Wednesday, June 27, 2018

Steady Sewing

This month the Island Batik challenge is to make a modern quilt. They provided the fabrics that I've used.

Quick note: a couple of you have emailed asking about DrEAMi! and it's the last Saturday of the month, which is this coming Saturday, June 30. TBT is the first Thursday of the month, which will be July 5!

Okay, full disclosure: the hardest part of these challenges for me is settling on a design! I have SO MANY ideas, and 'wannamakes'! I pulled out my graph paper notebook and leafed through it...
Okay well, that reinforced all the 'wannamakes', ha! However, I decided to make this design, from the 2017 30quiltdesignschallenge I hosted on Instagram.


I tweaked it a bit because I wanted to highlight 20 gorgeous fabrics from Island Batik's Blue Moon line. This Blue Moon line is my favourite of all the fabrics they sent. I used it in the February challenge, and I'm so glad I resisted using the 1.5 yards they sent of the pale blue on the back of that quilt because there is virtually nothing left after making this quilt!
I actually have two non-Blue Moon fabrics for the geese in there because I had to discard two: one was the background fabric and the other a blue too close in value.

I knew this would require some figuring as to how to make that graph paper design in fabric. There was a lot of figuring and a lot of math, and the end result is yes, there will be a pattern, with three sizes! Here is the start of it on the design wall:

You may notice it got a little modification due to needing 20 geese because of 20 fabrics.

The centre math worked out perfectly! Gotta love that.
Also gotta love those fabrics, yes?

It took less time to actually make the quilt than to do all the figurings. I walked down to the lake, four minutes from my house 😎, after supper yesterday to take a couple shots of the flimsy.


Yeah, living in a flat-as-a-pancake country surrounded on three sides by bodies of water makes for lots of wind... but don't you love the lilies visible on the hillside? Here they call those tiger lilies, whereas in Alberta, tiger lilies are shorter and have leaves more likes Asiatic lilies, but. like these eastern ones, grow wild in ditches. I love them. These to me are daylilies, but both are orange, so tiger lilies they are! And I love them both.

The wind took a breath...
and allowed me to get a mostly straight-on shot. I get SUCH a rush when something I drew on graph paper or in EQ comes to life in fabric. Okay, not as often in EQ I'll be honest, but I'm getting better and better at it!

Plus Playtime came off the frame this afternoon, now to bind it in readiness for TGIFF, which I am hosting on Friday. It couldn't come off quickly enough, as this goose one is ready for quilting, and I have a few ideas flying around🐦 in my brain already. Can't wait to get at it. Here's a peek at Plus Playtime. The parade is next Friday, and I have another one done, in Alison Glass prints, just waiting to be quilted.

I'm using Exquisite threads, which are remarkably like Isacord in look and texture, 100% polyester. I picked a few up a couple of years ago in Port Charlotte, FL, and they are quilting up wonderfully once again. I used Exquisite on Shift and was very pleased then too. Speaking of threads, Connecting Threads brand, Essential, another one I really like (haven't met many I don't like ha!) is on sale at Connecting Threads, (affiliate link there and to follow) 25% off, and batting is 30% off, a great time to snag some!
Batting 30% off

Threads, spools and cones, 25% off
I've bought (not got free) both threads and many varieties of the Hobbs batting (using the black 80/20 in Plus Playtime as a matter of fact) and I have nothing but good things to say about both. The lint is not bad at all with the thread either, and I do find it runs better in Avril, my longarm, than my Bernina, where I have to adjust the tension ever so slightly. I find their thread not quite as fine as both Aurifil and Gütermann 100% cotton, but actually less lint than Aurifil in Avril.

Craftsy Unlimited, I did it. Signed up for the year subscription, which comes with a 7-day free trial (and I did it by June 23, so I got the free quilt kit and $25 Craftsy money and free shipping!). I am loving the extra Angela content! 

Today, on her blog, did you see that Angela has brought out three more rulers? And Leah Day has also brought out rulers, same day? I know I need like a 6" little baby. All six rulers by these two quilters are awfully tempting. I'm not affiliated with either just a lotta love for both these generous knowledgeable skilled ladies, so I'll let you know what I decide upon and how it works. 

