For One Day


Selvages.

Because I use a lot of fabric, I seem to hoard a lot of fabric, I have a lot of selvages. A few years ago I started saving them (instead of... GASP! throwing them away). They filled my giant jar slowly and steadily. Then they ended up all over my basement as the kids got their hands in the jars. Recently I cleaned up my jars - strings were donated for charity quilts, snippets got sewn together a bit, and the selvages were sent away.

You see, I may keep the selvages. I may admire the selvage quilts you find, but I have no real interest in making one. I've got enough want-to-dos on my list that a selvage quilt will never find its way to the top of the list. So I packed them up and sent them off to quilty friends who would make very good use of them.

It is easy to get caught up in making every single cool idea you see. So easy to think you need to keep everything for one day. I just saved my stuff for someone else's one day.


And now my jar is empty, all ready to be filled as I play with fabric again.


Hugs and Kisses



Hugs and Kisses 
105'' x 90''

The Beast is finally done! I really should call it that instead of Hugs and Kisses. It doesn't seem quite appropriate for something that is supposed to be a romantic gift.

I actually finished it a few weeks ago, but it's taken me a bit to clean up our room and take photos.

For more on the progress of this quilt you can check out these posts.

The fabric stack
In Progress
Admitting Defeat 
Clear the Decks (committing to finishing this and only this quilt)
Been Quilting in progress
Picking Binding (you'll see I went with none of these)

Quilted with Wonderfil, a local thread company. It was a great variegated pink that worked nicely. And Aurifil white on the Xs. As usual, I used Quilter's Dream 100% cotton batting in Select weight.

And now we sleep under it. We can still keep the window open even though fall settled in to a night time chill. With all that quilting it is a heavy quilt that wraps around us.




Friday Favourite - Maud Lewis


Cleaning up my studio this week I found a card I framed years ago and hung when my writing desk was jammed in a closet. The smile on my face was instantaneous and the sigh that passed my lips more than audible. I found my picture of Maud Lewis.

Maud Lewis was a Nova Scotia artist. Her style is much copied and the whole lot generally called Nova Scotia folk art. The diminutive woman, crippled from childhood polio, lived in abject poverty but appears to have found incredible joy in painting. And for decades now that joy passes to nearly every single person who sees her tiny paintings.

Her paintings depict rural Nova Scotia life. Snippets and details captured in saturated colours on tiny canvasses, boards, cookie sheets, and more. They glow with life. Click here for a snippet of her work (I don't have permission to share the images.)

For me, there is phenomenal inspiration from this woman. Her house sits in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. It is about the size of my sewing room. The entire house is the size of my sewing room. Covered in her paintings with nearly every surface accentuated by colour. It is nothing short of a happy place. I can only imagine what it was like when her energy truly filled the place. It is the perspective of joy in such a place, in such poverty, that smacks me on the face when I need it. (It truly was serendipity that I found the photo this week.)

One day, when I am rich I will get my hands on one of her tiny paintings. I will put it on a large white wall so I can sit and stare at it all day long. And it will make me think of my alternate soul in Nova Scotia, an inspiring woman, and the perspective I constantly need slapped across my cheek.

Quilting For Calgary Delivery Day

Saturday was the Quilting For Calgary delivery day. And what a day it was. It kicked off with the requisite speeches by organizers and politicians. A wonderful send off for volunteers, really. My favourite quote came from Naheed Nenshi, our mayor," It's not the sandwiches or the quilts, it's about knowing that people care."

And that is where quilters showed their mettle. Over 1350 quilts were donated that day. Fabric, quilt tops, completed quilts, and countless hours to get all that done. From all over the world quilters sent in hugs made from quilts. And let me tell you, every last one of them is appreciated.


The first person to get a quilt that day was actually Mayor Nenshi. His tireless leadership and commitment to the community was recognized in this #napfornenshi quilt. You see, he went for a few days straight without any sleep during the height of the flood. At one point #napfornenshi became a rally cry and trending topic on Twitter. The man deserved some rest! So Bernadette Kent at Traditional Pastimes created this quilt for him. The front is an improv piece that includes images of the flood, copies of tweets and hashtags, and even his famous quote about the Darwin Law.

The name of the local longarmer who quilted it escapes me right now, I'm sorry. All I can remember is an L. Bernadette says that the quilt really comes from all the quilters. A wonderful sentiment.


The back of the quilt is a representation of the Quilting For Calgary logo. (Made from a slab). Here is the mayor with Bernadette (above) and Bev Rogan (below). Bev is the local quilter who spearheaded the Quilting For Calgary efforts.


