The Batik Fish Quilt

I started to make this quilt back in March 2024.  As you can see, it had quite a few pauses during its evolution.

In 2024 Angie Padilla had a Block of the Month featuring bright fish that I had started making.  I thought it would be fun to make another using more muted colours for Mick.  Spotty had fat quarter bundles of batiks so I bought a couple on special.  

I had fun playing with the patterns within the fabrics to make the fish appliques. To add more interest to the quilt I decided to self draft some fish blocks.  Using some pictures from the interweb as a starting point, I worked out a few.

Mick took this photo of me in the lead up to Scrub Stitchin’ that year as I was selecting the thread colours to take with me to stitch the applique on my first blocks.

Another batch.

At this stage it seems to have had a pause, as other shiny things took precedence.

It doesn’t seem to have come out again until July 2024, when I made some more blocks.

Oops, I made a boo boo on prepping one of these.  They were both supposed to be facing the left, but I accidentally made one face right.  Some judicious tweaking of the head made it look OK and is now one of my favourite blocks.  And, of course, there always has to be one going against the flow.

A progress shot at that stage.

Then another pause.

I finally completed the bright fish quilts in March 2026, so it would be time to get back to the Batik Fish.

Stitching down appliqué is the perfect project for Scrub Stitchin’, so I prepped the final blocks to take with me in April 2026.  

I love the way they come to life once the eye is added.

Mick had insisted that there be an angler fish included, so I had some fun devising a block that wasn’t too gruesome, but also not too cutesy.  I think I reached the happy balance.  I must say those teeth were the devil to stitch down.

Anyway, here I am stitching the last section of the last fish block at Scrub Stitchin’ earlier this year.  It was a relief to get them all done.

 In August this year I finally made a push to get it finished.  Making it my Main Monthly Goal helped.

The Design Curtain was used to work out a layout and then I stitched the blocks together.  I was considering that to be done for the top.

Mick, however, had other ideas.  He insisted that it would look a lot better with borders.  OK.  It is his quilt, so off I went to see what suitable fabric I could find.  Fortunately, our local quilt store has quite a selection of batik fabrics and two that worked were selected.  I must admit, Mick was right.  Just don’t tell him I said so.  LOL

Next, to select a backing.  I went out to Spotty to see what suitable wide backs they had, but none worked.  To my surprise, there was a batik that would work.  Not only that, it was one of the designs included in the fat quarter bundles I had purchased……and was on special.  It was meant to be.

Then it was time to get it loaded on Elly May and quilt it with the water design that I had used on the bright fish quilts.

It was completed in time to take to Baradine for An August Escape.

The size ended up larger than I had expected, so it will be added to the rotation on our bed.

I’m really happy with how it turned out, and more importantly, Mick loves it.  

This also means that I have completed twelve UFOs this year, which was my goal.  Any more will be a bonus.  Fingers crossed that will be the case.

QUILT INFORMATION

Measurements -78" high x 65" wide

Pattern - Fishy Business by Angie Padilla.  I added some self drafted fish.

Fabrics - Batik fat quarters from Spotlight plus extra fabrics that suited it from stash.  

Quilting Design - Waterflow by Leah Day for QCT6

Batting - Bamboo/Cotton

Backing - Batik from Spotlight

Thread - Glide - Cool Mint

Rainbow Scrap Challenge and Betty Block for September

Earlier this week I finally sat down at the sewing machine for the first time this month.

The first thing I worked on was this month’s block for Betty’s group quilt.  It came together very quickly and simply and was popped in the mail straight away.  Tick.

Next it was time to pull out the Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks.  The colour this month is purple.  

First up, the Potato Chip Blocks.  They are always a simple, quick place to start and they went together well.  Tick.

Next, the crumb blocks.  I checked my list and I already had three made, so only one more to make.  I had fun working with the tiny pieces in my purple scrap tub.  I completed the block yesterday, but didn’t get to add the shadow.  Overnight, I suddenly had a thought…. don’t I only need three blocks?  Yep, only three needed.  Doh!  Oh well, that is one ready to go for whatever my next crumb block project will be.  I already have an additional five pink blocks, so there will be another project in the future.

Finally, to work on the solid crosses blocks this morning.  I do enjoy making these.  All was going well until I went to do the pressing of the final seams I had sewn.  That doesn’t look right.  Goodness me!  Not only had I mucked them up, it wasn’t the final seams, rather earlier ones in the block.  Time to get out the quick unpick.  

OK, let’s try again.  All good…….until I laid them out for the photo and noticed this!  I really don’t know where my brain was this morning.

After some more unpicking, third time lucky.  Phew!  That took longer than expected.  At least we got there in the end.

I will link up with So Scrappy on the weekend.

Only one more colour to go.  Regardless of what the nominated colour is, my colour is lime green, as that is what I prepped at the start of the year and will work well with my projects.

My Wishes For September

It seems a bit silly adding this post now, as we are already over half way through the month.

I will also clarify that to date I have done very little on the stitching front.  I think that last month being so productive has left me a little flat.

