Last Saturday, our guild had a Christmas social. We followed all the current protocols and had a great time. It felt almost normal!!! And it was SEW good to see people in person.
I took a total of 9 quilts to donate, but I forgot to take a picture of them in their pile before they went out the door. 5 of the quilts were for the Baby quilts and 4 of them were for Comfort Quilts. And, of course, I can’t remember what all of them looked like! Here is a picture of some of them!
With all the restrictions, the quilts stayed in my home until now. This helped me to have a little bit more room, but I still have lots of quilts!
I’m counting the donation of the 9 quilts as a “Finish.” They are finished living in my house!
I was Featured!
Jennifer, from Inquiring Quilter, featured this table runner on her blog. You can read about it HERE.
This mystery is a quick and easy quilt. The first clue (and fabric requirements) will be announced on Boxing Day, Dec. 26. There will be 5 clues and I’m 100% positive that many of you will have it totally completed before 2022 rings in!
It will be 40″ square … and the rest is a mystery!
SAHRR
5 Blogging Friends and myself will be hosting another Stay at Home Round Robin (SAHRR). What’s a Round Robin, you ask? Well, typically, in the quilting world, a round robin goes like this:
Quilter #1 creates their own centre block
The centre block is passed on to Quilter #2 and they add a border, depending on what the directions are.
The centre block, plus border 1 is passed on to Quilter #3, who adds the next border.
And on it continues
With the SAHRR, the blocks and rounds stay home with you. You are the one that is in charge of your Round Robin.
There is nothing to join … you just need to follow each of our blogs so that you don’t miss a thing!
If you go to this post, you will see my completed top from the 2021 Round Robin. And This Post shows my completed tops from 2020.
We haven’t decided on a start date … but we have all decided what is chosen for each round. And, no, I’m not going to tell you. Of course, we are all working on our Round Robins so that they’ll be ready at the start! AND … I’m laughing and laughing because we all have good intentions … but the follow through does not always happen!
What is a PHD??? In the quilting world, a PHD is a Project Half Done. As a former academic, who did not get a PhD in nursing, it’s just a play on the initials.
In order to get your PHD in 2022, you have to complete at least 12 UFOs (Unfinished Objects / or projects) AND … here’s the big catch: You MUST complete everything you start in 2022. Yes, EVERY new project. Otherwise your UFO list will just increase and we’re trying to get rid of them, right?
There are a few exceptions to completing what you start in 2022. If the project carries over into 2023, such as a BOM or Bonnie Hunter’s mystery quilt, then it would be impossible to complete it in 2022. And, those last minute projects that are started in December 2022? They don’t count either. But all of the projects you start in 2022, must be completed. This includes labels and quilting and binding – not just completing a top!
In the meantime, you can gather up your UFOs to get ready.
Monthly Color Challenge
I will be participating in this monthly colour challenge! I plan to make the entire quilt, but have signed up to be part of an occasional blog hop with the monthly blocks. The first block will be announced on January 1. You’ll be able to see the block at Patterns by Jen. The block patterns are free for the month they are posted. If you miss a month, they will be available for a nominal fee. Will you join me?
Blog Hops
I often participate in various blog hops. They are so fun! And full of lots of eye candy and ideas. So far, I have signed up for 2 in the new year.
This week I posted my final Island Batik challenge for 2021. It’s been a fantastic year! I will soon have a blog post that will show all of the projects I’ve made with wonderful Island Batik fabrics! You can read more about this finish HERE. It was pieced and quilted with Aurifil thread and Hobbs batting was used.
Design Wall
#1 Scrappy Improv Quilting …
Absolutely NO change from the last month! None at all! Even though I analyzed why it wasn’t getting done – I still haven’t worked on it! I need to get it finished in order to achieve my PHD in 2021!
