Almost There on this Epic Quilt

Years ago - I don’t even remember when - I started marking the places I’ve travelled to for quilting. They started as samples for my Improv Lettering class, and have continued to be so. Folks, I am so close to finishing the Canadian place names. Just one more left to do: Carseland. After that, it’s the challenge of puzzling them all together for a quilt top.

Not too long ago I put them all up on the design wall, just to see what they looked like. As a single quilt it would be massive. Bigger than king sized. And frankly, I don’t want a bed quilt of the places I’ve travelled to for quilting. Not the bedroom vibes I am going for. That being said, if I split up the Canadian places and the international places I will have a generous quilt top, and a smaller one that I can add to for a backing. A double sided quilt!

While I only need one more Canadian location, I need at least a half dozen on the international side. Just a little bit more sewing to do.

Kai - The Quilters' Playcation Adventure Sewalong 2024 Quilt

Kai

70” x 70”

Kai is full of adventure. They live life in a just jump in and see what happens kind of way. If someone asks them to try a new food, they don’t even ask questions, they just open wide. If someone wants to climb a mountain Kai packs the snacks. When the airlines offer a deal and there is money in the bank, Kai hops on a plane. They want to see all the things, meet all the people, try everything. And the one thing that brings them the most joy? Rainbows. Rainbows are experienced the world over and never fail to make you smile.

The 2024 Iteration of the Quilters’ Playcation Adventure Sewalong is now a finished quilt. Well, one of the versions I made. (The other one remains an unquilted quilt top.) For 49 weeks in 2024 I hosted a live session on Instagram where we made an improv block. My theme for the year was Rainbows so each block contained the 6 colours of a rainbow (or any gradient chosen), and half the blocks included an additional background fabric.

Want to catch the replays and make your own? All the tutorials are saved on You Tube.

Unlike previous years, I decided on a size for the blocks at the beginning of the year and planned out this 7 x 7 layout. That way I was alternating the background/no background blocks for a somewhat checkerboard effect. It came out well.

The rainbow on this quilt was made from a selection of pastel colours of Moda Grunge. This textured, not quite solid colour at all made for a lovely rainbow. I liked that it read as rainbow without being overly cliche.

When I started the quilt I bought a meter or so (I can’t remember exactly) of each colour. At the end of the day, I had a lot of the fabric left so I used the remainders to piece the quilt back in a rainbow stripe. Look at me being all coordinated! And while the quilting on the front amounts to great texture, the pattern itself is very visible on the back. I combined spirals and lines in a free motion pattern that I did on a rented long arm. Full credit to Angela Walters and one of her books for the idea. It is pretty densely quilted and feels a bit stiff now but as soon as I wash it the cuddles will come out.

The background fabric I chose is this terrazzo inspired fabric with a creamy base. It had all the rainbow colours in it so it was perfect. Midway through the year I did have to go buy more, thankfully my local quilt shop still had it in stock! Of course, I bought more than I needed that time so it was ready for me to round out the rainbow stripe backing AND use it for the binding. We know how I love a contrast binding, but this quilt asked for something more subtle. Sometimes it is good not to introduce something new when the original is already working.

There is no doubt that I chose rainbows deliberately for the theme. They really do make me happy and never fail to stop me in my tracks. But this is - for me - also a political quilt. I have queer family members, my kids have queer and trans friends, and I want the entire community to know that you are welcome here, and everywhere. It’s just a quilt, I know, but I can use it to share my support, amplify your voice, and wrap everyone in the love and joy they deserve. I can’t give every single queer and trans youth a hug, but know that that is what this quilt intends.

Irie - Experiment to Quilt to Gifted Hug

Irie

51” x 68”

She likes to break the rules, go her own way. One day you see her a certain way, the next you can barely recognize her. It isn’t that she wants to keep you guessing. Rather, she just goes with how she is feeling, how she wants to express herself that day. What you think about it doesn’t matter, how she feels does.

