New York Beauty Challenge - Syzygy

The Island Batik challenge (and blog hop) for June 2022 is New York Beauty.

I received the collection Winter Sky. Designed by Kathy Engle, it should be available in stores now. 

I turned to EQ8 and started designing playing.  I started with a basic/traditional layout.

Traditional New York Beauty?

It looks like something I have seen before. Although it was pretty, it could use a little more imagination. Back to EQ8. After several iterations, here is the final design.

Modern Interpretation of NYB

Done playing, it was time to get serious. Schmetz Microtex Needles 70/10 and Aurifil 40wt Thread were used for piecing.  I also used Island Batik Solids  - White, Black, Amethyst, Cobalt and Turquoise.

It took a whole day just to get ready to sew. Printing and cutting all the templates, followed by cutting fabrics - straight sections and then the curved pieces. Yikes!!! Not a fast quilt and not for the faint of heart.

Paper Pieced Sections

The spikes were easy, thanks to foundation paper piecing. But the curves were another story.  

Begin with one pin

Pinfully Yours :-)

The first block

And then there were two

One by one, slowly and painfully meticulously all 16 blocks were completed.  By the time I completed the flimsy, it was close to my trip to India and there were a hundred things to complete. 

Flimsy modeled by Paul

For my sanity and in the interest of time, I decided to send the flimsy to Rebecca for quilting. I completely trust Rebecca and I could then focus on completing work related tasks before my trip. Once I returned, I received the quilted sandwich back. I trimmed and bound using the Island Batik solid light grey.

Here are the pictures from the photoshoot.

Modeled by me, Photograph by Mari

Paul insisted on the name - Syzygy, meaning a straight-line configuration of three or more celestial bodies. Since I could not come up with a better name, Syzygy it is.  Syzygy finished at about 48" square.

Suns in dappled sunlight

Water & Breeze

It is fun to pose near a water fountain, particularly when there is a strong breeze :-)

But it was totally worth it to catch the droplets in motion as they echo the circles in the quilt. 

Here are a few more closeups so that you can see Rebecca's fabulous quilting.

Gorgeous Fabrics

Beautifully Quilted

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

What is a bloghop without a giveaway? There are two prizes - four half yards (not fat quarters) each of Island Batik fabrics from the Winter Sky collection.

Two Prizes - Four Half-Yards each

To be entered into the drawing, please leave me a comment on this blogpost. If you follow me on Instagram, you get a second entry; leave me a second comment including your IG handle saying something like "CrazyforFabric follows you on Instagram". 

The giveaway is now closed.

I will announce the winners next week. See the bottom of this post for the winners announcement.

Make sure to check the Island Batik drawing this week for their bundles of beautiful fabrics.

 

Please visit other Island Batik ambassadors blogs. See full schedule below. Not only they have gorgeous New York Beauty quilts to show off, they may also have giveaways of their own ;-)

You don't want to miss it!

June 6:

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail
Elizabeth DeCroos, Epida Studio

June 7:

Reed Johnson, Blue Bear Quilts
Andi Stanfield, True Blue Quilts

June 8:

Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

June 9:

Jennifer Fulton, Inquiring Quilter
Mania Hatziioannidi, Mania for Quilts

June 10:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway

June 13:

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations
Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine

June 14:

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts
Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum

June 15:

Michelle Roberts, Creative Blonde Gifts
Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

June 16:

Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese
Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs

June 17:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

June 20:

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia
Brianna Roberts, Sew Cute and Quirky

June 21:

Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads
Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts (you are here)

June 22:

Megan Best, Bestquilter
Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

June 23:

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt
Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

June 24:

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 3 and Giveaway

June 27:

Jane Hauprich, Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting
Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

Giveaway Update, July 1, 2022

The randomly generated numbers are 45 and 69. Winners are Cathy and Char.  Emails have been sent. Thank you!

Island Batik Row by Row Challenge

Paul: There is a new restaurant in Ashburn.
Me: Uh huh.
Paul: Take a look. They have alligator.
Me: Cajun?
Paul: Yes. They have andouille sausage, shrimp and grits, jambalaya and also beignets.
Me: They sure look authentic.
Paul: Let's go.
Me: Happily.
Paul: Valentine's Day?
Me: Absolutely NOT.
Paul: Oh come on.
Me: Every place is overpriced, overhyped and overcrowded.
Paul: They cannot be any more overpriced than they already are.
Me: I did not come to America because I was missing crowds. 

