quilts

A Symbol of Unspoken Love

March 1, 2021 | 8 Comments

I’m getting to that age in life where I’m so very grateful to be alive. I’ve lost family members and friends and acquaintances who have not been extended the same privilege as I have…to still be here in my sixth decade.

Thoughts turn to…What can I leave behind? What will my legacy be? Is it possible to touch the lives of my children and grandchildren when I’m no longer living? Basically, I wonder….can I leave a piece of my heart behind?

When they were young, my children were the center of my universe; my life revolved around them in a real sense. School, their activities and sports kept me running from one place to the next in a chaotic, frenzied way, never mind that my paid job also had to fit in. Days sped by like vehicles on the highway, turning into a blur month after month. Sometimes, the only way I remember those frantic and hectic days are when I look at all the photos, and thankfully, there are tons of photos.

My solace in those days, came in the evenings when the kids were tucked safely into bed. That’s when I would work on my latest quilting project, often late into the night. I felt such peace and strength and creativity as I sat stitching at my sewing machine, my fingers smoothing out the fabrics as they ran under my needle. Hours flew by, and I had to force myself to stop sewing and head to bed. I felt such joy and a sense of accomplishment when I would finish a quilt and be able to lay it atop one of my children’s beds. It was my way of protecting them, wrapping them safely in my love. But, did my children feel that?

Now, I have grandchildren – the greatest gift and blessing of all. I have quilted and sewn for both of them, many times over. Now, with the luxury of time, things have changed. I no longer have to choose between sleep and stitching; I work on my quilts during daylight hours. Life’s frantic pace has slowed down, and I can breathe and relax and reflect.

But one thing has not changed. I still feel such joy and a sense of accomplishment when I finish a quilt and lay it atop one of my grandchildren’s beds. It’s my way of protecting them, wrapping them safely in my love. But, do my grandchildren feel that?

My stash-cupboard has baskets and crates, filled to the brim with fabrics that tingle the senses; vivid, intoxicating colours of teals and pinks and reds, fabrics that are just waiting for me. The patterns and colours evoke joy and make me feel like a kid again – full of excitement, endless possibilities and wonder. But will those fabrics speak for me?

I have a lot of work to do in the upcoming years. So many quilts to make, so many stories to tell – I pray that I will get time to expand and express myself in all the ways that I wish to. Even at this age, my brain is still overflowing with concepts and plans and ideas for the future; I doubt that will change. As long as I’m able, I want to be creative. Perhaps that is part of my DNA…part of what drives me. More likely though, it’s my veiled attempt at articulating love.

So again, I wonder when I’m gone, will my quilts remain? Will my family truly understand that they are, and always have been, an expression of my love for them? Will they “get” me? Of course, my secret wish is that they do understand. I’m ever hopeful that my quilts will serve as a symbol of unspoken love. I’m ever hopeful that my children and grandchildren will still snuggle under one of my quilts, late at night, and feel protected and cherished and secure. I’m ever hopeful that they will know, with each quilt I’ve stitched, I’ve left behind a teeny tiny piece of my heart.

Take care.

Kim

Perfect Flying Geese

January 23, 2021 | 1 Comment

Good day everyone. I’ve always said, “I’m not a typical quilter. . . a typical quilter is very precise, pays close attention to working in a step-by-step manner and quilts by the rules.” Unfortunately, that’s not me, never has been.

I’ve always been too time conscious, worrying more about getting the project done quickly than getting it done precisely. My rushed manner has always left me with a mistake or two or more. It’s always left me with seams to rip out and many re-dos. Perhaps daily meditation has helped me to see this behaviour? I don’t know.

I’m trying to work in a less hurried and more well defined, concise way. I’ve decided to spend more time on my cuts and my stitches and my pressing. I’ve decided to be a little more detail-oriented and a little less time conscious. I want to slow down in my quilting work and get it right the first time.

Recently, I wrote a profile piece about a mother-daughter quilting duo for an American quilt magazine. While doing my due diligence, I watched several of their online how-to videos on youtube. One of the videos I tuned in to dealt with “how to make perfect flying geese”.

Now ordinarily, I would not have paid too much attention to the content of the videos. I figured my flying geese were good enough the way they were. But, in light of my new “intention”, I paid close attention.

The ladies used a Bloc-Loc flying geese ruler. Basically, all the ruler does is square-up all your geese so that they all measure exactly the same. It doesn’t help with the actual construction of the geese.

I chose to buy a 3″x6″ ruler; but it comes in many sizes. It’s a little expensive I’d say, but I now feel it’s very worthwhile.

The ruler has already come in handy for a quilt I’m making for my book. The ruler also comes with a guide to making flying geese – i.e. what size to cut the rectangle, what size to cut the squares, which is also very helpful. Once the flying geese units are stitched together, the ruler is placed over the unit, and any excess fabric trimmed away. (I used to trim flying geese units using my regular quilting rulers, but they were never all exactly the same). It’s very likely that most of you use a ruler like this already, but for me, it’s different and I love it! I will always use it now.

