A Great Fall Drive

Autumn is beautiful in Ontario. We are lucky to live in an area where the maple leaves change colour before they fall, giving us a spectacular show to enjoy and it is a great excuse for a road trip. About three hours from where I live, the new Port Hope historic Barn Quilt Trail is a driving route that takes you through rural countryside to view painted quilts mounted on heritage barns.

The gently rolling hills of Northumberland County are scenic at the best of times but now 23 barn quilts offer up a salute to area history, each displaying a beautifully painted board highlighting the narrative of the farm, its function and its people. 

On the trail's website you can see not only the barns but also a bit of their history along with the barn quilts that you can expect to find along the way. They are beautifully rendered. I think that #2 and #7 might be my favourites. 

Seeing these barn quilts led me to searching for other examples online, and there are some beauties out there. I think that this one might be my favourite...

but I also liked this one...

and this one. Unfortunately, I could not find links to these images to share with you.

Want to make your own? Here's a tutorial using either bead board or plywood, depending on whether you want it for indoor or outdoor use.

There have been rumblings recently that a similar project is being considered for our area so maybe one day soon I will be able to share that route with you. Happy trails!....M

Canada Day 2.0

If you saw yesterday's post you know that it was pretty wet and rainy here, which meant cancelled Canada 150 fireworks. Apparently they are a go for tonight but there's also a thunderstorm in the afternoon forecast, so there's no guarantee. Fingers are crossed.

As I wait, I'm working on hexies. I've made a start on my red & white Canada 150 hexie diamond to include in Minnie - just need to add the outside ring of hexies.

It was a toss up between the cream floral and the tiny red & cream print; the floral wins because they are already cut 😊.

Those little stars seemed like the perfect celebratory print to include in this one.

I'm working on larger hexies too. There are now six hexies together for Anna Levens and I'm turning under more cream hexies to add the next row.

And, given that the rains had let up for a bit this morning, I went out to check on the rhubarb. To my delight there is still a good crop there (despite the soggy, soggy earth) so I've got the butter softening up to mix up a Lemon Buttermilk Rhubarb Bundt Cake. YUM! Love long weekends!....M

Oh Canada!

It's a party that's been 150 years in the making and today's the day! Happy 150th Canada!

Mother Nature isn't totally cooperating though - it's been wet and soggy for what seems forever and last night's thunderstorms are threatening to mess with tonight's fireworks, but we'll see. In typical Canadian fashion though folks don't seem to be letting a little rain get in the way. Huge crowds have gathered in Ottawa and are welcoming, among others, royal guests Charles, Prince of Wales and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. Nothing like a royal visit to create a little excitement.







In the months leading up to this day there have been all kinds of special ways to celebrate popping up, quilty and otherwise. One of my favourites is a partnership between Absolut Vodka and Canadian artist Libs Elliot to make a new bottle design and a quilt using code to generate the design - check out the video. I don't think I've ever made a Cosmopolitan, but this seems like a perfectly good reason to try.

I've shared a few Canada 150 quilts and fabrics with you over the past months and I'm certain that you have seen lots of them popping up on Pinterest, so I won't repeat myself. I am going to dig into my little hexies though and see if I can't make a red and white diamond to include in Minnie for posterity.

I'll also leave you with a lighthearted short animated film that I grew up watching called the Log Driver's Waltz though - it's a genuine bit of Canadiana.

I live in a small city on the shores of the beautiful and historic Ottawa River, a hotbed for log drives over a century ago as this country was being settled. Not only is it a fun little ditty, it begins with a short clip of log drivers in action, demonstrating their incredible skill at getting the logs down river to the mills (and staying alive!). It's also a nod to the Ottawa RedBlacks football team who have adopted the red and black plaid of the lumberjack as their unofficial team uniforms. Happy Birthday everyone!....M

A Canada 150 Quilt Along

There's been a fair bit of Canada 150 stuff in my blog lately, and here's another little nugget (you only turn 150 once, right?). This week I received an email from the gals at Modern Bee with an invitation to join the Canada 150 Quilt Along with Lorna Costantini. She has designed an original pattern to commemorate the occasion and created a Facebook group with step-by-step tutorials where less experienced quilters can follow and/or share your progress. Easy peasy.

This is one that you quilt using your domestic sewing machine. Large individual blocks (24 x 24" is the largest) give you lots of room for quilting large open negative spaces using your walking foot. It's finished off with a few appliquéd elements and large stitch hand quilting.

If you prefer a smaller project, she's designed this matching pillow as a bonus.

The quilt and pillow can be admired at Modern Bee's shop and the patterns (both printed and PDF download) and kit can also be purchased online here. And, just to sweeten the deal, there's free shipping on Canadian orders over $100.

I like this quilt because it strays from using only red and white fabrics yet it is still very Canadian - think those Canada Flying Geese have anything to do with it?

So if you are keen to join in the fun and celebration of an important Canadian milestone and make a memorable, treasured family heirloom, have at it....M

I Wasn't Expecting That!

When I left my quilts with Roberta last Friday I remember distinctly telling her that there was no rush - she could fit them in whenever and wherever she could - so you can imagine my surprise when I opened my email on Wednesday and she said they'd be ready to pick up Friday afternoon. Talk about a surprise!

As usual, she has done just a beautiful job on them. She even went so far as to buy a new pantograph that has a lovely little maple leaf embedded in the swirls for the little Slab Quilt for Canada's Big Bee. It's a nice touch for this Canada 150 quilt and I can imagine some little person wiling away the hours in search of all of them throughout the quilt.

The backing worked out beautifully and I'm going to use a red gingham print for the binding.

It's made and attached so I will spend the rest of the afternoon sewing it on as my little friend who is visiting enjoys a nap.

