June Doll House - Office

 Time for a new room in the Amy Bradley Doll House Quilt.  

This month it is the Office.

I changed up a few colors in this block.  I made my computer gray with a black screen to match  my own computer colors.  I also made my desk look a little more like wood- but still keeping the colors light.  Another cute block!

This block I'm putting in the middle row of my rooms on the right side.

Here is my sister Jody's laundry room.  Isn't it cute!  I can't wait to see all her rooms put together.

Only one room to go!  Next month will be Bedrooms.

If you are making this quilt- how are you coming along?  It's really looking like a house now, so I'm getting anxious to get it all together.  Remember you can purchase a pattern at any time at Amy Bradley Designs.  While you are there be sure and check out all of her other cute patterns.

Elkhart County Quilt & Fiber Expo

 

I will be teaching a paper piecing workshop at the Elkhart County Quilt & Fiber Expo on June 8, 2023.  The Expo runs from June 8-10 and has great classes, presentations, quilt show and vendor market.  Food trucks will be on hand.

The Expo is at the Northern Indiana Event Center 21565 Executive Parkway, Elkhart IN 46514 (Exit 96 on the IN 80/90). 

They have a great website that tells about the workshops and teachers and all the events going on- check it out below.

 A detailed event schedule is available on the website: www.elkhartcountyquiltfiberexpo.com

*The winner of the Stash Builder rolls from my Tool Crazy Blog Hop post is Petuniakr - Congratualtions!

May Tool Craze Blog Hop and drawing

 

Cirque du Soleil

27 1/2" x 27 1/2"

May is time for another Island Batik Ambassador Blog Hop.  

This hop is called Tool Craze and our challenge was to use the Surprise fabric bundle that was in our latest box.  Along with that we were to use the Deb Tucker's Studio 180 Design ruler that we were given.  Interesting challenge!

This was my surprise bundle.  It's always exciting to see what we receive.

I received the V Block ruler. 

The Island Batik fabrics in my bundle was the collection Make a Wish by Kathy Engle.  These fabrics should be in the shops now, so go to your local stores and ask if they have it.  If they don't have it now- tell them they should order it!

Aren't these cute prints!  Such a feeling of a party with balloon, candles, steamers, etc.

The Studio 180 Design ruler I received was for making V blocks.  The block is just like it looks on the label.  The ruler enables you to make 11 different sizes of V blocks.  An added challenge was that we were to make at least 30 blocks with our ruler and to make 2 different size blocks with it AND if we had other Studio 180 rulers it would be good to include them in the design.  That's a big challenge, but I was able to do it!

I am easily inspired by fabrics, but putting the requirement of what kind of block to use with it requires a bit more thought.  I like that these rulers allow you to make different size blocks, although making two different size blocks in one design was an added challenge.

I selected 13 fabrics above from the collection to use and also Island Batik solid white.  Two of the fabrics were used for the backing.

As I worked with the fabrics and the design it reminded me of a circus.  See if you get the same feeling.

I ended up making  4 V blocks that finished 3" x 3".  They are surrounding the center square.  I made 40 V blocks that finished 2" x 2".  These are in the outer border.  They may be harder to see as I butted the blocks up to each other in pairs.  

I also used the Corner Pop ruler I received last year.  I made 4 corner pop blocks that measure 3" x 3".  They also surround the center block.  

I added some fused appliques with Lite Steam a Seam 2 that I button hole stitched once the quilt was basted.  I used Hobbs Cotton batting which is great for wall hangings and one I use a lot.

I used three colors of Aurifil thread that matched perfectly.  It's so great when you have the perfect color on hand. I always use Schmetz needles in my machine.  I love their non stick needles when working with any fused applique.

I used two fabrics from the collection for the backing - an extra surprise!

For added embellishment I added 22 buttons.  It took awhile to sew them all down!

Does the quilt remind you of a circus?  I named it Cirque du Soleil which is French for Circus of the Sun.  I think it's a perfect name.

Thanks to Island Batik, Aurifil Threads, Deb Tucker's Studio 180 Design, Hobbs Batting and Schmetz Needles for providing products to make this project.

I have a drawing of two stash builder rolls.  Leave a comment below to be entered.  USA entrants only due to postage costs.  I will draw a winner at the end of the blog hop.  Make sure that I can contact you if you win.

This is the first week of the blog hop.  Island Batik has a great drawing of two fat quarter bundles this week - either Make a Wish or Let it Snow.  Don't pass up this chance to win some great fabric!  Be sure to enter here.

Also, be sure and check out all the Ambassadors to see what fabrics they are working with and what they have designed.

May Amy Bradley Laundry Room

 The Amy Bradley Doll House Quilt has the cutest laundry room.  Here is my creation.

There are a lot of little pieces of laundry in the laundry basket!  Nice to use up some itty bitty scraps!  This laundry basket works a lot easier if you use an applique sheet and fuse the basket pieces all together into one piece that you can place on the pocket background fabric.

The little hangers are sewn on with a straight stitch in black thread.  They look great.  I picked a fabric with not a lot going on for the background as I wanted the hangers to show up.   I like the fabric I picked for the glass in the washer and dryer.  It sort of looks like things swishing around.

I'm putting this block beside the Sewing Room.

