Whoever said "Happiness is to be found along the way, not at the end of the road" wasn't making this pattern.
For Island Batik's May Challenge and Blog Hop, we were required to use our assigned Winter 2024 collection, transforming fabric into a visual ode to joy and festivity.
I received Fire and Ice. This is an original collection designed by Claudia Pfeil. It should be available in fabric stores now.
With my favorite pinks and oranges, this is a beautiful collection and I created about six paper-pieced designs in EQ8 that would be perfect for celebration/festive quilts.
As I struggled to pick one, I came across an email from my quilt guild, announcing an Ultraviolet Radial workshop with Audrey Esarey of Cotton and Bourbon. Of Quiltcon fame, I have admired her work and seen it in person in Austin (2020) and Raleigh (2024).
Easily seduced, I bought the pattern and signed up for the workshop. I downloaded the pattern and went to the Print Shop to get the templates printed on 24" by 36" paper to avoid taping the paper together. I promise I did everything to ensure accuracy.
And yet, it was a struggle.
The paper-pieced wedges were simple enough to make. My Oliso Iron was a huge help. But 22 pieces per arc made it stretchy and prone to distortion.
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| Distortion at the Skinny Ends |
Half inch width means that the two seams will completely eat the skinny edge so that the fabric tapers into nothingness. It has extraordinary visual appeal, but from the construction viewpoint, it is a nightmare.
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| Very Slightly Off |
Prior to piecing the quarter circle block, I measured and noted that it was very slightly off, but there is no room for error. The circle would get cut off if I straightened it.
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| Unstitched |
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| Trimmed and Marked seam line |
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| Corrected! |
I had to redo almost every block. It was an agonizing two weeks. The skill level associated with this pattern is "Confident Beginner".
Either I am a complete novice, or this pattern is for advanced/experienced quilters.
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| First Circle - Will it fit? |
Once all blocks were made and four circles completed, it was time to decide the layout.
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| Black Center |
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| Yellow Center |
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| Throw Size 60" by 60" |
I used 14 of the 20 fabrics in the Fire and Ice collection.
I used two background fabrics - Solid Black and Bumblebee (Opulent Oranges).
I marked the entire quilt top with a 2" grid and used my trusted walking foot and squiggly stitch.
The backing is Valentino (Precious Pinks).
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| Valentino Backing, Black Binding |
I used Aurifil 40wt thread and 90/14 Microtex Schmetz Needle for quilting.
The Binding is Solid Black.
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| Wagon by Ikea, 56" square |
Me: What do you think?
Paul: Impressive!
Me: What would you name it?
Paul: Hmmm...
Me: I was thinking Wheelin' and Dealin'. It sure took a lot of coaxing and fudging.
Paul: Wagon from Ikea?
Me: Some Assembly Required?
Then we both had a hearty laugh.
I am beyond thrilled that this quilt is complete. PHEW!!!
Wagon by Ikea finished at 56" square.
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| Quilting Detail |
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| Almost Matched! |
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| Transparency Effect :-) |
With the transparency effect, it gives the impression of a Giant Ferris Wheel, reminiscent of a County Fair. My fellow ambassador Brenda (also posting today) said that it reminded her of Halloween Hayrides.
Hayrides and Ferris Wheels - that sounds like a celebration!
For a chance to win a scrap pack of Island Batik fabrics, please leave a comment on this post, letting me know your favorite memory of a county/state fair or a hayride.
Giveaway Update - The lucky winners are Pamela (#33) and Diptee (#49). Emails have been sent.
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In other news, all Island Batik Ambassadors were invited to become partners with the Missouri Star Quilt Company. And I’m so excited to tell you that I’ve been accepted!
This means that when YOU order over $50 from Missouri Star Quilt and you use my Affiliate link: https://glnk.io/mzmmj/
Enjoy receiving 20% off all of your orders! You can use my link over and over and over!!! It’s permanently on the sidebar of my blog so you won’t need to always search for it!
Happy Shopping!
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The BlogHop Continues. Make sure to visit the Island Batik Blog for exciting prizes every week.
Below is the complete list of Ambassadors, the collections they’ll feature in their projects, and their scheduled post dates:
WEEK 1
May 6:
May 7:
May 8:
May 9:
- Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs
- Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts (You are here)!!!
May 10:
Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway
WEEK 2
May 13:
May 14:
May 15:
May 16:
May 17:
Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway
WEEK 3
May 20:
May 21:
May 22:
May 23:
May 24:
End of Blog Hop and Final Round-Up
Your quilt is gorgeous, Preeti! I have thought about making one of Audrey's patterns, but they are intimidating! I may have to just take the plunge and challenge myself. You've inspired me!
ReplyDeleteThe quilt turned out beautiful after all that work! As a farm girl, my memories of the county fair are different than townie people. I have wonderful memories of 4-H and the animals, from the sheep barn all the way down to the horse stalls. Happy stitching!
