December brings another month to embark on our own project, regardless of its size, theme, or technique!
I’ve been going to a lot of retreats lately. I love them so much! It’s a way to meet new quilting friends and I’ve been searching for my new tribe since moving across the country a couple years ago. I began my December quilt at the retreat I attended last month. I joined the Crimson Christmas Quilt Along with Krista Moser. Once I saw her Crimson Christmas quilt pattern, I knew I had to make it! I had some Island Batik scraps that worked great for this challenge.
The beginning process is getting all the 60-degree pieces together before being able to put them on the design wall to see it coming together. A fresh Schmetz 80/12 needle begins the piecing process every time.
It’s beginning to come together here.
And finally it is together after day 2 of the retreat. It just needs to be trimmed at the edges.
After trimming.
I quilted it on my Handi QuilterForte 24 (Amara 24) using Chrisy Dillon’s Radiate digital pattern for Pro-Stitcher. I was able to audition it using Pro-Stitcher Designer by bringing in a picture of the quilt using the Backdrop tool and auditioning different digital designs until I found one I liked. I used Hobbs 80/20 batting and Superior Thread’s Monopoly in smoke for the top thread for longarming so the thread wouldn’t show, just the lovely texture.
After taking it for show and tell at my guild, I hung it in my entry for the holiday. I’m very happy with it!
This is my last post as an Island Batik Ambassador as life is taking me other directions. I have loved this opportunity so very much and it enriched my life for its duration. Island Batik is so generous and supportive of its ambassadors! I would encourage others to apply!!
Please take a look at what the other ambassadors have chosen to do for their It’s All Up to You Challenge:
What’s in Your Bag Challenge? Featuring ByAnnie.com
Our challenge this month allowed us to choose a byannie.com pattern and Island Batik fabric and complete the bag and post about it any day in October. Byannie.com supplied the pattern and supplies, including hardware, to make the bag. Island Batik supplied the fabric of our choice from either the Spring or Summer ’24 collections.
I chose the In Control Bag. My goal was to replace the 3 mugs full of notions that sit on my sewing table, often being knocked off the back of my table landing in the abyss behind my tall trash can. Let’s just say I no longer enjoy getting on my hands and knees nor getting up from that position. The In Control Bag held great promise for controlling my chaos.
You can find this collection at Creekside Quilts in Banks, Oregon.
I decided to use # 712401075 for the front and #712404083 for the back and #712407810 for the accent.
I loaded the front and back on my Handi Quilter Forte (Amara 24) longarm using Soft and Stable provided by ByAnnie.com for the batting using a narrow horizontal straight line quilt pattern.
I first made all the pieces according to the well written directions. Byannie even prints check boxes for you to check off each step as you go as well as a sheet with the numbers of the pieces to pin to each piece to keep everything organized. There are even video instructions for many of the steps.
I love how professional the bags look when complete. The directions provide steps that lead to a very nicely finished bag. The piece next to the pattern is the stabilizer for the bottom of the bag.
I love all the pockets!
Pockets on the inside, outside, and ends!!
One zippered pocket!
Here are my three mugs with notions that I was referring to earlier that continually get knocked off behind my sewing table. My hope was that they all would fit, be easier to access, and be less likely to be knocked off.
…and it all fit easily! I just used the inside pockets and still have the center part available as well as all the outside pockets!! I’m so please with how it turned out. It will definitely be less likely to be knocked off because of the larger base and it feels so much more organized.
Maybe you remember the Full Bloom BOM quilt by 4th and 6th Designs. The edge painting appliqué technique used was the basis for this popular quilt. The technique is raw edge and is the basis for our September challenge. Here is a video that shows this technique if you are unfamiliar with it. YouTube Video demonstrating the edge-coloring technique.
Full Bloom applique quilt using Island Batik fabrics and the edge stitching processThis beautiful collection of fabric was given to me by Island Batik to use for this challenge. Twilight by Kathy Engle for Create with ClaudiaI love these colors and this collection and couldn’t wait to get started! Shipping to shops this month!
I came across this perfect pattern, Night Owls by Fat Cat Patterns. The colors worked beautifully for this pattern. The Twilight collection and two coordinating fabrics were given to me by Island Batik for this challenge.
I added a few other Island Batik fabrics to work well with this collection. These beautiful 40 weight threads were given to me to use for this challenge by Aurifil threads.
