Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Island Batik Log Cabin Blog Hop and give-away

Island Batik Ambassador Log Cabin Blog hop!  
Welcome to my day to show you Primo, by Ebony Love, of Lovebug Studios.

Disclosure:  As an Island Batik Ambassador, we are provided with the fabrics, Hobb's Heirloom cotton batting, Schmetz Microtex needles, Accuquilt GO! Die cutting system, and Aurifil thread used in this project.  
Primo has a lovely selection of designs and colors.  It features shades of berry, teal, navy and purple, with touches of gold, coral and pink.  The designs are more geometric, with swirls, circles, stripes and triangles, along with bricks.  

I contemplated the design I would use for weeks before cutting the fabric.  I did decide to go with my favorite book author and designer, Eleanor Burns from Quilt in a Day.  I looked at a few variations, but figured this Primo collection should be a basic version.  It didn't "speak" to me to have stars or something else added.  I wanted the fabric to do the talking.  

I also considered using Sprinkles for part of the background, but didn't end up using it.  Primo wanted to be front and center!  The Star.  The Top Banana, or Prime.  Primo.  I used almost all the fabrics in the collection, with the exception of one gold and one of the berry colors, because I wanted the center block to stand out.

So I sorted the 1/2 yard pieces, with the additions of the 2 yard cream brick, and navy stripe, into light, medium and darker shades.  I saved the navy stripe for the border and binding, so it's not actually in the top.  I wanted to go big.  

So, I cut a variety of 2 1/2" strips from the fabrics using the Accuquilt GO! die we received as Ambassadors, and sub cut into the sizes needed for the blocks, following the Scrappy version.  I actually pieced 30, for the queen size in the book, but opted to only use 25 in this.  It's a queen size measuring about 88" square. I'll probably make place mats with the other blocks, after adding a little more fabric on each side. 

Here are some progress photos.  

Some of the pieces cut for the first few rounds.  

A pile of partly assembled blocks.  You can see the lights and mediums starting to form the 2 sides of the cabin, around the "berry" swirl center.  History on this classic block says the center is the heart of the home, and the logs represent the bright days and darker nights of life.  Good times and bad.  I opted to use the basic Fields and Furrows layout, with the scrappy look of using about 18 different fabrics. It worked best with the blocks, and I think it's effective to showcase the fabrics and colors.

Once I had the top finished, I loaded it on Vanna, my Handi-quilter Amara long arm.  I used a grey swirl wide backing fabric I have, and Hobb's Heirloom Cotton batting with scrim, in a queen size.  I'm happy that their batting runs a little wider than the package says, because this quilt is big!  I did load it more to the right side, since I still need to access the bobbin case, and not having fabric to fight while cleaning the lint and replacing bobbins is a good thing.

I programmed the Prostitcher with a Handi-Quilter design called Clam with Swirls.  I had watched a video on how to make the clam alternate, so the shell of one meets the center top of the next level.  I wanted something with swirls, because of the swirls in the fabric. This design gave a great texture, and wasn't too much to overpower the Log Cabin design and the fabrics.  I quilted it with Aurifil 40-2, 1246 Dark Grey made for Long Arms.  It's 3 ply, and super for the speed and number of stitches, and was a great color to blend into the whole top.  You can see it, but it's not starring.  I'm so happy I've figured out more about this machine, there were no thread breaks!  I used 7 bobbins 2600 Dove for the bobbins, since it matched the backing.   

 Since it was pouring rain when I needed to get photos, I put it on my guest bed.  I like how the teal paint pulled out the aqua and teal fabric pieces.  
You can see a little of the quilting texture here. 

The stripe on the binding is fun!  You can see a little more of the 40-3 thread in the quilting here, too.  

Since it was really rainy, I only got a few quick photos on the clothesline in my yard.  I was hoping to find some great scenic locations, but the weather Tuesday had other plans.  (Yes, yesterday, because I'm still working on things and cleaning up the house, so I can move up, and the contractor had a few days of work to finish, but it's coming along.  Slow progress, but still, progress.)  And getting it completely done for an actual finish for the blog hop was accomplished.  The quilt is now in the wash, because the yard was muddy.  

