Magical Forest

I have a finish that's almost 5 years in the making!  In January 2017, I was Queen bee in my Stash Bee hive and asked for trees to make a magical forest.  I got beautiful trees but they sat unfinished.  It's even been on my list toward my PhD (projects half done) with Quilting Gail every year. Fast forward to a few months ago, and my Bee Inspired group decided to do a casual sew along and picks a tree quilt!  This was my chance to finally put together my Magical Forest!

I really did enjoy Stash Bee for the 4 years I was involved.  These trees came from a total of 12 different makers (including me) from 6 US states and 3 Canadian provinces: British Columbia, Georgia, Idaho, Manitoba, Maryland, North Carolina, Ohio, Prince Edward Island, and Wisconsin.  

 

I had to make 3 more trees to get the right number for my forest.  I'm quite pleased with the finished quilt. I quilted with organic wavy lines and used a rainbow batik for the binding.  This will be donated, probably to the local children's hospital.  I sewed the binding on our trip to the mountains in October so was able to get some great "on location" shots.  Well, my husband took the photos, I held up the quilt.  So glad to finish this one!

 

Ocean Breeze, a Storm at Sea for Island Batik

Welcome to my day on Island Batik's Storm at Sea Blog Hop!  Each Island Batik Ambassador was given one of the newest Island Batik collections, due in stores this December, and instructed to make some form of Storm at Sea quilt.  I was sent the Petals Provence collection by Kathy Engle, a lovely mix of bright yellows and blues. 

I could not have done this challenge without EQ8.  Storm at Sea can look so different depending on color placement.  I used EQ to finalize design and fabric placement.  While a traditional Storm at Sea is made with square-in-a-square blocks, the Snail's Trail block is really similar, it just adds a 4-patch to the center-most square.  Since I have Accuquilt's Snail's Trail block and I like the look of Storm at Sea mixed with Snail's Trail, I started with that.  My original design had a lot of Snail's Trail's blocks, but I was worried it read too Snail's Trails and not enough Storm at Sea, so I settled for just four Snail's Trail blocks.

Center on my "design wall, " actually a sheet taped in the hallway

 
The products featured in this post were given to me by Island Batik, Studio 180 Design, Accuquilt, Schmetz, & Hobbs.

circle quilting

I really liked the sort of flower petal look I got with fabric placement, so I added the basic Opalescence for just a touch of color beyond blue & yellow. The outer border & binding are a blender called Blue Branch, the other 17 fabrics in the quilt are from Petals Provence.  I cut the Snail's Trail blocks and the square-in-a-square units with my Accuquilt Go and used the diamond rects tool from Studio 180 design for the diamond/rectangle units.  I used Hobbs 80/20 batting (my favorite) and quilted a large spiral with Aurifil 50 weight thread in color 2770, very light delft. I did all the piecing and quilting with Schmetz needles.  

perfect picnic spot

I think this looks like gentle ocean breezes and warm sunshine so I named it Ocean Breeze.  It measures about 56" square.  Many of the ambassadors took their Storm at Sea quilts to ocean or water for photographs.  I did take mine on vacation--to the mountains!  I like to sew binding on car trips and this went with me on my anniversary trip last month.  In fact, you can see the clips in some of these photos, indicating that I was in a good spot for pictures but hadn't quite finished the binding yet.  So no ocean pictures for me, but hopefully the fall foliage in the Blue Ridge will do instead.

Be sure to hop over and visit Maryellen at Mary Mack Made Mine and see what she made with the same Petals Provence collection.  I have really enjoyed seeing all the different Storm at Sea quilts, and there is still another week left in the hop!  

Clothes for Sister

This is Sister.  Sister is an 18" doll belonging to family friend Lady Bug.  Lady Bug will turn 5 soon and when I asked her momma for birthday present ideas, Momma said that if I want to make something, Lady Bug loves clothes for her dolls.  I hadn't made doll clothes before but man what a rabbit hole that is!  I spent some time on youtube and got some great ideas and figured that I could play around on my own.  

The first dress I made is this fancy dress that's actually a leg of my son's sweatpants!  The other leg had a hole in it, so this was an easy first fabric to play with and not feel bad if I screwed it up.  But I actually quite like it.  The back of the neck lays a little weird but I'm going to call it high fashion.

