Through the month of April, Island Batik Ambassadors are celebrating Aurifil thread combined with a crazy quilt. Aurifil sent each ambassador a set of their new 2022 Colour Builders in celebration of their variegated thread.

Our challenge was to show off the thread from our colour builder set in a crazy quilt style project. We were encouraged to try out different blocks, different machine stitches and basically just have fun playing with this classic quilting technique.

I decided that I wanted to make a crazy boho style bag. I used to have a handbag (about a thousand years ago) in which the front was made in a crazy quilt technique using different coloured pieces of leather (or more likely, faux leather). I wonder whatever happened to that bag... no matter, it was time to make my own boho bag.

I received the Golden Trumpet Colour Builder Set (colours include 2123 – 3910 – 4658 in 50wt thread).

When it came to fabrics, I wanted to make sure that they weren't too busy and that they'd allow the beautiful varieagated threads to shine. I decided on some leftover scraps from my first ever Island Batik project; my Startburst in Teal Quilt. You can read all about it here. I received the Tantalising Teal gradations bundle for that challenge and absolutely love these colours.

To begin with, I searched for videos on YouTube, tutorials and printable bag designs online. I decided to work with the free pattern on the Very Purple Person blog. Here's the link. I traced it out on some very thin polyester batting, gathered my scrap fabrics and headed to my sewing machine. Putting together the crazy section of the bag was fun and I had to stop myself from going further up into the handles as I wanted to make them and the rest of the bag in black which would highlight the front section of the bag.

Once this front section was complete, I changed my machine foot, stitch plate and got to play with a section of my sewing machine that I usually don't wander into... the decorative stitches.

I don't know the names of these stitches (or if they have a name?) but gosh it was fun choosing the designs and watching them come to life with the beautiful variegated thread. The stitch above looks like a cross stitch type design and this one below almost looks like an orange peel design.

I love how this fan type stitch turned out. My mum used to have a top with this sort of stitch around the collar. She was a woman who was never afraid to play with the decorative stitches on her sewing machine.

All in all, I'm very pleased with how this bag turned out. It's a great size and very lightweight as I didn't add extra batting or quilting.