Sew, You Never Know!
IB Blog Hop is Over
Island Batik has had a blog hop over the last 3 weeks. Did you see it? It featured Studio 180 Tools and new fabric lines.
I was given the “Sandalwood” collection, designed by Kathy Engle for Kari Nichols of Quilting Renditions and the Wedge Star Tool. You can read more about this quilt, the fabric and the tool HERE. It was a lot of fun to make! I was especially thrilled when I had PERFECTLY pieced star centres (well, on most of them!)
And here’s the back and a close up of the quilting.
If you would like to see a recap of all of the quilts from the hop, (without visiting each blog) visit Island Batik’s blog HERE.
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:
Quilting Gail 