Kim Hanson

Writing & Quilting

Bryn’s “Don’t Bug Me” Garden Apron

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Welcome everyone. I’m pleased as punch to be back here again with all of you! This time, we are making a summery, sweet and super-easy child’s gardening apron, embroidered with Designs by JuJu’s Bugalicious design set. They are just perfect for this project! This apron is made using laminate for a clean and easy “wipe down” after use, and can be made over the weekend. Why not get started? Your five-year old will love it!

In case you and your child are finished gardening for the season, you can always use this sweet little apron for your child’s crafting endeavours. It would also make a great painting apron.

Please be sure and read through all the instructions prior to commencing. (If you have never worked with laminate before, please note the special instructions at the end of the pattern).

Shopping List:

 Designs by JuJu DBJJ531 – Bugalicious Applique

White for embroidery and pocket pouch – 1/2 yard – Cut into one piece 10″x44″ for pocket pouch and two pieces 8″x10″ for upper design

Lining for pocket/pouch – teal –  8″x18½”

Laminate for apron front (18″x22″) – Fat Quarter

Lining for apron back – purple – Fat Quarter

Scraps for embroidered appliques

Strapping for waist and neck ties – 66″ – Cut 48″ for waist and 18″ for neck

Small Pink rickrack – 41″

Velcro or D-ring

Embroidery thread, embroidery bobbin thread, embroidery needles, embroidery scissors

Pencil, omnigrid ruler, rotary cutter

Spray starch and Temporary Spray Fabric Adhesive

Permanent fabric marker

*I use Brother Embroidery thread for all my projects

MACHINE EMBROIDERY

  • Download three Bugalicious designs (as per the photo of the apron front, or choose your own) all in the small, 4″x 4″ size. Beginning with the word/saying embroidery design, load it into the machine.
  • Fold 10″x44″ piece of white fabric in half to measure 10″x22″and press to mark the middle. Mark center with a pencil. Medium hoop white fabric and place the hoop onto the machine.

Note: I didn’t use stabilizer for this project, but instead used a double fold of fabric to strengthen the front pouch/pocket even more.

  • Stitch out the word/saying – Nothing Bugs Me When I’m in My Garden. Always clip jump threads as you go.

  • Remove hoop from machine and fabric from hoop. Press. Fold in right outer edge to mark center and press. Mark with a pencil. Re-hoop fabric and stitch out first snail applique design.
  • Place the hoop onto the machine and stitch out the embroidery design outline.

  • Remove hoop from machine. Cut a fabric scrap slightly larger than the outline stitch. Spray starch the right side of fabric scrap and press. Spray the wrong side of fabric scrap with temporary spray adhesive. Center and finger press fabric onto the outline stitching.

 

TIPS:  Cover ironing board when using spray starch and fabric adhesive to prevent over spray. Temporary fabric adhesive often leaves behind a residue on the needle. It may be necessary to clean your embroidery machine needle as you go. 

  • Replace the hoop onto the machine and embroider tacking stitches. Remove hoop from the machine and carefully trim around the outline. Place hoop back onto machine and finish embroidering the rest of the design.

 

 

  • Remove hoop from machine and fabric from hoop. Press. Fold in left outer edge and press to mark center. Mark with a pencil. Re-hoop fabric and stitch out the mirror image of the snail applique design, following same steps as outlined above. (See photo of apron for design placement) Trim pocket/pouch to measure 8″x18½”.
  • Hoop both pieces of white fabric measuring 8″x10″. Stitch out butterfly (upper) embroidery design in the same manner as instructions outlined above. Press. Trim butterfly block to measure 5½” (length) x 6″ (wide). Set aside.

CONSTRUCTION

  • Right sides together match pocket/pouch with teal lining. Stitch bottom and top ¼” from edges. Leave sides open. Turn pocket/pouch right side out, and pull out the corners. Press.

  • Stitch pink rickrack along bottom edge of pocket/pouch. Cut 48″ of purple strapping. Trim each end of strapping on the diagonal to prevent fraying. Center and pin purple strap to top of pocket/pouch. Stitch.

  • Stitch rickrack in place around perimeter of butterfly design.

LAMINATE – APRON FRONT

  • Press laminate fat quarter on back of fabric. Do not press on the laminate front! Your iron will stick to the fabric and it will be ruined. Lay out the fat quarter wrong side down on a flat surface.

  • Fold over fat quarter in half lengthwise.

  • Draw armholes on wrong side of laminate with permanent fabric marker. Trace using diagram #1.

 

  • Cut. Open.

