Ollie - Thread Painting for Island Batik and Aurifil Thread 2

Ollie the Dog

Last week’s Island Batik Thread Painting Challenge which combined Island Batik Fabrics with Aurifil thread and Derwent Art's Inktense Pencils was so much fun...I just had to do another! Fabric, thread and batting for this project were provided to me in my role as Island Batik Ambassador.

A.) I started with an Island Batik Buttercup Mini Dot from the Victoria & Albert collection. The design is sketched on with a purple water-soluble fabric marker by Dritz. B.) The background colors on the project seems a bit scary! C.) Detailing eyes and nose start to give the little guy some personality. D.) Each area has a suggestion of color the will next be detailed with thread painting.

This is the step where the puppy really came to life and got his name, Ollie, and he's ready for a bit of quilting. A.) Choosing a selection of neutral Aurifil thread. B.) Beginning thread painting fur. The low loft Hobbs Thermore Quilt Batting provides the perfect base. 3.) Island Batik Minii Dots from the Albert and Victoria collection show through for added texture. D.) Sections of free motion meandering stitches complete the quilting on Annabelle, my Handi Quilter Amara.

Selecting the border fabric for Ollie the Dog project did take longer than it did to quilt. Did you ever have one of those days when everything looks good but nothing really works? A.) A top thin border of a cool brown or does the warm brown on the left work better? B. ) Does the rust border compete too much with the quilt interior? C.) Maybe a larger design batik works as the inside border? D.) The final decision includes two 1/2" borders and a larger outside border. All borders from the Sundance line by Kathy Engle pictured in the inset above.

Precise cutting, stitching and pressing will create Ollie’s perfectly mitered triple border. A.) Stitch enough 1" strips and the third 2-1/2' to border all four sides. (That was two WOF groupings [width of fabric] for this project.) B.) Audition borders on the quilt. SEE INSET PHOTO - Press top and bottom border AWAY from blue and side borders TOWARD blue. This will allow mitered corners to nest together perfectly. C.) Stitch borders to quilt then create a Y-seam create perfect miters. D.) Ollie is ready for binding.

The second Island Batik Ambassador Challenge is completed. Ollie the Dog finished at 18-1/2" X 16-1/2" and comes corner pockets on the back to be ready to hang. This project included sketching with Inktense Pencils, thread painting and a mitered border.

Aurifil 50wt cotton

Ollie was thread painted with Aurifil 2-ply 50 Weight (orange spools) in shades of brown, tan, gray and black. This is the most popular weight of Aurifil Thread for Machine and Longarm Quilting.