March 2025 Island Batik Challenge

The March 2025 Island Batik Challenge allowed us to choose any project–my favorite kind of challenge! I wanted to do a summer quilted vest, one that I could wear to art festivals and poetry readings. I selected fabrics from two Island Batik collections: Just Dandy and Essence. The products featured in this post were given to me by Island Batik.

A vest pattern from my library of patterns was selected, and I made a few adjustments to obtain the look I wanted. The Island Batik Just Dandy collection by Kate Colleran includes wonderful summer colors which were cut in a mix of 2.5-inch squares and 3-inch squares made of HSTs. I have a Brother Dreamweaver for piecing and quilting; at the start of each new project, I clean the bobbin housing and change my Schmetz needle. I used Purple Eggplant and Multi Turquoise both gorgeous fabrics from the Essence collection by Jerry Khiev.

Embroidery using Aurifil Bright Orange 1133 and Medium Teal 1125 were added to each part of the vest, back and both front pieces with my Bernina 500. The best thing about the Bernina besides the lovely embroidery it does is the significant bobbin size which requires less stopping and starting. After the embroidery and an applique flower were added to the vest pieces, rhinestones were applied using a hotfix applicator kit from WorthOfBest.

I did interface the upper vest pieces with Pellon fusible to prep for the embroidery. My Oliso iron was essential for ensuring the Pellon Fusible adhered to the fabric. Batting would not be used for this summer vest.

I had ordered a dozen white bucket hats to embellish as summer items for my shop inventory at Uptown Girl Novelties in New Baltimore, Michigan. A band of dark blue from the Island Batik Foundations’ Brilliant Blue collection was sewed along the brim of one of the white bucket hats. Left over HSTs were sewed together then three flowers were cut out. By Annie blue and orange mesh flowers were also added. The flowers were stacked and hand sewn in the center and once again rhinestones added.