Writing & Quilting
Good day everyone. Thanks ever so much for stopping by.
Today, I was so thrilled to see my quilt, which I call Carina, on the cover of Annie’s Quilting book – More Quick & Easy Quilts for Kids
Special thanks to the lovely editors at Annie’s Quilting. I am very appreciative.
You can purchase a copy of this book here.
Merry Christmas everyone. Take some time to relax and enjoy your families this weekend.
Take good care of yourself.
Kim
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….
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.
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.
A quilt sandwich has been made.
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!
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.
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
Good day everyone. So lovely that you are here with me on my blog today.
I’m featuring a tutorial for a quilted and embroidered girls’ purse. I’m using an embroidery design from Designs by JuJu. The purse makes a great gift for that favourite little girl in your life. Hope you like it! Get in touch if you have any questions.
For this project, I used the Janda Stylish Monogram design. Quilting fabrics are Carina by Amanda Murphy (except stripe fabric by Riley Blake)
Shopping List:
Janda Stylish Monogram design DBJJ671 in the letter(s) of your choice
Quilting cottons:
Fabric 1 White 10″x10″
Fabric 2 Stripe .3 yard
Fabric 3 Heart to Heart Pink fat quarter
Fabric 4 Romance White multi scrap 4″x8″
Fabric 5 Entwined Red scrap 3½”x22″
Fabric 6 Entwined Teal fat quarter
Medium weight tearaway stabilizer 10″x10″
Medium weight sew in stabilizer 11″x21″
Quilt batt 11″x21″
Thin teal cording 30″
Embroidery thread, bobbin thread, all-purpose thread
Embroidery needle, quilting needle, sewing needle
Fabric adhesive spray, optional
Free motion quilting foot, optional
Magnetic closure
Thimble, optional
Three Riley Blake crocheted flowers, optional
Wooden button, optional
*I used Brother Embroidery thread pink, 086.
Use a ¼” seam allowance throughout.
Embroidery:
Download the 3½” size monogram letter of your choice from the DBJJ671 collection, to your embroidery machine. Using your machine’s medium sized hoop, center and hoop the 10″x10″ piece of white fabric together with tearaway stabilizer. Stitch out the embroidery design.
Being mindful to center the embroidery design, trim the white fabric to measure 4½” widex6″ long. Remove stabilizer. Press.
Cut:
From Fabric 2 – Fold fabric so stripes run up and down. Cut three strips 2½”x12″. Sub cut two pieces 2½”x4½”, one piece 2¼”x6″ and two squares 2½”x2½”. Re-fold fabric to change orientation of stripes. Cut one strip 2½x12″.
From Fabric 3 – Cut two strips 2″x22″. Sub cut two strips 2″x12″. Cut backing piece of 11″x21″.
From Fabric 4 – Trim scrap to measure 3″x6″.
From Fabric 5 – Cut one strip from scrap of 2½”x20″. Sub cut to one piece 2½”x12″ and two pieces 2½”x2½”
From Fabric 6 – Cut two strips 2½”x22″. Sub cut one strip 2½”x12, two squares 2½”x2½” and one piece 2¼”x6. For binding, cut four strips 2½”x22″.
Construction:
Row 1 – Stitch 3″x6″ piece of Fabric 4 to left side of monogram block and 2¼”x6″ piece of Fabric 6 to the right side. Stitch a 2″x6″ Fabric 2 piece to the teal piece. Press away from center.
Row 2 – Stitch together two Fabric 6, 2 and 5 patchwork units using the 2½” squares. Set one aside for Row 5.
Row 3, 4 – Stitch one 2″x12″ strip of Fabric 3 to both top and bottom of purse unit
Row 5 – Repeat Row 2 except stitch Fabric 2 piece 2½x4½” to Fabric 6. Press
Row 6 – Stitch Fabric 2 piece 2″x12″ to bottom of purse unit.
Row 7 – Stitch Fabric 5 piece 2½”x12″ to bottom of purse unit.
Row 8 – Stitch Fabric 2 piece 2½”x12″ to bottom of purse unit.
Row 9 – Stitch Fabric 6 piece 2½”x12″ to bottom of purse unit.
Press all seams towards the bottom of purse unit.
Quilting:
Make a quilt sandwich. On a flat surface, lay down right side of backing fabric. (If using fabric adhesive spray, spray between each layer) Layer quilt batt on top of backing fabric and smooth. Layer stabilizer on top of quilt batt and smooth. Layer on purse top and smooth. Pin to secure. Quilt as desired. (The pattern shows a free motion quilting pattern all over).
