Tuesday, April 22, 2025

Island Batik Ambassador Drunkard’s Path Challenge – Tick Tock




This month's Island Batik Ambassador project theme was Drunkard’s Path! We were tasked with designing quilts that featured the timeless Drunkard’s Path block, which needed to be at least lap size or larger.

Misty Morning

Dark Grey and White Solids

For my project, I used the Island Batik Misty Mornings fat quarter bundle. I also incorporated solid white and dark gray fabrics, with the dark gray being a perfect accent.

Black Accent

Dark Grey Accent

I selected the design I had created a couple of years ago, but had never used. My original design featured 6-inch appliqué units, but since the challenge rules specified that no appliqué could be used, I had to adapt my approach to strictly curved piecing.

Wonder Curve Ruler


Drunkard Path Units

While working on the Starry Nights quilt, I experimented with the Sew Kind of Wonderful Wonder Curve Ruler. I used that pattern's instructions to create my Drunkard’s Path units. The Wonder Curve Ruler allowed me to cut the inner and outer curve pieces quickly and efficiently. Once the units were sewn together, I could easily trim them to size, making the process straightforward.

Corner Popped Drunkards Path units.

Next, I aimed to add a pop of color to the units against a white background. I utilized one of my favorite tools, the Studio 180 DesignCorner Pop II tool. I trimmed away the colored fabric one side at a time and added solid dark gray replacement triangles, pressing toward the replacement triangles. Then, I cut the unit to size before repeating the process on the other side.



Once I had assembled my project, it was time to baste the quilt in preparation for quilting. I used Hobbs Heirloom Natural Cotton Batting and the Kimberbell Clear Blue Titles method to quilt it on my BERNINA 700 embroidery machine. This was my second quilt using this method, but it was my first lap-sized quilt. I really enjoyed using this method.



I finished off the quilt with a multicolored binding.

The following sponsored products were used to create the quilt top:

 - Fabric: Misty Mornings (Kate Colleran Collection) for Summer 2024 from Island Batik in collaboration with Lumin Fabrics.

- Batting: Hobbs Heirloom Natural Cotton.

- Sewing supplies: Aurifil 50 wt cotton thread, Schmetz Microtex needles, and the Oliso M3 Pro Iron.

 I purchased all the other products mentioned in this blog.

List of all of the Island Batik Ambassadors for 2025.

Saturday, April 5, 2025

Forest Flora Blog Hop - Field of Leaves Block Party Tabletopper


Welcome to the Forest Flora Blog Hop! During this blog hop, several other Studio 180 Design Certified Instructors and I created a nature-themed project featuring Deb Tucker Studio 180 Design's latest Forest Flora fabric collection by Island Batik for Lumin Fabrics. 


This beautiful collection captures the essence of fall and is now available at your local quilt shops.

9 Fabrics from the Forest Flora Collection

Today, I'm excited to share a table topper design called the Field of Leaves, which is also this month’s Block Party Block #57. You can find the download link below. This topper measures 30” by 30” and features nine different fabrics from the Forest Flora collection. To create it, I used several Studio 180 Design tools: the Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star, Tucker Trimmer, Four Patch Square Up, Square Squared, and Wing Clipper. These tools make the process quick and easy.

Block Party Block #57; you can download this free Block Party now by using this link: https://bit.ly/bpb57-fieldofleaves.

Let me walk you through the units and tools I used to create the Field of Leaves.

Stacked Square

First, I used the Square Squared tool to make the centerpiece of the table topper, which is a Stacked Square unit from the Studio 180 Design Stacked Square Technique Sheet.

Most units in this topper were finished at 3 inches, so I used the Studio 180 Design Pint Size tools to trim them down.

Quarter Square Triangles

Shaded Four Patch

The Pint Size Tucker Trimmer was employed to create the two different Quarter-Square Triangle units and again to trim the two different Shaded Four Patches units.

First Choice Rulers

Speaking of the Shaded Four Patch units, the new First Choice Rulers are designed to assist with various units. By using the marked side of the ruler, you can accurately place the marking line on the back of your units, eliminating second-guessing when marking those 45-degree lines. The First Choice rulers have quickly become my preferred rulers.

Sub-cutting with the First Choice Rulers

I also used the First Choice ruler to sub-cut all Four Patch strips. I trimmed the units with the Four Patch Square Up tool, achieving perfect results every time.

Pint Size Wing Clipper

To add more color to the table topper, I made two flying geese units and trimmed them using the Pint Size Wing Clipper Tool

Lemoyne Star and First Choice Rulers

sub-cutting

The Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star tool and First Choice rulers are ideal for making the initial and secondary sub-cuts for the Lemoyne Star units. 

Lemoyne Star Quarter Units

The Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star tool helped me produce flawless Lemoyne Star Quarters, which I then trimmed using the Tucker Trimmer.

Center Block

With all the units completed, it was finally time to assemble the quilt topper. I began with making the center block.

Added Lemoyne Border

Next, I added Lemoyne Stars and Flying Geese units around it to form a border encompassing the center block. 

