Adventurous Appliqué Week 2 Giveaway from Island Batik!

 
 

We are all ready into Week 2 of the Adventurous Appliqué Blog Hop and that means another week of wonderful Ambassador projects and…another giveaway from Island Batik!

Every week during this blog hop, Island Batik will be giving away 2 fat quarter bundles of gorgeous new fabric and this week you have the chance to win a fat quarter bundle of Poetic Bouquet or Flower Pot.

 
 

Be sure to enter your details below before September 13, 2024 for a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of Island Batik fabrics for the Week 2 giveaway.

 
 
 
 

This is also the week that I’ll be sharing my project in just a few days so get ready for that release!

While you’re waiting to see my project, be sure to check out my posts on Facebook and Instagram as I’ll be sharing what my fellow Ambassadors have designed with Island Batik fabrics.

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

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

#islandbatik #islandbatikambassador #hobbsbatting #hobbsinside #createwitholiso #olisoconnects #schmetz #schmetzneedles #aurifil #aurifilthread #adventurousappliquebloghop

Adventurous Appliqué Week 1 Giveaway from Island Batik!

 
 

It’s a new month and time for a new Island Batik Ambassador challenge. This month it is “Adventurous Appliqué” and Ambassadors will be working with the latest fabric collections and sharing their creations throughout the month of September during the Adventurous Appliqué Blog Hop.

I’m not quite ready to share my project but you’ll see it next week so keep your eyes peeled for that blog post. 👀

I’ll be working with the Playful Posies fabric collection by Kathy Engle. Lots of vibrant colours and floral motifs!

There’s other exciting news this month and that is that each week Island Batik will be giving away 2 fat quarter bundles of new Island Batik fabric collections and you can enter to win each week.

For Week 1, you have the opportunity to win a fat quarter bundle of either Bubbles, Curves and Corners or Twilight.

Be sure to enter your details below before September 6, 2024 for a chance to win a fat quarter bundle of Island Batik fabrics for the Week 1 giveaway.

 
 

While I’m working on my project be sure to check out my posts on Facebook and Instagram as I’ll be sharing what my fellow Ambassadors have designed with Island Batik fabrics.

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

#islandbatik #islandbatikambassador #hobbsbatting #hobbsinside #createwitholiso #olisoconnects #schmetz #schmetzneedles #aurifil #aurifilthread #adventurousappliquebloghop

Foxes for the Island Batik Marvelous Mini Challenge!

 
 

It’s August and that means a new Island Batik challenge! This month it’s the Marvelous Mini challenge and Ambassadors are challenged to create a small project, no more than 24” x 24” using any of the Island Batik fabrics that we’ve received (except for the latest collections which we’ll be using in September’s challenge).

As always my mind was whirling with ideas but I decided to refer to my “want to make” project list and select one of those patterns rather than creating one from scratch. You’ve got a similar list too, don’t you?! 😉 

I selected the “Fox in a Box” pattern by Jeni Baker from the Fun-Size Quilts book published by That Patchwork Place. I’ve always thought this was such a cute design and I knew that the Island Batik fabrics would definitely make the little fox faces pop!

Next, I needed to choose nine different fabrics as well as a background fabric. This was so easy as I could use some fabric from the Island Batik Stash Builders (5” x WOF strips) that I had. The hardest part was selecting the fabrics as there were so many wonderful bright ones to choose from. The background fabric I used was Sprinkles from the Island Batik Foundations collection. I really love this particular neutral and have used it in previous projects.

 
 

I cut out all the fabric and got ready to start the first step in the Fox in aa Box construction.

 
 

As I needed to make some half square triangles in this project, I reached for my Quilter’s Magic Wand from Studio 180 Designs (I have two of these) to draw stitching lines for the half square triangles construction.

 
 

Once the stitching was done, I needed to trim the half square triangles to the appropriate size so again, Studio 180 Designs came to the rescue as I used their Tucker Trimmer I for this purpose to get accurate half square triangles.

 
 

 Piecing the fox blocks together went well and I was really pleased with the Island Batik fabrics I’d chosen for this mini quilt. These blocks are a square in a square and you can see how I added the outer half square triangles in the video below.

 Before I could stitch the entire top together I had to decide how to arrange the blocks: I find that laying them out and then taking photos of the various arrangements helps me to decide on this part of the project (which always takes me way more time than it should!).

 
 

The blocks were then stitched together and it was time to do some quilting on them. Referring to the quilt in the book, I noticed that Jeni had echo quilted around the fox heads and I decided to do the same except I echo quilted two lines ¼” apart. This quilted enough of the project so that I didn’t need to add any additional quilting. Bonus!

