Christmas in July - Island Batik Style

 Yes...we're half way to Christmas already!

Whether it is the traditional red and green or just a wintery scene...there are all sorts of options for creating wonderful items for the Christmas or winter season.

You've already seen a few of these from me in previous blog posts this year, but I'm going to highlight them as part of our Christmas in July here in Island Batik ambassador land.

Most of the fabrics in this Heartfelt Holiday designed by EQ's Heidi Kory are from the Holiday Happenings collection.










There is another quilt in the works with this lovely collection, but for now...just know it is.

Tinsel is a beautiful blue/white/grey collection that I used to make this Wendy Sheppard design - Winter Blues.

Both links go to the original blog post and give you many details about my construction process despite using someone else's design as a jump off to my own creation.

I've got a few Tinsel, Shaved Ice and one French Roasted Stack (2 - 10" squares of 20 fabrics each) available for purchase in my shop. Let me know if you're interested --I'm willing to ship.

We've got a heat wave going on right now in Grand Coulee, WA so it helps to look at the cooler colors of blue/white right now. I just finished a gorgeous project called "Winter Bright" that I can't wait to show you in another month, that will be coming out at Fall Market. It uses a new line called 'Frost' ....so yes, blues/whites/greys too! This is a new pattern that will be available as soon as it releases at the end of October.

Stay cool!

#christmasinjulyib

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.

Electric Quilt and Island Batik giveaways!

Two organizations that I am a big fan of are hosting giveaways in celebration of EQs 25th anniversary.  #EQ25

Don't miss out on these opportunities for a chance to win a copy of EQ7 software and a separate opportunity to win some Island Batik fabric.

Rondure pattern is finally here!

Rondure patterns are now 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.

Due to requests, I have organized a
***** RETREAT ***** April 25-27, 2017
March 28-30, 2017
$250 Early Bird -- includes 3 days, 3 sessions each day to cover the 9 sessions of piecing. Session 10 is borders, so a tutorial will be shared, but it will be a push to have the top completed at that point in time.

Monday -- optional fabric choice vetting session and dinner (additional fee) at the lake (weather permitting).
Prework: obtain pattern, fabric, copy foundations and create templates. Pre-consultations available when retreat fee is paid. Design Wall necessary (2 yards of flannel backed vinyl), but can be obtained on Monday at KISSed Quilts.

Tuesday - Thursday
9am, 1pm, 5:30pm  - 3 hours each ....each session start time we'll move forward with the next step. You'll for sure get at least one block of each done and likely a lot more.
Multiple accommodations in walking distance (GC Center Lodge and Trail West) and short driving distances and convenient meal options available. Classes will be held at 412 Federal Ave, Grand Coulee, WA.

Friday -- optional (no cost) to keep on sewing in the same space or pack up at your leisure, attend the Odessa (1 hour away) Annual Spring Fling Quilt Show that runs Friday and Saturday.

$250 payable by February 1, 2017
$300 after Feb. 1, 2017
Non-refundable after March 6, 2017.

My original 1892 Rondure (Round 1 Challenge Entry, McCall's Quilt Design Star 2011)

My original Rondure (Seaglass) --the pattern cover

Other ways to color your version (I had the privilege of having the makers of these quilt tops in my 'test' class and ultimately doing the quilting on each of them):

"Olde World" by Linda Roberts

 

by Nancy Goddard

 by Nancy Goddard

 

By Nancy Cargo

 

by Nancy Cargo

Inverted or Reverse Skew -- by Nancy Cargo

 

National Park Service Centennial Quilt Show - Inspired by the National Parks

We're so excited to share a very special quilt exhibit with the public. This is the only currently scheduled showing in the Pacific Northwest.

Sunrise on Lake Roosevelt

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area is our local National Park Service managed area. As part of the NPS centennial celebrations, they have sponsored the 'Inspired by National Parks' Quilt Exhibit curated by Donna Desoto.

The show runs in Coulee Dam at Lake Roosevelt Elementary School Gymnasium
July 1-4, 2016

Hours:
Friday 1pm-4pm
Saturday 10am-4pm
Sunday 10am-4pm
Monday 9am-1pm

Here is a sneak peek that I took at the start of the setup process.

 

There are 177 quilts. For the 59 Parks that are managed by the NPS, there is a flora, fauna and landscape quilt. The landscape may be vertical or horizontal.

 

 

 

Taken from the www.npscentennialquilts.com site a preview of Rocky Mountain National Park.

 

 

Details about the show from the NPS are here.

A beautiful book has been printed by Schiffer Publishing and is available at the Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center Discover Your NW Bookstore.

I'll have special hours this weekend on Sunday and Monday (10am-2pm).

I have brought in several Gwen Carreon national park inspired designs and have patterns for them as well.

Hope to see you!

Modern Batik - an Island Batik Ambassador Challenge

Our Island Batik Ambassador Challenge this month was 'Modern Batik'.

I had some half square triangle leftovers from a 'Geese on the Run' project and decided to play with them in a 'modern' sort of way. Now scrappy doesn't seem very modern, but I hope that you can appreciate the effect that it provided this piece. I'm using the #islandbatik Rainforest collection.

