Janet Rice-Bredin etc.

Coming Back

2011-04-14T05:05:00.001-07:00

Hello again,

I am reducing my dependency on Facebook and returning to the blog format for sharing creative works. Keep in touch for new fibre art and more gardening!

Colour in Literature

2009-09-24T04:44:00.000-07:00

I'm fascinated by descriptions of colour in literature. One of my favorite authors is Kim Stanley Robinson, who wrote a sci-fi trilogy called "Red Mars", "Blue Mars" and "Green Mars". Here is a quote from Red Mars:

"Now the sky was a maroon dome, the high clouds the pink of moss campion. Stars were popping out everywhere, and the maroon sky shifted to a vivid dark violet, an electric color that was picked up by the dune crests, so that it seemed crescents of liquid twilight lay across the black plain."

Everbearing Strawberries

2009-09-22T04:05:00.000-07:00

I planted 4 everbearing strawberry plants in my strawberry garden, and they are still producing. I get a few ripe berries every day which is wonderful. I'm saving a bottle of Veuve Cliquot champagne for a friend's birthday on Friday, and I'm going to bring a few strawberries for the champagne glasses!

My Sanctuary Garden - The Flowers

2009-09-16T04:47:00.000-07:00

I designed this garden primarily with the foliage in mind. I didn't want strong contrasts, because the garden was for relaxing. To that end, I didn't use any plants with burgundy foliage. I did, however, include a number of shrubs and perennials that have gorgeous blossoms in a wide range of colours.

'Tiny Rubies' Dianthus

Oriental Poppy

'Buckley's Quill' Mockorange

'Flame' Peony

Fernleaf Bleeding Heart

'Strutter's Ball' Daylily

'Rozanne' Geranium

'Going Places' Daylily

'Rosy Lights' Azalea

'Comtesse de Bouchaud' Clematis

I can see this garden from my kitchen window. Fledgling robins eat the ripened Serviceberries, the sound of the water droplets from the dragonfly fountain splash into the blue water garden jar, and my Golden Retriever Lily lays on the outdoor carpet watching squirrels run past her. It's a wonderful place to just be.

My Sanctuary Garden - Progress

2009-09-12T06:03:00.000-07:00

By the end of last summer I was able to complete the planting. You can see my "keyhole" design where the path narrows before entering the circular patio. I designed the patio diameter to accommodate a shade structure, plus a little extra space along the sides to access the plants. The largest granite rocks were placed so some are level to sit on. I gathered more small rocks in my SUV from a spot not too far away to complete the rest of the circle's edge, and you can see that in the next photo. I also mulched the entire garden with landscape cloth and newspaper, and shredded cedar mulch (with the help of my friend Karen and my Sid).

Sid also removed the barn-style shed, which was too awful. The remaining shed will be painted a stoney taupe colour if it ever stops raining!

Sanctuary Garden view from our deck

Keyhole path
The Serviceberry trees have a 15' crown spread when mature, so they will eventually form a leafy canopy over the patio. They're covered in white blossoms in the spring, turn a gorgeous fire red orange in the fall, and the birds love their berries.

Shade side of the garden
There are solar lights in the garden, as well as an LED light up inside the shade cover. An electrical outlet provides power for the water garden in the large cobalt blue ceramic pot.

An intimate little patio for reading, stitching,
snoozing and cocktail hour!

I had planned on installing flagstone within the patio circle, but that will have to wait for another summer. The shed has to be painted, and the lawn needs repair where the other shed was located. Otherwise, we're pretty much done.

The next post will show photos of the shrubs and perennials.

My Sanctuary Garden - The Beginning

2009-09-11T05:05:00.000-07:00

We moved into our house in August of 2007, and by last summer I was ready to do something in our backyard. I've designed many gardens, and I knew exactly what I wanted for this property.

First, though, I needed a little help from my favorite contractor. There were 3 huge old poplar trees that leaned over our neighbor's garage, so we had them cut down. The back hoe came in to take out the enormous stumps.

The work begins.

Roots everywhere. Ugly sheds.

I outlined the patio and garden edges with orange spray paint. Landscape cloth went down on the 16' diameter patio area, and garden mix soil was spread in the doughnut around the patio.
THEN it started to rain. And rain, and rain. Nothing but clay and mud.

The guys put the 5 'Autumn Brilliance' Serviceberry trees in for me (the root balls weighed about 600 lbs each), and dumped a load of gravel on the patio area. They placed the largest granite rocks around part of the patio perimeter, and my 3 focal point rocks. And then they had to leave. The rain continued. I tore ligaments in my ankle stumbling over the clay. Things didn't look good.

Sid and I began to lay out landscape cloth in the pathway areas and fill in with gravel. Well, mostly Sid did the work and I limped around pointing my finger.

A mess - the pathway to the patio.

Beginning to look less awful. We've delineated the pathway to the patio. I installed black edging and Sid is continuing to fill in the gravel.

I'm using spikes to hold the edging straight while I fill in soil on one side and gravel on the other. The work began in mid-June, and it's July by now.

My focal point rocks. I'm trimming the excess landscape cloth while I level the gravel. I'm actually quite good at creating level surfaces with a shovel and rake. This is extremely unfortunate, since it would be way easier to let someone else do it!

The next post will show the planted garden. There is still work to do, but we're getting there!

Blooming Today

2009-09-07T18:56:00.000-07:00

Brought to you by... 'Mammoth' Sunflowers! These giants are at Sally and Randy's house, and they kindly gave me some seeds for next year. I think they'll look great in my new garden :o)

Cuddle Quilts

2009-09-05T04:37:00.000-07:00

I make many quilt tops and blocks that never become finished quilts. Rather than allow them to sit in the cupboard, I give them to the local Sudbury & District Quilting and Stitchery Guild for their Cuddle Quilt Committee.

My friend Deanna kindly sent me this photo of a Cuddle Quilt she completed using my donated Morning Glory blocks.

Morning Glory blocks by Janet Rice-Bredin,
quilt by Deanna Weiler

She also shared the following photos of her garden:

Purple Poppy

Purple German Bearded Iris

Orange Double Poppy

Last but best of all, 8 yr old Zoe who has taken to crawling under the kitchen table. What a beautiful girl :o) Thanks Deanna!

Two New Patterns!

2009-08-27T07:37:00.000-07:00

Veggie Seed Packets and More Veggie Seed Packets are hot off the press! These are the two new quilt patterns I've created using a combination of Mark Lipinski's Oakdale and Elements fabric collections from Northcott Silk. I designed 4 veggie blocks, then decided I was missing too many other favorites, so I created a second quilt. All the blocks are interchangeable.

The first, of course, is Veggie Seed Packets. The Wall Quilts measure 21 1/4" x 25 1/4". I've also included instructions on how to make the blocks into individual Little Quilts, which measure 7" x 9".

Veggie Seed Packets Wall Quilt,
Mark Lipinski's Oakdale and Elements fabrics

Peas Little Quilt, done in fabrics from my stash

Tomato Little Quilt, Mark Lipinski's fabrics

The Veggie Little Quilts all fit Ackfeld's Watering Can Hanger

More Veggie Seed Packets Wall Quilt,
Mark Lipinski's Oakdale and Elements fabrics

Corn Little Quilt done in fabrics from my stash

Radish Little Quilt,

done in fabrics from my stash

I used Superior Threads Brytes threads to machine blanket stitch around the cream circles and topstitch around the veggie shapes. These threads are a 30 wt and show up beautifully on the fabric, plus the colours were perfect. That shopping trip at their warehouse in February was SUCH a good idea!

The patterns will be available next week for purchase. Please email me for distributor, wholesale and retail details.

Facebook

2009-08-22T04:14:00.000-07:00

I've set up a Botanical Art Quilts page on Facebook. For those of you who have an account, check it out when you have a moment!

Paying Attention to Tiny

2009-08-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

We ran away from yard work last weekend, and escaped to nearby Donald Lake with canoe and dog.

We stayed for 3 days, swimming, snoozing and reading. While sitting on a rock listening to the lake and wind, I looked down to see a wonderful world of tiny things:

Lichens called "British Soldiers" for their red hats

Pine seedling

A tiny landscape

I don't know what these are, but they made me very happy.

Blooming Today

2009-08-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

'Chinese Scholar' Daylily

Contest Winner

2009-08-17T06:09:00.000-07:00

On Friday August 7th I announced a contest. The mystery object, which I discovered tucked down a laneway near the tracks at the Sheahan train stop was this:

The correct answer, as Brenna wrote:
"Vehicle is a DUKW amphibious truck designed by The Royal Navy and used by the US Army and allied forces during WWII for transportation over land and water."
The truck is also known as an Army DUCK, and in this case is used to carry people from the train siding, across the Spanish River, to the cottages on Pogamasing Lake. The Spanish is fast and wide, and the DUKW would drive right through it.

Dolores, Susan, Deanna, Cindy, Nancy, Brenna and Diane all sent correct answers. And the winner's name pulled out of a bowl is.... Brenna! Brenna will be offered several choices of the Leaf Magic Little Quilts and can pick her favorite.

Diane also wins a little quilt, as she came closest to recognizing the location of the DUKW:
"That picture wasn't taken near Lake Pogamissing?"

Thanks to all those who participated. And on a personal note, when I spotted the Allied Forces symbol faded on the front of the DUCK, it gave me a shiver. Some of these vehicles were used on the D-Day beaches of Normandy in WWII. They were capable of crossing the English Channel. What stories could this one tell?

