Its All up to YOU!

This months Island Batik challenge gave the ambassadors free reign to create whatever we wanted. Meet Margarita!

Sometimes a free challenge is hard! This time I wanted to test out a new die I purchased from Accuquilt: The Glorified 9-Patch.

I designed the quilt in Electric Quilt.

I used some 5" strips from my Stashbuilder strips for the background.

Mixed with some springy summery colors:

A yellow from the Garden Gems collection.

A green from the blenders and a turquoise basic.

The 5" strips are perfect for use on the Go.

Look at how pretty this pile of cut pieces is!

I did some pin-free piecing. I feel like this was the easiest way to stitch the block.

It makes for some quick piecing of what looks to be a difficult block. I eventually want to make a much larger quilt with this block. I stitched the top on my Janome M7.

I brought a picture into my ProStitcher Designer Software to plan the quilting. I saw summer and bright and fresh in the colors, so I designed the motifs to reflect those images. Lemon/lime slices as well as a Margarita glass all remind me of summer.

I used 2 layers of batting, Hobbs Heirloom with a layer of Hobbs Tuscan wool on top. This gives the very best definition to quilting.

I added some piano keys to the outside border.

And some background fills to the centers and a liner design in the empty blocks to finish the quilting.

I think I may need to add some more back fills to make the Margarita glasses pop.

I added a binding from the yellow fabric to finish off the quilt.

Right after I finished the quilt, I took a trip to visit family and brought the quilt with me.

a day trip up to Truckee and Lake Tahoe California. The fabrics really shine!

Look at how the blue sky really pops the blue in the quilt. I did nothing to the pictures!

This quilt will be perfect for a table topper for a picnic.

One last pic, overlooking Donner Lake. I thought this quilt may have blown over the edge because of the super windy day.

I hope you enjoyed the REAL travels of this quilt. It is my first trip in 14 month.

It looks like there might be a future for this traveler!

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

Here is a list of all the Ambassadors for 2021.

Visit and follow them for great ideas in quilting for 2021!

Megan Best ~ Bestquilter

Pamela Boatright ~ Pamelaquilts

Elizabeth DeCroos ~ Epida Studio

Jennifer Eubank ~ Archipelago Quilting

Jennifer Fulton ~ The Inquiring Quilter

Preeti Harris ~ Sew Preeti Quilts

Joanne Hart ~ Unicorn Harts

Mania Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for quilts

Jane Hauprich - Stitch By Stitch Custom Quilting

Connie Kauffman ~ Kauffman Designs

Emily Leachman ~ The Darling Dogwood

Denise Looney ~ For The Love Of Geese

Leah Malasky ~ Quilted Delights

Sally Manke ~ Sally Manke, Fiber Artist

Maryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack Made Mine

Claudia Porter ~ Create with Claudia

Gail Renna ~ Quilt Haven Threads

Brianna Roberts ~ Sew Cute And Quirky

Michelle Roberts ~ Creative Blonde

Gail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail

Andi Stanfield ~ True Blue Quilts

Jennifer Thomas ~ CurliCue Creations

Suzy Webster ~ WebsterQuilt

Janet Yamamoto ~ Whispers of Yore

Its 2021 and we are still in the midst of a Pandemic. 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

# islandbatik #hobbsbatting #accuquilt #accuquiltgo #doyoueq #janome #juki #handiquilter