Tree Mini Quilt {Artsy Fartsy Finish}

My "artsy fartsy" project for this month is finished!

Here are the previous posts about this project:
Project Beginnings
Machine Applique
Quilting in Progress

Stepping back, I used a light aqua 50 wt. Aurifil to quilt loops in the sky area. I then trimmed the mini quilt into a rectangle.

I used a navy batik for the binding; I used a blue 28 wt Aurifil thread to do the final top stitching. I had never used the 28 wt. before and I really liked it for the binding -- it has more weight than the 40 or 50 wt. threads, but is not as thick as the 12 wt.

Now my tree mini quilt is finished!

As an Island Batik Ambassador, I am provided with samples of various lines of Island Batik fabrics and Aurifil threads to use and share with you!

Our challenge for this month was to make an art-style quilt with at least three different weights of Aurifil thread, and I think I succeeded at that task! I used four different colors of 50 wt. threads for the top stitching and FMQ. I used 12 wt. thread for the heart and 28 wt. thread for the binding.

Quilt stats:
Name: Tree Mini Quilt
Pattern: self-designed
Fabrics: Various Island Batik half yard cuts and scraps
Batting: scraps
Quilting: various FMQ designs using 50 wt Aurifil thread
Techniques used: FMQ, machine applique, topstitching with various stitches
Size: Approximately 25" x 12"
Started and Finished: July 2019

Sharing at Brag about your Beauties!

Quilting in Progress {Artsy Fartsy}

I need to come up with a better name for this project than "The July Island Batik Ambassador project using Aurifil thread to make a tree with traces of my and my husband's hands." Suggestions?

This project, whatever I might decide to call it, is now in the quilting stage. As an Island Batik Ambassador, I am provided with samples of various lines of Island Batik fabrics and Aurifil threads to use and share with you!

I used an emerald green 50 wt. thread to quilt swirls and echos in the leaves; I used the same emerald green thread to quilt scallops in the grass. I used the same tan-gold thread that I used to do the blanket stitching on my tree trunk to quilt squiggles on the tree trunk.

Here's the back of the piece, taken at the same time I took the above photo. I picked a darker teal fabric for the backing and for all of the quilting that I have done so far, I used the same color in the bobbin as in the spool.

Next up will be quilting the sky areas, trimming it, and binding it.

Branches and Leaves {Artsy Fartsy}

Did you manage to figure out what I'm making for my Aurifil and Island Batik challenge project this month?

Which of the five backgrounds do you think I picked? What do you think I'm making?

If you guessed the top aqua and using the hands to make the trunk of a tree -- you were right!

This project is going to be all machine applique and almost no piecing! To stitch the edges of the tree, I used a gold-tan 50 wt. Aurifil thread and a blanket stitch.

I was initially hesitant about the light thread on the dark brown fabric, but I think it actually works really well.

Next I added a piece of green for grass, using an olive green 50 wt. Aurifil thread for this stitching, but used a different stitch, a cross-hatch like stitch, to sort of give the impression of blades of grass.

I used the same thread for top stitching all of my leaves -- I used two different green fabrics for the leaves and used a blanket stitch for the leaves.

Next came switching over to the 12 wt. peach thread to create a heart on my tree trunk! Having used the 12 wt. thread a few times previously, I have found that I like to use a lighter weight thread in the bobbin and stitch slightly slower than my normal cheetah speed.

Here's my mini quilt top, ready to be quilted!

I have used two different thread weights so far -- 12 wt. and 50 wt. -- and I have a few other 50 wt. threads set aside for quilting as well. I'm not 100% settled on what other thread weight I will add into this project, but I have some ideas!

My very cheesy, slightly arty quilt is turning out pretty cute and I'm very pleased with it! It might not truly fit the "art quilt" moniker, but it's about as artsy fartsy as I'm going to get!

Tracing Hands and Making Plans {Artsy Fartsy With Aurifil and Island Batik}

This month our Island Batik challenge theme is Artsy Fartsy! The ambassadors have been tasked with making a project that uses at least three different weights of Aurifil thread. We are supposed to channel our inner quilt artists to create something Artsy Fartsy!

As an Island Batik Ambassador, I am provided with samples of various lines of Island Batik fabrics and Aurifil thread to use and share with you!

My plan for this month is to make a fun mini quilt for my hallway that is art quilt-inspired. But also, it's a little on the cheesy side and I had to enlist my lovely husband for the project too.

While its hard to see in this picture (and slightly easier to see in the second picture) I traced the hand and forearm of myself and my husband. He only agreed to participate if he did not appear in any pictures, so action shots of me tracing his hand are unavailable.

Next up, I pulled out a great brown Island Batik blender to use for these appliques.

A little trimming (and smoothing) later, I have a lady hand and a man hand for my project.

I pulled a number of half yard cuts and larger pieces for my background.

What color do you think I decided on? Any guesses on what I'm making here?

Happy Monday!

Patriotic Dresden {June IBA project}

I've finally managed to dedicate some time to working on my Island Batik Ambassador project for this month!

