October Challenge - Falling for AccuQuilt: North Carolina Star - Island Batik Ambassadors

 Since it is Fall -this month's challenge is "Falling For AccuQuilt". A partnership with Island Batik and AccuQuilt. As Island Batik Ambassadors, we received the AccuQuilt North Carolina Star Die for cutting with our AccuQuilt Machine. The die is for a 12" finished block and is a BOB die meaning all the pieces for making a block are together and can be cut in one pass through your cutter.

Here's our brief:  "You don’t have to make a North Carolina Star block, feel free to come up with a new block design using the pieces of this die! There is no requirement to what kind of project you make: table runner, wall hanging, throw quilt, sleeping bag, tote bag - let your imagination run wild!"

To start, I cut out the pattern/die pieces from paper so I could really see them and play with them. I also printed out their on-line pattern guide and the block coloring sheet. I got out my coloring pencils and got to work! Sometimes, old-school methods are just right. 

I decided to eliminate quite a few pieces by making those quarter-square triangles into squares. I then watched the AccuQuilt Video for the NC Star die and saw a new arrangement that I liked.

Luckily, I found a few pieces of Fall Fabric :)

You can find Celtic Fields at the following stores:

Creekside Quilts

Bird in Hand Fabric

Cary Quilting Company

                                                                Here's my photo shoot

Falling For North Carolina Stars

28" x 28"

October 2023

Sandra Starley

Machine piecing -AccuQuilt Cutting

Machine Quilting

Original Design - Adaptation of NC Star

Here's what I used to create my wall quilt.

Fabrics: Island Batik Celtic Fields 2.5" Strip Pack

Assorted other Island Batik fabrics

Border - Dot Multi Green - Maple Island

Backing - Porcelain - Naturaly Neutrals

Batting: Hobbs Thermore - polyester and 

Piecing Thread: Aurifil #50 weight

Quilting Thread Aurifil #50 Golden Shrimp Plant

Schmetz Needles

Who says you have to paint a barn quilt - I sewed this one!

Stop by all the other Island Batik Ambassadors' blogs to see their amazing North Carolina Star projects. Everyone pieced and colored the stars in very different ways and made unique items. They range from full size quilts, to wall quilts, table runners, place mats, pillows, project bags, and boxes.

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs
Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting
Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts
Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts
Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts
Reed Johnson ~ Blue Bear Quilts
Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You
Randi Jones ~ Randi’s Roost

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs
Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney ~ Quiltery – For The Love Of Geese
Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights
Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine

Anorina Morris ~ sameliasmum.com
Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique
Claudia Porter ~ Create with Claudia
Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts

Elita Sharpe ~ Busy Needle
Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail
Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels
Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

September Island Batik Blog Hop - Pieced to Perfection

 This month’s challenge for Island Batik Ambassadors is “Pieced to Perfection”. We each had a specific new fabric collection to use and were to make a lap size or larger quilt using paper piecing - either foundation paper piecing (machine) or English paper piecing (hand). I used foundation pp which is one of my favorite techniques for accuracy and sharp points.

Look at these beautiful fabrics! I love the yellowy butterfly print.

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I received the Buds and Blooms Collection by Kathy Engle for Swan Amity Studios.  Such yummy garden prints.

I usually use paper piecing for tiny projects like the little 1.5" pumpkin from myAugust project but this time I used it to go big - 15" Rolling Stone Blocks (one block is almost as big as my entire pumpkin pillow :) It was fun using the technique for big blocks. Rolling Stone is one of my favorite quilt patterns especially in antique signature quilts. Here's one from my collection - it is inspired my new quilt.

I played with block placement and how to make the each block pop and shine. This was one choice.

And here's the full quilt. I really felt like the fabrics needed the green garden fabric to highlight each lovely pair of pretties. And I got to use the 19th fabric of the collection for the corner stones.

Rolling Stone Flower Garden

55” x 55”

September 2023

Sandra Starley

Foundation paper piecing

Machine Quilting

Original Design

Fabrics: Island Batik Buds and Blooms Collection

19/20 fabrics

Batting: Hobbs Tuscany Cotton Wool and 

Piecing and Quilting Thread: Aurifil #50 weight

The Blog Hop just started. This is Day 2

Check out Sarah Pitcher's blog for her amazing dog portrait made with the same collection I used. You won't believe how cool it is.