Assembly

After that, I constructed corner blocks using Lemoyne Stars, Shaded Four Patches, and Filling Four Patch Blocks made from Four Patches and Squares. I also assembled a Quarter Square Block consisting of a Quarter Square Triangle and a Square.

I placed two Filling Four Patch Blocks on each side of the Quarter Square Block and repeated this process to create four rows. To form a long row, I added two Corner Blocks to one of these rows, which allowed me to create an even longer row. These ended up being the top and bottom rows of the quilt. I stitched the shorter rows to the sides of the center block and then added the final long rows to complete the quilt top.

Border

I added a border that provided the finishing touch the quilt needed.


Quilting in the Hoop

I quilted the topper using my Bernina 700 embroidery machine. I chose a fall-themed design that really made the quilting stand out. 

Block Party Block #57-Field of Leaves

I absolutely love the design of this new topper! The Forest Flora fabric collection really makes the Field of Leaves table topper stand out and captures that cozy fall vibe. I can't wait to use it on my table this fall.


New Pattern

I'm excited to share a new pattern featuring the Forest Flora Collection that utilizes the Studio 180 Design Star 60 tool. Flora Bouquet, which measures 58” x 57 ½”, is a beautiful wall hanging that is easy to construct with the Star 60 tool. This pattern has absolutely no Y-seams. It uses a combination of Star 60 units and Capped 60 units to create those unique divided hexagon lines.


This pattern is now available on my website, Quilting Affection Designs. You can also ask your local quilt shop to purchase the pattern for their shop.

Thank you for joining me and my fellow Studio 180 Design Certified Instructors this week as we showcased our nature-themed projects. If you would like to revisit the other blog posts or view the projects again, please click the links below.

Saturday, March 29th - Studio 180 Design Kick Off




Thursday, April 3rd - Kathy Tucker of K&S Quilting 

Friday, April 4th -  Diana Mann of Murgaboo Quilts 

Saturday, April 5th - Tina Dillard of Quilting Affection Designs (Today) 

Monday, April 7th - Studio 180 Design Wrap Up

Saturday, March 22, 2025

Block Party Block #56 - Birthday Cake Tutorial Part 2


In Part 2 of this tutorial for Block Party Block #56, titled "Birthday Cake," we will focus on the flying geese units and the finishing touches for the block. If you're looking for the tutorial on the Square Squared unit, please refer to last month’s blog, Part 2 of Block PartyBlock #55, where I covered it in detail.

If you missed Part 1 of the tutorial for this block, you can find it HERE. 

To download the block, click on this link: https://bit.ly/BPB56-BirthdayCake

When determining your block size, consult your pattern-cutting charts and tool instructions to establish the starting size for the squares and strips.

Flying Geese

Now, let's discuss those Flying Geese units. Without the Studio 180 Design Wing Clipper tool, I would still struggle to make perfect flying geese units. The tool's instructions demonstrate the nudge construction method, which involves nudging your small square toward the center of the large square by a few threads. In the past, I've noticed that some of my students had difficulty with this method. 

Did you know another approach doesn’t require nudging those small squares? Deb refers to this as the No-Nudge Method. For this method, you cut your small and large squares slightly larger and position the small squares along the edges of the large square. This method provides extra wiggle room for creating those oversized units for that perfect trim down.

Studio 180 Design also provided a No-Nudge Method cutting chart on its Free Downloads page. If you find the nudging method challenging, you should give this a try. 

I will guide you through the No Nudge Method process in this tutorial.

No Nudge Method


First, using the No Nudge Method cutting chart, cut four small squares and one large square to create four flying geese units. 


With your Quilter’s Magic Wand, mark two stitching lines ¼” away from the center diagonal on the wrong sides of your small squares. 


Position two small squares diagonally on opposite corners of the large square, ensuring they align with the raw edges of the large square. Stitch along the drawn lines. 


Cut down the middle.


Press the seams toward the small triangles (or wings).


Position the remaining two small squares on the units, again lining up the raw edges.



Stitch along the lines and cut down the middle, pressing toward the small triangles.

Right-Handed

Left-Handed

Place your flying geese unit on the cutting mat. Align the Wing Clipper's diagonal guidelines with the seams of the Flying Geese unit. This will automatically center the tool over your pieced unit. Trim up and across the unit.

Right-Handed

Left-Handed

Rotate your flying geese unit 180 degrees and reposition your Wing Clipper to align the previously trimmed raw edges with the correct size for your unit, ensuring the “X” at the top matches the intersection of the seams. Trim up and across the unit.


Repeat this process for all your flying geese units for your block.

Block Construction

Now that all your units are complete, it's time to assemble your block. 


Start by arranging the units to form your block. Next, stitch the units together into rows. Finally, stitch the rows together, pressing the seams open again to complete your quilt top.


Finally, stitch the rows together, pressing the seams open again to complete your quilt top.


You have now completed Block Party Block #56. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial. Please check back next month for another Block Party Block release. In the meantime, feel free to explore the other Block PartyBlocks on my website.