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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.  

With so many thread weights on the market, it’s tough to tell which one is perfect for a project! We’re here to help you distinguish between those tricky little spools with some descriptions and up-close stitch comparisons of Aurifil threads.

Print out this post and keep it as a reference sheet in your crafting room, or bookmark it for the next time you’re at a fork in the road when it comes to selecting thread! We have a special week-long sale on all Aurifil threads that starts today! Read on for all the details.

Aurifil 80wt Thread ...

The March challenge is sponsored by Aurifil Threads.  Here are the simple guidelines to complete the challenge.

I don't have a finish, but should that stop me for sharing?

According to Angela, February shall be devoted to teal, aqua and turquoise scraps. Here is what I did.

Teal/Aqua Scraps

Fish :-)

Scrappy Improv

Block in the works

15 blocks in two days!!!

My Island Batik Row by Row quilt (for the February Challenge and BlogHop) is complete.  I received the collection Lace and Grace, designed by Kathy Engle for Chris Hoover of Whirligig Designs. This signature collection should be in stores now. 

Lace and Grace :-)

 Although I will share on February 16, here is a sneak ...

This successful little quilt was a plan B and FOMO all wrapped into one.

It’s Project QUILTING season again! I’ve participated the last five years. (Though some years I don’t complete all six challenges.) In the last many months I have been focusing on finishing up works in progress. I even updated the full UFO/WIP list. (Updated list coming later this month.) So... I decided what I would do for Project QUILTING this year would be to finish a project that was in progress for each of the challenges. I figured with the lengthy list of ...

The new year is almost here, and I’m starting off 2022 with a new Aurifil cone to see how far it will go! I tried this out a few years ago, and it took me nine months to finish it all (that’s a full 6,452 yards). I’ve chosen a cone of my favorite thread, Aurifil color 2000, which I’ll start using for all my sewing on January 1. If you want to join in, all you have to do is select a new cone or spool of Aurifil thread and sew with it starting January ...

 The Island Batik Challenge for October was as follows:

The 2021 Aurifil Color Builders are a capsule of 12 mini-collections dedicated to an incredibly worthy cause that falls in line with Aurifil’s goal to increase sustainability and positive environmental impact — Endangered Species. Each collection contains three large spools of their supple and strong 40wt thread — a warm, a medium, and a dark.

Aurifil has just announced the details of their 2022 Colour Builders, and it looks pretty amazing!  This highly successful thread-of-the-month program is now heading into its third year season, with each year building on the success of the previous.  As a dealer, I participated for the first time this past year and have to say that everything ran like clockwork.  It’s a super way to build your thread stash and save a bit off the price of individual spools while doing do.  Personally, I loved going to my thread rack and having just the shade I needed at my ...

 Welcome to Day Two of Island Batik's August 2021 Blog Hop - Try a Tool.

My assignment was to use the Butterfly Blooms collection and the Corner Pop 3 Ruler to make a project.

Inspiration Board

If you like these fabrics, you are about to be dazzled...by how bright they look in person.

On my cutting table

These colors remind me of the Crape Myrtle trees that are in full bloom these days.

On my morning ...

As an Island Batik Ambassador, I receive fabric from Island Batik and other supplies from industry partners (Hobbs Batting, Aurifil, Bags by Annie, and Studio 180), twice a year. The first set of boxes were received in January 2021.

Island Batik Boxes and the Video Shoot Setup

The second set of boxes were received in July 2021. Here is my home video showing the goodies as I unbox them.

For the August Challenge (Try a Tool) and Blog Hop, I will be working with Island Batik's Butterfly Blooms collection.

Butterfly Blooms

Foundations to Match Spring 2021 Bundle

Matching Yardage ...

Wow...I worked for most of last week on this to get him done and today I finished him.