Island Batik Ambassador Box

It’s here!  And I’ve finally opened it.  I waited an extra TWO DAYS to open my box.  The first day I was in the city all day, and then just too tired to make a video.  Then, it was the day my mom was coming to visit, and I thought it would be more fun to open it together.  She declined to be on camera with me, but I swear, she was here.
First, I would like to say I am just blown away by the generosity of Island Batik.  They sent me a huge box with 22 pounds of goodies that I get to play with this year.  22 pounds is a lot of fabric.  And, it is my all time favorite kind of fabric, so I’m thrilled.

You can watch my silly video here.  I didn’t script anything or do any editing, so those are my sincere reactions to each item.  And, that is the end of my pointing out my errors.
Here are photos and more details of what was in my box.
Aurifil Threads
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1 Cone of 50 wt Cotton Mako – white
4 large spools of 50 wt Cotton Mako – teal, purple, cream, and sage
2 large spools of 40 wt Cotton Mako – red and variegated peach/gree/yellow/brown
Several brochures for sharing
Hobbs Batting
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1 Heirloom Cotton batting, twin – I usually use 80/20, so I’m happy they sent me my favorite.
1 Thermore batting, queen – Thermore is a polyester batting guaranteed not to beard or migrate.  Designed for clothing and miniatures.  Hmm.  I’m interested to see how it performs.
1 Hobbs sample card – this is very cool.  I’m a collector of color cards – I didn’t even know there was such a thing for batting.
Okay.  Now for the REALLY exciting stuff. These photos are huge – so you can see all of the details.  I managed to get decent lighting for a fairly accurate representation of the colors.
Island Batik
Galentine's Day Fat Quarter Bundle
The first one I will be working with is this sweet Galentine’s Day fat quarter bundle.  I have a plan, and a mug rug and pattern will be forthcoming, on Tuesday.
IMG_5724.jpgThis is a batik foundations bundle.  I’ve got eight 1/2 yard cuts of some gorgeous batiks.  The top one in the photo is a light blue, the second is a light green apple.  The other colors are pretty close to the photo.
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This is a fat eighth bundle of Alpine Ice, along with 1.5 yards of one of the fabrics.  I’ve never worked with fat eighths before – I can’t wait to see what direction my design goes in.  I was just thinking about a quilt pattern based on nordic knitting designs, and this shows up.  Could it be more perfect?
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Mountains Majesty is amazing.  Look at these deep greens and purples.  I can’t wait to cut into this stuff.  I love pre-cuts, and have plenty of ideas of what to do with this size cut.  I had a quilty friend yesterday tell me she doesn’t like precuts, and I think I may have gotten a twitch in my eye.  I guess I’m a scrappy quilter, and also lazy.  Give me every fabric in the line, and do some of the cutting for me?  Yes, please!  Every day.  It came with two different 1.5 yard cuts of coordinating fabrics.  The brown one with the trees will be showing up in many projects this year.  I’m smitten, and I don’t usually get excited about brown.
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IMG_5733.jpgThese are stash builder bundles.  Each roll has four different  5″ x width of fabric strips.  So much more flexible than the 2 1/2″ strips, and I bet they are more affordable, too.
IMG_5721.jpgThere are 3 yards of this lovely neutral.  It is going to work so well with the rest of the fabrics in my box.
IMG_5720.jpgThere are 2 yards of this stunning red rayon.  I’ve never quilted with rayon before – I’m definitely up for something new.  I also just learned that a bunch of my quilting friends are also garment makers.  It’s so nice to have people I can hit up for help if I need it.
img_5717.jpgAnd last, but certainly not least, is this amazing rayon scarf.  Finally, I have a reason to figure out how to wear a scarf outside of winter.
IMG_5716.jpgThere is one more bundle, but I can’t reveal the surprise just yet.  It is gorgeous, though, and I can’t wait to find out what I’m supposed to make with it.
This has been a really long post – sorry.  I’m just so pleased to be a part of this program.  And now, I have to get going, because I have quilts to make!
Thank you so much to Island Batik, Aurifil, and Hobbs!  This is going to be a great year.

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18 thoughts on “Island Batik Ambassador Box

  1. That is a lot of wonderfulness to turn into things that are even more wonderful! At the end of the year, I expect you will have NO Aurifil thread left! I go through at least two cones a year, and more smaller bits, too. Best of luck for an amazing year of inspiration and fun!

  2. Hi Jennifer,
    Wow – how exciting. I didn’t know you got the contents so far ahead of time. That has to make it easier to come up with a design and pattern to use to showcase the fabrics. Thanks for sharing the opening of the box with us! Very cool. ~smile~ Roseanne

  3. You have a lot of terrific fabrics to work with too! I am going to work on the video business for the next one, I so appreciate those who made it work. I have to say, that the rooster was fun in the background! When I student taught, I was videotaped. The thing that drove me nuts, and that my mentor commented on, was my jingling bracelets…. You never know the unintended side effects, but in your case, I thought the rooster was just charming.

  4. There are so many things I realize I am unaware of! I am floored by the amount of fabric and supplies you received as an “ambassador.” As beautiful as everything is, I am awed by how much creativity and time you will be putting into your new projects over the year (in addition to whatever else you may need or want to make). It is a definite window into what an artisan does to further the success of their career. It’s inspiring, intimidating and fabulous all at the same time. I know you will be showing us wonderful things, Jen!

  5. That red rayon would make a beautiful shirt for you. With the right pattern… that color would look gorgeous on you. 2 yards should be plenty to make a short sleeved top, you don’t have to use all of the fabric for quilting do you? And definitely tell Mom I said Hi!! Love that lady, she’s awesome

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