Sunday Dinners


It's a Brisket kind of day. Well, to me, most Sundays in the winter are Brisket kind of days. Dinner that I can put in the oven and forget about. We can go sledding, curl up with a book, or even get some quilting in and I have to do nothing but boil and mash potatoes close to dinner time. Then, when we sit down to eat, it feels like I put a good effort in because we have this rich, comforting dinner.

For those of you who may not know, A Month of Sundays includes recipes for a full Sunday dinner. It was really important to me to have the recipes in the book. For one, food is an important aspect of my life. I love to cook, I put myself through school, in part, by cooking, and working as a food writer is how my books came to be. Food and writing about food is just a fundamental part of me.

Secondly, I strongly believe in the power of the family meal. Sitting down together, whether it is over something as simple as bread and cheese or as big as the Sunday dinner is one of the best ways to be as a family. In our house dinners are loud, messy, and sometimes frustrating, but it is the moment when we all take a breath and just be. And we do that together. The girls open up about their day, The Garbage Truck opens his mouth and shovels it all in, my Husband and I decompress a little together. Whether it is wine or milk, we drink in the company and the conversations.

Finally, food, good food, is just damn good. And taking the time to make good food is always worth it. Even if it means a little less quilting time on the weekends.



Our dining room table sees all our dinners. It is where I wrote both books, where I quilted everything until this past year. It is even where all three of our kids spent the first six months of their lives sleeping. My life really is ruled from the Dining Room Empire.

I nearly put a Brisket recipe in the book. This is the one I make often, the one my family asks for. And if they don't ask for it there is often a little involuntary jump and clapping of hands when they realize what we're having. Usually after the smell hits them when they come in the door. It is dead easy. Brisket is a cut of meat that needs to be braised - cooked long and low in liquids. At the end of the afternoon it is fall apart tender and full of flavour. If you have any sauce left after dinner use it for Monday leftovers on pasta, meat optional.



Maple Cider Brisket
Serves 4-6 (depending on appetite)

1 large onion
1tbsp bacon drippings or oil
5 cloves garlic
2 1/2 - 3 pounds beef brisket
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup tomato sauce or 1 large tomato chopped
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 water or broth
1 tbsp dijon mustard

Cut the onion in half then slice into strips. Heat the bacon drippings or oil in a large oven proof pan with a tight fitting lid, like a braiser or a dutch oven. (If you don't have a pan that fits the bill, use what you have and transfer everything to a baking dish that you can cover with foil.) Cook the onions for 5-6 minutes until soft and slightly golden.

While the onions are cooking finely chop 3 cloves of garlic. Thinly slice the remaining two cloves. Cut slits all over the brisket and poke the garlic slices into them. Season the brisket well with salt and pepper. Set the brisket aside for the time being.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the onions are soft, stir in the chopped garlic, oregano, and thyme. Cook for 1 minute. Add the rest of the ingredients. Bring to a boil.

Add the brisket to the sauce. Cover with the lid of  the pan and place in the oven. Braise for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 275 degrees F and continue to braise for 4 hours.

Let the meat rest 15 minutes before slicing. Serve with the sauce.

This is the last post for entering the giveaways which will come next week. Think books, fabric, and treats. 

 Tell us your favourite dinner conversation topics. 

Friday Favourite - Spirals




This past summer I took the kids to the M.C. Escher exhibit at the Glenbow Museum. Cool enough for them, but they were more interested in the glowing rocks in the Minerals room and the crafts they always have in the ARC Discovery Room. And when we discovered that one of the activities was these Spiral Draws from Klutz I could hardly blame them.

A kissing cousin to the original Spirograph, this drawing toy pretty much means hours of fun. Seriously, we can all sit and create and colour for a long time. It brings back so many childhood joys for me, and is creating them in the girls.


And just look what they did with them at the Museum! You totally change the look when you selectively colour. I so love this. And then there is the bigger installation. Volunteers took each image drawn and coloured, cut them out, and were pasting them together.

Must try this in fabric...




Oh, and another note. M.C. Escher? Absolutely, insanely, incredible. My only experience with Escher was the posters every 18 year old boy put on his dorm wall in my university. But to see the original prints, woodcuts, and linocuts in person was phenomenal. I had no idea that most of the work was actually a woodcut or lithograph. Completely impressive.

