Thursday, February 8, 2024

Island Batik Log Cabin Blog Hop


I am excited to show off my Lone Star Log Cabin Quilt!  Using the Island Batik Flutter Wings fabric line by Kathy Engle





This month Island Batik Ambassadors were asked to play with Log Cabin blocks to help show off the new Island Batik fabric collections hitting stores now!





Flutter Wings is right up my alley, bright and full of dragonflies, birds, and butterflies.
The colors all blend so well together and make fantastic log cabin blocks. 




I was also excited to get this new Oliso Iron in my January Ambassador box.  The TG1600ProPlus.  My old iron was hanging together by a thread, literally, the sole plat would flop when I used it.  It was definitely time for a new iron.  And this one is fantastic.  I love the smooth sole plate. It pressed all my half-yard prints so smooth.








I started with the diamond log cabin blocks, which turned out way bigger than I intended.  So the square cabins ended up being 16 inches.  Making this quilt huge!  Log cabin blocks are quick to sew up, so it's pretty easy to make a huge quilt if you cut your fabric strips wide.




This block ended up being 16 inches.  All the prints and colors blend so well together.





I enjoyed auditioning color combos for each round of log cabin blocks. The fabric prints and colors complement each other well.




I pieced and quilted the whole project with Schmetz needles.  I used an 80/12 microtex needle for the piecing and an 80/12 universal needle for the quilting.  Sometimes I use a microtex needle for the quilting but this time I grabbed the universal and it quilted through all the layers without any issues.








Of course, as soon as the quilting was done, Avi had to do quality control checks.  I do believe it passed as it was difficult to remove him to start the binding.




To make the diamond blocks, I started with a 2 1/2 strip and cut it into a diamond with the 45 degree line on my ruler.  The logs that went around it were 2 inch strips.  I sewed one log in, trimmed it, then added the next.  I kept going around the cabin till all the logs were on.





I outlined each block in Island Batik solid black for a little bit of a stained glass look.




The square blocks ended up having large logs and small logs. The orange prints were cut 2 1/2 inches and the blue prints were cut 2 inches to give the block an off-center look.




I quilted an all-over floral swirl design on it with some teal thread.





The quilt turned out huge! An 80 inch square. My husband's wing span was not big enough to hold it up for a full shot of the quilt.  So he hung it over the dock railing at the park.




The fabric colors almost match the colors outside but are more vibrant. Yellow grass and blue skies.




We just needed some butterflies and birds to go with it.




I did see a pretty blue bird at the park, but he was too quick for a photo.






Thanks for reading along and be sure to check out the giveaway hosted by Island Batik. 
They are giving away two fat quarter bundles.  You can visit their blog post for all the details on how to enter!




This giveaway ends February, 9 at 11:59 pm PDT. Two random winners will be notified by email on February, 10 and announced on the Island Batik Facebook page on February, 13. If the winners do not respond within the first two days after being notified, two new random winners will be chosen and notified. Please check your spam folders!



And don't miss my fellow Ambassador, Suzy Webster,  to see what she did with the Flutter Wings Collection.


Happy Sewing!




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Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Picnic Quilt UFO finished


I did have a UFO finish in December. I finally got the Picnic Quilt quilted and gifted! I had to wait to get a photo, though,  as it was completed only a few minutes before it had to be wrapped up and then it flew out west.

 Thanks to @telisabethdragon for the photos in the snow!




Avi is always curious in the sewing room, popping up from time to time to see what I'm doing.




Boonky likes to take advantage of the soft place to lay when I add the binding.




This quilt is full of fun scraps. 




I even squeezed in some Star Wars scraps.




I love seeing snippets of fabric that were used in other projects.





This quilt is a great way to use up several different sizes from my scrap bin.
I like it so much I even have a box of scraps trimmed up ready to make a second one.





And what picnic quilt would be complete without food on it?






I found the perfect Hot Dog fabric for the back.





And some yummy pizza fabric too.





And finished off with a paper plate label.
Once the snow goes away, this quilt will finally get to make its picnic debut!




 Happy Sewing!




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Thursday, January 25, 2024

Island Batik Ambassador January Box

 

January is always a fun month for Island Batik Ambassadors as we get our first box of goodies to work with.  Check out the video below to see what came in my box.  

In the video, I do a quick look inside at all the items and then go into more detail and show close-ups of each item.




Be sure to also check out the links below to visit the web pages of some of the industry partners that have generously sent items to help us with our projects!



















Happy Sewing!




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Wednesday, January 24, 2024

White Rabbit Blog Hop


Welcome to my day on the White Rabbit Blog Hop, hosted by Carol of Just Let Me Quilt.  For this hop we were challenged to create something with white fabrics, rabbits, or rabbit fabric.  My thoughts for this challenge kept going to cute white bunnies and Easter.  So I opted for a cute Easter tote.

The blog hop challenge idea came from a tradition of saying “white rabbit” on the first day of the month. The phrase is supposed to bring good luck for the rest of the month. 

I had not heard of this tradition, but it sounded good to me, I can always use more luck.





Spring flowers and a cute bunny tail are just what I need to help fight the winter blahs. 



The weather has been unreasonably cold for the south this past week, 18 degrees at night is way too cold for me.  These fun spring colors sure help warm up the place.

Luckily we will return to our regular winter weather and be back in the high 60s by the end of the week.

Be sure to check out all the other white rabbit creations hopping around this week.






 Happy Sewing!




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Friday, January 5, 2024

Majestic Mountain - Speakeasy Version

 


Majestic Mountains - Speakeasy Version

This is the version I made when I was testing my newest pattern, Majestic Mountains.   The top was finished last year, and I had time to quilt it up this past week.

I even made a video that gives some tips on how to make it.  Check it out on my Quilted Delights  YouTube Channel.





You can get the pattern in my shop:



The pattern was on sale till the end of this week, but I am extending the sale for another week in honor of the video release, so go check it out!




For this version I used an older Island Batik fabric line called Speakeasy.  Island Batik strip sets usually have two of each print, which make them perfect for this pattern as you need to sew two identical panels for this the project.





Boonky always lets me know when its time to take a break.




The video gives tips on how I make my strips,






And how to make sure all the seams nest together nicely when sewing rows.




It also shows a wee bit of footage of my furry quilt inspectors.




Avi is having a hard time learning to stay off the quilt while it's on the frame. He knows its the perfect cat hammock, if only he could just get on there...





In the video, I also go over a little on how I start my free hand feathers for quilting.




I am loving the colors. 




 I had some great beige Island Batik foundation prints on hand that matched the fabric line.




I used a tan thread for the quilting. It blends in with the neutrals and isn't too bright on the dark fabrics.





It was a cloudy day at the park for photos.




All the leaves and grass were brown,





but it matched the quilt perfectly.




If you make the pattern tag me on your social media! I'd love to see it!
 



Happy Sewing!



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