Next I made a denim jumper.  I had planned to cut up an old pair of my jeans but I actually found this denim fabric in a drawer and it was the perfect length.  That's pre-made bias tape for the top, bottom, & straps.  I accidentally bought the super-skinny bias binding but it looks good and in proportion on this small scale.  This jumper is a little plain and I plan to embellish it a bit before Lady Bug's birthday party next weekend, but I haven't decided exactly how yet.

 

Having been successful with one jumper, I decided to make a second but with ruffles this time.  That red ruffled trim is left from my Red Riding Hood Halloween costume of several years ago.  Good thing I have a bin with bits of trim and lace in it! I think this dress is my favorite.

Next was a nightgown.  Lady Bug's mom mentioned that Sister did not have any sleeping clothes, so a nightgown seemed necessary.  Knowing that shirts would be difficult for me, I bought a 3-pack of preemie sized onesies so I didn't have to make a top.  I added a skirt of gray star fabric and got out my rubber stamps, looking for something night-time-ish.  I found a moon with stars and used a fabric marker as ink to create a repeating pattern of the moon & stars.  I hope it's obvious that it's a nightgown but I guess if it's not, it's fine as a dress.

I'm gonna look in my button bin to see if I have any heart-shaped buttons to add to the straps

 

Somewhere in my internet searching I had seen a circle skirt and I thought that would be relatively easy, so I tried that.  I did add interfacing to the heart fabric to give it a bit more heft.  I had jumbo pink rickrack in my trim bin.  After making the skirt I saw a youtube video tutorial with a head kerchief so I made one that coordinates with the skirt.  Then of course she needed a shirt for the outfit.  The shirt is more of those sweatpants of Fire Monkey's, this time the other leg but less fabric was needed so I cut off the hole.  More rickrack so it matches.  It actually looks like a dress in the photo but it's a skirt and top.  Here's just the skirt and headscarf, though if you are offended by a half-naked doll, scroll past it! 

I actually like the skirt better on its own, maybe she has a plain shirt at home

Since I bought the 3-pack of onesies, I knew I should use them so I looked through my novelty scraps for a fun fabric to use for the skirt of a t-shirt dress.  I absolutely love this rainbow unicorn fabric and I had a piece that was a great height for a skirt, so that was an easy choice. The onsies were long-sleeved and too long for Sister's arms, so I cut them down and added ribbon, probably the fiddliest part of the whole doll-clothes making experience.

I originally was going to make another dress from that third onesie but I was running out of steam and time, so I figured I would save it for another time.  But as I started to clean up and put away a bag of novelty scraps, I noticed a strip of balloon fabric.  And I knew I had cupcake fabric in the same bag.  This was for a birthday party, after all, so clearly Sister would need a birthday party outfit! The strip of balloon fabric became a tube top and I made a second circle skirt out of cupcake fabric.  Now Sister is ready for a party!

ready for a birthday party!

This is clearly not my normal sewing but it was a lot of fun! I don't think any of the other kids in my life are into doll clothes, but hopefully Lady Bug will stay interested for a while and like these enough to ask me to make more!

Masala Box (& giveaway!)

My friend Preeti of Sew Preeti Quilts recently wrote a fabulous quick pattern that is featured in the newest Island Batik catalog.  She asked me if I'd be willing to make a version and I jumped at the chance!  The Masala Box pattern gives instructions for three sizes: baby, lap, & queen.  I knew October was a busy month for my family so I made the baby size, which measures 36" square (or 40" if you add an optional border, which I did not).

Masala Box is written for strips, though you could use scraps as well.  It would also work well with partial jelly roll strips. When I am done with a project and have leftover yardage, I cut one or two 2 1/2" strips that I keep in a bin, perfect for projects written for jelly rolls.  When Preeti contacted me, I went through my bin to try to pick a color palette.  I had some Kona Medium Pink that I thought would make a nice background, so I picked out purple and blue strips from my bin. I intentionally alternated the purple and blue thinking it would be a nice look.

 

Masala Box sews up so quickly!  I did it in about three nights of sewing, but if you aren't limited to an hour after a child's bedtime of sewing time, you could probably sew it in an afternoon or maybe a weekend for the larger sizes. 

I quilted it using what I think of as Preeti-style quilting: wavy lines in a grid.  I love how it looks! I wanted a variety in my prints so I used half-strips instead of full strips.  I used the other half to make a scrappy binding.  The back is a pink fleece; you can really see the wavy grid on the back!

