The Island Batik Ambassadors are using the Accuquilt die called North Carolina Star to make their projects this month. And they are using Island Batik fabric of course. I look forward to seeing how they mix their projects up using this die. Links to the other Ambassador’s blogs may be found at the bottom of this post.
Falling For Accuquilt
For my fabric selection, I dug into my Island Batik stash and selected some bright and fun fall colors. Island Batik fabrics may be found at your local quilt shop that carries Island Batik, such as Fabric Smart in St. Petersburg FL. You may also find them online at www.fabric-smart.com or call them at 727-914-8850. Another online option for you to shop for this fabric would be Hancocks of Paducah: Hancocks of Paducah
Fabric selection
Orange, yellow and black are definitely a fall palate, but sometimes there are dark purples. I threw in the white and teal for some accent colors. This is a very bright and cheery palette, but still says fall is in the air.
Completed Table Runner 2
The table runner I made, is a large table runner- 20″ x 56.” The orange and yellow borders really highlight the beautiful fall batik colors. The quilting of this table runner was done by Kim Jenkins-Pein of Sunshine Quilts from Tampa, Florida. Didn’t she do a nice job?
EQ 8 Rendering of pattern
NC Star block
I designed the table runner pattern in Electric Quilt 8. This is a rendering of the pattern in EQ8. You can see that the block has a large number of pieces.
North Carolina Star die
The Accuquilt North Carolina Star die makes it super easy to cut out all the shapes that are needed to make one block.
What die looks like
This photo shows what the die looks like. You can see that it has the shapes clearly labeled. You may cut 6 layers of fabric at one time. If you carefully lay out your fabrics, you can get all the pieces needed for one block in one pass of the cutting machine.
Cut pieces all laid out
Here are all of the pieces cut and laid out to make one black. You can see that the corners have been clipped on some of the pieces and this means that there will be no dog ears to trim after the pieces have been sewn together.
Sort pieces into sections
In order to sew this block together, I organize the pieces into quadrants and then sew those sections together first.
Sewn sections of block laid out
Then I laid those sewn sections out in a traditional block layout and then sew those sections together. If you would like to see me using the Accuquilt cutter and a die, I have a video on my You/Tube Channel at “Blue Bear Quilts.” Here is a link to the YouTube video where you can watch: https://youtu.be/EuNLrvuZn7s If you like the video, please be sure to like it, share it with your friends and subscribe so you don’t miss any upcoming videos.
Completed block
Here is the block all sewn together. Because there are so many pieces, you have to sew them carefully and press flat so that the center does not buckle.
Me with table runner
Here I am with the finished runner. I hope you like it.
The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:
If you are on TikTok, be sure to check out the video I have posted about the table runner. (Look for Blue Bear Quilts)
Also, please follow me on Instagram (Blue Bear Quilts) as that is where I occasionally have giveaways.
Blue Bear hopes you like this fall table runner. Please let him know how much you love it by writing to him in the comments!
The other amazing Island Batik Ambassadors are also posting their October projects. Check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.
This month’s challenge is called Creative Christmas Stockings and the Island Batik Ambassadors will all be making stockings and can choose whatever fabric they like from Island Batik. Maybe some will do unusual piecing or appliqué; maybe some will make stockings in unusual shapes or small gift bags. I can’t wait to see what the other Ambassadors are going to come up with this month. At the bottom of this blog, I have links to the other designer’s blogs so you can see what they made.
Creative Christmas Stockings
I wanted to make a crazy quilt stocking with a blue wintery theme. I chose the Mountain Gems line by Kathy Engle as my main fabric. Just look at this gorgeous collection of batik fabrics. The Mountain Gems collection may be found at your local quilt shop that carries Island Batik, such as Fabric Smart in St. Petersburg FL. You may find them online at www.fabric-smart.com or call them at 727-914-8850.
Mountain Gems
Mountain Gems fabric
I chose to make a crazy quilt stocking using the Crazier 8 templates from Creative Grids and the Studio Stocking Die set from Accuquilt. Crazy quilting is where the shapes are cut at odd angles and then sewn together. Decorative stitches are then sewn over the seam lines, so they show, on the good side of the fabric. Blue Bear and Beauregard Bear are thrilled with their new stocking.
Blue Bear with Stocking
Beauregard with Stocking
The Crazier Eight templates were used to make crazy quilt blocks and the Accuquilt Studio cutter and die set were used to cut out the stocking shapes. The Studio dies look different from the Accuquilt GO! dies in that they are made of wood with steel blades and foam surrounding the steel blades. They are used in the Studio cutter, which is a more industrial and manual cutter that can cut up to 12 layers of fabric at a time. This is great for quilt shops or designers that need to cut a lot of fabric. If you would like to see a video of how I cut out shapes with an Accuquilt cutter, there is a video on my You Tube channel-Blue Bear Quilts. Here is the link to the You Tube video: https://youtu.be/3-hp6QzFkOo. In this video, I am using an electric GO! Big Cutter, as opposed to the Studio Cutter I used to make this stocking which is manual, but the concept is the same.
