Monday, August 16, 2021

Monday Musings - Try a Tool Blog Hop with Island Batik and Studio 180 Designs

 Today is the big day, I get to show you what I did for the August Island Batik Ambassador challenge!  This month is a blog hop, which means scheduled posts, with coordinating collections for each day.  And, what fun, it's my Birthday as well, so I had extra fun making something special so share!  And, make sure you read to the end, I'll be adding a giveaway as well as sharing Island Batik's weekly giveaway for the blog hop.


For me a new tool is great fun, I just love trying out new things!  I got the Tucker Trimmer - which is perfect for making half square triangles, quarter square triangles, and combination units (half of each!).  I also received the Magic Wand, which is so perfect for marking the sewing lines.  The fabric line I received is Floral Wonders, designed by Jerry Khiev for Island Batik.  The colors are so pretty and sweet!


I spent most of the last two months trying to figure out what I wanted to make using these pretty florals - it was so hard to nail down my options!  I finally settled on the idea of making quarter square triangles using a solid white background so they would really shine.  And once I came up with an idea I was really inspired with a vision for a cute quilt that could be made with a pack of 10 inch squares - something that would be fun to make and simple enough to go together in a weekend.


Making the quarter square triangle is a pleasant process thanks to that Magic Wand and Tucker Trimmer.  First I cut squares - then used the Magic Wand to mark my stitching lines on the white squares.

You match the white squares with the floral squares and sew on the marked lines.  Cut the squares in half, then press seams toward the floral fabrics.


Pair up the half square triangle units, matching the center seam and mark two seam lines on the opposite diagonal.  I love this method of making quarter square triangles, since you get two at once!  Sew the seam, cut on the diagonal, then press seam toward one side.  This was repeated to make all my quarter square triangle units, then I moved on to using the Tucker trimmer to cut them to size.


This ruler us super easy to use, just line up your center and trim!  Each unit comes out perfectly sized with the seams going right to the corners for nice precise blocks in a flash.  There's not a lot of waste, and it's worth it to have such nice perfect units.  I made 48 blocks in all for my quilt.


I guess you could call the trimmings quilter's confetti!  Next, it's time to lay the blocks out and arrange them!


What a happy mix of colors!  Now that I had the center figured out, I was ready to put the borders together.  I thought a piano key border would make a nice finish for this, so I got the pieces cut, then started sewing.  I was a little taken aback at the number of rectangles I figured that I needed, then realized when I had them all sewn together that I had mistakenly made twice what I needed - so, I decided to make a bonus quilt out of them since they were already sewn into strips.




I decided to add a small border between the hourglass blocks and the border.  I thought I would use white at first, but this soft pink (Petal from the Basics Collection) was so perfect that I ended up using it instead.


I decided to add mitered corners, and was thrilled at how the quilt looked!  Now for the quilting!  I thought hearts and loops would look great on this quilt.  I used the Hobbs Heirloom Bleached cotton batting I received in my Ambassador box, and pieced a backing using the Rice neutral and a strip of pink.  (I love using a strip of contrasting color to extend the backing to a usable size - practical and it looks great, too!)


I decided on a soft yellow Aurifil thread in 50 wt., and I have to say, that I was very surprised at how well this quilted up!  I've been having some struggles with the free motion quilting on my machine lately, but for this quilt it really liked this combination of fabric, batting, needle and thread - no breaking and few skipped stitches!  


Just so I remember, I used the size 14 from this package.  The color banding is the same as the the Chrome Professional needles I received in my Ambassador package, so I think they are the same thing, this is just a multi size package I had purchased sometime earlier.  They are terrific needles and the size 14 did a great job for me on this project!  This is the pretty pink that I used for the binding, it's called Primrose!  


And here is the finished quilt!  Isn't it lovely?  I'm so happy with it!  And since I had those leftover border strips, I went right to work and put them together into a Chinese Coin quilt - just for fun!


For this one I used Egg White for the background.  I feel good that I put those extra strips to good use, and actually got it finished up right away!  I didn't make any triangles in this one, but did want to share, because I love seeing the fabrics in it!


Here's a peek at the back - I'm so glad the colors show up so nicely!


It looks so perfect with the yellow roses!  Floral Wonders is the perfect name for this collection, the colors really do look a beautiful flower garden!  It was such a pleasure to work with this collection and all of the wonderful products - what a fun summer project.  In fact I enjoyed making this so much that I decided to write it up as a pattern!  So good news if you want to make your own version of this quilt  just click the link below to see it in my Etsy shop:

I've even included instructions for the bonus quilt, so two for the price of one :)

Thanks to Island Batik, Studio 180 designs, Hobbs Quilt Batting, Aurifil Thread, and Schmetz Needles!










