I received the Reflections collection from Island Batik for this challenge. I had a hard time coming up with a holiday for it! I finally decided that this is a great collection to celebrate a birthday, which is definitely a holiday to be celebrated in my opinion!
I made this quilt for a friend who is celebrating a birthday this month, and I hope it brightens up her day. I received the fabric and other supplies used for this challenge as part of the Island Batik Ambassador program!
Reflections features some lovely pinks, blues, purples and greens! This line was designed by Kathy Engle as a signature collections for Jennifer Fulton of The Inquiring Quilter. So beautiful!
I decided that it was time to learn how to paper piece with freezer paper for this challenge. I was sorting through some old magazines one evening and was excited to find the Pieced Prisms pattern - which was exactly what I pictured making with these fabrics! (In the Feb 2021 edition of American Patchwork and Quilting, if you are interested.)
The prism block is easy paper piecing, two templates with just two seams on each one. I watched a couple of YouTube videos on the technique and got my templates traced. I loved using my Oliso Smart Iron on this project! It gets nice and hot, so the freezer paper sticks quite well! It also has that nice pointy end which allows you to press close to the stitching line, which was nice. One of the first things I found out was that if you make an error and have to take out your seam, it's super nice that you don't destroy your template!
I also liked the fact that I could see where I was sewing because the freezer paper gets folded back so you are just stitching a regular seam. That really helped, and it was nice that I could use my fabric clips to hold the fabrics together. It really made the process so much easier! I was able to easily use each template 5 or 6 times, so I didn't have to trace a ton of them. I used Aurifil thread (50wt) and new Schmetz size 12 needle. Since I wasn't stitching through the paper, I'll be able to use this needle to continue stitching my next project, too! I used several purples from Aurifil, using up those partial bobbins sitting in my drawer!
When I got my prisms done, I started on the four patches for the alternate blocks.
Things were going great until I started to clip them apart and then this happened:
I guess my scissors were sharper than I thought they were! A follower on my Instagram page nicely suggested a thread cutter that uses a rotary blade, and when I made my first order as a
Missouri Quilt Star Company affiliate, I got one! Next time I do chain piecing I won't have to worry about snipping my fabric. (This is the Quick Cut Thread Cutter - remember, you get a 20% discount and I get a small commission when you use my affiliate link.)
After replacing that snipped piece, the rest of the sewing went without problems, I am happy to say!
My next decision was what to use for the inner border. I was provided with enough of the Reflections fabric in deep purple for the border, but wanted an inner border that would set off the center. I really liked this green.
But I equally liked the blue! So I asked around and found out that the recipient's favorite color is blue! So that made my decision simple.
I received a package of the Heirloom 80/20 bleached white by
Hobbs Batting and it was perfect for this quilt with so much white! I love that Hobbs makes such a great variety of battings, you can always find the right one for your project. I used Island Batik's Blender: Dot-sky for the backing.
I opted for simply quilting this one with straight lines - it was quick to finish, and hopefully the recipient will not think it's too fancy to use! I chose another darker blue for the binding (I think it's Ocean).
Like the prisms in the movie Polyanna, I hope this quilt will bring joy and happiness to my friend, Andie! She is a very sweet lady, and I am glad I can bless her with something to enjoy for her special day.
Don't forget to check out
Sarah Pitcher, Pitcher’s Boutique LLC to see what she makes with this gorgeous collection as well! Yardage is shipping to shops near you soon, keep your eyes out for you!
Thanks to the sponsors of this project:
Oliso Smart Iron
I'm giving away two packages of 5 inch squares cut from my extra fabric from the Reflections collection. You can enter to win them on the Rafflecopter widget below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
54 comments:
Wow! That fabric collection is really pretty and so is your quilt. Love the prisms! Have a great day!
It's so pretty, Pamela! I love the Prisms block. And the reference to the prisms in Pollyanna made me smile--one of my favorite parts of that movie!
Beautiful quilt and fabric collections!
Prisms turned out beautifully. Great choice to use those jewel tone fabrics.
Love your quilt! As to holiday, I am not sure, but I would decorate with it in January. It reminds me of winter time.
These blocks reminded me of pretty Christmas ornaments!
You can’t go wrong with batiks!
Pretty quilt. New years.
Prisms is lovely. I am sure your friend will love her birthday gift!
Love the fabric and the design!
love Batiks and use them in a lot of the QOV quilts.
