Tuesday, February 8, 2022

Feb. Blog Hop - Row by Row Challenge and drawing




Colleen's Garden - Made by Connie Kauffman
Pattern by JoAnn Hoffman
42" x 65"

Today is my day for the Feb 2022 Island Batik Blog Hop, and I'm excited to show you the quilt I made. The challenge this month was to make a Row by Row quilt using the fabric bundle we were sent from Island Batik.  

I received the fabric collection called Contempo designed by Kathy Engle for Kate Colleran Designs.

Contempo is a Fall 21 collection and will be shipping to stores in Feb.  There are 20 fabrics in the collection and they were perfect for the pattern I decided to use.

Row by Row quilts are not my favorite to make.  Most of the ones I've seen are made with pieced blocks.  Each row has one block made over and over in the row, but each row has a different block.  I searched a long time and found a pattern I was in  love with.  It's called Colleen's Garden by JoAnn Hoffman.  This is a Raw Edge Applique pattern and definitely has a row by row of patterns, but they seem to blend together into a whole picture that is very interesting.

The colors of Contempo were exactly what I needed for the applique pieces.  I used all 20 fabrics in the quilt - you might have fun hunting where they were used!  I did draw from other Island Batik fabrics in my stash for the background pieces and the black, gray and bits of white, but the colors of Contempo in the applique pieces are what shines in the quilt.


This was a FUN project- but oh my it had a lot of pieces!  Sometime I should count them all...
I used Lite Steam a Seam 2 as the fusible for all the pieces.


One of the great things about batiks are that the color is often mixed or swirled in the fabric and you can use one fabric for a couple different pieces.  It does make your fabric rather holey though!  

There were four greens in the collection and it worked great with the shading in the fabrics to give me a lot of variety for the plants in the quilt.

Here are just some of the pieces cut out for the top row.  Aren't they lovely!  Lots of cutting!


Some pieces were pretty small.


I used Hobbs Fusible Batting which is my all time favorite batting.  I knew it would hold the fabric layers together well while I quilted.  I also used Schmetz Super Universal 80/12 NonStick Needles which work really well when sewing appliques with fusible on them.  

I drew from my wonderful collection of Aurifil thread to do the quilting.  This is my 9th year as an Island Batik Ambassador and I think Aurifil has been a sponsor most of the time so I've acquired many lovely spools to work with!  How many colors of thread do you think I used?  Twenty!


I decided to make the quilt in 4 sections somewhat like a Quilt as You Go to make the quilting easier as this is a pretty big quilt to sew around applique pieces. 
Here are two of the sections


After quilting the rows I trimmed them, laid them right sides together and sewed only the top layers together.  Then I turned it over and folded the backing back and trimmed the batting so that both sides touched.


Then I whip stitched the batting together to secure it.  


Then I turned the edges and stitched the backing sides together.  It worked great!


Quilting is not my strong suit, but I'm pretty happy with how this one turned out.  I even did some free motion quilting.  Here's a photo of the back which shows the quilting best.  I used the gray solid batik for the backing.


Here are a few close ups of the quilt.  It  is just so cute!  Be sure and look for all the critters. The colors of the Contempo fabrics are really bright and cheerful.  





Be sure to visit the other Island Batik Ambassadors (see the schedule and links in my earlier post) to see their collections and what they made for their Row by Row projects.  

Be sure and visit Island Batik and enter their great drawing for this week. - Contempo is one of the prizes!

Leave a comment below telling me if you've ever made a Row by Row quilt to enter my drawing for two lovely Stash Builder Bundles. USA entrants only due to postage costs.  Be sure that I can contact you if you win.  I'll draw a winner at the end of the Blog Hop.




Many thanks to Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting and Schmetz Needles for supplying products to use in this project thru the Island Batik Ambassador program













39 comments:

  1. Connie, your quilt is sooo cute. This would be adorable hanging in the kitchen. I put my quilts together like you did, a section at a time. I have a neck injury so something really big causes it to hurt. But doing it by sections doesn't and I get to do what I love. Thanks for sharing and for your giveaway.

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  2. Never before I have come across vegetables yummier than those on your garden. Absolutely adorable!!!

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  3. I've never made a row by row quilt. Your root veggies are glorious and the birds so sweet. I'm tempted to look for the pattern.

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  4. This is fantastic! What a cute, detailed beautiful garden!

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  5. OMG! So clever, such detail and give yourself an A+ for patience. I made a modified row quilt featuring two alternate rows. One row was paper dolls and the alternate rows were doll dresses.

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  6. oh my but your quilt is so fun and gorgeous. thanks for sharing and inspiring. all these little critters just make it so fun. quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

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  7. You have a wonderful imagination to see a beautiful garden with this collection, great job! 24Tangent@gmail.com

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  8. Great use of the fabrics for your quilt. A row by row quilt is on my bucket list.

