Blue Bear Quilts – Page 3 – Blue Bear Quilts

Posted on September 6, 2022September 4, 2022 by Reed — 6 Comments

Quilt Block Mania-Cook’s Tools Block- Complimentary Block Pattern for September 2022

Fall is coming and we are cooking up something good with this month’s theme of careers for September 2022. You will find many different occupations in this month’s blocks. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of September 2022, Cook’s Tools, is a great one for making a wall hanging or large potholder for the kitchen. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases of other patterns, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.

During September 2022, we are offering 20% off two of our newest patterns. They are The Good Shepherd pattern and the Festival of Light pattern. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/

Quilt Block Mania has 14 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- careers. There were no theme colors this month.

This is the Cook’s Tools block. This block features a red cooking pot with a tan wooden spoon on a white background.

The Cook’s Tools block would makes a great wall hanging, or a pot holder with a 1″ finished black outer border.

As a suggestion for how you could use this block, you could make a table runner with two blocks and then put an appliqué block or fancy quilting in the middle.

How to get the block

If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Cook’s Tools block for September, 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 complimentary 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. 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 complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.

Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of September 2022.

Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on September 6th which gave you the coupon code.

Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.

Be sure to look at my last blog post, which has the details for my August project as an Island Batik Ambassador, where I made a mini quilt for Blue Bear as he is always complaining that the quilts I make are too large for him. This quilt is only 12″ square. He is happy now.

Throughout the year, there will be tutorials, blog hops, giveaway, etc. I love batiks and I am so excited to share the projects that I make throughout the coming year with you. If you like my August Project, stay tuned for my September project which will be a making a 60 degree triangle quilt with a Studio 180 ruler and it will be revealed on my blog on September 22nd. It is a fall looking quilt and has a masculine southwest theme.

Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.

Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.

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.

Cars Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
Stethoscope by QuiltFabrication
Scales of Justice Quilt Block by Purple Dasies
The Tooth Fairy by Scrapdash
Farmer’s Market by Sugar Sand Quilt Co.
Firefighter Block by BoBerry Design Co.
My Hero by Inquiring Quilter
Teacher at Sew Joy Creations
Chef by Appliques Quilts and More
Eighth Notes by The Quilting Room with Mel
Podcaster Mic at Patchwork Breeze
Makeup Artist by Inflorescence
Mathematician by duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Cook’s Tools by Blue Bear Quilts

Posted on August 2, 2022August 1, 2022 by Reed — 8 Comments

Quilt Block Mania-Teal Gorilla Block- Complimentary Block Pattern for August 2022

It’s hot and we are ready for some cool breezes with this month’s theme of jungle for August 2022. There are some really cool jungle theme blocks this month. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of August 2022, Teal Gorilla, is a fun and playful one for making a child’s quilt. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases of other patterns, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.

In August 2022, we are offering 20% off two of our previous block of the month patterns. They are the Hearts Aflutter Block pattern and Budgie on a Branch pattern. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/

Quilt Block Mania has 12 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- Jungle. Here are the theme colors this month.

This is the Teal Gorilla block. This block features a teal gorilla with a light blue body on a melon green background.

Here is a photo of the Teal Gorilla block made with fabrics from my stash.

The Teal Gorilla block makes fun 32″ x 32″ small quilts or wall hangings with 4 Teal Gorilla blocks, a 1″ finished gray inner border and a 3″ finished dark teal outer border. These would make such fun quilts for a child or grandchild’s room.

How to get the block

If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Teal Gorilla block for August, 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 complimentary 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. 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 complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.

Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of August 2022.

Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on August 2nd which gave you the coupon code.

Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.

Be sure to look at my last blog post, which has the details for my July project as an Island Batik Ambassador, where I made a quilt featuring the Accuquilt Tree of Life Die.

Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.

Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.

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.