Then it was time to deliver the quilts. This is just some of the quilts. Each table had 70-80 quilts on it and there were 16 tables, I think. Each table was loaded into a vehicle destined for a flood ravaged community in the city. It was an awesome sight to see the quilts all together like this. And to see the room filled with volunteers ready to go out into the city.

It's been 12 weeks since the flood and no doubt people are tired. There is such a thing as donor fatigue. But quilters are rallying folks. As are the people at Mission Possible who coordinated so much of the delivery day.



Once the vehicles were loaded volunteers headed to their designated communities. Dumpsters and signs of construction are still evident all over the city. Mud still cakes some sidewalks, planters, BBQs, and curbs. Many homes are empty or homeowners are living in the shell, no means or time to get the rebuilding done.

Quilts in arm they started ringing doorbells. This included my two girls (with the The Garbage Truck supervising from the stroller). My girls insisted on helping and this makes their Mama very proud.


We got through all the streets in our designated neighbourhood. Unfortunately, many people weren't home. Many residents didn't quite understand that these quilts were essentially free hugs. It was one thing to have strangers come clean the muck or give you a meal, quite another to have them hand you a quilt and want nothing in return. People tried to pay us but we politely declined. And people politely decline a quilt too, saying that there were more deserving folks for them. Another act of kindness, really. People with dumpsters still there and they are saying others are more deserving. I heard that this happened in many neighbourhoods.

I want to thank every single person who had a hand, a stitch, a dinner cooked for a quilter, an email sent to a guild, a post office clerk who handled another box, and all the cheerleaders and organizers for this effort. The Quilting for Calgary Facebook page is getting notes from people thanking the anonymous donors and volunteers. Worth a read.

Our group consisted of Vic, Pauline, Bill, Cathy, as well as the kids and I. We ended up stopping folks out walking their dogs and joggers as much as we rang on doorbells. And for every quilt we gave we received a story, a hug, a smile, a sigh. And always a thank you. May the stories of everyone live on.



If you want a bit more, the media did cover the day as well. Here are a few links:

Global National (the story is at around the 15:15 mark.)
Calgary Sun
CBC

Oh, and this is the first round of Just One Slab quilts that were finished in time for this delivery. Thanks to awesome volunteer assemblers, quilters, and binders for getting these done. All the rest of the Just One Slab quilts will be completed in the coming month or two (I already have a stack growing) and donated in one fell swoop again.


I do want to also mention that My Sewing Room is still gathering and delivering quilts to High River. In fact, they too had a donation day recently where hundreds of quilts were given away. Go quilters!

Friday Favourite - The Kwik Klip


My least favourite part of quiltmaking is basting quilts. It really is the reason quilt tops languish in my closet. I think I'm slow at it, that's part of the problem. And now, with our TV in the basement, I can't rope Hubby into helping me anymore! I baste on the living room floor. When the TV was up here he had no choice - watch me get in his way or get on the ground and help me. Now he runs away to the TV as soon as he sees me pull out the masking tape and pins.

Loving me is not enough, the only reason he was willing to help me is that he was allowed to use the tool involved. Men and tools, right? Man oh man, he can wield a Kwik Klip like the boss.

Honestly, if it wasn't for a Kwik Klip none of my quilts would get basted. I am a pin baster, and I use a lot of pins. (I didn't think it was a lot, but then I saw people commenting on an IG photo of someone else's basted quilt. So many pins! Wow, you sure use a lot of pins! And there I was thinking that it looked totally normal. But I don't get puckers with my quilting. Happy for that trade off.) So the Kwik Klip makes very short work of closing all those pins. And it saves both what is there of my nails and my fingertips.

You simply hold the tool in your dominant hand, lift up the straight part of the pin, and clip it into place. Done. I've heard of people using an old teaspoon to the same effect. That, however, is not as fancy as the tool. And seriously, if a tool is what it takes to get your man to help you with the basting then a tool is what you should get.

I'm sharing this post as part of National Sewing Month, brought to you by The Sewing Loft. Check out a month long list of sewers sharing their favourite tools.




Beanie's Blocks


I couldn't do it. I wasn't quite done the beast of a quilt and I had to start something new. Not just play with fabric, not just sketch, but actually start a new quilt. And oh, it felt good. It had been MONTHS. So far I've only got a handful of blocks done for a baby quilt that needs 20, but it's a start. And the beast of a quilt is done now too! So as soon as I finish some deadline work these blocks will get some more time on the design wall.