#2 A&A’s Quilt: This quilt which was started in Mar. is getting pieced into a top. I was suppose to get some direction on how they wanted it pieced, but no direction came, so I decided to do my own thing. … I’m looking forward to quilting some of the negative space …
Quilting:
Amy and I had another “Playing with Rulers” day at Essem Textiles. I was working on my Guild’s fall mystery quilt. I struggled the whole time. First, I did not have my slip slidey thing for my machine, then I realized that my quilting gloves no longer had any grip on them … If we have more “Playing with Rulers” days, I will definitely choose a smaller project! And I will have my slip slidey thing and some good gloves! In spite of my challenges, it was a fun couple of days!! It is so rewarding to see quilters become comfortable with ruler quilting!!! If you live in the area and would like to join us for a “Playing with Rulers” session – let Simina or Rajan at Essem Textiles know. They will put you on a waiting list.
Stash Report
No finishes that used fabric from my stash.
Fabric Used this week 0 yards
Fabric Used this year: 101.75 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 50. 75 yards (my husbands amounts as well)
Net Fabric used 51 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 – Nov – 324 / 333
Dec – 12 / 12
Total: 336 / 344
Percentage = 97 %
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:
Finish Quilting Island Batik Secret #4√ DONE
Work on December’s Island Batik project. √ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! Got inspired to make a tree skirt √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes√ DONE
This week’s list:
Get A&As quilt sandwiched
Finish Scrappy Improv top
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes
OK … I’ve got 3 projects to finish before the end of the year. I think I can get them done! I hope I can get them done.
Earlier this week, I posted my English Paper Piecing table runner. It was my last Island Batik challenge of the year. If you know me, I highly dislike hand sewing – it hurts! However, I took my time and had fun! You can read all about it HERE.
This table runner was pieced and quilted with Aurifil threads and Hobbs 80/20 Black batting was used.
It has been a great year with Island Batik. Sometime, in the next few weeks, I will show you all of the projects that were made with Island Batik fabrics this year. It’s a post that always takes a LOT of time to put together!
A Chuckle for Today
My cousin, Terry, sent me this! I’ve seen it before – a LONG time ago, but I did laugh out loud when I read it again!
In the mail
This quilt is on it’s way up north. I’m not sure if I showed it before or not. It’s been finished for awhile. Once I had the baby’s details, I made the label, added it to the quilt and finished the binding.
I was Featured!
Jennifer, from Inquiring Quilter, featured these two panel quilts that were recently finished! You can read about them HERE.
Here’s what Island Batik had to say about the English Paper Piecing Challenge:
It’s time to limber up your fingers! Nothing does that like hand sewing. English Paper Piecing is a technique practiced by many who find the hand sewing process wonderfully relaxing.
WHAT IS ENGLISH PAPER PIECING?
English Paper Piecing (commonly called EPP) is a method of stabilizing fabric around a heavy paper shape before sewing the pieces together to create intricately pieced designs. It provides excellent accuracy and precision piecing. English Paper Piecing originated in England and was called Mosaic or honeycomb patchwork. In the late 1700’s, when all things English became popular in the U.S., the term English Paper Piecing was coined. The most popular shape has always been the hexagon because it makes good use of fabric scrap and is easy to assemble. The most recognizable hexagon pattern is Grandmother’s Flower Garden, which became popular in the 1920-1930s.
English Paper Piecing is often referred to as Hand Piecing or hand sewing and is a traditional sewing method that utilizes a running stitch to sew fabric pieces together. The hand sewer sews a ¼” seam allowance with needle and thread by, beginning a ¼” from the end of the shape, loading stitches on the needle and finishing ¼” away from the end of the shape by pulling the needle through the loaded stitches.
OK … so now I know what is expected but ….
HAND SEWING
When I saw this challenge, I almost started to cry!!! Seriously!!! English Paper Piecing??? That means hand sewing! When I sew by hand, my hands hurt! Big time!!! After about 10 minutes, it hurts … by 15 minutes it’s really hurting and after 20 minutes, I’m in agony and my fingers are numb. Oh my … how in the world am I going to be able to do this challenge?
I figured that I best start early. So in January, I ordered a bunch of paper piecing books from the guild library.
