Canadian Quilting CQA/ACC

Join the fun with our current challenge! All you have to do is show us that special thing you can’t live without. Your entry will get published either on our blog or in 'The Canadian Quilter' magazine. Take a couple of hours and create a quilt, any shape, any size based on the theme ‘Things I Can’t Live Without”. You can use any embellishments you want. Deadline to send a photo of your entry is December 5, 2013. Full challenge details here.

Of course there are great prizes too!

Three great fabric prizes sponsored by Sew Sisters Quilt Shop.

Visit their website and their blog and follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Or visit the store in person 3961 Chesswood Drive, Toronto, ON.

This is what the 1st prize winner will receive.

2nd Prize

3rd Prize

If you want a bit of inspiration, take a look at the entries from our last challenge. Get those creative juices flowing and enter our fun challenge.

The creativity in guilds is mind boggling sometimes. When Catherine Henderson, our BC Interior Regional Representative sent an email describing a unique challenge that member guild Castlegar Quilters' did to incorporate ric rac into a quilt, it was definitely going to require showcasing!

'Something Geologic' is an art quilt wallhanging made by Heather Meyers, being held up by Val Dingwall.

Quilted Lunch Bag made by Sandy Lamont. She fell in love with the rainbow coloured ric rac and put it to good use.

'Ric Rac and All That', this fabric had the ric rac design printed right on it, then huge black ric rac was added (binding not finished) by Ruth Sommers.

'Crazy Patch Pumpkin' using ric rac for the trim by Linda Cassidy.

Sharon Drew holding up her stacked plant pots wallhanging. The flower stem was bright lime green ric rac. Sharon stated the hanging was going in the garbage right after the meeting, and another of the members said, "Oh no it's not", and rescued the wallhanging.

Linda Chmielewski with her 3:30 pm start coffee mug rug, the meeting was at 6:30 pm. In that short space of time, Linda completed the mug rug and "bedazzled" it with sparkles. She is quite the gal!

Susan D'Andrea finished her silk ribbon embroidery vest (adding ric rac)....it was an ongoing project that took about 4 years to complete.

'Mr. Scream' is created by Verna Chernoff. Note the variety of ric rac used for the hair, some of it flying loose, and most was purchased at CQA/ACC Quilt Canada 2013. The earrings are bits of copper pan scrub, the face was stuffed, and there's trapunto work to add three dimension to it.

New Bonnet and dress for 'Cassandra', by Val Dingwall. The hat is quilted, using fancy machine stitches, and trimmed with ric rac flowers. She used an old Simplicity pattern dated 1966 and thought making the flowers would be easy. It took all of the latest James Bond movie to make one flower.

Well done Castlegar Quilters'!
Are any of you participating in a fun challenge? Drop us an email and tell us all about it at vicepresident@canadianquilter.com.

Jackie W.

Great inch collecting everyone! We didn’t quite make it to Whitehorse in the Yukon, but we are close enough that I think we should stay there rather than freezing on the road in the middle of nowhere. Google says the number one tourist attraction is MilesCanyonwhich was originally called the Grand Canyon. The Yukon River squeezes through the narrow chute creating a ferocious foam of water – where many gold rushers lost their boats and their precious supplies. Let’s grab a ticket for the boat cruise and experience the mighty Yukon River for ourselves! And while we are here, let’s send warm greetings to our member guild, The Kluane Quilters Guild.

The Timmins Guild included inches for 60 lap quilts they made for the residents of their local nursing home who must move to a brand new facility. These thoughtful quilters want the quilts to provide comfort during this stressful transition. Way to go Timmins QG!

Looking forward to seeing all the inches next month as we all start quilting our Christmas presents!

Christmas is coming so why not make a gift that keeps on giving? Create a quilt for that special someone showing something you know they can’t live without, that way they get a great gift and you get an entry into our challenge!

It can be serious (clean air, bumble bees) or humorous (your tooth brush) - what ever it takes to keep you going!

Join the fun with our current challenge. Your entry will get published either on our blog or in the newsletter. Take a couple of hours and create a quilt, any shape, based on the theme ‘Things I Can’t Live Without”. You can use any embellishments you want. Deadline to send a photo of your entry is December 5, 2013. Full challenge details here.

Oh, there are prizes!

Three great prizes sponsored by: Sew Sisters Quilt Shop:

1st Prize

2nd Prize

3rd Prize

Be sure to check out Sew Sisters at the various links below!

