Quilt Designer – Teacher – Lecturer – Longarm Quilter
Tomorrow at Houston Market will be an exciting day. I have been bursting at the seams to share this news. I have 2 patterns that will premier at Island Batik’s Schoolhouse session tomorrow morning. The patterns were designed using Caludia’s Phiel’s new fabric collection “Cascadia” for Island Batik. The collection is fantastic to say the …
Autumn is my favorite time of year. The crisp, cool mornings with the golden glow of fall leaves filling the countryside. I thought I would bring the colors of Autumn from the outside into our home. Let me introduce you to “Harvest Rose”, a fast and easy table topper project using Island Batik fabrics, fusible webbing, and the Accuquilt GO! dies.
As a child I have fond memories of playing around with blocks. It was so fun to take these simple shapes and create all kinds of structures and unique designs. This month’s Island Batik Challenge we were to let the child inside come out and play again. The Child’s Play Challenge brought back this wonderful memories. My challenge was to use the AccuQuilt Bear Paw BOB (Block on Board) and create a fun quilt for a child. I did some “pawing” around with the shapes on the AccuQuilt Bear Paw BOB and design a modern, graphic, design. Meet “Pawing Around”.
Summer is a time for vacations, picnics, state fairs, car shows, concerts, and outdoor celebrations. Living in Iowa we beat the heat enjoying a number of summertime activities. It is always fun to attend a concert under the stars, a car show with vintage automobiles brought back to life, or a stroll through a beautiful garden. “Fiesta Stars” was inspired by the bright colors of carnival rides, the vibrant paint on classic cars, and the beautiful hues of a summertime garden in full bloom.
Have you ever thought about making a Cathedral Window quilt but were afraid to. Well join the club. I had always admired these timeless quilts but was not crazy about the handwork involved in making one. Then I discovered a Cathedral Window can be made by machine. I wanted to try this new way of making one and share how I did it.
I am doing a little happy dance with this month’s Island Batik Challenge. One of the favorite things I like to do is take something traditional and shake up the colors and create something modern. Meet “La Bamba”. I have “shaken” up a traditional 54-40 or Fight block and created a more modern overall appearance …
I want to share with you a wonderful tool, the AccuQuilt GO! cutting system. I used AccuQuilt GO! for my April Island Batik Baby Quilt Challenge. I cut all the fabrics need for this quilt in about 90 minutes. I did not have to fret about getting the angles in the Magic Triangle block perfect. The GO! cutting dies cut everything with accuracy and ease.
One of the fun things I get to do as an Island Batik Ambassador is tell you about fun events. Here is one you will not want to miss. It is called Sew Sewcial. Come join the Sewing Sewcial event at our very own Iowa store, Inspired to Sew in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the …
A step back in time to the 1700’s, that is when the pattern we know today as the mariner’s compass was first designed. This design was also referred to as Chips and Whetstones, Explosion, and sun related names like Sunburst and Rising Sun. It is a stunning pattern and complex in design. I am fascinated …
This is my first challenge post as a new Island Batik Ambassador. The February Challenge was Magnificent Minis. I choose to make my mini using the “Stash Builders”. “Stash Builders” are wonderful to use for a scrappy project like this mini. They contain lots of variety in an array of Island Batik fabrics. The strips …