Monday, August 27, 2018

Great Outdoors Blog Hop with Island Batik - Globetrotter

Welcome to the Island Batik Ambassadors Great Outdoors Blog hop!

It's my day to share with you the project I made as an Island Batik Ambassador starring the Globetrotter line.  I was blown away by the variety and intensity of color in this line.  So gorgeous, and the fun globes, luggage and world landmarks add great interest to them!

 One of my goals as an Island Batik Ambassador this year was to create a bed size quilt with the fabric I received, so I knew this was my opportunity to come up with a great large scale project!  And with so many different fabrics, it really played into my love of a good scrappy project.

Well, if you know me at all, you know that I have a definite thing for all things Paris - so that was my inspiration for my project.  It took me a lot of thinking, and playing around with these fabrics trying to figure out what to do.  Maybe something like this lovely tile floor?

I started cutting some triangles, and sewing them together, thinking that maybe I could come up with a kind of mosaic or tile design and decided that I loved mixing up all the fabrics together.

Keeping it simple and sticking to triangles in light/dark pairs seemed to work best, and would make a great border so I can do something that really stands out in the center.  The addition of a three part border with the dark "blurple" globes and a bit more of the fabric I used for the background of the center set it off beautifully.

It's so big it doesn't fit on my swing!  Are you curious to see what I did with the center of the quilt yet?  Or have you guessed?
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You see, I definitely had the perfect inspiration for the center of my quilt!
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The Eiffel Tower!  Yes, it's great, and it's outdoors - what could be more perfect?  I even had a pattern to use.  (unfortunately, it's now out of print, so I can't pass a link for it along.)  "La Tour Eiffel" by Metropolitan Quilt.

As you can see in the picture, the Eiffel Tower is actually a lovely soft brown - so I chose this fabric for the tower:


So gorgous!  I love the results, but you can see how much work it was to cut out!  It only took a half yard to cut it out in three different sections, but it was close.




And here is the finished quilt with the triangle borders:

Well - as you can see one of the challenges of making a queen size quilt is being able to take a decent photograph of it!  Outside on the lawn.

Here it is on my bed:

I love how the quilting shows in this picture!  I used the Hobbs Thermore batting in this quilt that was sent in my ambassador box, and it was perfect.  It's so light and thin that it really makes machine quilting a large quilt on a domestic machine a piece of cake.  I also used some of the Aurifil thread I received  for this - a light and medium brown, both in 50 wt.  I stitched all around the edges of the tower, then did a hook and swirl in the background around it.  For the triangles I stitched 1/4 inch on each side of the seams - I thought this would echo the gridwork look of the tower.  The border got loops and more swirls. Here's a peak at the quilting from the back side:
This quilt is the perfect size for a queen size bed, so I can say that I officially met the challenge that I set for myself.
And aren't the colors just gorgeous?  Frankly I was a little worried about how they would play together, but as I often say, one of the nice things about working with batiks is the way that they blend together and always look great!

Would you like a chance to play with all these fun colors?  I've cut 3 sets of 5 inch squares to give away.  Anyone can enter, I will ship internationally for this one!  I have a plan for a little project with these, so the winners might have to keep their eyes open for ideas on how to use them next month.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


My giveaway will end next week.  If you haven't already entered - Island Batik is giving away three different prizes as well:


a Rafflecopt er giveaway

Thanks for following along on our blog hop!  We still have a lot left, so here is the list once more:

Monday, August 6 - All A Flutter - Yellow Cat Quilt Designs, Creative Blonde
Tuesday, August 7 - Birds N’ Bees - Ark Angel Creations, Patterns By Jen
Wednesday, August 8 - Canterbury Manor - Sally Manke, Powered By Quilting
Thursday, August 9 - Eclectic Garden - Desert Bloom Quilting, Sew Karen-ly Created
Friday, August 10 - Vintage Morris - MooseStash Quilting, Devoted Quilter

Monday, August 13 - Safari - Sew Incredibly Crazy, SweetGrass Designs
Tuesday, August 14 - Spring Blossoms - Mary Mack Made Mine, If These Threads Could Talk
Wednesday, August 15 - Victoria and Albert - Bejeweled Quilts, Clever Chameleon
Thursday, August 16 - Wild Things - Freemotion By The River, Kauffman Designs
Friday, August 17 - Petting Zoo - Den Syende Himmel, Sarah Goer Quilts

