Feather One Block Wonder

Another January Finish.  This one was started last year and was almost done so it was easy to finish up.

What put the fire under me to finish this one was the Totally Tulips quilt before it.

When I went to quilt Totally Tulips, I didn't have an empty bobbin for the thread I was going to use and I didn't have anything else to transfer the thread to free up a bobbin, so I decided to sew one of my other UFO's together to empty a bobbin so I could quilt Totally Tulips.  

The bobbin with Yellow thread had the least amount on it, so I picked up this One Block Wonder and started sewing rows.  I was pretty close to completing the whole top when the bobbin ran out so I decided to keep going and completed the top.

I really enjoyed this fabric but wasn't sure how to go about the layout.  At first  I wasn't sure what color groups I wanted to put together.  I played around with several different layouts, 

And ended up with this one.

This fabric is so busy I did an all over quilting.  It is hard to see in the photos, but I quilted wavy lines, swirls, and even drew some weird looking feathers.  I used a pastel  yellow thread.  It blended in with everything.

I used the original print in the border.

It is a feather print by Kaffe.

The quilt measures approximately 84 x 72 inches.

It kind of reminds me of cotton Candy.

I love making these One Block Wonders.

On to the next one! 

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Totally Tulips

Another January Finish.  Totally Tulips.  This is another kit I purchased.  I got this one in October 2019 from Missouri Star Quilt Company, so it hasn't been sitting as long as some others.

I started this one at the beginning of January when I was getting over Covid.  I didn't have quite enough energy to stand up and move around, but I could sit at the table and cut stuff out.

When I got to feeling better I sewed it up... 

and got it quilted.  

I used a greyish blue thread so it would look good on the dark background but not overpower the lighter yellows and creams in the flowers.

This quilt is huge!  Approximately 90 x 90 inches.

It feels good to have another quilt completed. 

I already have a new home picked out for this one, just going to put it in quarantine two more weeks before gifting it, just to be on the safe side.

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Cabin Windows UFO Complete!

A UFO complete!  Yay!  I bought this kit from Connecting Threads in 2013.

I came across it the other day when I was looking for a quilt panel I wanted to play with.

This kit was with my panels.  Totally in the wrong spot.  

I took it out to put it were it belongs and realized I had already cut all the pieces out.  So I decided to sew it together instead of put it back on the shelf.

I almost quilted this using black thread, but decided to go with a blue. I am glad I did, the blue pops on the black and gives the quilt a whole new feel.  I did an all over feather swirl and what ever I felt like drawing for the quilting.  It quilted up pretty quick.  For the binding again I went with blue.  It frames it up nicely.

I used up most of this weird zig zag print for the back.  I bought it super cheap years ago and a lot of it, thinking it would be perfect for backings and it has served me well.  I added a purple strip of fabric to make it wide enough.  I couldn't believe how well the purple matched the print.

Another UFO off the list,  a lot more to go.....

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Tropical Bargello Placemats and Table Runner

 

January is the Placemat Challenge for Island Batik Ambassadors!

The weather has been so gloomy here lately, cloudy and rainy for weeks. I decided to use what was left of my Island Batik Tropicana Twist fabric line designed by Kathy Engle to create something bright and fun.  Tropicana Twist arrived in quilt shops in December, so you should still be able to get your hands on some.

I started out with 12 prints and put them in color order.  I cut 1.75 inch strips from each print.

Then I sewed the strips together.

As I was sewing them together, I swapped the wavy light blue around. It seemed to fit better this way.

Once the all the strips were together I sewed the first and last strip together to create a tube, then I cut strips at different widths.  As I was laying out the strips, I realized this was going to be a little taller than I wanted for a placement and I also realized I didn't have enough of the oranges to make a fourth placemat.  I had enough of a strip tube left to cut a few more strips, but not enough for a fourth placement.  I decided I would use what was left of the last strip tube and turn this one into a table runner.

Then I got busy picking out more fabrics and cutting more strips.  This time I measured all the lengths of each cut I would need and added them all up.  This let me know I would need three strip tubes to make four placemats.  This time I used 9 fabrics and cut the strips at 2 inches so I needed to make sure I had six inches of each fabric to make three tubes.  When the tube was sewn together I cut my different sized rows.

I was laying the rows out four at a time on top of each other.

When I got everything in the right order it was time to finish cutting open the tubes at the right spot.  

Once I got started, I just followed the flow of the row before it, it was super easy.

I put all four on the long arm at the same time.  

I quilted them using a bright yellow Aurifil thread #2120.

I used a strip of left over Hobbs Heirloom Premium Batting.

