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April 13, 2025
A finish.................. from Exuberant Color


This quilt is all batik, made with 2.5" strips in a pattern I call "the other 16 patch".  The true 16 patch is made of squares.  There are 32 blocks each made with 2 different batiks so there were 64 strips total.


There is one full width strip and 2 leftover pieces from previous backings on the back of this quilt.  It is 62.5" x 70.5".  It has Hobbs 80/20 batting in it and it was longarm quilted by Robin Diaz.


I mentioned digging out ditch lilies a couple days ago.  They are day lilies that ...

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April 12, 2025
Binding finished, and more to start.............. from Exuberant Color


The binding is finished on the batik quilt and I'll take photos today.  This is the time of year when the sunshine coming in the windows warms up the house and the heat doesn't come on.  That makes the basement quite chilly.  Since we are still going down in the 30s at night, the heat will come on in the morning and that's when I'll go down there to take the photos.


The two Tilda quilts are back from the longarmer and I have chosen the binding for both of them.





This is the last Sedum ...

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April 7, 2025
Cutting, sorting, binding................. from Exuberant Color

Yesterday morning I die cut 17 more fabric strips into rectangles and squares for Colorwash.  I had previously cut 43 fabrics and have 43 more fabric strips to go.  Since I usually use only one of each print in a colorwash this 100+ group of cut pieces are just a portion of what I will need.





While the washing machine was running I looked through some embroideries I have done in the past for these 2 pieces.  I want to do another quilt with this style block.  The one on the left was a sample block for a quilt I ...

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April 6, 2025
Cutting. hand sewing.................. from Exuberant Color


I pulled out these 3 dies to start cutting a pile of batiks.  They are all pieces less than 1/4 yard wide, most between 3 and 6" wide





I pressed this pile of strips a couple weeks ago so it was time to do the cutting.  I'm doing 1 hour a day and have worked on it on 3 days so far.


There are 4 pieces of most of the fabrics and only 2 of a few.  These will be worked onto the trays of pieces that have been cut over several years.  As soon as the pile ...

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April 5, 2025
Quilting and binding................... from Exuberant Color


I had 2 sessions of ditch quilting around the light centers of some of the blocks in the Crooked Cobblestone quilt.  I have one more day on light centers and then can choose a different color to do.



I have 2 quilts to bind and this one was already trimmed so I started with it.  In this photo  have attached the binding by machine.





There are 3 fabric strips on the back of the quilt.  The one on the right was full width and the other 2 were cutaways from previous backs.  I have started the hand sewing on the ...

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April 1, 2025
The last March finish................. from Exuberant Color


I finished hand sewing the binding on this neutral color batik 16 patch quilt around 9 p.m. last night but didn't want to go to the basement to take the photos so I hung it on my main floor studio design wall for these photos.  This one ended up at 54.5" x 71".







I was so happy to find a large enough piece of batik (that looks good with the top) in my backings box.  I only buy that large of yardage when it is deeply discounted.

This quilt has Hobbs 80/20 batting in it and ...

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March 10, 2025
Sunday's doings............................ from Exuberant Color


I started out the day yesterday pressing a big pile of batik strips, usually end cuts from other project cutting.  I will be cutting these into pieces for my colorwash quilts.


Then I was in the basement looking for backings for several table topper pieces.  Photos later.  While down there I saw this book and decided I should donate it to the thrift shop on my next trip.







Look at that date!  50 years ago!  This was one of the few patchwork books available in that time period.  1975 was the beginning of my teaching career, first teaching speed tips ...

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March 2, 2025
Finished!.................. from Exuberant Color



I want to show today that this quilt is f
inished, and I'm writing this at 11:30 last night.  

It is 50" x 66.5" and has Hobbs 80/20 batting in it.  I named it Shimmering Fish.

The block is Hunter Star, cut with my die cutter, with an alternate layout so there aren't complete stars.





The back is a batik with sailboats and palm trees which I thought was appropriate with fish on the front.








A few of my cactus plants have blooms, but only one per plant on 3 of them.  Another has 2 ...

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March 1, 2025
Binding chosen................. from Exuberant Color


When I saw my binding choices from yesterday in daylight I decided the rosy one was leaning toward purple.  I went through 2 stacks of batiks and came up with these two new choices.


This one was the winner.  I named this quilt shimmering fish and the setting triangles look like water ripples.  I decided this aqua and green batik would carry that feeling of water the best.


I got it sewn on and started the hand stitching.  Some of the setting triangles are blue but none of them made it into this photo.  I will spend the day today ...

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February 12, 2025
3 for the table......................... from Exuberant Color


The binding on the larger piece was done in 3 sessions yesterday.  I finished it around 8 p.m.











I cut the binding for this one earlier in the day and decided I had enough time to sew it on and hand finish the binding last night while watching TV.  It is 18" square.







All three of these will now join the 3 finished table runners to be used as gifts.  I think the color is most true in this photo.

I cut batting for another quilt yesterday while waiting for the dryer to finish.

Yesterday's forecast was downgraded ...