The guild librarian is a gem … during Covid, she has stored all the books at her home … a simple email or 2 and within a day, you can go pick them up!!! Awesome service!!
Anyhow, with a bag full of reading material, I attempted to see if anything appealed. I didn’t want to do a traditional Grandmother’s Flower Garden, or stars … One of the library books was “The New Hexagon” from a Canadian author that only lives 4 hours away from me! Bingo! If I have to endure pain, I will make what I want. I promptly ordered my own copy of the book.
I was given a 10″ stack of Island Batik‘s “Cabana” last year and decided that this would be the perfect fabric collection to use. I love the blues and the florals … it’s going to be pretty!
I copied the designs for a table runner from the book. It’s fun with all the blocks named after different women! Unfortunately ‘Gail’ is not one of them!
A friend of mine suggested using Elmer’s Disappearing Purple glue stick to turn the fabric under 1/4″. I tested it on the regular printer paper and it came off pretty easy. Here’s how I organized my pieces once they were glued/pressed into place, ready for sewing. (This was the “Sarah” hexi.) It was super handy to have the diagram of how the hexi went together without going back to the book.
Blue is my favourite colour, so I made sure that each hexi had at least one blue fabric in it.
Here is a picture of gluing the 1/4″ sides down on the joining black triangles (Island Batik black solid).
In the picture below, I’m working on the table runner. I used Aurifil Thread #2370 – Sandstone to do the piecing.
With working on the table runner at least every other day, I found that I was able to hand sew for longer periods of time. I could work on it for about 30 minutes before my fingers started to ache. That made it nicer to spend time stitching!
The borders are on and now, I’m taking out all the paper … lots of little pieces of paper!
I used Hobbs Batting, black 80/20 batting for this project. It was a perfect choice!
After all the hand sewing, I knew I didn’t want to hand quilt this runner. I decided to use my domestic machine (Janome M7) for the quilting! I quilted it with Aurifil 100% nylon (Invisible) on the top and Aurifil #2370 – Sandstone in the bobbin using Schmetz Needles. I tried to do some swirly quilting, but that stitching didn’t fit, so out came the seam ripper and out came the swirly stitching. I settled for “In the ditch” quilting which turned out to be the right choice! After months of hand sewing, it was great to finish it quickly on the machine!
And some close-ups of the table runner …
Disclosure and a Thank you!
Disclosure: The fabrics, thread, batting and needles were generously supplied by the following companies:
This is the final Island Batik challenge for 2021. Stay tuned: in a few weeks, I’ll have a blog post showing all of the projects that I have made with wonderful Island Batik fabrics!
My finishes are small … but they are finishes. 2 panel quilts that will be given away. On one, I had practiced ruler quilting and on the other, I just outlined the bunny and did some free motion quilting. The are backed with flannel and will be snuggled lots! Hobbs 80/20 batting was used.
Linky Party
Link up and show us your finished project for this week!
One month left to complete your PHD in 2021! That means that you have to have completed 12 UFOs and finish all of the projects that you started from Jan 1 to Nov 30. The only exception is the projects like BOMs or mystery quilts that carry into 2022.
I have completed 12 UFOs, but I still have a few 2021 Starts to complete … hopefully, I will get there.
Here’s my tally for the year. I realized that I neglected to add my December Island Batik project onto the list. It’s hand sewing, so perhaps that’s why I didn’t include it. It’s there now! And also the Macaroon Mystery from Meadow Mist Designs is also on the list …
PHD in 2022?
Yes, I will be running a PHD in 2022 next year. I know that only 4 UFOs show up on my tally – but I do have others waiting in the wings. I will gather them all soon!
And, for those that have been following for awhile, you KNOW that finishing your new projects prevents your UFO list from getting larger! And none of us want more UFOs!!!
This was a super fun class to teach. All of the participants were delightful ladies – which made it even more fun.
Here is Joan’s finished project “Prismatic.” Look at her beautiful quilting!
And here is Sue’s Prismatic. Again some awesome quilting with a totally different approach!
