What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Welcome to week eight of this year's Hands2Help Comfort Quilt Challenge!  I've got lots of info to pass on in this post, so be sure to read all the way through, ok?  First off, it's time for another check-in, where you can show off your progress, and cheer others on.  There'll be a link-up for that at the end of this post.  

We've also got an other great guest blogger today - Leanne of Devoted Quilter.  Leanne's been a long-time supporter of the Challenge, and always has something interesting to share.  She's ...

Welcome to Block Mania!! This month’s theme is all about friendship. There are some really cute blocks in this link package, so follow the links on the list below to build the perfect quilt. I have a special treat for you, so keep reading until the end. I went a little deep in thought for my block this month. As I pondered the meaning of friends, how important they are, and how people come in and out of our lives at different points, my block appeared. I just love it. As a modern maker, I took a different approach ...

It was a heavy lift. The net was bursting with a huge catch. 

It took a lot of effort to haul it out of the river.

Ooh it is heavy...

The fish wriggled and pulled against the net and Paul struggled. 

Paul struggled

And finally managed!

Such a proud angler Paul is!!! Now, you may think that catching all these fish on the banks of Potomac is a load of bull. But honestly, it is a fishy story :-D

The one that got away...

Well, here is the true back ...

 I used a random number generator to pick the giveaway winner:  KAWeed  (Though her post came as "anonymous" she included her email, per the giveaway qualifications.)   

# # # # # #

 I tried on-point.  I cut setting triangles and ...

Five weeks in!  Can you believe it?  Seems like we just started this year's Challenge, but things are rolling right along.  We've got several things going on this week, but let's start with the most important one first. 

Today we are welcoming another guest blogger - Nann from With Strings Attached!  Spend just a few minutes on her blog and you'll realize she's a prolific quilter - but she's also a librarian.  Librarians have a special place in my heart, especially these days.  Some of my best times as a child were spent in ...

Designing for the May/June 2023 Issue of Quiltmaker Magazine, I chose the fabric line Celebrate. Designed by Kathy Engle, this fabric line will be available in stores in May 2023.

Imagine my surprise when the magazine was published in March 2023.  It is Island Batik's guidance to release patterns as close to the fabric availability as possible. If the fabric is not available (at the time of pattern release or shortly thereafter), then it feels like a tease or even a torture, especially when the fabric is this gorgeous!!!

For this reason, I have been slow/reluctant to ...

Something awesome happened!! I talked about it on Instagram, but haven’t shared it here on my blog. I am one of seven Michael Miller brand ambassadors. It is so exciting! A big box of fabric was delivered a few weeks ago, and I have been busy trying to decide what designs I will take from idea to written pattern. I think I have narrowed down my list to about five. Fingers crossed I will get to them all written soon.

As I was fretting about getting something new out. I decided to take a breath and make another version ...

Welcome to the first Island Batik challenge and blog hop of the year 2023. 

I received Exuberance collection. This is an original collection by Deb Tucker of Studio 180 Designs.

Like most of the ambassadors, I had the same question - what is a puff quilt and how do I make it? I watched about half a dozen videos on the YouTube and made a list.

A list of all the things I ...

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!

Welcome All!! Today I have a special treat for you. This is the latest creation in my Garden Star Quilt Series. I am so excited for you to meet Garden Star 5, the Quilt Pattern. This is a pattern release day, so get ready for some fun!! We have a lot of things to talk about, so let’s get to it.

The Garden Star 5 Design

My Garden Star Quilt series is a unique and fun way to celebrate the simplicity of a half-square triangle. They are one of my go ways to make a larger and more impactful ...

Hello…today launches the start of the Villa Rosa Blog Hop!!  We have new people coming to the blog and our old regulars.  That’s for hanging out with me whether you are new or old.  I am a busy blogger writing two new fresh blog posts each day…one in the morning and one in the evening.  […]

It was another glorious day! I went out for a long walk in the afternoon with no hat, and by the time I got home, my jacket was open, my scarf was dangling, and my mitts were in m pocket! I LOVE days like that. But it was cold when I took the girls out in the morning, and my legs were a bit red when I got back!

We had our UFO Clubs in the morning, which is always a hoot. Who did or didn't get their homework done? If they don't, $10 will be donated to ...

Christmas is coming; the goose is getting fat. Please put a penny in the old man’s hat… Yes. This is the song I am listing to as I sit down to write this post. I am in dismay thinking that Christmas is only a few weeks away. I started planning what I was going to do for Christmas months ago. Still, after being away on a quilting cruise, put on by Stitching Heaven, for a week, then Thanksgiving and trying to catch up with work, I scaled back what I would be doing to a 12 Days of Christmas ...

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 ...

Once upon a time, very long ago, when I was a brand new quilter, I came across the Disappearing 9-Patch Quilt Pattern. Sewing a 9-patch block and then cutting it into quarters for FOUR blocks was mind-blowing. 

Sewing first and cutting later was truly fascinating. It also meant less sewing, easier piecing and improved accuracy. This was a Win, Win, Win!!! Except for one small problem - it created a mindset. I am forever looking to simplify patterns such that I sew first and cut later.

Meet Granny Long Legs - completely strip-pieced. 

A Queen-sized Quilt

Are you smiling at the name ...

Even the Monster is cute :-D

Gorgeous Colors!

Beauty and the Baste!

Quilted, Not Bound

It is a finish!!!

Here are a few close-ups.

Hummingbirds

Blue Vines

Labelled

Crushing on You!

I love this collection and it was a joy to design and make ...

Welcome to the seventh Autumn Jubilee!! Every year it seems to get bigger and better! Today, we begin with announcement of our fabulous vendor sponsors for all the prizes to be given away this month and a few details you need to know. We are going to sew a great new project, cook a new recipe, do some wool applique, read a book set during the Autumn season, and quilt a festive table topper. We’ll also play in our craft rooms, dig in our gardens, set an Autumn table, and more! Every post this month has a giveaway, too ...

Island Batik's September Challenge and Blog Hop focuses on the Studio 180 Design tool we received in our second Ambassador box. I received the Tucker Trimmer Tool.

I also received the Honeycomb fabric collection, designed by Kathy Engle for Jackie Kunkle of Canton Village Quiltworks, shipping to shops in September. 

Welcome. Welcome. Ahhhhh! I am so excited. Today is the day!! That’s right today is the release day for my Mountain Breeze Quilt Pattern. It is finally ready. This quilt has been on a long and windy journey with me. It has been simmering in the back of my head since the first Quilt Con I attended back in 2017. It was something I saw in the city that caught my eye and it has stuck with me ever since. Like all my pattern release parties, this comes with a giveaway and a lot of fun so keep reading ...