Let It Shine

 Let it Shine was published in Quilter's World Winter 2026 Issue.

Let It Shine

Let It Shine was designed in EQ8 and made with the Island Batik collection Hello Sunshine.

It is a spectacular collection and I am absolutely in love with it. The beautiful fabrics do all the work and I get all the credit.

Let it Shine finished at 60" by 84".

Basting

Delightful :-)

Starry Eyed!

When I received the quilt back from Annie's along with a copy of the magazine, I quickly turned the pages to find my name, obviously :-D

Winter 2026 Issue

Found it!

Picture & Quilt

But there were two extra surprises in there. The magazine also included patterns from Leah Malasky and Solomae Stoycoff, fellow Island Batik ambassadors.

The ambassador program was discontinued in 2026 and I am not sure if there is going to be one in 2027. I miss the dose of fire under my behind that caused the spark of creativity resulting in gorgeous new patterns/projects. Alas!

So when I spot my fellow ambassadors in the blogland, in magazines and elsewhere, I relive the joys of our fellowship.

In other news, I am basting a huge, very scrappy, pink flimsy that will be the next quilt and blogpost.

F*** the Blues

I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar.

Newington

Meet Newington.

A New Finish!

Designed in EQ8 and made with fabrics from Island Batik collections, Newington is a Christmas quilt finishing at 76" by 100" published in "Let's Make it Merry" (A Quilter's World publication). 

Published

On News Stands

I used the Greens from the Everlasting collection and the Reds/Pinks from Everlasting and Hello Sunshine collections. 

Everlasting

Hello Sunshine

EQ8 Original Mock-up

It was a joy to play with these beautiful pinks and greens. While the red/green color palette is definitely evocative of Christmas, the softening of the reds into pinks makes Newington a fitting quilt for both Valentine's Day and Spring.  

Of course, if you are not fan of pinks, here is a different version for you :-)

You are welcome

12" blocks plus a 2" border. The swirling secondary blocks create the rectangle shapes adding movement around the stars - like a celebrity surrounded by a throng of fans.

Basting the Beauty

The batting is Hobbs. I quilted using my walking foot and the squiggly stitch following the 2" grid of the piecing. 

Quilting

A Pistachio Green binding was the perfect finishing touch.

Green Binding

These pictures were taken in February when the snow was packed tight after an unusually cold spell. 

Cozy Inside, Frigid Outside

Location Courtesy - Manveen's Home

Cozy Quilt + Christmas Tree + Snow Outside = Lifestyle Shot

Bundled in sweater, jacket, hat, scarf and gloves I modeled the queen size quilt, while Mari took the outdoor pictures.

Thank you, Mari

Isn't she a beauty?

I'd happily take her to my bed :-D

Crushing on you!

Paint Splatter Backing

And one last look at her.

Warm & Inviting

When you think of holidays, what color palette speaks to you - Red/Green or Blue/White? Let me know in the comments.

In other news, I have completed Rainbow Scrap challenge Purple Blocks for September.  Sharing with Angela's Linky Party.

Purple for September

I wish that your weekend is rejuvenating, allowing you time to recover before that dreadful Monday comes knocking. I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar.

Polite Society

Welcome to Polite Society.

Polite Society

Designed in EQ8 and made with the Island Batik collection, Essence, Polite Society is a precut-friendly design published in Precut Quilts Made Easy (A Quilter's World publication).

This is a beautiful collection. Look for it in your local quilt shop. For background, I used the Island Batik Neutral Egg White. The binding is another neutral named Glaze.

Published

I quilted using a variegated thread and my trusted walking foot. You guessed it - my favorite squiggly stitch :-) 

Beginner Friendly Quilt Pattern

 

Polite Society is a super easy, beginner-friendly, jelly roll pattern that you can put together easily without any special tools/templates.

The magazine (which is available in stores) has several other precut patterns. I recommend that you check it out.

Check out my Etsy Shop for many precut-friendly patterns as these.

Yamini

Niko

In Rainbow Scrap Challenge (RSC) updates,  I completed Red Blocks for March.

Did you notice that the blocks for January & February are different. Well, I am working on two RSC quilts - separated into cools and warms. The cool colors + white background will make a log cabin quilt and the warm colors + black background will make a "to be named" quilt.

I also picked out my pinks for April. Sharing with all my favorite linky parties (see full list on the sidebar)including Angela's RSC.

Island Batik Pinks

Magically, Nature too got Angela's memo.  All pictures were taken this week.

Lilac

Tulip

Azalea

Pink Dogwood

In other news (and my excuse for no blogging activity in a month), I traveled to my alma mater to reunite with old classmates and reminisce about fun times on and off-campus. 

Glass(es) Reunion

I hope you get to hug your friends. 

A Chilling Year

"You are exactly the kind of loud-mouthed, wise-ass, brown woman who will be made an example of."

Paul's fear for my safety was obvious. Partly at his urging and partly out of caution, my blog focused on "just quilting" in 2025. As articulate and courageous I may have appeared to you,  I was chilled into silence.

I kept my head down. A new job meant I had plenty to occupy my time. A long commute gives me time to meditate.

Not my most productive, but here are a few of my favorite projects of 2025.

1. Honi - A modern interpretation of Irish Chain, and made with Island Batik collection Fusion, Honi was a nod to our Hawaii vacation. Honi also won the Viewers' Choice Award.

2. Nirali - A modern interpretation of a Crazy Quilt, and made with the Island Batik collection Everlasting, Nirali was also the post with most comments.

3. Leader of the Pack - The greater the challenge the greater is the sense of accomplishment!

4. Hot Stuff (Oliso Cover) - An unlikely project but I love how it turned out.

5. Doblest - Doblest is the most meaningful quilt I made this year. Channeling my frustration, and honoring a nation, my work speaks when I may not. 

My patterns were published a few times.

1. Dreaming of Daylilies - Dreaming of Daylilies was published in Annie's "For Love of Precuts". I used the leftovers to make a baby quilt which was promptly gifted :-)

2. Joyful - Joyful was published in the Special Christmas Publication by Annie's Attic Quilting. 

3. Stella - Stella was published in the We Like Quilting digital/online magazine's September 2025 issue and she made the cover! I am thrilled.

Picture Courtesy - We Like Quilting

4. Milo - Milo is a layer-cake friendly quilt published in Annie's Perfectly Precut - Simple Quilts With Precut Squares - of Quilter's World. 

5. Let's Dance - Let's Dance was published in Quilter's World. Purple stars (secondary design) emerge when blocks come together and that makes me dance :-)

6. Trillium Trail - Trillium Trail was published in the January 2026 issue of American Quilter.

And I wrote a few new patterns.

1. Garden City (68" by 84") - Layer Cake Friendly Pattern

2. Westfield (67" by 81") - Layer Cake Friendly Pattern

3. Veronica (60" by 84") - Layer Cake Friendly Pattern

4. Yamini (60" by 80") - Jelly Roll Friendly Pattern

5. Niko (60" by 84") - Jelly Roll Friendly Pattern

In conclusion, Rosemary kept us occupied.

My friends kept me sane. 

Paul kept me. 

What can I say about 2026?

"Hope is the consequence of action more than its cause."

The events of this year have chilled me into silence. But I urge you to speak up, show up, and stand up for truth. All my positive energies are with you.

I will be sharing with Meadow Mist Designs - Best of 2025 and all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar.