Oh Canada Pattern Release

Here it is folks: The Oh Canada! Pattern.

Designed in perfect proportions to the original flag, Oh, Canada! pays patchwork homage to this symbol of Canadian spirit and drive. Make one block or make a dozen. Piece the fabric together from scraps to echo the diverse nature of Canada, or make it solid to showcase the fabric. 

Available as a download (Thank-you Etsy for making this an automatic feature now) and a printed option. Also available for wholesale orders if you are a quilt or sewing shop. Email me for those details.

I'm so excited to share this incredible quilt with you. I'm looking forward to seeing your own versions because no two scrap quilts are the same!

Thank-you so much to Jessica at Blue Jay Graphic Design for her work in making this come together.

PS Just a reminder that I am teaching this block as a class on Thursday, June 20 at Traditional Pastimes here in Calgary.

Circles Inside a Pieced Background

More circles going on here. Shocker!

Someone in my Craftsy class asked about doing inset circles inside pieced backgrounds. I promised to try and let them know how it worked. What a fun experiment! I took leftover blocks from the Denyse Schmidt class at QuiltCon. No one claimed these early improv efforts and I couldn't let them go to waste. I took them with no plan and here they are.

As you can see, the blocks were not the same size. I created a random circle template and used it on both blocks. So the circle is the same size, but that's it. I'll likely trim things down and sew the blocks together. After I make more, of course.

And, for the record, it totally works to use a pieced block as the background. 

Teaching at The Workroom

It's been a week since I was in this lovely space known as The Workroom. What a delightfully different  quilt store! For one, it is not located in a strip mall or out in the boonies. No, it is on an urban street filled with hipsters and streetcars and bums and roti and taco shops. And it is filled with light. Oh, the light! I imagine those same windows make it stifling in the Toronto summers, but right now it was dreamy.

Then again, it might be dreamy no matter what. Karyn, the owner, and her employees are soft spoken and kind. They radiate a quiet energy that makes you smile. It was just so peaceful to be there, in addition to a lot of fun.

Besides, what's not to love about a store dog in a quilt shop? Okay, I'm biased on this one - Maisy kind of reminded me of our old girl that we lost at New Year's - but she was wonderful company. (And no, there wasn't dog hair all over the fabric.)

While I was at The Workroom I taught two classes - The Quilted Storage Box from Sunday Morning Quilts and my Values class. If you don't count my mistake (I was going on less than 4 hours of sleep) on the storage box instructions it was perfect. Everyone finished (thank-you to Quilt Sunday folks for your few minutes of patience). And we had such a range of awesome boxes.

One of the things I really liked about teaching at The Workroom - aside from the very dedicated students  - was the space. The tables for students are on one side of the store, with the fabric on the other side. And a giant table in between. It was so nice not to be in a classroom shoved in the back or the basement. Being right there allowed us to take advantage of the light. Have I mentioned the light already? But it also allowed us to be in the thick of things. If someone came in looking for some fabric they saw us and could ask questions. I know some teachers who would hate that, but I loved showing off the students' work to anyone who asked.

The Workroom is also a sewing lounge. You can come in and work on your projects, take advantage of  their walking feet or Berninas, and enjoy a cup of tea. Sometimes it would be so nice to just get out of the house and sew. I would take the interruptions of a curious shopper over a toddler most days.

Thank-you so much for having me, Karyn! I hope to come back again soon.

Superior Quilt Show

I'm not sure how many people go to Thunder Bay and say they had an awesome time (unless you are from a town in Northern Ontario and Thunder Bay counts as the big city) but I am officially one of them.

Last weekend I spent three days in Thunder Bay. Three very intense and fun days. I met some wonderful people who were incredibly generous of their time and spirit. I taught such an eager group of students that I was jazzed at the end of each day when they were tuckered out. And they all learned to embrace their scraps. I laughed in front of a crowd of over 100 as I told my stories and shared my quilts. I eagerly walked the show floor (and spent money) to take in the full range of quilts from thread painting to modern and everything in between.

(Made and quilted by Wendy Currie)

I walked on the waterfront of a still iced over Lake Superior (at least by the shore) and took pictures of the most awesome public sculptures ever. I drank beer with an air traffic controller/quilter. And all while keeping company with a carousel horse.

Thank-you very much to the Thunder Bay Quilt Guild for bringing me to your city, your show. it was wonderful.