Xenia - A Maple Leaf Quilt for a New Friend

Xenia

72” x 48”

For 3 weeks we had a German, teenage athlete staying with us. She originally contacted my daughter last winter, she was working to fulfill one of her dreams to come to Canada. In October she made the dream come true. Such a bright, committed, and curious girl. We loved having her with us. It was fun to show her some of our favourite things (but not many because these athletes have so much training!) And through her we learned about Germany, pumpernickel bread, and life in a village with no restaurants.

Each day she would come with my son and I to the new studio. The kids would do their school work while I plugged away on projects and accounting stuff. On breaks we would chat and play with the dog. While her and I would have many deep conversations over the weeks she was with us (more than my own teens are willing to have with me) she, sadly, showed no interest in quilting.

That didn’t stop me from wanting to gift her, and her parents who joined her in Canada after 3 weeks, a quilt to take home with them. I mean, of course I would give them a quilt! And once I decided that, it was clear which one I would give them.

Conveniently, I had the quilt top already made. It was a second version of the Maple Leaf quilt - a pattern I used sell, and then teach. I no longer do either with this pattern as I have complicated feelings about our national flag now. It seemed perfect to finish the quilt and give it to our new German friends though. A great momento of an epic trip for them.

The quilt top, itself, differs from the original pattern in that each block is made with a single red fabric. This is in contrast to the original made with scraps sewn into slabs to make the side blocks and leaves. It’s an excellent way to play with value and contrast via visual texture.

So, I whipped up a quilt back with what I had on hand - a great Aneela Hoey print from many, many moons ago and some other treats in the stash. Then I snagged a long arm appointment at my local shop. Phew. That left me two days to bind, label, and wash the quilt before they departed our snowy wonderland for home. It was a fast process, but worth it. And totally possible when you have a deep stash and can make time.

I totally forgot to take a picture of it, but I also signed the back, off label. Our German athlete attends a boarding school. I worry that someone might try to take her quilt. They would take off the label and argue that there was no way to prove the quilt was hers! I’ve heard stories of these happening in nursing homes and I don’t want it to happen to her. When I gift a quilt that may live in a public place I always sign the quilt itself, somewhere not so obvious, so it can always be proven if the worst happens.

The quilt, and our new German friends, are back home now. We will miss them.

Blobs of Improv Applique

At some point in the last few years I made one of these blobs. I was using it as a sample for an Improv Applique class I was teaching online. I probably made another one in another class. These were only ever intended to be samples.

Intentions and reality rarely meet in my quilting play.

Now that I have the studio and no machines at home my Morning Make is always handwork, when it comes to stitching. As I uncovered these blocks during the move they came to mind as one thing to play with as the morning grew cold and dark. It turns out they are a fun spot of joy! Now I keep making them.

This was my initial plan for layout: random. Just the four colours and laid out in no particular order. As soon as I decided to turn these blocks into a quilt this was my plan. I also wasn’t expecting to make a large quilt, only 5 x 5 blocks. As the background pieces are 10'“ squares, this would make a simple little baby quilt.

But then… but then I laid out the blocks by colour. It was actually only so I could ensure I wasn’t repeating the background fabrics in each colour way. Seeing them together was easier than thinking through that. And oh! Did that change everything!

This layout is amazing. It is so much stronger in showing off the blobs, giving them colour order. I still get randomness in the various fabrics, but the structure of columns is a much stronger design. There is no going back now.

What I do need to do, however, is add more columns. I’ve currently got 7 of each colour. If I add one more colour I now get a small lap quilt (47.5” x 66.5”). If I add 2 then I get a bigger lap quilt, especially if I make 8 blocks of each colour (57” x 76”). I could add 3 colours, stick with 7 blocks, and get a classic square (66.5” x 66.5”). I’m torn, to be honest. So, I will add 1 colour and see how I feel about it.

Who knows? I may change my mind completely again.

Braided Rug Quilt Block Alternative - Colour Focused Scraps

So I think I started a new quilt. I didn’t mean to, honest! It was just an experiment that I fell in love with!

There I was, teaching a Scraptastic class with a guild out of the Whistler Valley. We got to the part where we play with strips. At this moment I always give students a choice on what technique they want to explore. The Braided Rug blocks won out that day. While demonstrating the technique I decided to explore a square block. A change from my original. One pile of pink scraps and some sewing later, an idea was born.

It’s a been a few weeks and that idea has already evolved. I thought rows of blocks first, then placed four together like this. Okay, that works. let’s try another colour and maybe do a round robin, like the original again. I really liked that shape formed by the four together though so placed another colour that way. Yup, that’s the winner! I’ve already picked my next colour - green, for hope - and will make another set of 4. I’m thinking, only thinking, of making 9 sets of 4 blocks. We’ll see how the motivation lasts. That being said, moving to the new studio uncovered A LOT more scraps than I thought I had so there is no shortage of fabric options!

Just playing around with potential colours. This is a more random colour scheme, maybe I will edit it down, maybe not? For now, one block at a time.

Quilted Baba Update

Making progress over here. It’s slow, but it is progress. This is the first 9/81 blocks, all sewn together.

Early in the year I let you in on this epic portrait project. It is a pixelated quilt portrait of my Baba. Each pixel is actually a little x block. And when I say little, I mean that I square them up at 1.5” x 1.5”. When all is said and done, the quilt will measure 90” x 90”. To make the quilt I’ve divided the picture I started with into a 9 x 9 grid. Each of those 81 blocks is made from 100 of the little X blocks. That means there will be 8,100 little cross stitches in the finished quilt.

That picture there? That is 9 of those 81 blocks of 100 together. They constitute the bottom corner. Why did I start in the bottom corner? Well, I had to start somewhere! It also allowed me to test the fabric choices and pixellation because all the other corners were mostly background colours. I’m happy with how it turned out so I shall keep going!

For the most part, I’ve been making the blocks as my Morning Make practice. I tend to make them in batches of 10-15. It is tedious and boring sewing, so that seems to be all I can handle. That, and the fact that it was in the morning and there is only so much time to sew. When I have 100 for the block I lay them out and start the process of sewing them together. Assembling rows goes quickly, but the pressing is a definite slow down in the process. It’s worth the time and effort, though, as there are a lot of seam allowances and having a mess on the back is not good. With such small pieces a messy back would spell disaster for a quilt that stays flat and in order. Once the rows are sewn I pin - yes, me, pinning! - to join the rows together. I want them to line up as best I can. I will admit, there is a some work needed on my part to improve accuracy. But it improves with each block.

Now that I have the studio space I have to figure out a new time to piece these blocks. I think a regular time would allow me to see continued progress, and make it harder to put things aside for weeks or even months on end. So far I’ve been taking 20 minutes after lunch, after I walk with my son and the dog to school. We’ll see how that works.

I think it is important to tell myself that this won’t be an exact representation of the photo. I did my best to match colours and fabrics, but we are always limited by what is available. I wanted to use prints, which meant buying commercially available fabric. I fear that my work with the values, more than the colours, isn’t exactly spot on. I know, however, that the story of the quilt will still be successful. For me, that matters more.