islandbatik

It’s All Up to You!

/ quiltinggail / 29 Comments

The final challenge of the year allowed the ambassadors to do whatever we wanted! Sometimes, this can be very difficult and at other times it’s super easy! This time, it was easy!

I knew that I wanted to do something scrappy.

This fall, I was very inspired by the fall colours of the trees and the leaves. They seemed more vibrant than other years. The following pictures were taken by my friend, Stella MacDonald. (And, she’s hoping that me posting them will make her famous!!). Aren’t the colours rich?

I used the Accuquilt die “Maple Leaf” to cut everything out. (See HERE). This die has the blocks finishing at 8″. I used the free Accuquilt Table Runner pattern as a guide, but I doubled the size and made it scrappier!

Here is the finished quilt:

The “Oh Canada” quilting ruler (from Silly Moon) was ideal for doing an “all-over” pattern on the quilt! Aurifil Thread #4650 was the perfect variegated thread to use on this quilt. It has lots of greens, red, and yellow! I actually laughed out loud when I read that the name of the thread was “Leaves!” Hobbs 80/20 batting is in the middle.

The Janome M7 has a maple leaf stitch and I used it on the binding!

Quilt Stats:

Thank you!

Thank you to the generosity of Island Batik (Lumin Fabrics) and Industry partners! They have supplied the products for free as my role as an Island Batik Ambassador! Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles, Oliso Iron, Accuquilt

Island Batik Ambassadors

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

Don’t Forget!

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Funky Friends Factory

/ quiltinggail / 21 Comments

June is a fun month!! Pauline McArthur from Funky Friends Factory has partnered with Island Batik and each ambassador is to make a Funky Friend. We could choose from a LOT of Funky Friend patterns. I have made several Funky Friends in the past. This year, I chose to make Sue the Squirrel. Squirrels are famous in the quilting world … all the distractions of new projects are called ‘squirrels,’ This BLOG POST talks more about squirrels. I figured I needed a ‘real’ squirrel in my sewing area!

Sue the Squirrel is an Instant Download and you could start making yours today! See HERE.

Funky Friends patterns come with very clear directions. Sue the Squirrel also has a photo tutorial to help if you find the directions confusing! The link is in the pattern.

After I received the pattern from Funky Friends. I pressed my fabric with my Oliso M3Pro Iron (which I LOVE). and then started cutting. I decided to make 2 squirrels, a brown and a purple one.

  • Island Batik Fabrics Used:
    • Purple Squirrel:
      • Lavender (part of the Playful Purples – always available)
      • unknown purple from my scraps
    • Brown Squirrel:
      • Earthly Stories – (2) 10″ squares from a 10″ stack (a collection released this year).
      • Weave – Brownie (a blender – always available)

It is super important to mark all of the edges, so when the directions say, “Sew from F to G,” you don’t have to go back to the original pattern to figure out where F and G are. I use a Frixion pen and make sure that I mark only within the seam allowance. Normally I highly dislike Frixion pens because they can leave small white lines on the fabric. However, they are perfect to use in the seam allowance!

With a Schmetz Needle and Aurifil Thread in my machine, I started sewing. Here are some progress pictures: (the ears // arms // and the face with safety eyes already inserted)

Once they were made and stuffed, Sue (purple) and Sam (brown) agreed to a photo shoot. The first one is in the sewing room with their Simply Stuffing from Hobbs Batting. It’s wonderful and they said they really liked it! They wanted to go outside. They were really good until they decided to hide in the maple tree.

Then we went into the backyard and they posed really nicely with Daphne (our grand dog). Then they scampered away and were climbing the tree. Daphne told them “Get down!”

That was enough of their misbehaving! ** Until ** we went on a trip and they snuck into the truck! They were good travellers! But they really liked the window seats best!

Sue and Sam were really good at my sister’s and enjoyed Brûlée (a real cutie!), until they started to climb around!

We went shopping at Emmaline Bags in Spruce Grove and Sam and Sue very politely asked if they could sit in the Adirondack chairs in their Canadian display. The chairs were a perfect fit, but they were not for sale. Sam was a bit grumpy that he couldn’t take a chair home, but Sue told him that he would be better off sitting on the couch than sitting in a wooden chair!

As we headed home, they asked if they could have their picture taken at the Jasper sign. As soon as the picture was taken, they scampered off and ran up the trail towards the town. I did manage to catch up and caught a few pictures of the 2 of them …

Sam sat on a rock, enjoying the scenery while Sue sat on the bench.