Hippo Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
Emerald Tree Boa from Inflorescence
Tiger at Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Snakes, Slugs and Snails at Scrapdash
Stacked jungle animals by Appliques Quilts and More
Palm Leaf by QuiltFabrication
Margaritaville by Inquiring Quilter
Chameleon Block by BoBerry Design Co.
Monkey Business at Patti’s Patckwork
Tropical Bloom
Jungle Vines
Toucan Quilt Block by Purple Daisies Quilting
Teal Gorilla by Blue Bear Quilts

Posted on July 5, 2022July 4, 2022 by Reed — Leave a comment

Quilt Block Mania-Zylophone Block- Complimentary Block Pattern for July 2022

Summer is here and we are ready for some summer concerts with this month’s theme of music for July 2022. There are a lot of great musical blocks this month. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of July 2022, Xylophone, is a fun and playful one for creating a modern quilt. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.

In July 2022, we are offering 20% off two of our newest digital download quilt patterns. They are the Riding the Waves quilt pattern and Chess Match table runner pattern. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/

Quilt Block Mania has 14 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- music. There are no theme colors this month, so I chose a colorful rainbow palette based upon a child’s xylophone.

This is the Xylophone block. This block features a rainbow of colors on a white background.

Here is a photo of the Xylophone block made with fabrics from my stash.

The Xylophone block makes a fun 57″ x 21″ table runner with 4 xylophone blocks, a 1″ finished gray inner border and a 3″ finished white outer border. I have also shown another version of the table runner where you rotate the blocks 180 degrees. I also show what the block looks as a couple of quilts.

How to get the block

If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Xylophone block for July, 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 complimentary 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. 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 complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.

Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of July 2022.

Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on July 5th which gave you the coupon code.

Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.

Be sure to look at my last blog post, which has the details for my June project as an Island Batik Ambassador, where I made a quilt featuring New York Beauty blocks.

Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.

Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.

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.

Headphones Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
iPod by Inflorescence
Happy birthday at Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Player Piano by Scrapdash
I Love Rock’n’Roll by Appliques Quilts and More
Record Player by QuiltFabrication
In Treble at Sugar Sand Quilt Company
Bel Canto by Inquiring Quilter
Rock ‘N’ Roll Block by BoBerry Design Co.
Hawaiian Vibes by Patti’s Patchwork
Vintage Radio by Tamarinis
Quarter Note Block by Oh Kaye Quilting
Music Note by Powered By Quilting
Maracas
Xylophone by Blue Bear Quilts

Posted on June 7, 2022June 6, 2022 by Reed — 16 Comments

Island Batik Ambassador- June Project- New York Beauty Quilt

The world could use a little bit of beauty right now. I hope you will find some beauty, joy and inspiration from this month’s Island Batik blog hop. I have completed my June 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 along with a link to the giveaway from Island Batik and links to other ambassador’s blogs.

The June project was to make a quilt with New York Beauty blocks using an upcoming fabric line from Island Batik. I was so excited when the fabric I was given to use was Jewel Carvings by Kathy Engle. Just look at this gorgeous collection of batik fabrics. The Jewel Carvings 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.

The quilt I made is called Beauty Pageant. It is a large lap quilt size 49″ x 59.” This is a dazzling quilt has a diagonal row of New York Beauty blocks surrounded by intricate nine patch blocks.

I will have a pattern coming out later this summer or fall for this quilt after the testers are done testing the pattern. It’s always fun to find cool locations for the photo shoot.

The batik bundle I was provided was the Jewel Carvings collection by Kathy Engle. Look at this glorious selection of blue, teal, green and purple batiks. These fabrics were so beautiful that it was really hard to cut them up.

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. It’s pretty close to the real quilt don’t you think? I love how the white and black fabrics highlight the fabrics in the Jewel Carvings collection.

NY Beauty

New York Beauty quilts are called that as they have New York Beauty blocks in them. The New York Beauty block got its name as it has spikes just like the famous Statue of Liberty in NYC.

I decided to showcase the NY Beauty blocks as though they are walking on a central catwalk among a sea of admiring fans. The fans are all of the squares in the nine patch blocks. The spikes in the New York Beauty blocks are made with paper piecing so you can achieve those nice sharp points. You lay two fabrics right side together and then sew on the lines.

