Any progress is progress

 It's always exciting to be at a quilt retreat. I love being at this retreat house (Retreat at the Farm); we missed all the chaos in the city yesterday. Apparently, the rain was incredible, and the flooding caused many issues with traffic and power. We didn't have problems with either in our immediate neighborhood, but it wasn't fun for some. 

We started the day with a trip to Creekbank Sewing, where we met with Sally, who added to The Pony Express! Actually, it was a very fortunate situation. She had something she no longer wanted and asked if I knew someone who could use it. That person happened to be on the retreat, so the items didn't even get on The Pony Express!!! I love it when that happens. When I decide I no longer want something and have found a home, I want it to go.

But I'm patient—everything will happen in its own time! Patience is a good thing that we should all learn. It helps us cope in situations like yesterday!

I bought a few things, but here's my view of the quilt stores these days. I look at everything that is NOT fabric. I do not need more, but I could be persuaded to buy a new pattern, a new notion, or a supply. I ended up buying two supply items. They are consumables, so they can be used up. I got a notion - it's an old one, but I have wanted one and came away with some inspiration. So all was good. 

None of us broke the bank, and I think everything we bought could have been packed into one small bag. We are all in the same situation: We do not need much of anything. 

It was interesting because we discussed what we would do if we won the lottery. Guess what? None of us would buy anything big. We may buy a different house, but none of us wanted a bigger house! If I won, I have a list of people who need financial aid and would help them! 

I don't seem to have accomplished much in my two days here, but this retreat has never been about madly producing anything. However, any progress is progress, and I must remember that. 

It also depends on the projects you pick to work on. 

The good news is that I actually finished something. I completed this quilt top. 

Completed quilt top

It was a struggle to sew on the sides as there were a lot of seams, and I was working with my old sewing machine. I was getting loads of rippling even though the pieces were the correct length. So, with patience and many pins, both sides were on!!! This project has been to several retreats, and now—it's done!!!

I made the binding this morning, and I'll make the backing when I'm home. I might even quilt it up, as it's a modern quilt. I have a presentation in the fall on modern quilts, so I can add something new to the offering. 

The binding

I also trimmed some half-square triangles. 

Trimming half-square triangles

The little pile that I had pressed the other day is trimmed. Now, I have to press the next group. It would be great if I could finish that bag at this retreat so it never comes back! Or I could continue to work on it at home, but I have other stuff to cut. I still have time—slow and steady wins the race!!!

I'm using some of the blocks from the 365-day quilt as my enders and leaders and making some giant flying geese. I hope to have all of those done and trimmed up by the end of today. I'm changing up part of the quilt and making more of the flying geese than was initially required. I have one side of the squares sewn on and am working on the other. 

My flying geese units

You can't see it in this photo, but Susan made each of us a personalized napkin, which was incredibly thoughtful of her. Most of us have had ours for a while, but one person got theirs at this retreat. They are nicely hanging on the back of our chair. No one wants to use them!!!! 

Our personalized napkins

We are working on something different this afternoon, and of course, it requires fabric. I went through my boxes of novelty prints and found four potentials. I decided to use only one of them. I washed it last night in the sink and cut it up this morning. It's something for the kitchen, and this fabric is so bright and cheery—it's perfect. I used up the entire piece by cutting randomly sized squares that fit the amount of fabric I had. 

Then, I used my pinking rotary blade to trim the edges. This took a bit of finessing to make work, but I got it to work. 

Using the pinking rotary blade

Now, I have eight randomly shaped squares with pinked edges. I'm making something for the kitchen. Do you have any clues? 

My pinked-edged squares

I've been keeping up with the walking. I need to get that 12. 7 km in every day. I hope after my walking trip in Spain that the daily average will decrease, as I expect to walk between 25-30 km a day. It's all I'm going to have to do each day, so walking more won't be an issue. We are not going to talk about injuries!

I think that's it for me!! I've got a new project to work on today, but I must do some calculations first. 

Have a super day11

Ciao!!!

Is it your grandmother's quilt?

I can sometimes be my own worst enemy. My alarm went off this morning, and I felt tired, but I jumped out of bed. I came downstairs and sat at the computer to write the blog. Good grief—2:00!!! Oh shoot—when we were in Hawaii, I had to set an alarm for 2 AM so we could get up in time to see the sunrise on Haleakala! 

How many weeks ago was that? And the alarm was still on my phone for Wednesday morning? Let's say the alarm is gone now! And I went back to bed and to sleep! 

Yesterday was a long but fun day as I got to be in front of people and share my samples and knowledge with two different groups! I was so used to being on Zoom that I almost lost the ability to remember how to pack a suitcase! Hello to everyone who was there. I met people I knew from Zoom calls!

I struggled a bit to get the projector connected, but I wasn't using my projector, and the darn things are all slightly different. Anyway, we got things working, and all was good! 

