Shuffle placemats and runner

I use placemats and runners on my table year-round. Switching them out to fit the season or occasion is an easy way to freshen up my decorating.  Shuffle was designed this summer, when I was pining for sandy beaches and ocean.  Though I was disappointed to miss my ocean visit this summer, my placemats captured a bit of that summer beach vibe.  

Strip piecing for part of the construction helped these come together quickly.  I easily cut and sewed the tops in a weekend, and quilted them the next weekend. 

Moda Grunge almost-solid fabrics gave this version a modern edge.  I love the way they turned out, but I know focus prints in the accents would look fabulous as well.  Or how about a focus print in the large square and coordinating small prints or textures in the rest?  That's what tester Debbie Crosby chose for hers.

Debbie Crosby's Shuffle placemats

Debbie did send photos without the feline inspector, but how could I not include him?

While I stuck to one color family for the accents, there's no rule about that.  Check out Tammy Howell's version.  It has me thinking of birthday cupcakes with coloured frosting.

Tammy's Shuffle placemats

You can see that Debbie, Tammy and I all used straight line quilting.  I can't speak for them, but I wanted to accentuate the diagonal direction of the accent pieces.  Also, straight line was quick and easy.  If you care to spend more time, the design does lend itself to sampling different freemotion designs, as Vivian McCagg's set showcases.

There is no reason to stick with a light-colored background.  Joanne Embury's placemats feature bold but effective colour.

Joanne Embury's Shuffle placemats

Buffie Lorah and Sandie L. both opted for print backgrounds and more solid accents for a different effect.

Buffie's version of Shuffle placemats

Sandie's version of Shuffle placemats

Thank you so much to all these quilters for their tests and feedback to help me produce the best possible pattern. 

Now that the pattern is published, I thought I might step away from the computer for a little while to get some sewing in, but first I made a little detour into EQ8 to plan some fall place settings.

I also played with Halloween prints, and Christmas prints, and kids' novelty fabrics, and a plethora of color options but I won't subject you to a core dump of my ideas!  I'm sure you have lots of inspiration of your own.  What color or theme would you make these in?

The Shuffle pattern is now available in my shop.  Get yours now through October 7th at 25% off the regular price.  

Stellar Breeze

I really, really like how Stellar Breeze turned out.  I was working on a different design when just one part of it caught my eye.  That one part seemed to want to be the focus, so I started over.  EQ8 got a workout that day!

Would you believe that my favourite parts of this design are actually the two that I least like to sew? For me, the sashing and border are what take this from OK to "Ooh, I like".  They open up the design just a little, making it seem a little lighter and a little more delicate.

The sashing has the added bonus of coming between the points, so if the points don't line up perfectly, no one will notice.  Well, unless someone grabs a  straight edge and checks, but anyone who would do that wouldn't get a quilt form me!

Matching the border to the background made the quilt lighter, but the skinny border and matching binding work together to turn the borders into a frame anyway, without the visual weight of colored borders.

That said, different fabric choices will change the look.  I like these EQ mock-ups too.  What would you choose?  Light or dark background?  Brights or neutrals?  Something else?

My thanks to my pattern testers Sandie L, Kathi Kivi and Kathy Bruckman for providing valuable feedback for the pattern.  Check out Sandie's version on her blog, and  Kathi Kivi's  progress photos on Instagram of her lovely version in rich fall colors. 

The pattern is now in my shop.  Get yours at 25% regular price now through October 7th.

They are finally ready!

   After many delays, my three new patterns are finally available in my Etsy shop!  

I'll share a bit more about each over the next few days, but I couldn't wait to let you know they are finally released!  Like all my patterns, they feature detailed illustrations instructions, all broken down into manageable steps to help you go from a stack of pretty fabrics to a beautiful finished quilt without getting overwhelmed. 

PDF instant downloads are available now in my Etsy shop. Because I'm so excited about that, I'm running a 25% off sale on these three fabulous patterns now through October 7th.  No coupon code necessary! 

Printed copies can be bought wholesale by shops by contacting me directly.  Please ask at your favourite shop!  They will also be available to shops from Checker Distributor soon.

Summer is in full bloom this fall!