Website

Blog

Facebook

We had lots of fun with our previous member challenges. Look at some of the entries we received for them: These Boots Are Made for Walking, Through a Bug’s Eye, Where do you Read the Canadian Quilter and Pincushions.

There was an amazing number of inches reported this month – probably because everyone is pushing to get their Christmas quilting done. Can you believe it – we made it to Inuvik! We are going to stay here over Christmas. This is the closest I have been to the North Pole and Santa!

We came by way of the Dempster Highway and is Canada’s only public highway that crosses the Arctic Circle.

Dempster Highway

While we are here, we should visitOur Lady of Victory Roman Catholic Church also known as “The Igloo Church”, one of the most popular tourist attractions in Inuvik.

"Igloo" Church

And for all you gardeners, I think we should visit the Inuvik Community Greenhouse which is the most northern greenhouse in North Americaand the only one of its kind inthe world - converted from an old arena.

When reporting their inches, the Norfolk QG in Jarvis ONmentioned their “team UFO completion competition” which made a big difference in reducing personal piles of UFOs and increasing their inch count.

Timmins QG says that members are encouraging others members to bring their quilts for show and tell so they can add up their Walk To Brock inches.

At the Manitoba Prairie Quilters one woman brought 34 hand appliquéd baby quilts.

Tunbridge Wells Quilters, from the UK is our only international Guild participating in this challenge. The group formed in 1985 when Faye joined CQA/ACC to go to the conference in Victoria, BC. She has been to six conferences so far, does the Trend-Tex challenge and plans to come to St. Catharines, ON next year. The 15 member group makes several charity quilts a year including 24” square baby quilts for the preemie unit at the local hospital.

A few of the ladies from the Tunbridge Wells Quilters, UK

Looking forward to seeing how far we get next month. Keep up the great stitching quilters!

It started with an email to the Board of Directors back in 1997 from President Dusty Newey, that looked like this:

And boy did Marsha (now Cleveland) 'freshen up our newsletter'! And along the way every member got to know her gentle patient nature. Whether it was getting your quarterly newsletter, sending her an article or just asking her a question, you were interacting with one incredibly talented woman.

Marsha has now officially retired as CQA/ACC's Editor and if you are curious to see what she is going to do with all her spare time, read on.

I am closing off the year with travel, something I haven’t done for a while. A friend I met in high school (so we have been friends for a long, long time!) asked if I would like to go to New York City with her. Then I have a trip planned to Toronto to visit my Aunt and Uncle. I plan to spend more time with my grandson Riley.

After that, you can picture me spending nice, snow laden days snowmobiling with my husband Dwayne. When the weather changes completely, we will be boating out of nearby Pugwash Harbour or I will be sitting in the window overlooking the harbour in front of my sewing machine – and I will probably be sewing. Already, I have started to finish some of the many quilts I have started. I am also hoping to become, once again, more involved in my community.

It feels a little awkward to be recognized for doing what I have loved doing – I have had the most incredible experience working with so many talented and special people. That is without doubt what I will miss the most – well, after missing all those emails!

Thanks to all the quilters out there who have contributed/helped over the years. I wish Marcy all the best in her new position and know that she will be blessed with your wonderful support.

Marsha, there are not enough words to thank you for making 'The Canadian Quilter' what it is today, and not enough accolades to say thank you and we wish you all the best!

As you may be aware, we were fortunate to find a bright, exceptionally talented woman to become our new Editor. Marcy Horswill has risen to the challenge of looking after our quarterly publication.

Here is a little background information from Marcy:

I currently reside in Cumberland, British Columbia, an artsy little community of 4,000 outside of Courtenay, BC.

I am a quilter and fibre artist. I have been quilting for over twenty years. I started quilting traditionally at first, but moved to designing quilts and now on to fibre art, specializing in machine felting and the use of Tyvek. I belong to the Comox Valley Schoolhouse Quilters’ Guild, and we boast over 140 members. I am proud to be part of this guild and volunteer as the Program Coordinator.

I am a graphic designer and have been for over 28 years. This is apparent in my fibre designs... simple is better in my world. Despite my move to fibre art, I cherish hand work and love to hand bead and hand quilt.

I am excited to be the Editor of 'The Canadian Quilter'. I have wanted to be an editor of a magazine since I bought my first 'Victoria' magazine in 1989. This position is a dream come true 24 years later.

Already Marcy has her editorial team hopping and several new ideas are in the works. It will be an exciting and fun time as we see what Marcy has planned for 'The Canadian Quilter'.

Welcome aboard Marcy!

