Let’s Get Scrappy with Island Batik

For our first project of 2020, the Island Batik Ambassadors have been challenged to make a scrappy project. Scrappy is my favorite!

I was all set to dig into my scrap bin, but I couldn’t resist the siren song of this rainbow strip pack. Ancient Etchings by Jackie Kunkel of Canton Village Quilt Works is stunning. I really enjoyed all of the little motifs she incorporated into the tjaps on this collection. It is available from Jackie’s shop right now!

I sometimes test quilt patterns for other designers. This month I worked with Tara Faughnan on one of her newest patterns – Bazaar. I’ve taken classes with Tara in the past. She is a wizard with freezer paper piecing. She is also a master of big stitch quilting. I used both techniques in a modern triangles quilt last year.

Bazaar is a three dimensional quilt, and is a lot of fun. The prep was a little tedious, but with my handy dandy Reliable steam generator iron, it went smoothly. I balk a bit in projects when I have to do all of the steps in order. I like to prep a little, zip ahead, prep some more, etc. I’m a bit spazzy, and I need to see progress. Being able to take pretty photos helps.

I layered a coordinating green backing, a scrap of Hobbs Cotton batting from last year, and grey Island Batik solid onto the longarm, loaded some Aurifil thread, then started playing.

I was able to utilize my Gammill longarm on this project, which deviates from Tara’s directions. I often use my longarm for more than just quilting. This machine was a big investment, and I’m going to use it for as many things as I possibly can. This time it really sped up the process for me. I was able to guide the head along with one hand, while holding the fabric pieces down with the other. No pinning, gluing, etc. The speed that this quilt came together made up for all of the time I spent ironing the pieces!

Tah dah! Isn’t it glorious? I did deviate from Tara’s finishing directions, too. What can I say? I am terrible at following directions. She uses a standard binding on her tops. I wanted my little flaps to show, so I faced three sides of the quilt. The top edge is a normal binding, because when I tried to face it, the little flags all stood up. I think the black line at the top is okay, don’t you?

I want to make another version of this pattern, exploring a more organic layout. I also want it to be oriented in the other direction – tall and narrow. I love making interesting three dimensional fabric pieces to decorate my home.

Now I just have to figure out where to hang this beauty in my house. Someday I’ll hang up all of my rainbow quilts at once. I will be glorious.

Quilt Specs
Dimensions – 36″ x 16″
Fabric line – Ancient Etchings, by Jackie Kunkel for Island Batik
Pattern – Bazaar by Tara Faughnan
Thread – Aurifil 2600, Dove

Special thanks to Island Batik, Hobbs Batting, and Aurifil for supplying the products for this project.

Make sure you check my fellow ambassadors to see their scrappy projects this month!

Carolina Asmussen ~ Carolina Asmussen
Megan Best ~ Best Quilter
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 <—- That’s me!
Jennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue Creations
Alison Vermilya ~ Little Bunny Quilts
Sandra Walker ~ mmm! quilts
Suzy Webster ~ Adventurous Applique and Quilting
Janet Yamamoto ~ Whispers of Yore