What started as a sample block for an Instagram tutorial now lives in the home of a lovely individual who loves birds, keeps the sage, and shows incredible kindness to strangers. How do you get from one to the next?

I really just cut some fabric to talk about trimming and squaring up blocks when you are doing improv sewing. The block was sewn, the reel posted, and then everything was set aside for the rest of life to live. Shortly thereafter the donation opportunity came up. The block was still out, being bold, and I thought it was a perfect jumping off point for a full quilt. So I raided my solids, picked up a couple more fat quarters to round out the contrast, and made a full quilt. Simple, yet bold.

The bird fabric was an absolutely perfect contrast to the front. It was sweet and pretty and full of details. In the end, the quilt was gifted to an individual who absolutely loves birds. Did we know that when handing out the quilts? Nope. It was like it was meant to be!

Quilted on a rented long arm with a simple back and forth pattern, but done on the diagonal. Bound with one of my favourite solids, this bright coral. It is a great frame to finish off a beauty.

Book Cover Quilts

Join me for this crazy little exploration in quilt blocks.

For each book I read in 2025 I am making a quilt block inspired by the cover. Not necessarily by the book or the story itself, but by the cover. So it is really a block inspired by the book designer’s work. And they would have been guided by the contents of the book. Sometimes the covers use original artwork, created just for this purpose, sometimes they pull from existing artwork.

Credit where credit is due - for both the book designers themselves and the woman who gave me the idea for this project. Margaret Fleisher did a similar thing for a 100 day project a few years ago. She is a great improv quilter! I was enamoured with her idea then and am doing my own version now.

I’m not here trying to make a literal interpretation of the book cover. Knowing that I am playing improvisationally I just try to capture the feel of the cover. Not every detail is included, and rarely is the text even referenced.

For example, for The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store above (amazing book by James McBride!) I used the illustration made by the designer Lauren Peters-Collaer as my started point. I picked fabrics from the scrap bin that were similar. To be honest, I debated going a bit more abstract as the human figure can be tough to translate, depending on the posture, and this posture is not an easy one. I am so glad I pursued the play! Of course, it is not exact, but it does have a clear relationship.

Don’t tell the others, but it is my favourite of the blocks so far! Probably also my favourite book of the year.

Someone on Instagram asked me if I was choosing books based on the covers. Nope! I read all sorts of books and choose them based on my mood more than anything. If you look at the books I’ve read this year I have memoir, literary fiction, historical fiction, cozy mystery, cozy Japanese, history, and more. I do consider audio books reading, so they might make the list too. Here are the books so far in 2025:

• Moon Road by Sarah Leipciger, cover art by Grant Haffner

• The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittle, cover design by Alysia Shewchuk, image by Xavier Noel

• Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town by Stephen Leacock, cover illustration by Alessandro Valdrighi

• This is the Story of a Happy Marriage by Ann Patchett, cover design by Robin Bilardello

• The Wager by David Grann, narrated by Dion Graham (this one is absolutely worth the audio book version)

• The Maid by Nita Prose, cover by Elena Giavaldi

• What’s Mine and Yours by Naima Coster, cover by Sara Wood

• The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr, cover by Ingrid Paulson from art by Janet Hill

• Crook Manifesto by Colton Whitehead, cover by Oliver Munday

• The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl, cover design by Charlotte Struck, with art by Billy Renkl

• The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride, cover by Lauren Peters-Collaer

• The Blanket Cats by Kiyoshi Shigematsu, translated by Jesse Kirkwood, cover by Vi-An Nguyen

I’m not the kind of person who sets reading goals. As long as I read every day - even if only for a few minutes before bed - I am content. I usually keep a list of books read for the year and I finish about 20-30. So I am looking at the this list and kind of surprised I am already through a dozen!

For the blocks, I wait until I’ve finished 3 books, then I make the 3 blocks. It becomes a little afternoon of playtime and remembering the books. If you want to follow along a little more ‘live’ then make sure to check out Instagram. As for what I will do with the blocks? That remains to be determined.