Blooming Today

2009-08-12T05:25:00.001-07:00

Daylilies!

'Strutter's Ball' Daylily

'Tigger' Daylily

'Going Places' Daylily

I call this one Allie's Dad's Daylily. My friend Allie says it's a common lily that her father dug out of a roadside ditch, which would make it Hemerocallis fulva. However it seems to be reliably double, and it blooms weeks later than the common daylily. I suspect it's a cultivar of some kind, and I love the colour.

My contest is still on from a few posts ago, and the answers are coming in. This Friday night is the deadline to win your free Leaf Magic Little Quilt! I'll be away until Sunday and will post the winner on Monday. Good luck everyone!

American Quilter's Society - Leaf Magic Journal Cover

2009-08-11T06:02:00.000-07:00

I have a brand new project called Leaf Magic Journal Cover published on the American Quilter's Society website! It's available as a PDF download.

My contributor information is also in their latest issue - September 2009.

Welcome Daniel Thomas

2009-08-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

I fell in love with a 2 week old baby boy this weekend. Daniel Thomas came to visit his Great Auntie Jan.

Do you remember what a baby's neck smells like?

Contest!

2009-08-07T05:30:00.001-07:00

While we were waiting here:

for the Budd Car Train:

to load and take us home:

we explored the nearby pine forest and found this:

What is it?

Email me at Janet@BotanicalArtQuilts.com with "Contest" in the subject heading. The deadline is midnight of August 14th. If more than one person gets it right, I'll put your names into a hat and draw the winner. The prize is a handmade Leaf Magic Little Quilt!

A Truly Canadian Holiday: plant photos

2009-08-06T07:07:00.000-07:00

I learned something new about the area we tripped around, which was west of the Spanish River in Northeastern Ontario. I saw many plants that I normally associate with more southerly areas. Bog Rosemary was in abundance; a plant that I purchased years ago for plenty of cash at a garden centre. The absolutely MOST exciting discovery, however, didn't get photographed! There were clouds of mosquitoes and a long portage ahead of me. It was a Rose Pogonia orchid (Pogonia ophioglossoides). I'm kicking myself now... in the comfort of my home, with no mosquitoes driving me insane.

An unknown yellow mushroom. I really have to buy a fungi identification book...

Unknown orangey mushroom. Ditto with the ident.

Round-leaved Sundew (Drosera rotundifolia) which carpeted one of the portage exits. It was quite a dance to avoid stepping on them whilst carrying my pack! Sundews are carnivorous plants - the leaves are tipped with a sticky fluid that traps insects.

Indian-Pipe (Monotropa uniflora) emerging from the forest leaf litter

Twinflower (Linnaea borealis) - a tiny beauty that I did a pen & ink drawing of for the Nipigon Gazette newspaper waaaaay back in 1979. I wanted to name my fledgling landscape design company "Linnaea Landscaping" in 1992, but when I test drove the name with friends and family they unanimously suggested that I was the only one in the world who would get it.

And tomorrow, my first contest!

A Truly Canadian Holiday: dog photos

2009-08-05T04:36:00.000-07:00

Canoe tripping with a dog is great fun. Lily seems to be everywhere we point a camera, or is it us who can't resist her?

Breakfast with Bob

Looking at something but I can't remember what!

Lily peeks at Sid

Break time on the water

Time to relax

Enjoying the view with Bob and Allie

Pooped out after a day of portaging and chasing chipmunks

Tomorrow: plant photos and the day after - a CONTEST!

A Truly Canadian Holiday: the photos

2009-08-04T06:32:00.000-07:00

We're back, the bruises and bug bites are fading, and wow, what a trip! We canoed and portaged between 90 and 100 kilometres (60 miles) in 7 days. The weather was good, Lily was a great tripping buddy, and it was a treat to be with beloved friends.

Waiting for the Budd Car train at the Sudbury train station

The baggage car fills up with canoes, gear, dogs and their people. On this trip there were 4 Golden Retrievers, 1 Chocolate Lab, and a little Shitzu crossed with something else cute. The dogs have to ride in the baggage car, so their owners get to hang out there as well. The whole thing is very relaxed and informal - a great start to the trip!

Here we are in our new Souris River 16' Prospector canoe - me, my dog, and my Hon.

Allie has a new hammock, which was set up as soon as we made camp the first night. We crawled in with our glasses of wine and got caught up from the past year of kids, aging parents, work, and the beauty of escaping from it all for a whole week.

The guys drink cold Heineken while I start the camp fire. We freeze little cans of beer and keep our steaks on them in a lunch cooler for the first night's dinner. By the time we reach our campsite, the beer has mostly thawed and the steaks are ready. I also had new potatoes and sugar snap peas wrapped in tin foil to put on the grill. First night's dinner is always my responsibility, and after that my Hon takes over the food stuff.

It's good to be me.

The guys do some catching up. Lily does too.

A Northern Ontario sunset, and more photos tomorrow.

Truly Canadian Holiday

2009-07-17T19:26:00.000-07:00

I'm off for a week in a red canoe with a Golden Retriever and a forest fire guy.

Oh, and a mickey of 15 year old Macallan's.

Making Mistakes

2009-07-15T08:01:00.000-07:00

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing."
George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)

I love this quote, which comforts me as I screw up yet another applique piece.

Blooming Today

2009-07-12T14:13:00.001-07:00

A pair that I planted together:

'Comtesse de Bouchaud' Clematis
She'll eventually cover this shrub with blooms:

'Buckley's Quill' Mockorange
Blooms at the same time as the Comtesse, with fragrant, frilly white blossoms. I planted both late last summer so they're still small, however they'll reach about 6' high eventually.

'Rozanne' Geranium
This hardy perennial is a blooming fool;
covered in pale purple flowers until October.

We've been eating strawberries from my new garden
for over 2 weeks now.

An Afternoon with Matt and David

2009-07-09T14:55:00.001-07:00

My 11 year old neighbor David and his 12 year old cousin Matthew hung out with me this afternoon.

I was sitting on my garden patio, putting the bindings on my latest quilts. The boys saw my dog Lily peeking at them from the gazebo and came over for a visit. They wanted to know if my grass needed cutting, as we are their clients (The Lawn Guys - We are a cut above the rest!). Apparently they're going to get hats.

We talked about baseball, football, fishing, their camp on Manitoulin Island. They wore shorts, and showed me all the scars on their legs from various accidents. They talked about the times they broke bones, cut themselves accidently, got knocked out, etc. These are active kids who play many kinds of sports and have very busy lives. Matt will be playing football for the first time this August. He explained to me matter-of-factly that he expected to "get squashed" by the big boys, so it's a good thing he can run fast.

Then they excused themselves, went next door to David's house and brought back cold bottles of iced tea for all three of us.

Then they wanted to know what I was working on. They are well acquainted with my pattern design business, and love to see the quilts. David has shown up at our door in the past with other friends in tow, and asked if he could give them a tour of my studio and quilts. I have a project that will be published in the next issue of American Quilter magazine (Sep/Oct 2009 issue), and I've thanked David in that article for his advice. Well Matt loved the new quilts and had several suggestions for more in the series. He kept petting the quilts, so I asked him if his hands were clean. He looked at them carefully, and said "... yeah..."

Then they asked if I wanted some M&M's at the corner store. David knows my weakness. He buys me M&M's for Christmas. I sent them inside to get some money I'd left on the kitchen counter. They went to the store and came back with the goods.

Then they went inside to feed Lily her supper, and camped out in the spare room to watch cartoons until their adults came to take them golfing.

The author Tad Williams dedicates his book Shadowmarch to his children: "charming, funny little buggers that they are". I feel that way about these kids and am lucky to have spent an afternoon with Matt and David.

Summer Weather

2009-07-08T05:22:00.001-07:00

Many storms, and a double rainbow.

Happy Canada Day!

2009-07-01T05:19:00.000-07:00

Canada Maple from Leaf Magic Little Quilts pattern
Janet Rice-Bredin
Botanical Art Quilts

Summer Advice

2009-06-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

"Slow down. Desynchronize from standard time frames and surprising opportunities may present themselves."

from Bruce Mau's An Incomplete Manifesto for Growth

I have a theory about time. Western culture values what I call linear time. We run on schedules, our watches, the clock, our daily organizers. The economy depends on productivity, which requires linear time.

I am trying to adapt to circular time. As a creative being, circular time allows me to think, to experience, to wonder, to lose my awareness of time "passing by". The natural cycle of a day and of the season allows me to immerse myself in the studio or the garden.

I'm a much happier person!

Unfortunately I've also forgotten to pick up my husband from work a few times.

Long Eared Owl Photos

2009-06-26T05:18:00.000-07:00

A local photographer, Christine Koltun, generously shared her photos of a long eared owl and her chicks. The photo of the mother won an award and was published in our local paper The Sudbury Star this past Saturday.

Christine writes:
"These are the pictures of the long eared owl and her babies. I had spotted the mama in her nest a couple of months ago and have been watching her ever since. She was nesting in an old crows nest along a nature trail on our property. She had four babies. The first baby that I saw was at the bottom of the tree and had died. The next day there was another baby at the bottom of the tree and he was alive. For the next seven days I checked on him. Mama owl took care of him by bringing him dead mice. I noticed a fox one morning and sure enough the baby was gone. Mother nature took control. So there were two wide eyed babies left in the nest. They grew quite quick. Within 7 days they were gone but not before I took pictures of them and their mama. She is beautiful."