Here is my sister Jody's attic room.  I just LOVE it!  She is so creative and thinks out of the box.  I love the book shelf fabric she picked for the background.  And look at those books stacked up on the floor!  Her trunk is lovely and she even designed her own stool and light so that you can sit and read!  I'd like to visit her cozy attic and pick out a book or two!   Like I said - she is very creative!

Next month will be the Office.  We are making our way to building the Doll House.  Only a few blocks to go!

You can purchase the Doll House  pattern at Amy Bradley Designs at any time.  Paper and digital patterns available.

Tool Craze Island Batik May Blog Hop

 

It's time for another Island Batik Ambassador Blog Hop!  The month of May the Ambassadors are working with Island Batik and Deb Tucker's Studio 180 Design in making exciting new creations.  Each Ambassador received a bundle of a new Island Batik fabric collection and one of Deb Tuck's Studio 180 to work with.  Pretty exciting!

Island Batik will be having a fantastic drawing each week and the drawing for week 1 starts today.  The drawing is for two fat quarter bundles!  One bundle is of the collection Make a Wish and one for the collection Let it Snow.  Be sure to go to Island Batik to enter!

My day is Thursday May 4 and I made a quilt out of the Make a Wish collection..  I can't wait to show you what I created!

Here is the listing of the Ambassadors and the new collections they are using. 

WEEK 1

May 1

Susan Deshensky, Lady Blue Quilts

Randi Jones, Randi’s Roost

May 2

Elita Sharpe, Busy Needle Quilting

Mania Hatziioannidi, Mania for Quilts

May 3

Brittany Fisher, Bobbin with Brittany

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts

May 4

Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs

Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese

May 5

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway

WEEK 2

May 8

Reed Johnson, Blue Bear Quilts

Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

May 9

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail

Lana Russel, Lana Quilts

May 10

Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia

Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum

May 11

Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations

May 12

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

WEEK 3

May 15

Victoria Johnson, Forever Quilting for You

Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine

May 16

Renee Atkinson, Pink Tulip Quilting

Sarah Pitcher, Pitcher’s Boutique

May 17

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt

Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts

Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

May 18

End of Blog Hop + Final Round Up

Crazy Quilts April Challenge

In Full Bloom

13 1/2" x 22"

The April Challenge for the Island Batik Ambassadors is to make a Crazy Quilt using one of the new Color Builder Aurifil Thread Collections.  Aurifil sent every Ambassador a Color Builder box of thread with three spools.  I received a box of yellow threads called Bird of Paradise.

One of the threads is more orange and has a some nice variegation of color.  The yellow spools are very similar in color.  One has very slight variegation of color that I didn't even notice at first. The threads are 50 wt cotton.  The numbers are 2130, 3920 and 4657. 

So our challenge was to use the colored threads we received and make some kind of crazy quilt. 

 I thought about this awhile.  I wanted to do something that didn't look like a traditional crazy quilt.   How to incorporate the look of crazy quilting in a modern quilt.?

I had a design for a crazy paper pieced flower that I'd never used, so I thought this would be a fun time to use it.  I made a couple trial blocks of the pattern with Island Batik scraps and made them into hot pads.

I liked the look of the design and decided to make a small wall quilt with flowers where I would add embroidery stitching to the blooms.

I decided on a teal Island Batik Blender for the background called Small Pointed Floral.  I used other Island Batik Foundation fabrics for the other colors.  Island Batik Foundation fabrics are great because they are always available.

The bottom colors are all shades of purple.  They look a bit like blues in the photo.

  

I made the main flowers and stems and wanted to add some leaves. I later decided not to add the little white blossoms because I didn't want to have any more stems.  I also decided to add a strip of colored scraps to the left side of the quilt as an extra pop of color.

I paper pieced the main flowers and secured them to the background with a little touch of glue around the edges.  I didn't want them to be stiff from fusible webbing.  The stems, leaves and tulips were all fused to the background.

After the top was finished, I basted it to the backing and batting and then added the embroidery stitching. I wanted a thin batting for this quilt, so I used a single layer of Hobbs Thermore Batting.

The stems and leaves have button hole stitching.  All the flowers have different embroidery stitching.  It was fun to use a big variety of stitches that I seldom use!

I used the purple threads on the orange flower, the yellow threads on the purple flower and the orangish threads on the yellow flower.

Schmetz Super Nonstick Needles worked very well for all the embroidery stitching.

Here are all the colors of Aurifil I used for the embroidery.

I haven't done much free motion quilting, but I had fun doing a variety of quilting in the background with a matching blue thread.  The thread almost disappears in the background.

Many thanks to Island Batik, Aurifil Threads, Hobbs Batting and Schmetz Needles for supplying products to use in this project.

Amy Bradley Doll House Attic Block for April

April is time for the Attic Room in the Amy Bradley Doll House Quilt .

You may have wondered why I didn't post this room last as it's the attic and I think most people will put it at the top of the house.  The reason was that this room didn't have as many small pieces.

A surprise with this block was the sewing model form.  You can't see it in the photo because there is a critter in the box in front of it!

Like all the blocks, it was fun picking out the colors for this block.

It will go at the top of my house.  My foam core board isn't big enough for all the blocks!

Feel free to post photos of your blocks in the comments- we'd  love to see what everyone is making.

Next month will be the Laundry Room.

Here is my sister Jody's cute bathroom

*Remember you can purchase the  pattern at Amy Bradley Designs at any time and join in the fun!

Paper and digital patterns available.