Recap of Week One of Tool Craze Blog Hop and Giveaway!

In Ambassadors, Blog Hop, Challenges, Designer Feature, Fabric Collections, Giveaways, Images, Inspiration, New Fabric Features, Programs, Projects, Promotions + Giveaways

Posted May 5, 2023

Join us for a recap of this week’s Tool Craze Blog Hop quilts! Our talented Ambassadors have truly impressed us with their magnificent creations, featuring the versatile tools from Deb Tucker’s Studio 180 Design and the latest Island Batik fabric collections.

We are grateful for all the positive feedback we’ve received and hope that you’re feeling inspired to grab your needle and thread and start stitching with Studio 180 Design tools!

Get comfortable with a warm cup of tea and a cozy blanket and take another look at the highlights of this week’s Tool Craze Blog Hop. Direct links to each post are provided so you can learn more about the designers’ processes. Plus, some of our Ambassadors are hosting bonus giveaways, so be sure to check them out!

But wait, there’s more! Don’t miss our special surprise at the end – a new giveaway that you won’t want to miss! Keep reading to find out more.

This week’s projects featured the following four Island Batik collections by Kathy Engle, all evoking the thoughts of the holidays:

Runner by Susan Deshensky, Lady Blue Quilts Studio + BONUS GIVEAWAY, made with the Wing Clipper I and Quilter’s Magic Wand tools

Runner by Randi Jones, Randi’s Roost, made with the Tucker Trimmer I tool

Runner by Mania Hatziioannidi, Mania for Quilts + BONUS GIVEAWAY, made with the Corner Pop III tool

Table runner by Elita Sharpe, Busy Needle Quilting + BONUS GIVEAWAY, made with the V Block tool

Four Patch Flurries by Brittany Fisher, Bobbin with Brittany, made with the Four Patch Square Up tool

Snow Dazed by Pamela Boatright, PamelaQuilts + BONUS GIVEAWAY, made with the Rapid Fire Lemoyne Star tool

Cirque du Soleil by Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs + BONUS GIVEAWAY, made with the V Block tool

Quilt by Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese, made with the Split Rects tool

We hope you enjoyed all the wonderful quilts above! Let us know how much you like them in the comments below!

If there is a quilt shop in your city, be sure to let them know how much you love Island Batik collections and Foundations! Please, visit the store locator on our website to see which shops around you carry Island Batik.

For the next week’s fabulous giveaway, we put aside two Fat Quarter bundles of two new complete Island Batik collections that will be featured next week – Sorbet by Claudia Pfeil or Sea Cookies by Kate Colleran Designs!

To enter for your chance to win one of these these stunning batik bundles, please follow the easy-to-use prompts on Rafflecopter!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway ends on May, 12th at 11:59 pm PDT. Two random winners will be notified by email on May, 13rd and announced on our Facebook page on May, 16th. If the winners do not respond within the first three days after being notified, two new random winners will be chosen. Please check your spam folders!

There is still time to get your last minute entry in for the chance to win a Fat Quarter bundle of Let It Snow or Make a Wish collections by visiting our previous post!

Make sure to follow Island Batik on Facebook and Instagram, so that you always stay updated on the beautiful quilts and home decor items from the talented Island Batik Ambassadors and Designers:

Facebook: Island Batik

Instagram: @island_batik

Check our social media pages on Monday for more projects from Island Batik Ambassadors on Week Two of the Tool Craze Blog Hop!

There Are 38 Comments

Cutting and piecing accurately. Your project won’t go together well if you don’t. Thanks for the giveaway. (The projects this week were amazing!

Amazing colours!

I’ve been eyeing these projects on Instagram! It’s really hard to say I have a favourite.

The best skill? Lack of fear! You develop it by engaging a sense of play and joy in what you are doing. You ignore the little voice(s) that say “you can’t do that” “you can’t do it that way” and sew with joy.