Thanks Christine!

Blooming Today

2009-06-22T11:33:00.000-07:00

Three stunning blooms:

Oriental Poppy
A gift from my gardening friend Sherry.

'Tiny Rubies' Dianthus
The size of your thumbnail and oh so fragrant!

'Flame' Peony

Breath-taking colour and it doesn't flop in the rain.
What's not to love?

Mark Lipinski is Distracting Me

2009-06-16T05:58:00.001-07:00

I should be doing this:

But all I want to do is play with this:

This is Mark Lipinski's new fabric line called Oakdale (on the left) and his basics line called Elements (right). Mark designs for Northcott, which shipped the fabrics to me last week.

I've had a quilt pattern idea for over a year now, but hadn't been able to find the right fabrics to express it. I wanted something Country-ISH, but not Country-Cute (to which I am allergic). I also needed the correct scale of print, and complex colours that were fun and funky without being too crayon bright. When I saw Oakdale, I knew it would be perfect! And Mark's Elements line also fills the colour variety I needed for my new pattern.

Chickens!

Mark is an award-winning television talk show producer and programming executive who has taken the quilt world by storm with his magazine Mark Lipinski's Quilters Home, his no-holds barred blog, and his dynamic fabric collections. I've heard him speak, and he's a hoot!

So Mark, my strawberry garden calls out for me. And on a gorgeous sunny morning in June I am inside the studio, playing with you.

Mulching Strawberries

2009-06-14T05:43:00.001-07:00

The mulching has begun!

I'm using several layers of newspaper or newsprint (saved from the packing material we used during our last house move). Overlap the newspapers about 6". Wet the paper as you lay it down so it doesn't blow away in the wind.

I'm adding the shredded cedar mulch as I go, to hold down the newspaper. I buy cedar mulch on sale at the end of the summer, to be used for the next summer. I like it because it smells good, stays in place, and keeps the plants clean. It also saves me countless hours of weeding and watering work.

Voila! Doesn't that look nice? This job took 3 hours to complete, and I didn't rush it. Two more sections to go, then I move on to the next job!

Fruit and Herb Garden

2009-06-12T06:19:00.000-07:00

I am working on a fruit and herb garden in my back yard. I used to have a huge vegetable garden (25 years ago!), and spent the entire months of August and September making preserves and blanching veggies for the winter. And I NEVER want to do that again. This one, though, makes me very happy.

This is my garden yesterday morning. The composter is the black thingy at the back on the left, and my hon made me a cedar obelisk as a focal point. The boards were salvaged from my neighbor's bonfire pile. They make the pathways so I don't get muddy feet and also prevent the soil from being compacted when weeding and watering.

Lily supervises nearby while enjoying a little bush salad of her own.

So, this garden contains only my favorite food plants:

6 different tomatoes
June and ever-bearing strawberries
daylilies to make salad (you can eat daylily flowers - they're delicious)
tea herbs: lemon verbena, peppermint, chocolate and ginger mints
cooking herbs: cilantro, basil, flat-leaf parsley, sage, chives, garlic

I was done the planting by mid-afternoon. Strawberries are in the right and left sections. Tomatoes and herbs are in the centre section. Each section measures about 4' x 20'. You can comfortably reach about 3' for weeding, so I can easily reach into each section from either side.

I planted a Dropmore Scarlet Climbing Honeysuckle in the centre of the obelisk. This hardy climbing vine will fill the entire structure within 3-4 years. The flowers are tubular, and they attract hummingbirds!

Today I'll begin to mulch the entire garden. Mulch will reduce the weeds, retain moisture, and prevent soil from splashing up on the berries and herbs.

Blooming Today

2009-06-09T06:04:00.001-07:00

These are blooming around my house today:

Rosy Lights Azalea
I've planted one of these just about everywhere we've lived. Love the fragrance, love the hardiness and I LOVE the colour!

Mountain Ash

Jack Frost Brunnera
This gorgeous shade plant came with a gorgeous price: $40. I don't regret paying that one little bit. It blooms for almost 2 months and the leaves are beautiful.

Hadspen Cream Brunnera
This one keeps it's variegation throughout the summer and also blooms for about 2 months.

Fernleaf Bleeding Heart
My gardening friend Sherry gave this to me. The original plant came from her grandmother's house in a town nearby, so she said I had to have it.

Emerald Carousel Barberry
One of my all-time favorite shrubs. These yellow flowers turn into tiny bright orange drops of fruit, and the leaves turn fiery red-orange in the fall.

And let's not forget these Dandelion boogers...

... which turn into this! And yes, this IS my lawn...

Lily and Nyx

2009-06-07T11:51:00.000-07:00

Lily had a stare-down with Nyx last night.

Nyx became upset.

When you're a happy Golden Retriever,
sometimes things don't make sense!

Whirlpool Socks

2009-06-05T06:47:00.001-07:00

I just finished a pattern called Whirlpool Socks, from Knitting Socks with Handpainted Yarn by Carol J. Sulcoski, published by Interweave. It has a pretty picot edge and easy pattern repeat. I used ONline Supersocke 100 superwash wool, colour #1137.

I love the patterns in this book. Unfortunately there are a number of errors, and Interweave has published a set of PDF files on their website with corrections. Their files do not include an error I found in the Whirlpool pattern, however. On page 60, under Heel Flap, 2 lines down, the pattern should read: slip 2 (0,7)

I'm beginning a new set of socks using Patons new Stretch Socks yarn.

Reverse Sewing

2009-06-02T07:19:00.001-07:00

I began a quilt for my daughter on Christmas Eve, and lately have been working on it again. I chose the Stone Cottage design from Judy Martin's Log Cabin Quilt Book. The queen size Stone Cottage measures 99" x 99", which is the size I made. But I've since realized that I should have made it smaller to fit my daughter's bed.

SO, I'm reverse sewing! (Quilt speak for picking out stitches...) I'm removing 3 rows off the side and one off the bottom. The new reduced size will be 81" x 93". An added bonus is that I can use a standard queen size quilt batt now, whereas before I would have needed a king size batt.

Our weather has been awful: cold, wet, did I say cold? It freakin' snowed on Sunday morning. Seemed like a good idea to get back in the studio.

Blooming Today

2009-05-26T13:26:00.000-07:00

It's May 26th, and here is what's blooming near my house:

Forget Me Nots

White Flowering Crabapple

Pink Flowering Crabapple

Wild Stawberries

Trillium

Pin Cherry

Serviceberry

Blueberries

and this little beauty, called Gaywings!

Lilac Lane Quilts

2009-05-24T05:44:00.000-07:00

I visited Lilac Lane Quilts this weekend. This is a lovely quilt store in Alliston, Ontario. It was the perfect weekend to visit, as the lilacs in Alliston were in bloom and the fragrance was wonderful! Owner Liz Schueler has a large display of my quilts and patterns.

Tree Frog Peekaboo Bed and Wall Quilts, Hibiscus and Porcelain Wall Quilt, and the very popular Pansy Wall Quilt!

Small quilts, patterns, and kits

Lilac Lane Quilts carries all my patterns, as well as many kits. Liz's husband Carl quilted the Tree Frog quilts on their long-arm machine, and did a beautiful and very creative job. Carl also made a sample of my Sugar Maple Dance quilt, which hangs in the shop. I think his sample is nicer than mine!

Liz is planning on having me teach a class on Tree Frog Peekaboo sometime this year. She's working on kitting the patterns, and I'll post the class on my website when we settle on a date.

CreativFestival Spring 2009

2009-05-16T07:14:00.000-07:00

CreativFestival is the largest retail craft show in Canada. I've visited as a customer in the past, but this spring I took the plunge and had my own booth.

My friends Sherri Hisey of Border Creek Station Pattern Company and Jean Boyd of Patterns by Jean Boyd occupied the booths on either side of mine. Our husbands were all there to help, as well as visiting with each other!

Sherri peeks during booth set-up day

My Botanical Art Quilts booth, view #1. My new Tree Frog Peekaboo quilt on the right was a big hit!

Botanical Art Quilts booth, view #2. I had patterns, kits, beads, and many other products related to my designs for sale.

An action shot of Jean Boyd in her booth. My daughter Sarah plays hookie from helping me to browse through Jean's beautiful memory quilt samples.

Sherri Hisey demo's her techniques to make her gorgeous designs.

Despite the economy, we all had an incredible opening day. The shoppers were lined up to start, and we didn't slow down until 5:30 pm. In fact I sold out of several items by noon!

The next two days were slower, but we still did well. All in all, it was a great success.

How to Photograph Quilts Outdoors

2009-04-20T05:54:00.000-07:00

My new pattern, Tree Frog Peekaboo, is a single bed size quilt and matching wall quilt. I needed to photograph the bed quilt for the pattern cover, so my hon came up with this great idea!

Materials: 2 sheets of rough plywood (cost - $15.77 each)
- 1 cotton painter's drop cloth (available at hardware or paint supply stores)
- wood tacks to attach the drop cloth to the plywood
- deck screws to attach the plywood to the deck railing
- a deck (if you don't have one, ask your hon to build one for you or build it yourself)

Tip: photograph on a bright overcast day - avoid direct sun, hot spots and shadows.
Bring your dog with you so you can take a photo like this:

Find A Quilt Teacher.com

2009-04-19T03:54:00.000-07:00

Ami Simms (funny lady and American quilt artist) has come up with a great idea - create a website that showcases quilt teachers from around the world. As of today, almost 100 international teachers have registered - me being one of them.