Trim to ¼” around the perimeter of the purse top. Round both bottom corners of the purse top.
Binding:
Make binding by stitching together four 2½” strips of Fabric 6 together on the diagonal – mark a stitching line as shown. Stitch and trim ¼” from stitching line. Press seam open.
Fold the binding strip in half, lengthwise, wrong sides together and press. At the beginning of the binding strip, fold back ½” and press.
Pin binding strip to the raw edge of the purse top.
Stitch ¼” from raw edge of purse top. Stop stitching 3/8″ from corner of purse top. Fold binding strip up at a 45° angle.
Lay the binding strip back down on the adjacent side of the purse top and begin stitching binding to raw edge.
Finish off binding by tucking in the raw edge of the binding strip to the beginning point and stitch to secure.
Fold binding over and pin to the back of the purse top. Stitch in place by hand.
Hand stitch button, crocheted flowers (if using) in place. Wrong sides together, fold purse ½” from the bottom of the embroidered monogram to measure for magnetic closure placement. Center and affix the magnetic closure so the purse flap closes flat.
Keeping the fold in place reverse purse with right sides together. Place teal cording into the seam on both sides of the purse. (The cording length on the finished purse measures 22″. You may wish to shorten or lengthen) Stitch. Trim cording close to binding. Turn purse right side out. If you choose, you can embellish and cover the magnetic closure. I’ve tied a small piece of teal cord into a bow, frayed the edges and sewn in place.
You are all done! Congratulations.
Talk to you all again very soon.
Kim
In May, I was at Heritage Park’s Festival of Quilts and came across a sweet little quilt called My ABC’s. It was displayed on a wooden rack in a side yard across from the Wainwright Hotel. I was drawn to it immediately.
Turns out, the quilt was made by Charla MacPhee, a novice quilter, mother of four and previous member of the Calgary Modern Quilt Guild. For a novice quilter, Charla has made an amazing number of beautiful quilts. Recently, she and her family made a major move across Canada back to her native home. Before she left Calgary, Charla graciously allowed me to photograph some of her quilts in the surroundings of beautiful Waterton National Park, located in southern Alberta. I was so happy that she trusted me with her beauties!
My husband and I set out for Waterton on a Friday night. It was 10 p.m. when we arrived. The elk were grazing on the horizon as we turned into the Parks’ entrance.
Saturday, we awoke to a cloudy day and a Park that was not at all crowded. We stayed at the quaint Bayshore Inn which was built so many years ago on the shores of Waterton Lake. Heading behind the hotel, I drank my tea sitting on the large rocks on the banks of the Lake. What a way to start the day!
Walking around the teeny tiny town, we came across this Mama Deer and her two little fawns grazing in someone’s backyard.
Just off Main Street is a rustic little church with an old wooden signpost; the perfect place to hang Charla’s Hello Darling quilt. She made this one using a background of Kona white solids and a jelly roll of fabrics designed by Bonnie & Camille for Moda. The colourful, pieced blocks are set on point, which makes this quilt look to me like a modified log cabin pattern. Very striking and very pretty.
After a few hours, We headed out of the Park towards our land – maybe a 25 minute drive or so. Rain falling, the bridge and the majestic Rockies made for a stunning backdrop for my quilt, which I call Summer.
Along the way, we found this deserted, tranquil rest stop.
My ABC’s made by Charla for her children from free Moda letter patterns is the quilt of hers I fell in love with at Heritage Park. I find it utterly charming.
Wildflowers are abundant in this “neck of the woods”. Beautiful fields of flowers grow undisturbed.
Cartwheels, another of Charla’s quilts hangs on the fence surrounding the perimeter of our property. Chief Mountain, which is actually located in Montana, looms in the distance. She used another Moda jelly roll in the construction of this project; designed by Corey Yoder.
I am grateful that I met Charla before we she moved so far away, and even more grateful that I got the opportunity to photograph a few of her quilts. She’s a lovely lady and I wish her and her family all the best in the East!
Kim
Next Wednesday – Quilter’s World magazine – Young Ideas, New Traditions. How this article came to be.
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.
Fern was home at the time and popped out to take her own photos of both Harlow and me sitting on her bench.
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.
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!
My Zen Garden in Invermere, B.C.by the fountain at the public beach.
My Zen Garden in magnificient Waterton, Alberta
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