Gene, I love this answer! Yes, keep your mind open and don’t be afraid to try new things!

the best is accurate measuring cutting and piecing with 1/4″ seam allowance and pressing. following these will make for a good block which leads to a good project ( table runner or quilt)

This is such a pretty collection!

Being able to quilt designs that look beautiful. If you’re a machine quilter, practice FMQ frequently. If you’re a hand quilter, Keep practicing until you can make tiny stitches evenly spaced.

I think the most important skill is to be able to sew an accurate 1/4″ seam. “Practice makes perfect”!

I like to starch my fabric before cutting out the pieces. This helps be get an accurate 1/4 inch seam and nice square blocks. That’s important to having a nice quilt top!

Another great collection of quilts and so much inspiration. When sewing together hundred of little pieces every skill is important but the mostly to enjoy the process!

I love how creative each project is. These fabrics are beautiful!

Best skill is patience — don’t be afraid to make mistakes and use the seam ripper. I also love pins! They help me get my seams to line up.

thanks for all the great quilts and tools.

Learning to cut accurately and pressing correctly.

Learn quilting accuracy with seam allowances precise and learn about color and scale!

I think that the accurate seam is essential because it makes the rest of the quilt go together with less stress and frustration.

Cutting and piecing accurately are definite most important. Practice is the best way to achieve.

sewing a straight, consistent quarter inch seam allowance is important for accurate piecing.

For a technical skill I think it is to sew an accurate 1/4 inch seam. Equally important is to trust yourself and your own instincts–your color preferences, your quilt style preferences, your comfort level for wonkiness, etc., your willingness to go your way. I guess what I’m saying is a variation of the old, “Know the rules so you can break the rules” aphorism.

I think just relaxing and loving the process is the most important! I love Sea Cookies – what great colors and design!

Patience is important – skills are learned and improved over time. Don’t give up! Give yourself grace when things don’t go as planned – nobody is perfect 🙂

I think learning the basics is helpful in order to make things fit. Those skills develop over time through trial and error…we all learn so much from our mistakes..so being willing to make mistakes and motivated to persevere is helpful.

Cutting and that 1/4 in seam are so important. I still wander off once in a while and have to rip a seam out.

I learned from scratch and experience taught me that it’s so very important to measure fabric accurately, then cut using a quilting ruler to ensure that straight edge. It’s also important to know how to use your sewing machine and get the fabric and needle lined up to use the 1/4″ seam allowance. There is such a great learning curve, but be sure to enjoy every step towards becoming better!

Patience and a sense of humour

Seam accuracy – need that perfect 1/4 inch!

Accurate cutting and piecing are the most important skills to learn. If you don’t learn that, you will get frustrated trying to make things fit!

Math & imagination. I know many don’t like using math, but it’s still a good skill & with any skill you get better over time with lots of practice.

Sea Cookies is an awesome batik line of fabrics. I love it! Already got a pattern picked out to make with them.

Perfect seams are important but don’t stress and have fun with quilting no matter what method you use

Learning to piece an accurate 1/4″ seam so blocks go together well. Practice and measuring after piecing is the only way I know how to get better.

Cut the fabric and sewing it accurately! And just use the fabric!!!

That quarter inch seam is the most important skill in my opinion. Without it you’re going to have a hard time piecing accurately.

Piecing, pressing, and trimming will help make a quality quilt. Starting with fine fabric like Sea Cookies will make up a quilt that’s pleasing to the eye.

Knowing where thei 1/4″ is on their machine or machines. making big and cutting down is no way to sharpen skills 🙂

Accurate cutting and sewing make a huge difference in the outcome of a quilt. Using Deb Tuckers rulers makes a big difference in piecing accurately. I can’t decide which color I like best. I love batiks!!!

Attempting the 365 quilt as my first project was a great skill builder, taught me how to cut and sew accurately and introduced me to loads of other really useful techniques and skills so now I feel like I can try anything.

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Recap of Week One of Tool Craze Blog Hop and Giveaway!