What do you know? They’re all exactly the same size! Yippee.

Please take good care of yourselves and your family.

Kim

New Contest

October 1, 2019 | Leave a Comment

Good morning everyone. It’s so nice to be able to speak with you all this way.

Over on our Facebook Group – Quilting for Kids, we’ve begun a new contest that will run until October 15, 2019.

The entry is easy. As we are trying to grow our little group, each quilter who requests to join Quilting for Kids between now and October 15th will be given one entry to win. Each current Quilting for Kids member who invites a fellow quilter to join our group will also receive one entry. If a current member invites more than one person to join, then they receive multiple entries into the contest.

What is the prize you ask? Here it is!

So, if you are not already a member you can join us here.

If you are a member of Quilting for Kids on Facebook and know someone who would love to join us, invite them by clicking here.

It’s easy and quick. Best of luck everyone.

Kim

Playtime Pals

August 21, 2019 | 2 Comments

In 2013, I blogged about a quilt pattern designed by my all-time favourite designer, Mary Engelbreit. It was called “Playtime Pals”. I originally made a quilt from this pattern for my baby daughter, Shawna in 1982. It lay on her single bed once she graduated from her crib. She slept covered by it every single night. It was washed a million times, used to make forts in the living room and became an outdoor picnic blanket when the need arose. After ten years or so, after having been dragged everywhere, it was tattered and torn, reduced to a few pieces of muslin.

The pattern was an iron-on outline of cheery and sweet children clothed in vintage outfits. The quilt-maker did the iron-on’s, then filled in and completed the childish outlines using fabric paints… basically colouring for adults. I ironed all the pattern outlines onto bleached muslin fabric in different sizes, purchased an array of fabric paints and set to work, painting for days on end. (I had never used fabric paints in my life, so there was a bit of a learning curve and some less-than-perfect blocks!) But, I loved every single minute of working on that quilt. It was just so different from anything else I had tackled.

For some unknown reason, once I had completed Shawna’s quilt, I didn’t keep the pattern. (Duh!)

So, in 2009 when our daughter gave birth to our precious granddaughter, Harlow, I thought about Playtime Pals again. I wanted to remake that quilt; this time, though, I’d make a better, more durable version of it. I searched and searched for it on ebay, contacted Mary Engelbreit’s “people” and posted online that I was looking for the pattern. Believe it or not, one glorious day, I found it on ebay! I was pretty ecstatic and a little surprised. It cost next to nothing, was in brand new condition, so I had it mailed to me by the vendor. It was such a find.

Initially, I came across this little gem of a pattern in a 1982 issue of Better Homes & Gardens, Christmas Ideas magazine.

Flipping through the pages, Playtime Pals jumped right out of the magazine and hit me in the heart.

So, so beautiful. Charming and whimsical. I absolutely fell in love with this pattern.

It’s now 2019. I have yet to begin my new, remade version of Playtime Pals. It’s still on the back burner, but I will get to it one of these fine days.

Fellow quilter, Judy Borman, contacted me after reading my 2013 blog post. Like me, in 1982 she had been instantly drawn to this pattern. Judy especially loved the style of the artwork and the representation of simple childhood activities. She and her quilting friend, Ann, both decided they simply had to make this pattern together…one for each of their young daughters. Here is Judy’s rendition from 1983, made for daughter, Jenny. You’ll notice unlike mine, Judy’s quilt remains intact!

In 2018, Judy was delighted to discover the old BH&G magazine from 1982 at the bottom of a box she was unpacking for her new sewing room. The photos in the magazine brought back such wonderful memories of quilting and creating with her friend, Ann. In the intervening years, Judy had made a couple of applique quilts, leading her to believe she may be able to turn the graphed patterns provided by the magazine into applique patterns/placement sheets. If she was successful, she wouldn’t require the actual, printed pattern from 1982 that I had discovered on ebay.

Judy made it work! She devised a brilliant plan to work from the magazine itself. After a sample block or two turning out beautifully, she decided to take a crack at remaking Playtime Pals. This time, the quilt was for her colourful, exuberant four year-old granddaughter, Alice.

So, so sweet.

Judy Borman is an example of the type of delightful person one can come across online. Ever since she contacted me after my initial blog post, we have been communicating while she worked on Alice’s quilt. (In addition to being a busy, quilting grandmother, Judy administers an informative website – www.cookingforcents.weebly.com – that you may want to check out).

So, it is now up to me to find the time to remake Playtime Pals. I’m going to use white muslin this time instead of bleached muslin. I’m going to buy myself a brand new set of fabric paints. Sashing and borders will be chosen from my more-than-ample stash. I’m really excited to get started and hope to be able to show you the final result of my work soon.

Thanks so much to Judy Borman. She is my inspiration.