When you sew the other pieces to the arch with the spikes, there is curved piecing involved. I wanted to make sure that the pieces lined up correctly as I slowly sewed a quarter inch along those gentle curves. Thus, a lot of pinning was involved. This will insure success with those curves. When you press, the block will naturally tell you which direction it wants to be pressed. What’s great about working with Island Batik fabric is that there is no right or wrong side, making the paper piecing much easier and, that the fabrics cut, and press, nice and crisp.

To sew the smaller nine patches, I sewed long strips together and then sub cut units into the appropriate sizes. I then chain pieced the smaller nine patches to the larger nine patch pieces. Mama always said that the back of the block should look as neat as the front.

New York Beauty blocks can be a little challenging to sew and thus even though my blocks look pretty accurate, I knew there could be trouble if I had to place the blocks right next to each other. Thus, I decided to separate them with sashing. This is a good little trick if you are worried that the seams of your blocks may not line up properly. It also creates some definition to the blocks.

I used Amanda Murphy’s Good Measure Circle rulers to quilt some circular designs around the squares in the nine patch blocks. These rulers work well with the rulerwork foot on my Janome 6600. I also used some of the Creative Grids quilting rulers by Angela Walters. I used white and black 50 wt. Aurifil thread on the front and a teal on the back. I used a 70/10 quilting needle from Schmetz Needles. For the batting, I tried Hobbs Tuscany Collection Silk batting. I had never used this batting before and it was very easy to quilt on my Janome. Hobbs Tuscany Silk Batting breathes naturally, making it an excellent choice for airy, lightweight quilts, and while it’s a cool quilt, it can also provide excellent warmth. Hobbs Tuscany Silk Batting is a blend of 90% very fine imported silk filaments and 10% fine polyester, ingredients which are carded and bonded to help retard bearding and fiber migration.

The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:

Island Batik Jewel Carvings for the top.

Aurifil 50 wt Thread

Hobbs Tuscany Silk Batting

Schmetz 70/10 Quilting needle

Thank you Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting, and Schmetz Needles.

If you are on TikTok, be sure to check out the video I have posted of me with the quilt. (Look for Blue Bear Quilts)

Blue Bear hopes you are ready for summer. Please let him know how much you love the this quilt by writing to him in the comments!

The other amazing Island Batik Ambassadors are also posting their June Blog Hop New York Beauty quilts. Check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.

Week 1

June 6:

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail
Elizabeth DeCroos, Epida Studio

June 7:

Reed Johnson, Blue Bear Quilts
Andi Stanfield, True Blue Quilts

June 8:

Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

June 9:

Jennifer Fulton, Inquiring Quilter
Mania Hatziioannidi, Mania for Quilts

June 10:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway

Week 2

June 13:

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations
Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine

June 14:

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts
Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum

June 15:

Michelle Roberts, Creative Blonde Gifts
Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

June 16:

Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese
Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs

June 17:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

Week 3

June 20:

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia
Brianna Roberts, Sew Cute and Quirky

June 21:

Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads
Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts

June 22:

Megan Best, Bestquilter
Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

June 23:

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt
Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

June 24:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 3 and Giveaway

Week 4

June 27:

Jane Hauprich, Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting
Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

June 28:

End of Blog Hop and Final Round-Up

The week one giveaway of the Blog Hop started on Friday, June 3rd. Two lucky winners will each get a Fat Quarter bundle of a complete Island Batik collection by Kathy Engle – the luminous Jewel Carvings or the bold Nightshade!

To enter for your chance to win one of the two prizes above, follow the simple Rafflecopter prompts below.

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d463e29d40/

This giveaway ends June, 10 at 11:59 pm PST. Two random winners will be notified by email on June, 11 and announced on the Island Batik Facebook page on June, 14. If the winners do not respond within the first two days after being notified, two new random winners will be chosen and notified.