I used Steam a Seam 2 and my Oliso iron to bond the applique pieces to the background fabric.
I used my paper scissors to cur out the Steam a Seam shapes leaving a little extra to cut through once adhered to the applique fabric.
I fussy cut the center of the daisies in this fabric for the owl toes!
I have all 9 of my owls are made and am ready to begin edge painting and coloring as well as use some decorative stitches to outline my applique stitches. I used a new Schmetz needle 90/14 for the heavier40 weight Aurifil thread,
I wasn’t comfortable with coloring outside the lines with edge coloring at first, but after a few blocks it was very fun and freeing!
Here I was trying to make the stitching look like the owl’s feathers. Aurifil 40 weight threads worked great for this application.
Loved getting to use some of my decorative stitches also and after a couple of afternoons of fun with decorative stitching I was ready to add the sashing and borders and complete the top.
Soon after I was ready to have some fun quilting my owls!
Be sure to hop on over to these Island Batik Ambassador’s websites to check out their creations for this challenge. Listed below are the dates and Island Batik collections featured. Also be sure the follow Island Batik blog to register for very nice weekly prizes!!
The August monthly challenge was to make a mini quilt of our choice using any technique, not to exceed 24″ square. We could choose any fabric collection except the Surprise Bundle to be disclosed at a later date.
Island Batik’s Poetic Bouquet by Kathy Engle for The Whimsical Workshop
I had a pattern called Hues of Blue by Sherri McConnell that I had saved from a magazine ages ago.. It finished at 22″ square, so perfect! I couldn’t find the name of the magazine anywhere on my copy. I thought this would be a great time to use it as i could feature every fabric in the Poetic Bouquet collection along with the two coordination fabrics. I used the dark coordinating fabric (Storm) for the center block and the light one (Sky) for the background.
Such a gorgeous collection!Copy of Hues of Blue by Sherri McConnell from an unknown magazine
Once the piecing was complete, I loaded it on my Handi Quilter Forte longarm. I used Hobbs 80/20 batting with a layer of Hobbs wool batting on top to give more definition to my quilting. I test my tension before quilting by placing a 5″ square of scrap fabric to the side of my quilt and stitch some circles and sharp angles to test for eyelashing indicating uneven tension. The stitches should look the same on the front and back as shown above and below.
I wanted the piecing to be the star and not have the quilting overpower it so I used rulers and echoed the block shapes by stitching 1/4″ away from the edges using my Handi Quilter longarm Ditch Ruler.
Here is a close up.
Here all of the shapes are outlined and I’m ready to quilt the background.
All finished! I used various designs for the background using the Handi Quilter Mini Scallop ruler for the borders and the Multi Clamshell and Ditch Ruler for the rest.
Here is the back side and a good picture of Island Batik’s Storm.
I was given a copy of this 143 page soft cover book by C&T Publishing for review. And to be totally honest, I was super impressed. It starts at the very beginning with needles, thread, and tools, and wraps up with tips on how to quilt on a home sewing machine, which makes it totally accessible for beginning quilters. Following the instructions are 13 projects, most not even needing a pattern because they are wonky and therefore forgiving, so it’s very appropriate for someone just starting out learning about all things sewing and quilting.
The thirteen projects begin simply and gain momentum slowly throughout. Each project builds on the experience gained from the previous project. The gentle succession of projects begins with a mug rug, placemat, pillow, tote bag, wall hanging, 6 quilts, and finally an open front jacket and vest.
coasters or mug rugsPlacematspillowstote bagwall hangingquiltsquiltsfun scrappy wonky quilt!so fun!jacketvest back
If you are a more experienced quilter, perhaps you are growing tired of following a pattern, and wish to explore more artsy endeavors and don’t know where to begin. The blocks and projects within this book would be a great start towards that goal.
Here’s a bit about the authors…
Shannon and Jason
Shannon Roudhán and Jason Bowlsby are the dynamic DIY duo from Seattle, Washington.Their award-winning designs have been featured in and on the covers of domestic and international publications and their craft, portrait, and fashion photography has appeared in books and magazines around the globe. Shannon & Jason have published 12 books including Complete Crochet Course – the Ultimate Reference Guide,Designer Crochet,Boro & Sashiko: Harmonious Imperfection and Contemporary Kogin-zashi: Modern Sashiko Beyond Filling in the Gaps. Their NEWEST book, Scrappy Wonky Quilt Block Extravaganza is available June 2024.