Creative Grids Crazier 8 templates and Accuquilt Studio Stocking dies
The great thing about the Crazier 8 template set is that you can cut out the shapes you need for an 8″ block from 10″ squares and you can buy the Mountain Gems fabric in 10″ squares. The squares need to be cut in half diagonally as you can see in the next photo.
10″ squares cut in half diagonally
In the next photo, you can see how shapes A, B and C are cut out from one half of the fabric, with the Creative Grids Crazier 8 templates, and shapes D and E are cut out from the other half. This makes it easy to cut multiple layers of fabric at a time. The templates also cut off the dog ears which make lining up the pieces easy to sew and no trimming when done. A rotating mat is helpful when cutting out these shapes.
fabric cut with Crazier 8 templates
block sewn together
The photo above shows a Crazier 8 block sewn together. You sew shapes A, B and C together first and then sew shapes D and E together. Finally, you sew the two halves together. Next I sewed three blocks together to create a blocky stocking shape.
three blocks sewn together
Then I applied byAnnies.com Fusible Stabilizer to the back, which was used to stabilze the decorative stitching that I would be putting on the front of the fabric. I had to make one of these for the front of the stocking and one for the back. The decorative stitching had already been done in this photo. And the next photo shows a close up of the decorative stitching I did using my Janome 6600.
stabilizer on the back
close up of crazy quilt stitching
Now that the crazy stitching is all done, it’s time to cut out the stocking shapes. I have my two crazy patchwork pieces, one is a mirror image of the other, and two pieces for a fabric lining. I lay them over the stocking die and crank them through the machine and perfect stocking shapes are cut out.
fabric on Studio cutter and die
One needed to be laid on the die right side up and the other wrong side up. The same thing would be true for the lining fabric, but its is not as crucial with batik fabric as both sides look good.
cut out stocking an reverse
I also made a pieced cuff for the stocking by sewing strips on both sides of another piece of fabric and then cutting out the cuff with the other Accuquilt die that is part of the set.
pieced top of stocking cut out
Unfortunately I forgot to take photos of sewing the stocking together. You start by sewing the interior curve of both the outside pieces, and the lining, from the top of the cuff down to the top of the curve. You then sew the top of the exterior pieces to one side of the cuff and the top of the lining pieces to the other side of the cuff. Next, you flip them right sides together and pin all the way around and leave a small opening. You sew 1/4″ all the way around, except for the opening. Finally you turn everything right side out, stitch the opening closed, and then stuff the lining into the stocking.
I hope you have enjoying reading how I created this Christmas Stocking. Stay tuned for next month when I reveal a lone star quilt.
The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:
If you are on TikTok, be sure to follow me there for more quilting antics. (Look for Blue Bear Quilts)
Blue Bear and Beauregard Bear hope you like their stocking. Please let them know how much you love them by writing to them in the comments!
The other amazing Island Batik Ambassadors are also posting their November Challenge stockings. Check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.
This is my July 2022 project as an Island Batik Ambassador. The first part of this month’s challenge was to use the Accuquilt Tree of Life die to create a unique project. Accuquilt provided the Tree of Life die, and Island Batik provided fabric, to the Ambassadors so they could create their projects in this challenge. This die is a BOB or block on board. What that means is that you are able to cut all of the pieces you need to complete a tree of life block with one pass through the cutting machine.
Tree of Life Die and Fabric
The die has metal blades set in foam and when you place the fabric on the die and cover it with a mat, there is a roller in the cutter that presses down on the fabric and cuts out the needed shapes. Here is a Tik Tok video I did showing how I cut out the fabric.
I designed the quilt in Electric Quilt and this is the design I came up with. It is a bright and colorful design, orienting four tree of life blocks toward the outside corners. The blocks are uniquely colored to create the graphic design of the quilt. It almost has an Art Deco feel to it.
I needed some wonderful solids to make this quilt. Did you know that Island Batik has solids? Well, they do! I chose solids in red, blue, yellow, orange, green and lime. I used stash buster strip rolls for the colors and accented them with white and black to make them shine. The stash busters are 5″ wide strips and are great to work with on this type of project as they are already cut into a smaller size to be able to use with the Accuquilt Die.