And their final portrait …

Here’s a peek at my previous Funky Friend projects: Randy the Rhino, Alice Alpaca, Ella Elephant, Gregory Gorilla, and Taylor the Tiger.

funky friends
funky friends
funky friends
funky friends
funky friends

Thank you!

Thank you to the generosity of Island Batik (Lumin Fabrics) and Industry partners! They have supplied the products for free as my role as an Island Batik Ambassador! Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles, Oliso Iron, and Funky Friends.

Island Batik Ambassadors

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

Don’t Forget:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

A Secret Project – Revealed

/ quiltinggail / 21 Comments

Early in the spring, a dear relative was diagnosed with cancer. Oh … so young (in their 30s) … a heart-wrenching diagnosis. Of course, once I decided exactly what quilt I was going to make, I plowed ahead, putting almost all the other quilting projects aside. It’s called prioritizing. It’s not often I work on one quilt at a time, but other than a few enders and leaders, this one was worked on … quilted and bound.

My idea was to make a quilt that was cheerful and warm. I wanted it to provide LOVE and HUGS. I wanted it to be big enough to provide warmth during chemo, without toes peaking out.

The quilt has arrived at it’s destination so I can now post about it!

Hocus Pocus by Studio 180 Designs

  • Supply List: This Post [I did not use fat quarters. I used (1) 10″ Stack and 2 yards of neutral) I omitted the border]
  • Video: HERE
  • Tips: HERE

I made the original block and cut it as directed … then I auditioned 3 of the layouts:

And here’s a picture of the layout:

The final quilt:

The Quilting:

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 56″ x 70″
  • Fabric: Island Batik: Floral Fun 10″ stack (by Kathy Engle for Lizard Creek Quilting), paired with “Rice” and bound with Cheerios-Navy
  • Pattern: Hocus Pocus by Studio 180 Designs
  • Hobbs Batting: Heirloom 80/20 Cotton
  • Aurifil Thread: 50 weight
    • Piecing: #2600 (Dove Grey)
    • Quilting: #2600 (Dove Grey)
    • Binding: #2775 (Steel Blue)
  • Silly Moon Rulers: Rocket, Beanie, and Cupid
  • Schmetz Needles: Universal 80/12
  • Oliso Iron

Don’t Forget:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

A Book Review

/ quiltinggail / 20 Comments

When I first saw this book, it intrigued me! I knew that the guild library was looking for new book suggestions, so I suggested it.

Wowza! Within a week our wonderful librarian (Margaret) notified me that she had it! I was able to pick it up at our next guild meeting.

This book has all the basic beginner quilting information (which, honestly, I skipped over). It also explains how to take simple cross-stitch patterns and change them into a quilt pattern. Then she has Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced quilt patterns. All of the patterns involve either rectangles or squares, with the occasional half-square triangle. There is even a complete alphabet, if one wanted to put a specific letter on a quilt!

Personally, I believe that a beginner quilter could easily complete the advanced designs. They have smaller pieces and more of them, but easily do-able.

Before I left for my retreat, I cut out 3 quilts from the book: The swan, the train and the butterfly. The swan I cut into smaller pieces than the book suggested. The train was cut into larger pieces than instructed and the butterfly was cut as directed. Here’s pictures of the kits.

The train was pieced at a quilt retreat. The background is Island Batik’s ‘Fondant’, the black is an Island Batik solid and the prints are left over from an older line called “Midnight Dazzle.”

And then it was sandwiched and quilted once I got home. And the monkey was from a quilt that was being quilted at the retreat and the block was cut wrong … he fit into the conductor’s window perfectly!

  • Quilt Stats:
  • Fabric: Island Batik: The background is ‘Fondant’, the black solid and the prints are left over from an older line called “Midnight Dazzle.”
  • Size: 38″ x 43″
  • Thead: Aurifil Thread: 50 weight
    • Piecing & Quilting: #2600 (Dove Grey)
  • Batting: Hobbs 80/20 Black
  • Silly Moon Rulers: Rocket and Beanie
  • Schmetz Needles: Universal 80/12
  • Oliso Iron

The swan was partially pieced at the retreat and I’ve finished piecing the top. These are all from Island Batik blue, teal and neutral scraps, along with solid red and black.

And the butterfly is waiting for it’s turn. It hasn’t progressed out of the bag. It’s time will come!

My opinion on this Picture Patchwork should be obvious since I’ve plunged into doing 3 quilts from the book. I think it’s a great book, with many easy patterns in it!