These are made from the same pattern I used on the New Leaf blog hop with Daisy Janie. What a totally different look with this low-volume fabric selection. (I also made them 10'', not 12'' finished.)For the centers I used a fun map fabric that's been hanging out in my stash forever. These blocks are intended for a baby quilt for dear friends of ours and they are mega world travellers. 


I'm not going to lie, it felt so good to play with these blocks. Quilting and binding the beast took over my summer almost more than the girls being home did. It felt great to work on something new, with a vastly different range of colours, and on an entirely different scale. I also can't lie about this, I played on another new quilt too. That's for another day.

Friday Favourites: The Social Tote by Carolyn Friedlander



The Social Tote from Carolyn Friedlander is an awesome project. End of story.

You know me and small projects. We get along as well as clothing and zippers and the neighbour that thankfully moved out this summer. But Carolyn gave me this pattern after seeing them in person at Market. They really are pretty cool. And handy. And not difficult to make at all.

What I really love about this pattern is the inspiration behind it and the rest of Carolyn's Slow Sewing Studio line. In her words:

The projects in this group give us an opportunity to slow down and to enjoy the process as much as the result. Not only a back-to-basics program, this is also a program to strengthen our skills and our relationships with each other.

 These projects are things we can take with us and enjoy with others. We'll bring them to our guild meetings, on trips, or wherever our busy lives take us. They require no chargers, adapters, or electricity and will allow us to press pause on the realities of everyday life and enjoy what we are making.

It was that inspiration that pushed me to make this little tote. The pattern is a collaboration with Anna at Noodlehead. It is detailed and well written. As I'm not much of a pattern follower, when I do follow one it must make sense and move methodically through the steps. This one does. And if we ignore that I completely missed the fact I was supposed to interface all the fabric for the inside of the tote and the handles I followed the pattern exactly. There is a pin cushion in the pattern too, but I'm waiting for the pet store near me to have crushed walnut shells in stock again.

Already the tote has found a purpose in sorting and holding bits for my latest project, a baby quilt. I'm pretty sure another tote is on the agenda precisely for my ongoing hand sewing project. This is just what I need. And you too, I bet.



(In coincidental news, Carolyn reviewed my book this week. Totally unsolicited by me. And I think she captured it beautifully.)

Second Round of Just One Slab Quilts






























Wow!

So many volunteers helping get this round of quilts together. You have no idea how much their help is appreciated. Thank you so much Linda, Carla, Kathy, Jen, and Becca. Not to mention all the volunteers picking up sets of slabs to sew together from Traditional Pastimes and Addie's.

Right now there is a backlog of 100 quilt tops, or so, making its way to quilters. I've got a stack returned and awaiting binding. More are out with long armers and more will be going. Oh, and did I mention that slabs are STILL arriving?

Wow.

On the Radio with Pat Sloan


This afternoon I am quite excited to join Pat Sloan on her American Patchwork and Quilting radio show! Pat is a force in the industry and such a joy to talk to. I only wish we would have our chat over an afternoon walk. Join us.

Tune in online live or download the podcast later. The show starts at 4 pm Eastern.

We'll be talking A Month of Sundays, low volume fabrics, and a lot more.

Shucked (Weekend Reads)


Have I ever told you that my five year old - The Evil Genius/Death Wish - has a thing for oysters? Raw oysters. And preferably the East Coast varieties.

She tried them once when we were out for brunch. Hubby and I were sharing a dozen so we doled a bite out to the girls. The One Bite rule, right? They were both rather meh about them so we didn't think anything of it. Another trip to the same brunch spot a month or so later and she asked for one more. We're generous folks and don't mind sharing, especially with the kids, but before I had a chance to have my second oyster she'd had 6!

From there she went straight to eating dozens, literally, at a time. Taking her out for dinner or brunch is getting expensive!

So when I saw this book on the shelf at Anthropologie, of all places, I had to grab it. Purely for parental research, you know? Shucked: Life on a New England Oyster Farm is the personal story of a food and lifestyle writer in Boston. Erin Byers Murray is feeling jaded and bored and without too much thought decides to take a year off and work on an oyster farm. She describes her brutal, cold first days  - cleaning and culling just harvested oysters on the frozen Duxbury Bay, Massachusetts. Then summer comes and the work is backbreaking but thrilling. There are the challenges to her marriage with her now an oyster farmer at the mercy of the tides and her husband the bartender. There are also the highs of food festivals and post work beers and new relationships. Behind all that is the story of an oyster from seed to table. Not to mention all the farmers who make it happen.

My five year old is too young to read this book just yet, but I'll be keeping it on the shelf for her. And I predict she'll read it round about the time she starts paying for her own oysters.