  • Cut purple apron lining in same shape as apron front. Set aside.
  • Position butterfly embroidery applique design in place. Stitch.
  • Mark a straight line with a pencil 3½” from bottom edge of apron front. Position pocket/pouch on the straight line and stitch along bottom edge only. Carefully trim pocket/pouch to even on both sides of the apron. Be mindful not to cut through the purple waist strapping.
  • Mark pencil lines on pocket/pouch either side of the embroidered saying. Stitch down both pencil lines to make three pockets.

  • Fold in both ends of purple strapping and temporarily pin to the center of the apron top.
  • Right sides together, match purple apron lining with apron top. Pin to secure. Mark both the top and bottom of purple strapping on both sides of the apron top with pins. Stitch around perimeter of the apron leaving the top seam open and stopping at side pins to leave opening for purple strapping.
  • Turn apron right side out being mindful to carefully pull out bottom apron corners.
  • Remove pins holding purple straps in place.
  • Fold in fabric edges around strapping on both sides of the apron top and stitch to secure.
  • Insert neck strap into upper opening, fold under seams and pin as per photo. Stitch opening closed encasing the neck strap. *Optional – You can snip the neck strap in two and use Velcro to re-fasten or a D-ring as an adjustable option, for a tighter fit.

 

Yippee!  You are all done. Thanks so very much for following along with me on this pattern. Please email me at km.hanson@shaw.ca if you have any questions about the pattern.

Kim Hanson

CARING FOR LAMINATES:

  • There is no need to prewash laminated fabric. The polymer film does not like either your washer or your dryer.
  • Iron laminates on the back of the fabric or use a pressing cloth when ironing laminates. Be careful not to touch your hot iron to the actual plastic surface of the fabric as it will melt.
  • Stitch slowly and deliberately. If a seam has to be ripped out, the stitching holes themselves will remain in the fabric.
  • Use pins mindfully. Once the pin leaves a hole in the laminate it will remain there.
  • Although laminates are a more rigid and inflexible type of fabric than are regular cottons, it is still advisable to use a stabilizer when embroidering directly on the fabric.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quilts and the spectacular Riley Park in Calgary, Alberta

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Obviously I think Riley Park is spectacular! I virtually grew up in that park in my Calgary neighbourhood of Hillhurst, visiting it daily. Our principal, Mr. Dibble at Hillhurst Elementary School would tell us “not to cut through the park” to get home, but rather take a circuitous route around the park throughout the streets in the neighbourhood. I really was a good little girl but ’round about grade three I disregarded what Mr. Dibble had to say, snuck through the giant black wrought iron gate and cut straight through the park every day to and from school. Cutting through the park meant stopping at the playground and playing on the swings and the slide for awhile with my friends and/or my brothers. Cutting through the park meant taking off our socks and shoes and wading through the pool after it opened May long weekend. Cutting through the park meant a shorter (and much more fun) way home.

I found a teeny tiny photo online of the wading pool in Riley Park, circa 1956.

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This is how it looks now.

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City Parks and Recreation have modernized and updated the pool over the years, taking out some cement barricades, etc. that were hazardous. My savasana quilt hangs on the fence surrounding the pool. This quilt pattern was published in Quilter’s Connection magazine. I’ve always been fond of the batiks and the colours of this quilt and the embroidered symbols for savasana.

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Rachel Elliott’s quilt, Weight of Love hangs on the fence bordering the other side of the wading pool and looks great as a canvas for the picnic table.

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WeightofLove

The playground now is likely lead-free and woodenless. Back in the day, I got some pretty rough slivers on the seats of the old wooden swings.

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A brand new condominium is being built on the edges of the playground at Riley Park. Living there will mean the playground is your backyard. Given the increase in inner-city traffic and all the pedestrians now, I still think it would be an amazing place to live. Kid noise would be so abundant; it would be wonderful.

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Walking from the park to the rock garden adjacent to Tenth Street N.W. brings back so many memories. My Mom absolutely loved this garden and she would haul us all to the park on a regular basis so she could point and sniff and “oooh” and “ahhh” at all the flowers. Yelling as she did, “stay on the path” would make me nuts. All we wanted to do was play tag and keeping to the paths was impossible.

Even now in September, the rock garden (now called Senator Patrick Burns Rock Garden) is still full of colour and beauty.

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I would love to have my own bench someday in this park.

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A huge piece of my heart still lives in Hillhurst and Riley Park….amazing to think of such a thing after all these years have passed by. I felt so overwhelmingly sad and joyful at the same time, watching all the kids spill out of Hillhurst Elementary School on their way home for the day. Kids and moms holding hands, not hesitating to “cut through the park!”

Kim

Where Does Quilt Inspiration Come From? My Zen Garden, A Modern Day, Sweetly Imperfect Pieced and Appliqued Quilt

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Happy Wednesday everyone.

