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.
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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 using an unusual placement of fabric colors. What’s inside the quilt matters One of our Island Batik Ambassador sponsors, Hobbs Bonded Fibers provided us with the batting for this challenge. Selecting the right batting for our quilts is one of the most important decisions we…
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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.
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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 other 11 participating shops. Perfect custom Island Batik fabrics were created for this shop hop. These fabrics are exclusive and only available at the 12 participating shops and Inspired to Sew in Cedar Rapids, Iowa is one of the participating shops for this event. All…
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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 looking back at the tools available to be able to make this stunning design. In the 1700’s they did not have software to aid in designing a complex pattern like this, or the quality fabrics and threads we have today. They simply used their design…
Read moreThis 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 are pre-cut to 5″ wide and one package contains almost 3 yards of fabric. This is my Magnificent Mini – Aomidori, which means Blue/Green in Japanese. Let me share with you how I made this cute 24″ x 24″ little quilt. I selected 2 packages…
Read moreHold on to your rotary cutters. It is going to be an exciting 2019 and I am bursting at the seams to share the news. I received notification I have been selected as a 2019 Island Batik Ambassador. I am thrilled and so excited!!! As an Ambassador I will be sharing the new Island Batik products with you in new quilty projects I will be designing. It will be a year full of creativity and fun beginning in February!!!! Creative projects from all the 50 – 2019 Island Batik Ambassadors will be showcased in our blogs, on Instagram, Facebook, and…
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