What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

In the land of Island Batik, March is Ambassador's Choice Month.  Mine is Lula May. 

EQ8 Design

Lula May

Designed in EQ8, and made with Island Batik's Celebrate Collection, Lula May finished at 62" by 82".

Love this collection!!!

I wanted to step away from square blocks. I designed a rectangular block measuring 12" by 16". The triangle in a square made the basis for the elongated star. The strip pieced alternate block combines the colors used in the stars, using the leftovers and tying the pattern together. 

Design Wall

Alternate Blocks

I used Aurifil Thread to piece ...

Dashing Doors

Dashing Doors is my response to the Island Batik's Log Cabin Challenge and Blog Hop that begins today.  My pun on Door Dash got a huge eye roll from Paul :-)

I received a half-yard bundle of Breezy Collection.  Purples, Greens, Coral and Pink make this a lovely collection.

Breezy Bundle

Light to Dark!

We’ve stitched up a surprise for you all here at Fat Quarter Shop. We’re doing some redecorating and we have some spools that are looking to go out into the Threadiverse and find some new homes! Find out all the details of The Great Thread Giveaway in today’s blog post.

Fat Quarter Shop is excited to give 60 lucky winners some of our favorite 50wt Aurifil threads from the thread wall in our studio! You may have seen it in the background of videos on Fat Quarter Shop’s Youtube Channel!

Aurifil 50wt thread is the most ...

It may be Thanksgiving where you live, but I've just finished my Halloween quilt!  I've called it "Spooky Darlings" after the fabric range that I used.  

I only had a fat eighth bundle to play with so I made the biggest triangles that I could and combined them in alternating dark and light rows ...

Meet Radiance. She is my response to the October challenge.

Radiance!

Let's start from the beginning.

October's Challenge is sponsored by Accuquilt. In our Island Batik Ambassador Box, we received the Accuquilt Block on Board Die - North Carolina Star.

Accuquilt Die for North Carolina Star

Star of North Carolina is a traditional block made with paper-piecing AND partial seams - two of my absolute nemeses ganged up against me!!!

Star of North Carolina in EQ8 Block Library

Fortunately, Accuquilt has simplified the block such that there are no partial seams. However, in doing so the number of fabric pieces ...

This week I started hand quilting my Licorice Allsorts quilt.  

The guild I belong to, Capital Quilters in Wellington, New Zealand will be holding an exhibition in May 2024 and I ...

The September Island Batik Challenge and Blog Hop is called Pieced to Perfection. We were required to make a paper-pieced project at least lap sized, using as many different fabrics as possible from our assigned collection.

I received Chromatic. It is an original collection designed by Deb Tucker of Studio 180 Designs.

Chromatic Bundle

Chromatic Fabrics

Bromeliad Garden

I chose "The Palm" block from EQ8 Block Library (under Old favorites). 

The on-point layout uses 24 blocks. I used 21 (out of the 22) fabrics from the Chromatic collection. I used three fabrics ...

 I'm on my way back to New Zealand today but here's one more blog post prepared in advance.  this is my Shuttles quilt that I made to showcase some of my beautiful Kaffe Fassett fabrics.  You can read all about it here. 

And I hand quilted it with bright yellow Aurifil 12 wt.  

Now it’s time for the Peacock Party.  Feel free to link up a recent blog ...

It is hot and humid. Fortunately I am well-prepared to stay (and entertain myself) indoors.  That is where Island Batik's second shipment of goodies is supremely helpful :-D

Here is the "Set" of Unboxing Video showing Nihal on the left and Wednesday on the right.

Unboxing Video - Set up

It is good to be an ambassador!  Here is the link to the Unboxing video.  There is an oops in there and I left it as such. We are only human!

I start with the generous box of batting provided by Hobbs.

Thermore Batting - Light and Very Thin

Premium Wool ...

The Island Batik challenge for April is Crazy Quilts with Aurifil Threads.  

