July Island Batik Ambassador Boxes

Twice a year the Island Batik Ambassadors receive boxes with supplies for the Ambassador program.  UPS is our friend!  We all wait anxiously for the boxes to arrive!  This is the second shipment this year and the UPS man backed right up to our garage so he didn't have so far to carry the large boxes.

July marks the second half of the 2023 Ambassador program and there are lots of great fabrics and supplies from sponsors and great monthly challenges ahead for the rest of the year.

Instead of showing you the outside of the plain boxes, I jumped right in to video and show you what exciting things I received to work with.

The video unfortunately cut short when my camera ran out of power.  Sorry about that!  Since I'd already tried to make the video several times, I decided to just post this one and conclude the video by letting you know that the Accuquilt die I received would be used for the October challenge.

Here are some close up photos

This is the half yard bundle of the collection called Chromatic.  It is a Spring 2023 collection by Studio 180 Design.  It also came with 2 yards of a light and 2 yards of a dark coordinating fabric.  The dark fabric is one from the Chromatic collection..  The light fabric is called Icing and is from the Foundations collections.  These fabrics will be used in the Pieced to Perfection Blog Hop in September.

These are fabrics from the Basics, Benders and Solids Foundation Collections.  These are always available.  The names are from left to right - Dashes-Salt and Pepper, Wavy Dots-Chetty, Parchment, Ravine, Tangy, Lemonade, Cherio-Iris, Small Pointed Floral Turquoise,  Orange Solid, Green Solid, Red Solid and Dark Gray Solid.  These are always handy to have on hand.

This is the surprise bundle!  Isn't it pretty!  Wonder what is on the inside?  It's a half yard bundle of a Summer 2023 collection with added yardage in a light and dark fabric. You'll see these surprise fabrics in November.

This is a great 6 yard piece of Oyster which is from the Naturally Neutral collection.  Island Batik is so gracious to send this large cut of fabric that can be used as backings or anywhere we want to use it.

Aurifil is one of the program sponsors and this time they sent a different selection of thread for us to use.

The first and second threads are on wooden spools and are cotton floss.  I've never used this before.

The black thread is 50 wt cotton.  That is what I use most of the time in my sewing and quilting.

The white spool is clear monofilament thread.  I didn't know for the longest time that Aurifil carried monofilament thread.  I'm glad to have some to try out.

The red spool is new to me.  It is a blend of 50% wool and 50% acrylic.  It is very soft and fluffy.

By Annie is another sponsor and they allowed us to pick out one of their bag patterns to make and send the patterns and all the supplies needed to make it!  I picked the In Control pattern.  Island Batik allowed us to select the fabrics to make the bag and that was also included.  This tote is for my husband and I let him select the fabric for it.  By Annie's bags are great.  I can't wait to get started on this!

Island Batik sent a new Spring Collection precut package of fabric called Pin Dot Floral with 2 yards of coordinating Cream from the Natrually Nuetral line and 2 yards of navy Cherio- Bermuda from the Blender collections.  I like working with the 2 1/2" strip packs.  This is a lovely spring collection.

Island Batik sent two precut packages from their Gradation Collection - Playful Purples and Precious Pink. If you want a selection of gradated colors, these are the way to go.  They are photographed on top of the Oyster fabric shown above.

Hobbs Batting is another sponsor and they always send a great selection of battings to use.  This time they sent Thermore, Heirloom Natural Cotton, Heirloom Preimium Wool and Tuscany Wool/Cotton Blend.  It is interesting to try the different battings.  You might want to give a new one a try!

Here's another peak at what came in the boxes (minus the batting shown above)

As mentioned in the video- Accuquilt Go! is another sponsor of the Island Batik Ambassador Program and they sent each Ambassador the North Carolina Star Block on Board die in an earlier delivery.  You'll see what I make with this die on my October blog.

Many thanks to Island Batik, Aurifil thread, By Annie, Hobbs Batting and Accuquilt Go for sending these supplies to use thru the Island Batik Ambassador Program.

July Doll House - Bedrooms

 It's July and time for the last installments of the rooms for Amy Bradley Dollhouse quilt.

This month the room is the Bedrooms.  In Amy's full house with 13 rooms, there are actually 3 bedrooms.  There is a room with a full bed and a little girl and little boys room.  The girl and boy room are very similar.  If you are making a 10 room house, you will probably only make one or two of the bedrooms.

