The Island Batik June Challenge reads as follows:
Use one of your precut bundles and play with the versatile Flying Geese blocks to create a fun quilt or table runner! Your project must use Flying Geese blocks as the focus but you can combine other blocks to enhance the project.
Now, I am not a fan of Flying Geese Blocks. The construction is a fiddly multi-step process, regardless of the method you choose. Even when the method works for you, you need a specialty ruler for precision points. In my opinion a flying goose block is made up of two half square triangles with several construction methods and no need for special rulers.
Therefore I had never considered a project with Flying Geese. And when I looked for inspiration, everything seemed dated. So what does an Island Batik Ambassador do - Highlight the fabric!!!
Project # 1 - I chose a super simple pattern that would show off the fabric. I used the Celebrate Stack (10" squares) to make tiny roofs.
I used my Accuquilt 8" Go QUBE to cut flying goose triangles from the Celebrate Stack and the sky triangles from Solid Black.
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| Accuquilt Cut Triangles |
The flying geese units finish at 4" by 2" and the house/wall units are 4" squares. I used 17 out of 20 fabrics. It is a simple design but it shows off the Celebrate collection perfectly!
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| Be My Neighbor |
The backing is Fondant and I love its subtle blue-gray color. The background and binding is Solid Black. I used
Hobbs Black Batting and
Schmetz 80/12 Microtex Needle. I quilted with my walking foot using
Aurifil 40wt thread and a squiggly stitch with horizontal, vertical and diagonal lines. My little houses mini quilt finished at 24" square and I have named it "Be My Neighbor".
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| Labelled |
I showed my bright mini quilt to Paul.
Me: Look at my bright and happy homes.
Paul: Are they homes?
Me: Yes, why?
Paul: They look like pencils or crayons to me.
Me: I'd think the pencils would be more pointy.
Paul: Houses would have doors or windows.
He had a point.
That is when I made Project # 2, using the 2.5" Strip Pack of Juicy Mosaics.
For background I chose Island Batik Neutral Egg White.
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| Row Houses |
I chose those fabrics that had bricks/tiles pattern to reinforce the house effect. Paul agreed that these looked like houses. I happily fashioned them into a cute zippered pouch :-)
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| Love this! |
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| I live here :-) |
With these two projects, I had completed the requirements of this challenge. I was done. Officially!
But these Juicy Mosaics are so gorgeous that I wanted to continue playing with them. After I spent few hours of playing in EQ8, I didn't know whether I was coming or going.
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| Yellow Won this round! |
For this design, I needed one other color in addition to the black background. With a choice between sunny yellow and lime green, I chose yellow.
Once again, I used Accuquilt to get precise flying goose units. It is good to be an Ambassador :-D
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| In process |
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| Ooh Shiny! |
And here is my fabulous, flying goose-focused finish!!! Ta Da!!!
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| Coming or Going? |
Do you see fish? How many?
Finishing at 28" square, I have named this fishy finish - "Fishful Thinking" :-D
The backing is pieced from leftover backings of larger quilts made earlier. The binding is Solid Black. I used Hobbs Black Batting and Schmetz 80/12 Microtex Needle. I quilted with my walking foot using Aurifil 40wt thread and a squiggly stitch (my default style).
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| Wonky Pieced Backing :-P |
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| Labelled |
Of course I love quilting. I love playing with fabrics and colors and trying new things. But if it was not for Island Batik's Challenge, I would have never come up with this design.
So even though I began this post whining, I am grateful to Island Batik for pushing my buttons, month after month. Thank you Island Batik (hope you can overlook the whining).
I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar.
For some reason, I want salmon for lunch. What is on your plate (food or quilt)? Do let me know.
