Row By Row

Tomorrow - June 21 - is the opening day for the 2016 Row By Row Experience.  For those of you unfamiliar with the program, you can find more information here. Basically, it's a shop hop where each participating store gives you a free pattern just for visiting their quilt shop, and offers a generous prize package to some very lucky quilters.  There's only one rule: you have to visit the shop to get the free pattern (none of this photocopying and sharing business is allowed!). Kits containing the pattern and fabric may be purchased mail-order from the shop WHEN THE PROGRAM ENDS (Oct 31) if you are unable to visit.
The theme for this year's program is "Home Sweet Home", where shops present what home means to them.  To Beth at Mrs Pugsley's Emporium, home base is the downtown clock tower building, synonymous with Amherst, Nova Scotia. It's got to be our country's most unique quilt shop! She asked me to create the clock tower in fabric for her row. As a pattern-maker, it did present a few challenges;  look at all those peaks...and windows!!

So many angles...

As always when patterning, my rule is "simplify, simplify, simplify." There is absolutely no point in creating a design too difficult for another to follow. I started with this photograph. (To further complicate things, Mrs P wanted the building shown from the angle most folks see it when coming down Victoria Street, or turning from Church Street, rather than straight on from the front.) The row could be either vertical or horizontal, and I chose the former so that the building would dominate the space. The size presented another challenge, as the row needed to finish to an awkward 9" wide x 36" high.  

I traced the edges of the building and then began paring down to the bare elements. (or as Michelangelo said about his famous sculpture, "It's simple;  I just remove everything that doesn't look like David.")

Here's the result - a building with simple lines, yet immediately recognizable as the clock tower building. To make it look quilty, chequerboard patchwork defines blue sky and clouds, and 3-D mini quilts hang freely on the green space in front of the building.  The piece is finished top and bottom with a piano keyboard border. As there is a time element involved in the awarding of prizes, the construction of the quilt is kept very simple - fusible appliqué and strip-piecing for the patchwork.

A small flag flies from the spike on the tower, bearing the words "Mrs Pugsley's Emporium". This ribbon is included in the kits which are available for purchase.

 Here`s the quilt photographed against the stone on the back of the building.

You can check out Mrs Pugsley's blog here, or find her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/MrsPsAmherst

Good luck to all the "rowers"!

Gold!

I was at Mrs. Pugsley's Emporium yesterday when a new shipment of Hoffman Christmas fabrics arrived. SO beautiful...these two pieces had to come home with me.  The one on the left is from the Peacocks Ornaments collection;  you can see tiny snowflakes in the background.  On the right is the cream/gold colourway from Berries and Blooms, and the gold in this fabric is stunning.You really have to see it in person to appreciate how gorgeous it is.

Mrs. Pugsley's has it in several colours, including a rich red, a burgundy, and a black (there may have been a green, too;  I was so enamored of the red and cream I could hardly see anything else!).  I will finish sewing my summer waves with Christmas in my head now.

It's Time For Colour In Amherst

Yesterday, Amherst and area quilt lovers were treated to a fabulous showing of works from award winning Canadian quilters.  Dorinda McCully, the CQA representative for Nova Scotia, arrived bright and early at Mrs. Pugsley's Emporium to set up the exhibit. Dorinda was accompanied by helper Simone Cooper, who is no stranger to Amherst, having attended our Fibre Arts Festival for many years. The show was entitled, "It's Time For Colour" and the pieces carried the theme well.

Each small quilt had its own special story, and Dorinda shared details on what inspired each maker, as well as on technical construction. Dorinda has been travelling extensively around the province with this exhibit and is well versed on the background of each wall quilt.

The pieces were of varied techniques -patchwork, appliqué, thread work, painting - and each expertly crafted.   

 There were note cards available for purchase as well.

You can visit the the CQA site for more details on these pieces, including the names of their makers. 

