Kim Hanson

Writing & Quilting

What is the name of this mystery block|?|

| 10 Comments

Good day everyone. Here on my blog and also on the Quilting for Kids Facebook page, we are running a new contest, and it’s a little different this time.

Here is a photo of a quilt block. It’s old – likely stitched in the 1930’s. As a contest entry, we are looking for the name of this mystery block.

You can enter below this blog post in the comments. Or you can head over to Quilting for Kids on Facebook (click the link above) and enter there. This contest is only open until this Friday – July 9th. So enter today!

An answer will be chosen at random from all the correct answers and the winner will receive this prize:

 

Best of luck everyone.

Kim

Ultraviolet Colour Palette

| 19 Comments

Good Wednesday to you all!  Thank you so much for joining me here.

Last Wednesday, I posted stage one of our first contest for 2018. If you scroll down to last week’s post, you can browse through all wonderful, thoughtful comments that we received.

Last week, I came across a Facebook post for Pantone’s Colour of the Year for 2018 – which is Ultraviolet.  You can see the beautiful, rich colour here.

I think it’s an inspiring colour and I love pairing purples/ultraviolets with teal and pink and sometimes yellow.

Now, for stage 2 of our contest.

Here is my fabric colour palette that I put together from some fabrics in my stash. To enter the contest, please leave me a comment here on the blog – what do you think of these colours? Do you like them? Which one(s) would you remove? Which ones would you keep?

By leaving a comment on the blog,  you are entered into the contest.

I’m looking forward to hearing from you all.  Thanks quilters.

Take care.

Kim

Wonderful New Contest!

| 1 Comment

Good day quilters. We are having another contest over on our Facebook group – Quilting for Kids. (You can join here).

On the Quilting for Kids Facebook group, post your photos of your children and/or grandchildren with quilts you have made for them.  That’s it, that’s all! You can post several entries.

Not only will the winning photo become our new group profile photo, but you will also win this beautiful bundle of fabrics. We will hold the contest open for several weeks.

 

Just in time for a Christmas quilting project.  Good luck to you

Kim

Fabric Contest Winner!

| Leave a Comment

Good morning everyone.  Just wanted to let you all know that we received an absolute avalanche of comments/contest entries on our latest contest. The winner is Lori Morton.  Lori left me a comment on my blog post – which was very much appreciated.

Please contact me Lori – at km.hanson@shaw.ca and give me your mailing address and your fabric will be on the way.

Thanks again to every lovely soul who took the time to leave me a comment.

 

Kim

Hmmmm….how many UFO’s (unfinished quilt projects) do you have hiding in your home?

| 22 Comments

Once upon a time, I was all about Blocks of the Month. I really loved the convenience of having the pattern and fabric mailed to me once per month by my local quilt shop. I thought – how easy is this? All I have to do is stitch together one block per month!

So, I signed up at Addies’ Quilt Shop in Cochrane, Alberta for the All About Bears block of the month. The pattern was designed by a lady named Dorothy Baker in 1999.  Yes, 1999 – 17 years ago! Here is a photo of the designer and her finished quilt….

all-about-bears

Things went pretty smoothly for awhile. I was keeping up – making one block per month. Then, slowly but surely, I started to slip – I was getting a new block in the mail when I hadn’t yet finished the one I was working on! I got a little bit sweaty and anxious but I feverishingly continued stitching. I dutifully appliqued the bears to the creamy background fabric and secured each piece by hand stitching a blanket stitch using embroidery cotton floss. Once the block was finished, I lovingly placed it in a see-through tupperware container. Well, somewhere in the mix of the 18 month of blocks, I got distracted, starting working on something else and quit! I quit for 17 years. The tupperware container was moved around my sewing space about a dozen times. Each move necessitated a “block review” so to speak, but I was not inspired to finish the project.

Then one day, I met a talented and very accomplished Calgary art quilter named Margaret Jones Jessop. I was privileged to interview Margaret in her brand new home several times. Margaret’s home had to be completely reconstructed; she lost everything in Calgary’s massive flood of 2013 including her many UFO’s. She said to me, “Why did I spend all that time and energy working on those projects if I was not going to finish them? Now they’re all gone forever.” Margaret’s words struck a chord in my heart.

When I got home, I pulled out the completed blocks from my tupperware container and tried to figure out a way to use them all in a quilt.

bears6

Even though I had not finished all the blocks for the pattern, I decided then and there to finish the quilt and put it to good use. Maybe a charity quilt? From Fabric.com I ordered some creamy tan flannel 108″ backing fabric (going via Ebates.ca first, of course!) and pulled out some brown and pink and teal fabrics that were in my stash. Sashing and borders were added.

bears

A quilt sandwich has been made.

bears10

The bears need eyes and the quilt needs basting. After that is done, I will tackle some free motion quilting on it with my wonderful new Christmas present!

bears15

 

My quilt will not look like the designers’, but it will be done and I’ll be satisfied with it.

I happen to have three blocks left – patterns and fabric.

bears6

Does anyone want them? Leave me a comment on my blog about your UFO’s and three random comments will win these blocks. I will mail them to you. Perhaps you can make a sweet little quilted bear pillow for someone you love.

Take care

Kim