Batik Bliss for Cosy Kiwi Kids

A finished quilt ready to donate to a local charity.

I won these Batik Bliss blocks at a Capital Quilters' meeting back in March 2016.  Exactly two years later the quilt is finished!

The blocks were originally 10" square, but I wanted to be adventurous so I trimmed some of them smaller and mixed them all up.  You can read more about my process and inspiration here.

A number of long arm quilters at our guild quilt charity tops for free, so I gave it to Tina Mills and she kindly quilted it for me.  I put the binding on myself, and now it's ready to donate to Cosy Kiwi Kids.  They will give it to a child in need through the Social Workers in Schools programme.

Tina Mills chose a design with little people in it which is just right for a child's quilt.

I hope a child will be happy to receive their own quilt before winter arrives.

Finished size: 62" x 75"

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!