I had two events, and there was a two-hour gap between them. Although the store wasn't far away, it was a long day for me, the girls, and the boy. Everyone, while very happy to see me, was just fine. They were hungry and needed to pee!

I've read a couple of disturbing books lately. These were quilt books, and yes, they were disturbing. Why? Because of the author's attitude—I may have mentioned that before. The author mentioned that she was a modern quilter and was NOT going to be one of those who learned how to quilt at the hand of her mother or grandmother; she was branching out on her own to learn. 

She was a younger quilter than I am. Hey, I did NOT learn to quilt from my mother or grandmothers! While they dabbled a little bit in quilting, none of them were quilters. 

There has been this vibe in the modern quilt world that they invented modern quilting. Yes, ageism is a thing in the quilt world. 

So, I was extremely happy to see this article in the latest issue of Quilting Arts, Spring 2024, Issue 121. 

The current issue of Quilting Arts

I checked out the author, who I don't believe is a quilter (Frances O'Roark Dowell), although she is an author and has written two novels related to quilts, as well as many non-quilt-related novels. If this is the same person, why does she understand the age (attitude) issue and these modern quilters do not? 

The article is very interesting, and let's face it—what Frances is saying is NOT new. The quilters in the know—the ones who have been around for a while and are OPEN to the YOUNG HISTORY of quilting and the OLDER HISTORY—know that what's happening in the MODERN QUILT WORLD is OLD NEWS!!! What the modern quilters are doing is perhaps reviving life into the quilt world, but they are merely regurgitating old ideas. And many of the founders of the modern movement are older! And many of those founders came from the YOUNG HISTORY side of quilting. 

Words on quilts? Bold colors? Solid fabrics? No borders? Asymmetrical designs? None of that is new, and there are many amazing examples to back it up!

I think younger, modern quilters wanted to think what they were doing was innovative, new, daring, and edgy. However, I also think they were living in an isolated world. Those quilters need to read that article! It is very enlightening. 

If you really study the "modern" quilts being released today, many of them are NOT modern. They follow traditional styles but use "modern" fabrics. It's a whole complicated world! The line between contemporary and modern is very thin! 

Now, here's something to credit those modern quilters with. We have been on a tear with technology, and how can we marry all the new technology in the quilting/sewing/crafting world? That's me—I don't care so much about the end product, but how can I use the available technology to learn something new and still make quilts? 

Many modern quilters are quite happy with a small sewing machine with basic stitches. Heck, some of them are even going back to hand quilting, which is sometimes referred to as slow stitch or big stitch. Machine embroidery? How dare! They are happy to do hand embroidery!

So, the article that I wanted to write on the ageism and "smug" feeling among modern quilters? Well, I didn't want to write it—Frances beat me to it!

The above is a bit convoluted as I haven't done much "research," and it's just ideas that popped into my head at 4:30 in the morning when I had no other topic to write about! I would still like to lay my thoughts out more logically to help me understand the "modern" world!

But here's another example that happened to me in person. I won't mention any names, but when I worked in the fabric industry a few years ago, a very senior person in a fabric company alluded to quilters as NON-techie people who wouldn't understand complicated processes. I do NOT remember the context of that statement, but that person more or less said that the quilters of the world were not smart enough to complete some technology thing that was being discussed. 

WAIT a minute—the "older" quilters are way more technologically advanced than the younger modern quilters. YES -- we know how to post on social media, we know how to make and post videos, we can set up technology to do Facebook Lives, and we learn how to use sophisticated software packages for digital cutting and machine embroidery—and we know how to marry them together! 

So, do not put an egg on your face and think the little old quilters are "dumb." We may not look as cute and pretty as the young ones, but we are SMART, and we're not afraid to show it!

On that note, I'm off to the gym. I won't have time for a full spin class as I have to drive DH to the train. I will say that our one-car arrangement is working out just fine! I drop him off at the train a couple of days a week - he insists even though there are days when I don't need the car, which is most days. But today, I'm back at Sew Productive, and we're making MONSTERS today on the embroidery machine! So I'll get on a bike by myself and then won't feel guilty as I sneak out a bit earlier than if I stayed for the entire class. 

If you've never been to Sew Productive, you should go. They are in Acton and a full Husqvarna Viking dealer with all the machines on display, so you can give them a try. They have nice selections of machine embroidery thread and notions, and it's also a quilt store, so they have loads of fabric. I shall be making a few purchases today! 

Have a super day!

Ciao!!!!

Organizing - before and after

Ready or not -- I'm as prepped as I can be for my first session of serger events in French. Yikes --- it's like a whole new language! OK -- so it is a whole new language. I remember so many things in French, but I never sewed in French, and my vocabulary of things sewing is well -- limited. What are tweezers called? (pinces) - what are those loopers called? (boucleur inférieur and boucleur supérieur and boucleur chaine). (Sorry -- I don't have time for the accents!)  I mean -- it's one thing to talk about a subject, and I could go on for hours about almost anything, but WHOA --- when you don't know the words -- that's a whole different story!

