The Wentworth Valley

This month's Island Batik Ambassador challenge was to create a project using log cabin blocks. It took me awhile to decide what to make, as I love every log cabin quilt I've ever seen!  One design I've had in mind for a good many years is to interpret the patchwork of colours created in the fall when the frost hits our maple trees.  

One of the most spectacular spots to see these colours in all their glory is in the Wentworth Valley, between Amherst and Truro, N.S. They even have a Festival of Colours there each year, where visitors can take the ski lift to the top of the mountain.

What I see when I look at these pictures is a full rounded top, tapering narrower at the bottom.I decided to make a block with different widths of strips so that your eye sees a faux curve when the blocks are set together.  Our project needed to be at least 36" square, so I drew the block in EQ8 to finish at 6".  This gave me easy to cut strips of 1/2" and 3/4".

In the boxes of fabric supplied to me by Island Batik was a collection of Paisley Dot "Earth Tones", as well as coordinating yardage.  Perfect! I added a few more colours from my Blenders and Basics stash, including bright reds and yellows, and a few Paisley Dot "Brights" which were left over from Twinkle.

 Here you can see the curve formed from the uneven logs.

As I pieced each block, I added it to the design wall to ensure that each one coordinated with its neighbouring block.  Originally I planned for a 6 x 6 layout of blocks, but decided making it a bit longer would yield a good sized lap quilt.

 My final layout was 6 x 8  blocks, plus a narrow inner border and a 6" outer border, giving me a finished size of 49" x 60".

I used my very favourite Hobbs Tuscany wool batting for this project, which was generously included in our Ambassador boxes.

 Of course, I chose a variety of contrasting and coordinating threads from Aurifil.

I wanted a design which would pop up, and spirals with the wool batting underneath filled the bill. The spirals represent the wind rustling through the trees.

The block itself gets lost in the finished quilt, but you can see the individual patch below.

 I am very pleased with how it turned out.

 I quilted more free-motion spirals in the border, and added maple leaf motifs in each corner.

Thank you Island Batik, Aurifil, and Hobbs for supplying the beautiful products for this quilt, which I have name The Wentworth Valley. 

Aurifil Pop-Up Shop

There are all kinds of Christmas events happening this weekend in Amherst, and Sew Karen-ly Created will be part of that, with a pop-up shop of Aurifil thread at Mrs Pugsley's Emporium on Saturday.  I'll be there from 10-1.

 There was a new order of threads in this week, and they are gorgeous!  We've added more of the very fine 80 weight, and I will have samples there for you to feel and compare to the 50, 40, 28 and 12 weights, as well as sewn samples so you can see the difference.

Mrs Pugsley's Emporium is located at 50 Victoria Street East, Amherst, in the historic clock tower building downtown.  See you there!

To Market, To Market...

The annual trek to Quilt Market in Houston has begun and, although I will not be making the trip, I am thrilled that one of the projects I made for Island Batik will be there!  My Felicity Table Runner and Placemats, pieced in the new "Paisley Park" collection will be in the Island Batik booth.

I am very pleased to be featured as one of their designers in the 2018 Fall and Winter Catalogue.

Paisley Park is a gorgeous collection, and I enjoyed working with these rich, vibrant colours very much.  The pattern makes a great workshop piece, as it uses strip-piecing, curved seaming, and foundation piecing in a manageable sized project.  The pattern is distributed by Island Batik, so if you are in Houston, stop by their booth to order the pattern for your shop.

 You can check out the entire catalogue here.

Stitch Witchery

The witching hour is fast approaching, and this little stitchery is a fun and easy project you can whip up in no time!

Optical illusions fascinate me, and this super simple drawing trick is one we learned in elementary school.  I started out with plain white Kona cotton, and 12 weight Aurifil cotton thread. It stitches beautifully with a size 100/16 topstitch needle. Regular 50 weight cotton was used in the bobbin.

I began by tracing the outline of my left hand on the fabric with a removable marker.

 Then I added straight horizontal lines across the background. 

 The lines were stitched once, but I did a double pass on the hand to make it more distinct.

 Stitching slightly curved lines within the hand itself gives it a raised illusion.

Just to be a bit gruesome...I added a little stitching with red thread at the bottom of the wrist for effect.

 I think this would be a fun way to quilt a background in a Hallowe'en quilt!

You can watch a You Tube video here for inspiration on drawing the hand.  The 12 weight thread is available from my online store.  Happy Hallowe'en!

A Happy User!

You know I've mentioned how wonderful the Aurifil 80 weight thread is for hand-stitching? Well, here is an (unsolicited) email I received this morning from Jeanne Kaye Speight, who tried it for the first time yesterday:

"For my recent birthday, my sister sent me a cheque to buy a treat. Oh, the possibilities of that! But without much hesitation, I decided that a real treat, something very special, would be some of Karen’s thread! I know it is really Aurifil, but in my house it is simply called Karen’s thread. And what does she have in her shop but the new 80 weight, sold singly and in collections. One of the collections was the exact price of my birthday cheque, and a quick email to Karen ensured that I could get what I wanted.
I used this miraculous thread yesterday for the first time. I was making a set of placemats without binding, so I needed to turn them right side out and blind stitch the opening. The thread absolutely disappeared in this three inch closure. I used a colour to match my fabrics, but I think I could have used flaming flourescent pink and the stitches still would not have been visible. This will definitely be my "go to" thread for hand work, especially for hand sewing bindings in place (which I love to do). What a wonderful product.
If you have been thinking of giving the 80 weight thread a try, please do it! You will be delighted with it, and will want a variety of colours for all your handwork. Thank you, Karen, for stocking, and promoting, this product. It is a Winner!"

