Purrfect Spots: August 2016

It is time once again for a fabulous blog hop from the Island Batik Ambassadors! There are so many great projects and you won't want to miss a single one! But that is not all, as there will be giveaways of lovely Island Batik fabrics and patterns to some lucky winners. I will be sharing all the details, so keep reading!

I have looked forward to this hop for several reasons as I leave near the seaside and I also live near Seaside on the beautiful Emerald Coast of Florida! So this is going to be a fun hop to share!

Now to get in the mood, we need some ocean waves. So click on the link below and listen while you look. Just to let you know these sounds last more than an hour so enjoy!

For this Seaside Summer Blog Hop, Island Batik sent all the ambassadors different fabrics to use. I got the Sand Dune Collection which has my favorite colors.

Aren't they beautiful? I just love all the browns, greens, oranges, etc.

Here is the box with lots of goodies! Note the fishnet fabric!

And more goodies!

But this was a real challenge for me as the Emerald Coast looks like this. I wasn't exactly sure how I could come up with a Seaside theme with these colors! Granted, we have the grass on the dunes, but that isn't the real attraction here, is it?

After much thought, I finally realized that there are certain times of the year when we get Seaweed in our lovely gulf. It has all the various shades of browns, greens and even some rusts. That was it and so I introduce my Seaweed Swirl.

Now I ran out of one of the light greens as I had used some in another quilt. But I found a green that was just "purrfect" to take its place from one other of their collections. That is one of the great things about Island Batik fabrics - they blend so well with each other!Here is another view on a Sand Dune! Very appropriate since it uses that collection!

Seaweed Swirl measures approximately
40" x 40".

Here it is against some driftwood on the beach. Don't you love our "sugar white" sand? It is a good backdrop for this quilt as it makes the white fabric in the quilt really pop.

I would like to thank Tyler K. Miles of TKM Designs for the photographs of the quilts on the beach.

I have to add that some of the fabrics in this design look like fishnet. (See the top fabric in the box near the beginning of this post.) It is great for this quilt, but it is not great for marine life. It can get twisted in seaweed among other things and be a real hazard for our marine animal friends. Please be respectful and help protect our marine life, seas and sands.
Leave only footprints behind. Thank you.

Now

after some time on the beach, you are ready for something cool with some snacks! That ocean air really makes you hungry!

I suggest a tall glass of Ice Tea with some Tortilla Chips and Salsa. And we have a wonderful recipe for Salsa. This is our neighbor's recipe and it is the best! We call it "Jack's Salsa".

1 large can whole peeled tomatoes
2 medium sweet onions
4 large stalks of celery
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 to 2 teaspoons fresh cilantro (optional) - we don't use it as I don't like cilantro
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno peppers with seeds (more or less to your taste)

Use food processsor.
1. Drain juice from tomatoes into a large mixing bowl.
2. Place tomatoes in food processor and chop (medium).
3. Pour chopped tomatoes into mixing bowl.
4. Peel onion, cut into quarters and chop (medium) in processor. Add to mixing bowl.
5. Cut celery into large pieces and chop (medium) in processor. Add to mixing bowl.
6. Remove stems for jalapeno peppers, cut in half and chop to relish size in processor. Add
to mixing bowl.
7. Add salt, sugar, vinegar and cilantro (if you use it) to mixing bowl.
8. Stir mixture in bowl and make sure all ingredients are mixed together.
9. Let stand about 10 minutes and add more seasonings or peppers to taste.
10. Place salsa in glass jars with lid and store in refrigerator.
11. When chilled, serve with chips and Enjoy!

Now for those fun details:

Please leave a comment on my blog and be sure I have your email as I will be giving away 3 of my "Copper Clockworks" patterns using the Sand Dune Collection. This quilt was introduced at Spring Quilt Market.

I hope you enjoyed your trip to my ocean. Thank you for stopping by and Good Luck in winning some of the wonderful prizes. I wish only gentle sea breezes for you.

Below is a link where you can sign up for some lovely fabric bundles from Island Batik plus a list of all the Island Batik Ambassadors and the days they will be sharing their blogs.
Here is a complete line up of our blog hop.

Monday Aug 15 - Rain Forest

Kissed Quilts

Tuesday Aug 16 - Red Tide

Free Motion by the River

Mary Mack Made Mine

Wednesday Aug 17 - Sand Dune

Purrfect Spots

KnitBug 2

Tamarinis

Thursday Aug 18 - Seashore

Pamela Quilts

Maria Michael Designs