Habitat Challenge Quilt

When I joined the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild one and a half years ago I thought to myself... "Why am I joining a modern quilt guild? My style is far from modern!" After the first meeting, I realized that anything can be modern. My favourite explanations of modern were the following: Modern can encompass the self-taught/just wing-it approach to quilting. It can also describe technology used in this modern age such as blog, flickr & facebook. OH! That's totally me! I guess I'm a modern quilter!

It was definitely a challenge to work with the Habitat fabric line by Jay McCarroll. The Vancouver branch of the Modern Quilt Guild decided that any quilt or quilted object could be made as long as only more Habitat fabric or solids were added to the fat eighth packs donated by Free Sprirt. Read more about the Habitat Challenge here. These were definitely not colours or patterns that I would choose... ever! However, I did like the light blue polkadot since my usual style is Country Chic and how can you not love polkadots!

I managed to scrounge a few extra fat eighths from unclaimed packs for my quilt as I needed more of the polkadot fabric for my border. I also can't make anything lately without throwing in some natural linen! I liked how the neutral linen toned down the busy patterns and added a warm feel to the otherwise cool colours.

I decided to continue the leaf silhouettes from the fabric by free-motion quilting them into the linen background. It was a daunting task but once I got going it was pretty easy! My stitches are by no means consistent but no one will be looking at it that closely... This is definitely not something I would have tried before meeting Janet!

I hand-appliqued the tree, apples, and circles on the back of the quilt. I also stuffed the trapunto apples to give the quilt some dimension.

I used my extra fabric to make an interesting backing totally inspired by Paul's many fabulous quilt and equally fabulous backings.

I am very pleased with how this quilt turned out. It's probably the most modern quilt I will ever make!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

New Pattern Booklet

I am pleased to announce that there is finally a new pattern booklet in my SHOP! You can now make House Tape Measures for yourself and all your crafty friends... and just in time for Christmas too! There will be new patterns each month thanks to my new illustrator & friend Sarah Taylor! Thanks also to Krista for testing my House Tape Measure pattern!

Sit down with a cup of tea and start sewing your Christmas presents today! Visit my SHOP to instantly download a PatchworkPottery pattern booklet... print it out and you are ready to sew!

Watch for the Butterfly Potholder and Crane Star paper-pieced pillow cover patterns in December!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

*** For international crafters who are unable to find the tape measures locally, you can purchase them HERE. ***

Crane Star Pillow

Inspiration struck this week and I finally finished my Crane Star pillow. It's been so long that I think the panel faded slightly from sitting in the sun through the summer. Note to self... don't leave half finished projects on the floor!

From paper to fabric...

Front & back...

I wanted to try some "not-quite-straight" quilting that I saw at the last Vancouver modern Quilt Guild meeting for the back panels. I like it and it was super fun and fast. My Japanese husband said that the pillow looks very Japanese so I think that's a good sign!

I ran out of the pink fabric that I used for the crane on the front so I had to substitute it with a linen that was a close colour match. I pieced the binding with all six fabrics and added rainbow sashiko on the linen ties to echo the front of the pillow...

Stay tuned for the Crane Star paper-piecing & pillow cover pattern coming soon to my shop!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Apron, Tea & Stars

Come over for tea so I can show off my fabulous new apron!!! My friend and fellow quilt designer Sonja and I swapped some goodies on thursday night at the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild meeting and I am just giddy with excitement about the apron she made for me! I wore my new apron for the entire meeting and all the way home too!

The only problem was that I couldn't decide which side to wear because it's reversible! How cool is that?!! And I received all these other goodies too including some delicious Nut Crunch tea! Thank you Sonja!

Here is what Sonja received... I made her a cozy for her french press in colours to match the apron that she made herself a few months ago. I also included some homemade Cocoa Cranberry Cookies (my own recipe), a lavender teabag sachet, and some wood buttons from Italy & Japan.

I actually didn't know the exact size for her french press. However, she had sent me a picture and told me where she purchased it. So I snuck over to London Drugs, purchased the french press, brought it home, measured it, and returned it the next day! It was only slightly different than the Kaffe press from Ikea for which I designed my pattern.

I also did a tiny swap with Prairie Mouse. This little bird is flying all the way to New Zealand in exchange for this sweet little green bunny! Thanks Louise!

And here is a look at my newly updated tea drawer. The jars hold loose leaf teas and was inspired by The Great Wall Tea Co right here in New Westminster!

And because they look like my tea drawer, here is a peek at my wonky star blocks. I really like how they look right now but I still have a ziploc full of 2 1/2" linen squares so I'm not certain if the quilt will keep growing...

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Linen Skirts

The combination of hot weather and girls' birthdays gave me the perfect excuse to whip up these cute linen skirts!

These two skirts are for my friend's twin daughters who just turned three. They are really into Hello Kitty and Thomas & Friends so I came up with these non-commercial designs that I hope they'll love. The kitty is a little pocket and the train is fusible web applique with felt button wheels!

I also made this reversible skirt for my niece who just turned one! One side is a blue linen-cotton with fun birds & flowers. The other side is a cute cherry print.

I'm planning to make a few more skirts for birthday presents because they are so cute & easy to make and the girls love them. There's only one problem... my daughter has fallen in love with every single one I've made! I guess I will be making a few new skirts for her too!

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)

Published Again!

I'm very excited to be published in two more books this year! My Nesting Boxes have made it to the front cover of Zakka Style by Stash Books coming in December. Thank you Rashida for inviting me to be part of your book! I already love it and can't wait to see more!

I also designed this "New Home" coaster set for Countdown Calendars also by Stash Books which came out in June. These decorative coasters would make a great gift for a friend who is moving. Numbers are appliqued on the backs of the coasters so they can be flipped to count down the days until moving into their new home.

Enjoy your afternoon tea & quilted crafts :o)