Hello, August. How did you get here so quickly!?
There are pros and cons of it being August 1st. One con is that I didn't even touch my Very Hungry Caterpillar project that was my July One Monthly Goal. The related pro, however, is that it's really easy to set my new goal for August. Total repeat of July. My goal again this month is to add 20 spirals of quilting.
Wish me luck!
I'm linking up to August OMG on Elm Street Quilts.
The products featured in this post were given to me by Island Batik and Aurifil.
I'm pleased to be hosting TGIFF with my latest Island Batik finish. This month's Island Batik Challenge was to create a quilt using a block that created a secondary pattern when the block is repeated. The first thing that came to mind for me was The Bee Hive Quilts block tutorials (from a bee I participated in in 2015). They were all specifically designed with secondary patterns in mind. In my year in the bee I made numerous different blocks and one that I found was quick to sew an had a strong visual impact was the Checker block.
I took this opportunity to use the solid black fabric from my recent Island Batik box. I paired it with a Paisley Dot print in blue, a couple Island Batik Foundations, and my new Island Batik neutral, Rice.
Here's my first Checker block.
I love the versatility of this block. Here are some possible settings. These each use 16 identical blocks and finish at 48" x 48".
And finally... my finished quilt top.
I opted for some simple gentle curve quilting with the walking foot and backed the quilt with the rest of the blues and greens from my Island Batik stash. You get a sneak peek of Petting Zoo in two of my backing fabrics. Next month I will be featuring a project with the entire Petting Zoo line.
Please share your Friday Finish in the linkup below and be sure to hop around to view what everyone else has been up to this week! Thanks for visiting!!
I've linked up to Needle and Thread Thursday.
I've also linked up to the Q3 Finish Along finishes linkup. See my whole Q3 list here.
I'm so pleased to be participating in the blog hop for Fandangle, Christa Watson's newest fabric line for Benartex. Fandangle is full of bright prints in fun, modern patterns. I was drawn to the cool color way of her designs.
After last month's Island Batik version of my Planned Improv: Scrappy Squares, I am excited to show a new variation on my technique. In my Planned Improv projects I have a general set of rules for creating the piece, and additional rules can give a twist to the design or provide continuity among different sections. Some of the rules I ended up following on this project include: the largest square is 12" finished, same general shape for each row, seven square along the top edge of each row (12" square in the middle), and rows off-centered from each other. I find that making a few adjustments to the design as I work can help add to the cohesive look of the overall piece.
My quilt top finished at about 41" x 54" So many of these fabrics are great blenders that would be a lovely addition to any stash.
GIVEAWAY (US addresses only)
For your chance to win a fat quarter bundle with a selection of 8 Fandangle fabrics, enter with Rafflecopter below by leaving a comment on my blog. Get a second entry by being a newsletter subscriber. Not a newsletter subscriber yet? Subscribe here, click to confirm your subscription in the email that comes to you. At the end of the giveaway I will email the randomly selected winner and they will have 48 hours to reply with their (US) shipping address or I will select a new winner.
Thanks for visiting! Now you can view the finish.
Be sure to check out the other stops on the hop!
Tuesday
Heather from Quilta-chusetts; IG: @quiltachusetts
Sarah from Sarah Goer Quilts; IG: @sarahmgoer
Nancy from Masterpiece Quilting; IG: @masterpiecequilting
Wednesday
Sue from Sue O'Very Designs; IG: @sueoverydesigns
Sylvia from Flying Parrot Quilts; IG: @flyingparrotquilts
Thursday
Annie from By Annie; IG: @PatternsByAnnie
Brenda from Spool and Bobbin Quilting
Friday
Tina: @sashikostyle
Paige from Quilted Blooms; IG: @quiltedblooms
For more Fandangle fun:
Click here to see the entire Fandangle collection.
Click here to visit Christa's website. Find her on IG here.
Click here to read the interview with Christa.
