Brimfield Awakening in a Rainbow - Part One

I have had a Baby Brimfield Awakening pack for quite a while and I couldn't decide what fabric to use.  Then I got a set of Moroccan Bazaar strips from Island Batik and I knew I'd found the answer!

Here's my first block:

Isn't this rainbow just luscious?!

Playing with fabric placement for this was a bit of a challenge.  I needed more oranges so I added some scraps I had.

Here's the yellow and green block.

And the blue and purple block.

I drew lines on my fabric with Clover White Marking Pen (it irons off) to help align the blocks.  I then pinned them in place. (NOTE: the paper pieces had been removed at this point) I decided to machine baste my blocks into place with a large basting stitch.  I decided ultimately to hand applique these pieces because I wanted the thread to match.  It was a lot of starting and stopping, but it worked well.

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

A Quilter's Sneakers?

No....I didn't draw on the sneakers!  They came that way!  I was tempted, but had already fallen in love with another pair when I saw them.  They are totally quilterly however.  They are the TRAQ brand.

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Masterpiece Quilting's Christmas Collection Blog Hop!

I'm excited to be a part of my friend Nancy's blog hop for her GORGEOUS Christmas Collection book.  The pictures are stunning. The directions were fantastic.  The Christmas Collection book is available on Amazon and is eligible for Prime delivery. 

I started by picking out some of my favorite Christmas fabrics from Island Batik (of course!)

Then I got my pieces all fused.  You can see the John Deere flannel I keep on my ironing board so the pieces don't slip.

Next it was time to quilt.  I decided to play with threads here.  I used a 28 weight Aurifil thread for the green leaves and stitching the ring.  A 40 weight burgundy for the red border and a 50 weight cream for the background quilting.  On all these threads I used a 90 Microtex needle and 50 weight in the bobbin.  It worked fantastically.

My batting of choice was a Hobbs Silk batting.  I love how well it drapes even with dense quilting.

I had fun echoing the leaves.  It wasn't perfect, but I'm happy with how it looks.

Here's the quilt all done.  I have been top-stitching my bindings lately and I like the effect it gives.

I forgot the berries!  I didn't have any red buttons, but I find some red crystals.

They're not as good as Nancy's buttons, but they're what I had on hand and they do add a little sparkle.

Nancy's hop goes for another week and a half!  Be sure to check out all the amazing creations.  And stop back soon to see more of what I'm up to.

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

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