Today may be the official first day of fall, but summer is in full bloom in my sewing room.  I tweaked the bloom block I shared in my previous post.  I just reshaped and shrank the leaves a little to make them a little bit less prominent.

Once the block was just the way I wanted it, I dithered about cutting into the fabrics I bought.  I knew I wanted to use all the reds, but I was pretty sure I didn't want only reds.  I was also pretty sure I could use the pinks as well, but I wasn't sure about the blue, or the aquas.  I didn't want to waste fabric by making the blocks then not using them.  Really, that little internal discussion wasted way too much time!

In the end I convinced myself that I could just make a secondary project with any blocks that didn't make the final cut for the quilt.  I cut pieces for one block from each fabric, made those 10 blocks, and what do you know, I liked the combination just fine!  I cut another set to make another 10 blocks and headed back to the sewing machine...and the pressing board...and the cutting mat. 

I designed the block using stitch-and-flip/lost corners/folded corners (pick your label!) instead of cutting triangles and dealing with bias edges and at least one non-standard shape.  It makes assembly easier, but it does involve a lot of trimming.  At least they are pretty trimmings.

Sashing and cornerstones came next.  I chose the same yellow as I used for the small petals to avoid introducing yet another fabric to make things busier.  I definitely wanted cornerstones.  Cornerstones help me line up blocks nicely, and they help me avoid measuring long strips for the horizontal sashing. 

That's a terrible photo.  That's what happens when I take photos in my sewing room at night.  Nevertheless, you get an idea of how the blocks play together.

Since I like to avoid measuring and sewing long strips, you would think I would avoid multiple borders.  I really dislike measuring and pinning borders.  I stress about it and I dither and even when I do get to work on them I'm slow as molasses.  It took me all afternoon to add the background border (I guess you could call that the outside sashing) and two more narrow borders.

If I dislike adding borders so much, why do I design quilts with borders?  I do it because borders can help pull everything together and transform the quilt from OK to one that makes me do a happy dance.  Not every quilt needs them, but this one certainly does.  Just to be clear, those narrow borders are not transforming the quilt all on their own.  They look rather uninspiring right now, but just wait until you see them paired with the final pieced border.  There are white dots on red involved, and a little bit of yellow gingham-like print.  I'm working on that last border now, and I'm getting ready for the happy dance!

Happy quilting!

Joanne

UPDATE:  The Prairie Mix quilt pattern is now available here.

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!)

Triple Sunset photo shoot

Fall colour didn't last long around here this year.  Leaves seemed to drop almost as soon as they changed colour.  I was glad to get Triple Sunset quilted and bound in time to have a photo shoot with the last of the leaves!

The wind gave us a little bit of trouble, as you can see.  It seemed to pick up every time we unfolded the quilt, without fail, but we still managed to get a few good pictures.

I love this one on the bridge, though it does look a bit like I forgot to quilt whole swaths of the quilt.  That's a bit unfortunate, considering all the hand wringing that went on in the sewing room about how I should quilt it.  I pushed through it and my favourite picture doesn't even show it!

This one is a bit better.  You see those vertical quilted lines up at the top?  There are some of those filling in all the white spaces that are not quilted with diagonal lines.  My original plan was to quilt half the quilt background in one diagonal direction, and the other half in the opposite direction. As I often do, I changed the plan partway through and ended up with the crossing diagonals.  Then I had to decide what to quilt in the rest of the background.  After opting for vertical lines, I quilted one section and hated it.

"Comparison if the thief of joy."

I don't know who first said or wrote that, but I need it on the wall in my sewing space! I had been so sure that this modern design needed very straightforward, clean lines for the quilting. After seeing some gorgeous free motion work online I started thinking about what someone else would have quilted instead and my plan didn't measure up. That is useless path to go down!

After sulking for a few days, I put the walking foot back on my sewing machine and made myself finish what I started. There wasn't any chance that I was going to pick out what I had already stitched, and there was a deadline looming, so I pushed through.

