Island Batik Ambassador 2019 - Box 1

Note, all of the fabrics and other things in this post were given to me as part of the Island Batik ambassador program.

I am very excited to be an Island Batik ambassador again for 2019. I loved using the gorgeous fabrics last year and I'm looking forward to it again this year and you'll see exactly why when you see what was in the box they sent me. Plus, the monthly challenges are a lot of fun and get me making things I might not otherwise have thought to make.

I've had my new box of fabrics for a couple of weeks now, but all of us ambassadors were asked to wait to share them until after the Getaway blog hop ended. Did you see all the fabulous projects during the hop? With so many ambassadors over a range of styles, there was a great variety of quilts 😊 There are links to all of the blog hop posts in my Sparkler quilt post.

Now onto the new goodies! I filmed a video of everything that was in my box, but being on video is definitely not in my comfort zone. Just focus on the fabric and not my awkwardness, okay?

Now let's get a good look at what was in the box. There's no picture of the surprise package since it has to stay a surprise until the August blog hop, but I will say that it's absolutely gorgeous and chock full of my favourite colour so I can't wait to get to play with it.

First up is this beautiful print, which is called Pine Leaf in Eggshell. They sent me 5 yards of it! I love it, but I'm not quite sure how I'll use it, since I don't often use large scale prints. This would be an example of the challenges getting me to make things I might not otherwise make. I'll put on my thinking cap and come up with a way to show off this print before the year is out.

In the first box last year I received 2 yards of a rayon print that I turned into an Everyday Skirt that I love to wear when the weather is warmer. This box had another 2 yards of rayon, in a beautiful pink sunflower print. I haven't decided what it will become, but I'm thinking about a top of some sort. I just need to take some time to research pattern possibilities. I love the soft, drapey feel of the rayon and I can't wait to get to wear it. Also, pink! I'm finding more and more that I really love pink, just not a pastel pink. Maybe it has to do with living with 4 males?? Everyone knows that anything pink is definitely mine.

 Next we have the stash builder rolls. These are 5" x WOF strips, with 5 rolls in each package. As soon as I finished recording the video I opened the packages so I could get a look at all of the prints. They look beautiful all rolled up, don't they?

They look even better unrolled so you can get a look at each print 😊 I've already cut into two of the strips for my February challenge.

I have yardage of black, white and grey. I love the Island Batik solids as they have a fabulous crispness to them. So far, I've used the white in my Twirling Star mini, the grey in Sparkler and the black in my Dresden Log Cabin. I have more plans for the black that I'm anxious to get to, but that challenge isn't until June so I guess I'll have to wait a while longer.

On the ambassador application, there's a question about colour preferences. Last year I chose not to specify any because I wanted to see what they'd send me. It ended up working out really well as I loved everything they sent. This year, though, I did specify that my favourite colour is blue because there were some gorgeous blue collections last year and I wanted some of that in my life. My box this time had a collection of blues from the Foundations, which are fabrics that are always available for shops to order. Just look at the variety of blues, from very light to very dark! There are such great textures in the prints, too.

Here's a 2 ½" strip collection of Ditty, which is full of pretty prints in bright, fresh colours. The colours in this collection would play well with the Blossom line that I used for Sparkler. There's also yardage of two of the prints from the collection. Isn't that aqua pretty?

And there's a rayon scarf with butterflies in pretty spring colours. I love the colours and the print, but I'm not a scarf wearer, so I'm thinking of this (and the scarf from last year) as more rayon fabric to play with 😊 I'm not sure what they'll become yet, but they look pretty while they wait for me to figure it out!

Aurifil is partnering with Island Batik again this year and they provided small spools of thread, 2 solid blues and one variegated, plus 2 spools of Aurifloss. I love hand stitching and hand embroidery, so I'm looking forward to getting to try the Aurifloss.

Hobbs Batting is another partner and they sent a ton of batting. There are a few varieties, inlcuding a black batting, a silk blend and one very thin batting intended for quilted clothing. What would you make with that last one?

Last, but not least, Accuquilt is a new partner this year and they surprised the ambassadors with a Go! Fabric Cutting system, which includes the Go! cutter, a 2 ½" strip cutting die and the Go! Qube, which has 8 dies that can be used to create loads of different 8" blocks. If you look at the side of the box you can see little images of the blocks that you can make with these dies. There's also a book with patterns by Eleanor Burns using the 8 dies.

I used some of the dies from the Qube to cut the pieces for my February challenge project, using two of the strips from the stash builder rolls and some of the fabric left over from Sparkler. For now, here's a little peek at the block I'm making. It's a 12" block with something like 58 seams, if I counted correctly, and 4 Y seams. I'm not sure what I was thinking when I chose that! It is looking pretty, though 😊

Here's a list of all 50 of the 2019 Island Batik ambassadors. Yes, 50! Once again, we represent a wide range of styles, so it's going to be another great year of lots of beautiful and inspiring eye candy no matter what style you prefer. I highly encourage you to check them all out!

Carolina Asmussen ~Carolina AsmussenGene Black ~ Gene Black
Pamela Boatright ~ PamelaQuiltsConnie K Campbell ~ Freemotion by the RiverAnja Clyke ~ Anja QuiltsTina Dillard ~ Quilting Affection DesignsBecca Fenstermaker ~Pretty PineyJennifer Fulton ~ Inquiring QuilterBarbara Gaddy ~ Bejeweled Quilts by BarbDione Gardner-Stephen ~ Clever ChameleonSarah Goer ~ Sarah Goer QuiltsVasudha Govindan ~ Storied Quilts
Lori Haase ~ Dakota City Quilter IIJoanne Hart ~ UnicornhartsMania (Magdalini) Hatziioannidi ~ Mania for QuiltsCarla Henton ~ Create in the SticksStephanie Jacobson ~ Steph Jacobson DesignsConnie Kauffman ~ Kauffman DesignsJoan Kawano ~ Moosestash QuiltingKim Lapacek ~ Persimon DreamsEmily Leachman ~ The Darling DogwoodLeanne Parsons ~ Devoted QuilterBea Lee ~ BeaQuilterToby Lischko ~ Gateway Quilts & StuffBill Locke ~ Studio Bill LockeDenise Looney ~ For the Love of GeeseLeah Malasky ~ Quilted DelightsSally Manke ~ Sally MankeMaryellen McAuliffe ~ Mary Mack's Blog
Kathleen McCormick ~ Kathleen McMusingCarol Moellers ~ Carol Moellers Designs
Karen Neary ~ Sew Karen-ly CreatedLisa Nielsen ~ Lisa Lisa and the Quilt Jam
Jackie O’Brien ~ If These Threads Could TalkLaura Piland ~ Slice of Pi QuiltsMichelle Roberts ~ Creative BlondeVicki Schlimmer ~ Vicki's Crafts and QuiltingGail Sheppard ~ Quilting Gail
Sherry Shish ~ Powered by QuiltingAnita Skjellanger ~ Quilt in a not-ShellLaticia "Tish" Stemple ~ Tish's Adventures in Wonderland
Jennifer Strauser ~ Dizzy QuilterJennifer Thomas ~ Curlicue CreationsTerri Vanden Bosch ~ Lizard Creek QuiltsAlison Vermilya ~ Little Bunny QuiltsSandra Walker ~ mmm! quiltsSuzy Webster ~ Adventurous Applique and Quilting
(Debora) Anne Wiens ~ Seams like a PlanGeraldine Wilkins ~ Living Water QuilterJanet Yamamoto ~ Whispers of Yore