Irons and Irons and Irons, OH MY!

 

You can see above my surprising iron collection!  I am a person that uses one iron.  How did I happen to find myself with not one, but five irons!

Here is my story - or maybe my excuses?  The middle iron with the black handle is the one I use almost daily.  It is a trusty GE iron that I've had for over 30 years and was my mothers before me.  It heats nice and hot.  It does have steam capability, but I never use it.  The only minor problem I've ever had was many years ago I replaced the cord.

The itty bitty iron on the far left is a little travel iron one of my sisters gave me years ago.  It has no logo on it and I doubt it's made anymore.  I have used it to travel with and it works great and takes almost no room in the suitcase. The only minor issue with this iron is that the cord doesn't stay attached to the iron very well.  I especially love the fact that the sole plate on this iron is perfectly flat with no holes for steam.  This is really helpful when doing fusible applique.

The white iron second from the right is the only iron I've ever purchased.  It is a Power Glide Rowenta.  I know is at least 10 years old.  I had heard Rowenta was a good brand and I wanted a iron that used steam to use for a fusible batting that required steam for it to adhere.  I did use the iron for this for awhile, but I found I wasn't using that batting anymore.  Either it wasn't available, or I was just using other battings I had on hand.  I decided to keep this iron as a back up in case my trusty GE ever quit.

The BIG iron to the right is a TG 1600 Pro & Smart Iron by Oliso.  This iron was given to me by Oliso thru the Island Batik Ambassador program last year.  This is a remarkable iron.  It has a lift so you don't have to set the iron up each time you stop ironing.  Little legs pop out that lifts the iron off the ironing board.  It has steam capability.  The thing I like best about this iron is the extra long cord so I don't have to use an extension cord.

I used this iron for awhile.  I found I just wasn't excited about it.  I think I've used the same iron for so many years it is hard for me to get used to something different.  There are a few things I don't care for about this iron which are just personal things- nothing against the iron itself.  I find it is just to big and heavy for me.  I don't use steam, so that is not a drawing card for me.  I don't care for the lift system/  For (in my mind) safety reasons, I prefer to set my iron upright when using it.  Again, this is also from years of habit.  Also when the little legs pop out it makes a small noise which isn't that bad, but I find it annoying.  I don't need that sound when I'm doing lots of ironing and the weight is tiring.  I didn't realize how often I start and stop and start and stop when pressing.

The last iron is the mini green iron second from the left.  This iron was also given to me from Oliso thru the Island Batik Ambassador program.  This year each Ambassador was given a new Oliso M3Pro to try out.  This iron is quite a bit smaller than the TG 1600. The M3Pro is a bit smaller than my black GE iron, but since I love to do small quilts I can see using this iron more often.  It is light weight and also has a nice long cord.  It can do steam which I never use.  I wish it didn't have steam as I find the buttons for using steam are big and kind of in the way in the handle.  I wish it had a bit more of a  handle grip. It comes in multiple colors which is really fun.  It has Stand by and safety auto-off.  It also came with a sole mate the same color as the iron. What I love most about this iron  other than the long cord, is that it has a little light at the front!  Who ever thought of putting a headlight on an iron is a genius!

Here is a photo of the sole plates of all the irons.

It's interesting to see the different sole plates.  As I like to do a lot of fusible web, it is good not to have too many holes on the plate, as those areas don't fuse as well as the rest of the surface.  The itty bitty iron has no holes as it doesn't have steam capability.  The Rowenta not only has holes for steam, but other indentations.  I'm not sure the reasoning why they have this, but it is my least favorite.

So there you have it.  All my irons and what I like or don't like about each one.  I'm a bit embarrassed to have so many and I will probably be eliminating a couple very soon as I have a small sewing space and really have no use for 5 different irons!

What is your favorite iron and why?  I'd love to hear from you.

July 2025 Island Batik Boxes

July is an exciting time for the Island Batik Ambassadors.  This month we receive boxed supplies to use for the next 6 months.  My boxes came a day earlier than expected - they actually arrived on my anniversary!  That was extra special.

