batik fabric – handmade by Carole Carr

Hawaiian quilt love ❤️

Published on November 2, 2015November 2, 2015 by car2ole6 Comments

Let the celebration begin, the Hawaiian quilt is complete and on the bed!

Picture, if you will, my awkward self dancing an Irish jig. Strike that. An awkward hula.

Here I am looking Hawaiian, hula performance October 2014

I am truly and utterly excited to debut my Hawaiian quilt.

So if you are new to my party, each quilt block is made in a different batik fabric. The embroidery designs are by Anita Goodesign, from their Hawaiian Quilt collection. Each block is comprised of four identical machine embroidered sections. Each section took about three hours or so to make. I’m tired thinking about it.

A terrific embroidery design by Urban Threads ( urbanthreads.com ) was the basis for my quilt label. I added text to document all the important information about my quilt. Like the fact that it took me forever.

Did I mention that my bed is a king size? I started the blocks and refused to measure my bed to see how many I needed. When I had finished 20 blocks, I laid them on the bed to see how close I might actually be from a quilt. That was when I decided to use plain white borders. But the borders had to be special, to be quilted so they would match the pizzaz of the quilt itself.

This is when you call in the big guns. Natalia Bonner, author and quilter extraordinaire, did a great job on this quilt. I said I like bubbles, and feathers, and lines…oh my! Check out more of Natalia’s amazing work on her blog Piece N Quilt ( pieceandquilt.com )

One dilemma of a king size quilt is how to wrangle it to sew on the binding. Let’s just say that it took a long time and some arm strength to get the binding on this puppy. I draped it across my cutting table AND a sofa, repositioning it after every few feet.

It was a trial by fire for my new machine, a Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2. I chose it mainly for the built-in walking foot. Are you ready, foot? Start walking! (Short break while I dance the pony and sing “These boots are made for walkin!”)

I’m elbow deep into another embroidered quilt, this one for Christmas. Hey, it’s only November 2nd…

Look! Out on the lawn! It’s a…giant batik turtle?

Published on July 30, 2015July 30, 2015 by car2ole2 Comments

I don’t think there’s any way to explain why I now have a giant batik turtle. It does have a purpose other than being adorable – extra seating for the living room.

The pattern is Dudley by McKenna Ryan, from her Sea Breeze collection. I flat out refuse to call mine Dudley, because it makes me think of Harry Potter’s tormentor. My turtle did turn out big and round, so maybe I’ll rethink my refusal of the name Dudley.

For the head and the top of the flippers I used this awesome batik with turtles on it. That makes this project extra turtley.

As a cruel prank, I flipped the turtle over so you can see the tummy and the underside of the flippers. Yet another cool batik, this one with coral print. Flippers were flailing. I flipped it back over.

The eyeballs are appliqued onto the head. For added interest, and because I thought this turtle looked tired and/or mysterious, I gave it hooded eyelids. From certain angles the turtle looks angry.

This is the turtle shell draped over my sewing machine. Do not worry – no turtles were harmed to provide this picture. The shell is approximately 34″ diameter, so awkward doesn’t begin to touch what it was like to make the top shell. It has darts, which allowed me to make my turtle extra fat.

The opening I left to stuff this monster is pinned right now. Since I stuffed it more than recommended, I want to try it out on the floor before I sew it shut. I still have the option to slim it down, but I want to make sure it will keep a butt off the floor.

Little Dorito is not quite sure what to think of this fatty. She finished all her puppy shots, so this was her very first day going out to play in the yard. She will probably expect giant batik animals every day now.

This is the face of a very happy little girl. She loves her new playground. Now I just have to make sure she doesn’t pee on the turtle.

25 Hawaiian quilt blocks = a quilt top!

Published on June 24, 2015 by car2ole12 Comments

Do you think I’m just a little bit excited today? I have the top of my Hawaiian quilt stitched together!

There were many Kodak moments while I wrestled this through the sewing machine. I stitched the blocks for each row together, then stitched the rows together.

I laid it out on the lawn so I could get a nice pic. The sunlight washes out the color a little, but this thing is VIBRANT!

Next I have to figure out what I want to do for the drop, the hangy-downy part. And I have to decide if I want to put some kind of border around it.

I’ll think about that tomorrow.

Meanwhile, keeping with the multicolor theme, enjoy this rainbow in my backyard.

Bonus photo, my puppy Dorito trying to learn how to go down stairs.

I made her a half step out of important books. Doesn’t the cat look skeptical?

Hawaiian quilt blocks are taking over the house!

Published on June 16, 2015June 16, 2015 by car2ole12 Comments

That’s a good thing, right? I’m working on one more block, then I will have enough beautiful blocks for the quilt top!

Last time I spread the blocks across my bed, I looked to see what colors were missing or needed more presence.

Guess you can tell that I was feeling blue.

I also only had one fuchsia block, the flowers, not the color.

I also had to throw in some in which I just liked the fabric, because, well, that’s how we quilters roll.

And one more pineapple. These aren’t ripe yet.

Anybody else out there looking forward to an actual quilt coming out of these blocks? Besides you, Mr., I know you are impatient.

How about a nice Hawaiian punch? (You knew this was coming, right?)

Published on April 12, 2015April 12, 2015 by car2ole4 Comments

I think I’m up to 21 Hawaiian quilt blocks! This one is lemonade.

You know, I’m just gonna let you look at pictures of all this yummy batiki goodness.

After spending some time looking at what I think are yellow tulips, I’m really starting to think this looks more like silverware. Like forks and knives radiating out from the center.

It’s like a fancy little hopscotch game in my back yard.

I’m making good progress for my project. Are you getting sick of looking at my pretty blocks?

Pineapples and hibiscus join the Hawaiian quilt party!

Published on March 23, 2015March 23, 2015 by car2ole4 Comments

The pineapple block is ready for it’s debut! Doesn’t it look juicy? And look at the little smiles at the bottom of each fruit! Also making an entrance today… The lovely pink hibiscus! I also managed to stitch together the blocks for the red and blue designs, whatever the heck they are. I was tempted to just sit around on my laurels, basking in the glow of my ribbon from the quilt show. With it comes great fame and glory, you know. Talk show offers, world summits, ringing the closing bell at the stock exchange. All that good stuff. But no, I just got right back to work on my projects. I have hired a security detail, however, and put my Hawaiian quilt blocks under the watchful eye of this Chinese soldier. Not that my success is going to my head or anything…