Okay off to bind a quilt, write up a couple more posts, and load the Island Batik one on the frame. No sweat.

One last teaser:
Cat porn AND fabric porn LOL. There WAS some sweat while I madly designed, figured, wrote up, and sewed a project for an upcoming issue of Modern By the Yard with a über-tight deadline, which I met. Oh man oh man this is more scrumptious Benartex fabric. Bella thought so too. She loved the pinks, but the blues bring out her eyes, what's a girl to choose? Just both please.

Linking up

21 comments:

  1. Wondering if cats are reincarnated quilters from the past?! Gabby does the same thing and can't nap close enough to my machine...while I'm sewing!!! I should have named her Purrnina!!! 😉😻

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    1. Yes, yes I think they might well be!. More evidence.....I intend to come back as a cat next time around. lol :)

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  2. I love what you've done with those Blue Moon fabrics! Love your fur baby too!

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  3. I love those fabrics and your design. I can’t wait to see it quilted. Your plus quilt is also looking fabulous.

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  4. So pretty! Your photos truly bring out the beauty! The first photo seemed to personify the quilt! Lovely!

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  5. Wow, busy and productive! Love the Blue Moon quilt. Bella has no shame. lol

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  6. Love the blue moon design and can't wait to see the magic of your quilting bring it to life.

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  7. Another great design for you Sandra...and I love, love, love that blue Benartex fabric that goes so well with Belle's eyes.

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  8. Sandra, I love your design and can’t wait to see it quilted. For being retired, you work pretty hard. ;-) I really want to tickle Bella’s belly. (My sister’s cat lies like that, hoping someone foolish will give him a belly rub. It’s all a ploy to attack somebody for his amusement, and I usually fall for it.)

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  9. I can sense that rush too, when scribblings and scrawlings get translated into fabric and thread and become a quilt. It is nearly exhilarating. The blues are gorgeous. Have you thought of a name yet? You bit the Craftsy bullet? Love to hear your experience of it. Well, as far as cats go, mine would love to be all over my fabrics too. But that is one thing I am doggedly against. My rule - NO CAT HAIR on fabric ever. The door to the fabric room is kept shut and projects in process are moved to a place out of his reach when I leave the house.

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  10. I always love your blog posts because you provide so much information and leave a smile on my face. Your modern quilt for Island Batik is wonderful and I think your creativity is most excellent. It's good to hear about other brands of thread. I too think that Connecting Threads thread is a little thicker. But it sews well and the price is hard to beat.

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  11. I love your IBA top! I can't wait to see how you quilt it!

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  12. It's so much fun to see a design come to life in fabric. I can't wait to see how you quilt it, too. You've been busy and that means we get to see a lot of lovely work from you soon! Yay!

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  13. It is such a great feeling to have a design come to life in fabric! I love these geese in Blue Moon :) Congratulations on meeting the tight deadline...I can't wait to see what that project is, too!

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  14. I agree on seeing a design come to life in fabric! My goodness you've had a bunch of stuff, I mean fabric, flying around your studio! Love the quilt top, can't wait to see it quilted! Plus Playtime quilting is amazing, and Bella, of course, is beautiful. Enjoy your day!

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  15. Gorgeous quilt! Can’t wait to see the Benartex one too. Was just beginning to wonder where you were - but I too have been a little slow since my change. The quilting has been keeping me out of all kinds of trouble.

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  16. Lovely, as usual, Sandra! As I enjoyed your photos, I kept hearing this line in my head from the song "My Favorite Things": Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings. The soft blue background feels a bit like moonlight to me, and the geese are winging their way north to you for the summer. Better get them quilted up fast because before you know it, they'll be heading my way again :)

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  17. I love that blue background. Batiks were my first love when I started quilting. Still love them but the solids and abstract prints are competing. I like your modern and minimal pattern - waiting to see how you quilt it.

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  18. Great project, but Bella steals the show!

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  19. That's one quilt I need a pattern for. I'm waiting!

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  20. Fantastic Sandra. Blue Moon was in my box too and I did a big happy dance. All your latest projects have come together so well. And Bella is such a show off!

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