And Judy’s Prismatic – with totally different quilting! I LOVE the variety of the mini quilts and the quilting! And Judy added a flange binding! super cool!
Here are Robin’s.
The first is the ornament in reds and greens. I like the simple straight line quilting! It really makes the ornaments pop!
The 2nd is Prismatic in blues purples and teals … again, the simple straight line quilting lets the design show through!
Cathy has completed 3, yes THREE, tops! Go Cathy Go! It was fun to watch her put this one together as she used different fabrics for the background. Who knew that the backside of a blue grunge would be the perfect dark grey?
And these 2 are so sweet!
And here is my Prismatic. I had a bunch of orphan log cabin blocks that I joined together and then cut as directed. I cut a lot more than indicated in the pattern … then joined them in the rows. My intent was not to make a quilt this big … it’s 45″ x 60″, but that’s how big it turned out to be.
It uses Island Batik fabric and Hobbs 80/20 batting. The backing is a lovely light blue flannel.
Design Wall
#1 Scrappy Improv Quilting …
Absolutely NO change from the last month! None at all! However, I’ve been questioning why I’m hesitating at getting this one done and I think I figured it out. That purple balloon is too small and I thought I’d just adjust all the measurements and make a smaller one – but I don’t feel like doing that. So, I will do something else for the purple balloon … make it bigger somehow … I haven’t gotten that far in my thinking yet!
Quilting:
#1 The last Secret Island Batik project is being quilted – and should be finished within a couple of days!
Stash Report
The back of my Prismatic quilt used 1.5 yards of flannel from my stash.
Fabric Used this week 1.5 yards
Fabric Used this year: 101.75 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 0 yards
Fabric Added this year: 50. 75 yards (my husbands amounts as well)
Net Fabric used 51 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 – 28 / 28
Total: 320 / 331
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 last week:
Finish Quilting Island Batik Secret #4 In progress
Finish Tree Skirt√ DONE
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! Got inspired to make a tree skirt √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish Quilting Island Batik Secret #4
Work on December’s Island Batik project.
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes
DrEAMi
I had 2 DrEAMis this month … I posted about them HERE
Favourite Quilt in November
I’m waffling between 2 quilts. Both of them were “Storm at Sea” quilts that I made for November’s Island Batik blog hop. You can read about them HERE.
Table Scraps
I made a mug rug for the “No Ring” blog hop … so it’s also my Table topper for November. There was no specific colour for this month … so this fits perfectly!
That’s correct! I have 2 finished projects! Both of them were started and completed in less than a week! OK … they’re both easy projects – AND it was fun to make them!
This first one is a 36″ Christmas Tree Skirt. I used a 9 degree ruler! The fabrics were an assortment of Christmas fabrics from Essem Textiles. Hobbs 80/20 batting was used. I quilted a simple loop-d’-loop pattern. I neglected to stay-stitch the circle before adding the binding, so it stretched a bit and sort-of comes up a bit in the middle … but since it’s a tree skirt, it’ll be fine!
This one is a Quilt-as-you-go Table Runner. Although it doesn’t show in the picture, the fabric has lots of glimmering gold in it! Again, the fabrics came from Essem Textiles. I will be teaching this as a class in December.
Hope those who celebrate Thanksgiving had a great Turkey Day!
Playing with Rulers
A bunch of us got together at Essem and played with rulers. We all brought the rulers that we had and experimented with them! We had all levels of expertise: from “I’ve never done this before” to a gal that used to teach ruler quilting.
Talk about fun!
I was so busy, that I forgot to take a picture of what I did.
This is the back of a baby panel and I added some free motion loop-d-loops in to fill the gaps.
Yesterday, I was Zoom quilting with some of the guild members and mentioned that we had done this. Several people were interested … if you live in the lower mainland and are interested in driving to Cloverdale, let Essem Textiles. know and we’ll arrange a “Playing with Rulers” time!
