Island Batik Ambassador – Final 2017 Challenge

Last challenge of the calendar year, but not the last of our IBA challenges for this season.

This month we were given the idea of Table Scraps  --something with a scrappy look, any technique or size. (Thanks Bea for the correction!)

I had one idea, that might still get made, but other ideas have surfaced and are in the works for that intended purpose, so I took something else that was going on and completed it into a ‘table scraps’ result.

My co-authored book, You Can Quilt! Building Skills for Beginners is the basis for a class I am currently teaching in Grand Coulee, WA. I know other shops use this book for instruction and the first 3 chapters are perfect for learning your basic quarter inch seam, a bit about color placement and values, and half and quarter square triangles. If you know someone who might like to learn how to piece a quilt top, this is a great way to get started. Consider purchasing one as a gift or an opportunity to start a new year with something to learn.

While I’ve been teaching, I’ve been using scraps of Island batik fabrics and a bit of extra yardage for background – from the basics Sprinkles!

some student results along the way

and mine in progress:

Once I had 9 blocks finished (the 1st three chapters of the book), I started playing with their placement on  my design wall.

 Settled....and a small border with some leftover half square triangles in the corners from another project that work with this one.

Then  I got to play on my long-arm, quilting each block uniquely to show different densities and styles of quilting. I used thermore batting which I really like to use when intended for a table top. Shows the quilting great, but holds a glass too. I used So Fine! 401 thread in the background and Superior Threads Lava variegated thread in the color.

I thought  it would be great for a card table, well we don't even have a card table! But I did have a little kidde table (adult chair left in the shot to show size)

Next month is our big finale as IBAs for this season and for me personally. I’ll have 4 posts, including new patterns, so I hope you’ll keep up with all the inspiration that will be going on all month long. Although I may still have projects that will be released with Island Batik fabrics in the future—yes, some coming in May at Spring Market for sure, I’m not going to be continuing as an IBA. I’ve got lots of projects queued up in my stash and want to work on them. I hope you’ve been inspired the last 3 years with my challenge results and will continue to follow me on my journey.

Whatever you celebrate, may you have peace, love and joy in your life at this special time of year.

On Ringo Lake - Part 2 Mystery and other WIPs

Just in the nick of time I'm getting this Part 2 at least tested and posted! #quiltvillemystery #onringolakequilt

Found some fabrics in the 'coral' / 'salmon' family that I think will work in both quality quilting cottons and batiks (#islandbatik).

Although it isn't one of the methods that Bonnie shared, likely because it doesn't fit her scrap size system, I used the 'magic' method that I love the best for making flying geese (also taught in my co-authored book, You Can Quilt! which I'm about to teach from in January, so this was just a perfect example of it). Since my scraps aren't that organized, it works great!

Here is the flying geese added in batiks and .............. in the quality quilting cottons with the Part 1 nine-patch.

Just been a bit busy this week, finishing up the first 3 chapters of my co-authored book, You Can Quilt! which I'm doing along side my class that I'm teaching in Grand Coulee, WA. So, this represents the first 3 chapters. I'm thinking it will make a great little table topper. Maybe a scrappy piano key border would just finish it off. What do you think? I might still move the 'dark' blocks around a bit, but am happy with the placement of the white background blocks.

I've also been working on the "I Wish You A Merry QAL" that has just wrapped up. I'm not exactly set on the 'string of lights' but maybe a single strand, will think about it for a day or so and then want to wrap up this quilt. I've got some ideas for uniting it all together, but think this placement will be basically what I'll do. Sashings with special cornerstone treatments and a final border will probably wrap it up.  #iwishyouamerryqal

And look what arrived as prizes for our North Central Washington Quilt Quest - a stash caching concept. Check it out at izi.travel! The last day to get my shop stop in is Dec. 15 ...I'll then be closed for the rest of the holiday season, reopening January 2. These are AWESOME #aurifil prizes!!

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2017/12/mystery-sunday-link-up-part-2.html

Celebrating America

One of the biggest weekends in our community revolves around the Fourth of July! The local Chamber of Commerce hosts a "Festival of America". This year it is going to be during the weekend and not on the actual 4th of July, but that's ok. We still get to celebrate America, the land where we live.