I thought the Green quilt at top of your post was your quilt and thought the green made a perfect St. Patty Day quilt.
I love the quilt you made with these beautiful fabrics. They remind me of spring when all the new flowers are coming out. Also, they are reminiscent of Christmas and the tree ornaments with lights shining through the branches. I hope your friend likes this quilt.
Like the result. This would not only be a nice birthday gift but would make a great "thinking of you" Quilt. Looking forward to trying my hand paper piecing.
Beautiful! Love that prismblock!
I love the quilt and to me the colors could be used for several holidays--Christmas, Valentine's Day, Easter. Some of them could be used for other holidays too.
The fabrics and quilt are beautiful! I'm not sure what holiday, but winter time would be a great time to display it.
Thank you!
This is lovely, I love the collection.
It looks like a New Year's Day quilt to me.
Your quilt is gorgeous. Well done! I could see this fabric collection being used for many seasons, but I think Christmas would be lovely.
Stunning !!!
Love your quilt and the batiks. The colors would make lovely Easter projects.
I think this collection would be a lovely Mother's Day collection
Very lovely quilt! What a lucky friend! The name Reflections and the colors would lend me to say it's perfect for a New Year's quilt!
That’s a very pretty gift for your friend. I think a birthday is a great holiday. It could also be a Mardi Gras quilt.
beautiful fabric collection. great quilt that you made and lucky friend. thanks for the opportunity to win. patti in florida
Such an interesting question. I'm going to go with Spring/Easter. The fabrics seem to have a rebirth around them with the colors. Beautiful job.
Easter!
I think with the right pattern these fabrics could be used for any holiday. Your prisms are beautiful. I still haven't tried paper piecing so guess I better find a similar pattern and try it!
Great quilt, love the deep colors they remind me of gemstones. I’m envious of your friend, she’s very lucky to be receiving such a beautiful thoughtful gift.
Looks like Easter to me. Thanks.
Beautiful fabric! With the deep colors - maybe a New Years' celebration quilt!
This collection has a New Year's vibe to me.
So pretty. The design is great, and glad you had fun shopping with Missouri Star.
The think the holiday would be Mardi Gras.
Very beautiful fabric bundle!
I think the colors are good for Spring. So I would vote for an Easter quilt. If you could make egg shapes and create an Easter Egg hunt quilt. petuniakr@aol.com
Those colors!!! That design!!! Fabulous!
Beautiful! I had not seen this freezer paper method..how awesome and effective.
I think it would be fun in a Christmas quilt. The colors could also be Mardi Gras inspired. Suellen Jennings
I love the deep richness of this collection! I would think it would be great for Christmas or Easter or even New Years!
I think Mardi Gras would be a perfect holiday for all those rich colors!
Beautiful fabric. A birthday would be lovely.
I love your design. It reminds me of Hanukkah
Hmmm, chosing a holiday for those fabrics made my mind think......Labor Day! Not quite summer, not quite fall!
What a beautiful quilt...those jewel tones are gorgeous...my first thought was this collection would make a fantastic Christmas quilt but it would also work for Valentine's Day or Easter....so, so pretty!
I think a birthday celebration is absolutely perfect for this quilt. It could easily be adapted to reflect any special day - a graduation, an anniversary, etc. Then the quilt can be enjoyed more than just for a holiday season.
Gorgeous fabrics and beautiful quilt. I think it will be a great table topper for family birthday celebrations.
I love the fabric and the quilt you’ve made for your friend. I totally agree that this is great fabric for a birthday celebration. It could probably also be used for a Christmas quilt, but I do not get into making Christmas quilts or anything else for Christmas, so I might be off on that one. Really, it’s just such gorgeous fabric that you can make a beautiful quilt and use it for whatever you want! I really love what you’ve made. 💙🧡🩷
Your prisms are beautiful! These beautiful and moody colors make me think of the Winter Solstace. It's not a holiday, but it should be!
I love the prisms. Beautiful and I believe I would use this quilt for Christmas with Christmas colors.
I, too, think of New Year's Day. Reflecting and leaving the past year behind in the darkness, as you go towards the promising light of a new year, new beginnings.
Beautiful fabric collection, and I love the quilt you made from it. I've been wanting to try that freezer paper technique too.
That looks beautiful! I don't know if I have a particular holiday in mind, I just think with pastel colors it would look nice for spring planting season.
This reminds of Easter... bright flowers and stained glass
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