 
 

 The final touch was to add the eyes and I had already selected two different types of black buttons that I thought would work well. Another decision to be made: which type to use but it didn’t take me very long to make this choice (thank goodness!). I used the button stitching foot T on my Janome CM17 to quickly and securely stitch on all of the eyes.

And here is Island Foxes!      

 Thanks to Island Batik for the fabric I used in this project, to Oliso for the TG1600 Pro Plus iron that worked so well to get everything pressed so flat, to Hobbs Batting for the 100% cotton batting that I used in the project, and to Studio 180 Design for the tools I used in its creation.

Be sure to check out what other Ambassadors are creating this month – there’s a wide variety of projects that you’ll want to see.

Did you know that you can get Island Batik fabrics and precuts at the Missouri Star Quilt Company? Use my affiliate code to get 20% off your order of over $50.00 (it will automatically kick in when your cart exceeds $50.00).

Be sure to check out my Chatterbox Quilt’s Facebook page to see what else is happening in the studio.

Also, be sure to check out the other Island Batik Ambassadors’ blogs to see what they’re creating. You can find them at:

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs

Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting

Megan Best ~ BestQuilter

Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts

Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts Studio

Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts

Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts

Jane Hauprich ~ Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting

Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs

Connie Kresin Campbell ~ Freemotion by the River

Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood

Denise Looney ~ A Quiltery

Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights

Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine

Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion

Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique

Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts

Julia Schweri ~ Inflorescence Designs

Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail

Carol Stanek ~ Stitch with Color

Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels

Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations

Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

Be sure you’re following me on Facebook and Instagram so you won’t miss out on what I’ll be creating next month with Island Batik fabrics!

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

#islandbatik #islandbatikambassador #loveislandbatik #createwitholiso #hobbsbattinginside #hobbsquiltbatting #marvelousminichallenge #studio180designs

New Island Batik Fabrics!

 
 

Yippee! It’s that time of the year: time for unboxing another treasure trove of Island Batik fabrics and items from the Ambassador program sponsors!

Thanks so much to Island Batik, Aurifil, Hobbs Quilt Batting, and ByAnnie.com for all of the amazing products that they sent in the second Island Batik Ambassador box. I really enjoy working with Island Batik’s fabrics and am so grateful to be able to work with the newest collections - ones that haven’t even appeared on store shelves yet!

While Ambassadors usually create a project each month, in July we have a bit of a break as our only “challenge” is to share what we received in our second Island Batik Ambassador box.

So, let’s get to it, shall we?! 😀

I received two large boxes: one full of Hobbs Quilt Batting, including some of their products like Thermore and fusible batting that I’ve never tried and am looking forward to using in future projects.

The other box contained Island Batik fabrics, both yardage and precuts, as well as thread from Aurifil and a kit to make a ByAnnie.com project in October.

 

Playful Posies by Kathy Engle

 

To show you everything I received, I’ve created a video and you can watch it on my YouTube channel. Click on the image below to watch the video.

I can hardly wait to start working with these new fabrics and am already stitching up my August project for Island Batik.

If you like the new Playful Posies collection, check with your local quilt store that stocks Island Batik fabrics to use for your own projects. This collection is expected in stores in September 2024.

Did you know that you can also get Island Batik fabrics and precuts at the Missouri Star Quilt Company? Use my affiliate code to get 20% off your order of over $50.00 (it will automatically kick in when your cart exceeds $50.00).

Be sure to check out my Chatterbox Quilt’s Facebook page to see what the other Island Batik Ambassadors received in their second boxes. So much fabric goodness! 😀

Also, be sure to check out the other Island Batik Ambassadors’ blogs to see what they’re creating. You can find them at:

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs

Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting

Megan Best ~ BestQuilter

Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts

Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts Studio

Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts

Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts

Jane Hauprich ~ Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting

Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs

Connie Kresin Campbell ~ Freemotion by the River

Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood

Denise Looney ~ A Quiltery

Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights

Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine

Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion

Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique

Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts

Julia Schweri ~ Inflorescence Designs

Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail

Carol Stanek ~ Stitch with Color

Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels

Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations

Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

Be sure you’re following me on Facebook and Instagram so you won’t miss out on what I’ll be creating next month with Island Batik fabrics!

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

#islandbatik #islandbatikambassador #loveislandbatik #aurifil #ByAnnie.com #patternsbyannie #hobbsbattinginside #hobbsquiltbatting

Flying Geese for a Cause

 
 

It’s June and that means another Island Batik Ambassador project!

 
 

This month Ambassadors are creating quilts to donate to Sleep in Heavenly Peace as part of the Quilts Across America initiative started by Deb Tucker of Studio 180 Design in 2023. Here is some information about this organization and their goal:

 
 

Quilts Across America is a program that relies on the generosity of quilters everywhere to provide a quilt with each bed that is delivered. Quilts Across America was initiated by Studio 180 Design and Tucker University in July 2023. Help make this the largest quilting project in America and complete the process of getting kids, Off the floor, Into a Bed, and Under a Quilt. 

