Forever Quilting 4 You

May is already here, where has the time gone this year?

Welcome to another surprise fabric bundle from Island Batik – this month I was given Dots and Doodles, another fun and brightly colored fabric bundle that I just love.

We were tasked to create something to celebrate our favorite holiday and I chose Spring. Now is spring really a holiday? In my book it is! It’s the time of year when the flowers are blooming, and the birds are singing; oh, how I love to listen to the birds sing and watch them from my window when I’m working. That is what inspired my project for this month’s challenge, which I’m calling “Welcome Spring!”

I set out to find the components to make a Spring Holiday quilt and, lo and behold! As I searched, I found everything I wanted to include in my quilt. I found the alphabet, birdhouses, birds, flowers, cats, butterflies, bumble bees, fencing and a sun, plus more. Now to get this project started… but wait! How am I going to bring it all together in one cohesive quilt??

After having EQ8 for several months I decided it was time to jump headfirst into learning how to use it. If you haven’t figured it out yet, “trial and error” is one of my favorite ways to learn and approach things I do in life. And of course, I then look back and say, “what did I get myself into?”

But first, a little back story. If you know anything else about me you know that I love a good challenge, and even more than that I love to compete, especially when the person I’m competing with doesn’t know it. There seems to be this unspoken competition between me and my friend, Carol Stanek; when it comes to quilting, she is the reason I want to race against someone. Carol will call and say, “oh I got this” or “oh I’m going to do that” and my answer is always the same, “Wait! You can’t do that without me,” which is why I bought EQ8.

As it turned out, this month was a doozie when I took on the challenge of learning how to use EQ8. I realized rather quickly that creating my first pattern in EQ8 was not enough for me to become a master of the program. But, after running through it 10, maybe 12 times, I learned enough to start my project. By no means am I an expert at using EQ8 … well, not yet anyway, but it’s a start. I have to say that aside from it being challenging it was an adventure learning something new, and I’m now hooked on EQ8!

After uploading the Dots and Doodles fabrics into EQ8 I was ready to color my quilt. But not so fast… this turned out to be a slow process. It didn’t take me long to realize that not doing this step “just right” resulted in the wrong fabrics being listed on the fabric requirement for my project. Once I learned to slow my roll and pay closer attention to what I was supposed to do, the program was great!!! Another good example of “learning by trial and error.”

Island Batik sent out the call for new quilt designs to put into their upcoming fabric catalog, so I made a mockup of my Welcome Spring quilt and sent it in. I’m now waiting to see if my quilt design will be accepted, and if it is, then I will need to create a pattern. That will be another challenge because I have never created a written pattern. However, fortunately for me, with my sister 2.0’s help (she is my Editor in Chief – love you sissy), I will be fine. Also, I have several friends that have volunteered to test the pattern for me, and I can happily depend on them to provide input and give their opinions and advice (love you, ladies)!

“Welcome Spring” has sprung! It is a small block of the month quilt, and it took me just as long to construct it as it did to make a larger quilt, if you can believe that!

First, I made the birds and then the bird houses. I then made the picket fence, the cat, and the butterflies and bumble bee. I then started working on the lettering; now that was another good example of “trial and error!” Who knew that when paper piecing letters they come out backwards? I was able to read them just fine on the paper side! But then, I turned them over to the fabric side and surprise!!! They were backwards!!! Ugh!!! So now what? I had a bright idea, remember those? I reached out to my new BFF – EQ8! Their response was to do a mirror image on my printer. Well, have I ever mentioned that my printer and I don’t have a great relationship? I ended up flipping the letters in EQ8 and then printed them! Phew! Problem solved!

After everything was constructed, I proceeded to put it all together. Let me just say that my math wasn’t the best in this construction; I needed to add some filler, but in the end it all came together. No one will even know if I don’t point it out (someday I’ll tell you my story about making the Bali Star Bed Runner).

Now, back to EQ8 to make the final mockup. Well now… after following the directions, watching a video or two, and using one of my lifelines to call my competitor – oh wait, I mean my friend Carol – it worked like a dream. 

When submitting my pattern to Island Batik I was told I could pick any of the new fabric lines scheduled to come out later, so I picked something fun! Did you expect something different? With these fun fabric choices, I started coloring my mockup in EQ8, this time with a lot more knowledge and skill than the first time. I’m excited and hopeful that I will be chosen for the upcoming catalog so I can make this quilt the way it should really be made, with great math skills and beautiful fabrics.

So, what did I learn this month?

EQ8 is addicting and soooo much fun to work with!

I think I might have found my new creative outlet.

Picking out new, not yet released to the public Island Batik fabrics is a great honor.

Using quality products like @Aurifil thread, @Hobbs Batting, @Oliso and @schmetz needles, which are given freely to us by Island Batik, is truly a blessing.

Learning something new isn’t that scary, especially when my goal is to not let Carol finish the race before me! Love you Carol!

Please stop by my local quilt shop, Swifty Stitches in Carmichael Ca., to find all of your favorite Island Batik fabrics. Sadly this will be the last blog with Swifty Stitches as Susan is moving to be closer to family. Love you Susan, get that extra bed ready I am coming to visit!!

Follow my blog by subscribing at the bottom to see what adventure awaits next month.

Until next time what’s on your sewing table today?

Victoria aka Tori