Hawaiian quilt love ❤️

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

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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
Here I am looking Hawaiian, hula performance October 2014

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

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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 )

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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.

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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!”)

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

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25 Hawaiian quilt blocks = a quilt top!

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

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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.

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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!

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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.

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I’ll think about that tomorrow.

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

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

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

Hawaiian quilt blocks are taking over the house!

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

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

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Guess you can tell that I was feeling blue.

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

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

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

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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?)

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

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

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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.

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

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

Hawaiian quilt blocks continue to spring forth!

DSCN5957 Pineapples are ripe and ready for picking!  I loved the first pineapple block so much, I had to make another.  Of course I used a different fabric and outline color.  I am determined that each and every block on this quilt-to-be will be unique. DSCN5959 I think my blue block has crab claws. DSCN5955 I love all the tentacles on this design.  I can’t even begin to guess what Hawaiian theme this block represents, we’ll just go with “artistic license” on the part of Anita Goodesign.  I love this fabric, but it doesn’t grab me in this block.  This one will most likely sit out the quilt and become a pillow. I’ve made one of every design on the Anita Goodesign Hawaiian Quilt embroidery disc.  I’ve got some new fabrics for round two…

But wait! There’s more! Hawaiian quilt block explosion!

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I hope you’re not tired of looking at colorful Hawaiian quilt blocks!  Anita Goodesign and I have been busy in the studio.  The colors are popping!

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For some reason, parts of this turquoise block remind me of whale tails.  The ones in the ocean.  This blue batik actually has a fish design in it, disguised by the appliqué process.

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This color is difficult to photograph, just can’t seem to capture the beautiful periwinkle coloring.  I love the way the sawtooth leaves come together at the seams and look like the teeth on a man-eating plant!

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This orangish-red was screaming out to become what looks like anthuriums in this block.  Or maybe it’s clubs and hearts from a deck of cards?

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Both of the green blocks I’ve made so far just blow me away.  The batiks are more beautiful as appliqués than they are as yardage.  I didn’t think that was possible!

What’s your favorite block so far?  Any opinions?  Here, I’ll let you review the others…

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Coming up next, orange.  And purple.  Cathy loves purple.

Pineapples and hibiscus join the Hawaiian quilt party!

The pineapple block is ready for it’s debut! DSCN5748 Doesn’t it look juicy?  And look at the little smiles at the bottom of each fruit!  Also making an entrance today… DSCN5747 The lovely pink hibiscus!  I also managed to stitch together the blocks for the red and blue designs, whatever the heck they are. DSCN5746 DSCN5749 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. DSCN5745 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…

Does anyone else see a Hawaiian quilt in my future? I think it’s my Destiny.

Look what happened at my house on Friday!

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The first block of my Hawaiian quilt is in the bag, and I am thrilled.  I’m using an Anita Goodesign embroidery collection called…wait for it…Hawaiian Quilt.  My plan is to use a variety of fun batik fabrics and make it really colorful.

I had three of these four sections completed when my sewing machine decided to have a spa visit.  The good news here is that I had actually saved my design in the machine memory!  I was able to complete the partially stitched section without a hitch.

Wondering what was up with my Babylock Destiny?  Just a big hairball – well, a thread tangle.  A spool of thread I had used previously kept shredding and breaking.  Some of that thread got caught up inside and built a nest in the machine.  Thanks to the clever and talented repair department at my dealer for solving that issue!

Destiny and I are resuming our love affair right where we left off.