Travelling Quilts 2, Latest Round


Despite all my deadlines and personal goals sometimes I feel the need to join a group and play. Of course, I always do it with the caveat that it is pretty much a guarantee I will be late in meeting any deadlines. It is the same with any bee, round robin, or group project. That's why I usually volunteer to be the assembler at the end. Plus, that is one of my favourite parts.

All that being said, I do enjoy the creative process and challenge of working with other people's work. Sometimes it feels like drawing bodies on heads, sometimes it is tremendously difficult. It is a push to add without detracting, to make use of seemingly disparate things. I may not be able to meet group deadlines very well, but I think I can meet this kind of challenge.

I am part of a group, modelled on the Travelling Quilts that you've likely seen out there. Some of us Canadians brought in a few American friends and we're playing. Here are a few of the quilts.


This one started with Jenn, of Pinkbrain Quilts. She made the paper pieced non-star block in the centre. Then Julie added some stellar embroidery, including the pink brain! Then off to Jacqueline. She made up a bunch of linear blocks, but didn't join them to the original.

My initial thought was more circles - shocker. Then I decided to bring in the linear aspect of Jacqueline's blocks. But those angle from the original are so intriguing. So I extended angles and joined them with the fabric and linear aspects of the additional blocks. Not an easy addition, but so much fun and I love the results. I can't wait to see what happens next! Off to Anna and Robyn next.


It's hard to figure out where to go when you start with colour blocked cathedral windows. For me, the temptation was strong to just make more and more. Can you imagine a quilt just like that? These were the beginning of Julie's quilt. Jacqueline made a whole schwack of blocks, many on the large scale like these ones. I took the combination of text inspiration and the cathedral windows and combined them for my blocks.

I used colours already in the blocks as background. The petals are simply appliquéd on. I resisted the temptation to join them into a strip because that would have finished at 72''. That's a big quilt to commit to for the folks coming next. But it would look really nice that way. Hint, hint...


Process on the Quilts in A Month of Sundays


It's another snowy morning. That means it is perfect to talk about quilts. Today to celebrate A Month of Sundays I want to share a bit about some of the quilts with you. As a blogger it is so hard not to share my work in progress when making the quilts for the book. So hard. I'm used to sharing everything from the initial inspiration to the fabric pull to the frustrations to the finished top to the end. Sharing that is part of my blogging style and I believe in the honesty of that. I did take photos along the way while making book quilts, so at least I can do it after the fact.




When I'm making quilts for publication my process is actually a bit different. If I were to go my normal way of sewing - starting without a definite plan, adapting and making changes along the way, and ending with something for the sake of it - I would have a lot of work to do reverse engineering to write a pattern. That is a recipe for disaster - for me and someone trying to make the quilt from that pattern.


Oh boy, was finding text prints at the time of doing this tough! 
Thankful for some screen prints dug up on Etsy.



Quilts destined for publication always start, for me, with the pattern. Not just a sketch, but the actual pattern. I like to draft the whole thing first. This lets me think about the best way to divvy up fabric requirements and calculate yardage as well the most efficient way to make the quilt. I consider myself the first pattern tester. As I work there is always going to be a sketchbook filled with numbers or a pad of graph paper next to me. That allows me to write down any notes or corrections as I go. A half an inch makes a difference.





From first fabric pull to second, after patter drafting, things changed a bit.







A good friend gave me advice when I was starting on the journey of this book. She told me to send out the quilts to be long armed. I'll admit, this was hard for me, but it was the best thing I could do. I was having another baby, after all. The deadlines may push forward because of the need to get the quilts to long armers, but the time saved for me was valuable. It meant a lot less stress and a lot more time with my family during the work. Not to mention the savings on my already taxed joints. So, thank-you to Angela Walters and Janet Madyski for getting me through the work.


I use a lot of binding tape in the book.


Coordinating my snacks and my quilts.




When I was looking through my photo library to pull these images I was struck by just how much the making of these quilts, these books, is intertwined in my life. On the same day I was cutting fabric there was a crew framing in the basement and I had a book launch for Sunday Morning Quilts! Same day. Other days will be pictures of my babies doing their thing - like finishing preschool - while I finish a quilt. And all while I had a newborn. So the quilts, and the book, are a true reflection of our life at a moment of time. And more than once I had to take my own advice that I was writing to slow down and sew, not just get caught up in the frenzy of making.