Monday, August 20 - Ocean Odyssey - Gateway Quilts, The Quilt Rambler
Tuesday, August 21 - British Rose - Busy Hands Quilts, Mania for Quilts
Wednesday, August 22 - Dear William - The Inquiring Quilter, MMM Quilts, Living Water Quilter
Thursday, August 23 - Dragonfly Dreams - Inchworm Fabrics, BeaQuilter
Friday, August 24 - Fur-ocious Friends - Quilting Affection Designs, Dizzy Quilter

Monday, August 27 - Globetrotter - Pamela Quilts, Curliecue Creations
Tuesday, August 28 - Jungle Cruise - Vicki's Crafts and Quilting, Little Bunny Quilts
Wednesday, August 29 - Lavendula - Carole Lyles Shaw, Masterpiece Quilting
Thursday, August 30 - London Calling - Quilt in a Not-Shell, Lizard Creek Quilting
Friday, August 31 - Spirit Rhythm - Steph Jacobson, Whispers of Yore

Monday, September 3 - Sweet Tweets - Kathleen McMusing, Adventurous Applique and Quilting
Tuesday, September 4 - Whatnot - heARTS Creations, Slice of Pi Quilts
Make sure you leave a comment when you visit the blogs - we love knowing that our friends are visiting and enjoying our projects and posts. And don't forget to tell your local quilt shop which of these lines from Island Batik you would like them to carry.  Thanks for visiting my blog!

85 comments:

Allison said...

I love the colors of batiks and the different patterns that are stamped on them. Your quilt is amazing! I can only imagine how long it took you to cut and sew the Eiffel Tower.

Stitchin At Home said...

Love your Eiffel tower quilt!

Kathy R. said...

I think batiks come in such a great variety of colors & prints that they make up beautiful quilts. Your quilt is great and I can't believe you used your domestic machine to quilt it. Great job!
petuniakr@aol.com

VA said...

What a nice quilt! I can't imagine quilting a queen on a DSM--I did a twin once, and that was pretty difficult.

There's not much I don't like about batiks--the colors are amazing and they don't really fray.

Websterquilt said...

Gorgeous. I love the Eiffel tower!

Nancy L said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Linda Williamson said...

Your Eiffel Tower is amazing and I love the scrappy colors combos in the border. I love working with batiks because of the variety of the colors and the crispness of the fabrics. Thanks for sharing. grinnie1961 at gmail dot com

Nancy L said...

Your quilt is beautiful!! I would love to see the Eiffel tower. I love working with Batiks. They press so well!!

quilter said...

I like applique with batiks, no fray! Your quilt is beautiful, Thanks for sharing
Cork@pa.rr.com

Annmarie said...

WOW, that is an awesome quilt. Sew creative too. Gives me ideas! Thanks.

Annmarie said...

I love batiks. I love that in lots of them you can use either side of the print.

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

Beautiful quilt and what a neat applique!

Michele T said...

The great thing about Batik fabrics is that there is no wrong side!

@lutzcats said...

Just what you said "They play well together". I use batiks 95 % of the time, they're like a palette of watercolors!

Lori Smanski said...

oh my your quilt is gorgeous. and the center piece is fantastic. thank you for sharing and inspiring today. i really love the feel of these fabrics while working with them. they are so rich and lovely in what ever pattern.
quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

works4me said...

Wow, tis was gorgeous before you even showed the Eiffel Tower centre. That took it over the top. Stunning. Nicely done. Did you applique stitch all those little nooks and crannies of the tower?

Thanks for the chance to win. I love the feel of batiks, the fact that the back and front are virtually the same, and they do not fray.

Moira said...

Your quilt is absolutely wonderful! Love the cutout of the Eiffel Tower that you put in the center of it.

Sharon Aurora said...

Batiks are my favorite. You can use them in just about any way. I love to use them in applique.

Audrey said...

Your choice of fabric for the Eiffel Tower is absolutely prefect. I love working with batiks for their vibrant colours, wonderful tone on tone patterns and the fact that they don't fray. Thanks for sharing.

cjmont said...

i love the feel of batiks and love the weave that doesn't ravel as so many quilting cottons do.

