Big Bee Progress

Its almost time for the Canadian Quilters Association's annual conference and the Big Quilt Bee. I talked about this initiative in an earlier post. Quilters across Canada (and beyond) have really stepped up to make this happen. (in case you did not know...the goal is to make and donate 1,000 quilts for kids at Ronald MacDonald house)
The Big Quilt Bee will be held June 14-17, 2017 at Quilt Canada 2017 in Toronto, ON., there will be sewing machines, long arms, mid arms and an LOTS of volunteers ready to work on the quilt tops and blocks sent in by hundreds of Canadian quilters and judging by the number of finished quilts already received, it does appear that goal is sure to be achieved. You may have seen the graphics popping up on social media over the past few months.
I had the distinct pleasure of creating the "hive" being used as the count down (count "up")

I was initially asked for a thermometer type graphic to show the progress as the count of finished quilts climbed....since it is the Big Quilt Bee, this is what I came up with......this little black and white doodle.

Then colour and numbers were added to allow the graphic to change as the numbers go up (all done digitally on my iPad using Concepts app)

The most recent count has reached 800

What will the final count Bee?

Making a "Slab" block

In an earlier post, I talked about having had the privilege of designing a "Bee" for The Canadian Quilter's Association to use in promoting The Big Quilt Bee ( an initiative with a goal of creating 1,000 quilts for kids at Ronald MacDonald Houses across Canada)

The quilts will be made up of slab blocks.....having never made one myself, I thought I should give it a go.  oh my.....they are quick and fun to do....and yes...perhaps even a little addictive as well.

I decided to document the process of one of them and create a short video showing just how quick, fun and easy these block are to make.....plus it is a great way to use up bits and pieces in your stash!

 Learn more, join in and become a part of The Big Quilt Bee here

1 Year Already

It has been a full year since I was first asked to become the Artist in Residence for The Canadian Quilters' Association. So far it has been a wonderful experience, the Summer issue is now out and features this design/pattern.

The process requires us to be working several months in advance, my article for the Autumn issue is complete and has been submitted....can't show it, of course.....but a tiny peek can't hurt. Now I need to think about Winter.

My most recent article

The Winter issue of The Canadian Quilter is currently showing up in quilters mailboxes across the country and contains my second article as CQA's Artist in Residence. This article is about creating quilted postcards, and while I do give instructions, hints and tips in making these little works, I also point out that they don't necessarily have to be made with fabrics. Unfortunately some of the text got omitted alongside the photos, so I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you what materials were used in constructing the top layer of some of the cards shown.

This first one was made using a painted paper towel (heavily stitched) which was then embellished with rubber stamping, a few fabric scraps, beads and bits of broken costume jewelry.
This one, is again, paper toweling that had been painted, rubber stamped and stitched.This is one of my favourites. It is just so simple, a plain brown paper bag (I think it was from the liquor store) was stamped and stitched. Selvage edges, buttons and a small safety pin finishes the look.
and these? well they are nothing more than pre-printed paper napkins found at the dollar store. Lots of stitching was applied to make some of the areas really stand out.

Artist in Residence

That's me!
When I was asked if I would consider taking on the job of CQA's Artist in Residence, I immediately said yes..........what a fabulous opportunity and learning experience this will be. I am thrilled to be a small part of the Editorial team.
A couple of weeks ago I had mentioned that CQA members would be hearing more from me very soon.........well the latest issue of the Canadian Quilter is out and contains my first article.
here is a sneak peek......( sorry, that is all I can show)........ members will see the pattern, instructions and tips found on the next pages.I know that not every project will appeal to all quilters, but I am hoping to provide a wide variety of designs and techniques over the coming year that members will enjoy and find interesting. The deadline is fast approaching for my next submission.

Want to know more about The Canadian Quilter's association? click here

From a little idea...............

This past May, the CQA (Canadian Quilter's Association) mini conference was held here in London ON. I designed and created a pattern especially for the event. This leaf shaped fabric bowl (we are the "forest"city after all)Originally, I thought that a few would be made as decor, but the local organizing committee had other ideas and the project took on a life of it's own. The pattern was sent to guilds across the country and was printed in this issue of CQA's The Canadian Quilter.
It wasn't long before the "leaves", made by quilters from coast to coast began arriving. In this article, you can see that Christine is nearly buried under just a small sampling of what arrived at her door. 100s of the bowls were given away to quilters during the 4 day conference, and those who attended the Gala banquet received their leaf bowl filled with all sorts of fabulous quilty treasures.
This was the first time I had created a project for others and I was completely amazed by the response.
Are you a CQA member?...........if so, you will be seeing more from me very soon....ah, but that is another post.