Studio 180 Design Aurora/Sunset Blog Hop

Welcome to the Studio 180 Design Aurora/Sunset Blog Hop! Throughout this event, Studio 180 Design Certified Instructors are showcasing their favorite BlockBuster Blocks created using both the Aurora and Sunset fabric collections from Island Batik's Lumin Fabrics. Additionally, some Certified Instructors have created exciting projects using both collections. These two fabric collections work exceptionally well together. You can find links to the other CI blogs at the bottom of this post.

I absolutely love these two new Spring/Summer 2025 fabric collections designed by Deb Tucker for Island Batik. The names, Aurora and Sunset, perfectly highlight the beautiful colors found in each collection.

Aurora features a soft color palette reminiscent of the Aurora Borealis, showcasing light greens, teals, blues, and purples.

Sunset is the opposite; it features the bright colors of evening, including deep purples, pinks, oranges, and yellows—just stunning.

I chose to make Blockbuster #101 Flowering, which was released a couple of months back. I just fell in love with this block and thought it would be a great way to showcase these two collections. Flowering uses the Studio 180 Design's Tucker Trimmer, Four Patch Square Up, Split Rects, V Block, and Wing Clipper tools, as well as the Time Out Technique Sheet. I decided to make the 12" block sizes.

I chose these fabrics to make my Flowering blocks.

My Aurora Flowering Block Fabrics.

My Sunset Flowering Block Fabrics.

And my Combination Flowering Block Fabrics, which combines the two collections.

Unit A - Time Out

Unit A - Time Out

Time Out

Now, let's show you all the units and the Studio 180 Design tool used to create this block. We will start with Unit A, which is the Time Out unit. The Time Out units are a fast and easy method that uses the Four Patch Square Up tool.

Units B & C - Split Rects

Units B & C - Split Rects

Unit B Split Rects Type 1

Unit C - Split Rects Type 2

Unit B & C Split Rect units are also fun units that utilize the Split Rect tool to trim the units down to the perfect size.

Unit D - V Block

Unit D - V Blocks

V Block

The V Block Tool is a valuable tool for creating these units. It acts as a template that helps you cut the center pieces and side triangles, and it also aids in the final trimming.

Unit E - Half Square Triangles

Unit E - Tucker Trimmer (Pint Size)

Half Square Triangles

Using the Tucker Trimmer, half-square triangles turn out perfect every time. I chose the Pint Size Tucker Trimmer since my units are under 3 inches unfinished. I just love the Pint Size.

Unit F - Wing Clipper

Unit F - Wing Clipper

Flying Geese

For the Flying Geese units, I used the Pint Size Wing Clipper to help with trimming. This smaller size makes it much easier to trim the units when they are small, like the ones in my blocks.

Now that all my units are completed, it's time to lay them out and assemble them.

Now for Final Blocks

Aurora

Sunset

Aurora and Sunset Combined

Now, let me share my two new Studio 180 Design Companion Patterns that feature these two new collections that are now available.

Introducing "Evening Candle Light," which is now available!

This beautifully designed multi-sized pattern elevates the Studio 180 Design Candle Tip Wedge Star technique, guiding you to create two distinct blocks that will truly bring your quilt to life.

Showcasing the newest Studio 180 Design, "Aurora" fabrics by Island Batik for Lumin Fabrics.

Order your Evening Candle Light pattern by clicking HERE.

Also, Now Available: "Scope"

This new pattern project utilizes the Studio 180 Design Corner Pop tools, along with the V Block, Square Squared, and Four Patch Square Up, to create stunning points and shapes that come together in a breathtaking masterpiece.

The impressive quilt featured on the cover showcases the Deb Tucker Studio 180 Design Sunset Fabric Collection by Island Batik for Lumin Fabrics.

Order your Scope pattern by clicking HERE.

Links to the other Certified Instructor Blogs.

