Library Llama tote with Island Batik....

Here we are...the last Island Batik assignment for 2018!! Whimsical and Wonky is the theme.
My brain being the Squirrel that it is---had another project in mind--and even half started--I still really like it so will finish it sometime.....

.....but then this adorable Llama just spoke to me with his whimsical attitude and challenged me to some play time!!!
Earlier this month I joined an online club offered by Jaculynne Steves called The Art of Home Club.
Once a month she provides a collection of line drawings to either embroider or possibly applique, along with ideas for quilts, totes or various other items to use the drawings with. Llama is from the Hipster Animals collection.

After tracing the design onto the Basic white batik with a Micron pen, I applied a tear away stabilizer to the fabric back. Put the #23 embroidery foot on my Bernina. Threaded the machine with black Aurifil. Lowered the feed dogs......

......and started to free motion thread sketch, following the black traced lines as best I could. I was going for a doodly whimsical look.

Then it was time for some fun. Coloring!!! Playing with Derwent Inktense watercolor pencils is something I don't do enough of!!! The color will always look different after liquid is applied, so I made a little chart with actual colored samples to help in choosing the right pencil!!!

Look at the vibrant color that appears after the textile medium is applied!!! The nice tight weave of this batik makes this process so smooth and easy!!

Next, I used 4--10" sqaures from the Spirit Rythm by Bella Nonna stack leftover from THIS bucket bag project.
The sqaures were cut in half, then randomly sliced up and sewed back together again to form the border strips.
Partial piecing was needed to make the borders spin around the center block.

By now it is evening, and I am thinking it is time to be finished in the studio for the day. I find this 12 weight Aurifil hand quilting thread in just the right color!! Off to my chair for an evening of slow stitching!!!

What great definition this thread gives the front and back pieces. Along with the Theramore batting from Hobbs!!!

The corners were boxed. Then my camera batteries died!!!

And the Llama Library tote is finished!!!

My grandson just loves the Llama Mama book series, so I am thinking this might become his library tote!! Doesn't this face just make you smile?!?!

Thank you to Island Batik, Hobbs and Aurifil for supplies to create this tote!!

Market Day the pattern...

...is a great confidence builder--yet still very easy quilt to make!!! I have loved basket quilts for as long as I can remember--but have only made one--because I haven't been a fan of putting the basket on point.

So I drew up this stunning straight set friendly basket block. The handle is fusible applique--but could
very easily use a bias strip to make the handle also.

The barn on the farm was built in 1904. How cool is that?!?! It isn't used for animals anymore. Just quilt photos and some storage inside.

When I designed this quilt, I had the thought of the pioneer ladies on the prairie who would carry their baskets into the general store to fill it up with supplies that would need to last them for a while before they could make the long drive into town again. Or the basket could have been used to gather blooming flowers from the praire to add a spot of cheerful to the supper table.
I love this photo because it shows where we store our harvested grain. We store the grain in the bins until the market has a good price. Then we sell and deliver the grain to the buyer.
Market Day.

Pattern includes full size templates for fusible applique, detailed piecing instructions, quilting suggestions and a coloring page to plan your own fabric choices. Quilt size 54" x 72".
Pattern availbe for immediate PDF download HERE. Email me for wholesale pricing or paper printed copy.

The fabrics used in this cover quilt are from the Ditty Collection by Kathy Engle for Island Batik.
You can view them HERE.

Smoke Stacks..the sequel...with Island Batik....

November assignment.....log cabins....one of my least favorite blocks. I am not sure why, as it really is a versatile and quite easy to do block. It just is not on my list of can't wait to make quilts.

But being a good Island Batik Ambassador...let's carry on and get this party started!!! I was making another project and had all these leftover super cute wool circles cut out--with my GO! Circles die from AccuQuilt--and they just matched too perfect not to share!!

In the blog hop this past January for Island Batik, I designed and made Smoke Stack with the fabric line City Culture 2. You can read about that HERE. I promised a pattern...so the log cabin challenge this month seems the perfect time to release it!! But you will have to look at all the pretty pictures first!!

I am just loving these soft yet vibrant colors in the Victoria and Albert fabric collection.

I used them in Peace Seeker...you can find this pattern on my Craftsy site HERE. And I also used it for Star Spin HERE.

Fabrics all cut and sorted look so pretty!!

Chain piecing....and piecing...and piecing....

Auditioning block placement.

This springy green color #2886 by Aurifil was the perfect match. I am trying to brush up my domestic sewing machine free motion skills again!! I know they are somewhere in my muscle memory, but it seems that the long arm muscle memories are much closer on the list of how to's in my brain!! But again--carry on and finish strong!!

In between working and quilting....I bring noon lunch and supper out to the fields where my farmer husband is putting in long hours to get the harvest finished this year!!

During one of my lunch bringing runs I remembered we had this pile of old wooden fence posts in the grove on the farm that would make a great backdrop for a log cabin quilt!!!

And I may have had a bit of fun with it...

So there you have it...Smoke Stack the sequel!! The pattern is available as a PDF download on my Craftsy site HERE.

Thank you again to Island Batik for supplying the fabrics and to Aurifil for supplying the threads fot this project!!

Bucket Bag....Island Batik Style....

....so the challenge this month is to use either foundtion paper piecing--FPP or English paper piecing--EPP....and since I feel quite confident with FPP the only obvious choice would be to try something new--let's give EPP a go!!

This 10" stack--Spirit Rhythm by Bella Nonna for Island Batik has been just calling my name since I received it in the second box of fabric from Island Batik this summer.

I really had no plan...other than to just start making a few hexagons and see how it goes.

Aren't these colors just SOOOOO great!! Glueing the little shapes was quite fun--I had to stop myself from making too many--because I hadn't tried sewing them together yet!!!

Then comes 6 inches of wet heavy snow on Sunday....some of it had already melted off the sidewalks here....

....which led to some Slow Stitching by the fireplace...one thing I learned is to use a thin sharp needle. My first set of sewn pieces were a little chunky--but I am calling it "charming"!!

I had found the free pattern for this Bucket Bag on Sharon Holland Designs blog HERE. The challenge came using 10" stacks instead of yardage for the bag construction. So I improvised by adding a little extra piece to each strip to make them long enough.

I even patchwork pieced the pocket sections.

Then since I just couldn't stop playing with the colors in this collection--Spirit Rhythm-- I cut 1/4" strips to make the tassel...

...so pretty....

....tied the strips together with one of the 1/4" strips...

...then wrapped another strip over the tied area, secured it with glue and clamped it together until it was dry.

This is such a scenic place on the river near our home. We have used this bridge and surrounding landscape for many family photos, so I thought--why not try it for Island Batik projects--and I like it!!

Look for these gorgeous fabrics in your quilt shop--if you don't see them--ASK for them you won't be dissappointed!!