As soon as I put the last stitches in, I knew I had been right after all and I fell in love with the quilt all over again.  The quilt really did want simple lines.  The orange starbursts make me happy and they are the focus here.  The quilting is the supporting cast. Playing with varying orientations for the groups of quilted lines gave it just enough movement. The orange binding finished things off perfectly, but it would have been overwhelmed by dense, fancy quilting bedside it.

Here's a closeup of the outline quilting in and around the stars and geese.

I outline quilted in variegated orange thread inside each shape for several reasons.  It emphasizes each patch.  It brings a touch of tradition to a modern quilt, as many older hand quilted quilts feature outline quilting in patches.  It avoided some bulky spots in the seams where my ruler foot got stuck when I tried stitching in the ditch.  OK, I admit I used the first two reasons to talk myself into outlining when stitching in the ditch turned out to be a pain!  I do, however, love the end result.

It looks pretty cool on the back too.

Again, my vertical lines disappear in the photos!  All the outline quilting was done with a ruler foot and straight edge ruler quilting template. The background was quilted using my trusty walking foot.

One thing you can't see in these pictures, even in the closeup, is the fabric texture.  The top is made entirely with Moda Grunge fabrics, so there's a little bit of texture in real life.  Seeing these pictures I would say solids would be effective as well.

I almost forgot to explain where the quilt's name came from.  When I finalized the design, I asked my astronomer husband if there was a specific astronomical term for star systems composed of three stars.  Apparently it's just a plain old "triple star system". Hmph.  I googled that term to see if it would be linked to something more interesting and I found an article about a planet detected in a three star system.  The title of the article referenced a triple sunset, presumably because the three stars would be like three suns to the planet, and there would be sunset for each.  I rather liked that idea, so I borrowed it for the name of my quilt.

I'll leave you with just one more picture, just because I am enjoying these colours so much!  I'm trying to hold on to fall just a bit longer.

Canuck Quilter patterns at Connecting Threads

My husband came back from the mailbox last weekend with a little spring in his step and a grin on his face.  He found the latest Connecting Threads catalog and remembered to flip through it to find my patterns.  It's a toss up whether he or my mom are my biggest cheerleader.

There it is on page 21:  Connecting Geese by Canuck Quilter Designs, exclusive to Connecting Threads, sewn up by their sample sewers in their new Elemental Nuances fabric line.  They are selling kits as well as pattern downloads.

You may also recognize the placemats and runner on page 23.

I really think the pattern works well with just about any fabric style or color palette.  These are certainly different from mine in bright blue and lime batiks, but no less effective in an all-grown up, elegant way.  I'm tempted to order some of that fabric for a new set for my table.

I colored both patterns in EQ using digital swatches of this fabric line, but this is the first time I have seen them actually sewn up.  Since the fabric was not yet available in April, when I had to test the pattern, I have a different version of the Connecting Geese quilt.  Well, I have a top.  I haven't gotten around to quilting it yet, but with the cool fall weather, this fall top is calling to me and just might become a finished quilt sooner than later.  Unless, of course, a squirrel pops in, which we all know is a very strong possibility...

I'll leave you with the digital image of Connecting Geese and my test version.  What colours and fabrics would you make this in?

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.

Simply obsessed with Simply Snow

Finishing up the swan pillows seems to have started my creative juices flowing again.  Since I last posted, I have split my time between weeding the flower beds (I may have too many, but that's another post), fighting a summer cold, and sewing obsessively to finally bring the snowflake quilt into existence.  I think I am going to name it Simply Snow.

Simply Snow quilt by Joanne Kerton and Canuck Quilter Designs.
Photo and longarm quilting by Chris Hobbs of Urban Loon Studios. 
Panto: Carnival 2 by Urban Elementz.

I designed these foundation paper pieced snowflakes over 4 1/2 years ago for my Snowalong Sewalong.  I made a bag, a couple of runners and a pillow.  I always thought a quilt with all 26 designs together would be fabulous, but it took a long time for me to settle on a setting.  I narrowed it down a little, then let it sit, then refined it a bit more, then worked on something else.  I didn't start sewing the blocks until this past February.

Snowflake progress sometime in March.

Halfway into the snow making I was interrupted, and I didn't get back to it until about 3 weeks ago, but at that point I sewed obsessively because I wanted to finally see my vision in actual fabric.