I think I'm ready -- my slide presentation is done, and my list of "cheat" words is written out. I've practiced it, and well -- it is what it is!

I'm not nearly as stressed as when I did the first French one way back in the fall, but it makes me get prepped way in advance! I just can't make up words! 

I did a LOT of cutting yesterday, and I almost finished all the cutting needed to prep for the weekend classes. Hopefully, the sewing won't take too long and then throw the pictures into a presentation -- well, four different presentations. Yikes! I'll make it!

I had someone help with the technical parts of two documents that I need to get finished, and those came back yesterday, so this afternoon, I need to give them the once over and hopefully send them on their way today. I would really like to get that task off the list by the end of the day, so we'll see how that goes. 

I sorted through the orphan block box and separated them into two piles: the brights and the muted. And I set aside some stuff to sew during the virtual retreat this weekend. Now -- how much will I get done? And I need to be working on my UFO project this month -- it's a big one, so that really should be my focus!

The muted orphan blocks

I would bet there are enough blocks for TWO lap quilts in this stack. Many of the blocks are NOT my blocks. I inherited them from someone else when I thought it was a good idea to rescue everything that came my way, and I've since learned that is NOT a good thing. 

I also dug out the red in my barn quilt blocks. OK -- so what I bought wasn't that far off. 

The reds will match close enough

The new one will suffice for the little bits of red in the blocks, and I'm OK with that. The more pinkish one got put with the Tula Pink Butterfly and is already cut for one of the blocks we're doing this month. 

I have a small group that I participate in for mixed media. Stuff that doesn't necessarily have to be a quilt. We play with loads of different things. OK -- so the rest of the group plays with crazy stuff, and I struggle just to get anything done. 

This past month, the theme was to use something from the kitchen, and this is what they came up with. WAIT -- I can't share that with you until Monday. Sorry!

Here are some pictures of an interesting situation. We've all been tackling our sewing spaces, and we know how much of a pain it is to have to keep moving things around. Most of us have the space to store stuff if it is well organized. 

This is what Linda did with her stuff. 

She has a storage shed where she keeps her WELL-LABELED tubs of stuff. While the tubs were well labeled, they were just haphazardly placed in the shed. 

The BEFORE of Linda's shed

So everything got moved out of the shed.

Sitting outside the shed

The messy side of the shed is clear

Out with the old hodgepodge of shelving units. 

Old shelving units

In with the new uniform shelving units. 

New shelving units

And VOILA  --- a very organized space in which she will be able to find anything!!!

The AFTER

She was able to move quite a few tubs from the sewing space into the shed and look -- she even has spare room!!!

Some open spaces on the shelves

I love having some spare space on the shelves, and my view on that spare space is totally different than it used to be. I used to say -- OH -- I have space, I can buy more stuff. Now, my thoughts are -- that empty space looks awesome -- I want more empty space!! 

Now the area around her long arm is free, so she can actually quilt on it. 

The long arm has been freed!

It took a lot of hours to make that happen, but wow -- it looks so amazing! So proud of you, Linda, for persevering and getting that done!

Thanks to Laura, who suggested looking at videos on YouTube that people have posted from Quiltcon! I never thought of that. Here's the first of several that I'll share this week. Wow -- some of these quilts are stunning. Look at the quilting -- some quilting is very detailed, others not so much. But looking at the pictures in this video just makes me rethink -- what exactly is a modern quilt? I know there are characteristics -- negative space, bold colors, improv, etc. but really? None of that is new, and none of that really separates these quilts from regular quilts. 

It really is a sub-category of quilting, and we should just enjoy it and enjoy the fact that the younger generation is drawn to the modern world (even if it really isn't that modern!). 

I promised I would no longer talk about the snow, but I have one last set of pictures to share with you. 

See this huge mound of snow? It's not at the end of my dead-end street, but at another one near the house. This is how they used to do the snow on our street. You could then drive around the mound, and everything was fine. 

The mound of snow at the end of a dead-end street

This is what the backhoe driver did on our street. He shoved it all against the forest. 

At our street, it all got shoved into the forest

Now you would think that is a good thing. Well, not when he shoved it all onto the sidewalk and past the sidewalk. There is an entrance to the forest there and we are now walking INTO the forest itself in order to get to the path. 

Sigh................

The sidewalk is beside the light post

I had a peek at the path yesterday, and we opted to NOT walk in the forest. It was a sheer sheet of ice. Not very safe. The sidewalks in the morning were not fun, so we walked mostly on the street and on the multi-purpose path. 

The forest is too icy to walk

When I went out in the afternoon, most of the ice on the sidewalks had melted as we had sun. And oh my --- my neighbor was out shoveling the last of the ice off their sidewalk. They finally put salt on it to help melt the ice and then she shoveled the rest off. Now, why can't they do that on their own without being reminded by the city? 

