Ballet Blue - A Donation for The Blue Gala

Ballet Blue

72'' x 72''

When the fact that you have 3 bins if blue fabric combines with a request for a donation quilt for an event called The Blue Gala this happens.

It actually started when I pulled out some scraps to make a sample strip set for a class I was teaching. Just one block. But then the donation request came and the block was sitting there, demanding my attention. It was rather bossy, actually. And before I could stop myself I spent my mornings making more strips sets and cutting more blocks. I fell in love with the process as much as the final result.

Sew strips together, cut a block on point. Take the scraps and add more strips, cut more blocks. I became obsessed with minimizing the waste after cutting. And when the blocks are together I loved the lines the precise squares brought back. I always say with improvisational piecing that at some point you have to add the order back in. This quilt ends up a great combination of improv and precision piecing.

I digress...

When I posted the quilt top a few months ago the amazing Dara at Stitched Quilting Co offered to quilt it for me, a donation of her services to the cause. Thank you so much Dara! That girl loves her free motion work and it shows. She added depth and even more movement to the quilt.

This quilt will be part of a silent auction at The Blue Gala. All proceeds go to Pancreatic Cancer Canada. I am thrilled to support the cause for two reasons. One, my son is part of the ballet school, H/W Ballet, hosting the event and will be dancing. More important than that though, is that my father in law was taken from us too young and very quickly from pancreatic cancer. In tribute to him, I make and donate this quilt. 

If you are local or looking for a good Saturday night out you can come join us at the gala. If you aren't local but are interested in bidding on the quilt shoot me a note. I will also be on Instagram Stories that night, watching the bid. After I watch my boy dance, of course.

Familiar Blocks in Fun Ways

As a quilt teacher I am constantly thinking about my classes. Seriously, I think about them a lot. If I am not prepping a class - I teach a few times monthly now - I am playing around with ideas for classes. Can I change the way I am teaching a technique? What feedback did I get from that workshop? Do stores even want this class? Who else can I pitch a class to? It is a near constant state of juggle and hustle. At the same time, I want consistency and any marketing expert will tell you that I should have some standards.

Last year I ran a fun series at a local shop. I'm still trying to figure out how to translate it into my offerings because there is overlap with existing listings. For now, I am excited to offer this new class.

Familiar Blocks in Fun Ways

Take a traditional block and change it up. Play with technique, scale, colour, value, and more as your take the familiar and turn it into something fantastic and fun. 

Right now it is on offer at My Sewing Room as a monthly club. Each month we will tackled a familiar block. Up first is Churn Dash. Coming up next is Pinwheel. Then we have Stars, Drunkard's Path, House blocks, and Flying Geese. I had a lot of fun sewing up that first sample and I have no doubt students will as well.

2018 is set up to be a busy year for teaching, with a few trips and a lot of local classes. Like I said, I am constantly looking at the juggle and the hustle. My schedule is still being updated - there are some fun Fall excursions in the works. Keep an eye on things! Teaching is one of my most favourite things to do so I know this will be good times ahead for all. 

I am always open to feedback, custom requests, and questions. This includes my classes. Don't hesitate to drop me a line. 

Traveller - Wrapped in Hugs

Traveller

54'' x 54''

Started years ago, finished in record time. Traveller is a special quilt I made for a special person going through a rough time.

The fabric comes from India, brought home for me - the quilter in the family. I pet it, I made precisely 3 quarter circles to test out the sewing, then put it aside for years. I would show the blocks when I taught my Perfect Circles class and put them back in the bin. Then you hear the word Cancer. Cancer. And the world stops for more than a few moments. When it starts again, you, the quilter, think of making a quilt.

The quilt itself is something you want to give, to try to keep your arms wrapped around the person 24/7. It's more than that though. It is the act of making for me, the quilter, too. The act of making allows us to slow down, think about the person, and process our own emotions. It is about the quilt AND the process equally. And when the quilt leaves your hands and gets wrapped around the back of the recipient all the love gets transferred.

The top was done already, made in a fit of tangential creativity and improvisation. I'd always known I would give it to this particular recipient, but the quilt top languished in the pile of unfinished tops awaiting another round of motivation. So when I heard Cancer and surgery and a lot of time on the couch right before Christmas I pushed myself to get the quilt finished.

I made the back from a collection of sarong fabric another friend gave me. More travel inspiration! My husband helped me baste the quilt on a Saturday night. All day Sunday I quilted. Monday I bound, stitching on the winter drive with a golden thread, car light on as the sun set freakishly early on the Northern Prairies. On Tuesday it lay on the bed, waiting for recovery, waiting to lay down the hugs. 

Pinwheel Quilt Giveaway!!!

It's 12 days until Christmas and I am feeling generous, so I'm giving away a quilt!

Specifically, the Pinwheel quilt from my book A Month of Sundays. A bold yet soft design. Quilted by Angela Walters, no less.

Here are the details:

... Quilt is 76'' x 76''. Made with 100% cotton fabric and 100% cotton batting. Designed, pieced, and bound (hand finished) by me, quilted by Angela Walters.

... All you have to do to be eligible to win is sign up for my newsletter. Scroll down to the bottom of the page here and the sign up is there. Don't worry, I don't share or sell my newsletter list. And now you get a biweekly newsletter full of tips, the exciting and interesting things I find online, and personal musings that I don't share anywhere else. Current newsletter subscribers already entered.

... Bonus entry if you repost the photo on Instagram with the hashtag #slowdownandsewgiveaway. It has to have the hashtag to be eligible.

... All international entries are welcome.

... I will make the draw on Christmas Day and ship the quilt by the end of the year. 

That's it! Nothing fancy. I just want to share my love of quilts, via a quilt, with you all. You think you are getting a present, but my husband thinks he is winning in the big picture - one less quilt in the house. 

Thank you so much for being here, for supporting my ramblings, for buying what I'm selling, and generally being awesome people. 

This giveaway is not sponsored, promoted, or administered by Instagram or Squarespace in any way. Each entrant releases both Instagram and Squarespace from any responsibility of a missed prize.