Any one or group wishing to hire a quilt teacher can visit the site, register to log on, and obtain workshop and bio information. You can search teacher's names and geographical area. There are six of us from Canada so far. Check it out!

www.FindAQuiltTeacher.com

CBC Radio One Sudbury Gardening Phone-in

2009-04-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

I'm doing a gardening phone-in this afternoon between 4:30 pm and 5 pm for my favorite radio station: CBC Northeastern Ontario on 99.9 FM!

I did these for 2 summers previously, until I got too busy with other commitments.

Spring has sprung, lawns are lumpy, hedges are shaggy. Time to spruce things up...

Pieceful Nights Quilters Guild Lecture

2009-04-11T05:44:00.000-07:00

I had the pleasure of giving a lecture/trunk show at the Pieceful Nights Quilters Guild in Toronto on Wednesday. The guild is a small but welcoming group of quilters who meet in the afternoon to work on projects, then have their meeting in the evening.

Showing my Asiatic Lily wall quilt

The Sugar Maple Dance wall quilt

The members asked lots of questions and we had a nice visit afterward. Thanks for the invitation, ladies!

Loon Quilt - Quilt Canada '92 Logo

2009-04-03T04:40:00.000-07:00

The Thunder Bay Quilters Guild hosted Quilt Canada in 1992. The guild held a contest for a design to be used to create the logo quilt for the conference. The winner of the contest was Virginia Antoniak, a talented designer and quilt artist.

Virginia Antoniak's winning design for the Quilt Canada '92 Logo Quilt, incorporating trees, the Sleeping Giant (a landform visible from the city of Thunder Bay), the waves of Lake Superior, a needle and thread, and the loon. The design style is the Woodland School of native art.

I was contacted by Krystyna Perron who represented the guild and asked if I would make the logo quilt incorporating Virginia's design. I agonized for 3 months over how I would use it, because I thought the drawing was perfect in itself and would not translate well if plunked down in the middle of a bed quilt. The Quilt Canada Logo Quilts had always been bed quilts, and I strongly felt that Virginia's drawing wouldn't translate well to that format.

The risk was that the Canadian Quilter's Association members would not appreciate a wall quilt as their conference logo. I talked to Krys about my idea, and she encouraged me to do whatever I felt was right.

I worked out the construction logistics in my mind, then spent 3 weeks making the quilt. It is foundation-pieced, hand-appliqued, beaded and machine quilted. I used silver metallic thread for the needle, and a large green faceted bead for the eye.

Quilt Canada '92 Loon Logo Quilt
Designed by Virginia Antoniak,
adapted and created by Janet Rice-Bredin

Fortunately the quilt was well received! Yesterday I was contacted by the Thunder Bay Quilter's Guild and they have been given full rights to use the quilt and image as their new guild logo. You can see it on their website home page.

Lily and Jim

2009-04-02T04:48:00.000-07:00

The great stand-off. Do you think Jim the cat doesn't realize he is safe behind a door? They sat for many minutes staring at each other!

Superior School of Threadology - More Highlights

2009-03-30T16:00:00.001-07:00

I'm catching up on the the blogging I've missed by beginning with the Superior School of Threadology wrap-up.

Annie Unrein's class project using Texture Magic for the bag bottom

Heather Purcell, aka Mother Superior, gives an amazing Show & Tell of the stunning quilts in her personal collection. The workmanship and designs were unbelievable.

Bob Purcell gets fitted for his mortar board before the graduation ceremony begins

Jean Boyd graduates!

The Rices are graduated together: Janett Rice on the left,
moi on the right

Anita Zobens fondles her fat quarters while waiting for the shuttle

Leaving Las Vegas

Time to go home and await anxiously for my threads from the Superior Threads Warehouse Shopping Spree to arrive in the mail! And arrive they did :o) I can hardly wait to start playing with all those yummy colours...

Sittin' and Knittin'

2009-03-27T05:19:00.000-07:00

Well life has been a little challenging lately! I am slowly recovering from a high ankle sprain with torn ligaments. I haven't been able to walk much or drive, so I've been stuck at home with the exception of physiotherapy sessions.

And what have I been doing to keep from going crazy? I've been sittin' and knittin'... socks, that is. Many, MANY socks!

Knitting Central

Winter boot socks for husband

Hiking boot socks for husband

Winter boot socks for me

Warm and fuzzy bed socks for daughter

My husband loves hand-knitted socks so he's a happy man. And for the moment, until I can stand for longer periods of time, I'm feeling sort of useful.

Superior School of Threadology: Show and Tell

2009-02-11T04:53:00.000-08:00

Show and Tell followed dinner on the first night. Many people brought quilted items, and I took some photos to share with you:

Art quilts by Martha Bentley of Nevada

Lindsay Fiske with her "Drunken Weekend up the Coast with Karen", a quilt that commemorates a road trip with a friend.

Karen Jurek of Calgary, Alberta with her "Bugs in My Garden". This incredible quilt won Best of Show at the Canadian Quilters Association National Juried Show in 2004.

Jean Boyd of Brockville, Ontario with one of her latest pattern designs "Wonky Squares"

The cover of an art book by Janett Rice! Yes, there IS another one of us! I was tickled to meet Janett and it seems we may be related by the original Rices who emigrated to America in the 17th century. Janett is a talented textile artist living in Las Vegas, although she spent a few years in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The following photo is her Harry Potter book - each page corresponds with each book in the series. It includes quotes and many techniques to illustrate the quotes. I love Harry Potter, and I loved this work of art.

"Harry Potter and the Seven Quilts"

Colleen Peake of Alberta, Canada and her "Spirit Island"

Colleen Peake and her "Peggy's Cove"

Anita Zobens, the only Superior Threads Educator for Canada, with the thread lace scarf she made for Show and Tell using Superior threads!

Annie Unrein, one of the Superior Threads instructors and a pattern designer, shows her laptop bags available as a pattern. She specializes in quilt-related organizer patterns, but also designs funky and fun quilts. Annie can often be seen working in the Superior Threads booths at various quilt shows.

Tomorrow's post will show the project that Annie designed and taught in a class that featured a brand new product for our industry!

Superior School of Threadology - Day 1

2009-02-10T05:11:00.000-08:00

Meet and greet. There are 60 of us, and we hail from England, Canada and the U.S. Temple-Michelle, the School Co-ordinator, greets us all with huge goody bags of threads and a comprehensive booklet titled "Superior School of Threadology".

Temple-Michelle is on the left. My friends Jean Boyd and Anita Zobens are in the foreground.

Heather Purcell (aka Mother Superior)

Heather told me the following story about the beautiful quilt hanging at the front of the room: the quilt top was designed and sewn together in TWO days by Blanche Young (in her '80s at the time). This quilt was one of about 60 quilts made by Blanche that year. She uses orange fabrics in her quilts because she was told early in her career never to use orange in a quilt. Heather had the top machine quilted by another friend, and it is one of her most treasured quilts.

Bob Purcell lead the morning with his Thread Therapy seminar. Bob is a thread expert, and despite the fact that I've been in the business for 20 years, almost everything he discussed was new information to me. His talk was outstanding.

Lunch was fun; meeting new friends such as Margaret Illions from Las Vegas. Margaret kindly answered many questions from us Canadians about what it was like to live in her city. Her company is called Quilt Art & Beyond.

Margaret Illions on the left and Anita Zobens on the right.

Cindy Needham, Superior Teacher

Cindy was our afternoon instructor. Her class is called Open Thread Bar. Cindy specializes in using antique linens in her quilts, which are heirloom quilted and beaded with fresh water pearls. They are exquisite. We played with many different kinds of Superior threads and tried different techniques of machine quilting.

Tomorrow I'll post about the Show and Tell we had the first evening.

St. George, Utah

2009-02-05T21:12:00.001-08:00

We're in St. George at the Superior School of Threadology. I'm wondering how I can move here. I'm tied to the Hilton Garden Inn for the duration, but took these photos of the view from the hotel. The desert is so different from my landscape; it's beauty lies in the open skies and colours of the rocks and plants. Local quilters have shown us some of their work inspired by their land. We quilters are all the same after all. Our landscapes define and inspire us.

Visit to Scrap Apple Quilts

2009-02-04T17:42:00.000-08:00

I traveled to St. George, Utah today with my friends Jean Boyd (Patterns by Jean Boyd) and Anita Zobens (Cotton Mill Threadworks). We are registered in the Superior School of Threadology for the next few days.

We flew into Las Vegas , then took the St. George Shuttle through spectacular desert country (does anyone know what a talus cone is?). We arrived at our hotel, dropped the luggage, and took Bob Purcell's (owner of Superior Threads) offer of a ride to a wonderful quilt shop - Scrap Apple Quilts!

Our shopping spree begins!

We found the staff were cheerful, warm and welcoming to us tired travellers. The selection of batiks was outstanding. Scrap Apple is celebrating it's birthday, and had a huge sale on. My favorite find was rick rack! And yes, I bought lots.

After a happy 1 1/2 hours in the store, the owner Shirley Baptist offered to drive the 3 of us back to our hotel. Talk about Utah hospitality! We really appreciated her kindness.