I might have to take Miss Murphy to the vet today. It appears that she has damaged her toenail and she is not happy. She keeps licking it -- I do have a cone of shame that I could use, but I'm "trusting" her to not touch the paw. I know it'll heal on its own, but I'm worried about it becoming infected. I could cut the nail, but I'm not sure that will help. I'll call them later today and see if they think it warrants a visit. 

Let's just say that she not out running like an idiot in the backyard at the moment! Poor thing. 

Well, that's it for today. 

Don't forget the virtual retreat this weekend. Remember it's open to anyone and it's free. You can come and say HI or stay awhile and fire up your sewing machine and sew along with us. It's really just an open link to chat with like-minded people! Not scary at all. 

Saturday, February 26  Starts at 6 PM   Eastern Time Zone

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89254233911?pwd=VGQrTnFybW1HMWpleHA4M2Q2NGVwZz09 Meeting ID: 892 5423 3911 Passcode: 982797

Sunday, February 27  --- Starts at 11:30 AM   Eastern Time Zone

Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81693717518?pwd=STNoVVQzbDd4ZnROQndNNlpvcC90QT09 Meeting ID: 816 9371 7518 Passcode: 579285

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!

How to make a modern quilt

It was the monthly meeting of the West End Modern Quilt Guild yesterday. What a super talented bunch of ladies. I'm so impressed by their talents, their drive and their ability to open their minds to explore new avenues.

Yesterday was a day of sharing notions and tools that we liked and disliked. Oh boy - there were some amazing tips and it's so nice to see participation from all of the guild members. I always say that the more you put into anything, the more you get back in return. It's just boring to be a passive member of anything - even day to day life.

Here's a sample of some of the work we saw yesterday.

Our guild participated in the Modern Quilt Guild charity challenge for Quiltcon 2018.  In case you don't remember that quilt, this is what it looked like.

West End Modern Quilt Guild charity challenge for 2018

We had a lot of half square triangles and odd bits of fabric left over from the project and not wanting it to go to waste, I decided to divvy up the leftovers into 35 bags (one for each member). A while back, I distributed the bags to the guild members with the idea that at the May meeting, we would have a show n tell of what the members created with their little bag of goodies.

I know that a lot of members forgot the challenge as we only had four pieces show up at the meeting. But that's OK. They've all been reminded (that's the big issue - people don't write these deadlines in their calendar and it was only a verbal note at the meeting so I don't blame them!)

Anyway, here's a look at mine and how I got there.


I started by placing all the half square triangles on the design wall.  Each bag had a comparable amount of half square triangles in all the sizes. There were some leftover bits of unpieced fabric and each bag got some as well.  This is what I started with. I had laid the HST out in some semblance of a pattern.

My starting point

I needed one more half square triangle to fill the bottom right corner.

The next step

Then I sewed it all together.

All the HST sewed together

 My inspiration for this next step came from a member (Johanna) of the Grand River Modern Quilt Guild (of which I'm also a member) and that meeting was on this past Thursday night. Perfect timing. I sliced the piece up! Vertical slices that were somewhat even in width. Then every second strip got reversed and I sewed it all back together again. I LOVE IT!!!!!

My NEW modern piece

 I didn't get a chance to quilt it yet, but after seeing some of the other pieces, I might reconsider what I'm going to do with it. Maybe I'm not done yet.

BTW - I got rid of that last HST and the orange bits as one member wasn't around when the bags were handed out and I gave her my leftovers. I did add a white square to make the last HSTneeded in order to complete my rectangle. That was allowed. There were NO rules.

Here are the other pieces that showed up at the guild meeting.

This first piece was created by Veronica.  I love what she did and I love it even more that she had quilted it. Veronica is a traditional quilter who is experienced in life. What I so love about the modern movement - initially, I thought it was all about the young people. NOPE -- I think the older generations are having way more fun with the modern movement than the younger generations. Why? We have more money and time, we have the skill set for sewing,  and we have all the tools. More importantly, we have that burning desire to do something different.

Veronica's modern piece for the challenge

This one was done by Judy. I love it as well. Again, Judy is more experienced in life than the average modern quilter, but it looks like she embraced this challenge with gusto!!  It's quilted in a variety of ways which I love. It looks like she used pretty much everything that came in the baggie (as did Veronica above).

Judy's modern quilt for the mini challenge

 And look at her label!!!!   I love that!!!!!

The label on Judy's quilt

Then Heather got up to show us what she had done and my jaw dropped. Heather is also an experienced in life quilter and a very traditional quilter which she openly admits.  WOW - where the heck did this come from???   I absolutely LOVE the piece. She came up with the quilting idea herself and did it her self on her domestic machine. She used the lines in the small piece as her inspiration and to set the direction of the lines.

Heather's modern quilt for the charity challenge leftovers

 WOW  - WOW --- that was super show n tell for the leftover bits challenge from the charity quilt.


