New machine and Island Batik Visit

This past week I had a great time visiting the Road to California quilt show!  Yes indeed, something crossed off my bucket list:)  It was something I have wanted to do for a few years now and the time was finally right for me to be able to attend.  I walked a lot, looked a lot, and might have bought a lot! Why is it that I always tend to buy things I don't need?  This followed me home from the show...

I went to the show on Thursday and Friday. It was fun to see new vendors, and of course, there were quite a few I was familiar with already.  The machine purchase was pretty much an impulse buy.  I decided to check out the Janome Skyline 7 because of the high recommendation of my blog friend Wendy;)  I was just looking, seriously I was just going to look.  The more the demonstrator showed me, the more I thought I'd like to have that as a secondary machine for mainly applique and just leave it set up.  It has a couple great features that would make my applique life easier, and it seems I have been doing a lot of applique in the last 2-3 years.  One of them is the button to push that lifts your pressure foot up when you stop the machine, easy to pivot without manually lifting the foot.  And the other is when coming to a corner, when you push the button for cornering it will corner with your stitches looking right. Sorry I don't know enough yet about the machine to tell you more details. 

After the quilt show I zipped down to Carlsbad CA to visit Island Batik headquarters.  You already know how much I love their fabrics and love being an ambassador for them.  I couldn't be that close and not visit, kinda a once in a lifetime opportunity for me.  The owner, Caleb gave me a great tour with all the luscious fabric staring back at me. It was pretty hard not to drool, LOL.  Here are a couple pix for you to enjoy.

 

All of the fabrics has a place and everything in it's place.  The fabrics are all made in Indonesia, and then all the fabrics that will be sold to shops in the US are shipped to Carlsbad, any sold to other countries are shipped from Indonesia.  I hear there is a video being made to show the process involved in making the fabrics.  As soon as I hear it is ready I will post a link to it.  Each collection has it's own area. Blenders, neutrals, and precuts have their own space too. 

The owner of Island Batik, Caleb Willis, and I in the Island Batik Headquarters. It was such an honor to be able to meet him and see where all of the luscious fabrics are just waiting to ship out to a shop near you.  If your shop doesn't carry Island Batiks, be sure to ask them to!

Okay peeps I need some serious sewing time now!!!!!!!!!!!  

My quilt is 'getting away' with Island Batik!

Hooray today is my day on the Get Away Island Batik blog hop!  Welcome old and new friends, grab a cup off coffee and feel free to look around my blog.  The blog hop started January 7th and goes through February 2nd.  The collections we are using were released at Fall Market. You still have time to visit them all:)

Being an Island Batik Ambassador is just the most awesome job ever...oh wait it is not a job because I love it so much;)  Working with these wonderful fabrics, OMG the colors, the feel of the fabric, it's just all fantastic.












This collection is called Brookview. Doesn't it remind you of water in a stream and wildflowers growing all around? You should be able to find this collection in your stores now, if not ask for it!
 

 I used most of the 20 different fabrics, I wanted lots of color is this quilt so I stayed away from the 2-3 light colors.  It was so much fun arranging all the colors.

My 7 year old Grandson helped with the arranging and cutting my blocks apart after I chain pieced them. 

Here I am pressing my blocks using my wool mat from Precision Quilting.

 I used a Villa Rosa pattern called Tuscan Sun for piecing this lap quilt. I met the designer yesterday and shared a picture of my quilt, she is such a sweetie!  My quilt is 56" x 70". 

I had fun taking some photo's while my quilt was on it's Getaway!

Thank you to Island Batik for providing the fabric for this project. Also provided for us was Hobbs batting and Aurifil thread.  I quilted a freehand allover design of paisley swirl that Jasmine taught me.

Be sure to visit all the other Island Batik Ambassadors to get loads of wonderful inspiration. There are giveaways involved.  Be sure to check out the Island Batik blog and sign up for their fabulous give away of 20 fat quarters also.

