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Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Wendy Sheppard - Winter Blues

Welcome to my stop on the "Creative New Quilts and Projects Blog Hop"! #creativenewquilts

Wendy Sheppard (#wendysheppard) has wowed quilty peeps for years with her beautiful designs and stunning quilting. If you don't follow her blog you've likely seen her designs in magazines. I've personally followed her blog, Ivory Spring, for several years and have appreciated her insights to the 'how' when she gives us her "Thread Talks". She is a domestic machine quilter, but many of her ideas can be used on a long-arm as well.

Maybe the fact that we both have degrees in engineering helps me relate to what she shares with us.

Listen to her brief interview with Pat Sloan about this book.
 

So, it feels like a personal honor for me to make one of her projects and be a part of this Island Batik blog hop featuring her new book.

When looking through the book, the first thing I appreciate about it as a shop owner, is that often my customers are looking to use some of the pre-cuts they have purchased or scraps from their own stash. This book has many options that are friendly to these scenarios.

When considering projects to make for the blog hop, I was immediately attracted to her 'Winter Blues' design (left) so was excited when I got the opportunity to make it!

My blog partner today, Freemotion by the River, chose to use a very different palette, but it was the simplicity and clean look of the blue and white that attracted me to the design. I chose fabrics from "Tinsel", a new Island Batik fabric line, currently shipping to shops. As you can see from this collection, it fits perfectly with the blue/grey/ white style of this quilt. I also added "Sprinkles" from Island Batik's Neutrals line for the white background.


Wendy's original used the same fabric for joiner/connecting pieces in both Block B and C as the square or rectangle portion of the block. In my own cutting I only paid attention to her notes that talked about the same fabric used in the C block and its connecting pieces. I chose to just proceed with what I had cut and continue with my piecing. In my initial selections from a 'stack' (10" squares) of fabrics to choose from, I did get a little picky and chose to use a fabric more than once just to keep the values (dark, medium or light) with sufficient contrast between the different blocks as specified in the design.

Consider how you cut if using a directional fabric, a lot of the cuts are rectangular, so it can make a difference. Once I had the pieces cut out, the piecing went quickly.

The next step was to lay out the blocks in rows and decide on their final placement. Wendy's illustration in the book provided a road map to make it simple. I would recommend you make a few extra of each block and connecting segments just to give yourself the opportunity to make it your own and play a little based on the coloring that you've chosen.

A great feature about Island Batik fabrics is that they are so well created it is often quite difficult to tell right from wrong side. That means some of the directional prints could go left or right....it is just the 90 degree cutting that you can't adjust so easily.

Batting: 80/20 and wool on top.

I do my quilting on a Gammill Optimum+ machine. It is all hand guided, but sometimes I use a pantograph and follow a laser light attached to the machine head and projected onto the drawn out design from the back of the machine. I had recently used this Dancing Snowflakes pantograph by Beany Girl Quilts (available at Willow Leaf Studio) in my March 4 finale post of our Planes, Trains and Automobile blog hop #PTABlogHop and decided that it was a perfect quick finish to this quilt.


Dancing Snowflakes panto with Warm & White batting.

I used The Warm Company, Warm & White batting available in my studio so that the quilting would lay fairly flat and the design of the quilt could stand on its own.

I used #Aurifil to piece and quilt (2024).


Although we've left WINTER behind .....I'll have it ready for next year! This would work great with a minkee or flannel back to add an extra cozy/soft feel. I just got into my studio some beautiful blue minkee that would work great.




Winter Blues - Island Batik "Tinsel" version
Buy the book here from Landauer Publishing or get it NOW as a PDF download. If you'd rather get a signed copy from Wendy use her email to contact her directly.