Make sure to follow Island Batik on social media to hop along with the New York Beauty Blog Hop. Be sure to check out the Island Batik Blog at https://islandbatik.com/new-york-beauty-blog-hop/#more-61710

#islandbatikambassador #islandbatik #iloveislandbatik #hobbsbatting #aurifil #aurifilthread #schmetzneedles #doyoueq #Janome

Posted on June 7, 2022June 6, 2022 by Reed — 8 Comments

Quilt Block Mania-Whirlpool Block- Complimentary Block Pattern for June 2022

Summer is here and we are heading to the ocean and Quilt Block Mania is ready with this month’s theme of under the sea for June 2022. There are a lot of great seaside blocks this month. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of June 2022, Whirlpool, is a fun one for toddlers or to create a modern quilt. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.

In June 2022, we are offering 20% off two of our newest digital download quilt patterns. They are Buckles Quilt and Buttons and Bows Quilt. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/

Quilt Block Mania has 17 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- under the sea. Here are the theme colors for this month.

This is the Whirlpool block. This block features appliquéd medium and dark blue swirls on a light blue, orange and red orange background.

Here is a photo of the Whirlpool block made with fabrics from my stash.

The Whirlpool block makes a fun 52″ x 24″ table runner with 3 Whirlpool blocks, a 2″ finished light blue sashing and inner border and a 4″ finished medium blue outer border. I have also shown a couple of other versions of the table runner which are created by reversing the half square triangles in the background. You also can turn the block into a 16″ pillow cover to brighten up your home. We have a pattern called Wonky Hearts Pillow, in our shop, if you would like a pattern for making the pillow cover. I also show the block as a quilt.

How to get the block

If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Whirlpool block for June, 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 complimentary 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. 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 complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.

Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of June 2022.

Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on June 7th which gave you the coupon code.

Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.

Be sure to look at my last blog post, which has the details for my May project as an Island Batik Ambassador, where I made a quilt featuring triangles. In May, I also had a quilt featured in the Australian Make Modern Magazine, Issue 46. Be sure to check it out. You can order a copy or subscribe to the magazine from the affiliate link on the right hand side of my blog.

Throughout the year, there will be tutorials, blog hops, giveaway, etc. I love batiks and I am so excited to share the projects that I make throughout the coming year with you. If you like my May Project, I can’t wait to share my June project with you. It will be a project that features New York Beauty blocks in it.

Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.

Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.

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.

Lobster Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
Poseidon by Appliques Quilts and More
Fish by Mom and Me Quilting Co
Be a Mermaid by Inquiring Quilter
Looking Through the Waves by Inflorescence
Clownfish at Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Follow Me Fish at Scrapdash
Whale of a Tale by Faith and Fabric
Seashell by Penny Spool Quilts
Flying Fish by Perkins Dry Goods
The Great Escape by Heidi Pridemore
Seashell by QuiltFabrication
Sand Dollar by Sugar Sand Quilt Company
School of Fish Block by BoBerry Design Co.
Deco Oyster by Jessica of Blue Sky Modern Craft
Octopus by Patchwork Breeze
Wave Quilt Block
Whirlpool by Blue Bear Quilts

Posted on May 14, 2022 by Reed — 8 Comments

Island Batik Ambassador- May Project- Triangle Tricks Challenge- Dashing Diamonds

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

Here is the finished quilt and a close up of it.

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.

There where many birds in the park and this one was curious as to what I was doing.

The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:

Island Batik Mountain Gems collection and Mint and Bridgewater.

Aurifil 50 wt Thread (variegated)

Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 Bleached Batting

Schmetz 70/10 Quilting needle

Accuquilt Go! Big Cutter and 8″ Qube die

Thank you Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting, Schmetz Needles and Accuquilt.

accuquilt

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/

Blue Bear says hi!

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.