All children deserve a safe, comfortable place to lay their heads. Across the US, too many boys and girls go without a bed—or even a pillow—to sleep on. These children end up sleeping on couches, blankets, and even floors. This can affect their happiness and health. That’s where Sleep in Heavenly Peace comes in. A group of volunteers dedicated to building, assembling, and delivering top-notch bunk beds to children and families in need.

As one of the Island Batik Ambassador sponsors, Studio 180 Design have provided each Ambassador with a tool to use to create this month’s challenge quilt. I received a Wing Clipper I tool and a Quilter’s Magic Wand tool (thanks, Deb!) so I needed to create a design that had flying geese in it. I loved that challenge!

 

Wing Clipper I makes flying geese up to 5½” x 10½” unfinished. Photo courtesy of Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design

 

The challenge for all Island Batik Ambassadors for June was to create:

  • a lap size or larger quilt

  • a project using a Studio 180 Design tool (the one that was sent to us)

  • a project that included at least 30 of the units we created with the Studio 180 Design tool

  • a project using any of the fabulous Island Batik fabrics that we have received

I was ready for this challenge so all I needed to do was to create a design and then dig into my Island Batik fabric stash to pull fabrics for it.

When I’m creating a pieced project such as this one, I turn to EQ8 to create my design and created “Flying Diamonds”.

I used a combination of Island Batik white solid and several fabrics from their Blenders and Neutrals in their Foundations line. I wanted three “flying diamonds” on the quilt so chose a green, turquoise, and red fabric from Island Batik’s Foundations line.

When creating the flying geese blocks, the Quilter’s Magic Wand tool was very helpful in marking the stitching lines that I needed on the fabrics. Did you know that these come in different colours? I love that!

 

Quilter’s Magic Wand available in lots of fun colours! Photo courtesy of Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design

 

The flying geese construction technique made 4 flying geese at one time and then they were trimmed down using the Wing Clipper I tool. This resulted in very accurate flying geese and very little fabric wastage.

The unit size I chose was 3” x 6” finished and, as my quilt blocks were 6” square finished, I needed two flying geese to create this size block. This meant that I needed to piece two flying geese units together to create one quilt block before I could stitch these into the quilt top.

Flying geese units ready to be pieced into quilt blocks

I made “mirror” flying geese units - one where the neutral fabric was the “goose” and the other where the printed fabric was the “goose”. When stitched together, they created a 6” square finished unit like this:

 

Flying geese units stitched together to make a 6” finished quilt block

 

My Oliso iron was integral to this process as there is a lot of pressing when making flying geese.

 
 

Once all of the flying geese were made, blocks created and rows stitched together, I added two borders: one in a neutral Island Batik fabric (Sprinkles) and the other in a teal from the Foundations fabrics.

We were asked to quilt the project with an all over design and I chose some swirls and circles and used a cream polyester Glide thread to do the quilting. We were also asked to do machine binding which made doing this final step very quick.

Here’s the finished Flying Diamonds project!

 
 

And some close-ups of the 3 “flying diamond” blocks.

 
 

If you haven’t tried Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design tools, you can find several of them at Missouri Star Quilt Company. use my affiliate code to get 20% off your order of over $50.00 (it will automatically kick in when your cart exceeds $50.00).

I used Aurifil thread for piecing Flying Diamonds as well as a Schmetz (80/12) needle in my sewing machine. I used Hobbs Premium Heirloom 100% cotton batting for creating the Flying Diamonds quilt sandwich.

I hope that my quilt will provide comfort to a little one and that they will enjoy it. ❤️

Be sure to check out my Chatterbox Quilt’s Facebook page to see all the other wonderful quilts created by my fellow Island Batik Ambassadors during this month’s Create for a Cause challenge.

Also, be sure to check out the other Island Batik Ambassadors’ blogs to see what else they’re creating. You can find them at:

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs

Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting

Megan Best ~ BestQuilter

Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts

Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts Studio

Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts

Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts

Jane Hauprich ~ Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting

Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs

Connie Kresin Campbell ~ Freemotion by the River

Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood

Denise Looney ~ A Quiltery

Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights

Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine

Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion

Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique

Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts

Julia Schweri ~ Inflorescence Designs

Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail

Carol Stanek ~ Stitch with Color

Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels

Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations

Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

Be sure you’re following me on Facebook and Instagram so you won’t miss out on what I’ll be creating next with Island Batik fabrics!

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

#islandbatik #islandbatikambassador #createforacause #loveislandbatik #createwitholiso #olisoconnects #schmetz #aurifil #studio180design #hobbsbattinginside