Sweet Trails: new pattern for spring

The weather outside my window has definitely bean leaning towards spring the last several weeks.  It's warmer than normal for this time of year, and a part of me worries it's just a cruel trick before cold rushes back in to destroy the buds the plants have gamely started showing.  The rest of me says I should just think positive and enjoy the sunshine and warmth.

Whatever happens to the buds outside, the cold won't damage these Sweet Trails blooms.

Sweet Trails by Canuck Quilter Designs
Fabric:  Heavy Metal, an Island Batik Signature Collection
designed by Kathy Engle for Swan Sheridan of Swan Amity Studios

You can see the block is based on a traditional snail's Trail block.

That gave me the nice swirling motion I was looking for, but it did present some challenges from a pattern-writing perspective.  Briefly, the snail's trail block has math that doesn't lend itself to making all the parts easy to cut with a rotary cutter.  For example,  2.267"  just isn't marked on the cutting ruler.  Neither is 3.328".  Rounding is an option, but then resulting units are also not quite a size that's easy to measure for trimming. And how tricky is it to trim evenly on all sides so the design doesn't end up lopsided?

What to do?  Make test blocks.  Lots of test blocks, with different permutations of rounding and trimming sizes and specialty tools versus no tools.

The Square on Square Trim tool from Creative Grids worked pretty well.  I'd use it again.  

That said I wanted folks without access to the tool to be able to make this design, so I kept trying versions without the tool.

What I came up with was a combination of rounding up to the nearest measurable size for initial cutting of parts, then trimming only on rounds where the desired size was a size that was easy to measure, like 4 1/2" square.  There are some points that get blunted just a smidge, but it really doesn't matter because the point isn't actually part of the design, it's just an accident of construction and blends right into the next piece in the same color, creating the swirl, even with a blunted tip.  The swirl is the important part!

It's all detailed in the pattern.  Just follow the instructions.  When I say "DO NOT TRIM rounds 1 and 3", don't trim round 1 and 3!  Rosie assures you it will all work out if you trust the directions.

I waffled about how to set these blocks and finally opted to make them float on the background, with a few starry leaf clusters to add a dash of contrasting color for pop.

I also chose to make the last border match the background to keep it visually light.  In combination, the thin inner border, the outside border and the binding act as a frame without being heavy.  I did list the border fabric amounts separately in the pattern so it would be easier to substitute another fabric if you wanted a more solid look.

Some of my test blocks made it onto the backing.

The rest of the test blocks, plus a few more I have pulled scraps for, will end up in a scrappy quilt.  I'm pondering alternate settings for that one, but I may circle back around to the original.  I won't get around to this for a while, so there's time for me to change the plan.

Have you ever made Snail's Trail blocks?  What method did you choose?  I probably should have asked this earlier! 

Now I'm off to work on Week 2 of the Mystery Quilt-Along.  The second clue will be emailed on Thursday, and I need to be a step ahead so I can share pics in my tips and tricks. 

Happy quilting,

Joanne

Get your copy of the Sweet Trails pattern as a PDF download in my Etsy shop or ask for a print version at your favourite quilt shop.

Look for the  Heavy Metal batik collection from Island Batik in stores now.

Starlight Plaid is a pattern!

I'm pleased to present the quilted and bound cover quilt for my newest pattern, Starlight Plaid.

Starlight Plaid by Canuck Quilter Designs

I had planned to quilt this one myself, but there just are not enough hours in the day. The pattern was written, the tester feedback was in, the edits were made, and still the cover quilt was not quilted.  Something had to give so I sent this one out to Liz Meimann to quilt.  It was the right thing to do.  The longer the top sat unquilted in my sewing room, the more the frustration of not having found time to quilt it ate at me.  With that baggage, I started falling out of love with the quilt.  I handed it to Liz and in a day or two (I swear that woman does not sleep!) I had a beautifully textured quilt to bind.  By the time I finished binding it with a pop of solid red, I had fallen back in love again...and promptly lost the quilt to my daughter, but that's another story.

The greys and reds remind me of cozy plaid flannel, so I had to put some flannel on the back to make it as cozy as it looks.  It is so, so cozy as the weather gets colder.

The pattern features four sizes:  baby, throw, twin and queen.  It also has my favourite stars:  the kind whose points you can't accidentally cut off! 

Get your copy of the pattern in my Etsy Shop at 50% off the regular retail price now through Christmas Eve! (Sorry, cute dog not included!)

New patterns: Leftovers and Mostly Clear

Rosie wanted to let you know that the Mostly Clear pattern is now available in my Etsy shop.  You may remember I wrote about making the quilt in August.  Since then Kim Williams, Joanne Harris, Mary-Ann Vanner and Tina Fugate generously donated their time, effort and fabric to test the pattern for me.  I am very grateful for their help. It lets me release the pattern with confidence knowing it passed muster with independent quilters!

Mostly Clear by Canuck Quilter Designs

The pattern features strip piecing to speed assembly, and borders that come together in segments as the rows come together to avoid having to sew on long border strips. Last but not least, the part of the pattern that excites me most is the pressing direction guidance that lets you nest every single seam intersection for perfectly matched seams.

Rosie would also like to announce that there is now a pattern for the Leftovers table set, though I declined to let her pose on the placemats.

As I mentioned in September, these were a great cheerful pick-me up project in a grey, dreary spring. There's nothing like digging through a bin of colorful scraps to lift my spirits.  That said, I realize not everyone has scraps to paw through (though I'm sure those people are just beginning their quilting journey and will soon have a respectable scrap stash).  It also occurred to me that not everyone likes to cut and sew many small pieces.

Enter the strip pieced, less scrappy version:

Five prints and a background let you make 6 matching placemats and a runner.  I really love the blue prints I chose for this set.  I really need to finish binding the other 5 placemats!

The pattern includes instructions for both the super scrappy version and the strip-pieced version.  Thank you to Joanne Harris and Carol Andrews for testing and proof reading the pattern.  Thanks to them you'll know you have enough fabric for your binding!

Both  Leftovers and Mostly Clear are now available to purchase as PDF downloads in my Etsy shop at a special introductory price.  Enjoy 50% off the regular retail price through Friday, October 18th, 2019.  If you prefer a print copy, please ask your favorite local quilt shop to order it in for you from Checker Distributors or by emailing me directly.