Ring Tutorial


In my Craftsy class: Inset and Applique Circles by Machine I had a request for a short tutorial on making a ring, instead of a circle. It's an effective design and a great adaptation of a single technique.

1. Gather Your Supplies
Paper scissors, sewing scissors, compass, freezer paper templates, fabric glue, and fabric for the background, ring, and inner circle.
I've made this a 12 1/2'' by 12 1/2'' block. So my background fabric is cut to the same size, as are my freezer paper templates.

2. Make Templates
For this ring I've used an 8'' circle and a 4'' circle. You need two separate templates. From your 12 1/2'' by 12 1/2'' squares draw and cut out your circles.


3. Insert The Circle
For this block we are using the Reverse Circle technique reviewed in Lesson 3. This technique achieves the look of an inset circle with no headaches and consistent results. Use the first template, the 8'' circle, to start the block.
You can see in the photo above that I haven't trimmed my excess circle fabric after sewing it in place. Do so before you move on to the next step.


4. The Second Circle
Apply the template for your smaller circle to the block of the block, after trimming, from Step 3. Prepare for sewing the same way your did the first circle: cut out and opening - leaving seam allowance, fringe the seam allowance, press back, glue, apply fabric, then sew in place. Only this time your background is actually the first circle.


Here is what it looks like from behind, before trimming.


And after trimming.

What a great effect, right? Don't hesitate to adapt this technique. You could try off center rings, circles within ovals or vice versa, and maybe even multiple rings. The design possibilities are endless!


Love the example, but want to learn more about the technique? Don't forget you can sign up at any time for my Craftsy class: Inset and Applique Circles by Machine. Access it on-line, anywhere, whenever you want!


All Voile Patchwork Top


I've been remiss in posting about my at-home retreat a few weeks ago. Those awesome slabs took over! But I did have a highly productive week with my sister-in-law and finished far more than I expected. Let me share some with you.

Up first, my all voile quilt top. I had everything cut, from a random collection of voiles, and ready to go. All my triangles went in a box and I sewed whatever I grabbed. For my first row I kept going and every few pieces I laid the strip on my bed. This quilt is intended for our bed, so I wanted to make sure I had the overhang. Turns out 28 7 1/2'' equilateral triangles is about perfect on our giant mattress.


The resulting quilt is more horizontal than vertical. That's totally fine for me. The finished quilt will be backed with voile (the new Koi from Rashida and Cloud 9) and I plan to use the lightest batting. This quilt is for those sultry, summer nights when it is too hot for the covers. But, if you are like me, no matter how hot it is, you still want a sheet or something on top. So the height of this isn't as important as being able to cover down the sides. 

Of course, by the time this is finished the sultry nights will be long gone for this year. Even if I will be sending this to Andrea. 


It's all good though, because this is so soft, so silky. I cannot wait to wrap myself in this. It is ridiculously girly and I'm sure my husband will hate it. I have no idea why I was drawn to making this. Yes, the fabrics are gorgeous. I usually go for more geometric than floral prints. 

Note to Fabric Designers and Manufacturers: Can you please make more geometric prints in voile?

The colours are rich and the whole thing has that patchwork chaos that somehow always works.


Quilting Pieces Mystery Box


Our beloved neighbours are moving this week. They welcomed us when we moved here nearly 10 years ago, treated us like their own children, and embraced our kidlets like another set of grandkids. We've shared many a bottle of wine and Sunday dinner. I've taken care of their cat, and I hate cats. But we would do anything for them. So when he showed up with this random box on the weekend I couldn't help but say yes when the last thing I need is any more stuff in my house. Besides, the less they move the better. I'm a good neighbour until the end.

This is one of those boxes that makes you excited and afraid at the same time. You can see why...


What a treat to dive into this box! Patterns, notions, fabric, and so much more. A bit of history of someone who sewed in their family. And a bit of sewing history.


Loads of fabric scraps! My guess is that the fabrics range from the 30s-60s. Not sure of the fibre content of much of it, but some pretty sweet fabric. There is a lot more than what you see here.


A few sewing patterns. This horribly offensive one too. Interestingly, I think there is a nearly finished version of this skirt in the box (just missing the waistband) and it is gorgeous. Actually, there are a few nearly finished articles of clothing. And clearly they were made by someone with the tiniest waist ever.  I doubt I would get anything over one of my thighs! But, oh, the fabric.


A quick glance at this makes me laugh because it encompasses a lot of what a produced, slick book includes these days. Only 10 cents! I'll be keeping this one for reference for sure.


Vintage zippers anyone? If only I knew how to sew in a zipper. There were these and so many more trims and notions. Fun little bits and bobs for clothing. And they are sitting on this funky yarn pillow. Sadly, it has seen better days, but still pretty cool.


Then there was this! Roughly twin sized and made quite nicely. Full of fabrics that make me drool and get excited. I plan to finish up this into a lovely quilt. Seeing as the box came from a family member - they think a great aunt - I think this should go back to the family. My neighbours' daughter and husband like it so hopefully it will make it's way back to them by Christmas. What a find, and a what a treat to explore someone else's bit of history. Quilting Pieces indeed.

First Round of Just One Slab Quilts


This was the stack of slabs a week ago. A few more hundred added, a few hundred taken away to make quilts. Total count as of this morning is over 1900 slabs received, not counting finished tops that have been sent.

Last week my sister-in-law, Lee, and Andrea came over to have an afternoon of sewing to get some quilt tops done. It was a fun, frenzied afternoon. We ended the day with 12 tops done. A few bundles of slabs taken home for more sewing, and prep for more sewing. Only 80 some more tops to get done!

This response is overwhelming! In a good way. I'll be honest, I'd hoped I would get 100-200 slabs for quilts. To get 10 times that is insanely awesome! One way or another these quilts will get done and donated to flood victims. If anyone local wants to assemble tops, quilt, or bind then let me know. Another sew day is set up for today and I'm putting together sets of blocks for people in town who can assemble quilts at home.

It's really fun putting together these quilts. Playing with colour and ideas is addictive. Here is the first crop of quilts, enjoy the show!


























At Home Retreat


Somehow, someway, this week is going to be a bit of a retreat. At least I hope it will be.

My SIL is here to sew, but so are two of my nieces and nephews. The four big kids are in camp, so The Garbage Truck is still home. He's getting into everything and being a teething, sucky, creature. I hope he'll let me sew. Fingers crossed.

On my list:
Slab quilts!!! (1630 slabs in my sewing room as of this moment.)
Finish my voile quilt top
Play with these colourful fabrics
Get that last hand stitching done on the binding of the anniversary beast.
Start a baby quilt

I predict only one or two things on that list will get tackled in between thrift store shopping, drinking gin and tonics after picking up the kids from camp, and that cuteness of a baby bothering me.



My SIL is hoping to get two baby quilts at least pieced. This is her fabric pull for the boy quilt. And, as I type, she is nearly done cutting things to make a shwack of half square triangles for the quilt.

In My Hands, And Yours - A Month of Sundays


In the midst of vacation and gathering quilts and blocks for Just One Slab my next baby came out! A Month of Sundays is now available in stores! (And on-line.)

A Month of Sundays is about everything we do on the weekend - Eat, Explore, Relax, and Shop. The quilts, sewing projects, and essays are all inspired by these four themes. And each theme includes a number of prompts and tips for embracing the lazy Sunday afternoon.

There is so much to say about this book, about the book writing process, about the photography, the photographer, and oh, the quilts! Then there are the essays, recipes, and 8 other sewing projects. This book is so intensely personal and I want to tell you everything about it. But I don't want to bore you with the details (and I want you to buy the book to see for yourself).

There are two quilts and two sewing projects per theme, that means 16 projects in total. All of them are designed with ease of use and creation in mind. They aren't necessarily meant to be finished in a single Sunday afternoon, but they can easily be picked at like a bowl of cherries - devoured at once, red fingertips to show for it, or nibbled each time you walk through the room.

Oh, and did you know ALL the projects feature low-volume fabrics? Indeed, my own fascination with low-volume fabrics fueled the book. You could easily turn up the volume and embrace all your modern brights with each project too.

I do hope you all love it. I'm looking forward to sharing more with you in the coming months, in addition to hearing from you. If you have any questions about the project comment here and I will try to  add those my discussions, over a loverly cup of tea.


Just One Slab Mail


Just two weeks of mail. And that's not counting the boxes in my garage or the stuff I brought back with me from the Vancouver and Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guilds!

I've got a lot of processing to do. Just so you know, I enter every single package into a spreadsheet and label every single slab with the maker's name. That way, I can make labels for each finished quilt. Quilts need their history documented, even the donated ones.

This week is the deadline for receiving any donations. Assembly starts next week!

If you have sent a package, I'm sorry, but right now I cannot confirm if I've received it. There are just too many awesome donations to respond individually by email. Once I've caught up on processing I will post a list of donations (modified so everyone's name is not splashed all over the internet). Keep an eye on that list for your donation.

If you've responded to a post looking for a mailing address and you haven't heard from me, that's because you are a no-reply commenter and I cannot send something back to you. Please email me: mamaark AT gmail DOT com.