Do you have a local quilt shop to buy Island Batik fabric? Interested in a free copy of the book? Leave me a comment below on who your LQS with IB fabric is.....and use the Rafflecopter to register your email address. I wouldn't mind if you chose to follow my blog, visit my Facebook page and follow-along in a 'view first' way or signup for my newsletter. All of these optional ways to enter, will get you an entry to a random selection for a free copy of the book (US mailing address required) thanks to Landauer Publishing.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


If you don't have a local shop, but would like an opportunity to own some beautiful Island Batik fabrics, I have some available for purchase.

Shaved Ice Stack (10" squares great for this quilt! just add white and grey yardage)  $41
I also have Sweet Georgia Peach and French Roasted Stacks.











Also...kits or yardage for Woven Braid in two colorways (original and green/brown),
 
 
 
 A great grouping to work for "In Memory" and "Camouflage Canopy" from my Dangling Diamonds 'bonus' patterns using the Quilted in Honor fabrics.


And nature inspired motifs if you're working on a National Park inspired quilt in honor of this year's National Park Service Centennial. Don't forget, we're hosting the National Park Centennial quilt exhibit July 1-4, 2016 in Coulee Dam, WA. Don't miss it!

  
If any of these are of interest, just let me know "interested in your IB fabric" as part of your comment below and I'll get in touch with better details of what the fabrics are, pricing, etc. Still working on a proper shopping cart, but thank you for being interested.
 

Thanks for stopping by!
Here is the entire blog hop schedule:
Monday, March 14 – Island Batik Intro
Tuesday, March 15 – Adele Mogavero - Del-Lillian's
Wednesday, March 16 – Pamela Quilts 
Thursday, March 17 – MooseStash Quilting
Friday, March 18 –  Bejeweled Quilts
Monday, March 21 –  One Quilting Circle
Tuesday, March 22 –  BeaQuilter
Wednesday, March 23 – Freemotion by the River and Kissed Quilts  (you're here!)
Thursday, March 24 – Mary Mack Made Mine
Friday, March 25 – Lemon Tree Snippets

61 comments:

  1. We're very fortunate. In our town of 1200 people we have a quilt shop, so I'm only about 7 miles from my LQS. To get to two more local quilt shops, I need to go "across the river" (the Columbia River) which is about a fifteen minute drive from my door to the shops, still not too bad.

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  2. Marlene, you did an awesome job!!! Love this quilt. :) Funny you would pick this in light of your engineering background. Well, truth be told, this design was inspired by the I-beams back in my Materials class.... crazy, eh? :) I guess, once an engineer, always an engineer! :o)

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  3. I have one shop close by. 30 minutes by piblic transport. Astrid sells batiks there and I looove them very much!
    Your quilt is beautiful!

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  4. Beautiful quilt Marlene, this was really a great pattern to work with!

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  5. We are very fortunate to have a small quilt shop in our community otherwise the nearest one is about 40 miles away. Thanks for the great giveaway.

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  6. I have a shop 45 minutes away, wonderful people.
    patsystitch@gvtc.com

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  7. I have a shop that is only about 15 miles aways. It is a new shop, but the fabric and ladies are wonderful.

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  8. "Sew" fun to see. Great tips on keeping value throughout!

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  9. My local quilt shop is called Ma's Gotta Notion. they are 17 miles from me. They are always helpful and kind.

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  10. My closest LQS is about a 20 minute drive. Not too bad.

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  11. this book looks fantastic. local quilt shop: one is 45 min away, the other is 35 min away.
    quilting dash lady at comcast dot net

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  12. Love this quilt and the book looks like it should be a staple in every quilter's home. The closest quilt shop is about 10 miles away. The for the giveaway opportunity. lv2bquilting2@comcast.net

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  14. My local quilt shop is Wooden Bridge, about 25 minutes away in Kutztown, PA. It is on a Mennonite farm.

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  15. I love Tinsel and find that your quilt is perfectly done in that collection. We have a number of quilt shops in the area and I don't remember where I find Island Batiks but I do have my eyes open for Island Batiks wherever I go.