I was out for my walk awhile back and came across this cute little “library box” planted firmly in someone’s frontyard. It was jammed full of books and I couldn’t help but go over and take a peek. Just like a regular lending library, it seems one could easily “borrow” a book, read it and return it. Unlike a regular library, though, one needn’t sign out the book but would operate on the honour system and dutifully return the book when they were finished reading it. So simple!

I decided to ring the homes’ doorbell, something I ordinarily would NEVER do! An adorable lady by the name of Fern answered the door. I asked her if she would mind if I returned to take some photos on her front lawn with my quilts, her library box and her bench. She immediately gave me the green light and told me that she had planted the box to commemorate her late husband’s long and distinguished career in education. By coincidence she was also a quilter…but pointed out to me that she “did all her quilting by hand”. While I was at her front door, a neighbour came by for their daily walk and off they went. They were both such lovely women with sweet and positive dispositions.

I did return to Fern’s front lawn with some of my quilts and my granddaughter in tow. The quilt in this photo I call My Zen Garden which was previously featured in 2012’s Best Fat Quarter Quilts magazine by Quilter’s Newsletter.

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Fern was home at the time and popped out to take her own photos of both Harlow and me sitting on her bench.

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One of these days soon, I will ask Fern to let me photograph her quilts.

My Zen Garden, like most of my quilts, is imperfect. In retrospect, looking at it now there are several things I would change in the structure, colour and make-up of the quilt. But one thing I would not change is the feeling I get when I look at it. It genuinely makes me feel happy. It is a simple, unsophisticated and very child-like quilt. A large part of the charm comes from the fabrics – Riley Blake’s collection called Happy Sunny Skies. The collection is amazingly bright, beautiful and so, so appealing. Since My Zen Garden is meant to be a child’s snuggle quilt, it’s backed with pink flannel.

MyZenGarden

My inspiration for this quilt came from an actual “zen” garden built across the street from my parents’ house in West Hillhurst. The gardener of the property had sectioned off a small dirt patch in the front yard and divided the space into smaller squares with 2×4’s. In each little section, perennials had been planted ones that did not spread or flower, but just grew close to the ground. It was super simple but I loved it! So I fashioned this project idea after that little garden; the quilt is sectioned off into blocks, but it has flowers and trees and hearts for love. Puff cakes fill two of the blocks….a flower applique with a yo-yo, a small, circular piece of coordinating fabric and a button sewn on top. Nothing could be more simple, fun and creative to make!

MyZenGarden

My Zen Garden in Invermere, B.C.by the fountain at the public beach.

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My Zen Garden in magnificient Waterton, Alberta

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The notion of quilting with perfection has always haunted me. I’ve decided to let the whole thought go. Sometimes things work out in the way you hoped and sometimes they do not. Although I’m a quilt designer with lots and lots of patterns published in the quilting world, I must admit that I do not like writing patterns. Instead, I love the creative process – coming up with an idea, drawing it out and stitching until it resembles what was in my brain. Going back and writing the pattern is a stress-inducing activity for me! However, having said that I would happily post my pattern for My Zen Garden is you would like it….just let me know.

Next Wednesday – Charla MacPhee’s beautiful quilts.

Kim

Summer’s Garden Bounty

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Garden2Wonderful July to everyone. I wanted to take a minute to really appreciate my flower garden and show you a few photos of it. Usually in Calgary, the growing season is not only short, but it’s also erratic at best. This season, for some unknown but delightful reason, the summer has really been summer – hot for several days in a row with some rain showers/hail storms spinkled in between. It’s kinda nice.

As a result, our (northern) Canadian gardens have been better. Here’s a few photos of my favourites:

BlueClematics

Blue Clematis

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Exquisite Pink Astilbe

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First Red Daylily

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As the summer wanes, quilting will definitely be more on my mind. For now though, I’d love to see photos of your gardens! Please send them my way.

Till later….

Kim

Unseasonable Weather

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September has really got to be the best time of the year, don’t you think? The snow isn’t here yet (thank goodness!) and the summer isn’t completely gone, but it’s lingering just long enough to give us one last glimpse of it’s glory and splendour. This past weekend was perfection…so beautiful and sunny and everything is turning golden. I tried to get some work done on my quilting design and was somewhat successful, but it was really hard to be inside, when the weather is so lovely outside.

The apple tree has only a few apples remaining on its branches; most of them have been picked or fallen off.

One sweet little sparrow likes to sun himself in the lilac tree.

There is no one out here except me.

Oh, and Joey the squirrel – munching on one of my apples!

I know the summer is fleeting and it will be leaving us soon. The thought of winter and snow and ice is just too hard to bear at this moment. But, when winter comes, at least I’ll get some work done!

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