Week 2 Log Cabin Blog Hop Giveaway from Island Batik!

And the Island Batik Log Cabin Blog Hop continues into Week 2!

I’m constantly amazed by the incredible designs that the Island Batik Ambassadors create and it’s fascinating to me that even though we all had the same starting point: create a log cabin block project, there are so many variations on this traditional block.

I’m not quite finished my project yet but I’m working with the Woodstock collection by Kathy Engle for Canton Village Quilt Works and enjoying the vibrant colours and patterns of this groovy collection. Here’s a sneak peek of what I’m designing.

While I’m still working on my project for the Log Cabin Blog Hop, there are more gorgeous projects that other Island Batik Ambassadors have created this week.

Be sure you’re following me on Facebook and Instagram as I’ll be sharing what my fellow Ambassadors have designed with the Island Batik fabrics for Week 2 of the Log Cabin Blog Hop.

In addition to being inspired by my fellow Ambassadors, you’ll want to enter the giveaway this week for a chance to win one of 2 fat quarter bundles of new Island Batik collections. For Week 2 Island Batik will be giving away a bundle of Monarch by Kathy Engle and Love and Peace, also by Kathy Engle for Terri Vanden Bosck of Lizard Creek Quilting.

Be sure to enter your information below before February 17, 2024 for your chance to win.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check back next week to see what the giveaways are for Week 3 of the Log Cabin Blog Hop and to see my design using the luscious Island Batik fabrics!

Note: The products featured in this blogpost were given to me by Island Batik. Thank you!

#islandbatik #islandbatikambassador #hobbsbatting #hobbsinside #createwitholiso #olisoconnects #schmetz #schmetzneedles #studio180design

Giveaway time from Island Batik!

As an Island Batik Ambassador I get to work with their amazing fabrics and, in February, all of the Ambassadors are designing their own log cabin projects and sharing them in a blog hop. While I haven’t quite finished my project yet (you’ll see it later this month), I can share a peek at the fabrics I’m working with for my design.

Island Batik “Woodstock” collection half yard bundle with coordinating fabrics and some Island Batik solids

I’m using the Woodstock collection by Kathy Engle for Canton Village Quilt Works in my first project for Island Batik. It’s a throwback to the groovy age of the 60’s and I’m really enjoying working with the vibrant colours and designs in this collection.

Here are all the fabrics in the Woodstock collection - with gummy bears as the inspiration for the fabrics.

While I’m still working on my log cabin project, several of the other Island Batik Ambassadors have finished theirs and wow, are they amazing!!! Be sure you’re following me on Facebook and Instagram as I’ll be sharing what my fellow Ambassadors have designed with the Island Batik fabrics.

Now for the fun part of the February 2024 blog hop: giveaways!

Each week, Island Batik will be giving away 2 fat quarter bundles of new Island Batik collections and you can enter to win each week.

Be sure to enter your details below before February 10, 2024 to win a fat quarter bundle of Island Batik fabrics for the Week 1 giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to check back next week to see what the giveaways are for Week 2 of the Log Cabin Blog Hop!

Note: The products featured in this blogpost were given to me by Island Batik. Thank you!

#islandbatik #islandbatikambassador #hobbsbatting #hobbsinside #createwitholiso #olisoconnects #schmetz #schmetzneedles #studio180design

It's Christmas time once again from Island Batik!

It’s here: my first ambassador box from Island Batik!

It’s here - all 35 lbs. of it! 😁

I’ve been excitedly waiting for this box to arrive and today was the day!

I love batiks and Island Batik didn’t disappoint in the fabrics they selected and sent to me. I told them that I liked bright, bold colours and that’s just what I received.

And I received a lot more fabric and other goodies than I thought I would - which is also exciting! Thanks, Island Batik! 😀

Here’s a few photos of what was in the first Island Batik 2024 Ambassador box.

Look at all the goodies in this Island Batik Ambassador box!

Schmetz sent an assortment of needles, informational material and a lovely note!

Island Batik “Woodstock” collection half yard bundle with coordinating fabrics and some Island Batik solids

Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design included a Wing Clipper 1 and Quilter’s Magic Wand tool

A queen sized package of black Hobbs 80/20 batting. Halloween project anyone?! 🦇

The new TG1600 Pro Plus iron from Oliso in butterscotch - yummy!

