Four Continents Fish Bag

This project was made for the Minnesota Quilters 2019 Challenge.  I used four Cherrywood fabrics (red, yellow, green, and blue) and four fabrics from other countries (Asian silk, Icelandic fish leather, Australian velvet, and a Chinese inspired tassel.

I found this tassel at International Quilt Festival Houston last year and knew it would make a great inspiration piece for my bag.

I added some Chinese circular symbols to go with the fish.

I used the tassel to inspire the fish design.  I also had a lot of fun quilting this piece and using rhinestones in the bubbles I quilted.   I didn't put rhinestones everywhere, just in some of the pebbles.

I attached my tassel using this cute octopus button.

I also decided I wanted a zip closure that would come apart if necessary and have holes on the ends for tall items if needed.  It was a challenge, but I figured out how to piece it into the lining of the bag.

Project complete!  It was such fun to make.  And now that the quilt show has passed and I can stop worry about it getting dirty it's time to start using it!

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Flower Inspiration

Flowers.  I love them!

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Island Batik Ambassadors Artsy Fartsy Challenge with Aurifil Threads

I love being an Island Batik Ambassador!  This month's challenge is the Artsy Fartsy challenge and we were challenged to use at least three different weights of Aurifil thread.  I decided I wanted to use the same needle for all the threads to see what happened.  I decided on a size 90 Microtex needle.  I used a regular Aurifil 50 weight in the bobbin for all the flowers as well.  The only one where I needed a larger size needle was the 12 weight thread.

I decided I wanted a piece where I could play with the different threads and then refer back to it as I want to use them in the future.  It's always fun playing around and testing out new things.

Each Island Batik Ambassador was given an Accuquilt Ready Set GO! box this year so I decided to use my cutter and a new die since I'm now an Accuquilt GO! Getter.  I have this fabulous flower die to try out.

Such pretty flower centers.  I decided the outsides of the flowers would be done with thread.

Once I'd cut it out I had this left.  I decided to cut a very narrow flower out of the leftovers because it was just too pretty to throw away.

So cute!

Here are all my pieces cut and ready to play with.

Final layout.

 I decided to fill the outline flowers with thread.  Here is 40 weight.

28 weight.

 More 28 weight because I was having such fun.  I love this thread and I can't wait to use it more!

12 weight thread.  Next time I use it I will need a 100 or 110 needle.

80 weight thread! 

28 weight thread.

50 weight thread.

Here's the final piece.  While I love it, you really can't see the flowers.  What to do....add color!

Yes!  I love it.

I have a set of Fabrico fabric markers to use...

...and it was way too fun!

Thank you Island Batik and Aurifil and Accuquilt!  That was too fun.

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Inspired by My Kids

My kids always amaze me.  Here are a few of my son's drawings from last week.  Not copied, hand drawn himself.  He's into cartoony characters right now.

And here is the younger one teaching the older one to play guitar.

And a flower of course!

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Four Continent Fish Bag - Part 1

Happy 4th of July America!  It seems like a good day to post about fish.  I started this project as part of the Minnesota Quilter's Global Challenge.  We got four Cherrywood Fabrics (red, yellow, blue, and green) and then were to add up to four more fabrics that were global.  I used Some silk (dark purple), Velvet I bought in Houston from an Australian vendor (the red fish face), fish leather from Iceland (the turquoise that looks like it has scales!), and something else too you'll have to wait to see.

Here's my fish all fused down.  I decided to add the yellow outline around him so you could see him better.

And here he is all blanket stitched up.  I decided to use black on this one so you could see the pieces clearly.

I hope you get to quilt today!  And maybe fish too...
Suzy

Wildflower Inspiration

Wild Iris growing along the backwaters of the Minnesota River.

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Island Batik Ambassadors Try It! Challenge - Part Two

I LOVE working with Island Batik fabrics!  They are so bright and bold.  Be sure to check out the first part this project in the post about construction here.  I used four fun fabrics, an Accuquilt wedge die, some Aurifil thread for piecing and Hobbs 80/20 batting inside.

Once the top was together I was sitting there staring at it trying to figure out how to quilt it.  I wasn't sure.  Then my mom says, "I'll quilt it for you."  Okay, twist my arm.  So I gave it to her to longarm.  She did a fabulous job!  

She quilting lots of other gears into the design.  She used a purple air erase pen that was taking forever to go away and I wanted to get my pictures taken.  What to do?  I Googled it and found someone who used vinegar to get out the marks.  I tried it.  It worked beautifully.  Now to wash it so the vinegar can't eat away at the fabric.  But yay!  Marks gone.

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy