It’s hard to believe we’re already at the final day of Island Batik Week! In this final month of Summer, we are celebrating the vibrant colors of Island Batik’s Spring/Summer releases. We absolutely adore working with this wonderful company and have so much respect for its designers. We’ll be featuring one designer every day this week and each post will offer a fabric + thread giveaway, so make sure to come back daily to learn more and to enter-to-win some gorgeous prizes!
To learn about Island Batik and the batik process, please visit their website. For a peek at the full range of Spring/Summer 2017 releases, in-stores now, click here or on the image below to browse the catalog.
ISLAND BATIK WEEK SCHEDULE
August 21 – Jackie Kunkel on Auribuzz (Jackie’s Post — Island Batik’s Post)
August 22 – Tammy Silvers on Auribuzz (Island Batik’s Post)
August 23 – Cheri Good Designs on Auribuzz (Island Batik’s Post)
August 24 – Nan Baker on Auribuzz (Nan’s Post — Island Batik’s Post)
August 25 – Ebony Love (Ebony’s Post — Island Batik’s Post)
Sakura is a gorgeous burst of color… a new collection by Kathy Engle for Ebony Love of LoveBug Studios. Sakura, which means Cherry Blossom, is a collection of 20 different batik prints in pink, purple, aqua, green, and gold. The colors serve both to enhance the stunning florals and to take center stage, an explosion of brightness and beauty. We love this line and it’s been a delight to see all that Ebony has done with it. Her coordinating thread collection pulls from all of the major colors in the line — it is vibrant and versatile, 12 Large spools of 50wt thread.
THREAD COLLECTION DETAILS
Sakura
12 Large Spools, 50wt (1422yds/spool), 100% Aurifil Cotton
2437 – 2440 – 2535 – 2545 – 2845 – 2860
4093 – 4182 – 2320 – 2390 – 5022 – 4020
To view this info on our website, click the image above. For purchasing, please contact your local Aurifil Dealer.
THE INTERVIEW
What first drew you to to the world of sewing and quilting?
I feel like I’ve been sewing for as long as I can remember. For quilting specifically, I remember coming to the point where my friends started having babies – and I just have this idea that all babies should have a quilt to welcome them into the world. It’s idealistic for sure; these days, some of my friend’s babies are headed off to college still waiting for their welcome quilts!
Who or what has been your greatest creative inspiration?
This is going to sound strange, but I think I find creative inspiration in mathematics. Symmetry, geometry, grids, numbers… it all just fascinates me. I think I’m obsessed with squares and square roots. Four-patch, nine-patch, sixteen-patch; the infinite combinations of blocks; the way you can divide a block into equal sections and figure out the foundation on which it is based.
How did you first connect with Island Batik and what do you love most about working with them?
I just remember attending a Quilt Market, and someone introduced me to Katie Laughridge, and we hit it off right away. It actually took a couple of years for the stars to align and I got to work on a project with them. It started off with editorial work, getting quilts published in magazines, and eventually expanded to include a Signature Collection. Sakura is my first, but we have many others in the works!
Tell us about Sakura. What inspired the designs?
When I design quilts, I try to wrap a story around them. It’s the stories that hold the quilts together. I know that cherry blossoms hold an important place in Japanese culture, but I wanted to know more about that and be culturally sensitive without trying to be imitative. I think that’s what prompted the idea of approaching Japan through tourism, and centering the story of the quilts around cherry blossom season.
What is your favorite thing about working with batik fabrics?
I love that batiks are full-penetration prints; I can get the full saturation of color found in commercial prints, and a minimal difference between the right and wrong sides of the fabric like a solid. Honestly it’s like having the best of both worlds!
Can you tell us a little more about the passport you created for Sakura?
This was probably my favorite part of this collection! You can’t travel to Japan without a passport in real life, so I designed a passport to guide you through the tour of the quilts in the collection as we work on a block of the month project. Participants can get a passport through their local shop, and every time they complete a block in the BOM or one of the quilts they get a passport stamp. It’s so much fun!
Do you have a favorite project or projects make with the collection?
My two favorite projects are Chugoku and Hokkaido. I love the bold pink X (yes, that pink is so bold it looks red!) that crosses through the quilt – it just makes such a powerful visual statement. And Hokkaido is a favorite because of the surprises it delivers. Every time I look at it, a new pattern emerges, and I think that makes it an interesting quilt to look at.
When did you first discover Aurifil threads and what do you love most about them?
I honestly don’t remember where I got my very first spool of Aurifil – I’m pretty sure it was a gift from someone or appeared in a goodie bag. But I do remember that after trying that first spool, I felt more like a serious professional and now I refuse to piece my quilts with anything else. I love having a 100% cotton thread that runs beautifully in all my machines and gives off very little lint.
How did you go about selecting colors for Sakura and what excites you most about releasing them to the world?
My happy little secret is that I gifted myself a full collection 200m 50wt thread suitcase last year, so when I found out that I’d been chosen for my very own thread collection, it took me about ten minutes to pick it out. I started with the dominant colors in Sakura, but any fabric you work with, you’ll find a thread in this box to go with it. This was on my bucket list to do, though I never knew it would happen!
EBONY TALKS THREADS
Ebony has been showcasing threads from her collection over on her Instagram account. We’ve loved following along — it’s like watching a delightful parade of thread! At the time of writing, Ebony has shared 7 of her 12 selected threads. Make sure to keep an eye on her IG account for more!
- 2845 is a refreshing minty green with a hint of blue. It blends in for quilting and creates a nice contrast for topstitching on many of the fabrics.
- 4093 is a relaxing teal green. It blends in for quilting and creates a nice contrast for topstitching on many of the fabrics.
- 2860 is a verdant green that definitely has hints of blue underneath. It matches several of the prints nearly dead on and creates a nice contrast for topstitching on many of the fabrics.
- 5022 is a greenish gold that seems to shimmer on the fabric.
- 2320 is a peachy pink that perfectly compliments the lighter values in this line. It almost glitters!
- 2390 is a rust/orange combo that picks up some of the more subtle colors in the fabric.
- 2437 is a blushing pink that sweetly compliments and highlights the lighter tones in the collection.
FUN LINKS
Sakura
Ebony Introduces Sakura
THE GIVEAWAY
To enter-to-win 1 Large Sakura Thread Collection, one Fat Quarter Bundle of Sakura fabrics from Island Batik, the Chugoku Quilt Pattern by Ebony Love and a Hamani BOM Passport, click here to head to the Rafflecopter entry page, or simply click on the image above. You do not have to complete all the options to be entered but the more options you choose, the more entries you have! Entries will be accepted from now through 11:59pm Eastern Time on Thursday, August 31! Winner will be randomly selected and announced here on Friday, September 1. Good luck!
UPDATE: This giveaway is now closed. Congratulations to our winner, Amorette! (Winner has been emailed 🙂 )
ABOUT EBONY
Website — Blog — Facebook — Pinterest — YouTube — Twitter — Instagram
Award-winning author and quilter Ebony Love is fond of blindingly-bright prints and takes a contemporary approach to traditional designs. She’s recognized as one of the leading experts in fabric die-cutting techniques, and picked up long arm quilting to get unburied from all the quilt tops she was finishing as a result.
ABOUT ISLAND BATIK
Website — Blog — Facebook — Pinterest — Twitter — Instagram
Island Batik is a manufacturer, importer and distributor of cotton batik, rayon batik and hand-printed cotton from Indonesia. Originally established in 1997, Island Batik’s mission is to share the ancient cultural art of batik and hand-dyed fabric with our many valued customers around the world.
** Images courtesy of Island Batik and Ebony Love **
I love the colors of batiks. So rich and gorgeous!
I love the depth of color in batiks. They are so easy to work with and blend so well. I only use Aurifil threads. The Fresh Pickin’s fabric is yummy. Thanks for a great giveaway.
I love the rich vibrant colours.
Versatility. They can stand alone as blocks, use as a border or a background, they are great blenders. But i love using them in my applique!
What isn’t to love, the depth of the colors, the hand, the fact that there is no right/wrong side.
Love the feel of batiks.
I haven’t worked with batiks very much. I love that I can use either side of the fabric.
I love the vibrant colors and the fact that batiks don’t fray.
Love working with batiks, their colors are so fascinating. There are never two cuts exactly the same. Also love using Aurifil thread. I use it for piecing and quilting and love how it looks and feels in the finished product.
I love the rich colors of the batiks and no worries to use the right sides! The fabrics make beautiful quilts with rich colors and depth. When I started quilting I was as first drawn to batiks and can’t move on to others!!
Batik prints work well with just about any pattern!!!
I love the painterly quality of batik prints, the rich colors, and the tight weave of batiks. And this Sakura collection is just awesomely beautiful!
I love the quality of the fabrics. I love the rich colors that coordinate so well together
I love the vibrant colors and fabulous feel of Batiks! Thanks so much for the chance to win 🙂
I love the deep rich colors and fun prints – thanks.
I love the variety and quality of batiks.
Beautiful colors! Batiks are so much fun to work with.
The fabric and threads are amazing. They are so luscious looking.
Love the variety of rich color in each piece of fabric. Such fabulous eye candy!
I love the colors of these batiks!!!
i love the silky feel of batiks and the rich colors of this collection are delish!
Amazing colors-batiks are wonderful-saturation, colors & choices are why I love them-my collection grows-a fantastic quilt to be made one day! Thank you, Susan
Batiks have beautiful colours that are vibrant and go well together or with other fabrics. I also love that they have no wrong side!
The beautiful color variations.
So THAT”S what you’ve been up to, Lady E!!!!!! These are gorgeous…. I don’t know how you keep coming up with so many creative designs……. but I love what I see here!
I love Ebony & all the creativeness she shares with the world! These fabric & thread lines are GORGEOUS!! Just as I’d expect from her!
Ebony’s quilts are beautiful! Again the Batiks are wonderful and the threads are so beautiful!!!
I love working with batiks because piecing with them is so easy. And I can get more accurate points in my appliqué work with the denser thread count.
I love the range of colors in batiks. I also love that they’re basically double-sided, and you can’t go wrong putting them in a quilt. I love to mix batiks with regular prints too.
I love the feel and the color intensity of batiks!!! Thank you.
Seeing Ebony Love’s quilts reminded me of one of the great strengths of batiks, and one of the reasons I love them: the lovely mix of colors within each individual fabric. Look how she achieves transparency so beautifully on Chugoku! Surely that is helped by the beautiful swirl of colors within the fabrics.
I love the different colors and stamps batiks have.
what a wonderful combination of colors in Ebony’s quilts….love the thread colors she chose to go into her collection…I love the hand of Island Batiks!
What beautiful colors- thread and batik! I love working with batiks, the colors are saturated, and batiks are great for fusible applique.
Thanks
I love the vibrant colors and beautiful patterns in batik fabrics!
Batiks add that extra something special to quilting projects.
The colors in this collection, both the fabric and thread,are wonderful. I love the colors in all batiks but some are more vibrant.
I love the color, the feel, the way it just glides through the machine.
I am never at a loss to create something gorgeous with batiks because of their wide variety of colors and patterns! The deep colors are always amazing to me!
I love the richness of the colors and the textures batiks create in my projects.
I love how batiks blend so well with other fabrics!
LOVE THE BEAUTIFUL COLORS!
I do love this collection of fabrics and threads…I love sakura — cherry blossoms — blooming in the spring.
I like the colors and that batiks are reversible.
Such beautiful batiks and the coordinating Aurifil threads are just as beautiful.
What an awesome thread collection…beautiful!!!
I love the deep bright colors of batiks. My first quilt was made from batiks.
Beautiful quilts. I love the colors. I love batiks and aurifil.
I love the vibrant colors and that there is no wrong side.
I love batiks for the colours and the fact that there is so little fraying.
Batiks are so vibrant, but the best is that I never have to worry whether I’ve got “right sides together!”
The bold bright colors in this collection – both threads and fabrics – are delicious!
Batiks are so rich in color and thread count. I just love that they don’t stretch, they don’t fray, and they don’t fade.
I love that batiks are not prone to raveling and that the colors are so gorgeous.
I love working with batiks. Their colors are so vivid and you don’t have to worry about which side is the right side most of the time. Love Sakura collection. Good job Ebony Love. Great a thread collection as well. I”d love to win.
I love the beautiful, rich colors of batiks. They are so easy to work with because they also can act as solids. They are my favorite type of quilting fabric.
I love the rich colours and amazing saturation of batiks.
I really like how the colors variate and the depth of the colors. Beautiful projects!! angielovesgary2 atgmail dotcom
I love the saturated colors!
I absolutely love the colors and tropical look of batiks. When I go into a fabric store, the batiks always jump out at me.
Such beautiful rich colors and the thread colors are gorgeous
I think that batiks come in richer colors than prints – these colors are gorgeous!
I love batiks. I love Island Batiks. I love Sakura!
What’s not to love? I love everything about working with batiks … the quality of the fabric (tight weave), the beautiful saturated colors, it’s timeless, both sides of the fabric are the same, the crispness, and I feel it will wear much better than fabric that is not batik.
I love the rich colors of batiks.
Love that Sakura line of batiks! All of my favorite colors.
I only use batiks and Island Batiks take up a good portion of my stash. I love the artisan aspect as well as they all blend so well, they give applique a life like look.
Both the color and the weave are things I lke. It’s like an Aurifil 50 thread in the world of threads – strong, but thinner somehow. Thank you for the chance to win these gorgeous Island Batiks and the Aurifil threads, as well as the passport and the pattern. The passport sounds like fun!
I love how versatile batiks are, how many gorgeous variations Island Batiks makes, and how saturated the beautiful colors are!
I love the colors and the feel of the fabric.
Batiks fabrics seem to sparkle. I love all the different shades you get in one piece of fabric.
I love the feel of the fabric and the organic flow of the colors.
The fine cotton is so nice to sew with!
The colors are so saturated….!
Batiks fabrics have such deep beautiful colors!
I love the feel of the fabric.
I enjoy the happy feel g them eye candy colors bring when I stitch them up…. happyness04431@yahoo.com
I have not worked with batiks much, but I love the variety of colors and designs that are available.
I love the colours and the patterning in batik fabrics. Lots of visual texture to play with.
Absolutely love batiks!! Gorgeous rich colours and texture!!!
I Love, Love the colors. You can change your quilt just by the way you use the color of the batik. This just amazes me how many different ideas you can come up with when you use a batik
I love the look and feel of Island Batiks. And so adaptable.
I really love the beautiful, saturated colors and the textures of Island Batiks. And they’re so easy to work with. I always feel like I’m creating something special with the high quality of Island Batiks.
reillyr2(at)hotmail(dot)com
Love working with batiks! Love the feel, the colors, quality, & is so versatile to use. thank you for chance to win your Give-a-way too! 😀
Ohhh! I’m drooling over these threads! It’s like an intense deep, vibrant rainbow of colors to match all the batiks. Beautiful strong batiks! Have to start a NYB with these!
I love everything about batiks – the colors, designs, feel of the fabric!
Batiks have such wonderful ranges of colors and blends as Ebony’s quilts demonstrated so beautifully. Thanks for giveaway.
Island Batik and Aurifil are great together. The colors of both are just wonderful.
Batiks are my favorite fabric, 95% of my stash is batik. No wrong side, deep colours and the high thread count. What’s not to love?
There are so many things I love about sewing with batik fabrics! The tighter weave of the fabric is so nice to sew with without all the fraying with regular cottons and the saturation of the colors that Island Batiks gets with their fabrics is so stunning! Batiks are always my first choice when selecting fabrics!
The colors
I love the body that batiks have and the saturated colors. Thanks!
Batiks add sparkle to a project because of the depth of their color and the variety of color in a single cut of fabric.
Batiks are so colorful!
I have been using them for fusible applique which is so much easier with batiks. I think because the fabrics are more tightly woven, but they can be fused and stitched down with almost no fraying.
I also have used batiks to make summer dresses – they always look specia.
I love the color variations like a watercolor painting in batiks.
Love those beautiful batiks! Gorgeous designs. Thanks for sharing and for the giveaway.
My favorite thing about working with batiks is how easy they are to press and cut. I love the colors and the shifting patterns on the fabrics too — they give real sparkle to a quilt!
I love the colours, the crisp hand, and lovely press you get, not to mention the thread count!
I love the feel of batiks they are cool to the touch.
Love the rich colors of batiks.
I love batiks because of all the rich colours…I use them as my blenders
I love batiks for all the intense and beautiful colors that are available. Also, there is a lot of movement in the fabric. I made a butterfly quilt using batiks — it is one of my favorite quilts.
I really love working with batils. The colors are so versatile! They work so well in so many patterns!
I love all the wonderful color combinations in each piece of batik fabric.
Love Batiks for their boldness. As Ebony mentioned the pink is so deep and bold it looks red.
So no matter which direction you place your piece or which direction you gaze from, it can take on a new and beautiful lool. Thank you for sharing.
I love the vibrant colors!
Love the rich colors of batiks!
The fact that batiks are reversible make them extra easy to use when foundation paper piecing.
i love the subtle variations in batik fabrics!
I love all the different colors that can be found in one piece of fabric plus the bright colors.