Welcome to my "Summer in the Country" Blog Hop!

Welcome  to my blog for the Island Batik "Summer in the Country" Blog Hop. 

As today is September 1, what better way to enjoy these last few days of summer than with a picnic.

I got the idea from the lovely fabrics that Island Batik sent me.  They are fall colors and fall is my favorite season, so these colors are just "purrfect" for me! The grouping on the bottom is from the Countryside Collection,  the middle stack is from Jewels and Gems.
The top stack is strips from several collections including Meadow.




 
All these lovely fabrics, now what to do? Well one fabric in particular became my inspiration. It is from the Jewels and Gems collection.

 

What do you think this Florida person with Louisiana connections thought about? 

Any ideas?

Well, just like Louisiana, we have lots of bayous and their inhabitants here, so won't you join me for a picnic after we see the  bayou? 





I have found just the right music to get you in the mood (good toe tapping music)  and you will like the scenery too, but don't rock the boat!

  

Now that your boat ride is over and you are back home safe, let me show you what I did with this wonderful Island Batik fabric. I mean we are having a picnic, so we have to have some proper table toppers! Think placemats - but not ordinary placemats. These are for the Bayou!


Ok, I have a confession to make.

I love small squares and when I saw the strips of fabric that I received, that was it.


I received three sets of strips and I used all three sets to make three different placemats. 

I made them all the same way and here is how I did it.

I took one set and  spread them out and put like colors together. The strips were 10" long.

I  chose seven  2 1/2"  strips that complimented each other, but gave contrast as well. I sewed six of these together in pairs of two.

Then I cut the strips into  2 1/2" x 4 1/2" rectangles and the lone strip into 2 1/2" squares. I was now ready to play. 

My design wall which is  the flannel side of a table cloth and covered with hundreds of threads was ready for me to go to work. 

I tried different combinations with the rectangle pieces to see which looked the best. I would tuck the 2 1/2" squares here and there.

Once the pieces were in place, I then used some of the leftover strips to fill in the holes to make my placemat 12" x 18". 

I moved them around several times, before I came up with a design I liked. 

 I stitched it all together. What do you think?

I cut out my backing 12" x 18" along with the batting. I placed my backing and placemat top right sides together. 

I then placed the batting on top of the placemat top matching raw edges. After pinning it all together, I stitched around the edges leaving an 8" opening on one end to turn. 

After trimming the corners, I turned it inside out and whipstitched the opening. 

 

 It was now ready to add the finishing touch, so I appliqued some "black bears" which are native to Florida. (There is an issue with our bears right now - but I won't go into that.)

We also have the Florida panther and they are very elusive. I love the way the panthers kind of blend into the fabrics because that is what they do in the wild - just blend in. There are very few left. 







Ok - now I have saved the best for last! 

My Florida "Gators" that inspired this blog are on the new collection  Meadow! 

Aren't the colors wonderful and don't my gators fit "purrfectly"?

Well now that we have seen the sights of the Bayou from the safety of our homes, what better way to end our tour than with "Bayou Brownies". This recipe is from my dear friend, Virginia.

Bayou Brownies

1 cup chopped pecans
1 egg
1/2 cup melted butter
1 box (8.25 oz.) yellow cake mix

Combine and blend well. Press in bottom lightly greased 9" x 12" pan.

2 eggs
1 8oz. cream cheese softened
1 16 oz. box powdered sugar.

Beat until smooth. Pour over cake layer.

Bake 320 degrees for 40 minutes.

Now you can use your lovely placemats to serve you brownies and of course have some Iced Tea! ( I prefer mine unsweetened, but the south has long been famous for Sweet Tea.)


I have really enjoyed making these fun placemats with the gorgeous Island Batik fabrics. But I have a confession to make. Instead of using these for placemats, I will be using these for Kennel Quilts. They will be sent to a shelter that has been affected by a disaster and needs help in taking care of the animals. You can read all about the Kennel Quilt  program here.

I hope you have enjoyed your trip to the Bayou. I want to thank you for stopping by so I am giving you a chance to win one of my newest patterns that was presented at Spring Market by Island Batik. It is called "Sherbet Delight".

Just leave a comment telling me your favorite place for a picnic. I will use Ramdon.org to choose some lucky winners when the hop is over.

Thank you again and tomorrow, check out Maria Michaels Designs as we continue the "Summer in the Country" Blog Hop!



Here is the list for all the "Summer in the Country" Island Batik Ambassadors. Please check it out in case you have missed one. (Gorgeous fabric and designs plus recipes on each one.)

8/17 – Island Batik
8/18 – KISSed Quilts – Part 1
8/19 – Kauffman Designs
8/20 – Adele Mogavero
8/21 – MooseStash Quilting
8/22 – Pamela Quilts
8/23 – Freemotion by the River
8/24 – The Patchwork Pearl
8/25 – Fun Threads Designs
8/26 – For Quilts Sake
8/27 – Lemon Tree Snippets
8/28 – Bejeweled Quilts
8/29 – Tamarinis
8/30 – KISSed Quilts – Part 2
8/31 – Beaquilter
9/1 – Purrfect Spots Designs
9/2 – Maria Michaels Designs
9/3 – Mary Mack Made Mine
9/4 – Made In Scraps
9/5 – Happy Cottage Quilter


Also head on over to Island Batik for a chance to win some of their beautiful fabric!

Bye ya'll and good luck!