Jackie W

There were eleven thoughtful and sometimes humourous entries for the challenge "Things I Can't Live Without".

Every entry seemed to be oh so true. Really, can you live without your birthday or your socks?

Our apprentice judge, Valerie Harrison, who is enrolled in CQA/ACC's Quilt Judge CertificationProgramme had a lot of fun picking three winners for the great prizes provided by Carol Richards from Sew Sisters, a Canadian quilt shop dedicated to all things quilting. Check out her store at 3961 Chesswood Drive Toronto, ON or online.

The three prize winners, as chosen by Valerie, will be published in the next issue of 'The Canadian Quilter'.

by Sherri Watier

I always seem to have cold feet, so when thinking of this theme's challenge, I immediately thought of SOCKS! I am always wearing socks around the house and I made this mini quilt from a photo I took of my feet!

by Mary Field

We all must eat and my large collection of fruit and veggie fabric inspired me to create this tablecloth. The saying "Eat Food Not Too Much Mostly Plants" is a quote from Michael Pollan. When my grandson Joseph was about three he "read" it when we were all seated at the table as "eat food, not too much, mostly flowers" ... we still chuckle.

by Mary Field

I created this wall hanging for my daughter-in-law who is a dietician and sometimes uses it as a backdrop when she does presentations.

by Diane Carson

BIRTHDAYS! Who can live without them? Our family has fun with this wall hanging with interchangeable numbers. It has been used for Grandchildren 3 and a Aunt at 103. Designed by Terry Griffin , Long n, lean series.

by Marvella Smith

I created a bingo card but used a more appropriate word to reflect things I can't live without and the more I thought about it, the more I liked it as winning at bingo is very much like life....you can't always have a full card.....sometimes it's just a line that pays off!

I included my husband as well....a carpenter so he's represented by the tools.

by Rolanda Tovey

I couldn’t live without my sewing machine. I learned to sew when I was very young on my Great-Grandmother’s treadle machine and I’ve since acquired one. I love to piece quilts, table runners, wall hangings...anything but clothes or mending.

This piece was done in memory of my Mother who taught me to sew and only trusted me to use the treadle machine, not her “good” machine.

by Catherine Henderson

I absolutely can't live without COFFEE!

While learning an arrowhead block, I came across a package of coffee themed fabric, grabbed some extra fabric from my stash and put together whatever combinations took my fancy, eventually ending up with enough blocks for 12 mats with a Bali batik border.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the challenge! See how easy and fun it is to do, and only members have the opportunity to win these fantastic prizes. Stay tuned for the next challenge, it is going to make you chill=)

It is simply amazing when you look around at Canadian quilters and see what they do with their talents and resources. You only have to look at your nearest guild to see the charity work they do with quiltmaking. Here are just a few unique samples of how our guilds give back.

The Kennebecasis Valley QG in Quispamsis, NB, ( near Saint John) is one such guild that believes in charity. From making tiny quilts for the Neonatal unit at the Saint John Regional Hospital, to making quilts for one of the local nursing homes each year, donating quilts to be used as raffle quilts for worthy causes, when possible giving quilts to people in need, and also supporting Victoria's quilts (a national organization which gives quilts to people with cancer.

Pictured below are some from the latest Victoria Quilt Day.

The Sudbury & District Quilting and Stitchery Guild “adopted” a family in need of some holiday cheering in 2013. The family was identified by the local Lion’s Club. The parents and each of their four children will be warm this winter with the new quilts lovingly made by the members. Other gifts from the guild included Christmas stockings for everyone that are overflowing with goodies including mitts and hats; wrapped toys and jammies for under the tree; a gift certificate for Cineplex; food enough for their Christmas dinner and more, plus a gift certificate at a local Grocery store.

The London Friendship QG had a Place Mat Colour Challenge. They used lovely greeting cards from J.Lee Cards and Photography in St Thomas, ON. Those who entered the challenge picked a card (sight unseen) and then made a place mat using as many of the colours in the photo card as possible. The place mats were all donated to Meals on Wheels.

by Megan Griffith - 1st place

by Lorna Martin - 2nd place

by Edith Ward

by Cathy Shephard

by Tiny Campbell

It is so inspirational, not only reading about what charity the guilds do, but the creative ways they go about making it fun and interesting to their members.

If you have something fun to share, please drop me a line at vicepresident@canadianquilter.com.

Jackie W.

I thought we would collect a HUGE number of inches in December while everyone hurried to finish gifts. Alas, I think we all slowed down and enjoyed the holidays. Now let's add another resolution to stitch extra hard in January.