ReplyDeleteThe end result is fabulous!!! Made my eyes pop out when I saw it. Worth it! Have a great day.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful design. Works so well with that collection.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite memory of a state fair was when I was ten years old. My parents had bought tickets on a raffle cake in my name. I was riding the ferris wheel with my cousin, when it broke down, with us stuck on the top. The announcer called my name as the cake winner. I thought I would never get off the ferris wheel to get my cake! Eventually I did, and it was the best cake ever!!
ReplyDeleteAnother beauty even if it gave you nightmares making it!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful quilt, well worth all the effort you put into it!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful quilt!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful quilt - and definitely a challenge!
ReplyDeletemy favorite memory of a county fair is winning Best of Show for my quilt around the year 1998 - I would have to find the quilt to be sure of the year - it is around here somewhere. Love your quilt!
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, you persisted, and made an amazing quilt! I enjoy seeing the animals at the county fair. The chickens are hilarious- some don't even look like chickens! Beautiful finish, Preeti!
ReplyDeleteMy memory from the county fair as a child includes a ferris wheel ride. My sister and I were excited about our first ride. We got buckled in and around we went. The ride operator changed during our ride. The new operator didn't know that our ride time was over. So we got a longer ride. My father had to tell the operator to let us off the ride.
ReplyDeleteAll the hard work was sure worth it because this is gorgeous! The ferris wheel has always been my favorite carnival ride. And this did make me think of a ferris wheel.
ReplyDeleteWow looks so complicated. My best memory was when I won 2 place at the fair for my quilted jacket :-)
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ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing accomplishment to make this quilt!! Definitely not "confident beginner" for sure!! The Fire and ice fabrics are really beautiful--I am SO tempted...I am on a "no buy" from May-September...
ReplyDeleteI have to use up my own stash...so far so good...but this set of fabrics is really "just in my wheelhouse"!!
Hugs, Julierose
Oh p.S. Oops--forgot--my best memory at a fair was when my friend and i were the 1000th riders on the ferris wheel and our picture got in the local newspaper--were we chuffed or what? Hahahaha
ReplyDeletehugs, Julierose
Gorgeous quilt. Thank you for your honesty about the skill level!!!
ReplyDeleteIt is a gorgeous quilt - sorry it gave you trouble but we would never know if you didn't tell us. I love the design and the yellow center is perfect. Glad you could still laugh at the end of it!
ReplyDeleteIt looks great, Preeti! Amazing colors! I love hayrides so I think a quilt celebrating them is fabulous! (I come up as anonymous on my phone but this is Emily)
ReplyDeleteOh my! I gasped when I saw your fabulous quilt, though there would be no way I'd have gotten past the first section. And I like to paper piece(occasionally...) You are both determined and a wondrous artist!
ReplyDeleteMy favorite state fair memory is when my best friend and I were finally allowed to go on our own. The state had just opened a brand new site and we felt so grown up!
Wow! That looks like it took a lot of work. Nice job! My mother's family was from rural Minnesota and when we would visit in the summer there were often local county fairs going on that we would attend. When I think of a county fair, I think of the ones in Minn, with lots of animals and very hot! Nancy.sumner@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Preeti. You did an outstanding job!! Thank you for sharing
ReplyDeleteDespite those struggles, Preeti, your quilt turned out fabulously!! I really love the wagon wheels!!
ReplyDeleteWhat a stunning quilt! I loved going to the State Fair in MI with my family. One year my mother won for her oil painting of a Michigan scene and my brothers and I got to compete in a watermelon eating contest. Good memories.
ReplyDeleteI had so much fun in high school attending the annual hayride for a local youth organization. The hayrides were held in my dad's machine shed. I watched the hayrides many years before I was of age to attend them. They were as much fun as I had anticipated they would be. jgsowin@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteAh the county fair, Abingdon Illinois. My favorite memory is that if I was at the fair I was with my Grandmother and we sampled and sampled and sampled the foods. I also loved watching cow roping. Such good times and - what a beautiful quilt you made!
ReplyDeleteI was in 4H. Won ribbons for my oatmeal cookies and a skirt at the county fair. It was awesome
ReplyDeleteYour quilt is impressive indeed! I grew up in the area of the National Peanut Festival & we had a yearly festival/county fair/livestock celebration. I have fond memories of the huge barn of live animal exhibits & getting to take the angora-type rabbits out of their cages to pet & cuddle. Beth (bhambeth@gmail.com)
ReplyDeleteMy three favorite things at the fair are the food, the animals and the merry-go-round!
ReplyDeleteI grew up on a farm but we did get to enter our stuff in the county fair sometimes. Never won a thing but it was fun. Love your quilt, great use of that orange. Jmikebalou (at) aol (dot) com
ReplyDeleteMy favorite memory was seeing my grandmas crochet tablecloth with a blue ribbon on it~
ReplyDeleteYou really knocked it out of the park! It's gorgeous, striking, awesome. Thanks for sharing your process. I struggle with paper piecing any way, so I wouldn't have expected it to be easy for me. I actually struggle with anything that implies "easy".
ReplyDeleteLots of "WOW" factor in your finished quilt. Thank you for sharing your struggles with the curved piecing. Confident beginner, really? I just pulled out a project that I gave up because all the piecing was just beyond me at the time. I beyond a confident beginner, but I think I'm taking that project in a different direction. I admire your persistence and patience!
