June Island Batik Challenge with Accuquilt

This month Island Batik Ambassadors were challenged to spread love and joy through quilting by creating and giving away a project using a Block on Board (BOB) die from Accuquilt  mixed with a block from the Accuquilt Cube Die Set.  

Gifting the quilt away was the easy part of the challenge.  Most of the quilts I make I usually give away.

I was talking to my nephew a couple weeks ago about this very subject.  He told me I should sell my quilts. I responded they are too expensive to sell so I just give them away. 

He stared at me confused and said, "That doesn't make sense, aren't you loosing money that way?"

I told him it is more fun to give them away to friends and family who will love them than to sell them.  He nodded and said, "That makes sense."  I will be passing this quilt on to a little friend.  

For this project I used the the new Island Batik fabric line called Forecast by Ebony Love of Love Bug Studios. It hit shops in May.

For this challenge I was sent the Arkansas Traveler BOB. It makes a 12 inch finished block.

The cube set makes 8 inch finished blocks.  Mixing an 8 inch block with a 12 inch block was the harder part of this challenge for me. 

My first thought was to make an 8 inch block and put a border around it to make it 12 inches, but I really wanted the block to meld into the Arkansas Traveler block so I kept thinking.

As I was thumbing through the book that comes with the cube set inspiration hit! I could take any of the blocks in the book set up as a four patch and insert more 4 inch sections to create a 12 inch finished block to go with the Arkansas Traveler block.

I settled on the Turnstile block with a plan to turn it into a 9 patch instead of a four patch.

I used the four original sections of  the Turnstile block for the outer corners. I used die #3 and die #4 in the cube set to make all these sections of the block.  The center hourglass block used die #4 as well. 

Four the triangle in a squares sections I used another die I had purchased muself. The 4 inch Triangle in a Square die. So other than the borders, this whole quilt was cut out with Accuquilt dies.

Everything sewed up super quick and lined up perfectly with the notches already cut out for me.

I used the last of the Hobbs polyester batting that came in my January box for a nice fluffy quilting look.

I quilted it using white Aurifil Thread and a  Schmetz 90/14 Quilting Needle.

Since this one will be used and washed a lot I did a quick all over meander.

The Arkansas Traveler Block

My newly created 12 inch finished block using the 8 inch cube die set.

When you place the two blocks next to each other they create a whole new look!

This quilt is like a big nine patch in itself.  The Arkansas Traveler block alternates with the new block in rows of 3 x 3.  It measures approximately 50 in square.

And another picture just for fun.

Happy Quilting!

=^..^=