Considering it is the dead of winter and there isn’t much choice for travelers like us, leaving Inuvik and heading to Brock, we hopped on a plane and flew in a bee-line to Yellowknife. Plus there is no road anyway.

In January the average high in Yellowknife is -20°C and the low is -27°C.

Yellowknife, on the northern shoreof Great Slave Lake and on the edge of the Arctic Circle, is famous for spectacular wilderness. We are enjoying the dark winter skies lit up by aurora borealis, dog sledding, cross-country skiing and backpacking. If that sounds too cold, let’s visit the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. Look at the 'Online "Exhibit under 'Staff Picks', the 'Tremain Collection' with extraordinary embroidery and beading on clothing dating from the early 1900s.

I’m sure we will get a warm reception when we visit our member guild, the Yellowknife Quilters Guild, who contributed almost 18 thousand inches to help get us here.

The Penticton Quilters Guild reported over 43 thousand inches this month, mostly from one quilter who stitched almost half a mile (I don’t think she sleeps).

And from the TimminsGuild when they sent me their inches: “at our last meeting, the sister of one of our members came as a guest. I was quite excited to see she brought a "show and tell" - a few more inches for our coffers! However, when I snuck out my measuring tape and mumbled "Walk to Brock" she was immediately on to my mission...and the inches were saved to be reported by her own guild in Thunder Bay. We enjoyed viewing her quilt nevertheless!”

Now that's the competitive spirit=)

Looking forward to seeing how far we get next month. Keep it up quilters!

When CQA/ACC member Judy Martin puts her mind to something, she follows through. Even if it takes 4 years and hundreds of volunteers, countless hours of dedication and the utmost of patience and perseverance.

Here is Judy's explanation of her wonderful creations of 4 quilts over 4 years:

This exhibition will highlight the amazing four year long Manitoulin Circle Project. Every Thursday between October 2009 and August 2013, regular and drop-in stitchers met in the United Church hall in Little Current, Manitoulin Island ON and worked together all day at hand stitching. In total, 144 participants.

Four large meditation panels are the result. The eventual location of these panels will be in the sanctuary of the Little Current United Church, Little Current, ON.

Earth Ark

Recycled linen damask, new silk and cotton, vintage handkerchiefs, hand and machine pieced by Judy Martin with community assistance, 2011, 90" x 90"

Earth Ark detail

I designed the panels, taught the techniques to the participants and enjoyed working with them to create these pieces. Two of the panels are completely stitched together by hand. The main fabric was donated recycled linen damask table cloths.

Mended World

recycled linen damask, new silk and cotton, hand and machine pieced, hand quilted by Judy Martin with community assistance, 2012, 96" x 96"

Mended World detail

Precious Water
recycled linen damask, new silk, completely worked by hand. Hand applique, hand piecing, hand quilted.
2013, 86" x 86"

Precious Water detail

Layers of Time

Re-purposed vintage wool blankets, vintage lace doilies, linen damask table linens, and new silk. Completely worked by hand with hand embroidery, layering methods, and hand quilted. 2013, 92" x 92"

Layers of Time detail

The titles of the four panels refer to the nurturing of our environment and memory. The vintage fabrics in all of the panels refer to domestic ritual.

The panels are intended to be hung in the sanctuary of the Little Current United Church in 2014. They are united by the circle in square imagery and by the use of white, a celebratory liturgical colour.

Installed on the second floor of the gallery will be my monumental stitch journal that I kept during the same time as the Manitoulin Circle Project. The art gallery has used this journal piece on the invitation.

As you can see Judy has once again stunned the quilting world with not only her dedication to this lengthy project, but to the beauty of the quilts she has created.

The opening reception of the Mended World exhibition at the Art Gallery of Sudbury, ON January 18, 2014 at 2 pm. The exhibition will remain on view until March 2, 2014.

All photos done by Klaus Rossler.

Are you stuck inside with snow piled up to your window sill and hoping the power doesn't go out?

If so, why not cozy up to your sewing machine and whip up a quick creation to enter into our current challenge?

All you have to do is show us something wonderful about winter. Your entry will get published either on our blog or in the magazine. Send us a digital image of your quilt, any shape and size based on the theme ‘Winter Wonders’. Deadline to send a photo of your entry is March 25, 2014.

Full challenge details here.

Oh, and great prizes, too. This challenge is sponsored by Fabric Spot, an online fabric store with the largest inventory of organic fabric in Canada. Visit their website and their blog.

