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 

World Wide Quilting Day

I remember the excitement of the first National Quilting Day. A bit of searching on the web, led me to the website for the National Quilting Day Association HERE. Where I found this information:

A Brief History of National Quilting Day

In 1989, the Kentucky Heritage Quilt Society organized a "Quilters' Day Out" on the third Saturday of March to celebrate the rich tradition of quilt making in Kentucky. In 1991, the NQA officers were so enthused with the concept and success of "Quilters'Day Out" that they voted to take it to a national level.

The first National Quilting Day was observed in 1992 and since then it has grown into a global celebration for all quiltmakers and quilt lovers. Helen Storbeck, one of the founders of National Quilting Day, wrote in The Quilting Quarterly, "Groups of quilters were encouraged to hold special events, publishers and shop owners were invited to sponsor promotions especially for quilters and it quickly became a grassroots endeavor with quilters in every part of the country participating.  In the first year of National Quilting Day, quilters in other countries asked to participate. They were welcomed with open arms. As our feelings of a community network has evolved to include a world community, it is only appropriate

 that quilters and quilt lovers everywhere united to give recognition to the special art form."

There are countless ways to celebrate National Quilting Day.  Find a few suggestions here. 

Now it is a World Wide Quilting Day. 

And how am I participating in this day? 

The postman started me off this morning when he delivered a package to my door. It was my order from Hancock's of Paducah! This is what I got:

One yard cuts of 3 fabrics for some cute projects, maybe some potholders and a baby quilt.

I took advantage of their sale on Island Batiks with a yellow pre-cut package of half-yard pieces. I was delighted that they sent me the designs I did not purchase while I was there in February.

I bought one yard cuts of two fabrics with teal in them that I am going to be very happy using. 

I am taking out the center square of a table runner I was making. I did not like the colors I chose. It is an upcoming pattern so all I can show you is this mess. It won't be too difficult to fix and I am pleased with the new color choice. I am, of course, using Island Batik fabrics. My seam ripper took out the stitches in the batiks like it was running through butter! 

I will be doing some embroidery, letting the machine run while I rearrange some sewing room items. I figure I will multi-task. 

Have a great day and I hope it includes something related to quilting.

What I Found In Paducah

On my vacation in February, one stop was Paducah, Kentucky. I went to the National Quilters Museum to see the exhibits. Photos are not allowed in the exhibit halls, so I have none to share. This year I purchased the book with photos of all the quilts in the museum's collection. I will be able to look through, remember and compare what I did see. 

I talked with the quilters of the Yo-Yo Club of Paducah who were hand quilting on a frame next to the admissions desk. They showed me some of the pincushions and needle & thread holders they make. The proceeds are used to help fund charity quilts they make.

I put a piece of batting under the needles, so I could see them.  All the needles are threaded. I take one needle out of the batting along with a length of thread. Cut it and the rest of the needles are threaded and ready when needed. Below you can see the elastic that closes the needle & thread holder when storing it.

The next stop I could not miss. I was on a mission to buy some 1/2 yard precuts of Island Batik greens at Hancock's of Paducah. I checked out their website the night before, so I knew what I wanted. But, that is never the case at this fabric store! Once I saw the beautiful packages of Island Batik fabrics, I grabbed a yellow and a purple package as well. They were on sale, so I did not hesitate. Aren't these just gorgeous?

I have two projects planned for the greens. One is a pattern I am working on (to be revealed at a later date). The second is the President's Challenge for our quilt guild, due in May. I want to get both of these done SOON!

Don't forget to visit the Island Batik Ambassadors at their websites for the March Mini Madness. See my post HERE with all the links. Island Batik also has, in progress, The Wendy Sheppard Blog Hop. Check out all the beautiful quilts that have been made with Wendy's patterns--using Island Batiks.