Friday, December 21, 2018

Merry Christmas

Wishing all of you a Merry Christmas!


Nativity 
6 1/2" x 6 1/2"
by Connie Kauffman
Published in The Quilt Pattern Magazine Oct 2018 

Wednesday, December 5, 2018

Dec Whimsical and Wonky Challenge


The December Challenge for the Island Batik Ambassadors was to create something Whimsical and Wonky.  Sounded like fun!  What to do?

I was torn between wanting to make something with a Christmas look or something just fun even though it is December.  Island Batik Ambassadors receive two boxes a year with fabrics to use and promote and I didn't have any fabric with typical Christmas fabrics in my box, but I did have this super cute and bright package of 10" squares of the fabric line called Paisley Dot Brights.


This is a a far cry from Christmas colors, but aren't they just the cutest colors!  I wanted to be sure and use them before the year was over so decided to go ahead with them.

This time of year people are thinking of making Christmas gifts.  Sometimes it is hard to know what fabrics people might want in their homes.  If that is the case, I always think it is safe to make something seasonal.  With these fabrics I was thinking of something that looked like Spring.

I had a pattern called Color Fun Daisies by Linda Sullivan that had colorful daisies that I thought would work well with these fabrics.  The pattern fits the theme of whimsical and wonky.

Here are some of the daisies getting put together.  I also used some of the white Island Batik I had been sent as a background.  The white makes the colors pop.  (Please excuse my messy work table!)


Fusible applique is quick and easy.  Now for the quilting.  Aurifil is great thread and our Ambassadors boxes have included some wonderful colors to work with.  I call it eye candy!




For batting I used Thermore from Hobbs which had also been included in the Ambassador box.  Thermore is thin and very soft which is nice for smaller projects.

 I sewed tabs at the top for hanging.  I don't usually do this as I think it takes more time than a traditional hanging sleeve, but I thought it worked well with this project.  I used leftovers from two of the blue fabrics for the tabs.


It was fun to pick out and add a button to each daisy center.

I hope this quilt brightened your day!




Friday, November 2, 2018

November Log Cabin Challenge


The November challenge for the Island Batik Ambassadors is called Cozy Cabins Log Cabin Challenge.  We were given instructions to make something from the fabrics sent to us with the Island Batik Ambassadors program (we are given 2 boxes a year with fabrics to use and promote).  Our instructions for November asked us to incorporate a log cabin block or some kind of log cabin variation into our project.  We could use any fabrics in our boxes and it was to be 36" x 36" or larger.

I love log cabin blocks so I had really been looking forward to this challenge.  Since we could use any fabrics from our boxes of fabric I spent a lot of time looking at all the fabrics I had left.  We only have this project and two more challenges left to do.

I was sent this beautiful 2 1/2" strip pack of  Lavender Sage with two coordinating fabrics that I hadn't used yet.  Here is a photo of it when it came.


It's a good thing I took the above photo when it came, because I forgot to take another one until I'd been working on the project- here are some of the leftover strips



I really love these fabrics and since the first time I saw them I thought they reminded me of Petunias!  With only a couple months left to use the fabrics I wondered about using them for the log cabin challenge. The  2 1/2" strips are wonderful to use for making log cabin blocks.  Check out all the great Precuts at Island Batik.

I still thought the fabrics reminded me of petunias - not log cabins.  What to do?

Much as I love to  make log cabin blocks, I decided to only use them as a border in this project.  I made a partial log cabin block and combined them along the border.  I just love how the fabrics in this collection work together!


In the center I made petunias using raw edge applique, using Steam-A-Seam 2 for the fusible.


The 2 1/2" strip packs are my favorite Precut to use.  In this quilt everything except the white background and the flower pot is made from 2 1/2" strips.  Pretty amazing what you can do with a 2 1/2" strip!  The white is a  basic solid white batik and the brown was from a 10" square of the Vintage Morris collection- all from Island Batik.

