Tool Talk Blog Hop With Studio 180 Design!

I am happy to start off September’s Island Batik Blog Hop by sharing the quilt I made with my most favorite tools. If you don’t already know it, I absolutely love Studio 180 Design tools! I was introduced to the tools in a class I took from Deb Tucker back in 2013; I was so impressed that I went on to become a Certified Instructor and have been using and teaching Studio 180 Design tools ever since!

Be sure you read to the end to have a chance to win some gorgeous Island Batik fabric!

I’m sure you have noticed I call them tools and not rulers; that’s because they are very specific, like tools. You wouldn’t hammer with a screw driver; and you don’t make a V-block with a Wing Clipper. Each tool is specific for the unit it makes, but each tool makes multiple sizes of that unit.

The tool I was given to use for this challenge is the Four Patch Square Up. This tool is just what it sounds like: when making a Four Patch unit, it is made a little larger than necessary and then trimmed down to perfect.

The fabric I used to make my quilt is Baroque by Kathy Engle for Sarah Fabian. The colors are just beautiful and the designs have a soft, organic feel.

I made my Four Patch unit larger than needed and used my Four Patch Square Up tool to trim each block to the precise size. I did my piecing with Aurifil 50/2 weight thread, a light weight thread that does not build up as much lint in my machine as other cotton threads. I used a Schmetz 80/12 microtex needle in my machine.

I love pressing my seams so I get a little Four Patch in the center which eliminates the bulk of the seam. I used my Prairie Spirit Alpaca mat for nice flat pressing, it is a combination of wool and alpaca!

While designing on EQ quilts with Four Patch blocks I came up with this rolling Four Patch. While I was playing with the design, a song popped into my head and I couldn’t get rid of it. The funniest part was I had the words all wrong! I always sang “Willie go ’round in circles. Willie fly high like a bird up in the sky.” It wasn’t even a question, I just assumed Willie went round in circles, and he was flying high … must have had to do with the era I grew up in. So if you know the song, the lyrics are, “Will it go ’round in circles? Will it fly high like a bird up in the sky?” Oh boy, the design question was “Will it go ’round?” We’ll leave the flying alone!

I love that while I’m designing in EQ, I can download the fabrics I’m using to get an idea of what they will look like in the finished product. This design would show off a lot of the fabrics, which was something I was hoping to do. They are all so gorgeous!

To make my Four Patch units “Go ’round”, I used the Corner Pop tool and popped off all four corners of my block, replacing the corners with the opposite fabric. I could make each side the same length without doing all that math. The tool does all the math for you.

I used my design wall to play with the colors as I built my quilt. My design wall makes my sewing room one of my favorite place to hang out.

I went over to our local nursery (Tallahassee Nurseries) to take photos with the help of my husband.

The fabric was so beautiful I used some of the leftover fabric to piece the back.

Here’s a little video of my how I quilted the blocks. I used Aurifil #2770 for the quilting.

Disclosure: The products in this post were provided by Island Batik, Studio 180 Design, Aurifil Thread & Schmetz Needles

Click below for your chance to win!

http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/d463e29d44/

WEEK 1

September 6

Gail Renna, Quilt Haven Threads

Michelle Roberts, Creative Blonde Gifts

September 7

Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations

September 8

Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

Jennifer Fulton, Inquiring Quilter

September 9

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway

WEEK 2

September 12

Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt

September 13

Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail

September 14

Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts

Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs

September 15

Megan Best, Bestquilter

Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine

September 16

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

WEEK 3

September 19

Elizabeth DeCroos, Epida Studio

Jane Hauprich, Stitch by Stitch Custom Quilting

September 20

Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

Andi Stanfield, True Blue Quilts

September 21

Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia

September 22

Mania Hatziioannidi, Mania for Quilts

Reed Johnson, Blue Bear Quilts

September 23

Blog Hop Week 3 Round Up + giveaway

WEEK 4

September 26

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts

September 27

Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum

Brianna Roberts, Sew Cute and Quirky

September 28

End of Blog Hop + Final Round Up

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