Give Thanks

Welcome to TGIFF and welcome to the first of my two October challenge projects for Island Batik.

This is on my Q4FAL List which is here. I suddenly remembered I had signed up to host TGIFF on October 18, oh, a day ago, so I figured this had better get finished up and quick! Luckily it was already in flimsy form.

Harvest Melody

Happy Thanksgiving!  Here in Canada it is a long weekend because today, Monday, is our Thanksgiving. Although not as big a holiday as is the American Thanksgiving in November--our favourite and biggest is Christmas-- we do still celebrate a time with family, good food, and giving thanks for so many many things.

I had another post all ready to go but then thought this quilt, a blast from the past, would be more appropriate for today.

This was a quilt on display in my former LQS, Lori's Country Cottage, in Sherwood Park, Alberta.  Lori's was one of the Top Ten shops in Quilt Sampler, Spring 2012.  The centre is a panel, and I believe they gave you a pattern sheet with instructions to complete the checkerboard and piano keys frame.  I remember collecting fat quarters and quarter metre cuts of various flannels in several local shops in and around the Edmonton area.  I made the quilt in 2005.

I FMQ-ed around the motifs and the frames in the panel, and then did ribbon-like swoops à la Kathy Sandbach, pumpkins and leaves in the piano keys.

I was known in my guild at the time for interesting backs, whether they were pieced with leftovers as was this one, and/or with interesting and as good a quality of fabric as on the top.  I still love to do both; I always check out the sales section in a quilt shop for potential backings.  I will buy 3-5 yards/metres depending on potential and price, no matter if I have a quilt in the works that needs a backing or not.  This was the first quilt that was 100% flannel front and back.  It is so cuddly!

I pieced the label as an integral part of the backing.

Closeup of quilting detail

I absolutely am in love to this day with the rich colours in this quilt.  You can see how well it has laundered, albeit pilled (flannel will do that).  It is on the couch each Fall for both Thanksgiving and for Fall.

One of my favourite blocks in the panel

Sadly, I did not record the designer information.  I do know that some of the flannels are Debbie Mumm, others are Nancy Halvorsen.  The quilt measures 43.75" X 61.5", a good cuddle size.

Speaking of Debbie Mumm, here is a little quilt made in 2003 from a pattern in one of her books.  It is hanging at my front door. I thought I'd include it today.

I was into the Sulky rayons and metallics back then (still love 'em).  The leaf blocks finish at 3"!
The quilt took longer than I anticipated for being so small, just 15.5 X 17.25".

Laid it in the morning sun so the quilting shows up better, all FMQ and embrodiered by hand

The back, a fun Halloween/Thanksgiving-esque print I believe from Fabricland:

And the label:

Hmm, had some tension issues with my FMQ then too!  Maybe it's not all Avril's fault! (I know it isn't)  I was taught that it's better to have your top thread pull slightly towards the back however, but areas of this are not so good...think my hands and foot speed were not in sync always by the looks of the sizes of the stitches.

I wish all my Canadian friends, family and followers a peaceful and happiness-full Thanksgiving, and for my international friends, the same wish for the first day of another week in October!  Now I'm off into yet another glorious Fall day here in southwestern Ontario to walk Rocco.  Above the sumac trees in the photo below, is, I believe, a huge Silver Maple.  I just love how these trees turn:  it looks like Mother Nature has dipped their tips into orange icing!

Snowflake #1

Many trees turn colour from the outside in here, almost as if Mother Nature dips her trees in orange and red frosting.  This is just my little iPhone; imagine this in person!

I'm NOT in the mood for real snow, been there, done that, too many long, cold, dark winters in Alberta.  However, I have always loved making snowflakes out of paper, such a surprise to open up the folded paper after I've cut various designs into it.  Combine paper and fabric, and you get Canuck Quilter Joanne's Snowalong.

I didn't get my snowflake #1 done in time for the linky party (it was a week from hell; tacked on to a month of craziness) but here she is today:

I decided to use some silver-sparkled white I've had for centuries for another Christmas quilt idea.  I wanted to put it on a batik background, and this one, another relic, was in my stash.  I don't think you can see how sparkly it is, but I'm really happy with the result!

This block is paper-pieced, something I've done many times in the past.  However, Joanne's method is new to me, and I was really intrigued with the idea, because it omitted the very annoying step of removing the paper after you've sewed through it.  You don't sew through it!  I also liked the idea of printing the pattern onto freezer paper, so that the pieces will adhere to the waxy side of the paper, helping to avoid any distortion.  And, you can re-use the patter 3-4 times!  I have to say I loved this method for all of those reasons.

Here is a little gadget from years past of paper-piecing.  It is well worth the money (a few dollars).  It has a lip at the 1/4" mark.  You simply place the ruler over the folded back paper of the line you are about to sew, letting the lip catch on the paper. This measures the 1/4" exactly, so you simply trim.  No slippage possible, thanks to that lip!

Love my tiny 6.5 X 8" cutting mat for this!

Sewing the first sections left me with 6 intriguing triangles.  I could not, for the life of me, see a snowflake at that point.

Another gadget, whose price is free, and every household already has several, is a business card, (or a recipe card for longer lines).
Update: (duh, it would help if I explained what I do with the business card...)  Place it on the solid (aka sewing line) and then, as you fold back the freezer paper, it acts as a brace so you get a nice sharp fold!  Kind of like using the edge of a table to tear a paper straight?

This block seems daunting, but Joanne has a super-organized system, which I followed to the T.  It simplified things very much.  I did variation 1 of Snowflake #1.

I am going to make version 2 as well.  However, I am also going to make Snowflake #2 next so that I can join in the linky party on Monday!  I might just turn these into pillows, so festive.

I am in love all over again this year with the vibrant colours of Fall.  I continually suck in my breath at the sheer jaw-dropping, eye-popping display that surrounds me wherever I go.  I've been known to stop the car on the side of the road on more than one occasion to snap a pic with my phone. Example from yesterday:

Note how it's still green in the centre

It is Thanksgiving weekend here in Canada.  It is such a joy, despite the cold wind, to walk Rocco in this gently changing but oh-so-glorious season of Autumn. 

One more shot of my route this morning