November 12, 2019

Island Batik November 2019 {Blog Hop!}

The products featured in this post were given to me by Island Batik and Hobbs.


Welcome! Today is my turn on the Island Batik Ambassador "A Piece Of" blog hop! All of the Island Batik Ambassadors received surprise bundles of fabric in our January 2019 boxes, but we weren't allowed to use the secret fabrics until it was time to make our blog hop projects. (You can check out my unboxing video on YouTube where I accidentally revealed the name of my secret fabric collection and learned a LOT about video editing to clip it out!) My surprise collection is Mermaid Cove, and it is full of amazing colors and prints.


My initial plan was to make my blog hop project while joining in the 2019 Free Wheeling Single Girl Sewalong. (This quilt pattern by Denyse Schmidt has been on my quilty to-make list for a long time.) I bought the pattern and the templates. I started chopping up fabric, piecing scrappy arcs and sewing some curves. The bright Mermaid Cove fabrics looked awesome paired with the black Island Batik solid...but the fabrics that were supposed to be the focus of my project was so chopped up you couldn't really see how awesome they are.




With the large scale of some of the prints, I decided some BIG quilt blocks were in order, and Jemima Flendt's "Quilt BIG" book was the perfect source. (I seriously love every pattern in here and want to make all of them. Maybe a goal for 2020?)



I had seen a few different versions of the Lozenge Quilt on Instagram. As a bonus, I had the AccuQuilt Companion Set - Angles to make two sizes of the blocks...always a huge time saver!


The largest size block in the quilt pattern is perfect for showcasing the large-scale prints.



Here are some of the medium-sized blocks in more pretty fabrics.


The finished quilt top is gorgeous, but you'll have to take my word for it. I live in Nebraska. It was 72 degrees and beautiful on Saturday. I finished piecing my quilt top on Sunday when it topped out at 52 degrees. My plan to take pics on Monday morning before work was foiled by snow, frigid temperatures (21 degrees) and a howling wind. My sweet husband and son agreed to take pictures Monday afternoon since it would be dark by the time I got home from work. Without further ado...


Apparently the wind was worse than it had been in the morning. This quilt top is next in line for the longarm to be quilted with black Hobbs Heirloom Premium 80/20 Cotton Blend batting. I promise to share pictures of the completed quilt soon.

a precut bundle of the Island Batik Sand Bar collection, designed for Kari Nichols of Mountainpeek Creations by Kathy Engle. (The Rafflecopter giveaway is at the bottom of the post.

In addition, I'll be cutting some of my Mermaid Cove scraps into a charm pack using my AccuQuilt GO! (This fabric collection doesn't hit quilt shops until December, so you can be one of the first quilters to create with it!) To enter, just leave a comment on this post. Since I'm already in the Christmas spirit, I would love for you to leave a comment with your favorite Christmas/holiday movie. I'm compiling a list to keep me entertained from now until Christmas! (For the record, my favorite holiday move is "Love, Actually".)

**Edited to Add: My giveaway will be open until 9pm CST on Sunday, November 24. Since I didn't originally specify, I will open it worldwide.**

Thanks for stopping by! Happy sewing!



39 comments:

  1. Such beautiful colors! I usually take photos inside, so I don't have trouble with the wind. Usually my trouble comes when the dog and cat decide to claim the quilt as their own.

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  2. Love how these fabrics play together.

    My favorite Christmas movie is White Christmas. I love the music and clothes. 😊
    Sandy A

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  3. Beautiful! My favorite Christmas movie is A Wonderful Life. We can't go a Christmas season without watching that movie.

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  4. It may be "childlike" but my favorite Christmas movie is "A Charlie Brown Christmas"

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  5. Beautiful! This is my favorite collection.
    Thank you for your giveaway. My favorite movie is "When Angels Come to Town".

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  6. Mermaid Cove is so lovely and I love how you used it.

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  7. I love the X blocks! They're awesome! Also The Santa Clause is one of my favorites. Have a fabulous day!

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  8. A wonderful LIfe....loved your quilt.

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  9. Great way to show off the batiks, yummy! White Christmas is my fav... sometimes I watch it in July, when it's 100 degrees, and I need to cool down!

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  10. Many years ago I saw a Christmas movie on ETV--"The House Without a Christmas Tree". It was quite moving.
    barbkaup(at)(yahoo)(dot)(com)

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  11. A Christmas Story, Home Alone. Anything that doesn't take much concentration, so I can sew.

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  12. I love the way you changed the design, and those blocks show the fabrics just delightfully. Windy and cold, you will have to wait for a fine and much warmer day, but they did try their very best. Christmas Movie? I really do not have a favourite, and although this is not the season type," The Sound Of Music" is one I could see again and again.