Here is how I laid out the blocks after I had cut all of the desired shapes. It is really helpful to lay out your block ahead of time to keep everything organized. The half square triangles were sewn in rows and then the rows were sewn together. The Accuquilt die has great instructions for how to sew the block together.
block lay out
As mentioned above, a great thing about cutting out your shapes with the Acccuquilt Tree of Life die is that all of the shapes you need for one block can be cut with one pass through the cutting machine. You can put 6 layers of fabric on the die, so you could cut out 6 blocks at once. Also, the dog ears are cut off and if you are a really good sewist, there is no trimming that is needed to square up the blocks.
cut out shapes
After I had the quilt top sewn together, using my favorite thread, Auriful, it was time to make a quilt sandwich with some awesome batting (Heirloom 80/20 blend) provided by Hobbs Batting.
quilt sandwich
Time to quilt with my Janome 6600. This machine is a power horse! I knew I wanted to quilt in straight lines, so I used my favorite quilting ruler for that purpose- the Line Tamer by Four Paws Quilting. Your ruler work foot just follows the cut out groove in the ruler and gives you nice straight lines.
Line Tamer
Voila! The quilt is all done. I machine pieced the black binding to the front and then used clips to hold the binding in place on the back while I stitched in the ditch on the front.
finished quilt
Part two of this Christmas in July project was to gift the quilt to someone and bring them a little joy. When I decided on the name of the quilt, I knew who I wanted to give it to as a gift. I named the quilt “Tree of Life From the Underside.” Imagine laying on the ground, under a tree, and looking up at the bottom of the branches spreading out. I felt the quilt gave this perspective of the tree.
I see the tree of life as representing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Many in society are able to stand alongside the tree and enjoy the view from many perspectives. Yet there are others around the world who do not have that same ability and they are kept under the tree and can’t enjoy all of the beauty the tree represents. These people may include the elderly, poor. foreigners, women, gays, jewish people, blacks, asians, indigenous people or people with disabilities. They want to see the tree from all sides and the wonderful things it represents, but they are kept down below the branches.
There is a poem, by Poet Laureate, Amanda Gorman, called “_ _ _ _ _Gated.” In the poem she compares how the pandemic was a leveler, and all were equally prevented from doing what they wanted to do, or told what they had to do. Sharing for a brief time what it feels like to be living in the margins.
Here are a few quotes from the poem. “To be haunted is to be hunted by a history that is still hurting. Needing healing as much as we do. … Call us… colonized, …cleansed, controlled, killed, … contained, concentrated, conditioned… We have yielded centuries of sidewalk, trained in this tradition before we even lived it- what it is to bow our heads & make room for someone else’s pride, that ceding of the walkway…Why is it so perturbing for privileged groups to follow restrictions of place & personhood. Doing so means for once wearing the chains their power has shackled on the rest of us….Meanwhile for generations we’ve stayed home,…kept out of public spaces…kept out of ballot boxes, kept out of office, kept out of the army, kept out of hospitals…kept out of jobs, kept out of schools, kept out of sports…kept out of land, kept out of kept in kept from kept behind kept below kept down kept without life. Some were asked to walk a fraction/ of our exclusion for a year & it almost destroyed all they thought they were. Yet here we are. Still walking, still kept. To be kept to the edges of existence is the inheritance of the marginalized. …If we remember anything, let it be to remember. A road forward we shall have if we keep walking.”
This poem is powerful and it is found in her book called ” Call us what we carry.” If you can find a copy of the book at your local bookstore, or library, I would urge you to do so.
For me, the tree also represents hope. growth and rebirth. The leaves of the tree are all unique and yet they are interconnected. The tree is strong and provides shelter from the storms. Under the tree is also a place for peace and tranquility. Finally it is a place for growth and rebirth. A mighty oak grows from a tiny acorn. Each year the leaves turn brown and die but then are reborn in the Spring with the prospect of new growth. As we keep walking, the tree keeps inspiring growth.
I wanted to give this quilt to someone who treats everyone as equal and places no one in the margins, even as difficult as that may be in a society that likes to create margins. Someone who keeps walking. Someone immediately came to mind. It was a friend, Pastor Joyce Stone. She is a pastor of a church in Florida that not only welcomes all but affirms their very nature. Christ the Cornerstone is a beacon of light for all. When I told Pastor Joyce about the gift, she told me that they have a tree of life in the church where people can place leaves about the things God has done for them in their lives. I knew I had made the right choice for the gift recipient.
I placed a hanging sleeve on the back of the quilt so that it may be hung for all to see. It is my desire that the quilt will stand as a symbol of the hope, growth and rebirth the tree represents. I hope it will inspire those who can stand alongside the tree, and enjoy all of its beauty and freedom, to come to the underside and see the shelter, strength and connectivity the tree provides and invite those living under the tree to come and stand beside the tree with them. I also hope that those who may only see the tree from the underside will keep walking so that one day they will be able to stand alongside the tree and see the life, liberty and happiness it provides from all angles.
