It is week 2 of the @island_batik Pieced to Perfection blog hop! I had the opportunity to play with the Copper Patina Collection, which honestly gave me flashbacks to the geology exhibited of the copper mines at Michigan Tech in Houghton Michigan! These rich colors spiral deep in these foundation paper-piece log cabin blocks. They’re a beginner-friendly approach to the craft, yet produce wonderfully complex patterns with lots of potential to play with your own creative layouts. I was thrilled to see the Dark Grey solid fabric in the ambassador box. It’s the perfect framing color for these gems glowing deep in the copper mine!

A curious little method was in the Island Batik Ambassador challenge this month–Paper piecing! We were empowered to make a quilt using English Paper Piecing, or Foundational Paper Piecing. I’ve already done a bit a English Paper Piecing, so I challenged myself to look into a Foundation Piecing.

Luckily, The Open Gate Quilts Subscription Box from September came with paper piece sheets for me to try out. The beginner option with the Log Cabin Block, and after doing some samples–that was enough challenge for me, and my helpful little paper-ripping toddler!

To showcase how well all the fabrics from this line go together, I scrambled my strips and pieced away, swapping around colors to balance each block. The difficulty I found in starting with whole strips, and wanting to trim them as I used them was planning ahead for the larger strips. With Log Cabin Blocks, you start with little pieces in the center, so I was trimming away at my strips by the time I needed longer pieces.

My tactic was to go simple, and go big! 1.5 inch strips into s 12 inch-finished cabin block! Well, I fried out at 9 inches. Any more layers and I was tipping the line from stunning scrappy to chaotic. Thankfully, the ambassador box in June had Island Batik’s Dark Grey fabric. We all instantly loved this color, and it balances out the Copper Patinas wonderfully as a border to my block.

Supply List for this 46×57 quilt:

• Island Batik – Spring 2023 Copper Patina Collection
• Island Batik – Dark Grey
• Schmetz 70/11 Needle
• Hobbs Heirloom 80/20 Premium Batting
• Piecing Thread – Aurifil Mako 50 weight thread in 5022
• Quilting Thread – Glide 40wt in Pink Lemonade

If a specific collection, featured during Pieced to Perfection Blog Hop is calling your name, check your local quilt shops this month – they might already have it in stock! To see what quilt shops carry Island Batik in your area, please visit the Island Batik store locator and type in your zip code.

Please check your stores for the fabric I’m using in my project next month!

Until then, you can enter to win amazing fabric prizes over at Island Batik’s blog!

Don’t forget to check out what the other ambassadors are up to in their wonderful creations for this month! The quilts have been stunning!

The full list of Ambassadors’ names, collections they will be using in their projects, and their post dates are as follows:

WEEK 1

September 5

Elita Sharpe, Busy Needle Quilting

Denise Looney, For the Love of Geese

September 6

Sandra Starley, Textile Time Travels

Sarah Pitcher, Pitcher’s Boutique

September 7

Connie Kauffman, Kauffman Designs

Brenda Alburl, Songbird Designs

Preeti Harris, Sew Preeti Quilts

September 8

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 1 and Giveaway

WEEK 2

September 11

Brittany Fisher, Bobbin with Brittany

Gail Sheppard, Quilting Gail

September 12

Susan Deshensky, Lady Blue Quilts

Maryellen McAuliffe, Mary Mack Made Mine

September 13

Emily Leachman, The Darling Dogwood

Anorina Morris, Samelia’s Mum

Jennifer Thomas, Curlicue Creations

September 14

Claudia Porter, Create with Claudia

Victoria Johnson, Forever Quilting for You

September 15

Blog Hop Round-Up Week 2 and Giveaway

WEEK 3

September 18

Lana Russel, Lana Quilts

Lisa Pickering, Lisa’s Quilting Passion

September 19

Randi Jones, Randi’s Roost

Suzy Webster, Websterquilt

September 20

Mania Hatziioannidi, Mania for Quilts

Pamela Boatright, Pamela Quilts

Leah Malasky, Quilted Delights

September 21

Renee Atkinson, Pink Tulip Quilting

Reed Johnson, Blue Bear Quilts