 And visit the Island Batik Blog all month to follow along and enter the great giveaways

2023 September Monthly Color Challenge - Classic Cars

 For the 4th year, I'm joining in on a fun project run by Jen of PBJ, Patterns By Jen; her awesome free mystery quilt - the 2023 Monthly Color Challenge.  ***SEPTEMBER PATTERN LINK. The Star Pattern is free during September so visit her page after you look at my cute little star block and learn more about it and the Challenge.

This year the inspiration is something totally different: Classic Cars. 

    September's palette is Mustard 

 Of course, my mind and color palette always goes to a more Cheddary Orange color.   Here I'm trying to decide what fabrics to use and how to coordinate with the previous years' projects. (Beautiful batiks from Island Batik, I'm a 2023 Brand Ambassador).

Jen provides super easy to follow instructions for each monthly free pattern and how to videos too. This month's block is a wonky, off center, or uneven half square triangle star block using a unique variation of the flippy corner or stitch & flip method of making 1/2 square triangles. Block size is 12 inch finished. 

I'm using leftovers from my Island Batik fabrics and I didn't think I'd have enough of the darker mustard yellow for the star center. But I was able to to sew together 2 of the cut aways from making the points to sew the center -yay!

You'll definitely want to stop by Jen's blog to get the free pattern and give it a try. It is a fun technique.

And visit the other 2023 Monthly Color Challenge Bloggers for more great blocks and quilty inspiration:

January - Pink - Raylee Bielende https://sunflowerstitcheries.com/2023-monthly-color-challenge-january/

February - Aqua Joanne Hubbard https://joanne-everyonedeservesaquilt.blogspot.com/2023/02/color-challenge-block.html

March - Red- Kathy Bruckman https://kathyskwiltsandmore.blogspot.com/2023/02/monthly-color-challenge-march-2023.html

April - Olive Green-  Suzy Myers https://suzyssitcom.com/2023/04/monthly-color-challenge-april.html?fbclid=IwAR18FG0BYC8OiDjNb1FMAFap8BqQuFlxIMHcyD9TWCL2qGYAeg4Hiv6tCms

May - Baby Blue-Anje Clyke https://anjaquilts.blogspot.com/2023/05/2023-monthly-colour-challenge-may-block.html

June - Grey- Lissa LaGreca https://lovinglylissa.com/monthly-color-challenge-june-2023/

July - Purple- Brianna Roberts https://www.quirkyb.com

August - Brown- Kate Starcher https://www.katiemaequilts.com/blog/2023/8/1/monthly-color-challenge-august-block

September - Mustard - Sandra Starley - you are here :)

October - Blue- Kathryn LeBlanc - www.blockofthemo.com

November - Green - Debbie Wendt - www.debbiewendt.com

December - Orange - Gail Sheppard - https://quiltinggail.com/

 

HAPPY SEWING!!!!

August Island Batik Ambassador Challenge - It's All Up To You (Pumpkin Pillow)

 This month's Island Batik Ambassador Challenge is an open challenge - It's All Up To You. Each ambassador gets to decide the fabrics, the technique, the size of the project, etc. etc. I decided to make a pillow inspired by my garden and featuring pumpkins and gourds that I am growing  now.

The new Celtic Fields Collection just screams Autumn Garden! I was able to use all  of the yummy colors to create my paper pieced pumpkins (a set of 5 for each gourd) and I repeated a few for a mini center pumpkin.  Here's the 20 different fabrics in the collection.

You can find Celtic Fields at the following shops:

Creekside Quilts

Bird in Hand Fabric

Cary Quilting Company

I drafted six inch blocks for the large pumpkins and then made a tiny 1.5" finished pumpkin for the corner stone. Isn't it too cute!!! 

 The blocks were all paper pieced using the strip pack strips. Here's a shot of the design process, figuring out the perfect combinations of colors. 

And here's a close up of another block. The Aurifil Golden Shrimp Plant Collection had just the right orange for the quilting. I quilted curves over the pumpkin/gourds with a walking foot in a freeform unmarked experiment. I like how it added subtle motion and interest to the fruit.