The Zippered Pouches - in progress

I received the Frangipani Color Builder from Aurifil Threads.

To ensure that these threads/embroidery/stitches showed well on the fabric, I decided to use Island Batik solids.  Since I also wanted to make a modern interpretation of Crazy Quilts, the solids were a perfect choice ...

It has come to my quilty attention 

that I have never made a bed size red, white and blue quilt.

How is this possible?

I love these colors. 

Some of these fabrics I pulled for a quilt a ew years back that never was sewn.

I am going to be adding and subtracting but this is a good start for the upcoming

Susan Ache is not new to quilt-alongs.

Stitching Kindness SAL by Susan Ache @ Moda, 2022

I love the beautiful quilty goodness of 

Susan ...

If I could be doing anything quilty, it would be improv piecing.  It is like taking a journey. "Come hither ye fabric scraps; together we will travel and see where we end up." 

Here is the Island Batik Challenge for March. It reads 

"March brings a free month for you to determine your own project of any size, using any theme and any technique!! This is an opportunity for you to express your creativity without guidelines. Have fun!"

And I did have fun. See how the bits and pieces grew.

Starting Point

And then there were two

Growing

Coming Together ...

Wish you a very happy 2023!

I have news. Island Batik has selected a new slate of ambassadors for 2023.  And I am honored to have made the cut.

Here is a link to the Unboxing video.

Testing the set-up - Looking good!

I firmly believe that anyone who has a voice can sing. Whether their singing is pleasant to hear or not is another story altogether.  Similarly, I can make a quilt with any group of colors. Will that grouping be aesthetically appealing? That depends on the design.

December Challenge!

Four times a year when the challenge is combined with a blog hop, we the Island Batik ambassadors are required to use one of the new fabric collections, assigned to us. Further we are directed to use as many fabrics (from the collection) as possible.

I was assigned the Chickadee Fabric Collection ...

My Kawandi is finished!

I took a one day Kawandi class with Lorena Uriarte at Quilt Symposium 2022.  We learnt to make Kawandi and here is mine.  

Kawandi are meant to be scrappy, but I used a charm pack of Koi Pond by Ruby Star Society.  I knew the colours would all work together and I'm pleased with how it turned out.  

I chose to use some gorgeous fabrics called "Neptune and the Mermaid" by Tokyo Milk for Free Spirit Fabrics.  And some Tula Pink too as required.  

I finished the ...

I’m a big fan of Sam Hunter (website -- IG) so when she put the call out for a community stitching project I opted in. I don’t generally do hand work, but the initial details assured us that it would be minimal and easy to complete.

The prompt arrived and I took a very literal, mathematical approach to it. In the moment, I wasn’t overthinking it at all. I was simply following the instructions.

I mailed my block from San Jose, California read more

Island Batik's August Challenge is Marvelous Minis.

The guidelines are simple. 

Any technique, any pattern and size between 12" square and 24" square.

With such broad and open ended requirements, my mind went in many different directions... 

Improv Piecing because that is my favorite technique

Playing with Scraps

Rainbow theme because I could not pick just one color

Island Batik Rainbow

A Landscape Mini using gradations because they are just so beautiful

Gradations

International Sisters because it made me slightly famous(scroll down)

But I kept coming back to the recent Supreme Court decision leaving us 

with fewer freedoms ...

The Island Batik July challenge is sponsored by Accuquilt who have recently launched the GO! Tree of Life Block on Board Die! Our challenge was to make an inspiring piece where the GO! Tree of Life pieces are the focus. 

Further, "AccuQuilt’s mission is to bring joy to everyone – especially when they need it. That is why, this month, we are encouraging you to make Christmas come early for someone who could use a little joy."

Also, "when you finish, AccuQuilt would like you to give the project you have made to someone you know who needs a little ...

This "flowerpot" is located at Soley Town, a beautiful spot just at the base of Economy Mountain, N.S.  I took this picture a year or so ago and decided it would make a good project to stitch.