It is always a huge rush to get the quilts made, though. You think you have all this time but you end up doing everything at the end. Your fingers are sore from binding, your shoulders hurt, everyone in the house is cranky at the fabric everywhere... Then you send the quilts away and don't see them for months, or even a year! It kind of feels anticlimactic. Such an energy high from the moment of first sketches to the last stitch and you don't get a chance to even snuggle with the quilt. But now the quilts are home, living in rotation. Reminding me of the time spent in creation, the moments that happened then, and the concept to just chill out.


Not helping me when I needed to quilt.






So, on this Sunday filled with sunshine and a blanket of fresh snow I will do just that. Right after a birthday party and coffee date with my Hubby. But then, then I can pour some tea, wrap myself in a quilt, and attend to an afternoon of puzzles and paper crafts with my girls.

Remember, there will be giveaways at the end of this celebration. One comment on each post in the month enters you for the prizes.

Tell me, coffee or tea, or hot chocolate with marshmallows?

Vanity Fair from Dear Stella


One of the perks of my job is people sending me fabric to play with. It all seems well and good and lovely (and it is) but if I don't play with it in a timely manner I feel guilty and awful. The whole point to sending the fabric is to promote it. And, I must confess, there are times that the fabric sits in my stash, untouched, for a very long time. I never even photograph it. And that means I've wasted the designer's time and money to send me the fabric. This makes me a tool.

As a result, I've become very honest and selective when contacted about fabric. I know how I like to quilt and create. Single line quilts just aren't my thing generally. And being able to stop everything I'm doing and play with a specific fabric is a near impossibility. So, yes, I will happily take any fabric you want to send my way, but if you expect me to create with it right away it might be best to find another designer or blogger.

Sometimes they are still willing to send you the fabric. And when you get it the bundle is so lovely and inspiring that you do start creating right away. Well, within a month of receiving the fabric at least. For me, that is right away.

The bundle up there arrived on my doorstep from Dear Stella just before Quilt Market. They contacted me and asked if I would like to play with one of their upcoming lines. You know me, I had to pick the one that whispered. (This, despite the fact they made two awesome quilts from Sunday Morning Quilts with Mini Confetti Dots and Zig Zags.) Very soft, very pretty, this Vanity Fair line.

In all honesty, the bundle was set to linger on the shelf, then likely broken apart as inspiration hit. Then I remembered a magazine contribution coming up, rescued an orphan block of something I was testing for my Craftsy class, and found the Vanity Fair some friends in my stash. Commence play.

Quilts of Valour Donation

Yesterday was Remembrance Day here in Canada and a few other countries, Veteran's Day in the US. As in every other year we hear stories of veterans and the sacrifices made. For so long the stories were consumed with the vets of the World Wars. Here is Canada you would here more about the Korean War as well. Now, however, there is so much said about Afghanistan and more recent peacekeeping missions. Being a soldier did not end in the 50s. And every year we are reminded that being a soldier does not end when your tour of duty ends.

Quilts of Valour provides quilts to service personnel dealing with injuries - those we see and those we don't, like post traumatic stress disorder. We all know that a quilt is such a comfort and a real hug when we need it most. It isn't about warmth, it is the spreading of love.



$1 from the sale of each of my Oh Canada! patterns is being donated to Quilts of Valour. This is from all sales - wholesale, printed, and downloaded. If you haven't purchased the pattern yet, this is the perfect reason to do so.

I'm also proud to know that many people have purchased the pattern to make quilts of Quilts of Valour recipients. To be honest, I never thought of that when making the quilt in the first place or in producing the pattern, but it makes me quite proud to know that this is part of its life.

Buy Oh Canada! here.

Ideas



She kept coming by the dining room table to finger the project. She would pick it up, feel the laminated fabric, flip it over, and then look at me.

"Seriously, who gave you this idea?"

Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mom.

My Mom is awesome. She is always happy to come and help us when I am overwhelmed with too much stuff (she is an expert purger), when I travel to teach she arrives here to watch the kids and clean my fridge, and when producing A Month of Sundays she came and kept us together during the photoshoot. She cleaned my house and watched the kids and fed us in the most Mommiest of ways, as Kate described it.

My Mom, however, has not had the chance to live a creative life. She delivers babies and helps new moms. She is the woman who taught me to sew and I do vividly remember her sewing us clothes and herself a gorgeous winter coat. There may have also been some macrame lessons in there. But that was all a long time ago. So when she looked at this particular project she couldn't imagine how I could have imagined it.

