Joyful in July +TGIFF

It is July and the dog days of summer are upon us. 

Me: Must be time for Christmas!
Paul: Christmas? In July?
Me: Christmas in July. It is a statement, not a question.
Paul: Christmas in July is a thing?
Me: For quilters, yes it is. This is when we start our Christmas projects to have them completed by the holiday.

Meet Joyful.

Joyful

This pattern was published in the Special Christmas Publication by Annie's Attic Quilting. 

Published

Special Publication

Nine Festive Projects

Originally designed with black accents, Joyful finishes at 51" by 53". Bright yellow replaced black in the actual quilt.

The Mock-Up in EQ8

I used leftover fabrics from Island Batik collections and Foundations. The background as well as the  binding is Solid White.  The batting for Joyful was provided (so very generously) by Hobbs. I used Thermore - it is my favorite, light batting. 

Red and Green Island Batik Fabrics

The stars are slightly improv resulting in uneven points for a twinkling effect. Do you see it?                    

It wouldn't be Christmas without a twinkle.

Work in progress

Setting Triangles

I completed, photographed and sent Joyful to Annie's last year. It was published recently but it is only now that the publication is available online. It is a good thing I am a patient person (AHEM)!

Honestly, there is so much going on at any time that there is no time to dwell upon any one thing. And if I must dwell upon anything (or anyone), it would be my model :-)

Beautiful Day, on the banks of Potomac

It is not a surprise that he does the same, sometimes catching me mid-shot.

Seriously, Paul?

I am Joyful

Do you have any holiday projects in the works?  Do let me know.

In other news (and there is plenty), I completed my Orange RSC blocks for June. Here they are in their juicy goodness.

Angela has announced that the color for July is Purple. I have gathered my Island Batik Purple scraps. 

Purple for July - Island Batik Scraps

We have received our Island Batik Ambassador boxes, the goodies and supplies for the second half of the year. I will be showing off those beauties soon in both still and video format. That blogpost is next. Stay tuned.

I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties, including Angela's. See full list on the sidebar.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

Niko

Have you met Niko? 

Niko

He is handsome and stylish. He is friendly to jelly rolls and he can be yours!

Niko was first published in Make Modern Issue 62, published in January 2025.  

Published

Designed in EQ8 and made with the Island Batik collection Shadow Blooms, Niko finished at 60" by 84", making him suitable for TV time and naps on the couch. He is a perfect picnic partner and just as happy to go on car rides.

Finding Happiness

But Niko isn't just fun and games. He is also just right for charity quilts including Quilts of Valor.

Since Niko is jelly-roll friendly (which you already have) all you need is 2.5 yards of background fabric and you are in business. The step by step directions and colored graphics for every step ensure success.

Jelly-Roll Friendly

But what I like best about Niko is this - simple blocks come together to make a fun secondary pattern. Dancing Pinwheels remind me that we are better when we are together. The elongated Granny Square like negative space also offers room to show off your quilting design.

Dancing Pinwheels

Niko is now available as a standalone pattern in my Etsy Shop. Marked at $12, Niko is on sale for just $9 till May 8, 2025.

Labelled

But wait there is more. Leave me a comment on this blogpost to be entered into a giveaway contest for a downloadable PDF copy of the Niko Quilt Pattern. I will announce the two winners on May 8, 2025.

UPDATE - The two winners are #7 (Jocelyn) and #27 (Jan). Emails are on the way.

What are you waiting for?

What is happening on May 8, 2025? 

Island Batik and Accuquilt have teamed to sponsor the Irish Chain BlogHop and Challenge beginning May 5 and I will be posting on May 8. I will be using this gorgeous collection - Fusion  by Jerry Khiev for Swan Amity Studios.

And one more thing. Angela has announced the Rainbow Scrap Challenge color for May. It is green and here is my fabric pull. All gorgeous greens are from Island Batik.

Island Batik Greens for May RSC

I will be sharing with Quilting Jetgirl's Favorite Finish and all my favorite linky parties including Angela's. See full list on the sidebar.

The Color of Valor

Island Batik's April Challenge requires us to make a lap-sized (or larger) quilt using the timeless Drunkard's Path Quilt Block, making sure that the technique used is curved piecing and not applique.

Naturally, many ideas were considered and discarded. I am saving them to a very long list of possible future quilts.

In the end, I chose the quilt block - Moon Over the Mountain. I have been fascinated by this quilt block for a long time. I looked for tutorials and found few but none of them appealed to me.

