I love being an Island Batik Ambassador! I am so excited because on Monday – finally – you will see my secret collection of fabrics – the Sweet Tweet line. There’s a giveaway so let your friends know. There are so many wonderful things about this program but I feel that I am growing as a quilter in new ways!
Island Batik Sweet Tweets
This week has been a re-entry jumble! I thought I would be sewing at least today, but not so much. The above is a piece I drafted on Electric Quilt 8*. Part of what I did used a tool called serendipity and I think it is marvelous! Maybe it will become a quilt. I wasn’t thinking so, but right now I see it in fabric….very soon! What would you call it?
I was making my Island Batik Ambasador project and I was about to sit down and draw my lines on the squares for a flip/sew piece when I realized STOP. You can use this tool. It saves me so much time. I totally love it.
Here is a binding strip I am joining – same concept. It is not hard to eyeball this line, but now I don’t have to. The markings you see on the machine bed are from the Clearly Perfect Angles Tool*. Get it-you won’t be sorry. A bonus – you can take it off and reapply – its cling plastic. I have one for each of my machines! I don’t know how it works if you don’t have a plexiglass table/machine bed, but boy, I would never be without one again. Next week I will show how I end my bindings for a nice flat seam. You have probably seen this before, but I have a system that I like and sometimes the right explanations works for different people. It took me a long time to get this – so I think it is worth sharing. Again, this tool is not mandatory but it makes life so much easier!
The last favorite is the group, Partners in Design! We met over a year ago and are well into our second QAL – Fall into a QAL. On Tuesday, another block is revealed. You can join us on our Facebook page – Partners in Design.
So this will be a periodic entry and maybe I’ll even get others to chirp in!
Happy weekend!
P.S. You may have a little extra time this weekend/week as we settle into September. Bluprint*, the new name for Craftsy Unlimited, is running its 7 day free trial.
Linking Up:
Tish N Wonderland: UFO Busting
Powered by Quilting: Friday Foto Fun
Disclaimer: *Links with asterisk indicate an affiliate link. Your price is not any different, but a small percentage of the sale will go to supporting my blog.
I think I’d call that block Nova or Flare… something explosive. It’s really great! Is it going to be made with paper piecing?
Thank you! I love the names – and yes explosive is a good description. I do think there will be some paper piecing as some of those angle are wonky – or I may change them up a bit!
Neat block! And thanks for your enthusiastic review of the Perfect Angles stick on thingy. I’ve been eyeing those 🙂
I really love it – I am so glad I did it. I also love the triangle ruler, but that is another post! I did mail your fabric on Thursday so when you get your next shipment it should be there!
Hi Kathleen! I am draw to your photo of all the Sweet Tweets fabrics. I like the way they are randomly laid out, yet that would be a fabulous quilt with blocks just as they are. All the fabrics are there, at different angles. Not that I don’t like your EQ8 block! Very cool and I agree with Happy’s ideas for a name. ~smile~ Roseanne
The company did that photo but aren’t they delightful! I am really thinking about doing that block for my next Island Batik challenge. We will see!
Very dynamic star, Kathleen! How big are you thinking? I’ve used the Clearly Perfect Angles before. This reminds me that I have a spare one I could pull out and use. Think I’ll go look for it!
I am thinking between 24 and 36 inches for the star. Do pull out that perfect angles – you won’t be sorry – it just is a great help for guiding everything!
I’ve seen those…years ago there was one using cling film, wonder if it’s the same peeps or another? I like my Hera marker for anything bigger than 3″ squares. Smaller than that my Bernina (such a smart girl isn’t she?) machine has the marking on her extended table! Looking forward to Monday to your quilt!! The star design hmm, Cosmic Star? It makes me think of a starburst or supernova-looking star!
Not sure if it is the same peeps – it works much better than the one I had before. I don’t love the Hera marker – its funny how there are some tools that just don’t work for you! I think the star maybe my September project. It is pretty fun as a 4 panel, but not sure I want to go so small with the block. We’ll see! It is definitely a starburst!
I bought the clearly perfect angle last year and have no idea why I haven’t put it on my machine. I don’t like to mark lines, but I always do. May have to go look for it and hope it isn’t packed up. Can’t wait to see that block as a quilt.
We do sometimes hesitate for no good reason to use a tool. The only thing that bothers me is on my Janome, I have a drop in bobbin, so sometimes it is a tiny bit of a pain. However, my Janome’s 1/4 inch needs more adjusting than my Bernina – so it is more important to have it on. Even for that binding turn – on the corners – I find it a big help. Hope it isn’t too far down in the stuff!
Pretty block – Star Burst!
Thank you – for stopping by and your star burst is a good name.
I can’t wait to see what you came up with for those beautiful fabrics…they are so yummy! What a neat little tool for no fuss marking! I can see why you are in love with it.
The fabrics are so much fun to play with – one of my favorite things about quilting. Believe me – that tool saves time. I did mark with a sharpie the lines on my straight line, but the angles are awesome as well as the horizontal registration lines near the needle!
I love the block you designed! I also love clearly perfect angles! Definitely a great tool!
Its funny how much time that tool saves me! I am doing a tiny trial of the block over the next two days (8” size). We may want it to hang where something else is….so I need to check that size.