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations
Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts
Andi Stanfield, True Blue Quilts

Megan Best, Bestquilter

Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine
Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood
Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt
Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs

Brianna Roberts, Sew Cute and Quirky
Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

Michelle Roberts, Creative Blonde
Jane Hauprich, Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia

Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum
Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts

Elizabeth DeCroos, Epida Studio
Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail
Jennifer Fulton, Inquiring Quilter

Mania Hatzioannidi, Mania for Quilts
Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

#islandbatikambassador #islandbatik #iloveislandbatik #aurifil #aurifilthread #schmetzneedles #bernina #janome #EQ8 #electricquilt #hobbsbatting #accuquilt

Posted on May 3, 2022May 1, 2022 by Reed — Leave a comment

Quilt Block Mania-Marvelous Moth Block- Complimentary Block Pattern for May 2022

Things are starting to get buggy and Quilt Block Mania is ready with this month’s theme of bugs for May 2022. There are a lot of cool looking bugs with this month’s blocks. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of May 2022, Marvelous Moth, is sure to delight bug collectors everywhere. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.

In May 2022, we are offering 20% off two digital download quilt patterns. They are South Seas Shuffle Quilt and Timberland Tumble Quilt. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/

Quilt Block Mania has 15 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- bugs. Here are the theme colors for this month.

This is the Marvelous Moth block.

This block features an appliquéd teal and lime moth on a white background.

Here is a photo of the Marvelous Moth block made with fabrics from my stash.

The Marvelous Moth block makes a festive 44″ x 18″ table runner with 2 Marvelous Moth blocks, 1 center flower block of your choice, 1″ finished lime sashing and inner border and a 2″ finished teal outer border. You also can turn the block into a 16″ pillow cover to brighten up your home. We have a pattern called Wonky Hearts Pillow, in our shop, if you would like a pattern for making the pillow cover. I also show the block as a quilt and wallhanging. Yardage for all the examples is in the pattern.

How to get the block

If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Marvelous Moth block for May, 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 complimentary 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. 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 complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.

Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of May 2022.

Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on May 3rd which gave you the coupon code.

Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways.

Be sure to look at my last several posts, which have the details for my April project as an Island Batik Ambassador. In April, I made a memory bear from the Funky Friends Factory.

Throughout the year, there will be tutorials, blog hops, giveaway, etc. I love batiks and I am so excited to share the projects that I make throughout the coming year with you. If you like my April Project, I can’t wait to share my May project with you. It will be a project that incorporates triangle blocks in it.

Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.

Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.

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.

Ladybug Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
Snail by Appliques Quilts and More
Dragonfly by Mom and Me Quilting Co.
Aragog by Inquiring Quilter
Bugs in a Jar Quilt Block by Julia of Inflorescence
Christmas Beetle by Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Bug Jar Quilt Block
Butterfly by Penny Spool Quilts
Beetle Bug by Perkins Dry Goods
Caterpillar by QuiltFabrication
Jewel Beetle by Sugar Sand Quilt Company
Bumblebee Block by BoBerry Design Co.
Arachnid at Patti’s Patchwork
Butterfly Wreath by Jessica of Blue Sky Modern Craft
Marvelous Moth by Blue Bear Quilts

Posted on April 19, 2022April 19, 2022 by Reed — 7 Comments

Island Batik Ambassador- April Project- Funky Friends Factory Challenge- Melody Memory Bear

It is time to share my April project as an Island Batik Ambassador. This month’s challenge was to to make a stuffed animal using Island Batik fabric and a pattern from the Funky Friends Factory.

They have so many wonderful patterns to chose from so it was a difficult decision. Blue Bear said that he wanted another bear friend, so we decided on Melody the Memory Bear.

This is the cover of the pattern.

The idea behind the memory bear is to use a child’s outgrown clothing or a loved one’s clothing to make a memory bear. The Funky Friends Factory pattern was very well written and easy to follow. I don’t usually do this type of sewing, so I followed the pattern meticulously. There also was a blog entry where you could follow along with detailed notes and photos while making the bear.

I wanted my bear to have a natural look, so I used Island Batik’s Evergreen and Pine collection. The green and tan colors were perfect for this project.

The Funky Friends pattern has paper templates for you. I roughly cut them out and then pinned them to freezer paper. I then cut the template shape out carefully on the outside line. I was then able to iron the freezer paper template onto the various fabrics and then cut out the shapes. Some of the shapes 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 was able to cut several shapes at the same time and the bottom one could then be reversed if I needed a reversed piece of that particular shape.

The fabrics are sewn right sides together and a good amount of the sewing is straight lines. There are some curves, but they are very gentle and not difficult to sew. I carefully pinned the curved pieces together and slowed my sewing down for accuracy.

I used two old buttons I had for the eyes.

Once the bear is pieced and you have left an opening, it is time to stuff the bear with some poly fill stuffing. You stuff the head real good so that it’s easy to sew on the nose and mouth. The arms and legs are stuffed next and then finally the body. I wanted my bear to have a heart and to be kind, so I also stuffed him with a little red mylar heart.

Finally, I blanket stitched on the nose and embroidered his mouth and Buttons the Batik Bear was born.

From the back and sides, you can see all of the different beautiful Island Batik fabrics that I used.

The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:

Island Batik Evergreen and Pine collection.

Aurifil 50 wt Thread

Schmetz 70/10 Quilting needle

Funky Friends Factory Melody Bear Pattern

Thank you Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, funkyfriendsfactory.com

and Schmetz Needles.

We have two Spring quilt patterns for sale through the month of April. They are Golden Gate Park Table Runner and Spring Friends Table Runner.

Blue Bear says hi!

Please let him know how much you like his new friend, Buttons, by writing to him in the comments. The comment box is at the top left of the blog post, below Reed’s picture.

The other amazing Island Batik Ambassadors are also posting their April Funky Friends Challenge projects. Check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations
Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts
Andi Stanfield, True Blue Quilts

Megan Best, Bestquilter

Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine
Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood
Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt
Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs

Brianna Roberts, Sew Cute and Quirky
Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

Michelle Roberts, Creative Blonde
Jane Hauprich, Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia

Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum
Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts

Elizabeth DeCroos, Epida Studio
Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail
Jennifer Fulton, Inquiring Quilter

Mania Hatzioannidi, Mania for Quilts
Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

#islandbatikambassador #islandbatik #iloveislandbatik #aurifil #aurifilthread #schmetzneedles #bernina #janome

Posted on March 28, 2022March 28, 2022 by Reed — 4 Comments

Island Batik Ambassador- March Project- Italian Color Builder Challenge with Aurifil

I have completed my March project as an Island Batik Ambassador and I am so excited to share it with you. This month’s challenge was to to make a wall hanging using one of the Aurifil Color Builders.

The Aurifil Color Builders are twelve curated mini-collections inspired by (and named after) Italy’s most vibrant and colorful destinations. Each collection contains three large spools of 50wt thread — a warm, a medium, and a dark — within the location’s primary color palette. From the lemon groves of Sicily to the pink sand beaches of Sardinia to the clear teal waters of Capri to the stark city grey of Milan… each collection is crafted to evoke images of Italian landscapes. The colors were selected not only for their aesthetic appeal, but for their practicality in every day use. Click on the links at the bottom to see the other collections used by the Island Batik Ambassadors in their projects.

03 - Italian Color Builders — 03 – Italian Color Builders

I received Milan as my collection from Aurifil. Just look at this awesome collection of light, medium and dark grays. The colors included are 2600, 2610 and 5004. The blue batiks I used from Island Batik are part of their Brilliant Blues collection and I also used white, black and gray.

The wall hanging I made is a reflection on the beautiful Italian city of Milan and its size is 20″ x 20.” My inspiration for the wall hangin was the beautiful Milan Cathedral (In Italian: Duomo di Milano, which literally means Cathedral of Milan. The church is the largest church in Italy (excluding the Vatican), and 3rd largest in the world. It is the most visited tourist attraction in Milan.

Here are some interesting facts about the Milan Cathedral:

1. It took nearly six centuries to complete. The construction of the church began in 1386, and was officially completed in 1965 when the last bronze door was installed, although most parts of the building had been completed in 1813.

