March Mini Madness

Welcome to my March Mini Madness Blog. As an Island Batik Ambassador, we were given the challenge to create a small project with Island Batik fabrics using paper piecing or English paper piecing (EPP). We were to create a project 24" x 24" or smaller. I like both although I do find that machine paper piecing can be somewhat frustrating to say the least.   I love hand work, so decided to go with EPP. 

Another reason I  chose EPP was I could stitch and watch all the basketball games of March Madness plus I could try out a new EPP pattern designed by Cindy Mccoy in The Quilt Pattern Magazine (TQPM). This pattern will appear in the April issue (Saturday).

I have only done hexagons with EPP, but her pattern includes squares, diamonds and half square triangles. I really wanted to give it a go. Isn't it beautiful?

 

I decided to go with blue and white and chose some lovely strips from my wonderful box of Island Batik goodies! I took some strips from the package of rolls on the left.

Aren't they pretty? And so I began, starting with the diamonds. I cut my templates out and laid them on the darkest blue strip.

I stitched the middle diamonds and then added the white squares to complete  my first step.                                        

 









My points matched and I was so excited I was eager to move to the next step. 





 

 

This step was a little harder for me at first but the more I stitched, the easier it got. 












 




It was really beginning to take shape now 
and I was delighted with what I was making. 

And this is where I am now on March 30th. I still have some steps to do and I will be stitching this weekend while watching the Final Four. 

I had planned on getting it finished, but March was a very unusual month with some ups and downs, so I had to put it on the back burner. But then if I had not done that,  I couldn't work on it for the final March Madness!!!

 I will share when it is finished.

You may have seen some of the other blogs that the Island Batik Ambassadors have posted about their Mini Madness quilts. There are some beautiful projects. I have the list below and I hope you will go and check them all out. 
 
Turid from Den Syende Himmel
Stephanie from Quilt’n Party
Pamela from Pamela Quilts
Anna from Ark Angel Creations
Kathy from Kathy’s Kwilts and More
Jessica from Desert Bloom Quilting
Connie from Freemotion by the River
Kate from Seams Like a Dream
Sharon from Yellow Cat Quilt Designs
Tina from Quilting Affection Designs
Jennifer from The Inquiring Quilter
Barb from Bejeweled Quilts
Sally from Sally’s Quilting Corner
Jeanette from Inch Worm Fabrics
Connie from Kauffman Designs
Joan from Moosestash Quilting
Bernadine from Needle and Foot
Bea from Beaquilter
Cheryl from Cheryl Lynch Quilts
Maryellen from Mary Mack’s Blog
Joyce from Hearts Creations
Marlene from Kissed Quilts
Karen from The Quilt Rambler
Marian from Seams to be Sew
Laura from Slice of Pi Quilts
Linda from Inspired Layers
Vicki from Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting
Nancy from Masterpiece Quilting
Carol from FunThreads Designs
Terri from Meanderings Along Lizard Creek
Alison from Little Bunny Quilts
Suzy from Adventurous Applique and Quilting
Jean-Sophie from Sophie Junction
Janet from Whispers of Yore

Thank you for stopping by.

Until next time,
Nan