The duo has been married for 29 years and have been teaching adults for 20+ years. They have a mastery of subjects from boro & sashiko, crochet and knitting, sewing, quilting, photography, and embroidery. Their enthusiasm, quirky sense of humor, and relatable teaching style have made them sought after teachers in virtual, local, and national venues. Be sure to check out their selection of online classes on Craftsy, Creative Spark and through their own website at shannonandjason.com. The “edu-tainment” experience of a class with Shannon & Jason will leave you informed, empowered, and in stitches (see what we did there?).
Here’s where you can get your own copy of this just released book.
All children deserve a safe, comfortable place to lay their heads. Across the US, too many boys and girls go without a bed—or even a pillow—to sleep on. These children end up sleeping on couches, blankets, and even floors. This can affect their happiness and health. That’s where Sleep in Heavenly Peace comes in. A group of volunteers dedicated to building, assembling, and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need.
So many great charities provide clothing, meals, and toys to families in need. But as wonderful as this aid is, few organizations offer suitable beds and bedding to the kids in these families. Sleep in Heavenly Peace fully believes that a bed is a basic need for the proper physical, emotional, and mental support that a child needs. If a child needs a bed, Sleep in Heavenly Peace wants to make sure they get one. NO KID SLEEPS ON THE FLOOR IN OUR TOWN!
Quilts Across America is a program that relies on the generosity of quilters everywhere to provide a quilt with each bed that is delivered. Quilts Across America was initiated by Studio 180 Design and Tucker University in July 2023. Help make this the largest quilting project in America and complete the process of getting kids, Off the floor, Into a Bed, and Under a Quilt.
If you are interested in helping out, check out Shpbeds.org and note the requirements below.
Quilt Requirements
Size between 50” to 60” wide and 75” to 90” long.
Simple quilt designs.
Colors that appeal to kids and young adults from 2 to 17 years of age.
No religious or holiday themed fabrics.
Quilted, not tied.
Machine bound is preferred.
No buttons or glued on embellishments.
Simple allover quilting is recommended.
I was excited to join this cause and selected some pretty, uplifting colors of Island Batik fabrics. I opened Electric Quilt and designed a quilt that I could use my Studio 180 tools to make the blocks.
This is the design I settled on.
The lightest fabric I chose is Frosting by Island Batik, from the Foundation line available all year round. I also used it for the backing and binding. I absolutely love the subtle color changes within the design.
This is the Magic Wand. It is used to mark on either side of it to indicate the stitching lines. I used my Hera marker which creates a crease so you don’t have to worry about getting any chalk or other kinds of lines out later on. It’s one of my favorite tools.
Then I stitched on the creased lines.
After stitching both lines, I used my rotary cutter to cut down the middle between the two stitched lines, creating two pieces. I pressed those pieces and then placed another square, used my Magic Wand again and stitched on both creased lines.
Then cut between the two stitched lines.
Press and now you have a Flying Geese unit.
This is where the Wing Clipper comes in. Line up the seams with the lines on the tool and trim the excess.
Turn the unit upside down and trim on the other two sides.
The first few blocks on my new Felt Right design wall. Loving my blocks and the design wall as well! At this point I chose to name my quilt Looking Up because of the arrows pointing upwards.
The third Studio 180 tool I own is the Tucker Trimmer. It is used to trim down half square triangles, among other things.
I love the positivity in this quilt! The arrows pointing upwards, the plus signs, and the friendship stars. I hope it brings a young person endless snuggles and happiness.
This is a good picture of the backing, Island Batik Frosting and is available all year round. I love the very subtle color changes.
This is how I bind quilts by machine. I sew the binding to the back side of the quilt and then bring in to the front and sew using the serpentine stitch.
Our March project was our choice! Since I loved the Rollin’ Round collection and I had some left from last month’s project, I decided to use it again. It’s available now in your favorite local quilt shop. My local shop, Fiddlesticks, in Vancouver, WA just received a new shipment of Island Batik!
I used the following pattern because I liked how it made the fabric the star of the show. The strips are 3 1/2″ wide on the fan blades so you can get a nice look at the fabric designs. It’s available as a free pattern download here https://www.artgalleryfabrics.com/cgi-bin/fabricshop/projects.cgi?patternID=5
It finishes at 42″ x 42.” Great size for a baby quilt or a lap quilt!