Want to make your own Masala Box?  Preeti has the pattern for sale in her etsy shop.  She is also very generously giving away one copy of the pattern to one lucky reader!  Leave me a comment by the end of the day Saturday, November 6th and I will randomly choose a winner.  You can comment about anything but if you need a prompt, tell me your favorite Halloween memory or treat.  

For more Masala Box inspiration, check out Preeti's post and the versions made by Bernie, Wendy, and Mari.

Upcoming Blog Hop & Call for 2022 Ambassadors

 Island Batik's next blog hop starts Monday, November 1st!  This hop features Island Batik's summer collections that will be arriving in quit shops November or December.  Each ambassador was sent one full collection and asked to create a Storm At Sea quilt--so you'll see lots of stormy seas!  Storm At Sea is a bucket list quilt for a lot of quilters and I'm really excited to see 24 different variations!

I was sent the Petals Provence collection, a lovely group of yellow and blue fabrics by Kathy Engle featuring really lovely flowers.  I'm excited to show the quilt I made!  My day on the hop is November 11th.  I've posted the full hop schedule below.

Do you love sewing with batik fabrics?  Considering applying to be an Island Batik Ambassador for 2022!  I love being an Ambassador!  The monthly challenges are a fantastic way to grow creatively and the Ambassadors are a great and supportive group of quilters.  You can read more about the details of the program here.  That link is also the form to apply.  Applications will be accepted until November 15, 2021.

Storm At Sea Blog Hop Schedule

November 1:

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail 

Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts

November 2:

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts

Jane Hauprich, Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting

November 3:

Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese

Megan Best, Bestquilter

November 4:

Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia

November 8:

Mania Hatzioannidi, Mania for Quilts

Jennifer Fulton, Inquiring Quilter

November 9:

Joanne Hart, Unicorn Harts

Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs

Jennifer Eubank, Archipelago Quilting

November 10:

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations

Janet Yamamoto, Whispers of Yore

November 11:

Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine

November 15:

Elizabeth DeCroos, Epida Studio

Andi Stanfield, True Blue Quilts

November 16:

Brianna Roberts, Sew Cute and Quirky

Michelle Roberts, Creative Blonde

November 17:

Sally Manke, Sally Manke Fiber Artist

Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt

Small Savanna

I made the mistake of doing some cleaning in my sewing space about a month ago and I found two UFOs that I didn't know about.  One was 4 blocks of Savanna, a quilt I thought I was rid of, sewn together with a small border and more strips of the border fabric cut. 

This was what it looked like when I found it.

I have no idea what I had planned, but I hated Savanna (I detest sewing curves) so I clearly wasn't making more blocks.  I found a fairly small piece of fleece to use as backing and that set the limit for how big it could be.  I had a fun purple mottled print left from a wide back so I cut borders to make it as large as the fleece backing allowed.  It now measures 24" x 30" which is on the small side but should be fine for a tiny baby; I'll be donating this to the local children's hospital.

This wasn't on my original UFO list for my PhD (projects half done) with Quilting Gail but I think it will probably count.  I need to sit down and look at my list and my finishes so far this year to see if I have any chance at all of being successful this year. 

Gorilla Family, with Island Batik & Aurifil

 
The October Island Batik Ambassador challenge is sponsored by Aurifil and is an especially neat challenge.  To start, each ambassador was sent one of Aurifil's 2021 Color Builder set.  Each Color Builder includes 3 large spools of 40 weight thread focused around a single color; each set includes a a warm, a medium, and a dark.  This year's Color Builder sets draw inspiration from twelve species of endangered animals from around the globe, drawing attention to animals that might disappear forever.  I was sent the purple color builder dedicated to the Cross River Gorilla.

 

 The products featured in this post were given to me by Island Batik, Aurifil, Schmetz, and Hobbs. 

 

momma & baby

 
The challenge was to make something inspired by our featured animal using all three threads in the Aurifil color builder set.  I love that the parameters were both really specific (inspired by Cross River Gorilla) and pretty open (use each of three thread colors however you like).  Purple is my favorite color and I love gorillas, so I was also thrilled with what I had to work with.  I wasn't familiar with the Cross River Gorilla, the least known of the gorilla subspecies. Scientists estimate that there are only 200 to 300 Cross River Gorillas left in the wild, scattered in at least 11 groups across Cameroon & Nigeria.  (I'm a librarian, so I have to cite my source.)