I was happy with the quilting for this project.  Many times I'm at a loss when it comes to the actual quilting.  Once again the new Westalee Rulers that you can use on a domestic machine were wonderful to use.  I used  6 different rulers:  a straight edge,  Rope 2/5 (I used just the arc edge), Rope 1.5, 8" arc, mini Spin-E-Fex 4, and the Mini Clamshell.



It may be hard to see here, but I used the Mini Clamshell ruler to add a decorative trim to the flower pot.


The mini Spin-E-Fex was used in the yellow corner blocks, and the arc was used in the borders.


I used the rope template in the dark purple outer border, but you can't really see it.


I can't say enough about how easy these rulers are to use and how they improve my quilting.  Check them out at Sew Steady.

Here are a few close ups of the flowers.  It's nice to have these on my wall now as the ones I have outside are almost gone.





 For Batting I used Hobbs Cotton that Hobbs had sent in our Ambassador Box.
The quilt is 36" x 36"  and I named it Pansies - of course!



Wednesday, October 3, 2018

Needle, Paper, Scissors - Oct. IB Challenge


The October challenge for the Island Batik Ambassadors is called Needle, Paper, Scissors.  We were given the instructions to make something from the fabrics sent to us with the Island Batik Ambassador program (we are given two boxes each year with fabrics to use and promote).  Our instructions were to make a project at least 36" x 36" using paper piecing.

I LOVE paper piecing!  The ideas were endless.....  The 36" x 36 size made me think of a baby quilt of some kind...

In last months blog challenge I enlarged a smaller block, so I thought I would do the same thing this month.  I took the  puppy pattern from my book 24 Kids' Quilt Blocks.  See the puppy on the cover?
(the book is available at Amazon.com)


The patterns in the book are 7" x 7".  I enlarged the pattern pieces to make the dog 15" x 15", and added more background sky, and grass pieces.

I used a variety of Island Batik fabrics:
Puppy - Marble-Smoke, Basics Black, Basics Sterling
Background - Mini Dot Buttercup - Victoria & Albert
Paw Prints - Bubbles - Nutmeg
Border and food dish - Candy Corn - Sunflower Serenade

I used several Aurifil threads and Hobbs Premium Cotton Batting which were also sent to Island Batik Ambassadors in our two boxes.           


Isn't he a cutie!

I added an orange border to match the bowl, and floated dog bones all around - like the puppy is dreaming of what to eat.  I named the quilt "What's for supper?"  The quilt is 33" x 42 1/2".



I quilted an easy zig zag design in the green border using the Mini Zig Zag ruler from Sew Steady/Westalee.  Quick and easy!


 I just had to add the paw prints to the back to show the puppy walking towards his bowl on the opposite side.  It gives a little fun to the back of the quilt don't you think?






Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Pinkberry/Quiltmaker and drawing

                           My quilt Pinkberry is in the Nov/Dec 2018 Quiltmaker Magazine.

Pinkberry
42" x 56"

This quilt is made with the fabric from the Sunflower Serenade Collection by Island Batik.  I fell in love with these prints and colors and loved how they blended together.  Warm and Natural Batting from The Warm Company was also used.

  
Quiltmaker magazine has kindly given me two copies of the magazine to give away!


Just leave a comment below to be entered into the drawing.  Make sure that I can reach you by email if you are a winner. USA only for the drawing due to shipping costs.  Two winners will be selected!

Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Northwoods Sunset

Northwoods Sunset 


My pattern Northwoods Sunset is  available as an Exclusively Annie's Quilt Design Pattern available at Annie's Catalog.

The quilt measures 47 1/2" x 69 1/2".  This is a great quilt which uses a lot of fall colored fabrics.  I worked with a beautiful assortment of fabrics from Island Batik.  I used a stack pack and yardage from the Northern Woods Collection  and added a few more oranges -  Dandelion-Pumpkin and Bubbles-Salmon Blenders and Nasturtium Basic - all Island Batik fabrics.

The batting I used was 80/20 Warm from The Warm Company and Aurifil threads for quilting.

The main blocks in the center are all made with one triangle  pattern.

 I originally called this quilt Looking At Autumn because I thought it seemed like you could be
looking out the window at the whirl of autumn leaves.