This was my initial layout. I played with it for a while and eventually decided on a layout and sewed it together. I found a very thick piece of leftover poly batting (~1" thick) and quilted it on my long-arm. I left the dark green unquilted, just ditched along its edge and that thick batting really left it to pop! Straight line quilting inbetween and on the edges. I left the outer background triangles only ditched for a pop around the edge.

 

 

 

 

I've been nurturing these calla lilies and begonias outside my studio and just had to position my finished piece in the planter for this shot.

 

The 'Geese on the Run' design used for both runners below can be pieced in at least two methods. The one on the right left me with the HSTs that I used in the piece above. I also had fun creating an interesting back (right image)....a bit of improvisational piecing. The bluish one uses contrast to create a pattern. The orange and green one used some of the HSTs to create this corkscrew effect. Kind of a core drill through different layers of sediment.

 

This "Geese on the Run" runner design is available in my studio and I'm willing to ship, but can also be ordered wholesale from me directly or shops that carry Island Batik fabrics can also order it with the new line through Island Batik.

Heartwarming - Row by Row Experience 2016

Introducing Heartwarming my 2016 Row by Row Experience (TM) design and some extra contests at the end.

This year's Row by Row Experience(tm) theme is 'Home Sweet Home'. I've created our vertical 'row' (ok, its a column now!), Heartwarming. I personally think of home back in California where I grew up with a fire going in the fireplace on a rainy or cold day. That was home sweet home to me. As my husband described a rocking chair and a quilt over the back I was concerned that there was more applique than I was comfortable with designing.  I love using EQ7 and as an EQ Artist #EQ25 I should be very skilled at using it right? But drawing applique isn't really my forte. I drew the idea up onto a white board, realized it wasn't a very good 'to scale' representation, but took a photo and tried to draw it in EQ7. I didn't get very far when I remembered I had worked via the internet with Marian at Seams to be Sew last summer on EQ7: Seasons a Seasonal Row-a-long project. So, I asked her if she'd be willing to draw it up in EQ7. From the EQ project file that she created, I then evolved it into more piecing elements where appropriate and got it down to the chair, fire, rug, hearts, yarn ball and the quilt that would need to be appliqued. I had several heart and ball or elliptical shapes in my Accuquilt dies. So chose two that I could pre-fuse and cut myself as quantities were required. The rug is an easy enough shape and everyone can easily create something that doesn't have to be round and can be pinned to the row and stitched down in the quilting. The quilt I decided would be easier to create as a mini-quilt and topically apply it to the row. The chair and fire I decided to try something new for my shop and get them pre-fused and laser cut by Quilter's Paradise.

I'm so excited that the kit makes it super easy to put this together and yet you can customize it as much as you'd like. Here are some additional customization ideas....

Instead of the fabric and heart in the picture frame on the wall, why not print a photo of your family or your pet. Or color the framed fabric into a scheme that will coordinate with whatever fabrics you use to create your remaining items.

Instead of a yarn ball on the floor, how about a  rubber ducky or a cat? Maybe just a bunch of marbles.

The quilt could be done with scraps or in any design.

Now for the fun part -- Row by Row Experience(tm) this year is June 21 - September 6, 2016. Stop by my studio during these dates at 301 Main Street, Grand Coulee, WA to get a free pattern or purchase as many kits as you'd like and they will include the pattern.

 Purchase this FabricPlate(tm) MY STASH IS LGL here.

Kits for the Row by Row Experience - Home Sweet Home 2016 - Heartwarming are also available for pre-order for shipping Nov. 1

I have re-kitted my Road Trip pattern in the 2016 coordinating Map and Plate fabrics from Timeless Treasures along with the black (Pearl Essence) and brick (RJR) fabrics. The design gives you the opportunity to include the FabricPlate with its respective row and create the idea of an actual road trip. Get eight row patterns and their plate on your own, complete the rows into 9 1/2" x 36 1/2" unfinished sizes and then add the borders. The road is actually an illusion of a special fabric that I have in the kit, pieced down on either side of the center to give it the white dashes.

I have also made up more kits of my 2015 Row w/pattern Grand Coulee Dam Laser Light Show and sell those in studio or via shipment.

Will you be the first finished quilt into my shop?  - 25 fat quarters if you are and a bonus if it includes my Heartwarming row. Here is Last Year's Winner

Update: 7-Jul-2016 Winner is Karren Pynsia

EXTRA CONTESTS:

Bring in your pieced Heartwarming row to our Fall in Love Shop Hop, Sept 22, 23 or 25 and I'll give you a free fat quarter or 1/4 yard cut.

Post a photo of it by adding it to this Heartwarming Flickr group  that will be available September 7-25, 2016 or bring it into the shop and I'll post it for you. Everyone can vote for their favorite Sept 26-30, 2016. Prizes will be given to favorites. Creativity Reigns!


We look forward to seeing you this summer!

Note: An on-line Row-a-long "The Road Home" will start September 6, come back then to my blog for details and a new row--defined differently than the ones above.