 

Do you ever "save" quilt techniques or ideas that you want to try but need to find the right project?  That's exactly what happened to me with this project!  In my first year as an Island Batik ambassador, we had a "artsy fartsy" challenge and Joan of MooseStash made a vase using little snippets of leftover IB fabric. 

I really liked the look and wanted to try the technique so I started saving my Island Batik offcuts.  Not so much the really tiny stuff Joan used, but cut off ends from snowballing corners, the end of a strip that isn't quite a 2 1/2" square, that kind of thing.  I've been saving tiny pieces for about two years now.  I went through my bin of tiny scraps and pulled out all the purples and almost-purples.  I bought water soluble stabilizer and put a sheet down on the table.  My piece was roughly 15" square because the stabilizer I had was 15" wide. 

 

pile of purple scraps

Then I laid dark & medium scraps over it to cover the stabilizer.  I did this pretty randomly, I just wanted to cover the stabilizer I sprayed another piece of stabilizer with basting spray so it would stick and put it on top. 

I took it (carefully!) to my machine and just stitched it like crazy.  I wound a full bobbin of the darkest color, Aurifil 2545 medium purple and used a brand new Schmetz microtex needle.  I stitched and stitched and stitched until I used the entire bobbin in the 15" piece.  I didn't have a stitching plan, I just kept moving around and around.

stitched, before washing away the stabilizer

When the bobbin ran out, I got the piece wet to get rid of the stabilizer and laid it on top of a towel in the sun to dry.  I ironed it like crazy.  I searched for royalty free clipart silhouettes and enlarged one I liked to create a paper template, which I used to cut out a silhouette.  The first one I did, with the dark thread on top and bottom, is the daddy gorilla.   

my new "fabric" drying in the sun

While the first was drying, I laid out another roughly 15" piece and did the same thing.  I used another full bobbin of Aurifil 2545 but I used the medium tone Aurifil 2520 Violet on top, so when it was done I could choose which side of thread to use.  When I cut the out the silhouette later, I chose the lighter thread color; this is the mommy gorilla.  

 

For my third piece of created fabric, I laid out medium and light pieces, then stitched with Aurifil 2520, again using a complete bobbin.  This became the baby gorilla, so mom & baby have the same thread showing.

 

Now for the background.  I started with Sky from Island Batik's Foundations fabrics and added a gently slopped piece of the ground fabric--I'm not sure of the exact name, but it's from the Flea Market collection that was in my very first ambassador box!  I layered with Hobbs Thermore batting and Island Batik solid white for the back.  I followed the curve of the ground with Aurifil monofilament in Smoke at varying intervals for interest.  I decided to keep the quilting in the sky in straight lines to mimic the horizon.  For the sky quilting I used the third thread  from the bundle, Auriful 2562 Lilac.

 

daddy

The final step was to applique my gorilla family to their habitat.  I stitched around daddy gorilla in 2545, mommy gorilla in 2520, and baby gorilla in 2562.

I really loved making my own "fabric" from lots of small pieces of Island Batik fabric (and lots of Aurifil thread!) and will absolutely use this technique again.  I don't make art quilts often, really only when the challenges dictate it, but I am finding that I enjoy them so I will need to start challenging myself to make the occasional art quilt, even if it's not for an Island Batik challenge.

our toy gorilla, Strong Arms, with his fabric relatives

 

Be sure to visit all the Island Batik ambassadors this month as they use Aurifil thread to create art spotlighting 12 endangered species.

Megan Best ~ Best Quilter
Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuilts
Elizabeth DeCroos ~ Epida Studio
Jennifer Eubank ~ Archipelago Quilting
Jennifer Fulton ~ The Inquiring Quilter
Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts
Joanne Hart ~ Unicorn Harts
Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania For Quilts
Jane Hauprich ~ Stitch By Stitch Custom Quilting
Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs
Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood That's me!!!
Denise Looney ~ For The Love Of Geese
Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights
Sally Manke ~ Sally Manke, Fiber Artist
Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine
Claudia Porter ~  Create with Claudia
Gail Renna ~ Quilt Haven Threads
Brianna Roberts ~ Sew Cute and Quirky
Michelle Roberts ~ Creative Blonde
Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail
Andi Stanfield ~ True Blue Quilts