End Nears for Island Batik Seaside Summer Blog Hop

Only 3 more days after today.

As the end of summer nears,

so does the Island Batik Seaside Summer Blog Hop.

I am one of the Island Batik Ambassadors who is at the tail end of this summer blog hop. I hope you have been following along daily and entering for the giveaways. I, too, have a giveaway that I will tell you about at the end of this post. 

In the United States, Labor Day is observed on the first Monday of September.

It is a day to recognize the contributions of American workers of all industries to the U.S. economy. It is also the day that we usually take time to enjoy one last summer excursion or event. There may be picnics, watching a parade, or perhaps, if the weather is still warm, a trip to the lake, river or beach. 

My quilt was made with a selection of fabrics from the Wind and Sea collection.

The colors are lovely.

I designed the 1,2,3 Sew Easy pattern about 10 years ago 

to use with fat quarters from a fabric collection. And Island Batik fabrics all blend so well together that they all shine in this quilt.

The pattern is easy to cut and to sew. Any quilting design works well on it. 

I have updated the pattern and it can be purchased from PatternSpot.com HERE.

The quilt measures 42 inches square, just the right size for a patio table or card table. 

I wanted to make it reversible.  

(I want to thank Theresa and Jake of Sui Generis Home Furnishings 

for allowing me to take my photos at their lovely store.)

Not having enough of one fabric for the back, I pieced (in a pattern) two Island Batiks I bought from Hancock's of Paducah. They went well with those on the front. (It is so nice that one can mix and match the Island Batik fabric of different collections to create marvelous quilts.) 

Michelle Fialek quilted it using Glide "Cool Grey" thread, 

which blended so well with all the colors.

Time spent at the seaside (or river, lake, park or at home) 

should include some type of food. 

All the Ambassadors included a summer recipe in our posts. 

I enjoy eating something cool, refreshing and light in the summer. 

My favorite go-to dish is all of that and SO easy to make!

Watermelon Salad

3 cups chilled watermelon (3/4 inch cubes)

1 cup chilled seedless cucumbers (cubes 1/2 inch or less)

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 Tablespoons mint leaves, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons basil leaves, finely chopped 

1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Serve in small bowls. 

Serves 4-6

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You made it to the giveaway details!

My giveaway is some of the Island Batik fabrics I have been using in projects this year. I have cut 30 5-inch squares for one lucky person. (I will only be able to send these to an address in the USA. But if you live outside the USA I will send you a PDF of the 1,2,3 Sew Easy pattern.) Just leave a comment on this post telling what your favorite summer treat is. 
Enter through the Rafflecopter below. Make sure I have a way to contact you if you are Rafflecopter's random selection. I will announce the winner on September 5.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
On September 7 check out the tutorial I will post on an easy technique to sew a tablerunner using 5-inch squares.

Thank you for visiting. 
Visit the other Island Batik Ambassadors' posts listed below and be sure to enter their giveaways, too.  

Monday Aug 15 – Rain Forest

Kissed Quilts

Tuesday Aug 16 – Red Tide

Free Motion by the River

Mary Mack Made Mine

Wednesday Aug 17 – Sand Dune

Purrfect Spots

KnitBug 2

Thursday Aug 18 – Seashore

Tammy Silvers

Pamela Quilts

Maria Michael Designs

KISSed Quilts

Friday Aug 19 – Surf Squirt

Quilting Affection

Archipelago Quilting

Monday Aug 22 – Tradewinds

Arkangel Creations

Bejeweled Quilts

Tuesday Aug 23 – Equinox

Kauffman Designs

Adele Mogavero * Del~Lillian’s

Wednesday Aug 24 – Sea Canyon

Lemon Tree Snippets

Bea Quilter

Thursday Aug 25 – Sea Foam

Stone Cottage Quilts

Friday Aug 26 – Spoolin’ Around

Sallys Quilting Corner

Toolontilkkupaja

Monday Aug 29 – Tide Pools

Inchworm Fabrics

MooseStashQuilting

Tuesday Aug 30 – Wind and Sea

For Quilts Sake

Patchwork Breeze (You are here!)

Wednesday Aug 31 – Spring Zing

Desert Bloom Quilting

Adventurous Applique and Quilting

Thursday Sep 1 – Splash

Kissed Quilts

The Patchwork Pearl

Friday Sept 2 – Landscapes

For Quilts Sake