December 21, 2019

Magnetic Fishing Game - December Island Batik Challenge

Note, the fabrics for this project were given to me by Island Batik as part of their ambassador program.

The December Island Batik ambassador challenge is to incorporate 3D into the project in some way. That could mean creating a quilt with the illusion of 3D elements, using actual 3D elements in a quilt (like prairie points, maybe) or making a 3D item. I chose to make a school of fish 😊

I often make the Christmas gifts I give to the kids I babysit. I've done play alphabets, personalized placemats, bean bag toss games, cat pillows (also an IB challenge) and now magnetic fishing games.

Aren't the fish cute?
Magnetic fishing game | DevotedQuilter.com
I followed this tutorial, which includes the templates for the fish and the worm with the magnet inside. I picked out all my fabrics and cut out the fish first, then went looking for ribbon to attach the washers. I was sure I had ¼" white grosgrain ribbon somewhere, but I must have used it all because there was none to be found. I did find this ⅛" blue ribbon and thankfully the blue coordinates with most of the fish fabrics I chose.

Stuffing the fish was the most time consuming part, probably because I was making 20 of them (5 each for the 4 kids). Not all of the fish are made of Island Batik fabrics, but half of them are 😊
Magnetic fishing game | DevotedQuilter.com
I used a variety of things to stuff the fish. One is stuffed with the bits of fabric left after cutting out the fish, I just cut them up even smaller to turn them into stuffing. That fish ended up being almost too heavy for the magnet to pick up. Oops! A lot of the fish are stuffed with the remnant of the stuffing I bought for the cat pillows last year. When that was gone, I raided my box of batting scraps and cut those up.
Magnetic fishing game | DevotedQuilter.com
Is it just me, or is ladder stitch pure magic? With only a few stitches that end up being almost completely invisible, you can go from gaping wound to finished seam.
ladder stitch magic | DevotedQuilter.com
The worm is made of two layers of felt with the magnet inside, stitched closed with a blanket stitch. I had hoped to add a layer of batting too, to reduce the risk of injury from toddlers wielding 'fishing rods' with hard magnets on the end, but the batting made the magnets too weak to pick up the fish. Still, even with only the felt, the magnets are less likely to cause harm.
magnetic fishing game | DevotedQuilter.com
The fishing rod is a dowel, which my husband cut into 1' lengths. I used hot glue to attach the rope to the dowel. The tutorial says to drill a hole, but I chose a dowel that is too thin for drilling a hole big enough for the rope to pass through. Hopefully the hot glue will hold well enough.
magnetic fishing game | DevotedQuilter.com
I'm hoping the kids enjoy fishing...and that they don't drive their parents crazy swinging around the fishing rods, lol. I do know that Silas, the 4 year old, is fascinated by magnets, so I know he'll have fun with it. Two of my own boys, Nathan and Zachary, even had to test it all out while I was taking these pictures, so the appeal isn't limited only to toddlers 😊

Unfortunately, this is my last project as an Island Batik ambassador. Despite how much I've loved being an ambassador, I decided not to apply for 2020 because I have had to admit there just aren't enough hours for all the things I want to do. Isn't that frustrating?? I have been finding it really hard to make time for pattern writing, especially, which isn't good at all when you are trying to grow a pattern design business. This doesn't mean I won't be creating with Island Batik fabrics, though! I still have quite a bit of what they generously sent in the ambassador boxes over these two years, so they'll be popping up frequently, I'm sure.

I'm still working on the ornaments for my boys, but that's the last of my Christmas sewing to be done. The way the days are filling up, I won't be at all surprised if I'm still stitching them on Christmas Eve. How is your Christmas sewing coming along?

8 comments:

  1. How fun are these?! Such a great gift idea for little ones.

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  2. Wow, this is awesome! What a fun game and the fish are so cute!

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  3. Love this! So much fun for the kids and so great in those Island Batiks.

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  4. What a clever gift; I would have loved fishing with a toy like that as a child. Merry Christmas!!

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  5. These look great Leanne I am sure that all of the children will have great fun fishing!

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  6. I love this! What a fun idea and great use of scraps. I love the bright colors you chose.

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  7. What a wonderful gift to give the kids! I love the bright fabrics for the fish. I am sad you won't be with us next year, but I totally get the reason; there just aren't enough hours to do all we want. I can't wait to see many more of your designs coming to life!

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  8. What an awesome idea! I'm sure the kids had fun playing.

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