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!

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!

 

Island Batik Ambassador – July Unboxing Reveal

It’s hard to believe we are already halfway through the 2025 Island Batik Ambassador program; this year has flown by so quickly! Lumin Fabrics has sent me a new box of Island Batik fabrics and products that will help us create some exciting projects over the next six months. I created an unboxing video, which I've shared in the blog post below.

First off, I received four stash builders containing five rolls of 4-5” x WOF strips. These stash busters are a lot of fun to work with!

Next, I have two stunning gradient precut packs: the Precious Pinks pack, which consists of 2½” strips, and the Ravishing Red pack featuring a 10” stack.

Check out this ½-yard bundle from the Garden Glory collection, which will be featured in September's Blog Hop, along with 2 yards of light neutral and dark fabrics that will complement the collection. They also provided us with ½-yard cuts of foundations to coordinate with the Garden Glory collection, plus spools of coordinating Aurifil thread. This is going to be a fun blog hop, so stay tuned!

Additionally, I received this beautiful 6-yard Neutral Mocha fabric with cream and green highlights. It will make a great accent or background.

In October, I look forward to making my Two Little Totes by Annie bags. I’ve chosen these fabrics for my bag, so stay tuned to see how it turns out.

I also received a precut bundle featuring Fossil Finesse 10” squares, along with 2 yards of light and dark coordinates. I have plans for this collection later in the year.

Moreover, I received a Surprise collection that will be featured in November's Blog Hop, and I can’t wait to open it and get started. I also received a Foundations bundle to accompany the Surprise collection, which I’m sure will be a lot of fun.

Lastly, I received a restock of Dark Grey, White, and Black solids that are always essential. Additionally, Hobbs supplied us with a restock of Hobbs Batting.

Well, it looks like I’d better get busy on all these projects! See you in August with a new Challenge, featuring Oliso.