I think the rest of the members will show up next month with their completed projects as people were reminded of the challenge. I won't be at the next meeting, but I'm sure someone will take pictures!!!!

Way to go Judy, Veroni, and Heather. You've impressed me to death!!!!!

Here's my inspirational quote for the day!!!  That's exactly what ladies did. And did a superb job as well.

Inspirational quote of the day

I have to confess that after I got home from the meeting, I really didn't feel like doing much. It was coolish in the house, I was tired and so I had a wee nap. Not that long otherwise it messes up my night (and day).

I managed to get some cutting done.  I had been prepping for the next big ender/leader project and going through this box of scraps and cutting 1 ½" squares. I sorted through the box for those pieces that were big enough to get 1 ½" squares and that's the pile on the cutting mat.

Cutting 1 1/2" squares

Normally when I'm cutting/sewing, I listen to the radio. But I have an audio book that I need to listen to. It's on my phone which makes it handy and no need for headphones. I started the book and now I'm well into the book. The only problem, I realize is that I use the radio as a clock. Without the radio, the hours did fly by.

This morning, I thought I would get ambitious again and cut some more, but for a different project. Today, I'm cutting pieces for 150 Canadian Women. My goal?  Cut the remaining 24 blocks. I'm almost completed the white for all 24, then onto the red.

Cutting 150 Canadian Women blocks

I wanted to sit outside yesterday afternooon, but it was a tad too cool.  Today looks more promising.

But I've decided that I have to get some hand embroidery done. So while we watched a movie last night, I worked on this block. This is one of my UFOs and I had better get my act together if I have any hope of getting it completed by the end of the year.

Hand embroidery block

I'm almost done this block, but it'll still take an hour or more to get it done. A couple more movies or more audiobooks.

Sorted more paperwork and it's in the box for the shredding date of June 2. Still, a HUGE stack to go through - we're talking YEARS worth of paperwork. I hate to just dump it all without quickly browsing the receipts and keeping one or two (for fun or just because).  Hey M -- you do realize that I'm making your job easy by getting rid of all this stuff now!!!!

Here's my advice to anyone out there and I so wish that someone would have given me this advice years ago and if they did that I would have listened to them.

1. Set aside some time every day/week to sort through whatever comes into the house and deal with it. 
2. Set up a filing system and use it. (I have one set up - hardly every used)
3. Watch what you buy. Do you really need five thousand (OK - a slight exaggeration) of one thing?
4. Don't let your kid dictate what you buy
5. Watch how many craft supplies you buy
6. Don't buy Happy Meals just for the toy

Anyway, we're (I'm) muddling my way through this mess. Every day, it looks better (I just need to make sure to do a little every day) but I'm so of the midset to get a dumpster in the driveway and open the windows and doors and just dump everything (except the basement studio) that we haven't touched in 6 months. I'm so ready, but the practical side of me (learned from my parents - darn them!) says - go through it - sort it, keep some of it, give some away, blah, blah, blah. 

On that note, I see that the day is gorgeous outside. I've NOTHING planned for the day, although I do have a ton of work to do. But I think it's time to pump up those bike tires and hit the road.  Then think how many calories I can eat today!!!!

Have a super day!!!

Ciao!!!!!

BTW - I see that Lexi was at the computer this morning. Check out her blog. 

Why I belong to a guild

I currently belong to four guilds. I know - it's too many, but there's so much going on at a guild meeting - it's great to go if for no other reason than to learn stuff.

Last night was the meeting for the Mississauga Quiler's Guild.  Here's a recap of what happened and you'll see why guilds are important. The guild has an amazing web site (which I NEED to visit more often), but the webmaster does a great job of putting up all kinds of information to keep the members up todate and for those that are looking for quilting information in our area.  I confess that I'm more of a push person - if the links or the patterns are PUSHED to me in an e-mail, I'll get them. But to remember to visit a web site?  Not going to happen.

We had a short presentation on Quilts at the Creek. This is an amazing show that happens in the summer at Black Creek Pioneer Village here in Toronto. It's an outdoor show and if you haven't been - well you need to check it out. There's going to be a fabulous display of red/white quilts in celebration of Canada's Sesquicentennial, but there will be other quilts on display as well.  If you're interested in volunteering or entering a quilt or just booking the day to come visit, check out the link. I want to make a quilt (of course) and this MUST go on my list to make it soon, no rushing around at the last minute as is the norm for me.

Next up, we had a short presentation from the volunteer coordintor for Quilt Canada.  This show which takes place in Mississauga in June is going to be an exceptional show. In addition to the National Juried Show, there will be other displays, one of which is going to be Quilts of Valour and well, I've forgotten the other displays, but some amazing quilts will be on display.  It's also a good opportunity to check out sewing machine dealers if you're into a new machine or a long arm, so check out the many vendors who will have fabrics, patterns and notions to sell.