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  13. Such beautiful fabrics!
    I love Charlie Brown's Christmas! I know it's not really a movie, but it gets me in the true Christmas spirit! (And whenever our tree doesn't look that great, we can say it's a Charlie Brown Christmas tree!)

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  14. Hi Steph! I just love this collection of fabric. Your son and husband were great troopers, trying to take pictures in that wind. We have it here now in the Chicago area, along with some snow. I love the idea of asking for holiday movie ideas!! Oh so many to choose from, but my absolute favorite is The Holiday with Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet. They trade homes for the holidays. Of course, White Christmas is always a longtime favorite as well. One last one is called The Christmas List but it hasn't played on TV the last few years. I can't wait to read all the suggestions! ~smile~ Roseanne

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  15. Your quilt looks like its off to a good start! Nice of your DH and son to take the photos, even if it was windy. My favorite Christmas movie is "Its a wonderful Life".

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  16. White Christmas is the movie I watch every year!! Your quilt is lovely, even with the wind!!!

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  17. Love the Mermaid Cove Collection together with your large Block X quilt! My favorite Christmas movie is It's A Wonderful Life - think we watch it every year. Thank you for sharing your talents, creativity & some leftovers with us, may I be lucky, please.

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  18. The bishops wife and it's a wonderful life are two of my favorites.

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  19. Love your quilt (I'm not playing in the giveaway as an ambassador I think it is only fair). The weather seems to know when I want to take blog pictures and turns lousy. Its been pretty dark lately. I do love what you did with this and look forward to seeing more on it in the future!

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  20. I suppose it's always the Charlie Brown Christmas but I love all the old Christmas movies.

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  21. Hallmark fallen angle is my favorite. ...my mom's is the hallmark the Christmas card...very nice hun and great colors to play with... happyness04431@yahoo.com

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  22. Love the lay out with the big blocks. My all time favorite Christmas movie it It's a Wonderful Life. Thank you for the chance to win some fabric.

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  23. Lovely quilt. Had to smile at your family's attempt to photograph your quilt because I've had similar experiences. 😄 Anyway, I can't name a favorite Christmas movie bevies I like so many. Love, Actually is certainly among them!

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  24. I love that your men tried, despite the wind. Great project, great post, and any movies on Hallmark are always fun.

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  25. My favorite old-timey Christmas movie is "Holiday Inn", probably because it is the one I have been watching every year since I was a very little girl. I watch a lot of Hallmark Christmas movies, and am fond of "Matchmaker Santa, which is rather sweet.

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  26. My absolute favorite holiday movie is A Christmas Story. It cracks me up every time I watch it. Thanks!

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  27. Lovely quilt, love
    seeing all the different
    patterns of the fabric.
    I like watching "Scrooge".
    Carla from Utah

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  28. Love those pretty and soft colours! They sure pop with the black background too! Charlie Brown Christmas is always a yearly favourite!!

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  29. Hi Steph!

    We got hit with the same weather here in IN. It’s been miserable here all week. The pic of your quilt stopped my fast scroll through Instagram. I love the colors and the big block settings, they remind me of warmer days to come. I will be watching A Christmas Story on repeat. Thank you for this giveaway opportunity. Wishing you and your family a Happy Holiday season.

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  30. I love these batiks and how many colors are in each fabric. Big blocks do show it off well. I love "The Christmas Shoes"... I believe a Hallmark movie. Also enjoy watching "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer" every year!

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  31. I use to love watching a Charlie Brown Christmas each year. I haven't found a new favorite yet. I gave up my TV watching habit several years ago.

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  32. Here are a few of mine favorites:
    The Holiday
    The Nightmare before Christmas
    The Polar Express
    The Grinch Stole Christmas
    The Grinch

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  33. Your blocks are beautiful! I love batiks, and big blocks show them off so well. My favorite Christmas movie is The Holiday with Carmen Diaz and Kate Winslet.

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  34. Great blocks and I love the colors of the batiks!

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  35. Oh, those quilt photos are quite amusing, at least from this side! I'm sure your hubby didn't think so at the time! I enjoy most holiday movies, but one I could watch every year is Christmas Vacation...so funny!
    duchick at gmail dot com

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  36. This is gorgeous! I actually really like your Free Wheeling Single Girl with these fabrics, but I can see what you mean about needing the fabrics to be the star. I had not seen the Big Blocks book but I think it's one I need to look for!

    The quilt photos are great for a laugh. Oh, the lengths we go to to get good photos of our quilts! For holiday movies, I like the classics, It's a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street (original, not remake) are my favorites.

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  37. A wonderful fabric collection! It's A wonderful Life #1 all-time favorite! Thank you, Susan

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  38. These colors are gorgeous, the x blocks are fun. I just want to make everything

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