The full quilt/pillow before stuffing. It would be a fun wall quilt too or a cheery set of placemats.

Pumpkin Patch Pillow

16" x 16"

August 2023

Sandra Starley

Foundation paper piecing

Machine Quilting

Original Design

Here's what I used to create my pillow.

Fabrics: Island Batik Celtic Fields 2.5" Strip Pack

All 20 fabrics

Batting: Hobbs 80/20 Cotton/Poly Heirloom and 

Piecing Thread: Aurifil #50 weight

Quilting Thread Aurifil #50 Golden Shrimp Plant

***Fabrics provided by Island Batik, batting by Hobbs, thread by Aurifil, needles by Schmetz  ***

For more inspiration and delight, see all the amazing variety of wonderful quilt projects, my fellow Island Batik Ambassadors made in August.

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs
Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting
Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts
Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts
Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts
Reed Johnson ~ Blue Bear Quilts
Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You
Randi Jones ~ Randi’s Roost

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs
Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney ~ Quiltery – For The Love Of Geese
Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights
Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine

Anorina Morris ~ sameliasmum.com
Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique
Claudia Porter ~ Create with Claudia
Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts

Elita Sharpe ~ Busy Needle
Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail
Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels
Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt

+++++++++++++++++++

June Island Batik Ambassador Challenge - Fly Away aka Flying Geese!

 Since I first discovered this special zigzagging Flying Geese quilt top years ago, I’ve wanted to figure out how it was made and make my own version. The June Challenge for Island Batik is Fly Away Flying Geese - the perfect excuse to finally figure out this antique top! Note- I’ve studied it many, many times before and always ended up with a headache. I knew discovering how to recreate it would definitely be a Challenge.

We could use any of our precut fabrics and with the red zigzag sashing of the antique, I had to choose this super happy "Make A Wish" Collection. It has cheery balloons and candles. Again perfect for my birthday month of June. And Island Batik had already paired it with a wonderful red batik fabric and sent it along with Make a Wish. It seemed like I was destined to make this quilt!

Just look how good the new fabric looks with the antique quilt (above and below).

I paper pieced or foundation pieced the geese, my favorite construction method. I scaled the blocks down in size (about half size) and choose to make fewer blocks than in the antique original. As I sewed I kept trying to figure out how I was going to set together the blocks. 

Just look how great the blocks look against the red.

It was super challenging!!! But I am proud of myself for persevering and figuring out how to make it work! Many of the sashing seams are regularly sewn but there were quite a few tricky Y seams required to get the blocks set in like in the original quilt. I definitely do not like Y seams but I do have a newfound respect for people who routinely use them and it is pretty amazing what you can create with them. Clearly a skill that everyone should have in their quilting toolbox.

Note: I got the top done and now I need to get to quilting. I'm excited to quilt it with Hobbs Thermore batting which is perfect for wall quilts and use Aurifil Thread and Schmetz needles.

Zigzagging Flying Geese!

36" x 36"

Original Design

Sandra Starley 2023

 Batiks: (Make A Wish Collection)

Backing: Beige (Foundation Basics)

Batting: Hobbs Thermore Poly Batting

Piecing Thread: Aurifil #50 weight

Quilting Thread: Aurifil #50 weight

Needle: Schmetz Quilting Needles 

***Fabrics provided by Island Batik, batting by Hobbs, thread by Aurifil, and needles by Schmetz . ***

I took my new quilt out to the barn before doing my chores for a homespun photo shoot. Yes, I do have a horse and do chores. 

 For more inspiration and delight, see all the amazing Flying Feese quilt projects, my fellow 24 Island Batik Ambassadors made in June 

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs
Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting
Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts
Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts
Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts
Reed Johnson ~ Blue Bear Quilts
Victoria Johnson ~ Forever Quilting for You
Randi Jones ~ Randi’s Roost

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs
Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood
Denise Looney ~ Quiltery – For The Love Of Geese
Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights
Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine

Anorina Morris ~ sameliasmum.com
Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion
Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique
Claudia Porter ~ Create with Claudia
Lana Russel ~ Lana Quilts

Elita Sharpe ~ Busy Needle
Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail
Sandra Starley ~ Textile Time Travels
Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt