Northwood Gnomes

 

My quilt Northwood Gnomes is in the Winter 2025 McCalls Quilting magazine.  This fun quilt was made using all plaid fabrics.  The appliqued gnomes and trees make it feel like somewhere in the north woods.  Raw edge applique makes this quilt a quick and easy one for winter. 

You can get a copy here:  

Digital Issue McCall’s Quilting Fall 2024.

Dresden Plate Island Batik Ambassador Blog Hop

 

                                                            

Sedona Sunrise

51" x 61"

The November Island Batik Challenge is a Dresden Plate Blog Hop.

We were to make a lap quilt or larger quilt using the  surprise Island Batik fabric bundle we received in July.  I received the collection called Island Zest by Kathy Engle for Quilters' Treasure Chest.

These colors are deep, rich and warm. Part of the challenge was to create a quilt using Dresden Plates in the design.  I received a dresden plate ruler by EZ Quilting from Missouri Star Quilt Company as part of the Affiliate program that I was excited to try out. This ruler worked very well in making all the sections for Dresden Plates.  It makes Dresden plate points  in sizes 1" to 8". I also used three Aurifil threads in the quilt.  The center thread looks pink in the photo, but it is really a pretty canary yellow.

I made this quilt a bit differently than most projects I make.  This time I didn't start with a pre planned design.  I was living with my daughter at the time and had all the fabrics in the collection with me and the ruler and a small sewing machine I used for taking to classes.  I decided to make Dresden Plate points in three different sizes 2", 6", and 8" in all the fabrics and then just play with them to see what I could come up with!

The points are very easy to make.

This is what the points look like from the back when they are sewn together.

I ended up with loads of points in the three sizes. The fabrics are lovely and it was fun to play around with how to put them together.  

The smallest dresden points I made into a full circle and I wanted to put it somewhere in the middle of the quilt.  

The largest points I thought would look nice in half circles on the sides and the four corners.

There were three yellow fabrics and two were very similar, so I used those two for the background.

I decided on one of the dark green fabrics for an outside border. 

I came up with several different layouts, none of which I had originally planned.  Designs develop that way sometimes!  Here are a couple layouts

I appliqued circles to the centers using fusible applique.

I ended up not using the green dresdens in the corners, but I still like them.  Maybe in another quilt!

I liked the look of the double layered dresden plates.  I also added dresden points in dark green around the center circle.  I think this makes it look a bit like a compass.

Once I decided on the layout I wanted to make, I pinned the dresden appliques to the quilt backing and straight stitched along the outside edges.  Schmetz needles sewed thru the applique thickness very well.  I used an orange and a lovely blue aurifil thread for the top stitching.  Sometimes it is surprising what colors work best for top stitching and quilting.  This time a blue worked best on the green and blue/green fabrics.  I didn't get a photo of the blue thread.

I decided on making a piano keys border with most of the remaining fabrics.  I used all 20 fabrics of the collection in this quilt.

As I only had my small machine with me and time was running out for the November deadline, I asked my friend Vickie Hunsberger from Quilting for You if she had an opening and could quilt it for me.  She had an opening and had it quilted in a few days!

I had her use one of my Hobbs wool battings and I really like the look and feel of how it turned out.

Vicki does beautiful quilting.  Here a a few close up photos of her work.

I have a bit of quilting envy!

One of my great neighbors let me photograph the quilt with their lovely fall display.  The colors just matched!

Many thanks to Island Batik, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles and Aurifil Thread for supplying products to make this project thru the Island Batik Ambassador Program.

Be sure and visit all the Ambassadors on the blog hop and visit Island Batik to enter into their weekly drawing for one of two fat quarter bundles.  You don't want to miss that!

I am also having a drawing for three partially used half yards of the collection.  These are not full half yards, but there is still a lot of fabric in them.

Leave a comment on the blog to enter.

Drawing open for USA residents only due to postage costs.  Make sure that I can contact you if you are a winner.  Drawing with be at the end of the blog hop.

November Dresden Plate Island Batik Blog Hop

Here is the information from Island Batik on the November Dresden Plate Blog Hop.  Look for my post on Thursday Nov. 7.  Be sure and go to the Island Batik Blog each week and enter their fabric drawing.

Welcome to the much-anticipated Dresden Plate Blog Hop! Over the next four weeks, 26 talented Island Batik Ambassadors will come together to showcase their creative takes on the iconic Dresden Plate block. This classic design, admired for its beautiful radial pattern of petal-like wedges, offers endless possibilities for artistic expression. Each quilter will experiment with this timeless block, using the new Island Batik collections to create stunning lap-sized or larger quilts.

We can’t wait to be inspired by the unique interpretations, clever techniques, and incredible quilting on display. So, grab your favorite sewing supplies and join us as we celebrate the boundless beauty of the Dresden Plate!

Throughout the next four weeks of the Blog Hop, we’ll be unveiling stunning quilts that showcase the fabrics from our latest collections, hitting the shelves this month. Don’t forget to express your anticipation to your favorite quilt shop! Find out which stores carry Island Batik near you by using our Store Locator; just enter your zip code, and your local shop will pop up on the map – it’s incredibly convenient and helpful!

Every Friday, we’ll compile round-ups of the projects and host a giveaway of two Fat Quarter bundles from the new Island Batik collections highlighted during that week! Make sure to explore all the amazing creations on the Ambassadors’ blogs and join in on their additional giveaways for even more chances to win.

Below is the complete list of Ambassadors, the collections they’ll feature in their projects, and their scheduled post dates:

WEEK 1

November 4:

• Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine
• Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

November 5:

• Pamela Boatright, PamelaQuilts
• Connie Kresin Campbell, Freemotion by the River

November 6:

• Mania Hatzioannidi, Mania for Quilts
• Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail

November 7:

• Megan Best, BestQuilter
• Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs

November 8:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway

WEEK 2

November 12:

• Lana Russel, Lana Quilts
• Julia Schweri, Inflorescence Designs

November 13:

• Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs
• Denise Looney, Quiltery

November 14:

• Jane Hauprich, Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting
• Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations

November 15:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

WEEK 3

November 18:

• Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts
• Susan Deshensky, Lady Blue Quilt Studio

November 19:

• Renee Atkinson, Pink Tulip Quilting
• Brittany Fisher, Bobbin with Brittany

November 20:

• Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights
• Suzy Webster, Websterquilt
• Sarah Pitcher, Pitcher’s Boutique LLC

November 21:

• Carol Stanek, Stitch With Color
• Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

November 22:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 3 and Final Giveaway

WEEK 4

November 25:

• Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels
• Victoria Johnson, Forever Quilting For You

November 26:

End of Blog Hop + Final Round Up

What's in Your Bag Island Batik Challenge

 

The October Island Batik Ambassador Challenge is called What's in Your Bag!  

This month our ByAnnie.com is the sponsor and provided all the Ambassadors the supplies needed to make a bag of our choice.  This year I let my daughter pick the bag and she selected the pattern Hang in There.

This pattern is for a beside/sofa pocket organizer.  It comes in two sizes and I decided to make both of them.  Island Batik also let us select what fabrics we wanted and I picked four lovely fabrics from the collection called Poetic Bouquet.

I've made several By Annie bags and this is the easiest one so far.  This organizer requires no quilting, no zippers and no binding!  Wow!  That really simplifies things!

As in all By Annie patterns the instructions are very clear.  All pieces are labeled and there are step by step instructions as well as an online video for extra help.  With the darker fabrics I selected, By Annie sent me their Soft and Stable in black.  That is the first time I've used the black and it worked really well.

I tried to take a few photos of some of the steps. Below you can see the fusible interfacing has been fused to the fabric pockets on the small bag and the large bag.  The labels keep things organized.

It was interesting that the smaller bag was taller and less wide.  The larger bag was wider and not as tall.

Here the small organizer is almost finished.  Need to top stitch around the pockets.  Clips work really well to hold all the layers.  I love the mesh for the pockets and the fold over elastic for the mesh.  It is VERY easy to sew and makes great pockets.

Small organizer finished.  You can see the flap at the top that will go under the mattress.  Size is 15 1/2" H x 12 1/2" W.

Here is the large organizer finished.  It was a lot larger than I expected - 13" H x 23 1/2" W

There are a lot of pockets!  This could be very handy - especially if you are someone who likes to read in bed, or have remotes or phones you want to keep accessible.

Here are photos I took once the organizers were finished.  I will tell you my surprise after the photos- see if you notice anything in the pictures.

I never once considered the measurements of these organizers.  My bad!  These do NOT fit on our bed!  They are made for beds that have a mattress AND a box spring under it.  We have a mattress on top of drawers and it sits lower to the floor.  In the photos above I have the organizer laying on top of the mattress just to get a photo.

Oh well!  These were made for a gift, so now I just need to make sure they will fit on their bed - ha!  Lesson learned!

I also used Schmetz needles and they work great sewing thru all the layers.

Thanks to Island Batik, By Annie and Schmetz for supplying products to use in this project.

Drawing Winner

 The winner for my prize fabric drawing in the Adventurous Applique Blog Hop is dgs.  The fabrics are on the way to her!

Just a note that I am an affiliate with the Missouri Star Quilt Company, but there will be no discounts Oct - Dec as they are reworking their program.

Adventurous Applique Island Batik Blog Hop

 

Dancing Daisies by Connie Kauffman  44" x 54"

September is time for another Island Batik Ambassador Challenge.  This month the theme is Adventurous Applique with Aurifil.

 In my July Island Batik box was a bundle of the collection called Daisy May.  I LOVE daisies and this collection is full of them.  

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The Daisy May collection has bright oranges, yellows, teals and greens and some fabrics with a lighter background.  This collection is a Spring/Summer 2024 collection and is by Kathy Engel and should be arriving in shops now.  Be sure and look for them!

The sponsor for this challenge is Aurifil Thread.  They sent us a lovely selection of threads to match our fabric collection that we could use in our project.  I ended up using some white Aurifil I had and the pretty yellow you see below.

Island Batik also sent yardage in a light and dark color to match the collection.  The light fabric is from their Foundations collections and is called Glaze and the green fabric is from the Daisy May collection called Mini Daisy Turquoise.  I used Glaze to make the daisy petals in my quilt.

Guidelines for this challenge were to make a lap quilt with applique.  The applique was supposed to be attached with some kind of different edge stitching.  They suggested doing the technique by 4th and 6th Designs that they used on their quilt Full Bloom.  Their technique is raw edge and glue basted with no fusible used.. If you want to see this technique, you can watch these two tutorials by 4th and 6th Designs.

YouTube Video demonstrating the edge-coloring technique. 

Shabby Fabrics YouTube video on the edge painting technique.

This technique glues the applique pieces down and does a sort of free hand, back and forth method of stitching over and over. I tried this technique and it wasn't for me!  I thought about doing a machine decorative stitch around my appliques, but I didn't want to be turning the quilt on all those petals.  I tried a few different edge techniques, and finally decided on just doing a freehand loopy/circle around the applique edges.  For the center of the daisies I did loopy/circles thru the whole piece.

While I was deciding what edge stitching to do, I selected 7 of the blue/green fabrics to make a center panel of simple 5"finished squares.  Then I picked out 7 of the yellow/orange fabrics to make a border of 5" finished squares.  That was easy and I decided to go ahead and layer and baste and do basic straight line quilting before adding the applique.  The Daisy May collection has 20 fabrics and I used 14 of them in this quilt.

Most of the time persons finish the applique before basting and quilting the quilt top, but I thought it might be easier to do it this way.  I wanted to try the technique of gluing the raw edges of the applique.  I've done some collage quilting with fusibles and I wondered if this would be easier than ironing all that fusible webbing on to fabrics..

I laid out the daisy petals and the flower centers made from an older yellow Island Batik collection.  I used Roxanne's Glue-Baste-It and found it worked very well.  The glue held up to a lot of manipulation.  I liked how the bottle had a very small tip for applying the glue.

I always use Schmetz Needles and they sewed thru the glue very well. I didn't notice when I was sewing thru the  glue.  Hobbs Cotton Batting worked well with this technique also.

Thanks to Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Schmetz needles and Hobbs Batting for providing products to use in this project thru the Island Batik Ambassador program.

Every week of the blog hop Island Batik has a tremendous giveaway.  This week it is for two collections called Bubbles, Curves and Corners and Twilight.  Each bundle has a half yard of each fabric in the collection.  Be sure and go to Island Batik to enter to win one of these great bundles!

I am having my own giveaway of two of the half yard cuts from the Daisy Mae collection.  These two fabrics have a light cream background.  One has cute little daisy prints and the other one has dots and dashes in a variety of colors.  Leave a comment telling me your favorite flower to enter the drawing.  USA entries only due to postage costs.  Make sure that I can contact you if you are a winner.

Be sure and visit the other Island Batik Ambassadors (see my last post for all the Ambassadors) and see all the new collections and special quilts.  Also be sure and enter the Island Batik special drawing each week!