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:
Quilt Island Batik Secret #2√ DONE
Quilt Island Batik Secret #4in progress
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! Got inspired to make a tree skirt not done
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes√ DONE
This week’s list:
Finish Quilting Island Batik Secret #4
Finish Tree Skirt
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
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 …
If you’ve been following my blog, you’ve heard me mention Essem Textiles. Well, the lovely couple that own the store had their traditional Indian wedding last week. They’re already married, but had to keep it small because of Covid, but now with the restrictions lifted, they were able to celebrate in style! I got to run the store for them. I asked if I could have a Mini Retreat in the classroom … and they said “yes.”
There were 4 ladies that were able to come … and I heard lots of laughter and chatting coming from the back.
This is what the classroom looked like after everyone left on Day 1:
The machines all set up and projects in process. Unfortunately, I neglected to get a close up of some of the projects. Judy, (bottom left) is working on a beautiful Card Trick Quilt. Robin, (top left) made pillowcases for each of her grandkids. Nora, (bottom right) is working on a Postcard from Sweden quilt. She had everything labeled … talk about organization – oh my! Nora takes organization to an all new level! Amy, (top right) worked on a couple of different projects: binding a quilt and making a block for a new quilt or pillow …
Fun work for the store & TGIFF
TGIFF is Thank Goodness Its Finished Friday. There is a linky party every week.
I did work on a couple of quilts for Essem. I managed to piece the whale in between customers, but the quilting on both of these happened at home. They were fun to do!
The whale is from the book “Fat Quarter Baby.” It’s a very cute book. Each of the quilts is named after someone. The whale one is called “Andrew.” The directions were very clear and easy to follow. The book is available at Essem Textiles, if you want to purchase it.
Aren’t the whales adorable? And yes, the bubbles and eyes were appliqued on … and I survived the process! ( For those that don’t know me very well, I’ve been know to call applique CRAP-lique! )
Here is a super cute panel that Essem Textiles has in the store. It was fun to quilt! Mostly stippling, outlining the main portion and some snowflakes thrown in. See the part on the right hand side? The panel comes so that there is enough of those snowmen and snowflakes to have as the complete back.
I bet you’re wondering what the No Ring Blog Hop is all about, right? It’s about Mug Rugs … so that you don’t leave a ring on your furniture from your drinks! Now, I bet it makes sense!
Last week, on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, I worked at Essem Textiles. The lovely couple that own the store were having a traditional Indian wedding. They had previously married, but because of Covid, there was no celebration. So, with restrictions lifted, it was time to have the formal ceremony.
I usually take a water bottle with ice in it and it sweats and leaves RINGS where ever it is placed. I needed to make a mug rug and this fit the bill! It’s a free embroidery design from Kreative Kiwi. Kreative Kiwi has a LOT of free patterns and the directions are easy to follow. I added “Essem” to personalize it for the store.
The fabrics were from my scrap pile, I used Hobbs batting and the thread was an assortment of Robison-Anton, Aurifil and Madeira.
Here is the line-up of fabrics and links to the ambassador’s blogs for Week 2! Again, I’ve seen a sneak peak of some of them and we’re in for some wonderful eye candy!
This is from the pattern “Prismatic.” This has gone from the first photo to the 2nd. So it is ready for sandwiching. I just need to choose a backing.
#4, #5, & #6 Secret Sewing: Island Batik
I’m happy to report that all of the patterns have been written. And one is still being tested. All of the tops are complete!
Quilting:
#2 Secret Island Batik project is being quilted
#1 Secret Island Batik is quilted. I can only show you the back … the fabric is a beautiful “Moonstone,” one of the fabrics that is available all the time! It is quilted with Aurifil 2600 – Dove. Hobbs 80/20 batting and a Schmetz Microtex needle was used.
Stash Report
I got “paid” in fabric for the class that I taught. Even though I didn’t “buy” it, it still adds to my stash. I added 11 yards of flannel … all for backing baby quilts. And I did use 1.25 yards on the back of the mystery quilt (see the purple above?)
