Quilting and Binding a Rock the Boat Quilt

I had a little time to finish up this Rock the Boat quilt in between other projects.  I decided to swirl quilt it.  Swirl quilting kind of looks like water to me, hence it's perfect for Rock the Boat.  I started quilting the kind of swirls that fold into each other in the upper left hand corner of the quilt, but I wasn't happy with the way it was looking on this project.

I changed to these big swirls that go next to each other in rows. 

These are faster for me to quilt and I like the way they came out on this quilt.

Here's the width of the quilt before quilting.

And after.

Swirly, swirly, swirl, swirl, swirl.

Here's the quilt after quilting.  This is when I weave in any remaining thread ends.

I chose this navy blue fabric for the binding.  This fun print reminds me of confetti.  I pulled it out of my fabric stash.  Origin unknown.

I used my Janome Memory Craft to machine sew the binding onto the front of the quilt.  I'll be hand sewing it onto the quilt back during the cold winter nights while watching movies.  I wonder how many movies this one will take?

The pattern for this quilt is available in my Etsy shop, here:  Rock the Boat Quilt Pattern

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Are you following the Island Batik Create for a Cause Blog Hop?  Today is the first day of the hop!  Check out today's ambassadors here:

February 1:

• Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts
• Mania Hatziioannidi, Mania for Quilts

• My day for the hop will be Wednesday, February 3rd.  I can't wait to show you my quilt, my cause,  the new Citrus Sun fabric line, and I'll have a giveaway for a charm pack of the fabric.  See you then!

Be Creative ~ Sew Something Beautiful Today.

Jennifer Thomas

Click here to visit the Curlicue Creations shop.

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It's In the Bag Blog Hop with Island Batik and ByAnnie.com

Hello!  Welcome to my day for the Island Batik and ByAnnie.com It's in the Bag blog hop. This is the bag I made.  It's the Out and About Knapsack.  Isn't it adorable?

Disclaimer:  The products used in this project were given to me by Island Batik and industry partners.

For this month's Island Batik Ambassador challenge, each one of the ambassador's picked a ByAnnie.com bag pattern that we wanted to make.  I've been wanting to make the Out and About bag for a while, so I knew right away which one to choose.

The fabric for our bags was chosen for us and everything was sent bundled together in our Ambassador box as a kit.

The fabrics for my bag are part of the new Urbanization collection by Island Batik.  Aren't they fabby?  I love the purples and blues together.

I'll admit I was a little intimidated when I first looked the pattern over.  It's 16 pages long!  But, the instructions are given in well written steps with little check boxes for each step.  Checking the boxes as I went along helped me to feel like I was accomplishing something during every sewing session.  There is also a sheet of squares to copy and cut out to mark all of your pattern pieces.  I copied my squares onto a sticky paper which made it so easy to mark and remark my pieces as I sewed along.

I used this new spool of purple Aurifil thread and Schmetz needles to sew my project.  It matches the fabrics perfectly.  

This bag has a multitude of pockets.  Some have zippers and some have fold over elastic binding (the blue stuff in this photo).  I watched the add on videos for the Out and About bag on the ByAnnie.com site before sewing each step of my bag.  They were so helpful.  

Sunrise is my newest quilting buddy.  He really enjoyed making this bag.  The inside layer between the outer fabric and the lining fabric is made from Soft and Stable.  This stuff is awesome!  It gives the bag amazing stability and body.

Another essential notion for making the Out and About bag is Clover Wonder Clips.  You could use pins, but the clips were super helpful for holding multiple layers of fabric together.

Here's a photo of the back of the bag sewn together, padded straps, carry handle, and all.

Sunrise got tired and enjoyed using it for a nap. Cuteness alert!

At this point, the bag is almost finished.  The straps are clipped together to keep them away from the final seams.

The Out and About bag is complete!  Front view.

Back view.

The front compartment inside.  See the mesh pocket and the fold over elastic pockets?

I sewed the optional hidden pocket in between the front and back compartments.  It's the perfect size for my phone or keys.

The inside of the large compartment features another full length zipper pocket with a two compartment mesh pocket in front of it.

The opposite side of the large compartment features a big mesh pocket.

Inside the large compartment. There's so many pockets!  Ultra organization.  I love that.

The straps are adjustable for a custom fit.

Side view.

                               All dressed up with a feather boa.  Ready to go Out and About!

Be sure to hop on over the the Island Batik Blog to enter a fabric bundle giveaway and for links to all the ambassador blogs on the hop.

Be creative ~ Sew something beautiful today.

Jennifer Thomas

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The Ultimate Home Decor Blog Hop featuring Smooch by Island Batik ~ Plus a Giveaway!

 Hello!  Thanks for joining me today for my little corner of Island Batik's Ultimate Home Decor Blog Hop.  I'm showcasing the gorgeous new Smooch by Kathy Engle fabric collection.  

Disclaimer:  These fabrics were given to me by Island Batik at no cost to me.

 This month's Island Batik Ambassador challenge is to make a home decor item using as many fabrics as possible from our assigned fabric collection.  These are the "Surprise" fabrics we received in box one.  I got the Smooch by Kathy Engle fabric line, pinks, yellows, and greens.  

 I knew immediately that I wanted to make seat cushions for my kitchen chairs.  I've been wanting to make these for a long time.  The challenge gave me an extra push.  I was able to use all 20 fabrics by using one fabric for the top of the cushion, one for the bottom, one for the ruffle and one for the ties.  I made five cushions.  

 This photo shows the bottom side of the cushions and the ties.

I'm really pleased with how well they turned out.

 As you can see, the colors work well in my kitchen.

 Cushion view, back of chair.

 Cushion view, front of chair.

 I used Aurifil's Verona Mauve thread collection to sew my cushions.  These soft neutral colors with a hint of pink blended well with all of the Smooch fabrics.

 I used Schmetz Microtex Sharp Needles for all of the stitching as well.  

Visit Island Batik's blog to enter this week's fabric giveaway, here:  Island Batik Blog

Be sure to visit Joanne Hart's blog to see what she made with the Smooch collection, here: 

 Unicorn Harts

I'm having a giveaway today of a 15 piece charm pack of Smooch fabrics, plus a copy of my Sherbet Hearts quilt pattern, which also features the Smooch by Kathy Engle fabric line.  To enter, just leave a comment and I'll choose someone randomly at the end of the hop.  Please be sure I have a way to contact you.  USA entries only, due to contest laws.

Be creative ~ Sew something beautiful today!

Jennifer Thomas

Click here to visit the Curlicue Creations shop.

Connect with me:

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This is an affiliate link.  Clicking this link will not affect the purchase price.  However, if you do make a purchase, I may receive a commission.  Thank you.