She's not alone. I get that question quite frequently. Just where do you get your ideas?

There is no easy answer, no one spot to look when I need a project. It just isn't that simple.



The project my mom was talking about was the Floral Wrap from A Month of Sundays. Made from laminated cotton (or oilcloth, if you prefer) it is for all your floral needs when out shopping. The idea for it came to me as I loaded groceries one day. There I had all my reusable shopping bags filled with Market goods. Then I placed my paper and plastic wrapped flowers on top. One of these things is not like the other...

I immediately went home, sketched a bit, then drafted a pattern.

There in lies the first spot I get my ideas: NEED.

Identifying a need or a gap in the creative register is sometimes the spark. When looking for an answer to a frustration or struggle the solution may be found in your sewing room instead of a product that may or may not exist.

On the day of the photoshoot for the Floral Wrap I took my wrap into the florist and picked out the flowers. When I handed the Floral Wrap the florist she had the same reaction as my Mom. This may be my one moment of genius in life, I better run with it!

Other moments of inspiration come from shop windows, like the colours in Hugs and Kisses or the design of Sherbet. Sometimes it is from a need to just take something traditional and do something different, like in Pinwheel. It isn't always a visual that inspires either. I've been inspired by words, stories, or even concepts.

You won't always know the moment the idea hits. But if you leave yourself open to it and have a means to capture it - with a sketchbook, a camera, a scrap of paper, a cell phone - then you can hold on to it. In fact, there is even a section of A Month of Sundays that talks about capturing your inspiration.

So when it comes to getting ideas, I think the best advice I've got, and my answer when people ask me just where I got that idea, is that I was simply open to the inspiration. And you do this by embracing creativity and opportunity. It is so easy to get caught up in the minutia of daily life, of motherhood, and even of quilting. Take the time to play, to try something new, to slow down, and the ideas will flow.



What will you do today to open up for inspiration?



Just Playing


Sometimes you just need to play. Start with something, anything, and see what happens.

In this case. I started with a jelly roll and some charms, serious temptation from two lovely designers.  When I was head down on that king sized quilt and buried under slabs I caved at some point in August to play. I sliced the charms in half and cut pieces of the jelly roll down to match. Then it was a matter of sewing pairs together. A lot of chain piecing and pressing. Then rows, then chunks like this. There are more chunks to go as there is more fabric to be used, but I am liking this so far. I have yardage of a subtle text print that will serve as background. You can just see bits of it used on the edges of this chunk.

No, if only I could find more time to play again.

Some Modern Opportunities

Putting aside the use of Modern Quilting as a term to define a trend, or make something seem trendy even when it isn't really a modern quilt, there are some changes afoot in the traditional quilting world that I wanted to share with you.

Quilt Canada 2014, the big show, conference, and workshops put on by the Canadian Quilters Association added Modern to its categories for the National Juried Show. For my American friends, this is the equivalent of the show in Houston for Canadians. The CQA worked with The Modern Quilt Guild to define the category and judging criteria. Entries are open to Canadians - including Canadian citizens living elsewhere. (Oh, and I'll be teaching there for four days...)

Enter here.

Did you notice there are some pretty hefty cash prizes?

Closer to home, the Calgary Stampede's Western Showcase also added a modern category to its quilt show. The Western Showcase is quite a wonderful part of The Stampede. A little oasis of calm and creativity in the midst of the midway, rodeo, and wallet draining. And it isn't all just horses and cowboys there either.

Entries aren't open yet, but stayed tuned to the Western Showcase site, entries will open at some point in the new year.

Putting yourself out there by entering a show is a scary thing, I know that. And show quilts are not necessarily the quilts you snuggle up with on the couch. Sure, your entry may not be accepted and it is quite easy to wholeheartedly disagree with any comments from the judges. That being said, entering a show is a new experience, a challenge, and rather exciting. I urge you to consider it, put any fears aside, and jump in feet first. Don't worry, I checked the water, there are no sharks. Just a lot of black drapes and white gloves.

Celebrating A Month of Sundays

It's high time I did a little celebrating around here. A Month of Sundays came out this summer and I've barely had a moment to register that it is in the world. Something about those real babies taking up all my time, and a certain charity project. But this monh I'm going to celebrate. You'll get some behind the scenes goods, quilts in progress, good food, and even some giveaways along the way. I hope you'll join me and share in the party.

I'm going to kick things off with a little background on the book.

A Month of Sundays started even before Sunday Morning Quilts came out! My publisher, Stash Books, called us after the photoshoot for Sunday Morning Quilts with nothing but nice things to say. Then we started talking about the quilt Sunday Morning itself. The low volume scraps were really admired and I blurted out, "I bet I could write a whole book about low-volume quilts and we could call it A Month of Sundays." Their response was to request the proposal. So, before my first book was even in print I was working on the second.



Oh, and right when we were negotiating the contract I found out I was pregnant. After three miscarriages I was slow in accepting and appreciating that pregnancy, but everything aligned and I was set to deliver a baby and a book around the same time. Needless to say, I negotiated some later dates for the book because the baby sure wasn't going to wait. Now, for me, it feels like I gave birth to twins, the book and my son are so intertwined.

So as my tummy grew I wrote away. Thankfully, I am not the type of writer that needs her space to be just so and free from noise and distractions before a single word escapes my brain. I wouldn't even get this blog written if that is the case! No, my brain is constantly churning through sentences and hopefully there is an opportunity to get them down near by.



To write this book I sat in the dark in my dining room a lot of the time. Wrapped in a quilt, a pot of tea by my side. I was in the dark because if I turned on a light it usually woke the girls and then I got no work done. So, if I need glasses in a few years, I will blame this book for it and not encroaching middle age at all. I also wrote a fair amount of the book in the IKEA cafeteria. While The Monster was in school (she was in KG that year) and if The Evil Genius didn't have preschool we would hit IKEA to take advantage of the free babysitting/Smaland. I would get an hour to bang out some text. I can write a lot in a hour when that's all I get. Then there were the times I edited during swimming lessons or got up extra early to hide in a local coffee shop as the final draft was due so that I wasn't interrupted by more requests for cinnamon toast.

The writing in this book is intensely personal for me. Each essay for each section - Eat, Relax, Shop, Explore - is a true story, a reflection of my life and outlook. Funny thing, it wasn't until I was out with my red pen on the very last version of the book before it went to print (they call that version Pages) that I realized I'd written one big love letter to my husband. So, if you like romance, even the unconventional ones, this might be the book for you. The little tidbits are also part of our life. Lessons learned, activities that are a part of us, or treasured moments - they can all add to your life too. And they are all about taking the time to enjoy the time, to slow down.



I am really thankful for Stash giving me the opportunity to write a lot more in this book. It isn't the typical quilt book. Some people may not like that, but I hope most of you will appreciate it. I wanted to create a book that you curled up with and read first, then flipped through to look at the projects. And then when you had another quiet afternoon you did it again. And when you walked by the stack of books on your shelf you pulled it out again because you remembered that one project...

Then there are the quilts and sewing projects. I will talk more about them over the next few Sundays, but I did want to say now how excited they still make me. I look at them now, or wrap myself in them, or use them for my shopping and smile. You can't get tired of these low volume fabrics. Well, at least I can't.


(Photo by Kate Inglis)

The other thing that makes this book truly great - in my eyes - is the photography. Initially I was asked to do my own photography. I'm okay, but not great at making pictures. And I knew what I wanted. I could envision the styling on nearly every project as I made it. I knew the locations and props for nearly every shot before the quilts were done. But I needed a photographer to get into my brain and take the photos for me. Enter Kate Inglis. We worked together over a very intense 5 days to take all the styled, atmosphere, and lifestyle shots in the book. I carted around my son so that he could be nursed because he was only two months old at the time. My vanity reigned as we built shots around not showing much of my two months post partum body. And everywhere we went Kate found the light. I hope Kate will shoot every one of any of my next books.

So, this Sunday, I am raising my cup of tea and reminiscing about the process of creating A Month of Sundays. It's a snowy, blustery day here. Perfect for hiding inside and appreciating the moments I have with both my family and my stash. And yes, I am curled up in a quilt.

Join me for the next month of Sundays. Here is the schedule for what I'll be sharing here.
November 10 - Just Where Do I Get My Ideas?
November 17 - From the First Idea to the Finished Quilt - following the process for a few quilts
November 24 - Join Me in the Kitchen
December 1 (I know...) - Tips on Using the Book and Giveaway Day

Yes, there will be some giveaways. Books, fabric, and maybe a few extra treats. To be entered in the giveaway you simply have to leave a comment on any post for this A Month of Sunday series. Ask me a question, tell me how you are enjoying the book, or respond to the weekly query I post. One comment per posting, please. At the end of the series all name will get submitted and I will draw for the giveaways. International entries welcome.