Anyway, I hope you look for Primo in your favorite LQS, or ask them to carry it.  Since this is all made with 2 1/2" strips, it's a perfect beginner quilt (which was actually my first quilt, back in 1990, when I first took a Quilt in a Day class.)  

So, since you've read this far, I'll be giving away some scraps from this collection.  I have a 1/2 yard piece of one of the golds, and smaller pieces of some of the others.  Just comment that you follow my blog via email or Bloglovin, and if you've ever made a Log Cabin quilt.  I'll ship free to US and Canada, but ask that international batik lovers only comment if they're willing to cover the additional difference in shipping.  Your Flat Rate envelope will be worth it!  Give-Away closes March 8th, 2020.  I'll pick a winner from the comments. 
Please also visit the other features this week.  And enter the Island Batik give away, below at the Rafflecopter link.  


Monday, February 24




Tuesday, February 25




Wednesday, February 26


Maryellen McAuliffe You're here! 



Thursday, February 27



Friday, February 28

Blog Hop Round Up Week at Island Batik's blog



Thanks so much for visiting!  I appreciate it, and hope you follow me on Instagram and Facebook!  



Friday, February 7, 2020

February One Monthly Goal

Hi!  I'm linking up again with Patty from Elm Street Quilts, for One Monthly Goal
But you may remember I always have more than one goal.  

For this month, the Island Batik Ambassadors are doing a Log Cabin quilt and a blog hop.  My day to share is February 26, and I've been provided the Primo collection by Ebony Love.  
I haven't started yet, and forgot to get a pretty photo of the collection, but here's a few teasers.  It's shipping to stores this month.  






So, that will be coming soon.  
2nd goal is to get the Quilter's Planner Hexi Snowflake quilt finished.  I did start, and found a great feather design.  I either need to figure out how to "chunk" doing a pantograph on the border, and get it to go the correct direction, or will take the quilt off the frame when the center and bottom border is done, and turn it so I can add the design on the sides.  Either way, it's going to be a learning experience.  Then I'll quilt the Primo Log Cabin.  



Third goal is to get Mom's stuff cleared out, or stored, and be able to move up to the first floor.  My awesome neighbor (her daughter was my best friend growing up) offered to help  with the clean out, and we spent 2 hours today, doing the room Vanna will be moved to (the Handiquilter Amara long arm).  We got 3 more bags for donations, 5 more bags of trash, and started boxing things for a yard sale and to store for my brothers to choose from.  I need to finish cleaning out the dresser, chest and night stand, and the desk, and hopefully sell the furniture (including the futon, which is my brother's). and get the carpet up so I can have the wood floors finished, in the bedroom and this room.  Both carpets are more than 45 years old, and are so faded and worn, plus full of dust.  I really don't want carpeting in the Long Arm room, but will get an area rug for mine.  The "soon to be my" bedroom was painted the other day, and the closet is finished, so I just need to get more junk and the beds out, and the floor can be done.  I have a week to get it all done, before my handyman comes back to finish and get the floors ready to sand and refinish.  I hope that's all they need, but the bedroom has quite a few creaky spots, and I want that to get fixed.  I'm still looking for a new medicine cabinet and light for the bathroom, but I did start the shower curtain.  That will be finished this weekend, and Charley will install the cabinet and light next week. This is a Wilmington print called Floral Serenade.  I make fancy shower curtains, and this matches my deep pink towels, as well as a set of lavender ones.  I'll share photos soon. 

 Little steps forward, but moving the right way.  After that, I'll work on the kitchen again.  Mom's doing well in the facility, so that's a load off my mind.  She was very happy to have me do her nails the other day.  She was chatty, and enjoyed the donut hole treat I brought in for her.  I'm just glad I got her to smile and she was making a few funny faces at me.  It's such a relief from the past 4 years, but I'm still trying to figure it all out, going back to being a daughter (who also helps care) and my business, as well.  

Thanks for visiting, and I'll be back soon!