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
I have been sewing for at LEAST 3-4 hours each day … deadlines add pressure, you know! So my stitchin’ time is good!
January – October – 292/ 272
Nov – 7 / 7
Total: 299 / 310
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.
Sew top together Prismatic from Scrappy Improv√ DONE
Work on Island Batik’s December project in progress
Finish Island Batik Secret #2 top √ DONE
Finish Quilting Island Batik Secret #3not done
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes√ DONE
This week’s list:
Is fairly light … priorities only … as I won’t be home for a few days. (I’ll tell you about it later).
Quilt Island Batik Secret #2
Quilt Island Batik Secret #4
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes
Island Batik Blog Hop
Island Batik’s Storm at Sea Blog Hop is into it’s 2nd week! Check out THIS POST to follow each of the ambassadors and their creative and awesome quilts!
Here is the line-up of fabrics and links to the ambassador’s blogs for Week 2! (I’ve seen a sneak peak of some of them and we’re in for some wonderful eye candy!
My finishes this week include the quilts I shared on Monday for the Island Batik Storm at Sea Blog Hop. My surprise fabric was the fabulous Bellingham Bay collection by Kathy Engle. Two very different quilts, both using a 12″ Storm at Sea paper piecing block (From EQ). You can read more about these quilts HERE.
Island Batik Blog Hop
To see all of the quilts in this week’s collection, check them out at the Island Batik blog HERE. There is also an opportunity for YOU to win either a strip pack or a stack of beautiful Bellingham Bay fabric!
October’s Island Batik Challenge
A fellow Island Batik Ambassador, Andi, from True Blue Quilts, put together this great video that showcases most of the completed challenges. We were all given 3 spools of 40 weight Aurifil thread and told to create a wall hanging that is inspired by the endangered species. It is well worth the look!
Mine was the Pangolin and you can read about my creation HERE.
This month, the Island Batik challenge was to make a Storm at Sea quilt with the following guidelines:
Project Type: Quilt
Size: Lap size or larger
Must use the Summer 2021 bundle, wrapped and labeled “Surprise”
Any technique
My Surprise package in Box #2 was Bellingham Bay. I was in LOVE immediately!!!! I LOVE the colours … the rich greens paired with a few deep purple … just wonderful!!! These should be available in stores soon!
I searched for a Storm at Sea that was a bit different. I found several quilts with diagonal waves and I really liked them. I went to my EQ program and came up with this:
I know that I would easily become confused with which piece of fabric went where … so I printed out the quilt outline and numbered the main fabrics. I was hoping that if I took my time, I’d be able to paper piece the quilt with the correct fabrics in the correct spots.
In order to keep all of the fabrics in the correct wave, that’s how it was pieced … one wave at a time. I knew that I would get it all mixed up if I did it by blocks …
Each element is paper pieced – without sewing on the paper. I really dislike removing the papers after I’ve sewn on them.
Here’s a picture of my piecing without sewing on the paper.
The quilting was done on my domestic sewing machine, with a walking foot and a Schmetz quilting needle.
I used Aurifil #2600 (Dove) for the quilting and the scrappy binding was attached with Aurifil #5012.
This quilt is 57″ square. And, I LOVE it!!!
For some reason, I didn’t use all of the fabrics in the main quilt. I have no idea why. So, I made a 2nd quilt using Coconut as the background and 4 of the lightest coloured prints from Bellingham Bay.
You could win …
That’s correct, you have an opportunity to win some wonderful Bellingham Bay fabric … Click on the Rafflecopter link and follow the instructions.
Bellingham Bay is just a short drive from my house. However, since the USA border is closed to Canadians driving down, I had to content myself with going to a local beach to take pictures. It was a blustery windy day … very windy … but I did manage to get some shots!
The Blog Hop
Pretti, from Sew Preeti Quilts also made a Storm at Sea quilt using the Bellingham Bay fabric collection. Make sure you visit her blog!