So, what are you doing this Sunday?


Just One Slab Update - Getting Close



2280 blocks.
Makes 114 quilts.

106 quilt tops.
38 completed quilts.

337 packages received.
Close to 750 participants (estimated)
23 guilds.
11 quilt shops.

Nearly every Canadian Province and Territory.
27 US States.
8 countries.

Not to mention the time of the volunteers helping sort mail, put together quilt tops (like Andrea, Jen, Lee, Becca, my SIL, and others), long arm quilters (so many that I don't know them all!), and an army of people making and attaching binding and labels.



Traditional Pastimes is incredible for gathering quilts, distributing kits for making quilt tops, assigning backing fabric and distributing to long armers, and hosting volunteers who are still meeting to finish the binding and labelling.

Then there are the corporate donations from companies like EE Schenck and Robert Kaufman. For batting, backings, and extra wide backings we thank you. It makes finishing up the last quilts a lot easier.

All donations - from 1 slab to a roll of batting - are greatly appreciated.

(And thank-you to my husband and family for helping, donating their time, and tolerating the proliferation of packages, fabric, piles of quilts, and giant rolls of batting.



At this point I am still rallying volunteers to help finish the quilts. I have a stack of quilt tops ready for quilting, enough blocks for about 15 more tops, the binding to get on three more, and then all the labelling. This is on top of the 60 or so quilts that Traditional Pastimes coordinated finishing.

(I am also planning a big thank you for all participants here in this space. Stay tuned.)

Winter indeed arrived in Calgary this week, so the quilts are going to be timely. I'm sorting out the distribution details, but the plan is for a date in early December.

Thank you. Thank you all so much.

One Day - A Quilt


One Day
40'' x 50''

Made for Hubby's best friend's new baby boy. As soon as they announced they were expecting my Hubby informed - not asked - me that I would be making a quilt. Rather than take offence I gave myself a pat on the back that he appreciates this gift as much as a recipient. And this little quilt is now in the baby boy's hands.


The whole quilt came together quite fortuitously. I used the map fabric I had left from this quilt. The couple who are parents of this baby boy are world travellers. In my imagination I live vicariously through the adventures they've had. Hubby actually picked that fabric when I decided I would use this block as the basis of the quilt. In addition to the map fabric I used a variety of low volume prints in blue, green, yellow, gray, and orange. Some of the prints were even from the couple's wedding quilt!


The map fabric is a little odd as it isn't exactly geographically correct. This is not what Canada and the US look like! But the outside borders are there. If I cared to research things in the history books I'm sure I could find a year to associate with this geography. For now, we all get the idea.

The quilting is done with Aurifil 50W in white, as was the piecing. It is a combination of grid work and dot to dot curves around the map sections of each block. Together, it creates a wonderful texture.


This is Hubby's other contribution to the quilt. He insisted that one block with Australia be placed upside down. Sure, whatever.


Finally, when it came to selecting backing fabric Hubby stepped in. He and his best friend have always bonded over cars. And indeed, this guy works at a car dealership now. So the car print was the only choice! I guess it really is a travel themed kind of quilt.

One day the world will be his to explore.

Market and More

Quilt Market is this week. The big industry trade show where everyone sells their stuff - pattern companies, fabric designers, sewing machine folks, notion inventors, and authors like me. It is an intense few days filled with a lot of shuffling and hustling. There might be some beer and laughs in there too.

I'll be there promoting A Month of Sundays specifically. And myself, generally. You never know where a conversation might lead... If you are going to be there, this is where I'll be in official events, come find me.

A Month of Sundays Schoolhouse
Friday October 25
3:05 pm
Room #362D

Book signing!
Saturday October 26
4:00 pm
C&T Publishing booth

And then there are the parties. Yes, this is the part that those not going to Market get really jealous of. I get that. Fabric 2.0, the Modern Quilt Guild meet-up, and more (which I'll be missing because I'll be home already). But if you didn't see me on the show floor or at Schoolhouse, feel free to grab me at these events.

