Pink Tulip Quilting

Challenge Requirements

• Project Name: Shadowed Paths
• Project Type: Quilt
• Size: Lap or larger
• Island Batik Fabric: Island Batik Floral Fun plus various Island Batik Collections from the past year
• Technique: Drunkards Path/Curved Piecing

The products featured in this post were given to me by Lumin Fabrics (Island Batik) and its partners.

The Accuquilt website indicates that another name for Drunkard’s Path is Solomon’s Puzzle because the origin of the Drunkards Path pattern can be traced back to Ancient Egypt.

Quilters in the early American colonies used this pattern. American oral tradition states that this quilt design was used along the Underground Railroad. The pattern eventually came to prominence in the late half of the 19^th century. Some historians believe that Drunkards Path quilts were sewn to promote the abolition of alcohol in the United States. These 1920s quilts were commonly seen with a blue and white color scheme.

Cutting out curved quilt pieces by hand can be daunting. So I was pleased that Accuquilt had a variety of Drunkards Path dies for sale. I chose the 3.5-inch finish Drunkards Path die .

Using the Accuquilt GO! made quick work of the 240 pieces needed. I loved the notches on each piece; matching centers was so easy! The 240 block A and B pieces were packed in a shoe box in stacks of lights and darks.

There were equal amounts of light and dark “A” pieces and “B” pieces. Assembly for sewing matched a light was paired with a dark. Then clamped at corners and pinning centers was the first attempt at pre-sew prep. The prepped pieces were put in another empty shoe box. The two shoe boxes were essential to manage completion steps. Additionally, relocation occurred easily within my small studio.

Before sewing, as always, I installed a new Schmetz Microtex Needle. Chrome plated Microtex needle resists heat and wear. The needle stays cooler with less stitch distortion. Thread passes through the eye with less friction. Chrome allows the needle to penetrate through fabric with less resistance. The SCHMETZ Microtex needle is generically known as a “sharp” needle. The very slim acute point creates beautiful topstitching on fashion sewing and perfectly straight stitches for piecing and quilting. Use the SCHMETZ Microtex when precision is paramount. The bobbin casing on my Brother Dreamweaver was cleaned at the same time.

As I started sewing the first group, clamping and pinning was redone. It was faster to clamp at one end because the Accuquilt GO notched them perfectly.

My Oliso project iron was very important especially when pressing the initial blocks! The picture above was taken at center panel completion to show a mistake found; can you see it? I thought I was diligently organized as I pulled blocks from the design wall. In the end, seam ripper in hand, I went to town on three rows of stitching–phew!!

I admit, my design was unconventional and took time to realize on the design wall. The goal for my Drunkards Path was to assemble the 4-inch blocks to represent Shadowed Paths. The piecing matched light to dark in varying degrees. The varying degrees of greens to gray greens in the Floral Fun collection were perfect for my goal.

Block placement created paths with two light paths in the center and dark paths on either side. The quilt has an earthy tone- below is one of the audition photos. Auditioning placement is important to me. I will snap a photo and review as a tidy my studio. From the photo, I can determine which blocks I need to move or replace. It is easier for me to see the design compressed in a small picture than on a large wall.

 To finish the quilt I added 3 sashings around the perimeter with white corner blocks:

• Two-inch Grey from Island Batik Foundations Solids

• Four-inch Baby Powder from Island Batik Foundations Basics

• Two-inch Seaweed from Island Batik Foundations Basics

I sent my quilt to my longarmer, Ruth McCormick, who does a fabulous job! It is audit season at my day job as a healthcare regulatory specialist, so the hand off was a stress relief too! Ruth sent three options for quilting motifs, and I selected the one as seen below.

Ruth was delighted with my pick of batting, Hobbs Tuscany 100% Wool Batting. “I use this all the time”, she said. The loft and resilience in Hobbs Tuscany 100% Wool Batting assists in emphasizing the quilter’s piecing and stitching. Wool has no ‘memory’ for creases even after being folded. A super-washing process smooths the scales on wool fibers, making the wool pleasant to the touch and less likely to shrink.

When I received the quilt back from Ruth, I was stunned by the lovely job. The back was the same gray as shown above and I am so glad about that decision.

Of course I had scraps left over and I can never abandon them. So I settled on a traditional block pattern and quickly made a table runner.

If you are looking for more Drunkard Path ideas, the Island Batik Ambassadors have incredible projects for this challenge! Check out their blogs! Here is a list of all of the Island Batik Ambassadors for 2025:

• Brenda Alburl – Songbird Designs
• Susan Deshensky – Lady Blue Quilts Studio
• Tina Dillard – Quilting Affection Designs
• Brittany Fisher – Bobbin with Brittany
• Kimberly Flannagan – Kimberly’s Quilts
• Preeti Harris – Sew Preeti Quilts
• Mania Hatziioannidi – Mania for Quilts
• Kim Jamieson-Hirst – Chatterbox Quilts
• Connie Kauffman Kauffman Designs
• Connie Kresin Campbell – Freemotion by the River
• Emily Leachman – The Darling Dogwood
• Denise Looney – A Quiltery
• Leah Malasky – Quilted Delights
• Susan Michaels – Dragonfly Fiberart
• Lisa Pickering – Lisa’s Quilting Passion
• Sarah Pitcher – Pitcher’s Boutique
• Gail Sheppard – Quilting Gail
• Carol Stanek – Stitch with Color
• Solomae Stoycoff – Cuddle Cat Quiltworks
• Jennifer Thomas – Curlicue Creations
• Suzy Webster – Websterquilt