MY MAIN MONTHLY GOAL

I did have grand plans for this, but the month is getting on, and I won’t be in my sewing room for a little while yet, so I’m going to keep it to something that I think should be achievable. I want to complete the little Aeroplane Quilt.  It should only take a day or so.  There, it’s now out there, so it should get done……fingers crossed.

RAINBOW SCRAP CHALLENGE

The colour this month is purple.  I should be able to manage this.

BETTY’S BLOCK

I have the fabric and the pattern, so that will be done and sent off.

I’m not aiming to do any more patchwork this month.

USE ELLY MAY

See my Main Monthly Wish.

CROCHET

About the only thing I have been doing is crocheting my Corner to Corner Squares. They are mindless, and ideal to take along to my stitching days.  Mind you, I have only been home for one week to go along.

KNITTING

My jumper is not going all that well.  I think my tension may be a tad out and I will have to make some minor adjustments to make it work.  I can see what I need to do, but my brain has not been engaged sufficiently to sit down and write it all down.  It is on pause for the moment.

I do need to knit another oatmeal coloured beanie for me, as the last one was too large.  That will be my aim for this month.  Once I get going it won’t take too long.

15 MINUTES A DAY

I started off well, just doing a bit of crochet, but seem to have petered off.  I’ll try to lift my game.  Getting my blog up to date has been the priority over the last few days.  

OTHER GOALS

1.    Try a new recipe - I’ve already managed that.

2.    Read a book - probably won’t happen, but I may surprise myself.

3.    Have a fun day out - already achieved.

4.    Have a caravan trip - this was not to happen.  The van was washed and put to bed…….and then taken out again.  Details to follow.

5.    Keep my blog posts up to date.  Wish me luck.

We’ll see at the end of the month how I fared.

The Rest of August

This is just a quick post to share what else we got up to in August that hasn’t already been covered.

I had hoped to try another new recipe.  Well, I seem to have been on a roll and tried out another three recipes.

There was Coq au Vin - photo courtesy of the Coles magazine.

Orange and Almond Cake.  This recipe was given to me by our next door neighbour when we lived out of town.  We have been back in town for 12 years and she gave it to me a little while before then.  It was about time I actually made it.  Delicious.  I won’t wait as long to make it again.

A quick Berry Cobbler recipe popped up on Instagram.  It sounded good, so I made it that night.  Yummo!

Not a bad effort once again.  I have really been having fun with this.

I managed to read one book.  It was rather light reading.  I had bought a few by this author last year at the church fete and this is the first I have read.  I will read the rest and then pass them on.  In the meantime, they sit on a stool and lift my iPad to the perfect height for Zoom sessions.

Our garden started to wake up a little.  I didn’t get around to taking many photos, but I did like this little grouping of our special daffodils.

I’ll finish with this fun rainbow that showed on one of our doors.  How perfect to be a hexy.  It shone through the strip of hexies on our glass door.

A Stitching Wrap Up of August

This is rather late, but I wanted to get our trip posted first up.

Let’s see how I went with my wishes for the month…..

My main wish was to have the Batik Fish Quilt finished.  I’m very happy to report that it was done.  A full post coming soon.

Then I finished off the Strippy Rainbow Quilt.

Elly May was used on both of these quilts, as well as Jo’s.

In amongst all that, I helped a friend with a baby quilt.  She purchased the kit about 20 years ago and was finally wanting to make it as a gift.  I helped her cut it out, she then pieced it.  An afternoon at our house saw it quilted with a cute butterfly pantograph.  Then I showed her how to add the binding.  

Once that was done, she used all the scraps to make two cushion fronts, which I also quilted for her.  I didn’t get a chance to see the two completed before gifting but they would have been lovely.  She is an experienced seamstress, so did precise stitching and the cute Peter Rabbit fabrics hadn’t dated at all.  A lovely gift to give.

The next thing to work on was the Rainbow Scrap Challenge blocks.

Of course, Betty’s blocks had to be made as well.

My Corner to Corner crochet squares progressed nicely, with ten squares being completed.

My knitting didn’t fare so well, with no progress being made.

An August Escape was a driver during the month, with four quilts being prepped.

The Jelly Roll Quilt, which was pieced at Baradine.

The Aeroplane Quilt, which was appliqued and pieced at Baradine.

A Farmyard Quilt, that still has to be pieced.  I did work out the layout on the design curtain, but have since cut a golden yellow for the sashings instead of the blue.  It won’t take long to make, once I get to it.  There is no rush.  It may even be next year at Scrub Stitchin’.

Finally an easy strippy quilt, which will also get stitched at some stage.  No rush.

So, all in all, not a bad month.

The other thing that I did during the month was donate a pile of quilts to the domestic violence support organisation here in town.

15 MINUES A DAY

I stitched on 30 of the 31 days.  The best for the year.

YTD = 201/243 - 82.72%

While piecing the Batik Fish Quilt I managed to empty lots of bobbins and a couple of spools of thread.  It was great to be able to use up some odds and ends that were darker colours, as most quilts require something lighter.

Now, even though it is half way through the next month, I will get down my wishes for September.