Island Batiks Sock Hop Blog Hop And Give-Away

Welcome to the Sock Hop Blog Hop!  I'm Maryellen, from Mary Mack Made Mine, and I'm honored to be an ambassador, and your host for today's fun!  

Don't you just love classic hits from the 1960's?  The collection of fabric I used for this hop is called Down in the Boondocks.  This song was a hit in 1965.  Here's a video of Billy Joe Royal's live version.  I loved that Island Batiks named the collections after classic hits.  What fun!

This collection from Island Batiks is just so pretty.  I love the pineapple print and the teals.  I used the following SKU's in my bed runner, featuring the Sister's Choice block.

Dark teal (fish print) 12146099.  Light teal floral 12142097  Cream with pineapples 121414101
Olive brown pineapple 121414104  Cream with grass texture 121416098 and Olive Brown Sea Grass 121411103 

The Sister's Choice block is also a classic, and so easy, but looks tricky.  I made mine a 15" block to make the math easy for a beginner, and to let the fabric shine.  Each square will be 3" finished, 3 1/2" unfinished.  You can do one, by making EIGHT 3 1/2" HST (Half Square Triangle) units and 3 1/2" blocks as needed, or make the runner that I made, with the directions attached below. This this could be a 12" block if you use 2 1/2" squares (and make a sampler quilt featuring all the designs from this hop).

Here's a photo of one block.

I picked both cream prints from my collection, to add a little more texture to the block.  The center 9-patch area uses the Pineapple in cream, and the outer blocks feature the seagrass pint.  

I had fun designing the quilting, too!  I used Aurifil 50wt Mako in 2324 for the background.  I did a circular feather in the blocks, like sea anemones, and waves in the sashing.  I used 2810 (dark teal) to quilt shell designs in the cornerstones, 5006, Light teal to quilt the feathers in the inner border, and 2372 to quilt the outer border.  5 bobbins were used, and no thread breakage in the entire top.  And not much lint.  I just adore Aurifil!  The colors work so well with Island Batiks, too!  

I also made a pillow, from the extra fabrics.  It makes a nice set to add a little color and warmth to your bed.  

The full pattern is downloadable on Island Batik's FREE Pattern page. 

Thanks so much to Katie for all the work you did to make that possible.  

And thanks, also, to Rich at Ashley Furniture Homestore in Wind Gap, PA for allowing me to photograph my quilt on your furniture.  

The other collection I had was Dancing In the Moonlight.  I love this one, too.  Those purples are so rich!  But when I was choosing, I felt Down In the Boondocks played better in my design.  

So, about the give-away!  Leave me a comment for one chance to win.  Get a second chance (second comment) by following my blog via email.  And a third chance by "liking" me on Facebook.  You can leave up to 3 comments. 

You will win a selection of Island Batiks fabrics, including 1 yard of the cat print in the Boondocks collection.  3 chances to win one prize.  This will close on Monday, January 26 at midnight.  I need to contact you, so make sure I can reach you.  

Thanks for visiting!  I hope you went to the Island Batiks Blog and entered for their prizes, 2 complete collections! 

And, make sure you visit the rest of the bloggers, especially Island Batik.  They are giving away 2 bundles.  Some other bloggers have give-aways, too.  And inspiration.

1/12 – Island Batik – 
1/13 – Susan Vassallo Quilting Arts – Topsy Turvey Log Cabin
1/14 – Freemotion by the River – 54-40 in Running Water
1/15 – Beaquilter – Hunter Star in Crimson Tide
1/16 – One Quilting Circle – Flying Geese
** ME!! lol 1/17 – Mary Mack’s Blog – Sisters Choice in Down in the Boondocks
1/18 – Happy Cottage Quilter – Nine Patch in Johnny B Goode
1/19 – Kauffman Designs – Drunkard’s Path in Downtown
1/20 – Tamarinis – Pinwheel in Saturday Night Fever
1/21 – Bejeweled Quilts – Maple Leaf in La Bamba
1/22 – Six Gables Designs – Friendship Star in Full Bloom
1/23 – Purrfect Spots – Duck and Ducklings in No Particular Place to Go
1/24 – Inchworm Fabrics – Another Star in In the Summer Time
1/25 – Sew Fresh Quilts – Stepping Stones in Cry Me a River

Enjoy the rest of the hop, and thanks so much for visiting!