9/18 - Studio 180 Design Intro  

9/22 - Tracey Stinger The Busy Bee Quilter https://busybeequilter.com

9/23 - Virginia Gibbons Fabric Thread and Stitches https://fabricthreadandstitches.net/

9/24 - Terrie Welch Quilter's Journey quiltersjourneysalem.blogspot.com

9/25 - Zhi Jones Jolly Jones Quilts https://jollyjonesquilts.blogspot.com

9/26 - Becky Malarski Sew Wise Quilter https://sewwisequilter.com/

9/29 - Kathy Tucker K&S Quilt Artistry https://kandsquilting.com/blog-1

9/30 - Tina Dillard Quilting Affection Designs Today

10/1 - Diana Mann Murgaboo Quilts https://murgabooquilts.com/blogs/news

10/2 - Studio 180 Design Wrap Up  https://studio180design.net/blogs/news

Threaded Chaos Blog Hop with Aurifil

 

Welcome to the Thread Chaos Blog Hop! This month, we are excited to showcase our new Spring 2025 collections through the creation of crazy quilts, featuring Aurifil thread.

Today, Mania Hatziioannidi and I are sharing our crazy quilt creations made from the Island Batik Garden Glory Fabric Collection by Lumin Fabrics. This collection is absolutely stunning; just look at these beautiful fabrics!

I started by selecting 10 different fabrics from the collection and added a couple of foundation fabrics in blue and turquoise to give the quilt a vibrant pop. Additionally, I chose the 2-yard coordinating fabrics—Shell Cluster in Red Paprika and Wicker from the Breathtaking Browns collection.

Next, I cut my fabrics into 10-inch squares and stacked them into three four-layered stacks. 

I then cut these squares randomly at 30°, 45°, and 60° angles and shuffled the stacks to mix up the colors.

For the foundation, I decided to use Hobb’s Fusible Batting, cutting it into 10-inch squares. I began stitching all the cut pieces together on the batting using my BERNINA B790 Pro Sewing Machine. 

Afterward, I pressed the seams over to the batting with my Oliso MP3 Iron, which made the process much smoother. Once I finished sewing, I trimmed all the crazy blocks down to 7 ½ inches square.

I wanted the quilt to be a small lap size and give it a fresh look, so I incorporated Four Patch and Half Square Triangle blocks using my Studio 180 Design Tucker Trimmer and Four Patch Square Up tools. The units were created using coordinating fabrics in red paprika and wicker.

Once I had all the units ready, I stitched them into blocks and attached them to the batting, similar to the crazy blocks, trimming them to 7 ½ inches as well. Using Red Paprika as a small sashing and incorporating fabrics from the crazy quilt block as cornerstones, I sewed the blocks together and added a border. 

For the backing, I used Wicker Neutral and fused it to the back of the quilt, which worked perfectly.

The fun part came next: adding colorful Aurifil thread stitching to finish the quilt.

My BERNINA B790 Pro machine offers a variety of decorative stitches, allowing me to play and explore these stitches, which was a delightful experience.

Finally, I bound the quilt to ensure the borders matched the binding, and it was now complete. Another great challenge quilt is done!

Island Batik (Lumin Fabrics) is giving away a fat quarter collection called Everlasting this week as part of the weekly Blog Hop Round Up! You can enter for a chance to win by visiting the Lumin Fabrics Facebook or Instagram page and leaving a comment.

Make sure to explore the other Island Batik Ambassador Crazy Quilts featuring the stunning new Island Batik Spring Collections and Aurifil Threads.