There was so much Island Batik and sponsor goodness in my Ambassador box that a blogpost just isn’t enough to show you everything, so I’ve created a video showing you the unboxing and a closer look at what was included in the first Island Batik Ambassador box. Click on the image below to watch the video.

Now I have to find room for all these gorgeous Island Batik fabrics and start working on my first project as a 2024 ambassador! 😉 Be sure you’re following me on Facebook and Instagram so you won’t miss out on what I’ll be creating for my first project in February 2024 and all the other fun projects I’ll be creating in 2024 with Island Batik fabrics - with Salem’s help! 🤣

Thanks to the following sponsors for sending their products to me in my first Island Batik Ambassador box: Hobbs Bonded Fibers, Oliso, Schmetz Needles, Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design, Island Batik.

Note: The products featured in this blogpost were given to me by Island Batik. Thank you!

#islandbatik #islandbatikambassador #hobbsbatting #hobbsinside #createwitholiso #olisoconnects #schmetz #schmetzneedles #studio180design

Exciting News to Start Off 2024!

I’ve been holding off on announcing some exciting news but can now let the cat out of the bag! Okay, Victor is actually in a bin but I think you get the idea! 😉

I’ve been selected to be an Island Batik 2024 Ambassador!

 I’m very excited to have been chosen as one of the Island Batik Ambassadors for this year. I’m honoured to be on the team with so many accomplished quilters.

I’ve got to admit that I’m a bit nervous about creating projects for Island Batik but it will be the perfect chance to “up my game” in 2024 and I’m looking forward to that opportunity.

Look for lots of new and spectacular projects from me and the other Island Batik Ambassadors during 2024!

Managing Expectations When Giving

Quilters tend to be caring people who love to share the passion for their craft and often see making and giving a quilt as the heartfelt expression of their feelings for the person they are giving their “labor of love” to. Unfortunately, what started as an act of kindness can result in disappointment for the quilter if the gift is not “sufficiently appreciated” by the person who receives it. Many quilters have encountered this situation. Let me tell you about the first time this happened to me and what it taught me.

A Cautionary Tale

Many years ago, when I first started quilting, I made a table topper quilt for a relative. I spent a lot of time on it and made sure to choose a theme and fabrics that she would love. She loved her gift and used it on her kitchen table. Unfortunately, that meant that my early “work of art” was subjected to a rough and tumble existence. I am happy that she got some use out of it but I was disappointed when I visited and saw it covered in tea stains. I guess I had thought of it as a decorative object while the person I gave the gift to saw it as a useful household item. This gift-giving experience has made me realize that I can’t control what happens to my project after it leaves my hands. It was made as a gift and now that it has been given, it has a new home away from me. It also taught me that I need to manage my expectations when deciding to give away one of my projects as a gift.

Managing Your Expectations

When we make gifts, we put a part of ourselves into that creation. If you’re like me, you will pick out designs and fabrics that you think the recipient will like. They may not be your preference, but that’s okay, because you’re focused on creating this project for someone else. Someone that you hope will love your gift as much as you loved making it. Reality isn’t always like this.

As a quilter you probably:

• Really value handmade and appreciate the work that goes into the creation of something unique

• Have a personal aesthetic and décorHave a different life style than some of the recipients

• Understand the difficulty of some aspects of the quilt making process and appreciate the effort involved

• Will appreciate the details versus the overall effect

• Will have different uses for a quilt – decorative versus utility

But not everyone is the same!

Sometimes your gift isn’t appreciated, and this is so disappointing and can be hurtful for you, the creator.

How can you make a thoughtful gift and yet avoid the potential disappointment that may come when it is given and not appreciated or used the way you’d hoped it would?

• You need to keep our expectations realistic when it comes to how our gifts will be received and used.

• You need to remember that once one of your creations leaves your hands, it’s no longer yours. You have set it free – and whatever the recipient does with it is their choice – not yours.

The moral of this story is to be careful of your expectations. I know that many quilters love to make gifts for people and put a lot of thought into their creation. They hope that the recipient will love and cherish it and are sometimes disappointed when that person doesn’t appreciate the gift or doesn’t use it in the way that the quilter had hoped.