The outer pieced border looks challenging, but is made easily with leftover triangles from the center.

Here is another look at the full quilt Northwoods Sunset.


Thursday, September 6, 2018

Star Struck- Island Batik Sept Challenge

It is September and time for a new challenge with all the Island Batik Ambassadors.


             
This month the challenge is called Star Struck.  Using the fabrics we'd been sent from Island Batik for our Ambassador program, we could design and make anything that had stars in  it.  This was fun!  I had lots of ideas.

I have been wanting to make a purse with Island Batik fabric, so I thought this was a good time.  I liked the Vintage Morris Collection fabrics in the 10" Island Stack package I was sent, and decided they would work well.


I designed star patterns for both sides of the purse.  One side has two stars for the pockets and the other side has one star on point.  I used 13 of the fabrics in the purse.  I like the scrappy look of the stars.




There are a couple challenges with using 10" squares for this kind of project.  You only get 10" of length- not enough to go around the outside body  of the purse.  So- adding a strip to the bottom isn't noticeable, and you can always say it's a design element!



There is also the issue of the strap.  I didn't want to piece the strap, so I was able to use an Island Batik Basics fabric called Sterling that went really well with the Vintage Morris fabrics.


 Aurifil is a partner with the Island Batik Ambassador program and I used these two threads in making the purse.  These threads are great and I love working with them.  Don't they blend well!


Many thanks to Island Batik and Aurifil for the products used in this project.


The winner of the 10" square stack of Wild Things Collection from my blog post in The Great Outdoors Blog Hop was drawn from Random.org.  The winner is Pamela.  Your fabrics are on the way!

Thursday, August 16, 2018

Great Outdoors Blog Hop- Wild Things!


The Blog Hop this August with the Island Batik Ambassadors is called The Great Outdoors.  And today we are talking about the GREAT BIG outdoors!  We're talking Africa big!






 Each of the Ambassadors were given a bundle of fabrics to use specifically for this blog hop.

                         My fabric collection:  Wild Things

These prints make you feel like you are seeing all the animals on a safari!

I received a bundle of all the fabrics in the collection - 24 in all!  You can see the whole collection at Island Batik.  Fabrics were given to me as part of the Island Batik Ambassador program..



I used all of the collection except the three below in my project.  The yellows were just to bright and the leafy print was the only piece in the collection that wasn't an animal print, so I decided not to use these for this project.

I wanted to use a pattern where I could use most of the fabrics, and I thought adding a solid black would make the prints stand out.  I decided on a simple block pattern that I used for the first pattern in my Little Gems book called "Playing With Plaids".  It also used a solid black that worked well.




This block pattern is a very simple three pieced block.  I used the same block that was in the book, but enlarged it 200 percent.  Several patterns in my book give directions on how to enlarge the small patterns to make larger projects, so I thought this would be a good time to show this block pattern enlarged.


Here is the quilt in proces with the rows laid out on the floor.  The black strips really bring out the colors in the animal prints.  I played around with the  placement of the blocks and decided this was a nice layout.  I only reversed one row.  Quilt measures 44" x 55"



 Finished quilt- looks great on my couch!




Be sure and check out all the blog posts thru Sept 4.  Enter the drawing at the Island Batik Blog  and on daily blog  posts.

My drawing is for a stack of 38 ten inch blocks  of the collection Wild Things - two each of 19 prints in the collection.  Leave a comment on my blog about where your favorite place is in the big outdoors.  Make sure I can reach you by email if you are a winner.  USA only for the drawing due to shipping costs.  Winner will be  drawn at the end of the Blog Hop.


Here is the list of all the Island Batik bloggers and the fabrics they are highlighting.

WEEK 1

WEEK 2

WEEK 3

Monday, August 20 – Ocean Odyssey
Toby LischkoKaren Overton
Thursday, August 23 – Dragonfly Dreams
Inchworm FabricsBeaQuilter

WEEK 4

Wednesday, August 29 – Lavendula
Carole Lyles ShawMasterpiece Quilting

WEEK 5

Tuesday, September 4 – Whatnot
heARTS CreationsSlice of Pi Quilts