Week 1

Brenda Alburl ~ Songbird Designs – Aurora

Sarah Pitcher ~ Pitcher’s Boutique – Berry Crush

Solomae Stoycoff ~ Cuddle Cat Quiltworks – Berry Crush

Renee Atkinson ~ Pink Tulip Quilting – Colorbust

Lisa Pickering ~ Lisa’s Quilting Passion - Colorbust

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs – Earth Essence

Week 2

Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations – Everlasting

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts – Everlasting

Susan Deshensky ~ Lady Blue Quilts Studio – Fossil Finesse

Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail – Fossil Finesse

Denise Looney ~ A Quiltery – Frosted Foliage

Kimberly Flannagan ~ Kimberly’s Quilts – Frosted Foliage

Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts – Garden Glory

Tina Dillard ~ Quilting Affection Designs – Garden Glory

Week 3

Brittany Fisher ~ Bobbin with Brittany – Quiet Charm

Carol Stanek ~ Stitch with Color – Geode Glow

Kim Jamieson-Hirst ~ Chatterbox Quilts – Geode Glow

Suzy Webster ~ Websterquilt – Stone Strata

Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights – Stone Strata

Connie Kresin Campbell ~ Freemotion by the River – Sunset

Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood – Sunset

Island Batik Ambassador August Hot Stuff Challenge

 

The Island Batik Ambassadors have a new challenge this month. At the start of the year, each ambassador received an Oliso M3 Pro iron along with a small carrying bag for their irons, provided by our sponsor, Oliso. For August, our challenge is to decorate these small iron carrying bags. We can use various techniques, including quilting, embroidery, appliqué, paint, and more.

The Oliso iron carrying bag is constructed from strong, durable polyester felt, designed to protect the irons. Initially, I had difficulty figuring out how to decorate this carrying bag. However, during my visit to the Road to Virginia quilt show, I stopped by Oliso's booth and spoke with Michele Muska, the Director of Content and Community. She shared several beautifully decorated bags from the show, which served as great inspiration for my own design ideas.

I knew I wanted to work with leftovers from Jackie Kunkel's Canton Village Quilt Works Cosmic Fabric Collection by Island Batik Lumin Fabrics, which were part of my February challenge. I initially thought about adding just Flying Geese units to the bag, but the main question was what size units to create. I started by experimenting with the smallest size I could make using one of my Studio 180 Design Wing Clipper Tools. After some trial and error, I decided on a finished size.

I used six bold and vibrant colors for the body of my Flying Geese and black for the wings. I created Flying Geese units that measure 5/8” x 1/4” finished size, trimming them down to perfection with my Eighth Inch Wing Clipper. It was quite enjoyable to make these small Flying Geese units!

For the center of the bag, I sewed two sets of six units together to create a long section of Flying Geese. Then, I added black strip pieces to the top and bottom to allow for a clean finish when folded under. I did the same on the sides as well.

Looking at the sides of the bag, I decided to incorporate a smaller set of Flying Geese units. I added two long pieces to the top and bottom of the geese for another fitting. Once I placed them on the bag, it looked good, but I felt it needed something more.

I decided to use my Studio 180 Design Star 60 tool to create a variety of units that finish at 1 ½ inches. 

After making and trimming them to the correct size, I sewed them together in a long row to achieve a diamond effect.

To finish the sides, I placed a long, narrow strip between the Flying Geese row and the Star 60 row. I also added a strip at the bottom beneath the Star 60 row, which will be folded under to complete the bottom edge of the sides. For the top, I planned a long, wide strip that will help finish the upper edge of the bag's side and will be shaped later. 

I repeated this process for the other side as well.

To finish the sides and center of the bag, I used freezer paper templates to accurately shape the edges of the pieces. 

Next, I applied Hobbs Heirloom fusible batting to these shaped pieces using my Oliso M3 Pro iron. 

Finally, I quilted the pieces together with Aurifil thread using my Bernina 790 Pro sewing machine.

Next, I used my Bernina 700 to embroider my logo on the bottom of the bag as a finishing touch.

I then decided to hand-stitch the center and side pieces, as well as the bottom logo, onto the bag. Although it was challenging to stitch through the felt, after several evenings of hand stitching, I finally completed it.

I loved the result, and it was such a fun project!