Fallen Stars

Hello! It’s Easter Monday and, for me, it’s a day of tidying up loose ends. The list isn’t terribly long and I’m optimistic that I can cross off several items.

Several months ago I entered my name into a fabric challenge, put on by Riley Blake fabrics. The rules for each challenge differ and for this one I just needed to use the fabric that I was given and create something quilted, by April 30. The fabric line is called Rockstar and my pieces were orange, white and aqua.

I was awed by the Best in Show quilt at QuiltCon in Savannah, (See post here – QuiltCon 2017.) so decided to try my hand at paper piecing. Hmmm, how to draw a star? Freehand didn’t look so great. Thankfully, Google and YouTube came to the rescue! Once I had the star, I broke it into smaller pieces and assigned each piece a number and a colour. Hopefully this would help me get it all back together in fabric.

Once the fabric star was pieced I machine-embroidered the names of my favourite Rock Stars who are no longer with us. Leonard Cohen, Michael Jackson, John Lennon, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison plus several others are stitched on in silver thread. The silver is a bit too subtle and I’d use a stronger contrast another time.

The finished star was then appliquéd onto the black background. I quilted the star with a mix of straight lines and triangle shapes. The quilting on the background mirrors the shape of the star. The batting is 100% cotton and the quilting thread is Superior King Tut in Temple. The piece has a one inch facing instead of a binding. It measures 32″ x 32″. Here’s a photo.

It’s not meant to be centred, if you’re curious! Also, the background fabric didn’t come in my package so I had to purchase it. It never dawned on me, until I got it home, that the white marks look like cemetery crosses – kind of fitting!

This is my third challenge piece and I don’t expect it to be prize-worthy in the judges’ eyes. However, I enjoyed having to use my imagination and I acquired some new skills along the way.

Now for the next thing on my list – cleaning out my thread cabinet. Now that’s a challenge!

Thanks for reading.

QuiltCon 2017

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Hello from 32,000 feet over Nebraska! I’m heading to Seattle on the next to last leg of my adventure to the southeastern USA. This morning began in Savannah, GA at 4AM, which would have been OK if I hadn’t stayed up until 12:30 AM watching the Oscars! But, oh, it was worth it!

Eight days ago I flew to Little Rock, AR to spend three nights visiting Brooke and Kevin. My luck with weather in Arkansas is terrible and this was no exception, with cool days and lots of rain. Still, always great to see Brooke. While I was there it was Presidents’ Day and we took advantage of free admission to the Clinton Library. We also visited the Esse Purse Museum!! No kidding, it was fabulous. It’s one of three purse museums, the others are in Seoul and Amsterdam. Informative, bright displays and a well-stocked shop made for a fun hour.

From there it was off to Savannah for QuiltCon 2017, which was held in the building pictured at the top of this page. QuiltCon is like Mecca for Modern Quilters. This year there were 3500+ registrants from all around the world. I met people from Australia, India and Scotland. Canada had a strong showing and we rocked the conference with a group photo and singing of “O Canada”

All of the top instructors and modern quilters attend this conference and there were four days of courses and lectures. It’s a terrific opportunity to learn from the best. There were 450 quilts on display, all in the modern style. Those quilts were chosen from over 1500 entries! They were judged and prizes were awarded in several different categories. I’m attaching a few photos of quilts that caught my eye. You’ll see that they vary widely. Funny that I’m equally attracted to both the complex and the simple ones.

: Best in Show. It’s called Bling

: Close up of Bling

: Complex, lots of tiny pieces.

: Simple, yet so effective.

When not at the conference I explored Savannah. The weather was lovely – cool in the morning and evening, but sunny and warm during the day. The Savannah River runs in front of the hotel where I stayed and it was a constant source of fascination. Apparently, Savannah is the 3^rd busiest port in USA, and I can believe it. Massive container ships move through a space hardly big enough to hold them. I was transfixed!

Savannah is a good walking city. There are lovely, shady squares throughout the old part of the city. Chippewa Square was on my list as it’s the square where Forrest Gump sat! I spent all day yesterday walking, stopping for coffee, sitting in squares, waiting in line for 20 minutes at Leopold’s Ice Cream Parlour and enjoying the southern vibe. Lots more to see and I’d heartily recommend a visit there – perhaps combined with Charleston, SC or Hilton Head for golf.

It’s been a fun trip with familiar and new places. QuiltCon was all that I thought it would be. I’ve made new quilting buddies and learned valuable tips. I also brought home a small stack of new fabrics – things that we just can’t find in Vancouver. I’d go again and in 2019 it will be in Nashville, TN, another new city for me.

Here are a few photos from Savannah.

: Huge ships, narrow river!

: The Atlantic Ocean is just out there.

: Taken from one of the many squares.

: Sweet little find.

: Lots of wrought iron in Savannah.

: Good restaurants everywhere you look.

It’s good to be back and looking for the next adventure. Thanks for reading!