I decided to just make one bedroom.  Mine is for a little girl.  

It turned out so sweet.  I sewed the buttons on the pocket before sewing the pocket to the background.  There will be another button on the flower on the headboard once the quilt is quilted.

This room fills up the last space for my 10 room doll house.

Now I'm excited to put the rows together.  

Next month will be more about assembling the rooms, adding the roof and side borders and assembling the quilt top.

2023 Nappanee IN Quilt Garden and Quilt

Every year I help plant the Nappanee IN Quilt Garden and I make a quilt to match the garden.  The garden quilts then hang in the visitor center that is just behind the garden.  Here is this years Garden - called Home Sweet Home.  The design is of a bird house.  This photo is when the flowers have just been planted, so you don't see much color yet.

The Nappanee Indiana Quilt Garden is part of the Quilts Along the Heritage Trail garden tour which is a great tourist attraction and wonderful for everyone to take part in.  It takes a full day or two to visit all 15 gardens.  The gardens are all free and located in 6 towns in the area.  Of course you also have to stop and eat at some great local restaurants along the way!

Here are is a close up of some of the flowers.  It is fun to watch the garden grow and see how the plants fill out and fill all the spaces.

My quilt always has the center square as a replica of the garden design.  Then I add a border of some kind around the center square.  This year I thought I would put birds in all the blocks of the border.  After designing about 12 different birds I decided that wasn't what I wanted to do!  Back to the drawing board.  I decided to make a variety of bird houses and decorated them in different colors and fabrics.

What I didn't know at the time was that they were going to have a contest for different age groups to decorate bird houses to go along with the garden!  What a great surprise!  They hung the pretty bird houses in side beds beside the quilt garden.  That was just perfect!

Aren't they cute!

Here are a couple photos of planting the quilt garden.  You can see here how the design is staked out for the various plants.  I'm in the upper left of the photo in a blue t shirt.  We had a great day to plant.  It started out cool, but warmed up and wasn't to hot.  My sister Karen was visiting and was able to help with planting the garden this year!

Most of the flowers planted in this photo.  The brown dirt rows will be covered with black much later.

After a very busy, tiring day- it was time for a break with a couple of the garden committee members- Karen Clipp and Julie Dijkstra and me in the blue t shirt.

I'm not sure which committee person took the three photos above.  Thanks to whoever it was!

If you are ever in the area, please stop and see our wonderful gardens!

June Fly Away Challenge

                                                        Triangle Tango  26 1/2" x 26 1/2"

The June Island Batik Ambassador challenge is called Fly Away.  Why that title?  

The challenge was to make something using the flying geese block and one of the precut collections we received in the first Island Batik box.                   

Many thanks to Island Batik,  Hobbs Batting,  Aurifil Thread and Schmetz Needles for providing             products to make this project.

I love flying geese so I was excited to work on this project.  I usually make flying geese blocks by paper piecing as that makes very accurate blocks and I like to paper piece.

For fabric I decided I wanted to use the green and orange Island Batik gradation precut packages I got in the first Island Batik box this year.  The green collection is called Glorious Greens and mine came as a 10" Stack and the orange collection called Opulent Orange came in a 2 1/2" strip pack.   All 10 of the gradation collections come in Stacks (10" squares), Stamps (5" squares) and Strips (2 1/2" strips). I wanted to do something with colors going from light to dark in both greens and oranges.  I found the orange gradations to range from a pale yellow to coral to a dark orange. 

I selected  five green and five orange that had a nice gradation from light to dark.  I decided to use Island Batik's solid black fabric for the background to make the colors really pop.

I had fun playing around with possible design layouts and decided on using these two row patterns.

I needed to make 12 of the orange rows and 24 of the green.

I got busy with the green rows.

When I had the orange rows all done I added the black side triangles. I laid  the blocks out with the center square in a square blocks.  Adding the green rows will give the quilt even more movement.

I used black Aurifil thread for all the quilting.  Black thread on black fabric can be a challenge.  Hobbs Cotton batting worked well for  this table mat as it is soft and has nice drape.  I used Schmetz  Microtex needles which I use for almost everything.  I especially like the microtex as it is a thinner needle and doesn't make as large of a stitching hole.

I named the quilt Triangle Tango as the flying geese seem to be stepping out and about in a somewhat crazy pattern.  Probably not Tango steps, but certainly a dance of their own!

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.