Island Batik Designer's Choice: Pathway Out of Here!

I am home, not traveling and teaching, and probably won't start traveling until at at least fall. I am finding my path staying local, creating with some beautiful Island Batiks.

For this months Island batik challenge, we had no direction and no stipulations.

Sometime that is harder than you think. This is my first year as an ambassador, so I was not sure what to expect from the others. I just went with my heart and grabbed this precut strip pack.

This is a stunning pack from the Jewel Box collection. I added a background of solid grey batik and a solid amethyst batik for the binding.

I googled, instagram, and pinterest modern strip quilts and found a few free patterns that I liked but I really wanted my own path through a split in the typical roll race quilt.

I drew up my own "path" for the piecing.

Here is my road map for the quilt:

This quilt is about 58" by 78". That is a pretty good lap size quilt.

The background pieces are cut at 2 1/2" by 14".

I really liked the progression of the fabrics in the pack so I did not change that.

I love that there are 2 of every strip. I used all but one strip. The center dark purple was only used once, I moved from green to purple and then reverse back to green.

These Schmetz microtex chrome needles are really nice to piece the quilt top.

I love to see how the quilt progresses:

It looks a bit boring here, but I know that the quilting will add so much in the texture of the piece.

Here is my quilting plan: I did change it a little bit.

But this is one of the best parts!

I added a quilted 1/2" straight line border on the grey and the colored strips. This helped separate out the quilting designs on each section.

I loaded it on my HandiQuilter Forte, here is the beginning of my quilting.

I chose one design on the left side of the path and another for the right side of the path. In the middle I went with a modern fill. I really like playing with different designs together.

Here are a few closeup shots of the quilting,.

I love the way Hobbs batting shows off my quilting. It is my go to batting .

I love the way the finished quilt looks.

The designs are from Anne Bright: Shish kebab border for the grey, Gears and I love Leaves.

So here is the thing about quilts.

I USE my quilts.

I get them dirty. I wash them. I enjoy them. This brand new quilt went straight to the beach for a morning coffee.

The way to enjoy the beach during the pandemic is to go early. There is hardly anybody at the beach at 8 am.

I do not want to be around loads of people. Who does? My daughter and I enjoyed some quiet time at Birch Bay, I am lucky it is just a few minutes from my home.

Mornings are such a nice time at the beach. We walked around, gathered shells, and yes, I got sand on my quilt. It is OK. Island batiks are perfect for a beach quilt. The tight weave of the batik is great because it will keep the sand out of the quilt.

SAND!

A throw size quilt is the perfect size quilt to throw in the car for a tailgate social distancing party. Just a few friends can get us through the loneliness these days.

A last minute call and kit in the car; you can bring your own dinner to meet up with a friend at least 6 feet apart. The kit should include a chair, a basket with your quilt and all you have to bring is your meal.

I love having a quilt in the car so you always have a table cover or cozy blanket. I live in NW Washington, so even in the summer the evenings are cool as well as some days.

I also just throw my quilts on the grass.

Bring your quilts out for a great socially distant gathering. A few people, with your own food and drinks (with a designated driver, of course!)

Thanks to my sponsors:

Disclosure: The products featured here were provided to me free of charge by Island Batik, Hobbs, and Schmetz

Be sure to visit all the Island Batik Ambassadors: Carolina Asmussen ~ Carolina Asmussen Megan Best ~ Bestquilter Pamela Boatright ~ Pamela Quilts Jennifer Fulton ~ Inquiring Quilter Vasudha Govindan ~ Storied Quilts Joanne Hart ~ Unicorn Harts Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for Quilts Carla Henton ~ Create in the Sticks Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood Denise Looney ~ For the Love of Geese Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights Sally Manke ~ Sally Manke Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack's Blog Carol Moellers ~ Carol Moellers Designs Gail Renna ~ Quilt Haven Threads Sharon Riley ~ Sew Riley Designs Michelle Roberts ~ Creative Blonde Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail Jennifer Strauser ~ Dizzy Quilter Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations Alison Vermilya ~ Little Bunny Quilts Sandra Walker ~ mmm! quilts Suzy Webster ~ Adventerous Applique and Quilting Janet Yamamoto ~ Whispers of Yore In the light of current events, we really need to find some joy. The bright colors and act of creating with fabric can bring so much joy in a stressful time. I will continue to create in the next few months while I am at home not traveling and teaching. Follow me on Instagram to find more fun and colorful quilt projects (and some gardening and cooking too!). @bestquilter #islandbatikambassador #islandbatik #iloveislandbatik #hobbsbatting #aurifilthread #schmetzneedles #janome Come back soon! Megan