2. The church is based on a Latin cross form that covers 11700 square meters and can accommodate about 35000 people.

3. The building features a variety of architectural styles, such as Gothic, Neo Classic, Baroque, and Decorative Gothic, which is the main style.

4. Milan Cathedral has 135 spires on its roof, more than any other church in the world, and each spire is topped off by a sculpture of a biblical figure. The exterior of the church is decorated with 2245 statues sculpted on the facades of the church.

5. One of the nails reputedly from the Crucifixion of Christ has been placed in the cathedral. The Holy Nail is retrieved and exposed to the public every year, during a celebration known as the Rite of the Nivola.

I wanted to create the wall hanging in the graphic style of a vintage travel poster, such as this example of Florence.

I loaded the fabrics into my Electric Quilt Software and created this design.

I created the background sky and ground by stitching four of the Island Batik Brilliant Blues together and then appliquéd the white cathedral, with gray windows and black spires. Here is what it looked like with the appliqué pieces fused on and some of the decorative stitching in the windows and spires.

Then I decided to apply decorative stitches with my Bernina 770 to give the appliqué pieces some definition and texture. The light, medium and dark gray threads, from the Milan collection, worked perfectly with the white, gray and black from Island Batik. Here are some close ups of the decorative stitching.

Since the quilt is so graphic and boxy, I wanted to do some straight line quilting. I used a ruler foot for my Janome 6600 and a quilting ruler that I love from Four Paws Quilting called the Line Tamer. It has a slot down the middle that allows the ruler foot to ride in that groove and create a straight line with your quilting.

Here is the finished project.

I used the medium gray 50 wt. Aurifil thread on the front and on the back. Schmetz Needles sent the Ambassadors some of their needles and I used a 70/10 quilting needle. I used Hobbs Premium 80/20 Cotton/Poly Blend Batting. This batting is wonderful to quilt by hand or machine. It is made with a blend of 80% natural cotton and 20% fine polyester, is needle punched, and has a light resin bonding to provide exceptional strength and durability. Close quilting yields a flat, low-loft appearance, while more space between stitching lines yields a slightly higher loft.

The supplies I used to make this project were provided by:

Island Batik Brilliant Blues, white, gray and black.

Aurifil 50 wt Thread (Milan Color Builders box)

Hobbs Heirloom^® Premium 80/20 Cotton/Poly Blend Batting

Schmetz 70/10 Quilting needle

Thank you Island Batik, Aurifil Thread, Hobbs Batting,and Schmetz Needles.

We have two Spring quilt patterns for sale starting today and through the month of April. They are Golden Gate Park Table Runner and Spring Friends Table Runner.

Blue Bear says hi from Milan!

Please let him know how much you love this wall hanging by writing to him in the comments. The comment box is at the top left of the blog post, below Reed’s picture.

The other amazing Island Batik Ambassadors are also posting their March Color Builder Challenge projects. Check out their projects by clicking on the links next to their names to be directed to their blog posts.

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations
Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts
Andi Stanfield, True Blue Quilts

Megan Best, Bestquilter

Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine
Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood
Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt
Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs

Brianna Roberts, Sew Cute and Quirky
Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

Michelle Roberts, Creative Blonde
Jane Hauprich, Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia

Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum
Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts

Elizabeth DeCroos, Epida Studio
Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail
Jennifer Fulton, Inquiring Quilter

Mania Hatzioannidi, Mania for Quilts
Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

#islandbatikambassador #islandbatik #iloveislandbatik #hobbsbatting #aurifil #aurifilthread #schmetzneedles #doyoueq #bernina #janome

Posted on March 8, 2022March 6, 2022 by Reed — 2 Comments

Quilt Block Mania-Budgie on a Branch Block- Complimentary Block Pattern for March 2022

Spring is getting ready to appear any day and Quilt Block Mania is getting ready with a theme of birds for March 2022. There are a lot of fine feathered friends with this month’s blocks. Our complimentary block of the month for Quilt Block Mania, during the month of March 2022, Budgie on a Branch, will warm your heart and is the perfect design to place on a pillow, table runner or wallhanging. If you like receiving the complimentary blocks from Quilt Block Mania, please share this with your quilting friends on social media (please ask them to sign up for their own copy) so the designers can continue to do this every month. The designers thank you for your support, through your purchases, which allow us to offer these complimentary block patterns each month.