I forgot - there is also classes for you to sign up for.  I'm doing TWO lectures and one class.  Please sign up, the lectures - one on Modern Quilting and one on working with Panels. Check out this link to get more information on my lectures. For those of you who've taken a class or workshop with me, you know it's going to be loads of fun. There will be tons of samples, particularily in the panel lecture and loads of ideas.  It's going to be well worth your time. And if you've been wondering about Modern Quilts, come to the lecture, there'll be loads of information and suggestions, etc.

The class I'm teaching is on applique.  If you're trying to improve your applique techniques or don't even know where to start, all the applique techniques will be covered.  Check out this link for more information.

BUT even more important than the classes and lectures, is VOLUNTEERING.  Without volunteers, the show will NOT happen. It can't. I volunteered last year and I LOVED it.  I think I ended up volunteering for two long days and I loved every minute of it. So check out the list and sign up at this link.  I just signed up to be a volunteer again.

There is also a Trend-Tex challenge that you can be part of and many, many other activities, like the Big Canadian Sewing Bee.   Just check out the web site and put any commitments in your calendar with due dates. Book the dates off in June as well.

We were read the most beautiful thank you letter from a family of four that were living in a shelter over the holidays and learned that our gifts to them (quilts) were most appreciated. That's a BIG part of what our guild does. Give back to the community. The Quilt of Belonging was mentioned, more on that another day.

Fabulous show n tell, let's not forget the library (oh shoot - I forgot to check if they have those novels!) and then at last the speaker.

Our speaker last night was Lorna McMahon.  If you don't know Lorna, perhaps you know her blog/company - Sew Fresh Quilts.    Holy - she is a prolific quilter when you consider she started FOUR years ago.  She had taken to quilting and the social aspect of quilting like a duck to water.  I follow her blog and it's just so much fun to see what design she comes up with next. I'm still waiting for a Husky dog!  But maybe I'll have to design one myself.

And there were many of Lorna's blog followers at the guild meeting and they were thrilled to meet her.  I love her and I love her stuff.  Rock on Lorna!!!!

The commaraderie, the excitement - well those are things that you just can't get by sitting at home.  There is so much going on, I forgot the block of the month, the draws, the big sewing bee blocks.

Hopeully you have a guild in your area that you could become part of or if you live in the city, please check out our guild.  It's pretty exciting!

I also should mention that I'm doing a lecture on Modern Quilts at Ruti's Needlebed on Feb 11 - that's next Saturday.  It's only one hour, but if you've no idea what Modern Quilts is all about or want to learn more, come to Ruti's next Saturday.  NO - you MUST sign up as there is limited space.  If there is enough interest, we might continue on as an actual Modern Quilt Guild.  The session is going to be catered to those in attendance.

On a silly note, I got a paper cut on my pinkie. Yep - right on the part that I use to type which makes blogging slightly painful! Hopefully by tomorrow, that stage will be over.

And now I'm off for a day of total silliness. A deadline which at this moment seems impossible, but I'm not thinking about the end, just one step at a time.

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!

The great debate!

I`ve been meaning to write about this quilt for a while - today`s the day.  If you went to Quilt Canada, you would have seen this quilt. It`s called Crackin`the Code by Tannis Fahlman.  I spoke to Tannis in person and she has allowed me to discuss her quilt on my blog.

Crackin`the Code by Tannis Fahlman

Crackin`the Code by Tannis Fahlman

What type of quilt comes to mind when you look at this quilt?  Is it traditional? Is it modern?  There was a lot of discussion about this quilt. The quilt was entered into the Traditional Wall and Bed Quilts and it won FIRST PLACE.

I must confess that I was a bit dismayed when I first saw that this quilt had been awarded the first place ribbon for Traditional Wall and Bed Quilts.  I was concerned of the message that was being sent to the quilting world. Is the traditional quilt on the way out? I know there were a few comments about how few quilts were hand quilted.  Let's face reality folks - not many people are hand quilting. If we want this industry to move forward, we have to accept that machine quilting HAS taken over - years ago.  If people still hand quilted their quilts, nothing would get finished.

But back to this quilt - traditional or modern?  Was the proper message sent to the quilting community?  As I mentioned, I had the good fortune to have Tannis in my class, so I had time to chat to her.  Her rationale for putting it in the Traditional Category is this - there is ONE block in the quilt. AHA - I hadn't thought about that. Indeed - there is only one block in the quilt. Now that one block is NOT traditional (she made it up) but there are thirty identical blocks in the quilt. That is very traditional and NOT modern at all.

The block in this quilt

The blocks were rotated in a "random" pattern until the quilt deesign was pleasing to her eye. Then she sewed it together.

The other thing about this quilt is there are TWELVE borders. Yes TWELVE.  That is also very traditional (to have borders) and very NOT modern.

Twelve borders

The quilting would also qualify as non-traditional, but seriously - with machine quilting - what is tradtitional and what is not?