The Hobbs website is full of batting information.  Check out their page on their Heirloom batting and read which one is best for your project.  The Heirloom batting made my placemats flat in the close quilting and fluffy in the feathers where there was more space.  I love how it turned out.

And of course I love my Schmetz Needles,  I have been sewing with them for years.  Their Sharp Microtex needles helped me quilt through these layers in no time.

I used the half yard Island Batik Foundations fabric I received in my boxes for the back of the placements.  A half yard cut was the perfect size for two placemats.

I used Pistachio and Large Netting - Lemongrass

Everything together.

I had fun quilting the feathers on these.  I realized I am better at going up with feathers than going down.  My brain has to think harder to get them right when I got the opposite direction.  

The table runner measures approximately 16 x 60 inches.

The placemats measure approximately 14 x 19 inches.

I designed my rows for the placements and the table runner in EQ8.

If you want to make some placemats of your own like these, you can see my measurements in the PDF below.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Quilting.

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Island Batik Ambassador for 2021

 I am excited to announce that I will be an Island Batik Ambassador again for 2021.

They already sent a few boxes of supplies to get started on this year's challenges, check out the video below to see what I get to work with during the first half of the year.

A big thank you Island Batik and to their industry partners:  Schemtz Needles, Hobbs Batting, Aurifil Thread, and Accuquilt!

Below are all the Ambassadors for 2021.  Stop by their sites and see what they get to play with!

Megan Best ~

Bestquilter

Pamela Boatright ~

Pamelaquilts

Elizabeth DeCroos ~

Epida Studio

Jennifer Eubank ~ Archipelago Quilting

Jennifer Fulton ~

The Inquiring Quilter

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts

Joanne Hart ~

Unicorn Harts

Mania Hatziioannidi ~

Mania for quilts

Jane Hauprich - Stitch By Stitch Custom Quilting

Connie Kauffman

~ Kauffman Designs

Emily Leachman ~

The Darling Dogwood

Denise Looney ~

For The Love Of Geese

Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights

Sally Manke ~

Sally Manke, Fiber Artist

Maryellen McAuliffe ~

Mary Mack Made Mine

Claudia Porter ~

Create with Claudia

Gail Renna ~

Quilt Haven Threads

Brianna Roberts ~

Sew Cute And Quirky

Michelle Roberts ~

Creative Blonde

Gail Sheppard ~

Quilting Gail

Andi Stanfield ~

True Blue Quilts

Jennifer Thomas ~

CurliCue Creations

Suzy Webster

~ WebsterQuilt

Janet Yamamoto ~

Whispers of Yore

You can also see them on the Island Batik website HERE.
Make sure to check out some of their fabric while you are stopping by.

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Island Batik Medallion Quilt - Holiday in the Woods

 

When I first read the theme for the December Island Batik Ambassador Challenge,  I knew I wanted to make a a huge Christmas quilt.  I got started on it right away because I wanted to have time to finish it before December ended.  

I was doing great,  I had the pattern created in the first couple days, started making all the blocks and had the top ready to go a week before Christmas.  

I started quilting it with the intention to show it off on Christmas Day and then Corona hit.  Bleh. I was down for the count for 15 days,  couldn't even stand up at the quilt machine.  But I am finally feeling better and now it is time to show of my December challenge quilt.  I call it Holiday in the Woods.

This was my center block.  Everything revolves around the evening star.

I had a lot of fun pulling different reds and greens to create all the different blocks.

I used several different fabrics from different Island Batik lines and fabrics from the foundations collections.

The Season Splendor line by Kathy Engle that hit stores in May had lots of greens and reds that fit perfect.

For the background I used Island Batik White fabric.

I pulled a scrap out of my personal Island batik collection for the roof of the houses.

I used a bit of green from the American Frontier Collection as well.

The yellows were also from the scrap bin.

Pinwheels, candy, and Stars all ready to be put in rows.

I used EQ 8 to get my rows the perfect size to fit each block.  I started with one center block and kept adding pieced borders to get the look I wanted.

Everything was sewn together using Schemtz needles.  Even the quilting was done with Schmetz.  That's what I love about my Bernina longarm. I can put what ever needle I want in there.

I quilted most of the quilt with White Aurifil Thread #2021.

I also used some Aurifil Yellow # 2120...

And Aufifil Red #2260.  

This quilt is huge just like I wanted,  it measures approximately 84 x 84 inches.

I needed two quilt holders to hold this beauty up.

I am also happy to announce I will be an Island Batik Ambassador again for 2021.   Stay tuned to see what fun Island Batik projects I will be creating this year.

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