ReplyDeleteLove how you and Paul went a round-about way to come up with such a clever name! I think naming a quilt is one of the hardest parts of making quilts but you & he nailed it!
ReplyDeleteI think your quilt turned out great. My favorite memory of going to the county fair is going with my sister one year when we were adults and she wanted to see if the person at the guess your age booth could guess our ages. My sister was upset, not because she didn't win a prize because the woman guessed correctly for her, but thought I was much younger than my sister.
ReplyDeleteSusan N. 14 the money at duck dot com
Wow! Your quilt turned out great! I think one of my favorite memories from the fair was the racing pigs!
ReplyDeletecharlotta58@gmail.com here - I totally love both the fabric and this quilt! You’ve really outdone yourself with this one. I know just how much work that was. I’m not very keen on or clever at paper piecing or anything which requires me to be very accurate. I took a class in the fall on improv curves and loved it. It wastes fabric, but it’s so much easier than what you had to do here! I’m quite confident I never could have made it work out. But it sure looks great.
ReplyDeleteI didn’t grow up in this country so I don’t have a lot of experience going to county fairs. After I met my husband, we would come up from Atlanta where we lived to visit my in-laws in rural Kentucky where I live now, and sometimes they’d take us to a county fair or horse show. My father-in-law was a farmer and I loved going to the horse shows with him. He would reminisce about going with his father and grandfather when he was a little boy, and I just love horses and enjoyed seeing them, even if I didn’t know anything about the different gaits. When I was a teenager in Denmark I was horsecrazy but the kind or riding I did was completely different from what they were showing and competing about in rural Kentucky. But that’s the beauty of being an immigrant. I also learned to enjoy funnel cakes.
Your quilt is gorgeous, despite the challenges you had in making it. I'm hoping that my guild will bring Audrey in for a class next year. I love her designs!
ReplyDeleteI used to love going to the Wisconsin State Fair when I lived in Milwaukee, especially after I became a quilter. They would let people watch the judging of the quilts a week or so before the fair opened, which was always very interesting.
That quilt is absolutely magnificent. No more needs tobe said. SarahsGiftNShip at gmail
ReplyDeleteWow, your quilt is indeed an ode to joy and festivity, sorry it gave you such a hard time. Everything is perfect in your version, even the name!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this wonderful quilt!
I guess I am not a very confident beginner, because I would not take on a quilt like that even now. You did such a beautiful job with it, in spite of the struggles. I love the yellow placement, too. It looks like flower petals in the corners.
ReplyDeleteYour post brought me some consolation, as I been struggling with a mini quilt with some vexing convex/concavity issues--knowing I designed it myself makes the whole thing worse. I am responsible for the 1/2" fiddly issues at the very outermost edge of my curve. Sigh. etalmage@earthlink.net
ReplyDeleteI usually don't go to fairs as I can't take the over 100 temps. I do remember going to a couple and seeing the quilts.
ReplyDeleteI love your quilt: the colors that are eye catching, the design which looks easy and your hints. So good of you to share all your talents with us! You are a remarkable quilter!
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful quilt! It is well worth all of your time and effort!! Thank you so much for sharing. At the county fair, my favorite memories are of seeing all the bunnies, sheep, and llamas, and watching all the kids showing their horses. Then to top it off, seeing hot air balloons take off towards evening. warner.dale@gmail.com
ReplyDeletePreeti, I have been reading your blog for years. You always amaze me with your color sense and creativity. Your work is so inspiring! You are a wonderful ambassador for Island Batiks.
ReplyDeleteWow, that quilt is impressive! You do such a great job with putting colors together. A favorite fair memory is from many years ago. When our son was about 3 we took him to the Ohio State Fair. There was a lot to see and do there! The day we went happened to be "Dairy Day" or something like that and they passed out half pints of strawberry milk and banana milk to the kids. That was his favorite part of the whole day, which we thought was both cute and hilarious.
ReplyDeleteWow... That looks like a lot of piecing... And it looks so amazing. Love your use of colours as usual.
ReplyDeleteI have never been to a county Fair but I love seeing g them in every small town movies and shows... Would love to visit one some day.
So pretty. Thank you for linking up to Put your foot down.
ReplyDeleteNo way that's for a beginner, but I'm delighted you conquered it because it is absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for sharing on my weekly show and tell, Wednesday Wait Loss.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.inquiringquilter.com/questions/2024/05/15/wednesday-wait-loss-380
Hi Preeti, what a stunning quilt - I'm not surprised that it would be difficult! No confident beginner need apply! I'm really glad that it worked out in the end. Thanks so much for linking up to Free Motion Mavericks.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your quilt. Back in high school, a friend's dad would do a hayride behind his tractor in the fall.
ReplyDeleteQuilt is gorgeous
ReplyDeleteI love the Iowa State Fair... concerts, food, Fabrics & Thread (quilt division)
That is for sure no beginner pattern :) I applaud you for trying and then finishing it so beautifully! xo
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