There's a Sour Cream Coffee Cake in the oven, so the house is just starting to fill with wonderful scents. I was going to bake an apple cake but didn't have enough apples so I started looking for option B.

This recipe has been in my folder for years and I don't think I've ever made it - I'm not even sure how long I've had it - so today was the day to try it out. If we like it, it stays in the recipe file, if not, I'll pitch it. The smells of chocolate and cinnamon coming from the oven right now have me voting in favour of keeping it, but the true test will be in the sampling. Of course the Official Cookie Tester will need to weigh in on things as well....M

I'm Off To See The Wizard...

Yesterday I felt like Dorothy skipping along the yellow brick road, off to see the quilting Wizard, a.k.a. Roberta, my long-arm quilter at Cocoa and Quilts. A couple of weeks ago she was browsing through my blog and saw the posts about the Slab and Disappearing Four Patch charity quilts and very kindly sent me an email offering to quilt them for me. I couldn't refuse!

So I've been busy putting the finishing touches on the tops.

I made the smaller version of the Slab Quilt for the Canada's Big Quilt Bee (12 blocks), and have two additional blocks that I will include in the package.

Roberta had generously offered to provide backings as well but I happened to find this piece of stylized maple leaves in my stash so I went with that - it seemed perfect for this little patriotic project.

And I got the Disappearing Four Patch top together as well. Love it! It finished off at about 62" x 72", which will be a nice size.

This is such a light, airy and feminine quilt - totally reminds me of a summer garden.

I found a blue floral print in my stash of backings that I think suits it well. No outside border for this one, just a binding that will be the same as the backing.

Early yesterday I sewed the backings together and headed over the hill to leave them with Roberta. We had a great visit and she's keen to get started. I am so over the moon that she is doing this for me that I can't tell you - proof positive of the big hearts that reside in the quilting community....M

A Big, Big Bee

If you are looking for a special way to celebrate Canada's 150th birthday, the gals at The Canadian Quilters Association have hit upon a great idea. They are planning a HUGE quilting bee - maybe Canada's biggest ever - to create 1,000 quilts. That's big!

Over 88 guilds from across the country are participating in Canada's Big Quilt Bee but you don't have to belong to a guild to get in on the fun. It all culminates in a four-day quilt bee at Quilt Canada 2017 in Toronto from June 14 - 17.

It's not only a lofty goal (pardon the pun), it's for a great cause. The plan is to donate two quilts to every room at Ronald McDonald Houses across Canada, which provide families of sick children with a home to stay at while their child is being treated at a nearby hospital. These are extended stays, often as long as six months to a year, so when they leave for home they can take their handmade quilty hug with them.

They are asking anyone interested to make Slab blocks or quilts using Cheryl Arkinson's pattern - lots of fun, improv stitching.

For an extra sesquicentennial touch, they are asking that each block include one piece of fabric from four different Canada 150 fabric lines specially designed by various manufacturers. I found these three pieces and have incorporated the two on the right into each of my blocks.

My blocks have a very patriotic feel - all reds with a little white tossed in for interest. The blocks finish off at 12", so they are big, and come together quickly.

For full details visit the Canada's Big Quilt Bee; you'll find everything that you need to know there if you're interested in helping out. Remember, you can give one block, or two, or enough to make a full quilt top (there are two different size options); the deadline is May 30.

So, my Valentine this year is to finish off the last of my 12 blocks. Fittingly, I will be wearing my 'Ronald McDonald' socks as I sew, a snazzy Christmas gift from Finland that I received from my brother and his wife a few years ago....M

A Quilt Made of Ball Gowns

Canadian Conservation Institute

This is a big year for Canada. We are celebrating our sesquicentennial and there's lots of wonderful quilty threads that will be running through it. Here's a small sampling.

Betty recently shared a story on facebook about a quilt made of ball gowns - how romantic is that? Its 152 years old and has been carefully restored by the Canadian Conservation Institute in Ottawa. Created by dressmaker Fanny Parlee out of scraps from silk and velvet gowns that she made for ladies attending Charlottetown Confederation balls and galas in 1864, it is both a piece of history and a work of art. The Charlottetown Conference brought together reps from the colonies of British North America to discuss confederation and laid the foundation for the formation of Canada.

Canadian Conservation Institute

Sixteen large blocks and four smaller ones combine to create a beautiful crazy quilt finished with a soft grey ruffle. It was sent to Ottawa in the mid nineties but the painstaking restoration process didn't begin until four years ago. It will be on exhibit at the Kings County Museum in Hampton, New Brunswick during the summer. Road trip, anyone?

Paper piecers might be interested in sewing up the Canada 150 logo; Dana Szucs Hayden has created a free pattern for you. I want to give paper piecing a try this year but I think I'll start with something a little simpler.

There's also a 150th quilt honouring inspiring, sometimes feisty, pioneering Canadian women designed by Kathryn Wilson Tucker entitled 150 Canadian Women. Made from 6.5" blocks, it is very reminiscent of a Dear Jane quilt. This free pattern is being offered for a limited time. It looks like things started around the end of November so some of the links may have expired but if you missed any they will all will be available to you on a CD at the end of the program.

And, just because you can't spend all of your time quilting, to celebrate Canada's 150th Parks Canada is offering its 2017 Discovery Pass for free throughout the year; it would normally cost around $140 per family. It's an opportunity to visit some of the country's most famous sites, such as Banff, Pacific Rim, the Bruce Peninsula, the Thousand Islands, Cape Breton and Gros Morne. You can have it shipped to your address for free, or pick one up at a park entrance; it covers unlimited entry to national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas operated by Parks Canada. I say again, road trip anyone?

Happy 150th Canada!....M