See the photos below to see what was in my two large boxes.

Starting off with a surprise bundle of Island Batik fabrics that I can't show you yet because the fabrics haven't arrived in stores yet.  These fabrics will be used in a special November Challenge.  They are beautiful, so be sure and check out my blog in November.

We received three Stash Builder Bundles.  There are 5 rolls in each bundle.  Each roll holds 4 five inch strips in a variety of colors.  These are a great way to increase the variety in your fabric collection.  I love them especially for applique or paper piecing where you don't need a large amount of any one fabric.

This lovely bundle is a half yard of each fabric from the collection called Sunset.  These fabrics will be in the stores in September.  I will be using them for my blog post challenge in September.  Island Batik also sent  yardage in a light and dark fabric that I can use with the bundle.  Aurifil Thread is a sponsor of the Sept Challenge and sent four spools of thread in coordinating colors.  

Island Batik always sends a great selection of half yard cuts from their Foundation fabrics.  The fabrics on the right coordinate with my Sept bundle of Sunset, and the fabrics on the left coordinate with the November Surprise Bundle.  Now are you curious what my November collection is?

The October challenge is making a By Anne Bag.  This is always a favorite challenge.  We get to select the bag we want to make and also the fabrics.  What could be more fun!  I picked fabrics from the Garden Glory Collection.  The pattern will be the large size from the Two Big Totes pattern.  By Annie will be sending the pattern and other supplies needed soon.  I love this challenge every year!

Precuts are always wonderful.  This time I received a 10" stack of Bodacious Black and  2 1/2" Strip packs of Neutral and Ravishing Red.  I have to admit that the 2 1/2" Strip packs are my favorite precut.

Island Batik is so generous to send a 6 yard cut of one of their foundation fabrics.  This time they sent Frosting which is one I love and have wanted for a long time.  Isn't it pretty!

This 2 1/2" Strip Pack is Fossil Finesse.  This is probably my favorite color combination.   They again sent yardage in light from foundation called Sprinkles and dark green called Frog. Isn't that a fun name!

As always, Island Batik send yardage in their black, white and gray solids.  This time it is the dark gray.  They also carry a light gray.

Hobbs is another one of the Sponsors of the Island Batik Ambassador program.  They are always very generous and this time sent 5 different battings for us to use.

The Fusible is my favorite of all the battings.

It looks like there will be some beautiful and exciting things to be created the rest of the year - stay tuned!

Many thanks to Island Batik, Hobbs Batting, Aurifil Thread, and By Annie for suppling products thru the Island Batik Ambassador program.

June Island Batik Funky Friends Challenge

Welcome to the June Island Batik Ambassadors Challenge!  This month the sponsor of our challenge is the Funky Friends Factory, and we were each allowed to pick a pattern to create with.  

Funky Friends Factory has a wonderful shop full of fun patterns.  The majority of patterns are for animals of all kinds.  I've made many animal patterns as an Ambassador over the years and this year I wanted to try something different.  I picked the Daisy Dress Up Doll this year.  I have a couple young great nieces and I thought the doll would make a nice gift for them- so I made two dolls.  

The dolls were fun to make.  It was fun to make two dolls as I could make different hair styles and clothing.  I used all Island Batik fabrics along with some felt for the shoes, eyes, cheeks, collars and flower.  It was fun to make the clothing in different colors so the girls can have fun dressing them up.

Here is how I decided on hair styles and other felt embellishments.

Pieces for making the head.

Attaching the bottom of the feet.  These girls have long legs!

Attaching the head and body back to the head and body front.  So far the piecing is easy!

Hobbs batting sent each Ambassador a package of 100% poly fiberfill for our project.  This is a great filling. called Simply Stuffing.  This was the first time I used this and it was great.

Sewing got a bit crazy when attaching the legs to the body!  The legs are already stuffed and have to be inserted into the body pieces to attach.  There are very good instructions and it went together nicely- but it did take a bit to get it together!  Sewing with Schmetz needles is great for seams and even though this thickness.