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  16. Your quilting is beautiful and I love the colors. Exquisite all the way around.

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  17. Quilting Bee in Cache, OK is the closest shop for me 33 miles away. crystalbluern at tds dot net

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  18. I love your quilt...and your quilting is gorgeous. I'm a big Wendy Sheppard fan so it's nice to see someone re-create one of her quilts so nicely. Well done!

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  19. I love your quilt. I would love to make one. I would love to win your book.

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  20. Believe it or not, my local quilt shop is a very long way off - the only one left. For some reason the other shops have closed. Needless to say, I don't get out to the quilt store often because of the distance but they do have an online presence which makes things so much easier.
    I love your version of the quilt. Blue is my absolute favourite colour and I really like this quilt design. I am a hand quilter though.

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  21. The closest local quilt shop is about an hour away. I wish one were closer but it's very rural area. Love your work.

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  22. Fabric garden in madison maine is my closest quilt shop.... Its 45 min. away...... ty for sharing...... happyness04431@yahoo.com

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  23. Your quilt looks great. I'm posting tomorrow. I recently moved, and miss my favorite LQS. I would still rather drive the 2 1/2 hours to go there than to shop at the ones closer to where I'm living. It's a much better shop.

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  24. I so need to make this quilt! My nearest shop is 10 miles but it's a really tiny shop. I have about 10 that are within 50 miles and one of them is the second largest in Missouri I'm also only about an hour and half from the famous MSQC so make a monthly trip there. I like each shop because of different reasons One thing they all have in common is wonderful people who own the shops and all the helpful people working for them Life doesn't get much better when it comes to my local quilt shops. Rina

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  25. GREAT PROJECTS! MY LOCAL QUILT SHOPS ARE 10+40 MINUTES AWAY>I'M FORTUNATE!THANKS FOR A NEAT BOOK GIVEAWAY! msstitcher1214@gmail.com

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  26. Lovely quilts - love the batiks - so gorgeous! My local shop Sew Bernina is 50 miles away in Montgomery so I can't get there very often! mumbird3atgmaildotcom

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  27. My LQS is about 45 minutes away. So, I don't get there as often as I would like - especially in the winter. It might be spring on the calendar, but it is snowing in Wisconsin at my house. So, no trip to the quilt shop today.

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  28. The LQS nearest me that carries Island Batiks is Sew Many Blessings, about 13 miles from my home. It's a nice little shop that I've been to a couple times.

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  29. My shop is Quilters Cocoon which is about 8 miles away. It is an awesome shop.

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  31. Sew N Sew, Glendora California - hey to Shelly, Shirley and Jeanne at SNS! About 12 miles...local enough.

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  32. The shops nearest where I live are pretty much an hour plus away... except for the JoAnn's that is maybe 10 miles into town (we live in the country)

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  33. My favorite quilt shop is Material Girl in Grand Island, Ne. They carry lots of gorgeous batiks. Its about a half hour drive from my house. tkmattson@hotmail.com

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  34. That is beautiful. We have so many great local shops - Roxanne's being one of them.

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  35. The BLUE quilt was excellent - loved the idea of putting minky on the back for lots of snuggles! Thank you for the tutorial too!

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  36. Piece'n Appliqué is a favorite. Love blue quilts

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  37. Piece'n Appliqué is a favorite. Love blue quilts

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  38. My local quilt shop is Sew on Sew Forth in Buffalo, NY and is about 25-30 minutes drive from my house.

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  39. Lovely blues rendition to Wendy's quilt. Inspiring to see thru each creators eyes. Local is Joann's or Beverly's - 25 min away. Have had fun visiting Jinny Beyer studio, MSQC, and others on trips. Each is unique. Island Batiks are so beautiful. Thanks for chance at Wendy's book. Blessings.