Kim

Bowness Park, a beautiful, picturesque and historic backdrop for quilts, new and old

June 30, 2016 | Leave a Comment

Good Wednesday everyone. The long weekend (July 1st – Canada Day) is coming, the sun is shining and the hail stones have all dried up! So, it’s a great day.

Bowness Park is our playground – especially for those of us who are fortunate enough to live close by. It is an unexpected and glorious demonstration of nature, an oasis on the banks of the Bow River. In the book, Bowness Our Village in the Valley, the Park was widely known as “the best feature” of the historic Village of Bowness. As native Calgarians know, Bowness was amalgamated into the City of Calgary in 1964.

My Dad was reminiscing the other day about the late 50’s and 60’s. As he tells it, our family used to “live at Bowness Park” despite the fact that we actually lived in the neighbourhood of Hillhurst. In those days, the park was filled with delightful amusement rides for children – a carousel with big horses, a caterpillar ride that went round and round and a mid-sized Ferris wheel that felt gigantic to me as a young child. The best ride though, hands down, was the Train….little cars that toured the park on the little train tracks that any kid would love to climb aboard. Great days and so much fun.

The little boat ride was exciting too. I fondly remember fighting off my brothers so that I could steer with my right hand and drag my left hand in the water!

Swimmers flocked to the Park in the summer time to swim in the massive pool. I personally have no memories of the pool. Dad tells me that two people lost their lives swimming in that pool via electrocution. I’ve always thought that was just an urban legend, but I was wrong.

I came across a document online entitled Memories of Growing Up in Bowness by Linda Mikkelsen Price. In the memoir, she shares “On hot summer days, the place to be was Bowness Park and the swimming pool. The pool had a huge sandy bottom and a wooden deck, two diving boards, slide, stationery raft, movable raft and a water wheel. My siblings and I were not allowed to go to the pool or park on weekends because Mom did not like all the strangers from Calgary that hung around. (*I would have been one of those strangers!) Maybe that rule saved my life. It was a Sunday when two people were electrocuted in the pool under the slide. I still remember hearing the wail of the ambulance and fire engine sirens”.

The 2013 flood in Calgary permanently changed the landscrape of Bowness Park. The banks of the Bow spilled over devastating much of the Park, and water streamed unabated into all the neighbouring backyards. Standing on the sidewalk watching the water furiously cascade onto the streets was a frightening sight that I hope I never see again.

It’s 2016 and Bowness Park has been renewed, restored and rejuvenated. It’s original beauty and charm may not be evident, but the Park itself feels pristine and new and quite wonderful.

Geese and ducks heartily populate the lagoon. One thing I didn’t know was that geese hide in the tall grass when the temperature rises.

Bowness Park is an enticing backdrop for quilt photography, my new found passion. I’m excited to share with you, photos of a few quilts made by my excellent friend and fellow quilter, Marilyn Wickenheiser. Marilyn and I have been friends since her eldest daughter was 12 years old – for 26 years now. When I was the editor of our neighbourhood newsletter in Silver Springs, Marilyn came to me with an idea of advertising for and beginning a girls hockey team. Although I love everything athletic, I was inwardly sceptical and initially scoffed at Marilyn’s idea. But bless her heart, she persevered, the advertisement went into the newsletter and the rest became history. Who knew….girls liked playing hockey too! Marilyn went on to play a huge role in the launching and development of Girls Hockey Calgary.

Marilyn’s quilt is entirely handmade, including the crochet edging. It is extremely heavy and oh so cozy. (What I’ve recently come to understand about autism and weighted blankets, this quilt would be just perfect) It is called a “promise quilt”…there is no pattern for the quilt, nor are there any written instructions. The “promise” part comes from the maker promising not to write out instructions for others, but to pass on the how-to’s to other quilters verbally.

Kate’s Chenille Quilt by Chi Chi Designs in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan is the inspiration behind Marilyn’s exquisite chenille quilt. I’ve never made chenille from scratch, but Marilyn has and the results are beautiful.

In Marilyn’s huge stack of finished quilts, this quilt top immediately caught my eye. I love the colourful fabrics – it reminds me of a child’s quilt. The pattern for the top is Triple Dash from ModaBakeshop 2014. Marilyn used only scraps to make this delish and charming quilt top. No new fabrics required!

Quilts of Marilyn’s along with My Zen Garden, piled in front of the fire pit on the brand spanking new deck in front of the not-yet-opened Cafe adjacent to the lagoon at the Park. My Zen Garden lies beside a commemmorative plaque on one of the decks’ wooden benches.

The playground is new, the walking/biking path is new and there are new train tracks that run along the river banks. Yes, the little kids’ train is still running, the massive poplar trees are still shading Park visitors and the beauty is intact.

Have a lovely long weekend. Next Wednesday – My Zen Garden quilt pattern.
Take care

Historical Bowness Park photos from the book entitled Bowness, Our Village in the Valley, published by the Bowness Historical Society.