Dorinda and Simone travelled from Antigonish to bring the show to Amherst, on the road before 6 a.m. and not back home until early evening.  Even after the long day of driving, standing and talking, their smiles and enthusiasm remained intact (although I don't think they were too thrilled about the snow on the Cobequid Pass!!)  Thank you, Dorinda and Simone, for sharing these world-class works of art with us. 

Spring Hare

When the calendar says "March", we all automatically think "spring" (despite the fact that outside my window I can see it is snowing again!)  Last week, I picked up this new collection of fabrics by Lewis & Irene at Mrs. Pugsley's Emporium.  It's called Spring Hare.

Some of those bunnies gambling about look a bit like chocolate *-)

I've got a new design for a tablerunner and place mats which needed spring colours. I love the shade of blue - kind of like a robin's egg.  It may be awhile before we see any robin eggs around here in real life though!

Hoffman Challenge

For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to participate in the Hoffman Challenge.  Lo and behold, Mrs. Pugsley's Emporium stocked the required fabrics for the 2015 event.  How awesome;  it takes one off the old bucket list...The fabric collection is called Mandalay; the one on top below is the main one to be used.  Gold and pomegranate.

The rules are quite flexible so I paired a couple of other Hoffman prints with the line, which added both silver and gold sparkle.

One of the sponsors of the challenge is Aurifil Thread so I ordered some from Bytowne Threads to use in the piecing and quilting.  

The deadline is very generous and the completed project is not due until July so I have lots of time to enjoy the process.

It's Hard Not to Hoard Fabric...

I went to Mrs P's and bought fabric...I didn't need these fabrics but I sure did want them.  VW buses, antique sewing machines, a newspaper print (in French no less) -  it's so hard to resist.

I have no clue what I will make from any of them, but this newsprint by Stof  has intrigued me since I first saw it. When Linda was in town earlier this week, she sent me into a bit of a panic when I saw her heading to the cutting table with this bolt balanced on top of her pile.  I was afraid she was going to buy it all (she's like that, you know...) so I made sure I got some in case she comes back for the rest.  (She says she won't, but you just can't trust that woman around fabric...)

This one is called "And Sew On" by Henry Glass.  Frankly, I don't need to make anything from it, just having it to admire is satisfying. All those beautiful vintage machines with their black Japan finish and scroll-work details on a red background is perfection.

It goes nicely with my sewing machine collection...which includes this toy hand crank (a gift from my brother) as well as four Featherweights.  Surely it makes more fiscal sense to buy machine fabric rather than another machine...?

A New Quilt Shop Opens!

It was a big day in Amherst, Nova Scotia yesterday as Mrs. Pugsley's Emporium quietly opened the front doors to greet customers.  I took a few pictures but won't share many here;  you can check out Mrs. P's blog for more.  Let's just say there were some pretty eye-catching fabrics on display, including this bright collection shown in the middle here:

Mrs. Pugsley's Emporium is housed in an historically significant building and is a landmark in downtown Amherst.  It is an absolutely amazing spot to house a quilt shop.

Beth herself has been a big part of Amherst's history, in her previous life as owner/pharmacist of a drugstore originally owned and operated by Sir Charles Tupper, a former Prime Minister of Canada. She honours the clock tower building by creating in her store a unique ambiance of past and present, combining artifacts of Amherst's history along with a computer work station where how-to-quilt videos may be viewed and downloaded.  It is an interesting spot to say the least, put together with a great deal of vision for continued growth.

I left the shop with some "Flabbies" of a new line by Benartex called Floral Philosophy by Kanvas.  It will be awhile before I get to stitch these as I am still knee deep in book projects but I wanted to get them before they got snapped up.

Another customer was purchasing some of the gorgeous "Florentine" collection by Hoffman, which I have just finished using.  I know she will love these fabrics - my project just glows!

It's exciting to be able to walk down the street and have all these beautiful fabrics available...something our local area has not had for a long time. I encourage everyone to check out and support Mrs. Pugsley's Emporium (tell her Karen sent you :)  For now, open hours at the shop are minimal so check out Mrs. P's blog first to make sure she is open when you arrive.  