I spent some quality time with my seam ripper to get to this stage.  I have better lighting in my sewing room now than I did when I sewed all the nine patches in February, and it revealed that I sewed one strip of white into a strip set wrong side up.  That wrong-side up white was sprinkled among many nine patches and while I tried to tell myself it didn't matter, it really did and they had to come out.  I didn't have enough blue to just start over with fresh fabric and a new strip set, hence the seam ripper.

I could have stopped with the layout above, as I originally intended, but...just a little extra border would make it into a queen size for my bed. Enter a few more nine-patches.

Simply Snow quilt by Joanne Kerton and Canuck Quilter Designs. 
Photo and longarm quilting by Chris Hobbs of Urban Loon Studios.  
Panto: Carnival 2 by Urban Elementz.

Chris Hobbs at Urban Loon Studios quilted it up for me today using the Carnival 2 panto by Urban Elementz, in baby blue thread that disappears on the blue and treads lightly over the white.  I am just thrilled with how it turned out.

Simply Snow quilt by Joanne Kerton and Canuck Quilter Designs. 
Photo and longarm quilting by Chris Hobbs of Urban Loon Studios.  
Panto: Carnival 2 by Urban Elementz.

I will bind the quilt this week and send it off to the Iowa State Fair.  Then I'll sit down and attempt to finalize the pattern.  Look for it sometime this fall.

UPDATE:  It took longer than anticipated, but the Simply Snow setting pattern is ready. The pattern for the sashing and borders is free when you sign up for my newsletter (click here to sign up).  The snowflake blocks pattern is available for purchase in my Etsy shop.

If you make a purchase in my Etsy shop after clicking through from the links in this post, Etsy will refund me a portion of the fees I pay for that transaction.  There is no additional cost to you.

Presenting "Blaze"

Just in time for spring: a fall pattern!  I've observed that quilters often start seasonal projects far ahead of time to have them ready in time for those seasons, so I'm making the pattern available early.  Remember, I'm early,  not several months late.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

You may remember this quilt as a "squirrel" on my design wall last fall. The design had been simmering, in different colors and using different blocks, for quite some time but wasn't quite ready.   These fabrics came home and started clamouring to be made into a quilt. Once the design and the fabric met, the quilt almost made itself!

I wrote the pattern with three size options:  small throw (44" x 60"), large throw (51" x 75") and twin (64" x 91").  Each one has the same layout, just different size units.  For those who like to nest their seams, the pattern includes pressing directions for every seam where direction will assist with nesting.

Thank you to the generous quilters who volunteered to test the pattern for me.  Between them, they tested all three sizes so I can be confident that the measurements I give are accurate and that my directions are clear.  They offered useful suggestions, and you can thank them for persuading me to add a paper piecing tutorial page for piecing the largest leaf tip unit!

Here are their versions of Blaze:

Terilyn's version

Terilyn Kennedy is a longarm quilter.  You can see her beautiful work on her Facebook page, Stitchin'Post Quilting Studio.  I am eager to see how she will quilt Blaze!

Kathleen's version

 Kathleen Ely made this version.  Hers has an added feature: the bottom section of background is a different fabric.  The top sections suggest forests, and the bottom suggests underbrush.  That may be my fault - the initial fabric amounts I had listed fell short, and she didn't have enough of the first fabric.  In this case it worked out, but this highlights why I appreciate my testers so much!  I'd hate to have released the pattern with that error in it!

Cindy's version

Thank you to Cynthia Roberts for this version.  I like that background!

Judy's version

Judy blogged about her version twice!  Read about piecing the top here and see close-ups off all that lovely quiltting here.   You can see she added a bit of length to the zigzags and tumbled the leaves to make the quilt her own.

I think this design would work well with other quilt block designs too.  Kathleen mentioned that she liked making just the five blocks - just enough to learn something, but not a large time commitment.  How about blues and silvery grays paired with my paper pieced snowflakes for a winter version?  Or a flower block for summer?  Or five different blocks for a modern sampler?

The pattern is now available as PDF download in my Craftsy shop and in my Payhip shop.  If you prefer a printed version, your favourite quit shop can order from Checker or Brewer distributors.