Cynthia recently announced the Many Hands and Many Hearts March-May 2026 block drive: Mini Square in Square block. She requested the blocks be made in batiks. I don’t have batiks in my stash, and the few I have in my scrap bins aren’t big enough to use for a block. She did also mention that using blender fabrics would be okay, but the hand of batiks is quite different than that of other quilting cottons, so I figured I would go shopping.
Expressions Batiks 10in Square Pack
I received a sale email from Hawthorne Supply Co, and after browsing what they had on sale, I looked through the Batiks they had in stock. I did some quick calculations, and I’m pretty sure I can cut the featured square AND a full background from a single 10″ square, so I ordered a 10″ Square Pack.
Expressions Batiks 10in Square Pack
There is a lovely value and color gradient in the pack, so as long as I didn’t get my quick math wrong, I should be set to make a lovely grouping of blocks for the block drive this quarter.
*Update: All pieces can be cut from a 9½” square, so the 10″ squares offer a nice little bit of wiggle room.
2026 SAHRR – Basted
Life has been throwing a few curve balls this week (navigating our medical and insurance system is maddening), but I was able to get my 2026 SAHRR basted Thursday evening. I’m still leaning toward an all over free motion motif (probably a stipple), but I will likely wait to start that until I see what the final Project Quilting prompt is on Sunday.
That’s a gorgeous 10” square pack you bought! I’ve combined batiks with regular cottons for decades with nary an issue but I understand the request was for batiks so how very generous of you to go out and purchase fabric for it. Despite certain premiers (provincial level) doing their best, and succeeding to some degree, to get in a two-tier healthcare system, I am so grateful that ours is free when I hear comments like yours, and horror stories, all too common there. I don’t know about you, but stippling, or meandering which I call it when it’s more open, I find to be most relaxing, zen-like, which I look for more and more these days.
I hope that doesn’t succeed in Canada, and hope instead that the US figures out that our current system of private insurance is horrible. My 17 year old granddaughter just had a major surgery, and their deductible and out of pocket will be $9,000. The irony is that her father works in the US for a Canadian company.
I love the batiks for Many Hands and Many Hearts block drive! I’ve been pulling from my stash and working the blocks as leader/enders … but now that you’ve brought to the forefront of my brain that precut 10” squares can work, I’ll be digging those out as well!
Looking forward to your finished 2026 SAHRR!
Thanks for the reminder about the block drive. I’m going to go look at the requirements again…
Thanks for the tip about the 10″ squares for the block drive. I also don’t have batiks in my stash either but enjoy participating in the block drives, so this is a great idea! Best wishes for navigating the medical and insurance systems – it’s super frustrating at a time when you are least up to dealing with such annoyances. Surely we could do better!
Your beautiful choice of batiks almost makes me sad I just gave away most of mine last month, but none were as pretty as this one. I think you’ll have some nice blocks, if time allows. I hear you on the insurance/doctor thing, and hope you are making your way through the maze.
You about gave me heart failure re: SAHRR and a final prompt for quilting. I hope there isn’t a prompt, because I already have it quilted! But I’m sure whatever you do will be just so gorgeous and perfect for your quilt.
Thinking of you and sending best wishes. The SAHRR quilt is going to be a showstopper. I have been looking at it and wondering – how did she sew that skinny white piece which is like a fat Y-seam around the overlaid orange peels. Your workmanship and precision is the best I have ever seen.
Looks like a very pretty set of fabrics to play with for the donation blocks. The insurance system is just maddening. We are still trying to sort out our options since My Guy got laid off. Hopefully you have all that straightened out and can focus on more stitching time.
Those batiks are beautiful. And your SAHRR will be gorgeous however you decide to quilt it. I’m sorry you are having issues with the medical and insurance industry. As a retired nurse, I can definitely understand. I spent so many hours on the phone trying to get benefits paid for my home health/hospice patients, which was time we could have been caring for them. It really as a/n (unnecessary) nightmare. They just need to do their job so we can get on with ours. Hang in there. Hopefully everything will be worked out soon.
Still catching up on blog post so just reading about your insurance troubles. Hope you got it all figured out! *fingers crossed* xo