First prize is Diamonds in the Sky Quilt Kit Featuring Tula Pink's Acacia Collection (retail value $140).

Second prize is a 'Pretty In Pink' Kona Fat Quarter Bundle (retail value $50)

Third prize is a $25 gift card.

Are you busy working on your Trend-Tex Challenge? We sure hope so! Some have already arrived.
While I was encouraging members to complete their Trend-Tex quilt because that is the second component of the fundraiser, our Director at Large, Laine Canivet facebooked some of her dilemmas with this challenge.

While it is not nice to laugh at others, Laine has made it so entertaining that you simply can't help but chuckle.

The conversation started with me asking the Regional Representatives how they were making out with their Trend-Tex Challenge. Then Laine joined in.

Laine Canivet

Funny you should ask. I have had nothing but trouble. I have ended up having to

paint all the white fabric to cover up the stain after trying bleach, unsuccessfully. Then I

had to paint all the pink fabric to hide the bleach stains that seeped into it when I tried to

fix the white. The last coat of paint is drying, as we speak.

January 9 at 6:52pm · Like

Laine Canivet Mine will be the only one where the white isn't really white.
January 9 at 7:05pm · Like
Laine Canivet and the pink isn't really pink
January 9 at 7:06pm · Like
Laine Canivet I agree. - and I hope you have better luck than me. I just put my finished
piece on the wall to admire it - when I realized I forgot to use the blue fabric. Maybe I'll
just paint a spot blue and call it a day!

You can see the line of white paint does not quite touch the pink fabric.

The pink paint on some of the pink fabric so it matches the well-painted pink fabric (not shown) that got inadvertently bleached.

I doubt there will be anyone who has quite as many issues as Laine did with her Trend-

Tex Challenge! So please, if you have bought the fabric, whip up a creation and enter it in

the Challenge. There are 10 kits left and would love to sell out, so if you need one, let me know.

Fort McMurray! How many of you have been here?

In 2011 Fort McMurray had a population of 61,374; a year later it was 72,944; and current estimates say 133,000 by 2028. In this boomtown, housing prices and rents are far higher than one would expect in such a remote area.

The chilly temperatures open the door to wonderful winter activities for the whole family, indoors and outdoors! Fishing, hunting, camping, hiking, sledding, tubing, skiing, snowboarding, hockey, curling, swimming and exploring....the list goes on and the adventures are endless!

A visit to the Northern Lights Quilt Guild (a member guild) website provides a recipe for home made hand cream to soothe our dry hands - from the 1999 Spring issue of 'The Canadian Quilter'!

Thinking about continuing our Walk, I found that flights are booked to capacity because of the high transient worker population and people unwilling to drive on Highway 63 which goes to Edmonton. We are waitlisted for a flight.

Here is something fun one guild is doing. Victoria Quilters Guild has a concurrent Walk to Brock challenge: The quilter who guesses most closely the total number of inches the guild will amass by the end of March 2014, receives a prize donated by Daphne Grieg. Now that sounds like a fun competition, and knowing Daphne, a terrific prize!

Below is the map as to where we are at. Not to scare anyone, but we still have to cross 3 provinces to get to Brock! We may need to extend the deadline or start running to Brock to get there in time for Quilt Canada 2014.

Quilters, pull out those UFO's, get to the quilt store and buy fabric for a new quilt... we have to get quilting to get those inches. Go! Go! Go!

It's catch up time! We took a little hiatus when the Olympics were on. First it was the amazing colours of their patchwork quilt, then Canada was brought to its feet over and over in skiing, curling and of course hockey.

Now it is time to snuggle in for the rest of winter and quilt away.

First up is our largest fundraiser - the Trend-Tex Challenge! We sold out of kits this year! Thank you to everyone that purchased a kit. That was the first step, now comes the fun, creative step - turning those 5 luscious fat quarters into a fantastic wearable/quilt under the theme 'Modern Ways'. They are due March 22nd.

Our Youth Challenge closes at the end of this month. It only takes a few hours to work with any youth to produce a small quilt to enter.

Our new member challenge 'Winter Wonders' is due March 25th, and did you see the prizes donated by Fabric Spot? They are simply out of this world.

We are still Walking to Brock, or as Laine says, 'we may need to start running' so gals, get collecting those inches to get us there. We still have 3 provinces to cross and time is ticking. We need your inches, our deadline is June 11th!

Are you signed up for Quilt Canada 2014? Now is the time! The workshops are amazing with so much talent in all the instructors and so much creativity is going to flow out of them. And the shows - the NJS, the Invitational, and the Trend-Tex, you simply must attend.

Let's go Canadian quilters, let's open up those sewing machines to full throttle and get 'er done!

After grabbing the plane in Fort McMurray we landed in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan with its average 2380.8 hours of sunshine per year and more Tim Hortons per capita than in any other city in Canada. Also, it probably has the only perogie drive thru in Canada. Some famous people from Saskatoon include Joni Mitchell (musician), Farley Mowat (author) and Gordie Howe (former NHL player).

Saskatoon Quilters Guild is a CQA/ACC member guild and this is their website.

When reporting their February inches, Osoyoos, B.C noted that one of their Snowbirds contributed 6600 inches by making fifty baby blankets for an orphanage in

Bolivia

. How awesome is that? A sub-group of the Niagara Heritage Quilt Guild, ON, called "Project Smile, make quilts for kids with cancer. Since September they delivered 89 quilts for a total of 26,128 inches. Whoot, whoot! And from TimminsON: We’re doing a special “bring a friend” and show and tell night in March so looking to collect lots of inches there!!!

Several guilds reported something similar to the following; “We were very pleased to receive a letter and fat quarter from the Inuvik guild thanking us for our participation. That was really nice of them to do that. Their enclosed information brochures were tempting us for a future visit.” Thanks Inuvik guild!

NEWS FLASH: We had extend the deadline for our walk to get to Brock. Our route is a HUGE challenge so we will count inches until June 11/2014 – the opening day of Quilt Canada 2014.

So - keep ‘em coming!

Here is a fun little post on creativity, learning not to give up and enjoying a laugh.

This is a really great article called '18 Things Creative People Do Differently'. It gives great insight into how as quilters, we think a bit differently than others. My favourite quote is "The things that stand out the most are the paradoxes of the creative self ... Imaginative people have messier minds." Can't you just interpret that as we are imaginative therefore must have messier studios?

Have you ever been rejected from something? Maybe a juried quilt show? Some of us have been there on occasion; some of us are there quite often. Here is a fabulous rejection letter that U2, the world famous music group received.

And do you ever watch the funny comedy 'Big Bang Theory'? One of there main actors was promoting quilting!

'
Amy Farrah Fowler said last week on the show that she was a 'HARDCORE quilter!'

Ever have leftover fabric? You simply can't throw it out, but to put small chunks in your stash sometimes seem a bit cumbersome. Why not just whip up some small projects right away and be done with that leftover fabric.

One idea is to make a cute mug rug. Cindy Simpson, one of our amazing Regional Representatives, sent this mug rug along with her Trend-Tex challenge. She called it 'loose circuit'. I am not sure if she is referring to her little quilt or me!
Mug rugs make a quick and thoughtful gift.

Another fun way is to make a pin cushion. Riley Blake Fabrics has a whole section of their website just on pin cushion patterns.

Or how about some cute bookmarks?

How about some fun key chains? Here is a tutorial to make them.

Photo courtesy of 'Craftiness is Not Optional' blog

What do you do with your scraps?

Jackie W.

When the Director at Large, Laine Canivet, put out a new challenge, she had no idea of the number of entries that would come pouring in. Nor could she have ever imagined the stunning quilts that interpreted the theme of 'Winter Wonderland'.

The quilts will be seen either on our blog or in 'The Canadian Quilter' magazine.

This is part 1 of the challenge entries. These quilters have incredible talent.

by Susan Wilson

This is a quilt I designed to try a new product – Charlotte’s Web by Superior Threads. It made the machine appliqué process so much nicer, as there was no stickiness resulting from fusible web.

As I love winter and in particular crisp mornings, when I can get out for a bit of communing with nature on the local Nordic Ski Trails, this image represents winter for me. The icing on the cake is when there are glittery snowflakes gently falling as I glide along alone with my thoughts!

by Mary K Hopkins

This piece which I call "Calm After The Storm" is based on a copyright free photo with a background of my own design.

The materials used include organza, upholstery fabric, cotton, embroidery thread and paint.

I lived in the country for around ten years and the toil the winter took on all its inhabitants was cruel. The expression and body language of the doe seems to be one of weary but calm resignation. I think most of we snow-bound people are feeling that about now.

by Heather Stewart

“Winter Challenge” with the Mahone Bay Quilting Bee and the Cove Quilters. We were each given a piece of the sky fabric and some snowflake buttons and told to make a winter themed quilt. We did several small quilt challenges over two years. This was my favourite.

by Marg Conibear

"Winter at Honora" is a winter scene at my "camp" on Manitoulin Island before the bay freezes over. This scene also tells a story about the low level of the Great Lakes. When this dock was built it was barely above water. Now it sits high and dry - a reminder of the change.

by Sandra Betts

Cold, cold weather inspired the flight of the birds to the warmth of the south. This original piece features free motion stitching and puff paints.

by Kaaren L. Biggs

I call this 'Winter Weekends'. It was made for my son who lives near Regina, SK and loves to snowmobile on the weekends. This sofa-sized quilt is extra long since he is 6' 7" tall and it's meant for him to snuggle with after being out in the cold and snow!

by Kay Dion

This wallhanging depicts a common winter scene found near my home and is only my second attempt at a landscape quilt. I was inspired to begin after attending Quilt Canada in Halifax where I purchased this kit from the "Running Stitch", pattern is by Linda Hobbs. I substituted some of the fabric with my own, added the bright cardinal and other details with free motion quilting. The edges are finished with a facing rather than a traditional binding.

by Leah Gravells

Winter on the Prairies

I have been inspired by the endless blue sky and the frozen land on the prairies. The telephone poles are the only distraction on the land. Blending 73 fabrics using 3/4" wide strips created this original design. The "quilt as you go" technique was used to piece the strips and finish the design. I used raw edge appliqué to attach the telephone poles.

by Rhoda Forbes

I like the beauty and quietness that winter brings, and every now and then a shot of beautiful color, like the blue jay in my piece. This piece is machine raw edge applique, I used Pebeo setacolor paints to enhance the fabric.

by Kaaren L. Biggs
This is a table runner I made a couple of years ago because the scenic fabric seemed perfect for it! I have always wanted to own a log cabin in the woods and along with a cozy fireplace in the winter and my sewing machine.

by Kaaren L. Biggs

This is a wallhanging made with a product that was new to me - Fabric Magic by Pellon. It "shrinks" the layered fabric for a gathered look!

by Pat Golem

This is an original piece called 'Frosty Windows'. It is a digital photo taken out of my kitchen window and printed on fabric then thread painted and quilted.

Part II of III of our wonderful member challenge.
Thanks to our great sponsor!

Check them out here for organic fabrics, free shipping and 200 bright solid colours, in stock.

by Lauren MacDonald

Which Way to Costa Rica? This wall hanging was inspired by a mini-quilt in "Pretty Little Mini Quilts" (ISBN-10: 160059493X ISBN-13:978-1600594939). The toucan has been blown off-course to Northern Canada! He's looking at the snowflakes all around wondering how to get back home!

by Rolanda Tovey

I'm sending this photo of my wallhanging, one of a series of seasonal patterns from "Seasonal Patchwork & Quilting" by Colette Wolff. I'm like the kitty in the window, I much prefer to be inside during the winter. I've named this "Winter waiting at the window".

by Heather Myers

I’ve had a scene in my mind for years after living in the North – winter meadows, covered in snow, rippled and tucked like a quilt. Little animal footprints, stitching their way across the snow, nipping and tucking amongst the bushes and shadows.

by Janet Barker

I created this small wall hanging using a Christmas card for inspiration. I was taking a landscape course and wanted to tackle a small project so that it would actually get done. This is not exactly a landscape, but I was able to try out techniques taught in the course. The background was graded using colourwash inks and then the cardinal and bird feeder were added using machine appliqué. The tree branches were added using raw-edge appliqué. Thread painting was used to complete the picture. I then used netting and quilted loops to try to simulate the falling snow around the cardinal.

by Janet Ulan

The photo is provided by Pat Jackson who kindly gave her permission to do the wall hanging, she has seen the finished product and is extremely happy with the result. I took artistic license by omitting the fence.

by Terry Aske

Starry Winter Night 2 is an abstract view of bare trees silhouetted against a dark and cold starry winter sky and snowy landscape. Techniques: fused raw-edge applique, folded-edge applique, free-motion quilting.

I really enjoyed the spontaneous free-style design and construction of this quilt. Normally I would have drawn a design, enlarged it to full size, and traced that to freezer paper or fusible web. Due to time constraints, I cut all the pieces free-hand and just placed them on the background where they looked good. I fused the background and layered the quilt. Then I added the tree trunks (most of them have an extra layer of batting for added dimension) and quilted it.

by Jaynie Himsl

When I started to select fabric for this project, I thought I was going to make an abstract pink quilt. The contrast of black winter nights and brilliant sun-on-snow days is my only expanation for the direction my design took. The fuschia spiral is the only colour remaining from my original idea. 　

by Beulah Caswell

February Thaw

This wallhanging was started in a workshop given by Leona Larsen of Saskatoon. It was inspired by my own photo of Troelsen Park taken February 2005 from our backyard gate. The quilt includes applique, textural yarns, and Angelina fibres using commercial fabrics. The free-motion embroidery is done with cotton and rayon threads.

by Brenda Macleod Raham

' Canadian Winter Weather'
I started hand stitching, then added stars to symbolize clear star nights. The hole indicates brief Chinook breaks from winter.

by Sylvia Courteau

Snowman Bright

Inspired by a Craft Sisters design, Simple Snowman,published on www.modabakeshop.com.

Our bee had a "Snowman Day" and we each produced our own interpretation of this design by Craft Sisters.

The last but certainly not the least of our amazing entries!
Thank you Fabricspot again, for sponsoring this challenge. Check out there great lines of fabric and patterns.

Snowfall

by Leanne Chahley

My quilt is about 49" square. She is made from Essex Linen, Kona Cottons and Oakshott cottons which have a white warp thread making them muted. The design is my own and is part of a series of quilts that I have been making which I call my cycles series.

by Geesje Baron

I free form cut and raw edged applied shapes of various elements to a scrap raw edge pieced background. I used a variety of white and off whites in a wide assortment of fabrics. Embellished with lace and beads. A frosted window pane was the inspiration of this quilt using my own photo.

What I Love About Winter

by Lynne McCulloch

It is based upon a drawing of mine that I created after a wintry drive in the area near Burlington. The time is late afternoon and the view is looking along the shores of a small creek with a forested area in the background. The medium with which I started is watercolour, enhanced by watercolour chalks, Angelina fibres and thread painting.

by Valerie Tucker

Photo is of a snow ghost at the top of the Snow Ghost Chair at Big White, Kelowna, BC, where I spend winters downhill skiing.
Made from one of my photos printed on canvas by London Drugs.

Snowmania

by Stephanie Alcock

I hand-cut paper stencils, laid them on marbled dark blue/black fabric, then sprayed over with fabric paint. The snowflakes are quilted with silver metallic thread, and there are scrolls/spirals free-motion quilted over the rest of the quilt. The snowflakes are embellished with a thin wash of opalescent, fine-glitter paint and pearl droplets.

Snow Day

by Cynthia Frenette

The design is my own, made of improvisation pieced scrappy circles with fused appliqué retro style snowflakes attached, and topped with hand stitching and loads of sequins and sparkle, like glittery snow.

Glacier Nights

by Deyanne Davies

The design for the quilt is from a "Sew Together" Pattern by Betty Oswell, Kamloops B.C.

It was a fun challenge to machine quilt something different in each of the design areas. The McKenna Ryan fabric and beads give the feeling of a crisp, sparkling magical winter's night.

by Ruth Quinn

Copyright information-this is a piece originally made by Susan Brubaker Knapp but she has given me permission to make my own copy. I love snowflakes. Each one is so individualistic and unique that it amazes me. It is thread sketched and bound with a zigzag stitch around the edges.

by Carol Bowie

I live in Halfmoon Bay, BC on the west coast. This 5.75" x
9.5" wall quilt is an original design from a photo taken by Michael Snook in

January 2014. A female Annas hummingbird, wintering over. She is puffed up

and tucked amidst bare branches to keep warm. Painted background, couched

fabric & yarn on background, free motion stitched hummingbird (with a black

bead eye)

Winter Sunrise On The Lake

by Maggie Butterfield Dickinson

This winter landscape image, enlarged from one of my photographs, was dye painted on PFD fabric, cured and rinsed, sandwiched and thread painted with an assortment of cotton and polyester threads. I love the splashes of colour on a such a grey and cold winter morning. I learned this technique from Hollis Chatelain.

Things I Can't Live Without-Member Challenge

A Creative Guild Challenge

Walk To Brock Update #2

Things I Can't Live Without - Member Challenge

Walk To Brock-Update #3

Editors

Member Challenge Participants

Guild Charity Knows No Bounds

Walk To Brock #4

Judy Martin - Simply Amazing

Winter Wonders - Member Challenge

The Challenges of the Trend-Tex Challenge

Walk To Brock Update #5

Catch Up To CQA/ACC

Walk to Brock #6

Fun Tips and Giggles #15

Leftover Fabric

Winter Wonderland - Member Challenge

Winter Wonderland-Member Challenge Part II

Winter Wonderland - Member Challenge Part III