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February 11, 2025
Monday........ from Exuberant Color


Yesterday turned into errand day yesterday because it was time to drive my van to charge the battery.

When I got home I chose binding fabrics for the 2 Crooked Cobblestone pieces.  I got it cut and sewn onto them.


I hand finished the binding on the mug rug last night.  It is 8.25" x 9.5".








The light color in the binding is a similar color as the background of the backing fabric.







The colors in the binding match the little lines in the backing fabric of the larger piece.






I chose the binding fabric for the third ...

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February 8, 2025
Looking for a backing........... from Exuberant Color


This quilt top is next in line for basting to prepare for ditch quilting.  I needed to find a batik for backing yesterday.  It is 37 x 58" so I need almost 1 3/4 yards of fabric.











The first place I look is the 2 shelves of multicolor and large design batiks.  Most of them are hard to use because the color changes so often in them.










When I first look through the stacks I'm looking for larger yardage pieces and pull them out.  The one one the left is more blue, not green as it looks here ...

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January 31, 2025
A finish for January 2025.......... from Exuberant Color


I'm so happy to finally have this batik colorwash finished.  I finished designing and sewing the quilt top in April 2023 and it waited 1 3/4 years to be basted and quilted.  I chose the back and cut the batting 6 months ago.

It is 31.25" x 50.25".

The pieces in the colorwash are 1.5" x 3" finished.








I need to record the details in this online journal.

The backing is a green/orange/gold batik and the binding is a brown design batik. The batting is Warm and Natural.  I used Invisifil thread to ...

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December 20, 2024
A December finish.............. from Exuberant Color


This is the second of three neutral batik 16 patch quilts made from blocks pieced in 2018.  I finished the first quilt and pieced the top of this one in September this year.  The third top, waiting to be quilted, was pieced in April.

This one is now finished and is 71" x 93", the largest of the three.




I had enough yards of this backing fabric, also a batik, for this quilt.  The binding fabric was also in my stash.












Here is better view of the backing and binding fabrics.  It has Warm and Natural batting and was quilted ...

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November 26, 2024
More Batik Scraps! from Magpie Quilts

Ok, I still had the odds and ends of batik scraps out on the cutting table and thought that just maybe, there were enough for a little quilt. 
This pattern is called "Kisses for Dad" from a Miniature Quilt magazine - sorry, I don't have the issue number on hand! It required 2 small 1" squares and a rectangle for each X.
The piecing was diagonal and it took a bit to sew together as I wasn't able to speed through it and keep everything in place.
I first picked out this turquoise blue border, but when it was ...

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November 24, 2024
Batik Quilts from Magpie Quilts

Sometimes, I will just buy charm packs - in quilting lingo these are packs of 5" squares containing a full complete sampling of a fabric line. These quilts were inspired by one little pack.
I made a couple of table runners out of the first little charm pack I had picked up - likely at a quilt show somewhere. One of these table runners was sold and that person decided she wanted a queen quilt made from the same fabrics.
Now, fabrics can sit in my closet for a while before I make anything, so the likelihood of finding the exact fabrics ...

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October 4, 2024
Back to Quilting from The Quilt Yarn

Well, it's been a while...


We have been on holidays in Bali in the second week of September for 9 days. It was great...beautiful country and beautiful people. We had a great time although I must say it was uncomfortably hot and humid for some of the days. We did splurge out for this getaway with a villa in a very nice resort with a private pool. Incredibly beautiful surrounds.
 
Private pool 


View from restaurant onto one of the infinity pools and beyond.


Also did some fabric shopping while over there. Bought an embarrassing amount of batik after ...

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August 26, 2024
Binding started..................... from Exuberant Color


Yesterday felt like a binding day so I sewed the strips together and got it sewn onto the quilt.  I have hand stitched one long side and half of a short side so far.  I'm sure a print wouldn't have been the choice of a lot of people but it just felt right to me.  Click on the photo for a closer look at how it is looking with both front and back of the quilt.


I showed a new die a few days ago and I cut up some batik scraps and sewed some of one of ...

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August 23, 2024
More binding in my future................ from Exuberant Color


Two quilts are back from my longarm friend Robin and I sent 2 more home with her.  I should have every large quilt quilted by the end of this year.  I know I want to hand finish the binding on the Kaffe Fonthill quilt but I haven't decided about the pink heart quilt yet.


I finished sewing the last seams of the neutral color 16 patch top and the staystitching around the perimeter at 10 last night.  I'll get it pressed and photographed today.

Now I need to get back to cutting pieces for future quilts, long range ...

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August 20, 2024
What's next............. from Exuberant Color


There is one more batch of neutral batik 16 patch blocks made in 2018.  (photo taken in daylight in the studio) I have one top ready to be quilted that is throw size and this one will be 72" x 96".  I might start the layout on the design wall today.  I have been working on fabrics for a friend's quilt and should have that done by tomorrow.


These are most intense of the tiny blooms of mini Sedum.







The third kind of mini Sedum is just sending up some flower stalks.







The tall Sedums are starting to show ...

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  • batik
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