Zoe - Park Applique Quilt

Zoe

90” x 90”

Preferring the background to the spotlight, yet refusing to be outshone, Zoe is a strong woman. She will always work hard, with or with out credit, but never dismiss her. She was there at the beginning of the fight and is still there, supporting those with more energy for the battles. Quick to hug you, a twinkle in her eye, and just the right touch when you didn’t even know you needed it. She is the mom who knows you better than you know yourself, even though she never had kids of her own. Not really an option for her, truth be told. Now, though, she is mom to all her girls.

A long time ago Carolyn Friedlander convinced me to try applique. She promised me that I would like it with the right tools, patterns, and techniques. She was not wrong. I know the basics, even took a class or two as a beginner quilter, but it never stuck. What I didn’t like about it was that it was so much prep before I could even get to sewing. At least, the way that I was taught required a lot of prep. But Carolyn’s way is straight from cutting to basting (which is sewing) to stitching. Plus, her patterns are modern and gorgeous. I started with her Alturus pattern and learned a lot.

Over 10 years ago I started using her Park pattern to teach applique here in town. Park is a great pattern for beginners because it has inside and outside corners, curves and straight lines, and looks cool. To make my initial samples and the blocks I used in classes I chose from a stack of fabric I’d sent to Lisa Flower, which she painted. Quite quickly, I decided to keep making blocks. Inspired by my initial pull sent to Lisa I added fabrics as I went.

Somewhere along the way, one of my husband’s cousins moved to the Province. We would visit in Edmonton and they would visit here. Quite quickly, it was clear that her girlfriend was definitely going to be her wife one day. I don’t remember exactly when, but I decided that these Park blocks would be a wedding quilt for them when they did get married.

The top was finished in 2017, more or less. It took me another year or two to trim the fabric from behind the applique so there was no shadowing. It’s always a nervewracking process. Then the quilt sat and sat. I came across the Suzy Quilts wide back at a local sale and matched it to the quilt. All of this before the wedding happened. That came in 2020, a small pandemic wedding.

Yes, I did just finish the quilt.

The fabrics include so many favourites and such a yummy colour combination. I enjoyed pairing fabrics and then figuring out a layout that works. It’s bold, with the odd quiet moment. Some blocks are very high contrast and some are a bit confusing. In pairs, though, the combinations are always interesting.

It’s always a little tough to quilt an applique quilt. Or, at least, to decide how to quilt an applique quilt. Or is that just me? Rather than outline the shapes I went for straight lines in a grid, each line 2” apart. It’s easy and will be more than good for holding everything together and still be cuddly.

I went with a great contrasting binding. The ladies’ house has a lot of green accents so I decided to add that colour to the quilt. Thankfully, it works well with the existing fabrics.

In all honesty, I don’t know why I procrastinated so much with this quilt. It took less time to make the 25 applique blocks than it did to turn the top into a finished quilt! (Aside from the two months I lost quilting when my machine broke and went in for service.) Oh well, it is done now and I am already getting photos of the family (yes, they have a kid now too) snuggled. That’s all that really matters.

And now, I’m already making more blocks! When moving the studio I discovered a couple more blocks. Leftover class samples? Regardless, I realized that with these blocks and a few more additions I could make a small version of the quilt. The little guy of the family only wanted a baby doll for Christmas so I am making him a quilt just like his Mamas’ for his baby.

Yesenia - 'Modern' and Minimal Log Cabin Quilt

Yesenia

70” x 70”

This girl is a bundle of energy, when you get to know her. She is warm and welcoming to all, but saves the best of herself for her friends. But don’t worry, she is quick to make you her friend. With an infectious laugh she can make anyone smile. With a great hug she can make anyone feel loved. She gives so much there might not be enough left for herself, so this quilt is a way to give herself a hug.

A good family friend, my MIL’s best friend, is going through a challenging time and deserved to be hugged, to be reminded that she is loved by many. When I heard her news I immediately wanted to make her a quilt. There were some time constraints so it had to be a quick finish. In consultation with my MIL I went though the available quilt tops to see if any of them would work. Turns out the answer was no, our friend is more of an earth tone person than any of my quilts. Unphased, I went through sets of blocks and samples to see if any of them would work. This collection of log cabins was the winner!

The set of six blocks were made as a sample for my friend Janine at Uppercase Magazine when she was launching a fabric collection. I’ve made a few things for her over the years, but with this set she wanted in progress, not finished quilts. The blocks have sat for years since, with me only pulling them out as samples when I teach my Traditional Variations class.

The bonus challenge set by this project is the use of sage green. You see, sage green is probably my least favourite colour. And it is our dear friend’s favourite. Thankfully, these blocks played well with sage. There is a touch of a yellow green in a few of the fabrics so I added yellow and green into the mix. I did have to make more blocks so it was an easy add. This only would make the quilt 60” square, however. In my opinion that is on the small side for a snuggly quilt. Instead of making more blocks I opted for a border.

What? A border? You, Cheryl?

Sage green and a border, I don’t know who I am anymore.

Oh right, I’m someone who wanted to give out a hug that would be truly appreciated. I’m still me, though, so I had to do the border my way. That’s why it is only on the two sides, creating an off balance composition. It’s a bit of tension that seems to work.

The whole thing reminds me of the rise of modern quilts 20 years ago. For quite a few years a modern quilt was defined by a log cabin, wonky or not, with a lot of negative space. This quilt comes across as a little throwback to those times!

To quilt her I opted to contrast all those right angles with flowers and swirls. Most of the fabrics are tone on tone so the quilting is very visible. And to up that sage green I picked that exact colour in my thread for the stitches. The whole thing was done in a few hours on a rented long arm at one of my local quilt shops, My Sewing Room.

I had no good fabrics for binding either. I wanted a softer edge versus high contrast. Did I have that in my stash? Of course not, thankfully this beige was perfect and found at My Sewing Room as well.

From blocks on the design wall to a delivered quilt it was only 3 weeks. A record for me, especially in December! Totally worth it as it is coming in good use to give hugs through a trying time.

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.