Tomorrow we begin the School of Threadology, and my next post will tell all...

New Blog from Superior Threads

2009-02-01T06:17:00.000-08:00

Good news! My favorite thread company, Superior Threads, has joined the blogging world. I've added the link to my blog list at right.

Bob and Heather Purcell, the owners of Superior, are wonderful people and have given me a huge amount of support as a new quilt pattern designer.

Superior manufacturers and sells (in my humble opinion) the best quality threads for quilting and sewing.

I'll be attending their Superior School of Threadology next week at their headquarters in St. George, Utah. Can't wait!

Hibiscus and Porcelain Workshop

2009-01-26T04:58:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure of teaching my Hibiscus and Porcelain Workshop at the Sew Sunsational 2009 Retreat in Cocoa, Florida this past Friday.

Here I am in the centre under the Hibiscus and Porcelain quilt with some of the class members.

The Holiday Inn Select hotel that the retreat was held in. I ate lunch under the palm trees on Friday - what a treat!

This retreat lasts a full week, with 5 classes per day (some were 2 day classes). The host shop, Ultimate Sewing Place from Titusville, sets up a mini quilt store in one of the rooms. The retreat begins with a lunch lecture on Sunday, and events are held each evening during the week.

This was the 5th annual Sew Sunsational retreat. I highly recommend it for a welcome break in cold January!

Hibiscus and Porcelain

2009-01-19T04:38:00.000-08:00

Hibiscus and Porcelain is my newest design, created especially for the Sew Sunsational 2009 retreat that I am teaching at this Friday in Cocoa, Florida.

My friends Jean and Wayne Boyd shared photographs with me of their brilliant pink hibiscus from the summer of 2008. With their permission, I used them to design the flowers for this quilt. I also have a passion for blue and white porcelain ginger jars, and included them for fun. The borders seemed to need a bit of brightness, so I added 4 Orange-Barred Sulphur Butterflies to pick up the colours in the Hibiscus pistils.

I've added many bead embellishments, hand embroidery and a decorative button to this quilt. It measures 32" square and was designed to be used either as a wall quilt or a table topper.

I'm not releasing this pattern for general sale at the moment. It will be available as a one day workshop only. I'll also be teaching this workshop for Cock-A-Doodle Quilts; a shop in Toronto, Ontario on April 8th.

Lily Waits...

2009-01-16T13:10:00.001-08:00

... for Sid to come home.

American Goldfinch

2009-01-15T06:34:00.001-08:00

The bird feeders are busy these days with frigid temperatures and wind chill. We've had flocks of American Goldfinches, Redpolls, Pine Siskins, Chickadees and Mourning Doves. The American Goldfinch, above, is in it's winter colour phase. A Hairy Woodpecker visited the suet feeder yesterday.

January 14th, 2009

2009-01-14T03:25:00.001-08:00

The view out my kitchen window, about 5 minutes ago.
I'm going back to bed until April.

Sarah's Lantern Bag

2009-01-13T06:29:00.001-08:00

I took my daughter Sarah along with me to International Quilt Festival in Chicago last spring. The only purchase she asked for was a little package of Japanese fabrics from a booth in the end aisle (I can't remember the name of the company). The package included 6 pieces of fabric, as well as a length of wrapped cord.

I saw this Lantern Bag pattern by Four Corners Designs at my local quilt shop, and decided that it would be perfect for Sarah's Japanese fabrics. Hey! A Christmas gift idea!

These are the 2 fabrics I added to the mix. The blue batik on the left would be the main fabric, and the brown ikat on the right (a gift from a friend who lived in Japan for awhile) would be the inner pockets.

I had bought the wooden button many years ago, and it was perfect for the purse. The pattern doesn't call for a button but I like to be able to close a bag. I hand-stitched the wrapped cord around the upper seam to give it a nice finish.

You can see the inner folded fabrics peeking out.

The back of the Lantern Bag.

I still have to make a change in the design. Sarah prefers longer handles to sling over her shoulder, so I'll redo the handles to be longer. Otherwise she loved it!

The Bed Quilt Club 11

2009-01-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

The Club met on Wednesday. Pat, Doris, Marg and I were the only ones out of 8 members who were able to attend. The weather certainly didn't cooperate! Think Northern Ontario in the winter. I needn't elaborate.

The Nine Patch block exchange came first. To recap the rules:

3" finished size blocks, 1" finished squares.
No solids or whites.
The dark squares are at the outside corners and centre.
Blocks will be 2 fabrics: light and dark.
We have to include every block from the swap in our quilts.
We can add as many extra blocks as we want to our own quilt.

These were the 9 Patch blocks for today's swap

Next, Marg showed the pillow shams that she has made to go with her daughter-in-law Darbie's quilt. She shows us how she lined the back of the flying geese patchwork so the shams may be washed without fraying seams.

And finally, here is a progress photo of the quilt I began for my daughter Sarah just before Christmas. Sarah loves authentic Japanese fabrics, including those lovely neutral blues, taupes and greys. All of the fabrics in this quilt are from Japanese companies. The pattern is called Stone Cottage, from Judy Martin's Log Cabin Quilt Book. I hope to have the quilt top completed for the next meeting!

Sasha

2009-01-08T07:44:00.001-08:00

We lost our beautiful Sasha on December 22nd to cancer. She was loved by many people. Our vet, Dr. Dan wrote the following about her:

"You give your pets great love and care... their final gift is the memory of a life lived well."

Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T06:05:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Santa's workshop has been going full tilt for the past several weeks, and I am still sewing on Christmas Eve!

My last project is a queen size quilt for my daughter (she's already seen it, so no surprise). I began sewing 2 days ago. Does anyone else do this? Are we crazy? So between shoveling more snow, egg nog and gingerbread, and dog walking, this is what I'll be doing today.

Can't think of anything better...

Have a safe and very Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah everyone!

The Bed Quilt Club 10

2008-12-16T04:20:00.000-08:00

Our Bed Quilt Club met last week, with Pat, Myrna, Doris, Marg and myself in attendance. We had many quilts to share and I have photos below.

Marg made this incredible quilt for her daughter-in-law Darbie. She's been working on it for many months. This is the information Marg has provided about the quilt:

Central design is by Diana Bouffard, published in Canada Quilts in three installments in February, April and June issues 1992. I expanded the design to king size. It is 124" wide and 105" long. Drunkard's Path blocks are hand pieced. Appliqué is by hand. Balance is machine pieced. Quilting patterns are my own design made specifically for this quilt. It took almost 300 hours for the hand quilting.

This is a close-up of the hand quilting, done in red thread. I can't even describe how gorgeous this quilt is - a real heirloom.

Pat has been working on her Christmas quilt called Christmas Waltz, from the book Six Halves Make A Whole Christmas from The Quilt Branch (Susan Knapp & Mary Jane Mattingly). This pattern is known as a dance around the square.

Myrna is showing us her Christmas quilt called Santa Face Wallhanging, designed by Mary Manis and published in Quilting Today Issue #93. Myrna added extra borders to enlarge the quilt. Buttons will be added to made the eyes after quilting.

Doris shows her mystery quilt, and is trying to decide what to name it. Several suggestions were made, and hopefully she'll tell us her choice at the next meeting in January.

This is a photo of one of 2 quilts that Gwen made from the French Braid Quilts book by Jane Hardy Miller. Gwen brought her finished quilts to a previous meeting that I wasn't able to attend, so I've included the photo here.

And lastly, we traded our Nine Patch blocks for the ongoing exchange. We've decided that multiple blocks may be brought in for trading, as it will take too long to accumulate enough to make our quilts otherwise.

Our next meeting will be in early January, and I'll have my new bed quilt pattern to show then!

Lois Murray's Asiatic Lily

2008-11-27T03:23:00.001-08:00

Lois took my Botanical Art Small Wall Quilts workshop in Alliston for Lilac Lane Quilts on November 1st, and had her quilt finished within days! Here she is showing her Asiatic Lily.

Thanks Lois for sharing with us!

Joyce Hartley's Sugar Maple Little Quilt

2008-11-26T05:39:00.000-08:00

And another version of the Sugar Maple Little Quilt from my Leaf Magic Little Quilt pattern done by Joyce R. Hartley can be viewed on her quilt blog Quilting Adventures. Check out her lovely leaf vein stitching!

Introducing Monica Washburn

2008-11-24T05:42:00.000-08:00

An old friend, Monica Washburn, came to visit me at the Country Concessions Quilt Shop booth at Quilt Canada 2008 in St. John's, Newfoundland this spring. Monica was my hostess during a teaching trip to Fredericton, New Brunswick many years ago.

Monica bought my Leaf Magic Little Quilt pattern, and sent me this photo of the two Sugar Maple Little Quilts that she has since made. Monica describes herself thus: "I am really just a traditional quilter, but I do like to try new things".

Monica's husband Tom was an avid fly fisherman, and gave me one of his beautiful hand made fishing flies as a gift.

Teaching is rewarding in many ways. I've met many fine people on my trips, and two of them are Monica and Tom.

Pine Tree Quilter's Guild of Muskoka

2008-11-18T04:35:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful teaching trip to Bracebridge, Ontario for the Pine Tree Quilter's Guild of Muskoka last week. I gave my Trunk Show after the guild's meeting on Thursday afternoon and taught the Botanical Art Small Wall Quilt workshop on Friday.

