Curvalicious {June Island Batik Project + Giveaway}

Update: Giveaway is closed and winner is noted below!

It's June! It's my birthday month! It's time to share the June Island Batik Ambassador theme and have a giveaway!

Curves, curves, curves! And like last month I've already picked out my project for this month -- I'm planning to make a two block mini quilt from Pen & Paper Patterns' Marigold pattern. I actually bought this pattern last year during May is for Makers!

Because I plan to use this pattern to make a larger sized quilt for myself or as a gift in the near future, I went ahead and ordered the recommended laser-cut templates from Burntwood and Acrylic on Etsy.

Here's my fabric pull for this project:

The orange and purple are from the stash builder rolls, but the two green prints are from the new Bonsai line from Island Batik! You'll be able to find this in stores later this summer!

My plan is to make two full flowers for my mini, but have them side by side rather than offset. The orange will be the flower fabric, and the purple will be the teardrop accents.

I was able to get all of the pieces cut quite quickly with the templates! For the teardrop accents, I traced the shapes onto the fusible web, ironed the fusible web onto the fabric, and then cut the shapes out.

Next, I'll be working on sewing all of the curves!

Onto the giveaway!

The giveaway this month will be your choice: Island Batik Fat Quarters in colors of MY choice -OR- cuts of any size in colors of YOUR choice -- it's a pick your poison kind of giveaway! Giveaway will close on Friday, June 16th.

To enter:
1. Let me know which you'd pick -- surprise fat quarters or fabrics in your favorite colors.
2. Anyone who shares this giveaway post (on your own blog, Pinterest, FB page, Twitter, etc.) gets one additional entry. Share this post and tell me in a second comment how you shared.

Our winner is Pamela!

Happy Monday to you! I am recovering from a whirlwind wedding weekend in Wisconsin (say that three times fast!) so I am in need of a good nap! Sharing at Linky Tuesday!

May is for Makers {Week 4: Peppermint Twist by Sharon Holland}

It's already Week 4 of May is for Makers! Time is flying!

This week, a Christmas quilt caught my eye -- maybe because I've had Christmas quilts on the brain lately!

I decided to purchase Peppermint Twist by Sharon Holland. This is another more advanced pattern but unlike some of my previous May is for Makers purchases I don't have anything in mind for this one quite yet. I definitely think this is super adorable and I'll be able to use my 60 degree ruler!

Do you like to challenge yourself with your quilting? What inspires you to learn new techniques?

May is for Makers {Week 3: Sugar Blossoms by Little Louise Designs}

It's week 3 of May is for Makers!

After my first two weeks where I picked patterns where I had fabric bundles/precuts in my stash that work well with each, I decided this week to pick something that could potentially work with scraps or a more random assortment of fabrics from my stash.

Enter Sugar Blossoms.

This pattern by Little Louise Designs caught my eye for lots of reasons -- one of them being that it is fun and bright. It's been rainy and dreary here in Maryland for what seems like weeks (although the sun is peaking out right now!) and I've been itching for some sunshine in my life.

I am strongly leaning towards this being a scrappy quilt (and potentially a scrappy baby quilt, because I always have to be prepared!) but also think this could be AMAZING adapted into some sort of a rainbow quilt!

So share with me: Are you a fabric before the pattern, or a pattern before the fabric kind of shopper? Or does it really depend? For me, it really depends, but more often than not I buy fabric before I know what I am going to specifically do with it.

Happy Monday!

May is for Makers {Week 2: Mulholland Drive by Sassafrass Lane Designs}

It's week 2 of May is for Makers!

This week I decided to pick something that has been on my Pinterest Quilt Inspiration board for what seems like forever.

May is for Makers is a great way to shorten those wishlists! 

This quilt is another effort to push my skills and make something more difficult (it is rated as "advanced" on Craftsy) and this one incorporates some paper piecing which I love! I will have to get my equilateral triangle ruler back from my sister before I start this one, but I don't think she'll mind because she actually bought me the fabric that I plan to use for this quilt! Enter Jungle Avenue:

I have a fat quarter bundle of the fabric as well as some additional yardage of the black floral print. It's not quite enough fabric for the throw size version, but I have lots of fabrics that I can pull from my stash to mix in. 

What have you bought this month to support makers?

May is for Makers {Week 1: Marigold Quilt by Pen + Paper}

If you haven't seen others post about it, Lindsey at LR Stitched is hosting/promoting May is for Makers.

Each week, we are going to buy a pattern from someone -- 5 weeks in May, 5 patterns from 5 designers that get a little boost of support!

Each Monday, I am going to share the pattern that I bought. I will chose each pattern on my own, none of these will be sponsored posts from the designers and I am going to make a concerted effort to pick a pattern from someone that I am not already "quiltfriends" with.

This week, I bought the Marigold Quilt Pattern from Pen + Paper Patterns.

Why I bought this pattern: 

To be perfectly honest, for the last year or so, I have felt relatively unchallenged in my quilt projects. I haven't worked with curves in any serious fashion since I finished my New York Beauty Quilt three years ago. So part of my choices for May is for Makers will be focused on challenging myself with some more difficult quilt patterns.

I think this quilt is just adorable (obviously!) and I definitely see this pattern as a little out of the box for me. I am thinking that I will make this quilt from some of my Bungalow stash.

Another cool thing about this pattern is that you can buy all of the necessary templates (if you don't want to make them yourself) from this Etsy Shop. I am not sure if I would buy templates just for one pattern, but I like that it is available as an option.

Are you joining #mayisformakers? What do you look for when pattern shopping?

Don't forget to come back tomorrow for Month #2 of the Summer on the Coast QAL!