Let's Gather Table Runner.....

Welcome to the first day on the 2018 Christmas Collection blog hop. Nancy Scott, of Masterpiece Quilting has compiled an amazing selection of her Christmas projects and published them into this easy to read book!! The projects vary in size from small wall hanging to bed size quilts and everything in between. You can get your copy on Amazon here.

While most of the projects in Nancy's book are colored in the more traditional red, gold and green--I took the Let's Gather table runner in a different direction. I have a small collection of vintage Shiny Brite Christmas ornaments that I use to decorate my basement family room at Christmas time. This table runner is the perfect size for my table down there!! So these glorious shades of colors from Island Batik are just right!!

Don't you just love a fabric closeup!!  While Nancy's cutting directions are very well thought out and easy to follow I like to use the AccuQuilt cutting system.

Here is a hint when working with a multi color batik....after piecing all the small components of the blocks, I like to match up the multi colored parts to the colored parts for a pleasing arrangement of color.

Since I chose to make each block a different color--I find it helpful to play around with the color arrangement until it is pleasing to your eye.

Lately these long, gently wavy and overlapping lines have been my quilting design of choice on small projects. 40 wt Aurifil thread gives such great definition to the stitches. I find the design to be softly modern--meaning not as harsh as dense matchstick quilting--yet still gives a nod to the modern end of the spectrum. So a just right happy medium!!

What appealled to me besides the generous 16" x 72" size of this table runner was this super cool end treatment--it looks way more complicated than it is--and you will have to get the book to find out!! Well worth the price in my opinion!!! Love how it looks!!

Love me some vintage Shiny Brite ornaments!!!

Make sure to check out all the other amazing projects over the course of the next couple weeks--Nancy will have the daily linkups!!

Thank you to Nancy for this fun opportunity, Island Batik for the fabric, Aurifil for the thread and The Warm Company for the Warm and White cotton batting.
You can follow the sewing and quilting adventures of Lizard Creek Quilting on Facebook and Instagram.

Balance.....Aurfil and Island Batik.....

...The challenge for July is sponsored by Aurifil--use 3 different weights of thread along with fabric supplied by Island Batik to make an art type quilt. I have an inspiration for this project--but no actual plan--this one grew as I went along. So how about a few ways I used the threads first!!

Aurfil 40 wt thread was used to machine embroider this collection of sea shells. The design is one that is built in my Bernina 790.  I haven't used the embroidery attachment for two years--oh was it fun again!!! The thicker thread gave such great dimension to the design. 50 wt is what I usually piece with--so just imagine that the 40 wt is a smidge thicker.

After some free motion quilting and decorative stitching--again with 40 wt Aurifil I added some simple hand stitches with Aurifil wool floss. Amazing texture was achieved with both thread weights.

Here I used a 40 wt to free motion quilt the background word along with a line of single letters that spell out the same word I quilted. 28 wt thread was used to edge paint these shapes. The thicker thread makes it so that less lines of stitching are needed to fill up the space around the edge of each shape.

Showing more of the edge painting, free motion quilting and decortive stitches. I also used the Aurifil wool floss to hand sew the binding down with a running stitch. LOVE this!!!!

Now for the inspiration...Balance...a condition in which different elements are equal or in the correct proportions--"try to keep a balance between work and relaxation".
To try keep our life in balance we took a trip to Carlsbad, CA this winter--nice to get some sunshine while the weather was frightfully cold in Iowa.

While driving on the Costal Highway we stopped in a cute little town--Del Mar--where we walked along the beach until it started raining!!

The vast amount of rocks on this beach were in colors that I don't normally see--who knew there was such beautiful turquoise colored rocks?!?! What fun I had collecting and making the tower just right!!

My treasures from that trip--a couple of shells, a piece of sea glass and a heart shaped turquiose colored rock that was on the top of the rock tower--I really wanted to take the large one on the bottom, but didn't want to overweight our luggage!! All to remind me to keep BALANCE in my life!!

Balance...my July art quilt!!!

"Balance is a feeling derived from being whole and complete; it's a sense of harmony. It is essential to maintaining quality in life and work."                                 --Joshua Osenga

Dream Catcher....Island Batik Style...

...assignment for June was to try a new technique!! Well how fun that sounds--I love a wide open challenge!!

The 1" Strip Cutter die from AccuQuilt made it super fast to cut a large pile of strips. The fabrics are from Island Batik, when I visited the office in Carlsbad this spring--see here--I was gifted a large stack of color samples that didn't make the final fabric cut--but are still beautiful so I figured this was a perfect place to use them!!!

After doing some research on Pinterest along with a distant knowledge of macrame from the 7th grade, I set out with a plan in my head!!

Since the fabric strips were short, I would have to keep adding additional strips, the thought was to apply some Elmer's glue and then hit the join with the flat iron to quickly dry the glue......

....yeah, that didn't work as expected---so hot glue gun to the rescue!!! It might have been better to just quickly overlap and stitch all the fabric strips together--but my sewing machine was all packed up yet from a class I had went to--and remember the challenge is to Try It!!!