Today through Sunday, 10am-5pm in Odessa, WA is a Red, White and Blue Quilt Show. It is being held across the street from Experience Quilts! I've got two quilts in the show that I've just finished up. They were original tests done by Carol Cricenti, admin on the Quilt of Valor Stars Facebook group. The flag (ish) design is using a kit of Island Batik fabrics from my shop and with Flyover she used her own fabrics but I could kit it in a similar way. Both of these are 'bonus' designs included in my "Dangling Diamonds" pattern. I quilted both using 80/20 batting and an edge to edge (panto). The flag(ish) one has soaring eagles and Flyover has words (valor, honor, bravery, courage).

This month as an Island Batik Ambassador our theme was 'Curvacious Curves'...I have two designs formulated, but honestly, just have run out of time. I've been focusing on designs that will be released at market in October. Crazy! Right? Yes, there is a lead time in this industry that makes reveals seem very anticlimactic. I'd love to show you what I've just put in the mail yesterday and what is being finished on my long arm table today for another designer that is also headed to Fall Market. Beautiful things coming along, can't wait to show you more than just 'sneak peeks'!

Here is a bit of a cheat as you might have seen this before --these are the 'curve' blocks from my co-authored book, You Can Quilt!, Chapter 8. I'm calling this finished piece, Flightline. Here are finishing instructions and other ideas for blocks in the book.


This one is a bit scrappy, but primary block elements are made with fabrics from the French Roasted collection. You just can't go wrong with these beautiful Island Batik fabrics. I still have a couple of 10" stacks available in the shop from this collection.

My top for next month's challenge is done, so just have to quilt it and the queue is a bit lighter to accommodate Row by Rowers--hope you stop by! Maybe I'll get this month's done too.

Happy Birthday America!

My quilts in special exhibit at EWU

Honored to be part of this curated exhibit at the EWU Student Art Gallery in Cheney, WA. They used in their advertising my "Rose of Hope"














 --shown here with my Rosie's BOMb and the winner of my co-authored book in the drawing that the gallery hosted.

and below with Linda Roberts and my 1892 Rondure design.....her version called Olde World. This was one of the tests that led to the revised pattern called Rondure.
















Yes---pattern is finally available!

Send $35 via paypal to marlene at kissedquilts dot com
and be sure to include 'Rondure' and your mailing address or call me 509.386.5715 (Closed Saturday) to use a credit card.

Read more about doing this as a retreat in Grand Coulee, WA April 25-27, 2017.  Arrive April 24, leave April 28.

Island Batik - Sea Salt Sandy

#PTABlog Hop ----Whether at breakfast or at night in Alaska -- Planes, Trains and Automobiles are part of our daily life. Today we're featuring this fabulous Sea Salt-Sandy Island Batik fabric collection.

I couldn't resist when I found these pancake molds at Williams-Sonoma. Just had to make some special pancakes last weekend in anticipation of this post!

 I also got out my AccuQuilt Go! Baby cutter and came up with this little train. It made me think of the aurora borealis in the night sky and the Alaskan train chugging along. (sky fabric is from "Meadow" collection)

When traveling we often get the opportunity to see the wonders of nature. This collection is close to having all colorations of the rainbow, so it makes for a good palette if you are wanting to create something like that. There are large and small motifs of each color.

For the hop I made this pillow I'm calling "Circle of Hope" --it uses 12 of the 20 fabrics plus a background fabric. I blew up the Circle of Geese Block  pattern from our book "You Can Quilt!" (originally designed by Beth M.), so that 1/4 of the pattern still fits on one page. Then added an outer border, just like it talks about on our free layout site www.skillbuildersampler.com

I quilted it with pebbles and C channels, ditching around the geese.

Then put a 2 layer backing on it that overlaps so you can still get the pillow form in, and bound it. Makes it look like piping, but, so quick!

I have always wanted to create a ROYGBV quilt and it finally came together using the Sea Salt Sandy Collection. 

In part, I have these fabrics because of a new design that I released with Island Batik with this collection at market, Fall 2015.





My quilt design is called "Dangling Diamonds" and uses Bella Nonna Design Studio's Boondoggle Rulers. Purchase the pattern via PDF download.

The pattern comes with several bonus designs with Quilted in Honor themes and is available from me directly or ask your local quilt shop to carry them.