It went together very quickly and before I knew it, it was ready to quilt.
I used Island Batik Mushroom for the backing and some tan variegated Aurifil thread along with some white Aurifil thread for quilting after pinning carefully.
Island Batik Mushroom , a Foundation available all year round.
I was traveling and had my travel Bernina with me, so I decided to stitch in the ditch to stabilize and the echoed the pattern in the negative space in each of the corners. I used a new Schmetz #80 microtex needle before quilting. Smooth sailing!
I’m really happy with the result and love the fact that it will be a companion to my log cabin quilt from last month! Check out that post here: http://lanaquilts.com/category/blog/
Our challenge this month was to make a log cabin quilt, any size, using our given collection. I was fortunate enough to receive Rollin’ Round by Kathy Engle for Quilting Renditions. It has fun designs of wheels, gears, bicycles, and all things round. And the colors are gorgeous jewel tones with some wheat colors and oranges as well. Bright and beautiful!
Rollin’ Round is shipping to shops this month! Ask for it at your favorite shop.
All cut out and ready to roll!
The pattern I chose is called River Log Cabin by Amy Ellis and I found it in Missouri Star’s Mod Block Magazine, Vol.1, Issue 1. It’s a different layout than I usually see and it seemed a little more modern to me. The strips are cut different widths; the grey background solid was cut into 1 1/2″ strips and the Rollin’ Round fabrics were cut into 2 1/2″ strips.
I put a new needle in before every project. Schmetz Microtex 80/12 needles are what I use for piecing.Beginning to put it together. Strip piecing all the way!I love these bright, beautifully saturated colors!The orange and teal! Yum! If you’re looking for a bicycle print, this one is super cute!
All 80 squares have been trimmed, sewn into rows, and rows sewn together. Now for the quilting. I only had my travel machine with me and no walking foot, so straight line quilting it is! I stitched a presser foot edge away from the seam lines and used Aurifil 50 wt 100% cotton thread for quilting (and piecing, but a more neutral color than shown below).
You can see the design layout now. Circles were perfect for Rollin’ Round!
I love it!
For the backing I chose Optic Flower in teal and Platinum, which is one of the Naturally Neutrals in the Basics collection. You can see the teal here, the other end of the backing has the Platinum.
Optic Flower – tealPlatinumI’m calling it Desert Sunset!
Be sure to view and follow what the other Island Batik Ambassadors have completed for their Log Cabin challenge:
Our challenge this month was to make something of our choice that has to do with celebrations. Well, every celebration involves food, yes??? And hopefully with shared responsibilities. Whether you call them pitch ins, pot lucks, or something else, a proper carrier is needed, so I decided to make a casserole carrier.
And Pro-Stitcher has a design for that! Actually they have a couple. The one I chose is Happiness is Homemade. There is another one called Buttered Biscuit. I combined the two as I preferred parts of each. Directions are included with the download.
I love the Baked with Love message on the side flapsAnd I love this plaid design for the bottom of the carrier.This is how it looked after turning the cover right sides out. Ready to topstitch the edges.And I loved this Happiness is Homemade script on the front and back.I used kabab skewers for my handles but you could use wooden spoons or dowel rods or anything else that fits.
Now I am set to bring a dish to our next shared meal in style.
Happy Holidays to those who celebrate the season!
Check out what the other Island Batik Ambassadors did for the challenge this month:
Earlier this year I participated in one of GE Designs Quilt Alongs, Strip Twist. My Island Batik Stash Builders were perfect for this quilt. Stash Builders are 5″ strips by width of fabric that come 4 strips to a roll, 5 rolls per package. That’s nearly 3 yards of fabric and perfect for cutting 5″ squares or 2 1/2″ strips. I whipped this up at my annual quilt retreat using Schmetz needles and Aurifil thread.
Assembled piecesMy first completed block!Trying a layoutAll togetherAdded borders and scrappy binding using more of my Island Batik Stash Builders, Hobbs 80/20 batting, and Pro-Stitcher on my Handiquilter ForteDonated to our guild’s charity chairperson, Darlen,e at our November meeting
I know someone will appreciate this one as it is delivered this month.