Coastal Winter

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Well, it’s been an interesting couple of months on the west coast. We had some big snowfalls in early December. Thankfully it didn’t really affect us as it was during the time that Blake and I escaped to London. It made for great skiing on the local mountains over the Christmas break and into January.

January was cold, but mostly sunny and bright. You must understand that cold in Vancouver is relative. Having lived on the prairies and in Ontario for 20 years I’ve experienced frigid temperatures. How about minus 45C with blowing snow? Brrr… Still, when it drops to zero on the coast, it somehow feels bitter. Ah yes, it’s a ‘damp cold’! Have a look at these two photos. They were taken at the same time of day, just two days apart.

: Dundarave Beach

: Lawson Park Beach

For almost a week, over late January and early February, there was so much snow in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island. Schools were cancelled, buses got stuck, garbage didn’t get collected. We had planned to spend Family Day weekend at our friends’ cottage on Shawnigan Lake, but had to cancel as it was impossible to get in to the cottage.

Thankfully, my plans were flexible and I wasn’t bothered about spending time at home. The chore list came out and a few things got done. I brought out my old sewing machine, (newer one was in for service), and made a second Sew Together Bag. These little bags are such fun to make and they hold a ton of supplies.

I kept the black/green one for myself and did a random gifting of the blue one. It went to my friend Jean, who has filled it with knitting notions.

In advance of my trip to QuiltCon next week, I finished a mini quilt. This is for a mystery swap. Everyone who registers for the swap completes a questionnaire that asks about most/least favourite colours, hobbies and skills etc. Every registrant is matched with a partner and the idea is to make something that you think your partner will like. It’s all top-secret until we meet on February 25 and exchange our mini-quilts. Here’s the mini quilt that I made for ??????? who lives in ?????.

The black is not part of the quilt. The blocks are from Patchwork City by Elizabeth Hartman. The grey is Essex Blend by Robert Kaufman. It’s a blend of 55% linen and 45% cotton. I quilted it with Superior King Tut thread. Overall I’m happy with how this turned out and I hope that ????? from ????? likes it too.

Finally, I’ve been continuing my five online games of Scrabble and am either having really bad luck, or my brain needs more exercise. Who knew that there were so many single-point letters available? They all find their way into my rack. Several times I’ve felt like Old MacDonald because I can play “E I E I O”!

Today it’s pouring rain and very windy. It’s almost impossible to think that we were in the midst of a blizzard less than a week ago. And, a week from now, I’ll be in Savannah, Georgia. The forecast is for sun and 25C!

Wherever you are, I hope you’re warm and cozy and I thank you for reading.

Seeing Spots!

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Laura’s name has come up in a previous post – The Girlfriend Quilt . You’ll also find her, and her husband Greg, in the blog that I kept while we travelled through India in 2013 –https://samosasojourn.wordpress.com We met at Willows Elementary School in Victoria in September, 1969, and have been great friends since then.

Last year I offered to make a quilt as a housewarming gift for Greg and Laura’s new home on Shawnigan Lake. We looked at many different quilts on Pinterest, in books and in magazines. Finally, we found a photo of a quilt, by Zen Chic, on Pinterest – lots of bright coloured dots on a white background.

The background is a solid white cotton that I purchased at Fabricana. I pieced it to make it queen-sized. The dots were a multi-step process. First, we chose fabric in colours that reminded us of our trip to India. Many of these fabrics were remnants from “Delhi Dreams” Start To Finish #6 – Done! Then, I cut the dots in three different sizes, using plates and bowls as my templates! The dots were sewn, right sides together, to fusible interfacing. I cut a small slit in the interfacing and turned the dots so that they were right sides out and fused them to the white background. Each dot was then edge stitched to ensure that they would stay attached. Then, to cut down on bulk, I cut away any excess fabric from behind each dot.

The back of the quilt is the same white fabric as the front, with just a few dots. The batting is bamboo. I quilted this on my Husqvarna domestic machine using Superior King Tut thread in ‘Temple’. It’s a meandering pattern that was fun to do and looks great with the dots.

We originally wanted to use white for the binding, but decided that it needed some contrast, so I chose an orange/yellow/gold fabric that sets the quilt off well. The binding is attached by machine to the quilt front then pressed and folded over towards the back. Normally, I would hand stitch the binding, but the 400″ perimeter seemed daunting, so I finished it by machine.

The final step was to choose a name and make/attach a label. I enlisted Laura’s help and we came up with all kinds of silly possibilities. In the end, and as a joke, Laura suggested “Laura’s Quilt”. Seemed perfect to me!

“Laura’s Quilt” was made with love and with countless memories of 46+ years of friendship. Curl up, snuggle and enjoy!

Thanks for reading. Happy Saturday!

Here I Am!

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Somewhere there’s a balance between writing too often and not writing often enough. Have I really had nothing to say since November? Actually, lots has gone on since then and I’ve finished a few projects, which I’ll get to shortly.

