Island Batik Ambassador's Marvelous Minis Challenge

This month the Island Batik Ambassadors have been challenged to make Marvelous Minis.  I love making mini quilts because they are quick, but I can explore something new.  I have been itching to paper piece (which works slick with my favorite Schmetz Microtex Needles) lately so I decided to do a mariners compass.  

One thing I know about myself is that I like to make all designs my own.  So I pulled up a fairly basic mariner's compass block in Electric Quilt 8 and then played with the design adding more triangles, etc.  Here is my final result!  It's nice and flat due to a final pressing with my Oliso iron.  

I used mostly solid scraps pulled from my scrap bin and some white.  I also decided while I was having fun to do some quilting in colored thread.  Each colored area is quilted over twice with 50 weight Aurifil thread.  I used Hobbs cotton/wool batting because I like the extra puff it gives to my quilts.

This quilt was a blast and I can't wait to hang it on the wall!

I like to use matching bobbin thread when I free motion quilt so here's the back.  Sometimes it's as much fun as the front!

I hope you get to quilt today!

Suzy

Island Batik Ambassadors Christmas in July with Accuquilt!

July's Island Batik Ambassador project was such fun!  It really was Christmas in July for my good friend Karen.  

This month we were challenged to make a project using the new Accuquilt GO! Me Starter Set!  It includes two dies, one for 3 inch finished half square triangles and one for 3 inch finished quarter square triangles.  

I opened the box and designed this pretty little Christmas wallhanging to give my friend along with the GO me!  She was SO EXCITED and had watched all sorts of videos on how to use it online even before I gave it to her.  Karen quilts a lot and also teaches beginners at our local quilt shop.  She was the perfect choice.

My son was our intrepid camera man for demoing the GO! Me.

To start this project I picked out three Christmasy fabrics from my Island Batik Stash: a green with trees and snowflakes, a bright green, and this really fun red checkerboard.   I chose Island Batik solid white for my background.  I of course used Aurifil Thread to stitch my pieces together as well as to quilt my quilt.  I also used my favorite Schmetz Microtex needles to sew through my batiks.  They are perfect.

The batting inside is Hobbs Cotton/Wool blend.  It's one of my favorites because it adds a little more puff than their regular 80/20 cotton/poly batting that I like to use.  It really makes my feathers stand out.

Here's the GO! Me.  Isn't it cute?

We picked some gorgeous gold Island Batik fabric to use.

These are the two dies that come with the GO! Me: 3 inch finished half square triangles and three inch finished quarter square triangles.

Here's Karen with her new quilt!

Karen went right home and got started playing!  She sent me pictures of these two blocks she cut from her scraps.

Even her cat got involved...

It was such fun to be able to share my love of Accuquilt with a friend who was excited to get started!

I hope you get to quilt today!

Suzy

Island Batik Ambassadors Mini Challenge Quilt 3 - Part 2

I love to Free Motion Quilt!  It's one of my favorite parts.  Here's the back of my Island Batik Ambassador Magnificent Mini about half way through.  Be sure to read all the way through to find out WHY it was finished in the hospital...

The finished quilt.

Picking out quilting thread...Aurifil of course!  The batting I chose is Hobbs Tuscany Silk.  I love the draping help it gives my minis so they're not too stiff.

Look how well the black hides.

A close up of the black pattern is my favorite Webster Clams.

I love how the arches in the center make it look like a snowflake!

Auditioning border ideas...

I decided to go bold and stitch the feathers swags in red.

The finished back!  Time to bind.

I've been working with 1/8 inch binding on these minis and I continue to do so.  It's a bias binding of course.

I sew it on with my trusty Bernina zipper foot.  It works amazingly well for small seam allowances and as a bonus I can use my even feed system on the foot!  Perfect.

All sewn on and ready to hand stitch.

Binding clips are amazing.

The binding's done.  BUT there's a story behind it...

You see I had a very VERY sick child who had to go to Children's Hospital and get fluids.  I knew I would need something to keep my hands busy so I took the binding along.  Once he was settled and comfortable I was able to calm down too and bind.

All done!

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Hobbs Batting Creative Challenge Winner Goodies

Back in October I entered this cute little quilt in the Hobbs Batting Creative Challenge which was inspired by a picture Steph from Hobbs Batting took.  I of course used my favorite Island Batik fabrics and went for it.  I had a lot of fun playing with different feather spines in this project.

Here are my winning goodies: a Cotton/Wool batt from Hobbs (one of my favorites!), two fun 5 inch square charm packs, and a Stick with It.  

SO what is a Stick with It?  I had NO idea.  But it's really interesting.  Check out the back:

Basically it will hold anything small you want in place while you're working or traveling.  I tried a paperclip.  Yup, stuck well.  I'm not sure how I'm going to use it yet, but I'm sure to figure something out before too long.  Perhaps my binding clips?  

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Free Motion Friday - Island Batik Ambassador's Needle Paper Scissors Challenge Part 3

It's time for the reveal of my Needle Paper Scissors Challenge for Island Batik Ambassadors!  Here it is!  I used the Kwik Sparklers patter from Two Kwik Quilts.  I also used the All a Flutter collection from Island Batiks.  I ran out of the pink I was using for the binding so I added in a little blue.  I like the pop it brings to the edge.

For the batting in this project I chose Hobb's Tuscany Collectoin 100% Wool.  It's fantastic and nice and lofty.

I also used Aurifil threads.  It was different this time however.  I used a 28 weight black thread in the top and a 50 weight in the bobbin.  It worked fantastically.

I had a lot of fun quilting this piece.  I did alternating lines of flowers and geometric spirals.  I like the juxtaposition of geometric and organic it brings.

If you are in Houston for Quilt Market you can see this in the Two Kwik Quilter's booth #101!

I hope you get to quilt today!
Suzy

Batting Week - 2 Layers of Batting

As a lot of show quilts use 2 layers of batting and I do a lot of show quilts, I wondered what would happen with different double layered batts.

I've done two layers of wool.  The combination has great puff, it's flexible and easy to put through my machine, BUT what else could I do?

Here are three of my quilts in my Flower in a Pot Quilt Along (patterns available in the tab at the top of my blog).  The first has two layers of wool.

The quilt is very flexible and drapes well.  The feathers have a nice puff to them, the most of anything I tried.  It is definitely lighter in weight than the other two samples.

The next quilt has two layers of Hobbs Cotton-Wool Batting.  I love that the cotton-wool has the stability of cotton with a little puff of wool.  This quilt is the stiffest of the three samples I made.  It does give the feathers a little puff. and it definitely keeps it's "squareness" and shape which is something that would be good for show quilts.

The last sample has two layers of Hobbs Tuscany Silk Batting.  The Tuscany Silk is 90% silk, 10% polyester.  It's soft and flexible like the wool and has a little more puff than the two layers of Cotton-Wool.  I'm not sure why this is, but my husband the non-quilting engineer agrees whole-heartedly  with me about the level of puff.  It think this batting holds it's shape well like cotton too.

The most common combination of double batting is a layer of cotton or 80/20 cotton/poly with a layer of wool on top for puff.  I have used this combination in the past and like it too.  I think what really keeps me from using double layers of batting in my quilts is the weight it adds when I'm dragging it through the machine.  It's more intense.

The main lesson learned:  Try out different combinations of batts in your small quilts to see what you like.  Be sure to mark what's in them on the back so you remember (yes, been there, done that, have no idea what's inside!).

Be sure to come back next week to see all sorts of amazing quilts and classes from Houston!

I hope you get to quilt today!  (I get to pack for  Houston!)
Suzy