Don't fret if you aren't going to Quilt Market. It's about time that I celebrated A Month of Sundays. Come November I've got some things planned in this space. More stories, more photos, and even a giveaway or two. I want to share more about the book, the process (you know me!), and celebrate with you.

Plus, a Quilt Top


Back when I was in Nova Scotia (oh, how it feels like it was last year, not last month) I managed to get a bit of sewing in for myself. I had such eager students that were going back to sew late into the night, after dinner. One night I decided to join them. I made great progress on these blocks while chatting about klutziness, motherhood, real estate, and more. I came home with just some final seams to sew.

I took a break from binding Just One Slab quilts and finishing a baby quilt to get this top together. And now I want to throw everything aside to finish it!


I debated a number of ideas for layout. Contemplated more blocks. Thought it should be bigger. In the end, the idea of quadrants won out. I liked the echo of the quadrants in the blocks into the quilt top as a whole. And I wanted the plus signs to really float on that pieced, scrappy background.

So much fun. All improv fun. And all that grey, such lovely grey. Mostly made from scraps. Just wait for the texture from quilting.



Brave New Quilts (Weekend Reads)


Brave New Quilts is the latest and last book by Kathreen Ricketson. Inspired by Twentieth Century Art movements it speaks to inspiration and translating that inspiration to a quilt.

Kathreen died earlier this year. I woke up to the news one morning during Quilt Market. I'd woken early to actually answer some emails for her, only to get the news. Many others had the same story. And we all walked around in shock. And we were just fellow quilters and writers, colleagues and friends from online, not her family reeling from the tragedy.

Now, her book is out and travelling the world without her. A final legacy to her work.


Kathreen and I were working on our books at the same time, clearly with very similar deadlines. We would exchange tweets and emails about our status on the work. We knew what the other was going through. So, even though our books are quite different from a content perspective, they parallel each other in the timeline of my mind. That leads me to what I want to talk about today on this last stop on her Legacy Tour.

For all the book reviews, Amazon reviews, and social media comments it is important to remember two things. One, there are people behind these books. And two, these books are a creative enterprise as much as a quilt is, they are a work of art too.

The author of any book pretty much gets all the credit, or critique. But they are team efforts (unless self published). But for any and all credit and critiques you have to remember that these are real people. They have feelings, thick or thin skin, and real emotions. It seems easy to think of the book as an independent entity, free from its creator. That makes it easier to dismiss or criticize. I get that, it is a part of human nature to complain. But it is important to remember that these books do not exist without the people behind it.


That leads me to the second point: these books are a creative expression of the author and designers. When someone is writing a book they aren't just thinking, "Hey, I'm going to make a bunch of quilts and someone else will take pictures and we'll put them all together in a book and then people will read it." No, we think about themes, and details like illustration style, layout, styling of each quilt photo. We agonize over fabric selection more than you ever have, we tinker and run out of ink on red pens, we obsess over a block that won't lay flat. For the authors and designers, the quilts and their patterns are only just a part of the book, not the be all and end all.

Every author has a different reason for writing a book. Some want to translate their teaching to the written page, some want to share inspiration, some are looking to collate patterns, some love to write. All of them are coming to the book as a form of creative expression. Writing the book is as much that as designing and making a quilt.

Now I'm not saying that we authors are immune to critique and I, personally, welcome comments and constructive criticism. But when you make any comments on a book - good or bad - remember that there are people behind it and we put a lot of personality and creativity into that book. (Keep all this in mind as well if you are contemplating writing a book.)

That's why, when I read Brave New Quilts, I think of Kathreen. I think of her frantically sewing to make deadlines, photo shoot styling flying through her head as the stitches go in. I think of her cleaning and organizing just so for the shot to be exactly as she wants. I think of her spending an hour on a single paragraph to make sure her intentions and directions are as clear as they can be. I think of her anxiously anticipating the Pages for review to see how the designer put together everything.

Perhaps I am projecting my own experience onto Kathreen's, I will admit that. But we did speak of the process together. And now that I see her book I have a bigger picture of her own process. More importantly, I have a picture of Kathreen, a glimpse of her inspiration and translation, and of her creativity that goes beyond 12 quilts and beyond the emails and tweets we shared. I'm glad to have this bit of her in the world. A legacy to her creativity indeed.


To read more about the book and other takes on it, make sure you visit the other stops on the Legacy Tour for Brave New Quilts.