Here is a picture of Pastor Joyce with the quilt. Her smile radiates Joy!
Pastor Joyce with quilt
Pastor Joyce and I in front of the Tree of Life in her church
If you would like to see me talking about the quilt, I also have a YouTube video about it on my YouTube channel, Blue Bear Quilts. Here is a link to the video: https://youtu.be/duB3fqtL2ac
YouTube Video
Island Batik
The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:
Island Batik Stash Buster 5″ strip roll for the top.
The other Island Batik Ambassadors have also been busy creating Christmas in July projects. If you would like to see what the other ambassadors have been up to, check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.
As an Island Batik Ambassador, this month’s challenge was to to mix it up and use triangles instead of the usual squares and rectangles. I chose to put my triangles in a box.
I went to my Electric Quilt 8 software program and started playing around with triangle in a square layouts and then colored in the design with the actual fabrics from Island Batik. Here is the digital image of my design. The colorful batiks are laid out vertically, creating diamonds and the dark and light pieces are laid out horizontally, creating a tumbling effect.
Digital image of the quilt
I used the Island Batik collection called Mountain Gems for this project, along with Mint and Bridgewater. Mountain Gems contains gorgeous blue and green batiks from Bali. This fabric collection should be in shops now that carry Island Batik, such as Hancocks of Paducah. You may find them at their store in Paducah, KY, or online at www.hancocks-paducah.com or by phone at 800-845-8723.
Mountain Gems
Triangles can be a little tricky to sew as it is sometimes difficult to determine how to line up the pieces before you sew them. Sometimes they need to overlap 1/4,” sometimes more, and sometimes not at all. So I decided to cut out my triangle in a square pieces with my Accuquilt cutter and dies as the pieces line up perfectly and all you have to do is concentrate on sewing a good 1/4.”
Accuquilt cutter and die
When making a triangle in a square, half of the side pieces need to be reversed. This is where the beauty of working with Island Batiks comes into play. There isn’t a noticeable right or wrong side to the fabric, so when I was cutting out the shapes, I didn’t need to worry if the fabric needed to be placed right side up or right side down.
After I had the quilt top all pieced, I decided to do some ruler work quilting on my Janome 6600. I used Hobbs Premium 80/20 batting, a Schmetz quilting needle, and a variegated 50 weight thread from Aurifil. Since the quilt top had a lot of angular lines, I wanted some curvy quilting, so I used the Good Measures Circle rulers by Amanda Murphy to create some intersecting arcs.
Good Measures ruler
By slowing the speed of my machine down, and using a teflon slider on the bed of the machine, it was easy to quilt around the curve of the ruler. Here is a close up of some of the quilting I did.
quilting
Here is the finished quilt and a close up of it.
Dashing Diamonds Quilt
Quilt
The photo shoot of the quilt can be almost as much fun as making the quilt. Here are some more pictures from the photo shoot at a local park. There is a quilt on a rail. a quilt on a tree, a quilt by a tree, a quilt on a bridge and a quilt on a Reed. There is a short Instagram reel of me wearing the quilt. My Instagram handle is @bluebearquilts.
Quilt on a rail
Quilt on a tree
quilt by a tree
Quilt on a bridge
Quilt on a bridge 2
Quilt on Reed
There where many birds in the park and this one was curious as to what I was doing.
bird watching
The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:
Island Batik Mountain Gems collection and Mint and Bridgewater.
In May 2022, we are offering 20% off two digital download quilt patterns the feature Island Batik fabric. They are South Seas Shuffle Quilt and Timberland Tumble Quilt. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/
SSS Cover
TT Cover
Blue Bear says hi!
Blue Bear
Please let him know how much you like his Dashing Diamonds quilt, by writing to him in the comments. The comment box is at the top left of the blog post, below Reed’s picture. There will be a pattern coming out for Dashing Diamonds this summer.
The other amazing Island Batik Ambassadors are also posting their May Triangle Tricks Challenge projects. Check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.
I have completed my February project as an Island Batik Ambassador and I am so excited to share it with you. This month is a blog hop and if you check out the Island Batik blog, you can enter each week to win a fat quarter bundle of some of the fabrics that the Ambassadors are using in their projects. I will show the other fabric collections later in this blog post and there will be a link to the giveaway from Island Batik.
Row by Wow Blog Hop
The February project was to make a row by row quilt using an upcoming fabric line from Island Batik. I was so excited when the fabric I was given to use was Evergreen and Pine by Kathy Engle. Just look at this gorgeous collection of green and tan batik fabrics. The Evergreen & Pine Batiks may be found at your local quilt shop that carries Island Batik, such as Fabric Smart in St. Petersburg FL. You may find them online at www.fabric-smart.com or call them at 727-914-8850.