The fall was busy with mini trips and workshops. Then, on a wild impulse Blake and I decided to take a week in December and go to London to see the Christmas lights. We lived in London for a year when we were first married and it holds a special place in our hearts. And, they really know how to decorate for Christmas. Here are a few of my favourite dressed up places.

We went to see the musical Kinky Boots, which was great fun. I think it’s coming to Vancouver this winter. We also located several filming locations from the movies Love Actually, Notting Hill and the series Luther. We lucked into a cancellation spot and were able to go to the top of the building on the right, in the photo at the top of this post. This building is referred to as the “Walkie Talkie”. The shorter one in the middle is “The Gherkin” and the black, slanted one is “The Cheese Grater”. How fun!

As for sewing and quilting, it’s a been a productive and educational few months. In October I took a two-day workshop, taught by Krista Hennebury, called Structural Improv.(You can access Krista’s blog if you click on ‘Poppyprint’ over on the right side of my blog.) This piece, called Fire and Ice, is the result.

Two weeks later saw me at another of Krista’s workshops. This one was Speed Date with Improv. We learned seven different techniques in the one-day workshop. It took a while for me to get back to it, but here it is, finished.

Right now I’m just about to pin together a queen-sized quilt that I’ve been working on for my good friend, Laura. I haven’t quilted anything this large before and I’m quite excited about it. Pictures will follow once I’m done.

Now it’s time to make a cup of tea and enlist Blake’s help to get this quilt sandwiched and pinned.

Thanks for reading and I wish you all a happy and healthy 2017.

Thank You, Leonard

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I was shocked on Thursday when I heard that Leonard Cohen had died, at 82. Sure, I had read a recent interview where he said “I am ready to die. I hope it’s not too uncomfortable. That’s about it for me.” I knew that he suffered severe back pain and was unable to get around much anymore. However, he just released his newest album, You Want It Darker. So it was hard to believe that this wonderfully talented man was gone.

Wind the clock back to the 70’s. My good friends and I are in high school and then university/college/working. You could have found us babysitting at least one night of the weekend, at one particular home. The parents who employed us were young and cool; they were fine with us having friends visit while we babysat. They had Songs of Leonard Cohen and we played it over and over again. In fact, that’s the only album I remember us playing.

Leonard Cohen’s music has been a constant companion since that introduction, more than 40 years ago. I have other favourite artists – Elton John, Stones, Michael Jackson, Dixie Chicks and Elvis, to mention a few. The difference for me is that I need to be in a certain mood to play their music. I don’t always want rock or twang or oldies. But, I can always listen to Leonard Cohen. Sometimes I focus on the lyrics; other times the music’s just there, in the background. Constant and reliable, soothing.

In concert, Leonard Cohen was funny, humble and tireless. I’ve seen him twice recently and he and his intimate band played over three hours. No flash, no fireworks or fancy clothes, just stories and wonderful music.

It’s sad to think that this era has ended. Thank you Leonard, for the gift of your music. You will be missed.

Front Page

4761

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Correction from a previous post in which I said that the finished postage stamp quilt would have 4,791 pieces. In fact, it’s ‘only’ 4,761! And, it’s all done! This quilt has been in the works since last Christmas and has been a fun thing to pick up and work at in between other projects.

There are 16 blocks of 16 x 16, or 256 1″ squares. The pieces were drawn randomly from a large bin. If I grabbed two that were the same I swapped one out, but otherwise there is no pattern. I joined the pieces in twos, then made those twos into fours. Next, I took four of the fours and made them into a block. These blocks were trimmed to 4 1/2″ square. Usually I set out to make eight of these squares in one setting. When I had 16 of them I made them into the 16 x 16 block.

The iron was busy throughout; there are so many seams! It took some experimenting to find the best pressing pattern. For instance, all of the four piece strips are pressed to one side and then they nest well when joined. In places where there is a lot of bulk the seams are pressed open. Here’s a photo of a section of the back of the quilt. It looks crazy, but there was a method!

The sashing is more of the 1″ pieces, all cream with text. Once the sashing was on I felt that it needed a border so added a narrow strip of Moda Grunge in grey. This quilt has enough going on, on the feature side, that I felt the back should be pretty calm. At The Red Barn in Courtenay I found an extra-wide black fabric that has the names of colours written in white. As it was extra-wide I didn’t need to piece it and I thought the colour names fit perfectly.

I used Superior King Tut thread, in gold, red, orange and grey for the quilting and did a series of wavy lines that run from side to side over the small pieces. The border is quilted separately with five narrow lines, using the same thread colours. The binding is a black cotton with white dots of various sizes. It was attached by machine and finished by hand. The label went on and then the quilt went through the washer and dryer. I’ve been using Forever New detergent for my quilts and love the way it makes them feel and smell.

This was a very fun project and I’m thrilled with the end result. It’s just a riot of colour! Here are front and back pictures of 4761. Click on the picture to enlarge.