Here is the schedule for this week:

August 16:

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts - you are here!
Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads

August 17:

Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese
Sally Manke, Sally Manke Fiber Artist

August 18:

Brianna Roberts, Sew Cute and Quirky
Suzy Webster, Websterquilt 

August 19:

Jennifer Eubank, Archipelago Quilting
Jennifer Fulton, Inquiring Quilter

August 20:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway


This week Island Batik is giving away a Strip Pack of Floral Wonders as well as a Stack of Midnight Dazzle!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Leave me a comment, and I'll add your name to a special surprise drawing at the end of the hop as well!

Have a happy and quilty day!!!

33 comments:

Preeti said...

Two darling finishes. Love them both. You must be so happy.

Pam Dempsey said...

Love the tools demo and your pretty quilts :)

Pam Dempsey said...

Color is my favorite!

Gene Black said...

Pretty fabrics! I love a piano key border.
I think color is my most important consideration when choosing fabric.

Joyce Carter said...

Your quilt is so pretty, Pamelia, and I love the border.

Nancy said...

Both quilts are great, and I LOVE a Piano Key border! Looks great!

Monica said...

Pattern is the most important thing for me.

Paula said...

Thanks for sharing your great projects. What I look for when shopping for fabrics varies by the project or shopping trip. If I'm looking for fabric for a two-color project, I'm looking for tone and volume. If it's a something else, I'm usually looking for the specific colors needed for that project. If I'm visiting shops while on vacation I often purchase stash builders and those tend to be batiks, because I love batiks.

Kathleen said...

Happy birthday to you! What a lovely quilt you made. I think the mitered corners were a perfect addition. Wow, and a second quilt too - so amazing. I love the backing with the pink stripe too. Now when shopping for fabric it is color all the way!

Koobiedo said...

Thanks for sharing your Ideas, when I shop I usually pick three colors/designs that I like then go to my stash and find material that brings them together, it makes for some interesting combinations and eye-catching quilts

works4me said...

Beautiful quilts. Yippee for a quick and easy bonus quilt. :)
I shop by colour usually, but sometimes go in looking for something specific, like Halloween fabric, or penguin fabric. I always go for quality fabric, though.
Thanks for the chance to win.

Lori Smanski said...

When shopping for fabric, the most important thing I look for is quality of fabric, then colors/patterns.
what a wonderful tool this is.
your quilts are gorgeous.
Thanks for sharing.
Oh yes it looks wonderful by your roses.
quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

Sewgirl said...

Beautiful quilt! Thanks for sharing!!I think color is the most important aspect for me.

tac73 said...

Such a cheerful quilt!

Cecilia said...

Both quilts are pretty! I love the colors you chose. I love piano key borders!

Diantha said...

Like how you were able to use the extra piano keys in another quilt!

Deb B. said...

I love the colors in your quilts, they are beautiful. When I shop for fabric I often go with what grabs my attention that day. I like good quality cotton and I have been particularly drawn to batik fabrics these days.

Quilting Tangent said...

Such fun seeing all the quilts everybody is making, it is like a mini quilt show. 24Tangent@gmail.com

Allison said...

I love the quilts! The questions hard to answer. I look at color, quality of fabric, manufacturer, design. It all comes together to make the fabric perfect!

Susan said...

When shopping for fabric I look at color, quality, price and something that I love.

OhioLori said...

My favorite aspect is definitely color!! Looove colors..lol

Jollygirl said...

Love your quilts! So pretty.

JANET said...

Very pretty quilt! Color, quality, and cost is what I consider first.

Unknown said...

Those mitered corners are an especially nice touch! When I'm shopping for fabric, what I'm drawn in by is color/design, but the feel of the fabric makes the decision for me--I never by thin fabric, or stiff/cheap fabric, no matter how beautiful, cute, or "perfect" for my project it is. (wordygirl at earthlink dot net)

Jennifer Schifano Thomas said...

It's so pretty! Like a breath of Spring. Beautiful job and a fun quilt to make. The mitered corners on the border came out so nicely. Have a fabulous day!

Sally said...

Love the finished quilt and that you got a bonus quilt besides! Lovely!

mumbird3 said...

Love these fabrics so luscious! Love the confetti - so cool!

Cindy Shelley said...

Both are gorgeous quilts. 2 for 1. Way to make use of the scraps.

cghundley said...

Amazing quilts, alike
but different!
Carla from Arizona

Emily said...

Happy (belated) Birthday, Pamela! Love both of these! That pink primrose as binding is so pretty! And they look great with your roses--the perfect backdrop!!! :)

Dawn F said...

I really love the colors in this quilt! It seems like the tool you used really does make perfect points. I will have to try it sometime!

Barb said...

Your quilt is so pretty and the bonus quilt was a great idea!

cghundley said...

Fabulous ways to use
the fabric. Both quilts
look so colorful!
Carla from Arizona