Evergreen & Pine
The quilt I made is called Timberland Tumble. It is a large lap quilt size 56″ x 77.” This is a striking quilt with a different block in each row. I think it is sometimes difficult to come up with fabrics and quilt patterns that would be appropriate to make for a man, but I feel this quilt accomplishes that and would be an awesome quilt to make for the men in your life. This quilt is easy to make as it is composed mainly of half square triangles, a few squares and maybe a quarter square triangle or two.
Timberland Tumble Quilt
TT location
I will have a pattern coming out in March 2022 for this quilt after the testers are done testing the pattern. The batik bundle I was provided was the Evergreen and Pine collection by Kathy Engle. Look at this glorious selection of green and tan batiks. These fabrics were so beautiful that it was really hard to cut them up.
Evergreen and Pine
E&P
Row by Row quilts are made with rows of quilt blocks, with each row distinct from the others. I decided to showcase the wide world of blocks that can easily be made from half square triangles. Although all of these blocks can be made from half square triangles, and a few squares and quarter square triangles, I did construct a few of the blocks using larger quarter square triangles and trapezoids as I wanted to showcase the fabric and have less seams to sew after cutting the pieces with my Accuquilt Go! Big Cutter. Here is a picture of using the Accuquilt cutter to cut out some of the shapes.
Accuquilt cutter
You can see that it makes beautiful cuts which are so easy to piece together. Also, I love the fact that there are no dog ears to trim and if you do a really accurate job of sewing your 1/4″ seam, there is nothing that needs to be trimmed. This really saves a lot of time and effort.
I downloaded the images of the fabric collection into my Electric Quilt software, which is the software I use to design quilts. This is what the quilt looked like in the software. I have included a couple of close ups of the blocks with the gorgeous Evergreen and Pine fabric in them.
TT EQ8
row 10
row 5
row 6
I also like to often piece the backs of my quilts, which I did for this one. I used some of the fat quarters that I did not use in the quilt to add some interest to the back of the quilt. Here is picture of the back. If you are on TikTok, be sure to check out the video I have posted with me and the quilt. (Look for Blue Bear Quilts)
back of the quilt
To quilt the quilt on my Bernina 770 QE, I did stitch in the ditch with the edgestitch #10D foot, which was easy to do as there was a square grid of the half square triangle shapes. I used black 50 wt. Aurifil thread on the front and a tan on the back. Schmetz Needles sent the Ambassadors some of their needles and I used a 70/10 quilting needle. I used Hobbs Premium Polyester Poly-down batting. I had never used this batting before and it was very easy to quilt on my Bernina. Hobbs Poly-Down Batting is made with very fine, white, denier polyester which enables the batting to provide a soft feel and lovely drape. It is prized by machine quilters for its wonderful loft which accentuates quilting details. It is also very light weight.
Polydown_batting
The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:
Island Batik Evergreen and Pine for the top and Pearl for the backing.
The other amazing Island Batik Ambassadors are also posting their February Blog Hop quilts. For this week in the blog hop, on Tuesday, Suzy Webster and Connie Kauffman posted on the Contempo fabric line and on Thursday, Brianna Roberts and Sandra Starley will be posting on the Graphic line from Island Batik. Check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.
Be sure to check out the other amazing Row by Row quilts (I have seen some amazing quilts so far) and all the fabulous new Island Batik Collections!
I am so excited to be an Island Batik Ambassador for 2022.
Each month, I will be sharing a different project using upcoming fabric lines from Island Batik.
Unboxing video
If you would like to see my unboxing video, where I show all of the fabric and batting Island Batik and Hobbs sent to me, here is a link to my YouTube video: https://youtu.be/Q-MN2HbI6dg. Be sure to subscribe and click the bell so the you will be notified when I post more videos.
For the month of January, the challenge was to create a step by step quilt using the Island Batik basic line of Gradations.
01 – Step by Step Challenge
The quilt I made is called South Seas Shuffle. It is a large lap quilt size 56″ x 62.”
South Seas Shuffle Quilt.
South Seas Shuffle Quilt
This is a modern quilt using the traditional flying geese block. It’s modern in that the geese are going in many directions, there are large white negative spaces and there are partial seam blocks in the construction of the quilt. I will have a pattern coming out in February 2022 for this quilt after the testers are done testing the pattern. I also will have a YouTube video for how to sew the partial seam block unit in this quilt. The batik bundle I was provided was Brilliant Blues. Look at this glorious selection of blue batiks. Island Batik developed ten different colorways of gradations with 20 steps in each. There are so many quilt projects that make use of gradations in color and value. Yardage for the Gradation Batiks may be found at your local quilt shop that carries Island Batik, such as Fabric Smart in St. Petersburg FL. You may find them online at www.fabric-smart.com or call them at 727-914-8850.
