O Canada!

I got several smaller projects sewn over my July break, one being finishing a USO (UnStarted Object). I don't have many UFOs (UnFinished Objects) but I sure do have a lot of USOs. It feels good to see a bench pillow for which I bought the pattern several years ago come to life.

I like the non-traditional colours of turquoise and red with pops of grey in these fabrics.

This is a Kimberbell pattern that I bought at a quilt shop in Fort Myers, Florida. When I bought it, I planned to use my red and white fabrics as in the cover photo.

The following year was Canada's sesquicentennial and Northcott and Mona each came out with 150th celebration fabrics. When I decided to make this last month, I just knew I had to use scraps from those that I had purchased to make this pillow. Most of those fabrics were purchased to make a quilt for a Syrian refugee family in 2018 when Canada took in so many because of the war there. It was one of my Hands2Help quilts that year.

Quilt holder extraordinaire Brady, age 9

For comparison here he is last month in almost the same spot! All 5’8-and-a-bit inches of him!

Ready to hit the golf course with Grampa

I had bought a couple of extra .5 metres of fabric to use in my 150 Canadian Women quilt, and one of those I hadn't cut into, so I had just enough to make the pillow back. It was such a good line: beavers, lacrosse, hockey, maples leaves, poppies, the railroad, true north, inukshuks, logs, cities, Canada geese (not "Canadian" geese) and more.

The pillow has we stand on guard for thee from our anthem embroidered after the appliquéd O Canada, but I love the line, with glowing hearts which is what the Moda line was called. So I traced the letters I needed from Kim's pattern, drawing those myself that weren't there.

Please excuse the bird poop d

All I need to is is buy some stuffing and make an insert and I'm all ready for Canada Day 2025! Then I can use the insert in my Grandma's House bench pillow rather than two regular cushion inserts!

This is one of four projects in my 'Rainbow Neighbourhood' pattern

And perhaps get that perfect front entrance bench I've been searching for. Canadian Tire has it, but it is...1" too long would you believe. No, I'm not bitter about that, nor still obsessing about it, nope. Waaah!

Quilt Stats:

Size: 16”x 38" 
Fabric: With Glowing Hearts designed for Trend Tex by Grace Noel and Metropolis by Basic Grey (thank you Rose!) both for Moda Fabrics, Canada Sesquicentennial by Deborah Edwards for Northcott Fabric 

Batting: Hobbs or Quilter's Dream Heirloom Premium 100% wool

Backing: With Glowing Hearts by -- for Moda Fabrics

Quilted: on Avril 12 012 stitches

Threads: pieced on my Bernina with Coats and Clark 100% cotton; appliquéd with Exquisite 100% polyester and Gütermann 100% cotton; quilted with Essential 100% cotton, Bottom Line in the bobbin

I have no more need for this pattern so I would like to offer it to one of my loyal readers. You just need to pay for postage. Drop me an email and the first one will get it.

Since this is rather a Canadian post, (I can see and hear my daughters smirking as they imitate my voice, "It's Canadian!") I want to give a huge shout-out to a 17-year-old swimmer I have been following for almost two years as she sets record after record: Summer McIntosh.

Source for the photo is a CBC article. As of Friday, she's won three Olympic medals, two gold and one silver.

Stay tuned for a post on the other small projects I've made as well as a RSC update.