I won the argument. We will go another day.  

In my opinion, the perfect Valentine's Day is spent at home with takeout while watching a favorite movie.

An imperfect quilt

A perfect quilt (in my opinion) does not exist. Anything can be made better and that quest for perfection is a recipe for unhappiness. To make this point, I made a quilt - Pobody's Nerfect.

The Island Batik February Challenge (and Blog Hop) requirement was simple. Using the Fall 2021 Fabric Bundle, make a row by row quilt, lap size (or larger), using any technique(s).

I received Lace and Grace. It is a Signature Collection for Chris Hoover of Whirligig Designs designed by Kathy Engle. It is a beautiful collection and I love it.  Lace and Grace should be shipping to your local quilt stores now.

I used Island Batik Solid White for the background. I believe it best shows off the spring colors of the collection.

I had begun thinking about this challenge in December 2021, while I was still nursing the pain of my failed travel plans. Naturally, the bird block was first.

Designed in EQ8

Bird Blocks

Birds needs trees to nest. So trees were added. I had first designed this twin tree block in 2020 for the quilt tops made for the Australian Bush Fires Relief.

Twin Trees

Of course I would like to live in a place with lots of trees and birds chirping nearby. So houses were added. 

House Block

The flowers are aspirational.  My yard is a mess but there is some green growth, when it is not covered with snow. 

Grassy Border on the Bottom

The grass formed a natural border on the bottom. I wanted to add a similar element on the top. Paul suggested sky or clouds. Too tame, I thought. It needs festoons or buntings, like celebrations.

Festoons Border on the Top

Although I designed the quilt in EQ8, some changes were made in the process, adding what I liked and removing what did not seem to work.

Mock up in EQ8

Every row has a mistake, intentionally added, to justify the slogan - Pobody's Nerfect. 

Find every mistake, smile and then say aloud. "I am not perfect and I don't have to be."

Pobody's Perfect

I used 80/20 Cotton Bleached batting by Hobbs. 

I used Aurifil Thread for both sewing (50 wt) and quilting (40 wt)

I used 80/12 Microtex Schmetz Needle for sewing and 90/14 Schmetz needle for quilting.

Having spent all my passion in patchwork, I quilted simple squiggly lines using my walking foot.  The binding is Island Batik Neutral Cream.

Gorgeous Fabrics

Picnic Ready!

You make me happy...

Pobody's Nerfect finished at about 60" by 70" and I am perfectly happy with all its imperfections :-)

Happily Imperfect :-)

Island Batik is giving away some gorgeous fabrics to celebrate these new releases. You don't want to miss it. And speaking of things you do not want to miss, here is a complete listing of all the Island Batik ambassadors and the links to their blogs. Some are cute, some are beautiful and some are so handsome (I want to sleep with them). 

January 31:

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations
Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese 

February 1:

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts
Andi Stanfield, True Blue Quilts

February 2:

Megan Best, Bestquilter

February 3:

Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine
Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

February 7:

Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood
Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

February 8:

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt
Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs

February 9:

Reed Johnson, Blue Bear Quilts

February 10:

Brianna Roberts, Sew Cute and Quirky
Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

February 14:

Michelle Roberts, Creative Blonde
Jane Hauprich, Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting

February 15:

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia

February 16:

Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum
Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts (this is me)

February 17:

Elizabeth DeCroos, Epida Studio
Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads

February 21:

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail
Jennifer Fulton, Inquiring Quilter

February 22:

Mania Hatzioannidi, Mania for Quilts
Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar. And if you tell me about your battle (or skirmish) with the pursuit of perfection, I will enter you in a giveaway of my own.  

For readers in the US - A scrap pack of assorted fabrics (2 prizes). For international readers - a pattern from my Etsy Shop (2 prizes). The giveaway is open till February 28, 2022. I will announce the winners on March 2, 2022.

Paul: Can we go now?
Me: I thought you'd never ask.
Paul: BRAT!!! You have been so busy...
Me: Well, I have some time before the next challenge...

Disclosure: The fabrics, batting, thread and needles were generously supplied by the following companies: Island Batik   Aurifil Thread   Hobbs Batting & Schmetz Needles !!