WEEK 1

Monday, January 7 - Crystal Ball

Maryellen McAuliffe- Mary Mack’s Blog

Sandra Walker- mmm! quilts

Tuesday, January 8  - Ditty

Stephanie Jacobson - Steph Jacobson Designs

Michelle Roberts - Creative Blonde

Wednesday, January 9 - Elk Lodge

Connie Campbell - Free Motion by the River

Anna Branch- Ark Angel Creations

Thursday, January 10 - Feline Fine

Bea Lee- Bea Quilter

Sharon Parcel- Yellow Cat Designs

Friday, January 11 - Flea Market

Geraldine Wilkins- Living Water Quilter

Jessica Caldwell- Desert Bloom Quilting

WEEK 2

Monday, January 14 - Fortune Teller

Sarah Goer- Sarah Goer Quilts

Sherry Shish- Powered by Quilting

Jennifer Fulton- The Inquiring Quilter

Tuesday, January 15  - Gypsy Rose

Jen Strauser - Dizzy Quilter

Janet Yamamoto- Whispers of Yore

Wednesday, January 16 - Paisley Park

Dione Gardner-Stephen- Clever Chameleon

Nancy Scott- Masterpiece Quilting

Thursday, January 17 - Soul Song

Carole Lyles Shaw- Carol Lyles Shaw

Toby Lischko - Gateway Quilts & Stuff  

Friday, January 18 - Twilight Chic

Jackie OBrien - If These Threads Could Talk

Tina Dillard- Quilting Affection

WEEK 3

Monday, January 21 - Winter Park

Jennifer Thomas- Curlicue Creations

Anita Skjellanger- Quilt In a Not Shell

Tuesday, January 22  - Bazaar

Karen Overton- The Quilt Rambler

Alison Vermilya- Little Bunny Quilts

Turid Bakken- Den syende himmel

Wednesday, January 23 - Blossom

Karen Neary - Sew Karen-ly Created

Leanne Parsons- Devoted Quilter

Thursday, January 24 - Boho

Laura Piland- Slice of Pi Quilts

Suzy Webster- Adventurous Applique and Quilting

Myra Barnes- Busy Hands Quilts

Friday, January 25 - Brookview

Vicki Schlimmer - Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

Amy Warner- Sew Incredibly Crazy

WEEK 4

Monday, January 28 - French Blue

Pamela Boatright - PamelaQuilts

Joyce Mullis- Hearts Creations

Tuesday, January 29  - Midsummer Night

Kathleen McCormick - Kathleen McMusing

Connie Kauffman- Kauffman Designs

Wednesday, January 30 - Oh Deer

Jen Shaffer- Patterns by Jen

Jeanette Jones- Inchworm Fabrics

Thursday, January 31 - Snow Berry  

Sally Mannke- Sally Manke Fiber Artist

Joan Kawano- Moosestash Quilting

Friday, February 1-  Candy Cane Lane and Icicle

Terri Vanden Bosch Icicle - Meanderings along Lizard Creek

Anne Wiens- Icicle - Sweetgrass Creative Designs

Mania Hatziioannidi Candy Cane Lane- Mania For Quilts

Barbara Gaddy - Candy Cane Lane  -Bejeweled Quilts by Barb

Linking with  Sarah and Myra

A fun bag

When I was on Facebook a while back I saw a new bag pattern that Kate Colleran of Seams Like  a Dream just introduced at Fall Market.  With 3 zippers I knew I wanted this bag for keeping things secure like my new smart phone.  Ever since I made a jacket with Island Batiks for one of our Island Batik blog hops I wanted a matching bag.  Perfect reason to purchase Kate's pattern called Carry This!  

Don't you just love the braided top on this purse- Kate has a special little template ruler to make it easy to do.  Now a lot of people don't care to put zippers in, but it really isn't that hard when you follow the directions.  There are two outside pockets and one inside pocket.   Kate uses metal rings for attaching the handle, but I didn't have any on hand and didn't want to go out and buy any so I just attached the handles right to the purse/zipper as I assembled it.

This would be a good way to use some of your scraps as there are not large pieces required.

Here is the back of the purse.  I used my purse for the first time yesterday and it is just the perfect size for me.  I even discovered I could carry a 16 oz. water bottle in the main zippered area.




















In case you are curious here is the jacket I made before with the Island Batik Olivera line.

And speaking of Island Batik the January blog hop has started you can find info HERE.  You can find links to all the ambassadors blogs and the day they are presenting their project using a bundle of fabric that was released at the last Fall Market.  Hop on board you don't want to miss all the inspiration and the giveaways!!   And be sure to come visit me on January 25th as I showcase my project right here.

Linking with MCM, Monday Making

What's coming

My grandson was over a few weeks ago to help me do some sewing.  He told his mom(my DD) that he wanted to come sew.  How awesome is that!  So we arranged a Sunday afternoon and he helped me work on my January Island Batik project!   First he lines up the pieces for me so I have fast sewing. Then he cuts the blocks apart and helped me arrange them on the design wall. Such a fun afternoon.  When we were done he said 'next time I want to sew something I want'.  I asked what and he told me a bigger pillow for his stuffed animals.  They outgrew the small one he did last year:)

January marks the end for the 2018 Island Batik Ambassadors.  Those that wanted to apply again did so and we are waiting to hear if we got in.   So January is the big blog hop, which means that our projects will be showcasing the fabrics that were released at Fall Quilt Market.  Oh they are so luscious you don't want to miss it.  Mark your calendars now, it all starts Jan 7th through Feb 1st.  You will be able to find all the info on the Island Batik blog then.

Happy New Year!!!!

Linking with Linky Tuesday at Freemotion by the river