My original plan has been slightly modified -- more in name and less in execution. Rather than making a mini quilt to hang for the patriotic holidays, I'm now planning to make a round table topper for my patio table. The rest of my plan is the same -- a Dresden Plate with strip pieced wedges on a white background. As an Island Batik Ambassador, I am provided with samples of various lines of Island Batik fabrics, Aurifil thread, and Hobbs batting to use and share with you!

After measuring my patio table, I decided that my wedges needed to be 12.5" long, so my strip pieced sections will be made of six 2.5" strips. My strip sets ended up looking quite wonky since I was working from scraps.

I cut 12 wedges from my scrappy strip sets.

Next came creating the points of my wedges.

I then sewed the wedges into sets of three and then my plate quarters into a single plate.

At this point, my Dresden plate is about 24" across and I cut a 30 inch square of white Island Batik solid for my background. I used blue thread to applique the plate to the background fabric. Lots of pins were required!

I used an older piece of Island Batik yardage in teal for the backing and used white thread to do the quilting. I quilted stars and loops to go along with my patriotic color scheme.

After quilting, I measured approximately 2 inches from the tip of each point to create a circle for trimming my square-ish piece into a circle. Next up is preparing the bias binding and finishing the table topper!

Sharing at Oh Scrap!

Orphan Block Mini Quilt {A Little Finish}

I made a mini!

This 12.5" block has been hanging around in my pile of orphan blocks since at least 2014. Yes, 2014! This block came to me as a swap block, when I participated in a monthly block swap on Flickr. (Takes me way back!)

I used many of the other blocks to make these baby quilts but this was one of the blocks whose color scheme wasn't exactly right.

I was just in the mood to do a little FMQ and burn through some batting scraps. I quilted this with white Aurifil in a meander. The backing is "vintage" Anna Maria Horner -- this is a Bubble Burst print from the Innocent Crush line.

The binding is the same bias binding that I used on my Blooming Bear Tracks quilt that I shared last week! I used purple thread to topstitch the binding.

Sometimes you need to just make something quick and simple.

Quilt Stats:
Name: Pastel Mini Quilt
Pattern: 99% sure it's Double Aster from the Quilter's Cache
Fabrics: Scraps
Quilting: meander in white 40 wt. Aurifil
Size: 12" square
Started: the block was originally made in 2014!
Finished: March 2019
Future: doll quilt or mini quilt for my sewing room

Sharing at Brag about your Beauties!

Stars at Play {Finished Mini Quilt}

My latest mini quilt is complete! Making mini quilts was our "assignment" as Island Batik Ambassadors this month -- a fun and quick project was just the thing for me this month!

These fabrics all came in my latest Island Batik Ambassador goody box and I based my fabric pull around the mottled "peacock" accent fabric. As an Island Batik Ambassador, I am provided with samples of various lines of Island Batik fabrics to use and share with you! 

I decided to use our "in the pipeline" pattern Stars At Play in the mini quilt size for this project. I used this pattern last year to make a baby quilt! This mini is just a scaled down version of that quilt -- using 6" blocks instead of 9" blocks.

For the backing, I used a large cut of black solid batik (yes, this is a thing!) and layered it and the top with some pieced-together batting scraps. I decided on using the teal Auriful thread for the quilting but decided to use grey in the bobbin. Since the threads were just different colors of the same weight thread, I didn't run into any tension issues, which made the quilting process quick and easy!

I used a swirl-and-loop motif that I have used a few times before -- just in a smaller scale for the mini quilt.

For the binding, I used a grassy green batik. Instead of simple topstitching, I decided to go fancy and use a decorative stitch for sewing the binding to the front of the quilt. I used a leaf-shaped satin stitch (#25 on my Magnolia) in a chartreuse green Aurifil thread.

Now this quilt is ready to hang in my sewing room! 

Quilt Stats:
Name: Stars at Play Mini
Pattern: Stars at Play
Size: 24" square
Fabrics: Various Island Batik fabrics -- a half yard of the main peacock print; 5" strips of other fabrics
Quilting: curls and loops
Started: February 2019
Finished: February 2019

Sharing at Brag about your Beauties and Linky Tuesday!

Stars at Play Mini {Magnificent Minis with Island Batik}

This month, our Island Batik Ambassador theme is mini quilts! 

As an Island Batik Ambassador, I am provided with samples of various lines of Island Batik fabrics to use and share with you! 

We were tasked with making mini quilts less than 24" square, and I knew just what I wanted to make! 

You might remember my Stars at Play quilt that I made last summer as an IB Ambassador project. 

Amanda and I have been working on getting this pattern finished and I decided to make my own version of the mini quilt for this pattern using my new IB fabrics.

Here are the fabrics that I pulled initially for this project:

The "peacock" fabric on the bottom (yes, that's its actual catalog name!) is my main fabric for this mini quilt and the cream print will be the "background" fabric. The rest of the assorted fabrics will be used to construct my Missouri Star blocks. I pulled out the lime green and don't plan to use it at all; I pulled out the green on the left side to use as the binding.

Here are my fabrics all cut:

I've started working on the block units for the Missouri Star blocks -- these are much smaller than my first go-round with this pattern!

Square in a square units:

Half square triangles prior to trimming: 

Hopefully next week I will have some finished blocks to show you! Don't forget to enter to win some Island Batik fabrics for yourself in my post from Wednesday!