Hi, and welcome to my day on the Try a Tool Studio 180 Blog Hop with Island Batik!
This month the Island Batik Ambassadors are trying a new (to us) tool from Deb Tucker and Studio 180 Designs, and using the Spring 2021 Collections. We hope to inspire you to check with your favorite Island Batik retailer and use a new collection for something fun. Island Batik provided us with the tool and the collection, plus 2 yards of dark and light fabrics, and Hobb's Batting, along with Schmetz needles and Aurifil thread.
I was sent the Moonlight Sky collection for Kate Colleran. It's a pretty grouping of cobalt blue, apple green, aqua, and shades of purple, plus black and white designs. The tjaps include fronds, stars, moons, and various other geometrics, as well as a checkerboard design, triangles and doves.
I was sent the Rapid Fire Hunter's Star Petite tool and Hidden Treasures Book to inspire the design.
I like using Studio 180 Tools. They make me a better piecer, and work in a variety of sizes. I have quite a few of them that I've purchased, and Hunter's Star was a bucket list quilt. This tool has you cut the trapezoid shape as a precision size, with oversized triangle and diamond shapes that you trim down. The book's instructions suggest 7" blocks, but I decided to make 8". The chart included with the tool has the cutting suggestions for the 5-8" finished blocks. I do like to go big, lol.
I looked at all of the designs in the book, and I have another pattern that uses the larger Rapid Fire Hunter's Star, and kept coming back to La Caribe. It's also in blue, aqua and lime, which may have influenced my decision, but I liked the layout, and that it was different from the traditional look. I did choose to do the alternate layout (lights and darks are reversed), and picked the blues, aqua and lime shades of the collection. I picked Sprinkles for the background.
From Hidden Treasures
To test out the tool, I cut enough pieces for a few blocks, and was happy with the mix. I continued to cut pieces from 9 fabrics from the collection, plus the blue Cheerio fabric and Sky for the borders, as well as one of the 1/2 yard collection pieces, Apple, that was in the latest box. I was quickly able to assemble 48 blocks. With the borders, it finishes at 74 by 88"
All pieced and trimmed, and perfect because the tool makes it easy!
I think the quilt looks like it belongs at my local pool!
Or by the mural of the beach scene on the bathhouse at the pool.
Rath Park in Franklin Square, NY. Thanks to the lifeguards who cooperated and held the quilt for photos! I wanted to get someone jumping off the diving board for a splash, but no one was on line. The colors work so well with the location!
Sun Deck at the pool.
I used Aurifil Forty-3 in 2710 Light Robin's Egg with Kim's Feather panto on my Handi-Quilter Amara with Prostitcher. Hobb's Heirloom Bleached Cotton 80/20 is inside, and a grey swirl wide back is on the back.
I used the Apple fabric to make a faux piped binding. I love the spark of green at the edge.
Please visit Jane's blog to see what she's done with her tool and this collection.
Please leave a comment telling me your favorite color, and I'll send you something if your name is drawn at the end of the hop. Please have a US address, or be willing to pay the additional shipping to your country. Please follow my blog, look for me on Instagram and Facebook. Click on the Rafflecopter link to win a gorgeous precut from Island Batik!
I've forgotten to post my monthly goals for a few months, so I'm back on track, I hope. Things have been a little nuts, but I've been sewing and did finish a UFO. More on that later.
I'm linking up with Elm Street Quilts.
For August, I need to get my Island Batik Ambassador Challenge completed. Here's the fabric, and the ruler for it.
I currently have 4 of 48 blocks done pieced, 6 more ready to be pieced and one trimmed to correct finished size. I'll share more progress photos on Instagram, but the blog hop starts Monday, so please check out the other Ambassadors and the schedule and give-away at Island Batik.
My other goal is to finish the July Never Too Early challenge, which needs to be quilted and have the lights added.
What are you working on?
I wanted to share some recent finishes. I've been doing quite a few customer quilts on Vanna, my Handi_quilter Amara Long Arm, and here are some shots of them.
Marilyn Hamilton Jackson's Log Cabin quilt with Malachite panto.
Maureen Mitchell's scripture quilt with Pieces of my Heart panto.
I finally finished this UFO, which was the Try a Tool challenge from 2020 with Split Rects. It was a gift for my great-nephew Noah, who asked for a new quilt. It's almost 90" square so it should be enough to get him through college. They were visiting, so I was able to give it to him in person. I had 9 blocks done from the first time, and a few of the pieced centers done, and worked on it from Saturday to Monday, and finished the top (25 blocks), and quilted it on Tuesday, did the binding Wednesday and met them for dinner Wednesday night, for delivery. I put it on him for the photo, and he just said "Ahhhh". He loves it. His first quilt featured the Cars fabric, so he wanted something more "teen" appropriate. I have plans for quilts for his 2 sisters, which I hope to get done by Christmas.
Island Batik Stashbuilder Rolls and scraps from other collections were used. The main issue was I was unable to get a bolt of Navy mottled until recently, because of shipping issues. (You know why, lol)
Customer Roz Liebenthal's quilts.
Computer theme with Boxtrot panto.
Jelly Roll Race with Sachet panto.
Elaine Alvarez asked me to add borders and use Circle Meander.
And I finally finished this table runner, with Dancing Flowers panto. It was left-over blocks from the Island Batik Ambassador challenge from April.
I'm hoping to get 1 more quilt done for Roz this week, and the second for Patricia Fox, so I can deliver them. I also need to quilt the fabric for the September By Annie bag challenge.
I think that brings me up to date with current projects.