BB Bundle
Brilliant Blues
The idea behind the step by step challenge was to incorporate the gradation of light, medium and dark colors into a quilt. Sometimes it is difficult to determine if a color should be placed into the light, medium, or dark category. In order to do that, it helps to place them next to each other. If it is still too difficult to determine, a little trick is to take a picture of them and then use the filters in your phone’s camera app to turn the picture into a B&W monochromatic picture. Then it is easier to see the differences in values. Squinting at the photos and fabrics helps as well. In the photos below, it looks like the 1st and 3rd batiks might be about the same value, but in the B&W photo, you can see the the 3rd batik is clearly lighter that the 1st. So in the color photo, the 1st batik is the dark, the 2nd and 3rd are the mediums and the 4th batik is the light value. The value of a fabric can change when you place different lights and darks next to it.
Color values
black and white image
I downloaded the images of the fabric collection into my Electric Quilt software, which is the software I use to design quilts. This is what the quilt looked like in the software.
South Seas Shuffle Quilt in EQ8
I used the measurements of the Accuquilt Flying Geese die to create the size of the blocks. Then the EQ8 software told me how much yardage I needed of each fabric and gave me the rotary cutting diagrams for the non-Accuquilt pieces.
Each one of the flying geese blocks has a blue batik with a light, medium and dark value. This creates the gradation in colors. I cut the blue batik quarter square triangles, which are in the flying geese blocks, using the Accuquilt cutter and die. Since the Accuquilt cutter and die cuts off the dog ears, it is easy to line up the pieces for sewing and there is no trimming that needs to be done after the pieces are sewn together.
When the quilt top was all sewn together, I took it outside to let the sun shine through the quilt as I knew these brilliant blue batiks would sing in the sunshine and wow did they.
SSS see through
Looking at this photo on my iPhone, I discovered something new called Lookup -Artwork. When I clicked on that, it showed me different artist’s works that were similar in feel to my quilt. I was amazed by what they came up with, so I though I would share those other artist’s works with you.
Other’s Artwork
Other’s Artwork
Other’s Artwork
Other’s Artwork
Other’s Artwork
To quilt the quilt on my Bernina 770 QE, I did stitch in the ditch with the edgestitch #10D foot.
Stitch in the ditch quilting
I did some quilting in the negative white spaces to mimic the flying geese that were in the other blocks. I used the Creative Grids “Chevy” ruler, designed by Angela Walters, to do this quilting.
Negative space quilting
I also wanted to do some echo quilting, which means quilting next to the seam lines, within the blue flying geese. So, I switched to a blue Aurifil thread and then used the Line Tamer ruler by Fourpawsquilting.com to get straight lines with my echo quilting.
Four Paws ruler
Echo quilting
I used a new Schmetz 70/10 quilting needle. Using new needle on a new quilting project just makes your life so much easier.
I used Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 Bleached batting as the quilt top had a lot of white in it and I did not want the batting to show through the fabrics. This batting was very easy to quilt on my Bernina. It is fairly thin and gives your quilt a beautiful drape and also lays fairly flat. It is also light weight and breathable so it makes a good batting for a summer quilt or if used in a warmer climate. It’s loft is 1/8″; it’s shrinkage is 3-5% and the maximum stitch distance when quilting is 4.”
HobbsHeirloom8020Bleached
What I liked about using Island Batik fabrics:
The colors are so vibrant.
There is a wonderful texture in the fabrics.
They have very little fraying after they have been cut.
They produce very little lint in your sewing machine.
They are tightly woven, yet very light. I had been working with the batiks for awhile and then switched to regular quilting cotton. I thought the quilting cotton was so heavy that I had a double layer, but I did not. The light weight of the batiks would make for an overall lighter quilt, depending on your batting and how much quilting you put onto the top.
The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:
Island Batik Foundations Fabrics: Brilliant Blues, White, and Black for the top and Pearl for the backing.
Blue Bear likes this quilt because of its fabulous blue colors. He hopes you like it too!
Blue Bear with quilt
The other amazing Island Batik Ambassadors are also posting their first quilts of the year. They are all making wonderful gradation quilts in a rainbow of colors. Check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.
Be sure to scroll to the bottom to see our brand new pattern for Sunbonnet Sue! Blue Bear Quilts is participating with approximately 30 quilt designers in Quilt Block Mania. The theme for October is Family. At the very bottom, you can see links to all of the wonderful Family blocks. Blue Bear Quilts has created a free pattern for you. It’s called the Gathering Block. Here’s the block. What do you think? The fabrics in the photo below are from my stash.
