2018 Feb Island Batik Box Reveal

The BOX!  Every Island Batik Ambassador is on high alert when the box from Island Batik is about to arrive.  Twice a year Island Batik sends the Ambassadors a box filled with wonderful fabrics that we use throughout the year.  Each month we have a challenge on what to create and we share that with you on our blogs and with a couple blog hops during the year.

My box arrived yesterday amid a big snow storm.  My husband and I shoveled several times to keep our driveway clear for the Fed Ex man to deliver.  Here is the first peek when I opened the box.

Hobbs batting and Aurifil Threads are partnering with Island Batik this year, so they sent several things to be included in the box.  Doesn't this look exciting!

This is a fat quarter bundle to use in making a Galentine's Day project.  Be sure and check out my blog again on Feb 13 to see what is made.

This is a lovely 10" Stack pack of Pumpkin Patch fabrics with a light and dark selection of Pumpkin Patch with yardage.  I can hardly wait to work with this...

Here is a large cut of a neutral batik called Mini Dot Buttercup and a selection of various foundation fabrics.  Island Batik is great to give us so many various fabrics for our stash so we have lots to draw from in our projects.

Did you know Island Batik also has batik rayons?  They sent yardage in this lovely orange and also a lovely scarf to wear!  Does this feel like Christmas or what!

Here is a fun bundle of fat eighths of the Sunflower Serenade Collection.  I already have a project in mind for April using these lovelies.

Hobbs batting sent this roll of 80/20 Cotton batting and a package of Thermore batting.  I've used these in the past and they are very appreciated.  They also sent a brochure about all their products which is handy to have.

This is the second year that Aurifil has partnered with Island Batik.  I love their threads.  They sent a super big cone of white and a variety of colors in 40 and 50 weights.  They will be used for sure!

The box just keeps offering more items!  Here are brochures about Aurifil threads and a package of stash builder rolls- each roll has four 5" strips of different fabrics.  These are a great way to expand your batik color stash.

Last but not least- a surprise bundle!  This is fabric that is not released yet.  I'll be doing a blog hop post with a project using these fabrics in August so be sure and check back then to see what they are!

(I got to open this, but can't show you yet.  But believe me- they are great!)

Wow!  That is a lot of inspiration in a box isn't it!  I have to admit, I've unpacked it all and have it sitting on the floor in front of me and I've just been admiring it and thinking of what all I might create. It looks like an exciting year for all the Island Batik Ambassadors.  I hope you can follow along and get inspired too.

Blog Hop Winner

The winner from my blog for the Four Seasons Island Batik Blog Hop was Anita Jackson.  Her name was drawn using Random.org.

Thanks to all who entered, and thanks to Island Batik for the beautiful fabrics.  I hope you all enjoyed the hop!

Pincushion book

Do you love pincushions?  I have two projects in this new book from Annie's Publishing.  The book is called Pincushions & More.  It has patterns for 14 pincushions and 3 needlebooks.  You can take a look at the patterns and order here

My pincushion is called Tropical Blooms

I used some of my favorite scraps of Island Batik fabric to make this one sparkle.

I also had a very simple needlebook project called Doggie's House Needlebook.

This actually shows you how easy it is to make a simple needlebook and use some of those cute little buttons you may have in your stash.  Have fun!

This may have been the first time I had a project pictured on both the cover and the back of a book- take a peek!

Be sure and follow along on the last days of the Four Seasons Island Batik Blog Hop.  Here are the last days, but you can go back and see any that you might have missed.

I'll announce my winner after the hop is over.

FALL

January 29 – Autumn’s Grace
Seams to be Sew • KISSed Quilts • Ark Angel Creations • Beaquilter

January 30 – Pumpkin Patch
KISSed Quilts • Beaquilter

January 31 – Plum Delicious
Masterpiece Quilting • Adventurous Appliqué and Quilting

February 1 – Northern Woods
Moosestash Quilting • Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

Four Seasons Island Batik Blog Hop

Welcome to the Four Seasons Island Batik Blog Hop.  Today is my day to share a project made with the Island Batik Seasons Shades Collection.  You can go to Island Batik and see the full range of fabrics in this collection.  This collection will ship in April, so look for them in stores soon!

I had fun playing around with all the fabrics and trying to decide what I could make with them.  Which ones went well together- which ones looked like a "Spring" to me?

I decided most of the lighter fabrics made me think of Spring.  Below are the 11 fabrics I selected to work with in my project, along with a neutral Island Batik in a light white color.  (the purple color is actually lighter than this photo)

I decided to make a star block and  to use the white for background and the dark purple for the outside border.  The peach was used as center squares in the middle of the quilt. 

The quilt is 40" x  48" .

This quilt could be made with paper piecing, regular sewing with templates or by cutting half square triangles.  I decided to make the quilt using triangle templates, just so I could play around with the placement of the colored stars.

The stars have a flower quilted in the center which made me decide on "Stars in the Garden" for the name for this quilt.

 Just another photo of this lap quilt.  Does it look like spring to you?

This is the third week for our Four Seasons Blog Hop.  I hope you've been following along with the other Island Batik Ambassadors on their blogs.  Below is a list of current and past blogs.  Be sure and follow along and join all the fun drawings.

