Postcard Swap with Elm Street Quilts and a free Virtual Quilted Postcard for you!
What feels like a very loooooong time ago, Patty of Elm Street Quilts decided to organise something that I thought would be a very fun idea….. a postcard swap. A little voice said…. “You’re too busy. You have enough projects for now.” I said “Shush, party pooper voice” and signed up anyway!
Fast forward a couple of months and I have made and sent my postcard. I have received a postcard in the mail. And now it is time for the big reveal!
Happy New Year? Yes, Happy Chinese New Year! And Happy Island Batik Ambassador New Year as well!
Chinese New Year fell on the 16th February this year, so we have now entered the Year of the Dog. Celebrations commenced on Chinese New Year’s Eve and will traditionally continue for two weeks past New Year’s Day. This period is also officially known as both the Chinese Spring Festival and the Batik Jamboree. There are many amazing and colourful celebrations happening in our local Chinatown. So I thought we should celebrate the Year of the Dog too, with a new mini quilt!
Sounds rare doesn’t it? Actually, blue moons (second full moons in a calendar month) happen surprisingly often. Like my crazy quilt ideas. 🙂 But full lunar eclipses are much rarer. And my glimpse of the blue moon lunar eclipse at the start of this month was even rarer again. The elusive blood blue moon. I had to stay up until nearly 1am to get a five minute glimpse of this lunar eclipse in the only break in the clouds all night. I was the only one in my household who bothered.
But it was totally worth it. Those five minutes were surreal, magical even. After taking a few amateur photos that turned out better than expected, I simply sat on the concrete path, still warm from the summer’s day, and watched. By myself, in the silence. Just me and the bizarre red moon. Until the clouds rolled back over and I went to bed feeling strangely moved.
From the Sewing Room – Project 70273 and a Destash Challenge
Second month into 2108, and I’m still committed to destashing some of my fabrics. 🙂 It definitely helps to have a little motivation from Megan at C’mon Get Crafty and her Monthly Destash Challenge. In fact, my destashing has become even more important, now that I have had a significant influx of fabrics from Island Batik. If you missed the opening of my first Ambassador box yesterday, you might want to take a squiz. I am over the moon with the collection of quilting supplies they sent me to play with!
The hearts quilt project is on the backburner for now, but I must admit, I am very pleased with it. I expect I will progress it along again soon. However, for this month’s destash I am showing you something different. A much smaller project that is also part of a much bigger project – one that you might like to think about getting involved with too.
Valentine’s Hearts, Project 70273 and the Monthly Colour Challenge! January has been inspiring!
January is drawing to a close and it’s time to link up!
Did you make something in red for January? If you did, don’t forget to link it up at Patterns by Jen for your chance at this month’s Color Challenge prize and an entry into the grand prize draw. You do not need a blog, you can just upload a picture of your project directly from your computer. The only thing you must have is a valid email address. Jen has also added instructions for linking via Instagram if this is your sharing platform of choice. And she has offered to help with any other linking issues you might have, so don’t leave it until the last minute…… we want to see your work!
Remember, this is what you are playing for this month….. A pack of 2.5″ strips from January’s sponsor, Northcott. You have until January 31 to enter.
In Other News: Valentine’s Heart Blocks
Hopefully you might remember – all the talk about red this month gave me an idea for my first Craft Room De-Stash Challenge project. I decided to use up my red scraps by making a scrappy appliqué heart quilt. This week I have been fortunate enough to have had enough sewing time to finish my 12 heart blocks for this quilt. If you are after a scrappy project for Valentine’s Day, you can find my tutorial for this block here.
In the spirit of continuing to destash, I also used up a pile of small scraps of fusible adhesive to make these blocks. Did you know that large appliqué shapes that don’t need adhesive in the centre are great for using awkward bits of fusible adhesive?
Using up those annoying bits of fusible adhesive – a quick How To:
Firstly, trace your appliqué shape onto baking paper (parchment paper). Lay your appliqué fabric flat, with the reverse side up, and cover with your baking paper template.
Anyway, back to the destashing….. For last month’s challenge I used up most of 