Gathering block
When one thinks of family, you may think of gatherings for holidays, or parties, or celebrations, or just gathering at the dinner table. We call this block Gathering as it looks like people gathered together around a table on a gorgeous tiled floor. You can decide what your gathering will be. Please let us know what gathering you are thinking of when you create the block and then post a picture on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #bluebearquilts.
Here is a photo of the block that I sewed up with fabrics from my stash. This pattern creates the block using a stitch and flip, or clipped folded corner method. We give you instructions for making the block either way.
Sewn gathering block
If you are not familiar with the folded corner method, it is a way to stitch, cut and sew several pieces in a block together at the same time. It can be done by drawing diagonal lines on the back of one piece; then stitching on the line and then trimming 1/4″ away from the line. Or, it is slightly easier and quicker to use a ruler such as the Creative Grids Folded Corner Clipper which is shown in the photo below. To use the ruler, you place the two fabrics right sides together, trim of the corner of both pieces, at the same time, and then stitch 1/4″ next to the edge you just trimmed. The next photo shows how you align the ruler on the fabrics prior to trimming. Next, there are pictures of the trimmed and sewn corners, and what the back of the unit looks like when the corners are pressed. If you would like to watch a video to see how to do both the stitch and flip and the using the Folded Corners Clipper Tool, please head over to our YouTube channel and look for the video entitled: Cutting the Gathering Block. Here is a link to the Video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1T1opvZnI8
Folded Corner Clipper Tool
Placement of folded corner clipper tool
Front of trimmed unit
back of pressed block unit
This block makes an eye catching quilt just using this block. Here is what it looks like in a 16 block quilt, which measures 50 x 50″ with a 1″ finished border.
Gather Together Quilt
If you would like to download a free PDF pattern of our block, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the free pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Please note: This pattern will only be free during the month of October 2020. Here is what the pattern cover looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this free pattern, you will like our other patterns as well. If you want to purchase anything else on our website, please do it in a separate transaction as other discounts may not work in conjunction with this free coupon code.
Gathering Block cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the free pattern as well as you have already been sent a newsletter on October 6th at 9 am which gave you the coupon code.
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks. You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
For all of you Sunbonnet Sue fans, We created a brand new appliqué quilt called Sunbonnet Sue Calendar Quilt. It features Sue and her adorable friend, Overall Sam, participating in many holidays and activities throughout the year. You can use he blocks in this pattern to create the lap size quilt, or you could make seasonal pillows, wall hangings or table runners. We hope you like this new pattern. Grab it now as it is on sale during the month of October. Happy Quilting!
Blue Bear Quilts is participating with more than 40 quilt designers in Quilt Block Mania. The theme for August is Back to School. At the very bottom, you can see links to all of the wonderful Back To School blocks. Blue Bear Quilts has created a free pattern for you. It’s called the Girl’s Favorite Block. Here’s the block. What do you think? The fabrics in the photo below are from QT Fabrics Rapture collection, which will be available in quilt shops in August 2020. Rapture is a fabric collection of colors that are just yummy.
Girl’s Favorite Block
Now when it comes to school, a girl might have many favorites, such as a favorite teacher, class or beau. She might even have a favorite hot lunch from the cafeteria. You can decide what your Girl’s Favorite will be. Please be sure to tell us what your favorite is when you create the block and then post a picture on Facebook or Instagram with the hashtag #bluebearquilts.
Here is a photo of the block that I sewed up with fabrics from my stash. In the pattern, we give you instructions fro both rotary cutting and Accuquilt cutting. With Accuquilt, you will use the dies from a 6″ Qube.
Sewn Girl’s Favorite Block
If you are not familiar with Accuquilt, it is a fabric cutting system. It uses a roller in a cutting machine, that rolls over a metal blade in a die, and as your fabric and the die go through the machine, the roller presses down on a mat, covering the fabric and die, and cuts out the fabric in the shape of the die blades. In this photo, there is an example of the half square triangle die. The metal blades are surrounded by the grey foam and this die cuts out 2 half square triangles at the same time. You can lay 6 layers of fabric on the die, so with this particular die, you can cut out 12 shapes with one pass under the roller.
Girl’s Favorite Block with Accuquilt die
This block makes a pretty interesting quilt just using this block. Here is what it looks like in a 16 block quilt, which measures 50 x 50″ with a 1″ finished border.
Girl’s Favorite Quilt
If you would like to download a free PDF pattern of our block, all you have to do is look for the box on our blog, on the right hand side, that says “Like this content? Sign up for free updates” and sign up to receive our newsletter. When you have done that, you will receive a welcoming email from us that will contain a coupon code and a link back to the free pattern. You will act as though you are purchasing the pattern and in the cart, you will apply the coupon code, which will make the pattern free. You will need to fill out contact information, but no payment method will be necessary. Don’t worry, we do not send out newsletters very often and we never sell email addresses or contact information. Please note: This pattern will only be free during the month of August 2020. Here is what the pattern looks like. It is in a format very similar to most Blue Bear Quilt patterns, so if you see what you like in this free pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.