Tough Love

Have you effort found yourself thinking “I worked so hard on the quilt and they didn’t appreciate it”? You need to ask yourself some tough questions before deciding to make a quilt for someone as a gift. Sorry, but we need a little tough love here. Three main tough love questions:

• Are you giving the quilt unconditionally

  • Why are you making the quilt?

  • Are you sure they want one or is it because you want to make them?

  • Are you looking for compliments, etc. or truly doing it because they will like it. Are you trying to be a hero? Will we hear you saying “I did all that work and it wasn’t appreciated”?

• Having you really considered the needs/desires of the recipient?

  • Have you considered that the recipient may not appreciate handmade crafts?

  • Have you considered how they may use the quilt?

  • Does it match their lifestyle, décor or asthetic?

• Can you “let go”?

  • Are you ready for them to use it in ways that you had not considered i.e they can do with it what they want?

  • Will you be able to handle the situation if they don’t use it?

  • Are you OK if they give it away?

  • Can you fully accept that it is no longer yours?

Setting Yourself Up For Success

My experience (and the other quilters I know) made me think about the types of projects that you could make and give as gifts: ones that would be appreciated by the recipient yet don’t have a lot of emotional investment on the part of the maker. I think the key consideration is to understand the person you are giving the quilt to and them match the “project to the person”.

• Match the effort to the situation – realize that your effort may not be appropriate. Is it a special occasion?

• Don’t let your enthusiasm for a specific design or technique blind you to recipients requirements

Unless you are confident that the person you are making the quilt for is capable of appreciating all the effort and skill that you used in making a complicated project then it is better to employ the KISS (Keep It Sew Simple) when choosing and making the gift.

KISS: Keep It Sew Simple.

The truth is that when things are kept simple, it’s actually better. Whether it’s a pattern or a course, whenever I pause, step back and rethink it, I realize that it would be much better – and easier on me – if I kept it simple. Complicated and complex are overrated. Keeping things simple works best in my experience. The same applies to gift giving.

You can apply the KISS principle to gifts you’re making and this will help you to avoid the disappointment when your wonderful handmade and carefully crafted quilt isn’t received with the enthusiasm you had hoped it would be. Pick simple projects that are easy for you to make. This isn’t the time for a queen-size quilt with hand appliqué on it. It is the time for a simple 4-patch quilt. Look for easy and quick patterns so that you won’t have to invest as much time and energy into your gift.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not talking about the kind of projects that you would make for a friend or relative who you know will appreciate the hard work and thoughtfulness that you put into your creation and love anything that you would make them. You want to make something special for these types of people, of course. I’m offering this suggestion for projects for those recipients who may not receive your gift with the enthusiasm and understanding that you hope they will. Simple, easy projects created with care and skill will work in this situation.

I hope that this suggestion will help you in your gift creation and help avoid disappointment and hurt feelings.

Risk Free Giving 

Making charity quilts is one of the best ways to help someone less fortunate by using the craft that you are so passionate about. Making charity quilts has two benefits: you are helping an organization that needs these quilts and you can use these projects to improve your quilting. Your efforts will be greatly appreciated and the quilt will be accepted unconditionally with good will and no judgement. Don’t forget charity quilts are not just for people: animal shelters are always looking for quilts for the animals in their care especially in the colder months.

If you are making a quilt for a person, you can choose simple patterns that are easy to make and use up the extra fabric that has been cluttering up your studio. I guarantee that the person receiving the quilt will appreciate your efforts a lot more than some of you more affluent friends that might receive a quilt as a gift.

Your opportunities for improving your quilting are even greater if you are making a quilt for an animal shelter. The animals don’t care how it looks as long as it is soft, snuggly and durable. This means that you can try techniques that you are just learning or in which you want to improve without feeling bad if it doesn’t turn out quite as well as you hoped. We talk in The Quilter’s Way about how practicing free motion quilting inevitably results in some amazing dog or cat blankets. You can also use up the “ugly” fabrics that you have had in your stash forever and no longer like. (Just because they are ugly to you doesn’t mean that they are really ugly).

Start your learning right now!

Download the free Get Out of the Ditch! guide to learn how to start free motion quilting by clicking here.