Here are the girls all sewn together.  Aren't they cute!

This is the first time I've ever made shoes.  They went together very easily with felt and Aurifil thread of course.

All the fabrics are from Island Batik.  It was fun to pick out the different colors to use.

Now came the fun of picking out fabrics for dresses and skirts and adding a flower and bow to their hair.

Another outfit.

And full dresses.

Did I mention that all the dresses and skirts are reversible?  That's great!  It gives even more possibilities on dressing them.

There are even collars that can be added to dress them up a bit more.  Also ribbon shoe laces which are cute, but I'm sure the little girls will immediately pull it off...

Aren't they cute!  And they are already friends as they hold each others hands.

These dolls are very fun to make and I'm sure all little girls will love them and like dressing them up.

Be sure to check out Funky Friend Factory to see all the other cute patterns they carry.

Many thanks to Island Batik,  Funky Friends Factory, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz needles and Aurifil Thread for supplying product to make this project thru the Island Batik Ambassador program.

May Island Batik Ambassador Irish Chain Blog Hop

The May Island Batik Ambassador challenge is all about the Irish Chain pattern.  

Accuquilt Go! is one of the sponsors of the Ambassador program and this year they supplied the Ambassadors with their Irish Chain 10" finished block die (55649).  They also included the Go! cutting mat to go with it.

Cutting with the die makes the process quick and easy.  The die also comes with a pattern on the back to make a lovely scrappy Irish Chain Throw quilt.

Another part of the challenge this month was to use our Surprise fabric bundle of a new Winter 2024 Island Batik Collection.

My package contained the collection called Essence by Jerry Khiev.  These fabrics are a lovely blend of blue/teals and purple - some of my favorite colors!.

The traditional Irish Chain pattern only uses two colors.  I used 16 out of the collection to make a lovely scrappy Irish Chain throw quilt.  The four fabrics I decided not to use all have a little more of a lime green color and I decided to use the blue//teal and purples.

I used the Irish Batik foundation called Mint for the background which blended perfectly with the Essence collection.  The foundation fabric called Rice also blended nicely and I used it for the backing.

I went with the typical Irish Chain block and added a square in a square block that accentuates some of the fabrics.

Here is a computer image of the design layout.

Piecing was quick and easy.  I used Hobbs Cotton Batting and sewed with Schmetz needles to complete the quilt.

I was pressed for time to finish the quilt in time for the block hop, so my friend Ande Stephens machine quilted it for me.  I was so grateful!  She did a great all over pantograph, using a light blue thread to quilt it.

I wanted to take a photo outside with our blooming ornamental pear tree, but clouds and wind wouldn't allow it on the day I could take a photo, so my pictures are taken inside.

I made this quilt to suit the challenge requirements of a lap size or throw quilt. Usually I prefer to make smaller quilts, so I challenged myself to make a mini of this quilt using the same fabrics.

This is the same quilt only smaller.  It finished at 15 1/2" x 15 1/2".  I left off one row to make it square instead of rectangle.

Many thanks to Island Batik, Accuquilt Go!, Hobbs Batting, and Schmetz needles for supplying products to use in this challenge.

Be sure and check out the Island Batik blog each week of the Hop for their great giveaways!  The fabrics in the prize bundles are amazing!

I will be having a giveaway of 4 fat quarters (or close to fat quarters) of Island Batik fabrics.  The colors will be a surprise!  Leave a comment below to enter.  Make sure I can contact you if you enter.  USA entries only due to postage costs.  Prize will be awarded at the end of the Blog Hop

I hope you continue to enjoy the Irish Chain Blog Hop.  Below are a listing of all the Ambassadors so you can check out what they all made.  