Stash Books
Heather Jones
Kristin Link
Maya Donenfeld
Alexandra Smith
Sonya Philip
Ellen Luckett Baker
Andrea Jenkins
Shannon Cook
Mimi Kirchner

Friday Favourite - Molasses Butter



There are a ridiculous number of happy moments and miniature squeals of glee in my head on repeat since my latest trip to Nova Scotia. They keep me happy. One moment, one memory that I've acted on nearly daily since then is the molasses butter.

Never heard of it? Neither had I. Pictou Lodge served up little bowls of molasses butter with their biscuits instead of your average, boring bread basket. And it was awesome.

So awesome that I accosted the Chef Thomas one morning on his way into work and begged for some at my breakfast in an hour and he kindly obliged me. So awesome that I've made it three times in the 10 days I've been home. So awesome that it takes all your power to not eat it straight from the bowl with a shiny spoon.

I have no idea how they made it, but here is what I've been doing.

Molasses Butter

1/2 cup salted butter (unsalted if you prefer, but I like it better with salted)
1-2 TBSP Blackstrap molasses (use fancy if that is what you have, but you will probably want more molasses then)

Whip the butter. Add the molasses. Whip until evenly incorporated.

So far our favourite way is indeed on biscuits. But I can tell you that it tastes just fine on a muffin or some fresh bread. And, in case you were wondering, it makes a wicked grilled cheese sandwich. Substitute for regular butter on the outside of your sandwich. The edges caramelize and the molasses bring a depth of unreal flavour to the table.

Pillow For a Friend


The rumours started flying before Christmas. A new kid was joining the kindergarten class and he was moving from the other side of the world! When would he be here? Where was he coming from? What is his name? The kids were giddy at the thought of a new kid like a vampire would be of virgin blood. I too was excited for the potential of a new friend.

The first day of school came after the holidays and I immediately picked out the new dad. During hearty introductions I found out that they were expecting a baby, as I was at the time. With razor like focus I narrowed in on the mom the first time I saw her on the playground. I know, it sounds like I was stalking. Perhaps I was a lot like that vampire. But sometimes instinct takes over. Then really pays off.

We hit it off immediately, with a similar brand of sarcasm and humour. She is much kinder than I am though. And she lives a lifestyle that not even I can aspire to. On paper we shouldn't click, but in real life we have a great time. I trust her as a friend, as a mother. I know that she's looking out for my kids. I adore her boys and despite his vegetarian eating habits her husband is pretty great too.

It was her birthday earlier this week. Like most of us she deserves special treats. After we'd spent a morning rearranging furniture in her living room (Yeah, we go for long walks, drink tea, then redecorate each other's houses) I decided she needed something else in the room. Something cozy, something that worked with her momentos from travels in the East, something homemade.


I pulled out the Indian cottons and raided the stash. I also grabbed the bits of Carolyn Friedlander's new line, Botanics, that she'd sent me when I was working on something else. They all went together so well. With this quilt in mind from Quilting Happiness I started slashing and sewing. This is a colour combo I've been wanting to play with for a while and now I want to do more with it.

What I forgot is that my friend is on Instagram. So I posted my fabric pull and mentioned I was making a pillow for a dear friend. When I did not get the pillow done in time for her birthday she hid her disappointment. So when I shared the image of my stellar wrapping job she tried not to get too excited. I was happy to share the pillow with her on the playground yesterday (and not worry about keeping secrets from her).


With fabric from family and friends, inspiration from another quilty friend, sewing while chatting with a friend online, and making it for a friend this little pillow is full of love. But it is missing a zipper, I still lack that skill. So a quilted back with an envelope closure, highlighted with a contrasting fabric, is what it gets. And it works wonderfully.

Just like our friendship.


There Was Sewing


While I was away I spent 4 days at the Pictou Lodge with the Mayflowers Quilter Retreat. Three straight days of sewing in log cabins! All meals made for us, cozy cabins with ocean views, and an amazing group of women.

I taught my Improvisational Piecing class. With a three days in front of us we were able to spend a day on techniques and exercises, then each student got the chance to run with it. Everyone started with an idea and some fabric then went to play. And play they did! Seventeen students and seventeen different projects. I love them all!

Thank you so much to all my students and the Mayflower ladies for a great time. I am totally inspired by you all.


















And way up at the top there? That great lady was making her first quilt for herself after fifteen years of quilting. The pink and purple blocks are hers. Can't wait to see how it all comes together.