Here is a list of all the ambassadors participating in the Storm at Sea Blog Hop. I’ve already had a sneak peek of some of them – they are all pretty awesome! Make sure you follow along!!!
Are you slugging away at a project that doesn’t seem to have an end in sight? We’ve all been there. Did you know that as you’re slugging away, it’s OK to switch to something else for a short time, or take a break. If you know me at all, squaring up HST or blocks is NOT my favourite thing. I know it gives good results, but taking those slivers off of a HST is just plain boring. So, one of my tactics is to do 10 and then do something else. Then do another 10. Pretty soon, all 2000 (an exaggeration) are done! And it feels good to have that task completed.
Here’s my tally for the year so far. I have completed 12 UFOs and I just need to finish all of the projects that I started and I’ll have achieved my Phd in 2021! I’ve got 2 months left, so I’m hoping it’s a good 2 months of sewing!
I did finish one of the guild baby mystery quilts … I used it when I took a “Beanie” ruler class from Silly Moon. Nope, I’m not going to show you the front, but here is the back. There is NO way you can tell what the front is! (chuckle) But I learned how to easily make concentric circles, clam shells, circles, and baptist fans. And I played with the ruler in the in the border.
My Favourite Quilt this month!
My favourite quilt has got to be the Pangolin that I made for October’s Island Batik challenge. I absolutely loved doing all the zen-doodling in the scales! This piece is 20″ square and you can read about it HERE. I will be linking to Meadow Mist Designs.
Design Wall
#1 Scrappy Improv Quilting …
I’m still working on a Hot Air Balloon quilt from Kelly Young’s “Scrappy Improv Quilting” Book. I decided that I would use different techniques for making slabs and have 4 balloons … I haven’t gotten too far … Obviously my balloons need baskets and the sky around them … And my Island Batik scraps isn’t much smaller!
#2. Scrappy Improv Quilting …
This is from the pattern “Prismatic.” I had some scrappy Island Batik log cabin blocks that were languishing in a pile. What to do with them? I sewed them all randomly together and made a large slab. Then I cut it up. The log cabin blocks were 3/4″ finished … so there are a LOT of tiny pieces in these blocks. They will be sewn together with white fabric surrounding them.
#4, #5, & #6 Secret Sewing: Island Batik
I’m happy to report that all of the patterns have been written. 2 of them are tested and ready to roll. And 2 of them are still being tested.
Quilting:
#1 Secret Island Batik project is being quilted
Stash Report
I got “paid” in fabric for the class that I taught. Even though I didn’t “buy” it, it still adds to my stash. I added 11 yards of flannel … all for backing baby quilts. And I did use 1.25 yards on the back of the mystery quilt (see the purple above?)
Fabric Used this week 1.25yards
Fabric Used this year: 100.25 yards
Fabric Bought this week: 11 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
I have been sewing for at LEAST 3-4 hours each day … deadlines add pressure, you know! So my stitchin’ time is good!
January – October – 292/ 272
Total: 292 / 303
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 last To Do list: (from AGES ago)
OK … even though I had a LOT of time to complete everything, pattern writing and making the secret quilts took a LOT of time!
Continue working on Island Batik’s November project DONE!!!
Work on 3rd Project from Scrappy ImprovNope … in progress
Work on Island Batik’s December project ... in progress
Complete top for Secret Sewing BBQG mystery quilt #2 All 3 quilt tops are done, one is quilted.
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! √ DONE
Tidy & clean studio for 30 minutes I need to start doing this daily!
This week’s list:
Sandwich BBQG Guild Mystery #2 & #3
Sandwich Island Batik Secret #4
Sew top together Prismatic from Scrappy Improv
Work on Island Batik’s December project
Finish Island Batik Secret #2 top
Finish Quilting Island Batik Secret #3
Do NOT be distracted by any SQUIRRELS! I NEED this continual reminder!
For the last 2 Thursdays, I was teaching at Essem Textiles. We were using the book, “Scrappy Improv Quilting” by Kelly Young.
The first week we made slabs … Kelly discusses one method in the book, but we covered about 6 different methods of making slabs.