Here are a few details of how I quilted it. With all the angles in the piecing, I wanted to create some twirling effects, like they were hanging beads in a door way. I created a card stock template of this shape and traced it into each large background diamond as I went. It is with a purple disappearing ink pen, so it doesn't stay there long.

For the colored diamonds I used matching metallic thread from WonderFil. The center diamond was marked with disappearing ink to give me a registration point for the center, the rest used some straight rulers but a lot of freehand and eyeballing to keep it fairly consistent. Ultimately the key here--loosen the top tension to almost nothing!

In the small diamonds, I used this curved ruler to create a consistent arc, then freehanded the rest.

I used two layers of 80/20 bleached batting. I love the relief where it is NOT quilted.

Backside!

Dangling Diamonds by Marlene Oddie of Kissed Quilts
using Bella Nonna Design Studio Boondoggle Rulers(tm)
56" x 71"

This quilt was recently part of the juried selections at AQS Phoenix QuiltWeek. What an honor! I have purchased crystals to put on it, but the reality is, they are still in the bag. This quilt will be part of an Island Batik trunk show for the year, so ask your local shop to get it in so that you can see it!

My intent in the quilting was to make it feel like you were looking at a doorway --the old vintage ones that had strings of beads hanging to create an artificial door. The quilting design in the background was trying to give you a twisting feeling of those beads as they spin in the doorway. I had several people come up with that idea on their own when looking at it at the show. Really made me smile!

Great news! I've got all 20 SKUS - 3 bundles of larger than 5" squares. Since this collection was not done as a pre-cut set, where else are you going to get all 20 SKUS this way? I'll also throw in my new "Dangling Diamonds" pattern with the 4 bonus QIH designs along with each bundle of fabric. Let your imagination sore!

1. Have you made a ROYGBV quilt?

2. Do you use a method for cutting other than rotary cutter or scissors (i.e. automated cutter, die cutter, etc.) If so, which one?

Please use the rafflecopter to enter your email. This is the only list used to draw for prizes and will be cross-checked with the comments when your name is randomly selected from the rafflecopter.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Island Batik also has giveaways, so check those out too.

Island Batik is also offering 2 giveaways (be sure to page through on the 2nd rafflecopter to both offers --see the dot at the top of the widget underneath the title--click to the 2nd dot and see those options --the 2nd giveaway has this collection!).

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Visit Marlene's profile on Pinterest.
Did you miss these posts?
Here’s the blog hop schedule:
Monday, February 15 – Caribbean Splash
Bejeweled Quilts
Pamela Quilts
Tuesday, February 16 – London Fog
Moose Stash Quilting
Wednesday, February 17 -- French Roasted
Made In Scraps
Happy Cottage Quilter
KISSed Quilts --did you see my airplane theme here?
Freemotion by the River (Bonus!)
Thursday, February 18 – Crystal Cove
Freemotion by the River
Friday, February 19 – Florida Oranges
Fun Threads Designs
Kauffman Designs
Tamarinis
Monday, February 22 – Coral Reef
Mary Mack Made Mine
Purrfect Spots Designs
Tuesday, February 23 -- Sweet Georgia Peach
KISSed Quilts --yep, me! ...and my own set of giveaways!
One Quilting Circle
Wednesday, February 24 – Hollywood Hills
The Fit Quilter
Maria Michaels Designs
Thursday, February 25 – Desert Rose
For Quilts Sake
Lemon Tree Snippets --did you see what she did with my Dangling Diamonds design?
Free Motion by the River -- a bonus post!

TODAY !! -- Friday, February 26 – Sea Salt Sandy
Bejeweled Quilts
KISSed Quilts- You're here!! Thanks for stopping by!
Moose Stash Quilting
Pamela Quilts
Tamarinis

Mary Mack Designs - BONUS!!! ---don't miss the effect that she created with these fabrics.

Still to come:
Monday, February 29 – Jersey Shore
Beaquilter
Lemon Tree Snippets
Tuesday, March 1 – Tuscany Sun
Tammy Silvers
Wednesday, March 2 – Lavish
Freemotion by the River
Moose Stash Quilting
Thursday, March 3 – Fire Island
KISSed Quilts I'll be back with this 'jewel'!
Friday, March 4 – Tinsel, Holiday Happenings
Purrfect Spots Designs
KISSed Quilts- and wrapping it up with a Heartfelt Holiday
Moose Stash Quilting