Thursday, March 26, 2020

Benartex Pre-Cut Project Hop- Dancing Dots Quilt



Today is our day on Benartex Fabrics' Pre-Cut Project Hop! So excited to have you join us!

Our Pre-cut pattern is Dancing Dots! This stunning quilt is a snap to make using our pattern and Creative Grids Cats Cradle Ruler. You will need both to make the project since we wrote the pattern to feature how wonderful this simple ruler is to make these blocks without having to cut any triangles. This is a great project for 10" squares, Fat Quarters or just as a stash buster.

Both the pattern and ruler are available at www.TheWhimsicalWorkshop.com.
Click Here for the Pattern

Click Here for the Ruler

For this quilt shown below, we used one 10" Square pack of Marbella from Benartex Fabrics and Marbella Black for the background to make the quilt. Check out all the beautiful colors of this collection at the bottom of the post!!!

 We have ordered Marbella 10" Square packs for this event but sadly they will not be available until later in April. Please email me directly if you would to pre-order a Layer Cake for $40.00+ Shipping
at Heidi@TheWhimsicalWorkshop.com




Starting next week,we will be sharing the step-by-step images for this project on our instagram account if you would like to follow along and sew up your own. 
You can follow us @WhimsicalWorkshop


If you would like to keep up with all of Heidi's projects, events, video tutorials and more please subscribe here for our blog and use these links for our other social media outlets.


Thank you for stopping by and Happy Hopping!
Marebella 10" Square pack from Benartex Fabrics-Available Soon!




Sunday, March 22, 2020


A Tour of the Caribelle Batik Factory
in St. Kitt’s
   



This past February, the Whimsical Workshop joined members of Stitchin Heaven on their 2020 Batik Cruise through the Caribbean. While on this trip, we spent several days teaching our quilting cruisers the benefits of using a binding ruler and how to add a sleeve in just a few easy steps (videos available on our YouTube channel), among other tips, tricks and fun techniques. 

Our itinerary also included an exciting stop - a private tour of the Caribelle Batik Factory in St. Kitts! 



The tour started with a walk across the stunning property and an explanation of how batiks are made. Then we got to visit the stamping room where we all got to practice hand-stamping our own piece of batik fabric! There were 16 different unique stamps to choose from, and we could dye our creation either blue or orange. 
After learning how to place the stamps down on the fabric, then we dipped it into the dye bath. Here is Mary from Caribelle Batiks, holding up Heidi's batik just out of the dye. 



Matthew chose orange (which came out yellow), and I chose blue. And while he went with a flower stamp, I was excited to test out both the flower stamp and a dragonfly stamp!  




Our next stop on the tour was a fully stocked gift shop that included some of the most stunning batik pieces available for purchase. I was so focused on shopping that I forgot to take any photos! Whoops!  Since our visit to the factory, Caribelle Batiks has opened a website shop. Here is the link to their website. https://www.caribellebatikstkitts.com/

Post-shopping, we all gathered outside in the beautiful garden where Caribelle workers like to hang freshly made batik fabric out to dry. Then, the factory’s owner surprised us all with a special guest appearance!



Maurice was so warm and welcoming; it was great to meet him and ask even more questions. He delightfully agreed to pose for a fun picture with the group. 
This trip was truly a one-of-a-kind experience that we will all cherish for years to come. I’d like to extend a sincere thank you to Stitchin Heaven for arranging such a memorable event!   

Heidi's Batik 
Matthew's Batik


Want to see more? Check out our factory tour video below! Be sure to like and subscribe to our channel if you'd like to see additional videos, tips and tricks from the Whimsical Workshop.