Everyone got busy making their slabs … there were all sorts of slabs happening … blue, teal, purple, pink, and a whole mixture of fabrics …
Making slabs can be very freeing when you haven’t done it before! I “caught” one lady using her seam ripper and told her to put it away and just cut off the offending piece of fabric … so she did! There is NO place for a seam ripper when making slabs!
Here’s a few pictures from the first week ….
The “homework” was to finish the slabs and cut them to size as per the instructions in the book. Some of the slabs were easy to cut, and others had a LOT of cutting … but everyone came back ready to roll.
Karen was going to make a large version of the hot air balloon, but didn’t like the way her slab was going, so she decided on making 4 hot air balloons and putting them in one quilt! I like all the polka dots and the blue grunge she choose for the sky!
Prismatic was a popular mini that Robin, Judy, Sue and Joan worked on. Purple, blues and teals were the popular colours for this mini!
Sue managed to get her top completed by the end of the 2nd day! Isn’t it great? I like how she mixed up her colours in her slabs and just went with it!
Robin was also working on the ornament quilt in traditional Christmas colours … red & green. She had completed 2 ornaments before class and worked on the 3rd ornament, using Tri Rec ruler, in class. It’s going to be a beauty!
Cathy, was super keen, and made the hot air balloon before the first class, worked on the Heartstruck quilt during the first class and finished it at home. When making Heartstruck, she used a variety of neutrals – so it made it super scrappy! Which looks great! At the 2nd class, she worked on the Churn, Churn, Churn mini. It was fascinating to have a glance at her book. She had followed along with the blog hop (see HERE) and wrote down how different quilters made the different mini quilts. Oh, and she’s also started on the houses for Funky Town. (hmmm, I think she LOVES this fantastic book!)
Here’s some pictures of her work!!! Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of the houses she’s started.
Yes, I worked on a couple of mini quilts as well, but didn’t make much progress on them! It was too much fun visiting and seeing what everyone else was making!
Oh ya, and the venue! Essem has a cosy spot at the back of the store. It is absolutely lovely!
But here are the 2 quilts I made prior to the class! You can read more about them HERE and HERE.
I was Featured
Jennifer, from Inquiring Quilter featured the 2 birds I was given at the retreat. You can read about it HERE.
For those of you that have been following my blog for awhile, you’ve heard me talk about being an Island Batik Ambassador. Twice a year we get fabulous Island Batik fabric and lots of goodies from Industry Partners (Aurifil, Hobbs batting, Schmetz needles, Accuquilt, Studio 180, byAnnie). Then, once a month, we are given a specific challenge to complete using the fabric and/or tools that we have received. It is a lot of fun to create and make items to address the challenges. An added bonus this year was that a few of us organized a few Zoom sewing days! Talk about a lot of fun! And a great way to get to know each other!
Here are the main challenges that I’ve completed so far this year: (I have also made many other projects using Island Batik fabric, but that’s for another post!
You could become an Island Batik Ambassador!
If you would like to become an Island Batik ambassador, click HERE.
Island Batik Fabric
But, what is Island Batik? It is a company in California that distributes the fabulous fabric around the world.
This is from their website: Island Batik is a manufacturer, importer and distributor of cotton batik, rayon batik and hand-printed cotton from Indonesia. Originally established in 1997, Island Batik’s mission is to share the ancient cultural art of batik and hand-dyed fabric with our many valued customers around the world. You can read more about it HERE.
Here is a video that explains the process of how the fabric is dyed:
Island Batik Designer
I am one of several designers. I don’t design any of the fabric, but I do get a sneak peak of the upcoming fabrics for the next catalogue. Then I design quilts using the new fabric collections. The Island Batik design team chooses which quilt designs will be in their next catalogue and then the fabric is shipped to the designers. We usually have a short time frame to make the quilts and send them to California for their professional photography shoot.
These 3 quilts were in the Spring / Summer 2021 catalogue. You can see it HERE.
Quilting Gail 