The quilting

I wish they could have put a sign on the quilt to tell people why this quilt was traditional, not modern because it has a very modern feel to it.  I think the colours also add to the modern look, yet the way it is assembled (30 blocks and 12 borders), is very traditional.  Maybe that is what they call Traditional Modern quilts. If you look on Google Images for Traditional Modern, you get traditional blocks in modern coloring.

There is a category at QuiltCon called Modern Traditionalism – Quilt design incorporates the use of an identifiable traditional block pattern and modernizes it by applying design elements such as alternate grid work, asymmetry, color, scale, etc.

So technically Tannis' quilt wouldn't fit that category because her block is NOT traditional.  Interesting.......

Anyway, I thought you would be interested in that story.  I think this quilt is pivotal and we're going to see more modern traditional quilts in this category in the future.


Have a great day!!!

Ciao!

PS - just a quick note about the judging process for Canadian Quilter's Association (and Quilt Canada). All THREE certified judges have gone through a very rigorous training session over the course of several years. The certification is taken very seriously. All the quilts entered go through a very strigent jury process as well and the quilt maker is contacted if the jury feels the quilt is in the incorrect category. Tannis said she was contacted by the jury and she gave them her rationale (outlined above) why she wanted the quilt to remain in the traditional category.

There is no right or wrong to this debate.  It just goes to show that quilting is constantly evolving and it becomes harder and harder to categorize some of the quilts. I think that is a good thing - it's means we, as quilters, are growing and pushing the envelope.

A blast from the past!!!

I was totally blown away by the feedback that we got from our impromptu meeting. I got more e-mails throughout the day!  Wow!  We are definitely going to do this again for next guild year. Now here's the big question - what comes first? the members or the topic?   Hmmmm - that's an interesting dilemma - it's like the chicken and the egg.   If you have any suggestions on cool topics - let me know and I'll see how I can compile them. It's basically the same thing I do with my blog.   I get story ideas from everywhere and then one day - it all comes together. I've got several in mind - just have to think the logistics through.  Like that will happen - I need a 48 hour deadline and it will come together no problem!

Love my job - love my job.  Some quilters were in the warehouse yesterday and of course, I had to zip out to meet them.  Turns out one of them used to be a member at the Mississauga guild many many years ago.  We had a great chat, I gave them an impromptu show n tell and got them organized for the challenge - more on that in a second and they were good to go.    Ooops - I'll give you more details on that challenge another day. 

However there are downsides to the job.  How about being asked to make something out of "this" and "this" so it will sell.  Yikes!   No presssure!!!!!  I don't really call that a down side - it just means that I have to put my thinking cap on - break out EQ7 and away we go.  Plus I found a recent book that is perfect for one of our new panels that will be released at Spring Market in Salt Lake City.  Never mind the tutorials and patterns that need to written - OK - I need 48 hours in a day!  

But since I love what I do - I'm not worried. I just need to find some quiet time to focus on that writing, but once I set my mind to it - it won't take long and it really is just revamping some stuff I wrote a while ago. But I'm off to the Lancaster show in about 10 days and this stuff needs to be done by then. So I think a bit of discipline is in order. Got to get my new phone working in the car and download some books as I'll be driving to Lancaster! Yeah - road trip!  I wonder how much stuff I can shove in the car for the trip home??  Too bad row by row hasn't started yet.  I've got more details on that for another day!

Got to do some tidying on my computer.  I'm in the process of writing for three different blogs and all three are on different platforms. All three are open as well as my photo editor and my computer is starting to protest. I guess I had better reboot it after this post gets published!

Back at the end of February, I managed to get to PAMA (Peel Art Gallery and Museum Archive)  to see their display of antique quilts.  It was definitely worth going to.  Actually when I think of it, the timing was pretty funny since I was prepping to leave for QUILTCON which is Modern Quilting.   However - the two styles (modern and traditional) are married in more ways than you think. 

Entrance to PAMA

In downtown (or is that old town) Brampton

PAMA is in the older part of the city and I don't know if they have a name for it.

Home to a half naked squirrel - I wonder how he lost his hair?

And I thought this fence was brilliant.  There is a real door and a real window - now how cool is that?

Artistic fence

It's really interesting to see how people react to quilt shows. I know of two different people who went to this show and one person was "oh it's OK - saw one quilt I liked".  The other person encouraged me to go and I'm very glad I did.  I must confess that I look at most things through the eyes of a child. My eyes are always open to little details, to the creativity, to the workmanship (good or bad), and I can't stress enough how little things amuse me. If curiosity killed the cat and I was a cat - I'd have been dead years ago - even with nine lives. I want to know EVERYTHING!

I would love to post all the photos I took, but here is a sampling (a rather large sampling) and how I saw the show.

Title of the show

Info about the show

And let's give credit to Cathy who is a VERY accomplished quilter and a master when it comes to quilt history

And now on with the show.................