What's In A Word?

Having lived the early part of my life as first a student of the English language and then as a teacher of the same, I am always fascinated by words.  Odd sounding and looking words ...like onomatopoeia, which is almost an example of itself...or words borrowed from our French neighbours (couche tarde is my family's all time favourite in that category!)  I like being in line up at Tim Horton's to hear folks order with their proprietary lingo: "double-double", or "4 x 4".  I've often wondered how terms like "Fat Quarters" or "UFO"'s ended up as regular in quilter's vocabularies.  Everyone uses them NOW...but how did they get started?  I think I got a hint earlier this week, and I giggle each time I think about it...

Picture being in a quilt shop next to a person who asks for 12 Fat Quarters and a Flabbie to match one of the prints.  Yup, you heard it right -  flabbie!!  While doing some cutting for mail-orders, Beth of Mrs. Pugsley's Emporium came up against what one calls a half-metre cut.  Was there a special name for it?  Hmm., I don't think so - I just call it a half-metre.  Beth has decided at her shop, they will be named Flabbies.  Check out her post here, and have a giggle.  It makes perfect sense to accompany that Fat Quarter with something of similar terminology.  "Mrs. P's Emporium:  Home Of The Flabbie". :)

Maritime Beauty Kits

Last week I teased you with photos of the back of the Maritime Beauty I was working on.

 Now it's time for the big reveal!

I just LOVE this piece!

As mentioned previously, these are some of the new fabrics which have arrived at the soon-to-be-a-real-quilt-shop, Mrs. Pugsley's Emporium.  

The collection is by Robert Kaufman Fabrics and is called "Valley Of The Kings."  It is rich and elegant, with gold metallic accents in the black, gold and purple fabrics.  The collection includes a multi-coloured stripe which I saved for the bias binding;  I always love how stripes wrap themselves so gracefully around the outer curves. 

I shot a few pictures inside, and then my helper suggested we go out in the snow for some natural light.

What would I do without Polly's help?  We tried out a couple of spots to avoid too much sun or shade, and finally found a sweet spot to shoot.

This one below is my favourite shot. 

The owner of Mrs. P's liked it so much, she has decided to offer kits on the design.  These kits are available online only for now and the first few will go at a special price and with a reduced postage rate (only $6.50!)  Mrs. P's has put together two different kits:  one which includes all fabrics, even the backing fabric, for $30.00, and one which is just the fabrics for the top for $20.00.  (If you are in Canada, there is HST on top of that of course.)
You can purchase your kit by using the yellow Add To Cart button below.  Use the drop down arrow on the right hand side  to select the kit you'd like - either with or without backing.  The pattern for Maritime Beauty is NOT included in the kit, you can purchase that separately from my website.

Purchase Your Kit Here:

Without Backing $20.00 CAD Including Backing Fabric $30.00 CAD

Quilting Hijinks

Progress on Maritime Beauty was slower than hoped for yesterday.

I had the top all basted before I left for an afternoon appointment. When I returned, vandals had somehow gotten to the quilting and made a rumpled mess of everything.  I had to un-baste and start over.  Sigh... Regardless, by day's end the seams were all ditch-stitched using a neutral shade of Invisifil.  Early this morning I added a feathered wreath in gold thread.   Metallic thread is sometimes tricky to stitch;  it requires a sharp-pointed, large-eyed needle (like a metallic, top-stitch or Cordonnet) and a good reduction on the top tension to reduce drag on the thread.  My top tension was dialed right down to zero for the free motion and no issues with thread breaking.

It's hard to see in the picture, but from the back I've decided I like it and will proceed with more.

The vandals were duly located.  Isn't this one the epitome of innocence?  I expect if Polly could whistle nonchalantly, she would be doing just that.

Partner-in-crime Maddie doesn't even try to make an effort!

Sincerest thanks for all the nice comments and lovely emails yesterday.  Some who are set to "no reply" I cannot respond to, but just know that I appreciate your support and good wishes.