Don’t Forget:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to:  

Drunkard’s Path Block

/ quiltinggail / 16 Comments

Here’s some of the guidelines we were given:

  • Project Type: Quilt
  • Size: Lap or larger
  • Technique: Curved Piecing (not appliqué!)

We were given lots of links for inspiration and of course, Pinterest has a plethora of whatever you might be wanting to look at! A Drunkard’s Path block is typically a quarter circle with an inner circle and the outer portion.

When I saw this “Wee Animal Quilt Tutorial” I just KNEW that this would be my inspiration for what to make!

Once I had my inspiration, I arranged to borrow the Boundary Bay Quilt Guild’s “Drunkard’s Path” Accuquilt dies. The large die cuts blocks that are 7″ finished and the small die cuts blocks that are 3 1/2” finished.

Using my Accuquilt and the guild’s dies, I got to work cutting some Drunkard’s Path with the Island Batik solids. I used the Solid White for the background and the following solids for the animals & birds.

BlackGreenPink
ColbaltGreyRed
Dark GreyLime Green Turquoise
Fushia0rangeYellow

Somewhere, either on our Island Batik Facebook group or when we were zooming, someone mentioned gluing the blocks. I tried gluing the centre notches and it worked like a charm. Gluing more than the centre did not work for me. And, as usual when sewing curves, I had to take my time. Lots of time!!! I certainly can’t sew at 100 miles an hour when sewing these blocks. LOL!!!

Here’s the blocks as I was preparing to assemble the various animals and birds.

I had to fill in a lot of the gaps with white blocks and strips.

It was a fun quilt to quilt. The background was loops within loops and the quilting of each one was different. There was a LOT of quilting. I used at least 7 bobbins!

And here’s a closeup of all the individual animals/birds:

Quilt Stats:

There’s a little bit more!

There was talk about how the little Accuquilt Drunkard’s Path blocks were way too hard to piece. Of course, knowing me, I took that as a challenge!! Here’s a picture of an unfinished 4″ and 7 1/2” block. They will finish at 3 1/2” and 7.”

Although, I did not want to make a lap sized quilt with small Drunkard’s Path blocks, I did make a small wall hanging.

I did not find that the smaller blocks were any harder to piece than the larger ones. As with any curved piecing, you just have to take your time. Again, I put a tiny dab of glue on the notches and sewed the blocks.

Of course the quilting was simpler with the smaller blocks and only used 2 bobbins.

You will notice that the smaller quilt is a bit different than the bigger quilt.

Quilt Stats:

Thank you!

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

Island Batik Ambassadors

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

Don’t Forget:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

My first Finish of 2025!

/ quiltinggail / 13 Comments

Well, it’s not my first finish, but it’s one I can show you. (Don’t worry, you’ll see the other when the time is right!)

My sister & I spent a couple of days on Zoom, watching Helen Godden’s youtube videos <Helen Godden’s Christmas Countdown > and working on this project. We did the same thing last year with last year’s Countdown.

Here is the half-way mark:

And here is the Finished project:

And one from the back … where you can see the mess! I also took 2 squares from the binding, folded them in half and tucked them in the corner for hangers.

Quilt Stats:

  • Size: 12″ x 16″
  • Fabric: Island Batik solid white and “Grass” from Glorious Greens for the binding.
  • Aurifil Thread: Black for the main stitching and a green for the binding
  • Hobbs Batting: 80/20
  • The coloured portions of the tree and the border were done with Inktense Pencils and Aloe-vera gel

Island Batik Announcement

Here’s what is on the Island Batik (now Lumin) frequently asked questions page: see HERE.

Lumin Fabrics is the parent company of various fabric brands, all bringing innovative designs and creative sparks to quilters and sewers around the world.  With the desire to launch additional brands, the team at Island Batik launched Lumin Fabrics as our Parent Company, created White Owl Textiles to serve the print market and Ecco Cotton to provide the highest quality solid fabrics. Lumin Fabrics will continue to grow and offer fabrics for all your creative needs.

Of course, the first question that Island Batik Ambassador’s asked is “How does this affect the ambassadors?” The short answer is ‘nothing will change for this year.’ However, next year will likely include fabric from White Owl Textiles and Ecco Cotton, along with Island Batik. Exciting times!

Don’t Forget:

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

One who sleeps under a quilt is covered by LOVE!

Happy Quilting!    
Gail 

Linking to: