Purely Canadian Quilt Pattern

[Update: The Pattern is now available as a 25 page book complete with detailed instructions. Hit the Buy Now button to purchase.]





I can’t begin to explain how excited I am to finally show this quilt.  I started the design work on this shortly after seeing Northcott’s Stonehenge Oh Canada fabric line in June.  I knew right away that these fabulous fabrics needed a pretty special quilt design to do them justice.

I remember lying in bed one night, unable to sleep, ideas ripping through my brain almost faster than I could process them.  I said as much to Michael and then said ‘I’ve better get up and start drawing’.  “Yes, yes you should”, he answered and then promptly rolled over and went to sleep.  I, on the other hand, was up for hours working on the sketches that would eventually evolve into this quilt.

I wanted this quilt to be a truly Canadian quilt, to represent as Canadiana as possible without falling into cliché.  Inukshuk, Bear Paws, Flying Geese, Ocean Waves, North Star, Lighthouse, Celtic Knot, Snowflake, Patchwork Prairie, Mountains, Sunrise and Sunset all built into the quintessential symbol of Canada, the Maple Leaf.

I’ve been working pretty hard on this quilt so it would be finished and ready to display at Simcoe Sew and Quilt in time for the Fall Shop Hop going on this weekend.  There were some very late nights over the last week or so as I pushed to meet the deadline.  I warned Michael that he better be ready to photograph the quilt Tuesday morning when he got up. When he went to bed the binding hadn’t yet been sewn on but when he got up, there it was hanging over the banister waiting for him.

He got to work getting the stands and lights all set up so that when I woke up he could photograph it for you all before he rode off to Hardwood for a school group mountain bike lesson.  Keep an eye out for a Technique Tuesday post or two on photographing quilts and making sure the images do the quilt justice.  I’ve asked Michael if he would write a guest post on this for you as I know getting good images of your quilts can be quite tricky sometimes.

I wish I could say that all the work on this quilt was finished now, but I’m now hammering away at writing up the pattern so that it can be ready for Creative Fest mid-October in Toronto.  Published as a book and available with a fabric kit or on its own the pattern will be available from Country Concessions.  Simcoe Sew and Quilt is also featuring this quilt pattern as a Block-Of-The-Month this winter, so if you want to get together with me and work on this one as a bit of a fun social event, be sure to contact Michelle at Simcoe Sew and Quilt and sign up!

Subscribe