The fabric strips handled being macramed--is that even a word??--very well. Except for the hot glued joins. I would definitely stitch the joins if I try this process again!!

The process was really fun and actually quite a stress reliever from all the secret sewing I have been doing lately!! Thanks to Island Batik and AccuQuilt for products used in this project!!!

Make it Modern in May on Memorial Day Weekend....

...Island Batik assignment for May was to make a modern quilt...the quilt must incorporate one of the characteristics of modern quilts as defined by the Modern Quilt Guild--the use of bold colors and prints, high contrast and graphic areas of solid color, improvisational piecing, minimalism, expansive negative space and alternate grid work. Hobbs batting is our sponor for the month!!

I must admit that this project was on the back burner of my mind this month due to farming and the excitement of going to Spring Quilt Market along with the getting ready to go!!

Do you ever have an idea come to you as you are falling asleep--and then more ideas come in your dreams?? Well that is where this one came from!! I had a crazy idea to make some kind of set of rays using Half Square Triangles (HST). Since I have all the AccuQuilt Qubes, how fun would it be to make each flying geese unit from the largest HST in each Qube. After doing some figuring--using the Qubes, I could made from 6" to 1" HST!! Don't forget to check your Corners Qubes for HST too!! That is where I found the 1" HST.

Such pretty pieces all cut and ready to sew...

...all sewn and ready for pressing. A little trick when making flying geese from HST is to press half of your units to the white and the other half to the colored. That way the seams will nest perfectly when piecing the units together.

As you can see in this photo.

Loving the bold contrast of colors here.

The rays are all complete. Now to ponder their arrangement.

Loaded the quilt on the longarm and decided to do some free flowing ribbons coming off some of the ray points. I know this might not be the most modern take on quilting here--but it is what the quilt told me it wanted!! And when the quilts speak to me, I must listen!! Hobbs 80/20 batting provides such great loft and definition to the quilting.

Honor--definition as a verb--to hold in honor or high respect.
Service--definition as a noun--an act of helpful activity, help, aid.

My father-in-law was drafted into the Army during the Korean War. Serving his country is something that he is very proud of.

Small town love!!!

The cemetary for our town is just 1/2 mile from our home. The VFW puts flags on the head stones.

This tall standing head stone of a WW1 veteran is so weathered that the name is no longer visible. But the act of service to our country will never be forgotten!!

These fallen heroes represent the character of a nation who has a long history of patriotism and honor - and a nation who has fought many battles to keep our country free from threats of terror. 
--Michael N. Castle

Island Batik Giggles.....

As part of the Island Batik Ambassador program this year, the Ambassadors were sent an AccuQuilt Ready, Set, GO! package--a super deal if you are looking to get started with this cutting system--it includes a GO! cutter, 8" Mix & Match Qube, 2 1/2" Strip Cutter die and mat along with getting started instructions!! Pull it out of the box and start a new quilting adventure!! The assignment this month is to make a baby quilt featuring the sponsor AccuQuilt.

Since I do a bit of freelance trade sample designing with AccuQuilt, I was given the option to choose any other product as a replacement to the Ready, Set, GO!. You can read about that in my unboxing post HERE.

Let's get started. The first thing I do when getting new dies, is to draw lines 1/4" away from the blade on all sides of the shape. I have seen some use a specific silver sharpie marker for this step--I just use whichever one I pull out of the can first.

It should look like this when finished.

These marked lines will now give me boundries when placeing the fabric over the blades on the die board. On the AccuQuilt site you can find a Fabric Reference Chart HERE that will tell you the size of strip to cut for every die the company has. I highly recommend this reference!!!

Such a happy assortment of colors!!!! I also used the Grey solid from the Foundations line. LOVE this fabric!! Nice tight weave with virtually no fraying with cutting!!

When die cutting applique shapes, it is helpful to place the fusible to the wrong side of the fabric strips before die cutting the shape.

Then is it important to place the fabric on the die board correctly!! Ask me how I know this?!? Place fabric right side down over just the letters needed--remember that the fusible count as a layer--so 3 rectangles per letter max!

All the pieces ready to GO!--lickety split!!

Loaded the quilt top on the long arm....added the 80/20 batting provided to me by Hobbs....

...threaded the long arm with 40wt Aurifil #6724--Moonshine--provided by Aurifil in a previous Ambassador box....

....and quilted lots of happy little loops!! I call this design--One Way Loops--as I try not to change the direction of the loop.

I like to secure applique shapes with what I call--Snapliquilt--because it is a Snap to applique and quilt at the same time!! As I am quilting the background, I will just sneak onto a letter, quilt a squiggly line around the shape 2 or 3 times and then sneak back off the applique and continue quilting the background. Super fast and easy!! Don't you just love the definition of the stitiches with the 40wt Aurifil!!

And such great definition from the batting!! A quilter's dream--to see the pretty stitches!!

And here it is...Giggles with Island Batik!!

Thank you to Island Batik, AccuQuilt, Aurifil and Hobbs for provided the products to make this quilt!!
It will soon be in the mail to a dear friend of the family who just added another little girl to their family!