The meeting was really busy, and I didn't have time to take any photos. The Pine Tree guild has about 100 members, and there were almost 80 people attending on Thursday.

I was treated to a pot luck dinner with the Art Quilt group that evening. I brought a bottle of wine to share, not knowing that the dinner would be held at the local senior's residence. So one of the resourceful members found a bag of medication cups and used them to serve the wine!

A toast!

Barb Coburn is an old friend from Northwestern Ontario. I hadn't seen Barb for about 15 years, and it was such a treat to see her in Bracebridge. The first time I learned about this amazing quilter was when I saw her gorgeous purple amethyst quilt at the National Juried Show in Thunder Bay during Quilt Canada '92.

Marta McIntyre shows her paper pieced quilts. Marta is saying "thank you" as we all ooed and ahhed.

Heather Ingram is showing her Round Robin quilt, which began with her "Lone Angel" centre block.

The next day was my Botanical Art Small Wall Quilt workshop. It was full with a waiting list, which is very nice to hear! This photo was taken mid-afternoon and shows the progress that these ladies made in a very short time.

Thanks to all for such a great experience! (Not to mention the chocolate that was donated, and really helped the creative process)

Lilac Lane Quilts Teaching Trip

2008-11-02T15:53:00.001-08:00

I had the pleasure of giving my lecture Healing Stitches and teaching the Botanical Art Small Wall Quilts workshop for Lilac Lane Quilts of Alliston, Ontario this weekend. Liz and Carl Schueler were perfect hosts, and organized a wonderful event for their customers.

Liz had a busy table, selling the many items used to make
my quilt patterns.

Mary Margaret, who swore she didn't like applique, made a beautiful Pansy block. She then purchased my Sugar Maple Dance and Leaf Magic Little Quilt patterns. I think we have a convert!

Diane made the Asiatic Lily, Shirley made the Bearded Iris and Wendy made her own artistic interpretation of the Asiatic Lily. I met Wendy in 1998 when she took my Monet's Garden workshop at Quilt Canada in Vancouver. She did her own fabulous thing in that class, and obviously she hasn't changed a bit!

Wendy's block - what you can't see are the embellishments she has already added (beading and embroidery).

Our class had accomplished these blocks by the middle
of the afternoon.

The women were wonderful and the food was scrumptious (Liz you're awesome). Thanks to everyone who made this such a successful event!

Quiet North

2008-10-29T03:16:00.000-07:00

The north is quiet now, and waiting for winter.

Nine Patch Obsession

2008-10-25T06:55:00.000-07:00

Lately all I want to do is make scrap Nine Patch blocks. I think it's a reaction to the economic crisis. My Bed Quilt Club has a Nine Patch Exchange in its second year, and I owed several sets of blocks. I've designed a bed quilt pattern just for my blocks, and I can hardly wait to make it. But first, many more blocks must be exchanged!

How to make 3" finished size Nine Patch blocks (these cutting instructions make one block, but I cut my strips about 18" long which makes 12 blocks):

1. Cut 4 light strips 1 1/2" wide by at least 2" long
2. Cut 5 dark strips 1 1/2" wide by at least 2" long
3. Sew the strips together to make these 3 sets:

4. Press seams towards the dark fabric strips.

5. Cut the strip sets into 1 1/2" sections, as below:

5. Sew the strips together to make a block, as below:

Here is my little pile of blocks to date. The two piles below that are for the next exchange at the Bed Quilt Club meeting this week.

I need 225 of these 3" blocks to make my new Nine Patch twin bed quilt pattern. Time to dig into my piles and piles and piles of scraps! It comforts me to spend my time doing this.

Red Oak

2008-10-19T05:20:00.001-07:00

"Listen! the wind is rising,
And the air is wild with leaves"
Humbert Wolfe

Frosty Morning

2008-10-17T07:03:00.001-07:00

Crisp, clear, bright, beautiful morning.

The Bed Quilt Club 9

2008-10-16T04:53:00.000-07:00

The Bed Quilt Club met yesterday; the 2nd meeting of the season. It was wonderful to see old friends again. Pat, Marg and I were the only ones available but we had a good time nonetheless! Pat's Country Quilter shop was a busy place and Pat had to keep running to help customers. So we invited the customers in to visit with us too!

Marg showed her Lemonade quilt top, which is truly a one-of-a-kind. She had purchased the red fabric, then mistakenly treated it with a product designed to removed colour that runs and stains white fabric. Unfortunately, her red fabric bleached out to gold in many areas. So Marg cut the gold areas seperate from the red areas, sewed the strips end to end, and made a Faux Log Cabin. What do you make with a lemon? Lemonade.

Marg also brought a box of half square triangle blocks that she had sewed since last spring. She is working on a Friendship Star quilt which requires 2040 blocks. There are over 300 in the box, which brings her count up to 1539.

NOTE: Marg emailed me to say that the product is called "Dylon Run Away". It is made to use on white fabrics only.

Friendship Star Quilt blocks

Pat has made progress on her Kentucky Log Cabin quilt blocks from Judy Martin's Log Cabin Quilt Book. She groused just a little bit on the log sizes: 1 1/4" strips. It will be worth it in the end - the smaller the log size, the richer the quilt.

Doris has finished her quilt top but couldn't make the meeting as she is on the Danube this week.

I showed my newest design; a wall quilt and matching twin bed quilt hot off the sewing machine. Alas I can't show you any photos - the project is for a magazine.

Aerial Views of Killarney Provincial Park

2008-10-11T06:04:00.000-07:00

The following photos were generously provided by Roel Teunissen, taken while piloting his Cessna 152.

View of the La Cloche Mountains in the fall.

Silver Peak in Killarney Provincial Park, with Georgian Bay in the background. This peak is a popular climb and can be done in a day. Sid and I climbed it a few years ago with our dogs. The view is breathtaking: Lake Huron and the town of Espanola on one side and Sudbury on the other.

East end of O.S.A. Lake (originally called Trout Lake, but later renamed for the Ontario Society of Artists).

O.S.A. Lake and Georgian Bay.

Looking northeast from Georgian Bay on Lake Huron towards George Lake. We camped on nearby David Lake a few years ago when we climbed Silver Peak.

Thank you Roel for providing this bird's eye view of the crown jewel in the Ontario Provincial Park system.

Serenity Garden

2008-10-08T05:08:00.000-07:00

The following photos are of a serenity garden that I designed for clients in Sudbury, which was installed in 2007.

The clients wanted a quiet private space to relax in. The keywords I was given for reference were: simple, traditional, serene, clean, neat, tidy, low-maintenance, full season interest, simple elegance. Hardscaping elements had to include a water feature as well as rocks, rocks and more rocks. A gazebo was on the wish list.

Space was limited and the grade sloping away from the house was extreme (8' drop over 23'). The house was built by the clients in a new subdivision, so privacy and lack of trees were issues.

Side (before)

Side Path (after)

The side path leads to these steps.

Future deck/patio area.

Patio and Serenity Garden

Gazebo

Tsukubai water basin provided in Japanese Buddhist temples for visitors to purify themselves by the ritual washing of hands. The client (a knowledgeable plantswoman with excellent design sense!) installed this lovely little grouping beside the gazebo.

Small-space garden design is challenging. Every element has to fit together like a puzzle, as there is no room for fudging. It helped that my clients believed in good design. Once again, I had Steve Elliott of Acer Land Developments install the project. It required massive below-grade timber framing and an 8' retaining wall to hold up the gazebo. The result was worth the effort. My clients love to spend summer days in the gazebo, and I've enjoyed a nice glass of wine there myself.

Lichen and Quartzite

2008-10-03T03:48:00.001-07:00

I took these photos in the hills around Grace Lake in Killarney Provincial Park. I was gobsmacked by the colours in the quartzite, and entranced by the textures of the lichen.

Moss - the rock is so white it looks like snow.

This piece had sheared off. It looks like marble to me.

A pink spot.

Rock face near the shoreline of our campsite.

These lichen patches reminded me of snowflakes.

Pink, alabaster and grey-green.

I had to wait for the morning sun to illuminate this rock face.

Here's a stitchery just waiting to be born.

Ram's horns? Shells? The Golden Mean?

I'm going to play with some of these images in thread and cloth and beads. I had collected fibre art supplies years ago with lichen images in mind. It seems like my inspiration has finally come at a time in my life when I can commit to creating something just to please myself.

Oh, and Anita emailed me to admit she was crazy about lichen too.

Grace Lake, Killarney Provincial Park

2008-10-01T17:46:00.000-07:00

We did our annual canoe trip to nearby Killarney Provincial Park 2 weeks ago. This time we stayed in the north end of the park, with 3 nights at Grace Lake and 1 night at Nellie. Canada's Group of Seven painters sketched and painted in many areas of Killarney. One of Franklin Carmichael's favorite places to paint were the La Cloche Mountains and Grace Lake.

I stitched two photographs together to get this image, taken from one of the hilltops above the lake.

The La Cloche Mountains are brilliant white quartzite, with shots of rose pink, gray and the occasional melon orange. They are ancient and worn down to hills. We spent the days scrambling around the hills, enjoying the views, taking lots of photos and enjoying the last warm days of the summer.

Log and stone markers, thoughtfully placed by previous visitors, directed us to the hilltops.

The hill above our campsite.

Sasha and Lily beside an inukshuk marker. Sid took this photo.

Glacier scrapes.