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  9. What a beautiful and fun quilt! Love it!

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  10. i made a row by row quilt when the Row by Row Experience was going on.

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  11. I have not yet made a row by row. Liked your idea of quilting the sections and how you did it!

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  12. I have started 2 row by row quilts. The first one is with patterns I collected doing shop hops and the other is one I started with by quilt group the Friendship Quilters. Finding more time to sew now that I am retired. I love your blog! mmsm at embarqmail .com

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  13. This is just the cutest pattern and the Contempo fabrics indeed make it colorful!! I just love it, Connie! Other than this Row by Row Challenge, I did make a king size quilt in 2017 or 18?? using the Row by Row Experience kits from various quilt shops in our state and beyond! This quilt reminds me of growing up and actually planting all those rows of goodies on our little family farm! Great memories now, though not so much fun when you are a kid! LOL Thanks for that!

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  14. I've never made a row by row, but after seeing yours and some of the others, I think I would really enjoy making one.
    Your quilt is amazing!

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  15. I love row by row quilts - I have made two of them. Yours is such a cute one!! thank you!

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  16. I have not made a row by row quilt but I absolutely love yours. Thank you for sharing the process.

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  17. I have made several row by row quilts when all the quilt shops were giving out complimentary rows for the Quilters Trek. Your quilt is just darling! Boy that was a lot of tracing and cutting and stitching. Nice Job!

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  18. Connie this is adorable. I love all the tiny details. Wish my real garden looked so good!

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  19. This makes me hungry - for fresh vegetables and for this collection of fabrics! Great job. I don't believe quilting isn't your strong suit.

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  20. Love this! Hope we will see a pattern I so want to make one

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    Replies
    1. The pattern is by JoAnn Hoffman. It's called Colleen's Garden. I purchased the pattern from Keepsake Quilting

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  21. I have never made a row by row quilt, but seeing yours could inspire me!! What an awesome quilt - bright and cheerful, colorful and like an "I spy" looking for all the little critters! You did such a great job!!!

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  22. Wow, such a creative quilt and so many little pieces! Hard to believe you don't care for quilting - the quilting looks amazing too.
    I have never made a row by row quilt - didn't think they were that interesting, but yours certainly is!!!

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  23. As I am down in New Zealand, not an entrant, but this is totally amazingly gorgeous. The little animals,I tried to find every one, and the rooster, the crowing glory!! And also the crowning glory at the top!!!oops he trod on a Rudbeckia on his way.

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  24. This is my garden. Yes I have done a few but yours is better. Your quilting is wonderful.

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  25. Oh Connie! This is wonderful. I love applique. This quilt must have been so much fun to make.

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  26. I've never made a Row by Row quilt, but after seeing yours, I am seriously tempted to. I love it. It reminds me of the John Denver song "Garden Song":
    Inch by inch, row by row
    Gonna make this garden grow
    All it takes is a rake and a hoe
    And a piece of fertile ground

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    Replies
    1. Lovely! I love John Denver songs and had forgotten this one!

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  27. I'm not a big fan of Row by Row quilts either, but I love the pattern you chose to use. Your quilt is gorgeous! Great idea to quilt it in sections too!

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  28. I made a calendar month row by row about 20 years ago and am itching to make this one! :) JUST TOO CUTE!

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  29. Your row by row is amazing! Love the snail and mice. I haven't made a row by row but you have inspired me!

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  30. I have wanted to buy this pattern. Your fabric choices are spectacular.

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  31. I can see why you loved this pattern. I do like row-by-row quilts that others have made. And I have completed one that I made. Mine was raw edge applique Christmas themed. I worked with a couple of other quilters as we each made one and modified the pattern to meet our own wishes. Used a lot of scrap fabrics for small pieces so it had variety. Congratulations on the finish!!

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  32. I've never made a row by row quilt before, but seeing the quilts featured on this blog hop have piqued my interest.

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  33. I just love your quilt! I admire all the careful cutting and placement. And thanks for sharing how you joined the sections. I've never made a quilt like this, but now I'm intrigued! pk_sews at yahoo dot com

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  34. Awesome row by row!!! Beautifully done!!!

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  35. I am doing on right now out of orphan blocks that people have given me. They started to make quilts and decided they didn't want to finish it, so I am using them in a row quilt. I know the pattern isn't yours, but you did a wonderful job on it. It looks just like a real garden would.

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  36. What a wonderful, whimsical quilt for your Row by Row entry!!

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  37. I've never done a row by row quilt, but I am certainly inspired by what I have seen in this blog hop. Your quilt is amazing! cknapp3626(at)sbcglobal(dot)com

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