Renee Atkinson @ Pink Tulip Quilting
Tina Dillard @ Quilting Affection Designs
Connie Kauffman @ Kauffman Designs
Emily Leachman @ Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney @ A Quiltery
Susan Deshensky @ Lady Blue Quilt Studio
Brittany Fisher @ Bobbin with Brittany
Carol Stanek @ Stitch with Color
Solomae Stoycoff @ Cuddle Cat Quiltworks
Jennifer Thomas @ Curlicue Creations
Gail Sheppard @ Quilting Gail

Preeti Harris @ Sew Preeti Quilts
Susan Michaels @ Dragonfly Fiberart
Connie Kresin Campbell@Free Motion by the River
Leah Malasky @ Quilted Delights
Lisa Pickering @ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
Sarah Pitcher @ Pitcher’s Boutique LLC
Suzy Webster @ Webster Quilt
Mania Hatziioannidi @ Mania for Quilts
Kimberly Flannagan @ Kimberly’s Quilts
Kim Jamieson-Hirst @ Chatterbox Quilts
Brenda Alburl @ Songbird Designs

Drunkards Path Island Batik Ambassador Challenge

 

                                                                

                                                                   58"  x  58"

                                                    Quilt by Connie Kauffman

The April Challenge for the Island Batik Ambassadors is all about the Drunkards Path block.

The Drunkards Path block is one that has curved piecing.  I have the Accuquilt Go! 7" Drunkard's Path die, so I decided to use that in my design.   It may be hard to see where the cutting edges are on the die.  I went over the lines with black permanent marker.  The newer dies have the cutting edges nicely outlined in black to help in fabric placement.

In looking over the Island Batik fabrics I received in my first box, I decided to use the 10 stack of Forest Flora in the project. This collection is a lovely combination of oranges, greens and browns.  I used 17 of the 20 fabrics in the collection in the project.

I used the Island Batik Foundation fabric called Sage for the light background and Large Netting Pine Needles from the Blenders Foundation for the dark green backing. These foundations were sent with the 10" stack and were perfect to use with the Forest Flora fabrics.

Before cutting any fabrics, I decided on the layout of the design.  There are a lot of creative ways to use the block.  I decided on using the dark green background in the border and using the light green Sage as the background in the center blocks as shown below.  At first I wanted to make curved corners, but later changed that idea.  I also decided not to have the dark green in the four center blocks.  Some quilts just tell you what to do!

You may have noticed above that I did something different in some of the center curved blocks.  The Drunkards Path block has two curved pieces.

Since the 7" finished Accuquilt Go! die is rather large, I decided to take the outer section from some of the center blocks and piece it in three sections.  I love how this looks in the finished quilt.

The curved piecing was very easy with this large block.  I used Schmetz needles that sew thru batiks wonderfully and Hobbs Natural Cotton Batting which is a favorite.  Four Aurifil threads blended with the fabrics beautifully for the quilting.

This quilt still does not have a name.  Leave any name suggestions in the comments and I hope to pick a favorite from one of them!

Many thanks to Island Batik, Hobbs Batting, Aurifil Threads and Schmetz needles for donating products for this project thru the Island Batik Ambassador program.

Be sure and check out the other Ambassadors Drunkards Path Challenge projects below:

Renee Atkinson @ Pink Tulip Quilting
Tina Dillard @ Quilting Affection Designs
Connie Kauffman @ Kauffman Designs
Emily Leachman @ Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney @ A Quiltery
Susan Deshensky @ Lady Blue Quilt Studio
Brittany Fisher @ Bobbin with Brittany
Carol Stanek @ Stitch with Color
Solomae Stoycoff @ Cuddle Cat Quiltworks
Jennifer Thomas @ Curlicue Creations
Gail Sheppard @ Quilting Gail

Preeti Harris @ Sew Preeti Quilts
Susan Michaels @ Dragonfly Fiberart
Connie Kresin Campbell@Free Motion by the River
Leah Malasky @ Quilted Delights
Lisa Pickering @ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
Sarah Pitcher @ Pitcher’s Boutique LLC
Suzy Webster @ Webster Quilt
Mania Hatziioannidi @ Mania for Quilts
Kimberly Flannagan @ Kimberly’s Quilts
Kim Jamieson-Hirst @ Chatterbox Quilts
Brenda Alburl @ Songbird Designs