It was time to design it myself.

Thank you EQ8

Next, I auditioned a few different fabric collections, also in EQ8.

Petal Poetry (I have a huge crush on this one)

Botanical Dreams

Shadow Blooms

They all looked lovely. But I wanted more than that. I wanted energy and passion. I decided to go for yellow orbs over rust/orange/red mountains.

Fabric Pull

I ended up using fabrics from Modern Opulence, Celebrate, and Fire & Ice collections.

Block Construction

Design Wall

Basting

And here is my first finish named Rising Suns.

Rising Suns

The background and binding is Island Batik Solid Black. I used Black Heirloom Batting from Hobbs and Schmetz 80/12 Needle for both piecing and quilting. I used Walking Foot to quilt squiggly lines. The variegated thread adds to the sizzle.

Walking Foot Quilting

Variegated Thread

The bright orange shades made me think of Saffron, one of the colors in India's national flag. India's national flag is named the Tricolor, so named for the three major colors. Saffron for sacrifice, White for Peace and Green for Prosperity. Saffron is symbolic of renouncement - giving up everything for the one cause, making the ultimate sacrifice for the country.

Labelled

Now that I am an American, I associate Red, White and Blue as the colors of valor. Is there a universal color for valor? Or does it mean different things to different people?

As I was mulling over colors, an off-color incident made me seethe. Not that I could do much, but I channeled my thoughts into prayer while I busied my hands to make another quilt.

Pinned

Work in Progress

I chose nine different  yellows and nine different blues. The background and binding is Solid White. I used Hobbs Bleached White 80/20 Batting. I used Schmetz 80/12 Needle for both piecing and quilting. I used Walking Foot to quilt squiggly lines. 

Backing is Frosting, Labelled

Here is my second finish. I have named it Doblest, which means Valor. 

“Any fool can fight a winning battle, but it needs character to fight a losing one, and that should inspire us." 
_William Butler Yates

Both quilts finished at about 53" by 51". I will be sharing with all my favorite linky parties. See full list on the sidebar. Should you have any thoughts about color, valor or this block - Moon over the Mountain, I'd love to hear from you.

One Collection - Two Quilts

Have you seen the Petal Poetry fabric collection by Island Batik from Lumin Fabrics?

Seriously, drop everything and go find this collection.  If you know me, you also know that I love the bright reds, shiny golds and vibrant oranges. So when a collection that is NOT red/gold/orange/pink but still catches my eye, you know it has to be super special.

How special?

Well, I designed two separate quilts, one traditional and one modern, and they were both published in two separate magazines.

Let's Dance was published in Quilter's World.

Let's Dance

Designed in EQ8, Let's Dance finished at 60" square. 

EQ8 Mock-Up

I love patterns with secondary designs. When seemingly simple blocks come together and the secondary pattern emerges it is magical. Do you see the purple stars?

There is a mistake in the mock-up. I am glad that it stayed right there and did not travel to the quilt :-) 
Can you spot it?

Every fabric in this collection is beautiful and the pieced border was one way to show them off. Here are a few more pictures.

Quilters World Summer 2025

Published!

Dance with me!

Brighton was published in Make Modern Issue 63.

Paul, the model

I wanted to make a simple (modern/minimalist) quilt to really show off these fabrics. When the design gets complex, the fabrics will play second fiddle. When the design is simple, the fabrics truly take center stage.

On my bed

Brighton was also designed in EQ8, making sure that I used each of the 20 fabrics in the collection and no two blocks are the same. 

Walking Foot Quilting

Also used Island Batik Solids - Black, White and Light Grey for binding. The batting is Hobbs Cotton and it shows off the quilting lines beautifully.

Brighton

Thanks to Island Batik/Lumin Fabrics for generously providing the fabrics.

Thanks to Hobbs Batting for sending me the batting.

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In other news, I completed the red blocks for April, using all Island Batik scraps. 

April is Red

I will be sharing with Angela's Linky party on Saturday.

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The two winners for Austin Quilt Pattern are #2 (Peggy) and #12 (Sushma). Emails have been sent.

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I am currently finishing my Drunkard's Path Quilts. Yes, I made two. I made one and then I HAD to make another because...well, you'll know when you see it. That blogpost is next.

Fabric Pull for Drunkard's Path Quilt

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

Wishing you peace in these times of turmoil. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts.