On Thursday Rita and I went down to Granville Island in Vancouver to The Cloth Shop so I could show her my new project and pick up the first block of the month. Mika...pretty flower is designed by Bella Moon from The Cloth Shop. Maria Roder and Barbara Jean Paxton are the owners of this Vancouver quilting institution and where I took my first quilting class from Jean Koroluk, Barbara Jean's mother. I saw Maria working on this piece back in January and despite it not being my my usual colour palette it spoke to me.
The snowflake and heart star blocks are the first month's project. I'm choosing to do it with freezer applique not fused so I can take it along to sit and stitches.
This basket block with a touch of applique is lovely.
The marriage between applique and pieced blocks is just beautiful.
I love the robin on the branch beside the tall house block.
A bit of applique is found on almost every block.
The soft Japanese fabrics marry well with the feel of the quilt. They are still taking orders for this project. If you live in the Vancouver B.C. area you can contact them at 604-224-1325 or toll free at 1-778-224-2325 their website is
The Cloth Shop. If you call them please say hi from me.
I finished my first two wool blocks of the month from the Buttermilk Basin/Primitive Gatherings collaboration, I still need to do the companion pieced spool blocks. My twist to make the blocks my own is to use brighter threads for my stitch, change the script of Be Mine and add a bee.
Here is a closer look at Be Mine and the bee.
For March I will add three buttons on the thread between the needles after the quilt is together and I added the thread wrap around the spool.
April is pinned for placement and I've prepped the applique for starch so I can swap between the two projects depending my mood.
I hope you are enjoying your first full weekend of Spring or Autumn depending where you live!
2 comments:
Nice block of the month. It is great having some hand work to do especially to take out to patchwork meetings. Regards, Nessie
I visited this fabulous shop whilst on holiday recently. My husband thought "Mika" was lovely and persuaded me to buy the kit (Thank you Dad for the birthday money!!!) When we got back to the UK he had bought me a new Pfaff sewing machine! So I duly got started. Originally, I thought I might do a block a month but it is turning out to be a block a week. I just have to get this done. There is plenty of fabric in the kit and I am keeping all spare fabric as well as all applique bits. Hopefully I will have enough to make a cushion cover. If not, I recognise some of the fabrics so I should be able to buy a bit more. This is an absolutely fabulous kit and I am thoroughly enjoying making it (apart from the paper piecing - I don't enjoy that!) The only problem I have is that none of the blocks come out at the size they are supposed to. They are all an inch smaller, despitevery careful quarter inch seams. Ah well, may have to make border a tiny bit wider!!!! Thank you ladies, it was delightful to meet you both. You made my day. I will try and send a picture if I get this quilt completed.
Anne Marie Phillips
Post a Comment