Posted on by agilejack

Indigo Batiks and KFC Prints — A Match Made in Heaven!

Ever since I made that indigo batik and hand dyed fabric bag a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been thinking about those batiks and how they would make some KFC prints sing. So I’ve been noodling on the idea of combining them with some strip tubes that were left over after making this quilt.

I cut the strips for this quilt from 136 different KFC fabrics! So there’s a lot of variety in there. I like a quilt that isn’t too matchy-matchy.

So after our evening walk tonight I dug in and started cutting some of the tubes, playing with combos and shapes, and combining with strips of various indigo batiks. Here’s some of the pieces in progress.

And see! I was right! Those batiks really make those KFC prints pop!!! I’m really happy with where this is going.

When I make these bag panels, I think of them in elements. I almost always have a square block in the upper left. Then a vertical panel down the right side. And some kind of block to fill the space at the lower left.

As I’m making them I’m measuring and seeing how these pieces will come together, and if I need to add strips for width or height, and sometimes I need to trim a little. The lighter indigo vertical strip on the right and at the bottom of the square block were both put there to add width and height to make the panel 17 inches wide and tall, but they also serve a really nice design function. It makes the panel more interesting and dynamic.

This approach of building with elements really works well in my brain. I do vary it up sometimes and sometimes the back of the bag is much simpler. But as you can see, these two bag panels are almost identical. And that’s ok! No one will ever see both sides of the bag at the same time.

Here’s the two panels that I was able to get done tonight.

Holy cow! Look at how those KFC prints just pop off of that indigo! Gah! I bought all these indigo batiks with the intent of making a hexagon quilt using KFC yellows and these blues as background. But now I’m thinking it would be a shame to limit it to just yellow! But I do think a quilt like this will be in my future. I will definitely keep my eyes open for more indigo batiks when I’m out and about and visiting fabric stores again.

Here’s both panels in the same photo, just because I love looking at them!!!

I plan to get these panels sandwiched and quilted tomorrow night. Might even get the bag body put together. I have decided that I will go all out with pockets and a zipper placket.

A friend of mine messaged me tonight to ask if my succulent bag was available. She has bought things from me in the past and wanted this bag for a gift. As I was looking over the bag to make sure there weren’t any stray threads or other linty objects, I realized that I hadn’t added the fabric tab on the end of the zipper. It’s not necessary and doesn’t really serve any function, it’s just a nice finish. So that’s the first thing I did tonight.

Now it’s all ready to go to its new home.

I met my friend yesterday to do some dog training and have some lunch. It was great to see her and we had a really lovely lunch sitting out in the warm sun on her deck with a nice view of her property and the neighboring properties while her dogs played around us.

When we finished training our dogs we were standing outside the training barn and I heard the sound of birds screeching. I looked up and saw two bald eagles high up in a Douglas fir tree.

That’s not much of a photo, but you can definitely tell what it is! It’s really fun to get to see eagles every now and again.

We had a little rain over night and this morning. It didn’t amount to much. It was supposed to be dry when we took our afternoon walk, but we got just a little wet.

I’m really sorry to report that Bender had another seizure Sunday morning. I called his neurologist today and we’re going to do a blood test to check the levels of his meds. It’s possible that his body has changed how he’s metabolizing the medications. The neuro is having me double up on his evening medication as an immediate remedy. Once we get the results of his blood test, we’ll see if his other med needs to be increased.

The good thing about all of this is that Bender bounces back really quickly and doesn’t seem to suffer any lasting effects. He was perfectly fine and able keep a close watch on me as I ate some popcorn last night.

We’re keeping our fingers crossed that increasing his evening meds will do the trick for now.

39 Replies to “Indigo Batiks and KFC Prints — A Match Made in Heaven!”

  5. I’m so sorry Bender had another seizure, but he’s lucky he has you because you’ll make sure everything that can be done for him will be done. Best wishes for both of you. And I love the indigo/Kaffe bag.

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  6. Thank you for explaining about the darks and brights plus how you make sections! I’m new to this so any little bit helps!
    I’d love to know the best link to buy strap material – is it leather or leatherette??
    Your time management is amazing!!

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    1. I buy my faux leather material on Amazon at this link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087JGSG26/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

      You could always just go to your local fabric store and buy some vinyl that you like. Just make sure you don’t get something that’s really thick. YOu’ll be sewing through three layers.

      My time management is actually terrible! I’m pretty impulsive and just do what I want when the mood strikes me. I have a hard time doing the things I SHOULD be doing!

      Anne

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  7. Awww sorry about Bender. Hope the vet can figure out a solution that helps you both rest easy. 🤞
    Super cute fabric combo. Your creative juices are in high gear right now. Good for us!!

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  11. If I said it before I will say it again I love reading your blog. I love your lifestyle. I love the stories of your dogs. I love all the free bag info. You are a treasure!

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    1. Thank you Susan!

      If you saw my day to day life you wouldn’t find it quite so interesting! Mostly, I work, walk the dogs, and do a little sewing. Day after day…. after day…. after day!!

      I do take advantage of opportunities to get out when I can.

      Anne

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    1. Thank you!

      KFC = Kaffe Fassett Collective. Designers are Kaffe Fassett, Philip Jacobs, and Brandon Mably. Liza Roos Lucy joins the collective as a quilt designer and maker.

      Anne

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  16. Glad Bender is doing better! Saw that you will be getting his blood draw today. The indigo batik is fabulous with your KFC! Can you tell the date of your post about Trip Around the World blocks? That quilt is so great! I did look but no search function on posts? Thank you!

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  18. Looked back at a previous blog (succulent fabric, and I did order some). I cut lots of strips and sewed a few blocks of Ice Storm, but my health has interfered! It seems like I now have what’s known as “Long Covid” (Google it) which has taken my energy and left me with breathing problems. My PT person has incorporated quilting into my PT regimen and it’s really helping me get back to my sewing! Who knew? I have a container of short-time until finished UFO ‘s and we’re going to tackle that. I get frustrated that I can’t do more, but it is what it is. The good news is that I’m smiling more!

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    1. Well, that’s terrible news! I’ve heard a lot about long COVID. I have a 50 year old friend who got COVID early on in the pandemic and suffered with it for over a year when she was finally able to get the vaccine and then started feeling better.

      I’m glad you’re getting back to quilting and that it’s part of your PT! I love that!

      Hoping you’re feeling better soon. Keep smiling!

      Anne

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  19. Hi, Anne!
    Another big fan of you and your blog here (from the Kansas City area). Your indigo batiks and Kaffe combos are fabulous! Since the blocks are so linear I’d like to make a suggestion for the quilting. How about wavy lines instead of straight this time? I think it’d be striking. Do you ever use variegated thread for quilting? That’s another look that I really like.
    Your eagles picture was wonderful! Sorry about the news on Bender. I hope a medicine adjustment will do the trick.
    Thanks for taking the time to do your blog!!
    WAM

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    1. Hi WAM, I used wavy lines on a few of my earlier bags. But I really like the straight lines better. I think it’s because I love the more structured and tailored look and feel it gives. It makes it feel more substantial to me, and I like that feeling.

      I’m also pretty traditional when it comes to thread color. I typically use light grey or off white for my quilting. I appreciate the texture of the quilting, more than the actual stitches. I usually want my stitches to sort of disappear into the fabrics.

      thanks for reading and thanks for taking time to comment.

      Anne

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