Wintergreen grew everywhere.

My next post will show my new obsession with lichens. I may be the only person I know who would spend so many hours photographing lichen. I'm a cheap date, what can I say!

Watercolour - Fungus

2008-09-27T05:02:00.000-07:00

"No spring nor summer beauty had such grace
As I have seen in one autumnal face"
John Donne

Lilac Lane Quilts

2008-09-13T04:08:00.000-07:00

Lilac Lane Quilts, a shop in Alliston, Ontario, will be hosting my trunk show and Botanical Art Small Wall Quilts Workshop. The trunk show is scheduled for 7:30 pm, Oct. 31st and the workshop is Nov. 1st from 8 am - 4 pm.

Lilac Lane's owner, Liz Schueler, has gone flat out for this event! She is making up kits for the quilts, and will be selling the patterns and all the related items required to make my quilts. Liz has a bright, bubbly personality and is wonderful to work with.

Liz can be reached toll-free at 1-866-435-1041, or emailed at liz@lilaclanequilts.com.

Some of my quilts on display at the shop.

Joe-Pye Weed

2008-09-09T04:50:00.001-07:00

Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium maculatum) is fading now.

Blueberry Lake, Temagami: Old Growth Trail 2

2008-09-04T05:55:00.001-07:00

Continued from previous posts:

Mushrooms and fungi were in abundance. I can't identify them - I need a friend to teach me mushroomology.

This one was so bizarre...

Moose poop looks like giant rabbit poop.

Pileated Woodpecker holes in a red pine.

This is probably a Pink Ladyslipper orchid. I saw these orchids everywhere around Blueberry Lake. The wildflower display must be beautiful in May.

This tree was blasted by lightning. Can you imagine the incredible force?

And this is what remained of the top after the blast.

I would love to lead ecology trips to this area. But what would I call the tour - Tiptoe through the Twinflowers? Nibble your way through the Northwoods? This is what Northern Ontario looks like when people haven't altered the landscape. This is my genius loci.

Blueberry Lake, Temagami: Old Growth Trail 1

2008-09-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

Continued from previous 2 posts:

After a leisurely breakfast of porridge and English Breakfast Tea, we set off across the lake to the Old Growth Trail.

There are several distinct habitats on the trail. We had preprinted the Guide to the Blueberry Lake Ecology Trails from the ancientforest.org site, and started the hike up the hillside.

The first thing I noticed were the many clumps of Indian Pipe (Monotrope uniflora). This unusual plant gets its nourishment from fungal connections between its roots and the nearby trees. It is a ghostly white colour.

Indian Pipe

The trail was also chock full of Clintonia borealis, also known as Blue Bead Lily. The following photo shows the glossy dark blue beads which are the seeds that originate from pretty yellow flowers in the spring.

Blue Bead Lily

I soon spotted mats of Creeping Snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula), and well as delicious Wintergreen (Gaultheria procumbens). Wintergreen leaves are yummy to chew on as you hike the trail!

Wintergreen

There was an amazing diversity of trees: Red Pine, White Pine, White Spruce, Black Spruce, White Cedar, Aspen, White Birch, Yellow Birch, Red Oak, Sugar Maple and Mountain Maple.

Sugar Maples - how green can green be?

Huge old White Pine

Red Pine canopy

The next post will continue with the Old Growth Trail.

Blueberry Lake, Temagami: Campsite

2008-08-26T05:09:00.000-07:00

Continued from previous post...

We perched our tent on the most level spot of the campsite. (In Temagami, "level" is a relative term that means you probably won't actually slide into the lake.) Then we paddled across the lake to a place where there were several standing small dead trees. We needed the trees for firewood. After loading the canoe with wood, we paddled back to the campsite and I started a fire in the firepit.

I'm grilling steaks and a baked potato for dinner. These were accompanied by a nice Chilean Malbec. There's nothing like a glass of wine to go with your sizzling T-bone steak after a day of paddling!

This 120 year old Red Pine ridge was my view from the campfire. These trees grew here after a forest fire that blazed through in the 1880's.

This little garter snake was evicted from it's home in the firepit while the campfire was going. He curled up on the sunny rock until the fire was put out later that evening.

This is a tiny, gnarly white cedar growing from a crack in the bedrock at the end of our campsite. I can't even imagine how old it is.

And here is our Lily, plum tuckered out after a day of hiking and chasing chipmunks.

The next post will feature our hike on the Old Growth Trail.

Blueberry Lake, Temagami, Ontario

2008-08-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

Sid and I just returned from a 3 day canoe and hiking trip to beautiful Blueberry Lake, near Temagami, Ontario. Blueberry Lake is an ecological wonder with old growth forests and pristine water, not to mention millions of blueberry bushes!

We printed the information from the Ancient Forest.org website, and headed off in our canoe with Sasha and Lily, our Golden Retrievers. We parked at the Cassels Lake landing and canoed for about 1 1/2 hours to the portage to Blueberry Lake. The portage is an easy 450 metres.

Wolf scat on the portage.

Bread Loaf Rock

This rock is located beside one of the campsites. The rock is splitting off in slices - doesn't it look like a huge loaf of bread?

Lichen patches above the high water mark. I love the patterns. This may become a stitchery some day!

Water Lily in the wetlands area

We had the lake to ourselves, so we chose a campsite and settled in. Tomorrow I'll show some photos from the campsite.

Quick Fire Hydrangea

2008-08-19T05:32:00.001-07:00

This is my new favorite Hydrangea paniculata. The blossoms open a creamy white, and quickly turn a luscious rosy pink. This is the only blossom on the shrub, as I just planted it last month.

'Quick Fire' is a much improved variety of the Pee Gee Hydrangea, and I'm in love!

Bear Hollow Revisited

2008-08-15T05:48:00.000-07:00

Ann Seely designed a quilt called Bear Hollow that was published in Quilter's Newsletter Magazine as a series from October 1994 to April 1995. I saved those issues for years, and sewed the quilt top together in 2002.

The quilt borders were a lovely applique design, however I decided to create my own to personalize my quilt. I used a combination of shapes from McKenna Ryan's patterns as well as my own. My designs are inspired by our canoeing trips.

I've been avoiding sewing the satin stitching around each shape because it takes soooo long! This summer I finally got around to some of the stitching, although I suspect it will take months to do it all. The corners are done, and I am stitching the long borders now. This quilt has been calling to me from my UFO stash, and it's time to get it done!

Our tent, our Golden Retriever Sasha with a stick, our glasses of wine and our campfire.

An Inukshuk that Sid built for me while I was taking a nap.

Myself in the bow, Sid in the stern, and Sasha behind me in Sid's dream canoe: a red Prospector.

A cabin on one of our favorite lakes.

Blue moose, of course.

One of several red bears and a flock of Canada geese.

When I get the borders done and sewn on to the main body of the quilt, I'll take a photo for you.

Luna Moth

2008-08-13T04:30:00.001-07:00

My previous post has photos of 2 mystery caterpillars. On a hunch I Googled images of Luna Moth caterpillars, and there they were! I cut the little branches that the caterpillars were attached to, and moved them to trees at the edge of the property. My Serviceberries were losing too many leaves.

Huge Caterpillar!

2008-08-12T11:01:00.001-07:00

Can anyone tell me what kind of caterpillar this is? It's about the size of my thumb, and is munching away on my newly planted Serviceberry. There are 2 of them, and I'm leaving them alone to see what they turn into :o)

A Cautionary Tale

2008-07-31T05:34:00.000-07:00

I purchased a Dwarf White Pine from Mori Gardens, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario on Saturday, July 12th. I couldn't find this pine in my area, and on a family trip to the Niagara area I decided to visit Mori to see if they had one.

There was one left, located in their prime display at the front of the garden centre, priced at $99.99.

I brought it home and planted it on Monday. Unfortunately, the pine began to turn brown by Wednesday. I called Mori and the employee I spoke to led me through the usual questions about how I had watered it or not, etc. I explained that I am a horticulturist and garden designer, and that I've worked for CBC radio as a gardening phone-in expert. Yes, I had watered it and no, not too much.

Mori Gardens' dead Dwarf White Pine

The new garden with Mori Gardens' dead Dwarf White Pine

Mori's guarantee on nursery stock reads as follows:

"The Mori 100% two year guarantee is subject to the presentation of your receipt and the dead nursery stock. We will replace the full amount paid once for guaranteed plants that die within two years after the purchase date by a credit note - no cash refunds."

The employee insisted that I bring the dead plant in, as per their policy. I explained that I lived near Sudbury, an 8 hour drive from the garden centre, and could I just email them a photo? The answer was no.

I know exactly what happened to this plant and why it died. At some point shortly before I bought the plant, it had been allowed to totally dry out. Conifers cannot handle this, but unfortunately they don't show the damage for several days. This poor pine was doomed before I even laid eyes on it.

What I have learned from this expensive experience is that I will never buy a conifer from a garden centre (and certainly not from Mori Gardens!) that is any distance away from my home. You can't tell right away that they haven't been cared for properly.

'Frosty Beauty' Daylily

2008-07-29T03:23:00.000-07:00

'Frosty Beauty' finally bloomed! This is the daylily that I had planted in my street garden, shown in my post called Anatomy of a New Garden from June 23, 2008.

I've been working away on the backyard since I returned from Quilt Canada 2008 in early June. Photos will follow soon!

