Saturday 3 September 2016

Bali Batik Bliss BOM

Way back in March I won the Block of the Month (BOM) at Capital Quilters.  It was the first time I'd won so I was excited to do something with the blocks.


I wanted to be a bit adventurous and not just do the obvious thing of joining the blocks up in a grid.  I've admired the quilts Jill Fisher (Pie Lady Quilts) makes for some time.  She has a unique style and makes unique quilts in bright colours, with bold geometric designs.  Jill also loves improv and is not bound by 90 degree angles.

The blocks were all about 10" square

So I was brave and started to cut the 10" square blocks into smaller squares and rectangles. I bought 2.5 metres of a bright blue batik to use as the sashing. I chose blue because it looked like the sea, and it worked well with all the bright colours in the blocks.  A lot of batiks come from Indonesia, which is a country made up of many small islands sitting between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Bali is a popular holiday destination in Indonesia - hence the name Bali Batik Bliss.


I know I've still got a long way to go to make a quilt as effective as Jill's, but this is my first step on that path.  I don't know how I'll quilt it yet, but I won't be hand quilting it because I don't like hand quilting batiks (the thread count is very high and it's hard to pull the needle through the fabric - especially with the thicker threads I like).

The top measures about 70" x 80".

Now I'm ready to win my next set of blocks at Capital Quilters!

5 comments:

Sewing Up A Storm said...

I think your quilt is just wonderful! Don't compare your work with someone else because your work is just awesome. I started following your blog a few weeks ago because I love your style which is unique and I love your use of colors as well as shape.

Cathy Melancon said...

WOW! I love the batiks and am really loving the different sizes of the blocks! Just fantastic! I am envious of how you just thought that idea up and made it work!!! You are a genius!!! Looking forward to seeing how you quilt it!

Brenda said...

Another amazing quilt from you, Wendy. I am surprised about one thing, however. Whatever possessed you to choose blue for your settiing fabric? Such a surprise, given your usual color choices. lol /b

Rochelle aka Bella Quilts said...

What a great quilt. I like that it is not pieced symmetrically. I think it gives the quilt such interest and enhances the beauty of each individual block. Love that turquoise sashing!! Great job.

I recently put together a couple of tops using the "Circle of Nine" technique and it made such a difference from the normal 3 x 3 setting. It really opened my eyes to trying something different.

Granny Maud's Girl said...

I know what you mean about hand quilting batiks. Those tightly woven threads would make machine quilting a far more attractive choice!