Girl’s Favorite cover
Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the free pattern as well as you have already been sent a newsletter on August 4th which gave you the coupon code.
We are so happy that you stopped by to visit us in the Quilt Block Mania hop and we hope that you like our block. Please stop by to see all of the other designer’s wonderful blocks. You can click on the links to the other blocks here.
We have been very busy creating many patterns, which we hope you will enjoy. We’ve done Facebook Lives with other talented designers over the summer. We created a YouTube channel. And, we have our first fabric collection.
We have been busy sewing lots of face masks. We even found a Quilt in a Day scallop ruler which helped cut out the mask shapes. Even the bears got into the act. Silly Reed thought you could wear them on top of your head but Beauregard Bear showed him the correct way.
Reed with masks
Bear with mask
QIAD ruler
Our Quilt Cruise to Alaska did not happen in June due to the pandemic, but it was fun thinking about the possibility and we hope to schedule another quilt cruise in the future when we can all be together.
We have two new fun summer sailing patterns we created for Accuquillt. One is called Ahoy Mate Table Runner.
We have had a bunch of quilts in magazines. The first one was Firework Flowers in May/June 2020 Love of Quilting magazine.
Firework Flowers Quilt
Firework Flowers
Firework Flowers Quilt
This quilt brought some joy to my 4th of July this year.
Next was 50’s Diner in the May/June 2020 McCall’s Quilting magazine.
50’s Diner Quilt
may/june mccalls 2020
Can’t you just imagine drinking an ice cream soda at the soda fountain with your date?
Have you ever tried curved piecing like you would find in the Drunkard’s Path block? The Waverly Path quilt was in the July/August 2020 issue of Quiltmaker magazine.
Waverly Path
Waverly Path
QM July/August 2020
Finally, named after a grand niece, Thoroughly Modern Vivs was in the premier issue of Fons and Porter Quick and Easy Quilts. It was such an honor to be in this magazine with so many esteemed designers.
Modern Vivs Quilt
Quick-Easy
We created several patterns for Timeless Treasures new collections. They are There’s a Bear in My Watermelon Patch 2, using their One in a Mellon collection; Patriotic Polka, using their Treats Freedom collection; Adore Him, using the Come Let Us Adore Him collection; Peaceful Valley, using the Winter Blessing collection and Cowboy Claus, which uses the Ho Ho Hoedown collection. These fabric lines are at quilt shops now and you can purchase these quilt patterns on our website.
There’s a Bear in my Watermelon Patch 2
Patriotic Polka
Adore Him
Peace in the Valley
Cowboy Claus
On Facebook, we did four facebook lives covering a virtual trunk show, accurate cutting, fussy cutting tips and our top 20 favorite quilting notions. We also have a video debuting our first ever fabric collection. If you missed any of these, you can catch them all on our YouTube Channel.
Speaking of a new fabric collection, our first fabric collection is with QT Fabrics and it is called Coco Chic.
Coco Chic
Coco Chic Collection
It will be available in quilt shops in January 2021. This fabric collection was inspired by authentic 1920’s fabric from deep in the QT Fabrics archives. Wouldn’t it be fun to have a Great Gatsby or Roaring 20’s party using these fabrics from the time period. We see this fabric being used in quilts, bags, lady’s dresses and men’s shirts. We hope you are as excited about this collection as we are.
Be sure to ask you local quilt shop if they will be carrying Coco Chic. We have designed several quilts using the collection and will have demos on Youtube using the fabrics. Stay tuned for much more regarding this exciting fabric collection.
On August 4th, we will be participating in Quilt Block Mania, A blog hop with other designers, where they all will be giving away a free block pattern with the theme of Back to School. Watch for this coming soon! Keep on quilting. Oh, and Beauregard says Hi.
There is going to be a Quilter’s Eye Candy Trunk Show Event on Facebook from April 1st through April 10th. Since you can’t come to the designers, they are going to come to you. Many quilt pattern designers will be holding a trunk show on their Facebook page. These will be Facebook Live presentations that will be 15 minutes long and will occur throughout the day, on the hour, from 12-8 pm. EST. Blue Bear Quilts will be doing our trunk show on April 5th at 4 p.m.EST. We hope you will join us and also check out many of the other fabulous designers that will also being doing Facebook Live trunk shows. If you would like to become familiar with the different designers before their trunk shows, click on the links to go to their Facebook page. This should be a lot of fun! The schedule is listed below. #quilterseyecandytrunkshow #fblivetrunkshow #quilterscandytrunkshow