Introducing Baby May

2008-07-02T04:23:00.001-07:00

This is the story of Baby May.

At 8:30 a.m. of May of 2007, Nurse Angie of the Martindale Animal Clinic, Sudbury, Ontario stepped outside the clinic to see a taped cardboard box left beside the large trash bin. She could hear purring, and through a hole in the box, Angie could see a tiny paw waving in the air.

She brought the box into the clinic and when it was opened, she found a 5 month old kitten with one eye severely injuried, from an apparent dog bite.

Dr. Dan Ransberry, the veterinarian on surgical duty that day, called the SPCA but they couldn't take the kitten because of her serious injury. Dr. Dan gave her a pain shot. The kitten continued to purr when handled, despite her condition.

Since the kitten was probably unadoptable, Dr. Dan decided to keep her. He called her Baby May, and she turned out to be a cuddly beautiful little girl. I met May at Dan's house. Her one good eye is a lovely China blue, and she has the most gorgeous patterned coat. Dan says she is a Silver Tabby and Lynx Point Siamese cross.

Dr. Dan is the vet for our two Golden Retrievers. His clinic has been voted Sudbury's favorite animal clinic 4 out of the past 5 years, for many reasons including his compassion for cruelly discarded, wounded kittens.

Baby May's colours

Happy Canada Day!

2008-07-01T04:16:00.001-07:00

Happy 141st birthday, Canada!

'Dancing Butterflies' Peony

2008-06-25T05:18:00.000-07:00

My friend Gisele shares my passion for single peonies. She phoned me yesterday to come to her garden centre (Gisele's Greenhouses in Chelmsford, Ontario, Tel: 705-855-6621) and take some photos of her display gardens. The peonies were in full bloom.

'Dancing Butterflies' Peony

'Dancing Butterflies' Peony blossom

Alas these flowers have no scent. However they survive rain storms and strong winds without blowing over, and never need staking. I'm always a fan of less work!

Introducing Joyce Nicholls-Goudsmid

2008-06-24T04:08:00.000-07:00

Joyce bought my Leaf Magic Little Quilt pattern from me at Quilt Canada 2008 three weeks ago, and has already created an awesome variation. She combined all 6 leaf designs into one wall quilt, then embellished it with leaf stamps and a few appliqued leaves, leaf sequins and beads, and a bird button. She noted that she had everything in her stash, including the backing which was perfect of course! Joyce told me that it was very fun to make and just what she needed to do to wind down from QC 2008.

This is how Joyce describes herself:

"I have been quilting for about 10 years, not long after I moved to St. John's, Newfoundland. As an adolescent and young adult I sewed many of my own clothes, but never really found that satisfying. However, I retained a love of fabric and all things fibre! I went to my first quilter's guild meeting in 1998 and was immediately taken with the possibilities. I've hardly missed a meeting since, and my fabric stash cost more than my furniture! I think that quilting is about creative expression; every quilt that you make is your own, regardless of the pattern you use. And for me, the less traditional the pattern and the bolder the colours, the better I like it!"

Thank you Joyce for sharing your beautiful quilt.

Anatomy of a New Garden

2008-06-23T05:17:00.000-07:00

I made a new garden at the corner of our street and driveway this past weekend. We had a landscape construction crew in for over a week that (among other things) created a stone retaining wall using huge granite blast rock boulders.

They found an interesting rock that they thought I might like to use at the entrance to our driveway. It turned out to be a perfect "Heaven" rock when installed vertically. I was able to find corresponding "Earth" and "Man" rocks as well, and our back hoe operator Elliott slung them into place. The Heaven, Earth and Man rocks illustrate the principle of the three forces, oshakei, which is a classical aesthetic tool in Japanese garden design.

The rocks were dug in approximately 1/3 of their height. This is a view of the back side of the rocks. I began with a stake in the centre, and dug a 5' radius to make a perfect circle. The Heaven rock was installed in the very centre. The Earth and Man rocks were installed to complete the triad. I removed the sod and added garden soil.

I'm beginning to install the black plastic edging. I've dug a vertical line with a spade. I use a small stone to brace the beginning of the roll, and place the edging so the top rolled edge is level with the top of the soil (not the top of the grass).

You can see the level of the edging.

I've completed the edging and added many wheelbarrow loads of garden soil!

Holes are dug for the plants, and bonemeal scratched into the bottom of the holes.

This ornamental grass is a transplant, so I plop the plant into the hole, add a bit of soil, then fill the hole with water. I wait until the water drains away, then I fill in the rest of the soil.

The garden is planted. I've used: 1 x Miscanthus 'Malepartus', 1 x Blue Rug Juniper, 1 x Filipendula rubra, 3 x 'Frosty Beauty' Daylily and 3 x Heuchera 'Lime Rickey'

Landscape cloth installed around the juniper at the front of the garden. I used the cloth here because the juniper is permanent, and I won't need to dig in this area.

Newspapers! This is my old Master Gardener's trick. I use 5-7 sheets thick around perennials, where I will have to plant bulbs and eventually split the plants. The newspaper is a wonderful weed suppressor, takes about 3 years to break down, and keeps the underlying soil moist.

I am beginning to pile shredded natural colour cedar mulch over the landscape cloth and newspaper. I never never never use coloured mulch. It looks awful. And don't even get me going about white or pink quartz as a mulch, unless you want your garden to scream "tacky". That's my garden designer rant for the day.

The garden is mulched about 3" thick, including over the side of the plastic edging. Now you can't see the plastic, and I've graded the edge of the garden so the lawn mower wheels can run on the mulch and cut the grass without a trimmer being required.

The front of the garden. The "Man" rock is on the left, "Heaven" is in the centre, and "Earth" is on the right.

I'm working on the front of the house now. In between rain storms, which never seem to end.

Wonderful News!

2008-06-20T17:57:00.000-07:00

Valerie Hearder's quilts were discovered today by 23 year old Billy Jordan on a path in St. John's, Newfoundland! Billy found 2 garbage bags laying on the path, and when he opened them he saw what looked like "expensive" quilts. So he called the local NTV television station to report his find. The NTV journalist phoned Val and arrangements have been made to return the quilts.

Here is Val's link.

Val has received huge support from the people of Newfoundland, as well as well-wishers from all over the world. The quilting community felt the theft of her work as a personal loss. Valerie is an outstanding artist, author, teacher, mentor and humanitarian.

Billy Jordan, you're a hero.

Bliss

2008-06-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

Golden Retrievers love ear rubs. Sasha is 10 years old, and when she puts her paw in your hand, you know what must be done.

Theft of Quilts

2008-06-12T04:45:00.000-07:00

Some terrible news. My friend Valerie Hearder had 2 suitcases containing many of her small art quilts stolen in St. John's. The stolen quilts include all the pieces published in her latest book, Points of View. We are asking people to keep watch on eBay and other sites to see if they turn up for sale.

Valerie's website has photos of her work, which is very distinctive in design. Please help find these irreplaceable treasures, which represent 2 decades of work.

Quilt Canada 2008 continued

2008-06-11T05:31:00.001-07:00

I was offered a space to demonstrate my patterns in the Country Concessions Quilt Shop booth at the Quilt Canada Merchant's Mall. Country Concessions is possibly the largest quilt shop in Eastern Canada, and the owner Darlene Cooper is a big supporter of Canadian quilt pattern designers.

My quilts were displayed on the wall behind me, and I brought teaching samples for the Leaf Magic Little Quilt, the Floral Celebrations Table Set and the Sugar Maple Dance quilt. It went very well! I had a wonderful time visiting with old friends and demonstrating my techniques to new customers.

The delegates came from coast to coast, as well as the northeastern U.S. Many had never been to Newfoundland and had planned touring trips either before or after the conference to explore the island.

Anita Zobens of The Cotton Mill Threadworks gives thread advice to delegates. Anita is the Canadian Educator for Superior Threads, which I use exclusively in my quilts.

This is my friend Lily Lam and myself. Lily was my hostess years ago when I taught workshops for the Westmount Quilters Guild in Montreal, Quebec.

And this lovely lady is Anne Morrell Robinson! Anne is wearing a beaded grasshopper that I made for her in 2000. Anne was teaching at Quilt Canada.

It was a great experience, and I plan to do it all again for Quilt Canada 2010 in Calgary.

Quilt Canada 2008

2008-06-10T04:39:00.000-07:00

I'm back from the Rock! Quilt Canada 2008 was held last week in St. John's, Newfoundland. St. John's is the oldest city in Canada, located on the most eastern point of our country. Like many others who attended the conference, I had never been to Newfoundland and was really excited to see this historic and scenic place.

The following photos were taken at dusk in very windy conditions, so the photos are all a little blurry...

The Signal Hill tower, site of the first transatlantic wireless signal by Marconi in 1901.

Me and an iceberg. We attended a lecture at the Johnson Geo Centre given by an iceberg scientist, then trekked up the hill to see one in the bay.

St. John's harbour

Tomorrow I'll post some photos from my little spot in the Country Concessions booth in the Merchant's Mall at Quilt Canada 2008.

Gesture Drawing 2

2008-06-01T05:10:00.000-07:00

This is my pencil gesture drawing of Apocynum androsaemifolium
(Spreading Dogbane).

I'm off to Quilt Canada 2008 in St. John's, Newfoundland. I'll be demonstrating my quilt patterns in the Country Concessions booth at the Merchant's Mall. I'll post when I return!