In March 2022, we are offering 20% off two digital download quilt patterns. They are Feeling Groovy Quilt and Scarborough Fair Quilt. The link to these patterns is here: downloadable-patterns/

Both of these patterns use the fabric line that we are giving away this month. The announcement of the giveaway is explained below.

Quilt Block Mania has 16 talented quilt designers creating blocks for this month’s theme- birds. Here are the theme colors for this month.

This is the Budgie on a Branch block.

This block features an appliquéd teal and lime bird sitting on a dark gray branch on a white background.

Here is a photo of the Budgie on a Branch block made with fabrics from my stash.

The Budgie on a Branch block makes a festive 31″ x 18″ table runner with 2 Budgie on a Branch blocks, 1″ dark gray sashing and inner border and a 2″ finished teal outer border. You also can turn the block into a 16″ pillow cover to brighten up your home. We have a pattern called Wonky Hearts Pillow, in our shop, if you would like a pattern for making the pillow cover. I also show the block as a quilt and wallhanging. Yardage for all the examples is in the pattern.

How to get the block

If you are new to our website and are interested in downloading a complimentary PDF pattern of our Budgie on a Branch block for March, 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 complimentary 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. 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 complimentary pattern, you will like our other patterns as well.

Please note: This pattern will only be complimentary during the month of March 2022.

Current newsletter subscribers, don’t despair! You will be able to download the complimentary pattern as well. You have already been sent a newsletter on March 8th which gave you the coupon code.

Be sure to follow us on our Instagram page, @bluebearquilts, as that is where we occasionally have giveaways. We are currently having a giveaway, during the month of March to celebrate National Quilting Month and the fact that we have reached over 1200 newsletter subscribers. We are so grateful for all of your support. Here is a picture of the fat quarter bundle of QT Fabric’s Brilliance line that is being given away along with a copy of the Feeling Groovy pattern. If you like this fabric, both of the patterns that we have on sale this month use this fabric line.

Be sure to look at my last post, which has the details for my February quilt project as an Island Batik Ambassador. The quilt is called Timberland Tumble and it is a row by row quilt as each row has a different block. There will be a pattern coming out in late March after the pattern testers are done testing it. The pattern for my January project called South Seas Shuffle is now available on my website.

Throughout the year, there will be tutorials, blog hops, giveaway, etc. I love batiks and I am so excited to share the projects that I make throughout the coming year with you. If you like my February Project, I can’t wait to share my March project with you. It will be a project emphasizing Aurifil thread and the city of Milan Italy.

Please follow me on social media so you don’t miss a thing.

Also, please check out our Tik Tok and YouTube Channels (Blue Bear Quilts) for more quilting fun and inspiration.

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.

Bird Quilt Blocks - Quilt Block Mania — Bird Quilt Blocks – Quilt Block Mania

You can click on the links to the other blocks here.

Birds on a Wire by Carolina Moore
Signs of Spring by Inquiring Quilter
Cute Bird by Powered By Quilting
Flamboyance by Becca Fenstermaker
Migration by Patti’s Patchwork
Peacock Quilt Block by Appliques Quilts and More
Blue Bird by by Mom and Me Quilting Co.
Chubby Chicken Block by Kaye Collins
Hummingbird Quilt Block by Julia of Inflorescence
Flying in Formation by QuiltFabrication
Birds Circling by Nancy Myers
Lorikeets by Sue Griffiths
Fly Away Home by Scrapdash
Puffin Head by Penny Spool Quilts
Birds in the Air by Perkins Dry Goods
There is always one
Budgie on a Branch by Blue Bear Quilts