WINTER

January 8 – Blue Moon
Inquiring Quilter • Cheryl Lynch Quilts

January 9 – Mountain’s Majesty
FunThreads Designs • Little Bunny Quilts
 Quilting Affection Designs

January 10 – Alpine Ice
Freemotion by the River • Slice of Pi Quilts
Seams Like a Dream • KISSed Quilts

January 11 – Alpine Jingle
Purrfect Spots Designs • Bejeweled Quilts

SPRING

January 15 – Elementz
Den syende himmel • Inspired Layers

January 16 – Southern Blooms
Yellow Cat Quilt Designs • Quiltologist Treasures

January 17 – Morning Sunshine
Quilt’n Party • Desert Bloom Quilting

January 18 – Season’s Shades
Inchworm Fabrics • Kauffman Designs

SUMMER

January 22 – Paisley Dot
Pamela Quilts

January 23 – Sunflower Serenade
Kathys Kwilts and More • Whispers of Yore

January 24 – City Culture 2
Mary Mack Made Mine • heARTs Creations

January 25 – City Culture 2
The Quilt Rambler • Lizard Creek Quilts • KISSed Quilts

FALL

January 29 – Autumn’s Grace
Seams to be Sew • KISSed Quilts • Ark Angel Creations • Beaquilter

January 30 – Pumpkin Patch
KISSed Quilts • Beaquilter

January 31 – Plum Delicious
Masterpiece Quilting • Adventurous Appliqué and Quilting

February 1 – Northern Woods
Moosestash Quilting • Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

Island Batik is having a raffle drawing for four precuts of some of the collections featured in the Blog Hop.  Be sure and enter on their Island Batik Blog.

I have a drawing for four fat quarters pictured below.  I'll announce the winner at the end of the blog
hop.  These are lovely fabrics in blue/green and violet colors also from the Seasons Shades Collection.  Leave me a comment on what your favorite season is and why.  Please make sure I can reach you if you are the winner.  Drawing for USA shipping only.

2018 Island Batik Ambassador

2018

I'm happy to announce that I'm an Island Batik Ambassador once again for Island Batiks this year!

This is my fourth year and I'm so happy to be working with and promoting these great fabrics for another year!

Below are some of the projects I made with Island Batik fabrics in 2017.

Four Seasons Blog Hop

The Four Seasons Blog Hop starts today!  I hope you will check out the posts each day and see all the new fabrics and projects and prizes!

My day to post is the 18th, so be sure and check it out that day.

WINTER

January 8 – Blue Moon
Inquiring Quilter • Cheryl Lynch Quilts

January 9 – Mountain’s Majesty
FunThreads Designs • Little Bunny Quilts
 Quilting Affection Designs

January 10 – Alpine Ice
Freemotion by the River • Slice of Pi Quilts
Seams Like a Dream • KISSed Quilts

January 11 – Alpine Jingle
Purrfect Spots Designs • Bejeweled Quilts

SPRING

January 15 – Elementz
Den syende himmel • Inspired Layers

January 16 – Southern Blooms
Yellow Cat Quilt Designs • Quiltologist Treasures

January 17 – Morning Sunshine
Quilt’n Party • Desert Bloom Quilting

January 18 – Season’s Shades
Inchworm Fabrics • Kauffman Designs

SUMMER

January 22 – Paisley Dot
Pamela Quilts

January 23 – Sunflower Serenade
Kathys Kwilts and More • Whispers of Yore

January 24 – City Culture 2
Mary Mack Made Mine • heARTs Creations

January 25 – City Culture 2
The Quilt Rambler • Lizard Creek Quilts • KISSed Quilts

FALL

January 29 – Autumn’s Grace
Seams to be Sew • KISSed Quilts • Ark Angel Creations • Beaquilter

January 30 – Pumpkin Patch
KISSed Quilts • Beaquilter

January 31 – Plum Delicious
Masterpiece Quilting • Adventurous Appliqué and Quilting

February 1 – Northern Woods
Moosestash Quilting • Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

New Year - Old UFO's

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to everyone!  I thought it would be nice to post a photo of some colorful quilts to get everyone inspired.  What I originally was going to post was a photo of a pile of my unfinished quilts....but decided that wasn't a very positive image for the new year!

Several months ago I decided to make a list of all my unfinished quilts (UFO's).  I've done this before, but always seem to lose my list (maybe that's intentional subconsciously?).  What inspired me to do this was the fact that we put new carpet down in our bedroom, which meant we had to move everything out of the room.  I have a cabinet and a table that were full of quilts- both finished and unfinished.  I seem to have quilts all over the house, but this was an undertaking.

I put all the UFO's together into a pile and placed them on my cutting table which is across from my sewing machine area. I made a list and felt rather smug that it wasn't unmanageable.  That is until I began to find more UFO's in other areas.  It seemed like I would find them all over!  My pile grew.  I thought that putting them on the cutting table right in front of me, I wouldn't forget them and I'd work at them slowly but surely.

What really happened was - I moved them off to use the cutting table and put them back.  Moved them off again, then somewhere else, over and over.  What REALLY happened was that they were in the way!  They were a real nuisance!

I did get a couple things finished, but a pile was still looming.  I finally moved them back into the bedroom (and out of sight once again).

What I learned from this frustration?  It was good to make a list.  It's great fun to cross something off once it's completed, and it keeps you on track.  I also made a list during the year of things that I finished- both new projects and UFO's.  That was a challenge to keep up, but very helpful.  I also told myself over and over again not to start anything I didn't think I'd finish - which is much easier said than done!  I did better this past year finishing what I started, so at least the pile hasn't gotten any bigger!

So this new year?  I'll keep my UFO list in mind.  Now I know where my projects are, and will work on something in between other deadlines when I can.  I'll make a new list of finished projects that I complete this year.  I look forward to creating!

What is your New Years resolution?  What will keep you motivated this year?