Tami Von Zalez said...

I am so liking what you did with the collection - I too am a Francophile. I especially like that you made a bedsized quilt, that is what I enjoy seeing on these challenges.

Sherry said...

I love your quilt! The Eiffel Tower cut out is amazing, much more than I could ever do. I have not used batiks much yet but I love how the fabrics blend together so beautifully. I have a project waiting for me using batiks and I am anxious to get started.

Happy said...

My favourite thing about batiks is the depth of colour. That and the higher thread count of the fabric. But the colour comes out on top. I just adore looking at batiks. Your quilt is so lovely! And I always love reading about quilt bloggers who quilt on a domestic machine - it seems so many have gone longarm, but that is out of reach for most of us. It's good to be reminded that bed sized quilts are totally quiltable on home machines!

GranChris said...

It's all about the richness of the color and the feel of the fabric. So beautiful.

Karen said...

C’est si bon! Tres magnifique!!
(Fellow Ambassador Karen :)

Nancy J said...

Batiks are my #1 choice for any quilt or other sewing project, and your design shows those off to an amazing finish. The centre, wow, that is superb. The mosaic look is so right with the tower, and the border, a super size on your own bed. Not one to be tucked away, but on show every day.

Marie said...

really beautiful! I cannot imagine the work required to cut and then to sew the Eiffel tower!

Nancy J said...

I meant to add, batiks with their fine finish and close thread count are what I so like, and when I do raw edge applique, they just need a blanket stitch or similar and stay so well on the background.

Lisa England said...

I like not having to worry about the right or wrong side!

Barb said...

turned out wonderfully.....great job!

Jayne said...

I love the crispness of a batik fabric

mumbird3 said...

wow that Eiffel Tower is amazing!!!! churcaeAtauburndotedu

JANET said...

The best part of batiks is that they don't ravel or stretch very much. Great to piece with.

Karen said...

I love all the colors that you find in batiks.

Judy Forkner said...

Such beautiful batiks!

Judy Forkner said...

Batiks don't fray!

Brenda @ Songbird Designs said...

My favorite thing about working with batiks is that they stitch up so great and don't fray on the edges! Your quilt is beautiful!! Love those colors!

Dena@LivingWaterQuilter.com said...

WOW! The tower is amazing. Well done.

Vicki in MN said...

It's fabulous! Just perfect to fit the theme:)

Jane, Mulberry Patch Quilts said...

Beautiful quilt! Love your choice for the center.

Charlene S said...

Fantastic quilt! An art quilt for the bed - perfect!

Charlene S said...

I love working with batiks because most times both sides of fabric can be used. Besides the colors are fantastic!

Kathy Kinsella said...

Great use of those fabrics with the Eiffel Tower!

Vicki H said...

The colors are wonderful on both sides.

Donna Croff said...

Pamela - I love the fabrics and I love what you have done with them. Kiddos to you!

Kayaking quilter said...

I love the Eiffel Tower made from the fabric. The colorful border prints frame it nicely like a garden surrounding the tower. Nice picture of the quilting. You should be proud.

Sandra Walker said...

Super quilt Pamela! I thought you might put la Tour Eiffel there, but thought, man that's a LOT of cutting... Love how you quilted it aussi! Quilting the HSTs to emulate the grillwork was genius. Quelle belle courtepointe! :-)

Sewgirl said...

Fantastic quilt! Love the Eiffel Tower! Well done. I like that the batiks are tightly woven, and the natural coloring making them great for nature designs. Thanks for the chance at the giveaway.

Anna brown said...

My favorite thing is the colors just live the colors....happyness04431@yahoo.com

Linda Cartwright said...

I love batiks, the colors all work together, and the feel of batiks is awesome.

Barb said...

I love the colors!
barbkaup(at)(yahoo)(dot)(com)

OhioLori said...

Love Batiks for the colors, and softness of the fabric...

Your Quilt is AWESOME!! Beautiful work!! You're soooo creative..Wow! Thank you for sharing the pictures..and for chance to win your Give-a-way too! :)

teachpany said...