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  40. Lovely blues rendition to Wendy's quilt. Inspiring to see thru each creators eyes. Local is Joann's or Beverly's - 25 min away. Have had fun visiting Jinny Beyer studio, MSQC, and others on trips. Each is unique. Island Batiks are so beautiful. Thanks for chance at Wendy's book. Blessings.

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  41. There are 5 local shops within a 30 mile radius that carry a large selection of batiks. I don't know which ones have Island Batiks, but I think at least two of them do. Shops are Material Rewards, Ivy Thimble, Mt Plesant Quilting Company, Chestnut Bay Quilting, and Patricia's. We're very lucky to have so many quality LQSs near Rochester NY.

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  42. My local shop, Kathie's in Springvale Maine, does carry a nice selection of batiks ~ I'm not sure of the manufacturer though.

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  43. Beautiful quilt- the blues are so pretty! I have 2 shops within 10- 15 minutes but happily travel 25 minutes to get to my favorite!

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  44. Patti My local quilt shop is STITCH AND QUILT in Mableton. About 10 miles from my home. I love to quilt with batiks.

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  45. My local quilt shop is Hancocks of Paducah....it's about an hour away from my home. kmcassie at gmail dot com

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  46. My LQS is about 30 minutes away. It is Timeless Treasures in Ocala, Florida.

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  47. My LQS is about 30-45 min away ( depending on traffic). It's called New Pieces, in Berkeley, CA

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  48. Love the Tinsel group in Wendy's design and your quilting is absolutely lovely! I am very fortunate to have 2 LQS in less than 2 miles and a 3rd one about 6 miles from home. Two of the three carry Island Batik. They are gorgeous! Can you give me a hint on how to tell right from wrong side on batiks? I have never figured it out.

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  49. Your quilt is lovely! My lqs are the Robins Nest which is about 20 minutes away and also Calico Gals which is about a 45 minutes drive. mparry1001@gmail.com at gmail dot com

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  50. Your quilt is lovely! My lqs are the Robins Nest which is about 20 minutes away and also Calico Gals which is about a 45 minutes drive. mparry1001@gmail.com at gmail dot com

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  51. My LQS that sells Island Batik fabric is Trackside Quilting in Laurel MT.
    My email is: bestbelle2010@aol.com
    Thanks for the chance to win!

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  52. I am not quite sure where my lqs is that features batiks. I am fairly new to this area and have not discovered it yet. I would love to win a copy of Wendy's book and possibly translate one of her quilts to batiks.

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  53. My LQS is Quilt 'n Sew in Katy, TX. We are blessed to have many quilts shops in and around Houston, so mini-shop hops with friends are easily done. Plus I never miss the IQF when it's in town in November!

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  54. I think I'd like to make Winter Blues for my son. The design reminds me of gears, nuts and bolts. He's a gear-head and love to work on anything mechanical. My quilt shop is in Dubuque, Iowa and is about 4 miles away. It's called Quilt Shack and has the most wonderful owners!

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  55. I have a quilt shop about 10 miles from my home which I love to visit x.
    Iain.ross30 at gmail dot com

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  56. There is a "quilt shop" in town, but it is really just the back part of a store that sells other things and there isn't much selection. The nearest Joann's is over a half hour and true quilt shops are even farther. I have dreamed about opening my own, but all I really want is to play with everything that would be in there. :) determineddebby at gmail dot com

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  57. i'm in hog heaven here ... four quilt shops within walking distance [if I could walk]all have great batik fabrics! unfortunately, I cannot tell the difference between companies who make the batiks when they're on bolts - I just point and say I want that and that in whatever yardage. precuts are easier; island batiks are the best! thanx for the opportunity to win a coopy of this book!

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  58. I have 2 LQS within 10 miles that sell Island Batiks---lucky me! pjrquilter (at) msn dot com

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  59. I have 2 LQS within 10 miles that sell Island Batiks---lucky me! pjrquilter (at) msn dot com

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  60. I don't rember the quilt shops name (only went there once). It's 40 miles away!

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