There were a LOT of log cabin quilts.  Log cabin is my favourite block in the entire quilt world and if I could only make one block for the rest of my life - it would be the log cabin and it's many variations.

Log cabin quilts

 Now I know you are thinking - that middle quilt is NOT a log cabin. Doesn't look like it - does it?  BUT have a look at the detail.

Detail of the log cabin

 AHA - that is a log cabin after all.  And wow - what about those pieces. How small are they???

Those pieces are THAT SMALL.   One block is about 2 inches square

  I am suspicious that the pieces are folded and sewn along the edges?   A little hard to tell when you can't touch.  But the quilt was magnificent and in excellent condition.

Can you guess how many pieces are in that quilt????

Yep - that many!!!!

Then another quilt caught my eye.  Annie May Johnston made this quilt and reproduced images of local schools and churches.

Quilt commenorating local schools and churches

Detail of one block

 Now I want you to read this label below and tell me if you know what she used to create the blocks????

Information about the quilt blocks

Did you ever use those products????   Does the name Artex come to mind?????   I know there was another brand, but the name escapes me at the moment.  And how do I know????  

Well around the time that Annie May was making this quilt, a young girl (still in high school and living in Saskatchewan) was also making a quilt using those same darn tubes of liquid embroidery. And she still has the quilt to show you.

MY beautifully painted blue roses

I painted those squares when I was in high school and put the quilt together when I left home and got married at a ridiculously young age (gasp!).  I used this quilt on our bed - the dog jumped on the bed and probably slept there too and sunlight and well a few of the squares aren't holding up so well.  I think I did a beautiful job on the roses - not so much on the leaves!

Ooops - a few squares are deteriorating

Badger (my dog at the time) did have a field day one day with the quilt and many years ago, I took it apart and repaired it. But it has gotten worse. And look at that lovely polyester batting of which I think I used several layers and the quilt  is THICK.  Hand quilted no less.  My intention is to take it apart and save the good squares (back them with interfacing) and put it back together again using COTTON, not polyester, although the polyester (the blue) has held together quite nicely.

Anyway - I digress.

There were also a number of crazy quilts.  I love the fact that each one is different. Some are whole cloth style, some are blocks, embroidered or not. Anything goes with crazy quilts.

Crazy quilt

 One of the things about crazy quilts that I absolutely love is the use of RIBBONS.  A lot of political ribbons, cigar silks and other commorative items were created and used in the quilt.  Imagine if they still had political ribbons today.  I wonder what some of them would say!

Commemorative ribbons

Another ribbon and this quilt has jewelry on it

 There were also many different styles of signature quilts.  These are always fascinating - who were all these people.  What were they hopes and dreams?  Since many of them were used for fund raisers  - what did they do with the money they raised?   And did they have the same issues with getting the projects done and the same people doing the bulk of the work?

Signature quilt

I always get a laugh out of these type of signatures.  Remember when everyone was MISS or MRS?  I guess I'm dating myself there. OK - mentioning that I made a quilt using liquid embroidery dates me!

Mrs. Fraser!

Signatures on a crazy patch!

The other thing I love about quilts is TEENY TINY pieces.   And this next one didn't disappoint.

Teeny tiny pieces in this quilt

Made from silks or sateens

Information about the quilt

 You see why it is important to put a label on your quilt???   Not only is it fun to read about why the quilt was made, but where, by whom, etc.  There are so many quilts out there today - they all can't possibly end up in a museum.  But that label information should be important to your family? friends?

I would hate to see a quilt made by me with this label on it.

Not a lot of information about this quilt

There were a couple of quotes on the wall and I think you will get a kick out of this one.  Bottom line - quilting beats the gym any day!!!  Although I get fired up at the gym so I can quilt more!  Oh yes - pay attention to the DATE!

Quilting beats the gym!

Looking at some of the quilts and the dates of the quilts, you wonder how the heck they had time to make them. Some of these quilts are very labour intensive. I just hope that the quiltmakers of today can also take pride and joy in their quilts because most of us don't have a lot of time to sew.

Saying that is as true today as in pioneer times

In another exhibit at PAMA, I stumbled across this quilt commemorating Canada's Centennial.

Canadian Centennial quilt

Quilt information

 Yes - 2017 will be the Sequicentennial for Canada!  Can you say that word???   I know that Northcott has some things up their sleeve for Canada's big birthday and I had better get my butt in gear to get my part finished by this coming week.  You must stay tuned for that big event - it's going to be fun!


Now check out this last picture.  If that isn't a modern quilt, I'll eat the next quilt I make. But look at the date!

A modern quilt from 1941

Just keep this in mind as you move forward in your quilting adventures. NOTHING is new - NOTHING.  It's all in how you look at it.

Wow - that was quite a trip. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!!!!

Have a great day!!!!!


Ciao!!

PS - the show closed at the end of February just in case you are wondering.