This is wonderful! I'm so glad you met your goal, and the quilt is really fun and interesting. Great job!

Beth said...

I love the depth & vibrancy of the batik colors, as well as their crispness and lack of fraying. (Sorry--I couldn't pick just one.)

Dawn P said...

I love the gorgeous colors on batiks and how they make me love it even when it has a color is really dislike haha. Gorgeous quilt btw!!

BarefootThunder said...

Beautiful quilt. I love all of the wonderful colors you can find in batiks, and they always have a fabulous feel. Thanks for the chance.

Deb B. said...

i love the rich colors of batiks. I have been using them for several years, especially when I am taking a mystery class. I find I am drawn to the batik section of any quilt shop I visit. Your quilt is beautiful and I like that the border is so simple yet so looks intricate.

Delaine said...

I love the crispness of batik fabric and the bright, saturated colors. Thanks!

Karen - Quilts...etc. said...

I think batiks are perfect for applique and love to use them. I love your tower! perfect. Would also love to win your charms

Dawn F said...

I have always loved the depth of color that batiks have and feel that the patterns add a lot to a quilt.

Jackie OBrien said...

Awesomeness

Nancy A: rangerer@sbcglobal.net said...

I love the rich colors and the feel of batiks.

Kathleen said...

Oh my goodness! What a terrific pattern - I can't imagine the work that was! It is so lovely and the quilting is awesome. Congratulations on a real beauty!

Kathy E. said...

Adding the Eiffel Tower is brilliant and the colors are perfect for it! Very impressive! I love the depth and saturation of colors in batiks. Each is beautiful and unique! duchick at mchsi dot com

Jennifer said...

Beautiful, Pamela

Cindy Shelley said...

I love batiks the don't travel or fray as much.

Cindy Shelley said...

ravel, not travel.

Pamela said...

Ohh ahh! I love your quilt! And I like the way you surprised your readers in the blog post with the reveal of the center! I love batiks for their painterly appearance and crisp, nonraveling edges. Thanks for the inspiration!

The Quilted Dog said...

Your Paris quilt is wonderful, & so creative! Great use of the fabrics! My favorite think about batiks is the illusion of depth because of the different layers of color.

Holly said...

Cool idea using the Eiffel Tower. Love it!!

Havplenty said...

I like the colors and patterns of batiks and that there is no wrong fabric side. Batiks have come a long way in their colors and patterns. I have loved batiks for a very long time.

The quilt you created is fantastic.

tushay3 (at) yahoo (dot) com

jellybean said...

Love all the vibrant colors and raw edge appliqué is fun with this fabric

Lee said...

I really love the blend of the colors!

Bec said...

Oh my! That Eiffel Tower is awesome...and it looks very hard! You did a spectacular job on it.
The thing that I like most about batiks is that they don't ravel a lot. Hmmmm...or maybe it is the beautiful colors.

Rochelle aka Bella Quilts said...

I love the vibrant colors and the way the batiks don't ravel. They are so soft and so strong.

Rochelle aka Bella Quilts said...

I'm following you via email. I do love this quilt and the Eiffel Tower came out so well. Congratulations on a beautiful and unique quilt. What a great quilting job.

Linda said...

I like batiks because they are so vivid, and have great color on both sides of the fabric. ljbisme at msn dot com

Jocelyn said...

Batik is so rich looking. Love the way it looks.

Jennifer Fulton Inquiring Quilter said...

This is so wonderful Pam! Great job, and perfect for the Globetrotter fabric line.

Sally said...

What a fun travel quilt! Super!

MoeWest said...

Your quilt is gorgeous! I love that you can use either side of batiks. I ordered batiks for two projects this week and I'm impatiently waiting for their arrival.

Leanne Parsons said...

Oh, my goodness! What a beautiful quilt! Your quilting is just the icing on the cake, too :)

Myra @ Busy Hands Quilts said...

Wow, that quilt is stunning! What a pleasure to look at each day. Thanks for linking to Finished or Not Friday!

Emily said...

Wow! That Eiffel Tower is AMAZING!!!! I love the triangles around it, great border for that fabulous center.

Emily said...

And I just saw the question I'm supposed to answer! For me, the best thing about batiks are the colors!