Wow! Thank you, Jeanne Kaye, for sharing your thoughts on the thread. I like it so much, I've ordered in more, but you can see my current selection here

And below...you see Jeanne Kaye's beautiful placemats!

:)

Do You Need Thread?

Because of your amazing support at the Nova Scotia Fibre Arts Festival (thank you!), our thread cupboard is sounding a bit hollow! There will be a new order for Aurifil thread going in very shortly.  If you are looking for a special colour, weight, or collection, kindly email your request to me before Saturday, Oct. 20. You can see what's available at the online store here. 

Thank you for your support!

Festival Threads

I love it when a new shipment of Aurifil thread comes in!  These have arrived just in time for the Nova Scotia Fibre Arts Festival, in town next week. 

 There are lots of cones in both 40 and 50 weight Mako cotton, perfect for both piecing and quilting.

Paula Nadelstern's "Deep Gems" collection is restocked; this one keeps selling out!  This perennial favourite has deep, rich, colours.  I love every shade in that box!

The "Kansas Troubles" collection is another favourite.

New this time, are 80 weight cotton threads.  This thread comes wound on charming cherry wood spools, each containing 300 yards of thread. The spools are available individually, or in a collection which offers savings per spool.

The Carolyn Friedlander Appliqué collection has a lovely assortment of colours, and this super fine thread is wonderful for English Paper Piecing,as well as hand or machine appliqué.

I've even quilted with it, with great success.  It looks fabulous on silk: (the 80 weight is the plume at the top)

From now on, for me it will be the go-to thread for hand binding;  it virtually disappears into the fabric.

The threads have now all been added to the online store, and I am happy to mail across Canada.  If you are in town next week for the Nova Scotia Fibre Arts Festival, I will have all the threads available at the Zonta Bazaar on Saturday, October 13, 10 - 4, at the Colonel James Ralston Armoury, 36 Acadia Street, Amherst.  Mrs Pugsley Emporium also graciously allows me to drop any orders down to her quilt shop for pick up there.  To do this, complete your order online and indicate in the comment field that you would like to pick them up at the quilt shop (50 Victoria Street E, across from Tim Horton's).  If you are accidentally charged shipping, no worries, I will promptly refund it to your card.
Hope to see you all next week!

Midnight Magic!

October''s challenge project for Island Batik Ambassadors was to create a piece any size, using any of the fabric they sent, using paper piecing.  We were given leeway to choose either foundation piecing, or English Paper Piecing (EPP). 

I decided to go with paperless paper piecing, also known as freezer paper piecing. It's a method I taught last year at our Nova Scotia Fibre Arts Festival.  I decided this would be a good time to write and release the pattern for my original design, called "Midnight Magic".

The construction method varies a bit from traditional paper piecing, in that you do not sew through the lines on your freezer paper, but rather beside the lines. 

The shiny side of the paper adheres to your fabric as you work, so no pins or glue stick required to keep things in place. This method produces the same sharp, perfect points as traditional paper piecing...but there is no messy paper to remove afterwards.  You simply peel off the freezer paper foundation from the fabric, and set it aside to be reused a second, third, and even a fourth time. It does feel good to make it to the top of the swoosh!

I chose fabrics from the "Basics" line by Island Batik. We were also supplied with plain black, which I used to cut the silhouette shapes. This gorgeous red looks fabulous against the light blue, and there is no mistaking who is the red streak across our midnight sky. 

The moon, as well as Santa's sleigh and reindeer, are machine appliquéd using Aurifil monofilament thread.

For the batting, I used a piece of Hobbs wool/cotton blend left over from last month's twinkle quilt.

I chose a holographic thread from Mrs Pugsley's Emporium to stitch wild, flowing feathers freehand up both sides.  I like the sparkle it adds to the magical night sky.

12 weight Aurifil is perfect for stitching the details of reins, antlers, and Rudolph's nose.

Not sure if you can see, but I also added more of the holographic thread in red up through the centre of the geese.

As always, my sincerest gratitude goes to Cheryl Coville, for her help with editing the pattern.  The pattern is available in print form, from my website, and soon to be in stock locally at Mrs Pugsley's Emporium.

Thank you to Island Batik, Hobbs Bonded Fibres, and Aurifil thread for supplying the products used in this wallhanging.

Last Call!

Tomorrow begins a new month - a super busy month! - so today is "last call" for students to sign up for the Beginner Feathers workshop at this year's Nova Scotia Fibre Arts Festival.  There are two spots left. Below is the sample we will stitch:

You will be provided with various weights of beautiful Aurifil thread so that you can see the effects each has.  I am particularly fond of stitching with the 12 weight:

There is more information and a registration button on this page. Come join us, for a very relaxed, no pressure class.

This week, in preparation for the festival, I will be setting up a display of my Island Batik quilts in a downtown store window.  I am also putting in the last touches for my October Ambassador project, beginning to get November's underway...as well as working on a project for Quilt Market. Later this week, a big order of Aurifil thread is arriving...and somewhere in there, is a Thanksgiving meal to prepare! (The pumpkin pie was such a disaster last year, I am not sure anyone wants me to try that again...:) Thankfully, I quilt better than I bake...