It's not really for the dog...

After finishing the pattern for the Canada 150 quilt (you can still download it free here)  I had a stretch of extra workdays at the shop, a miserable cold and a complete lack of quilting drive.  Last week I finally perked up a bit so I have something to share again.

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge color this month was "multi-color", fabrics that don't read even mostly as a single color.  I skipped my butterfly for the month and dug through the scrap bins to make this instead.  I think the setting triangles and the centers of the squares qualify as multicolor.

I made this to live here:

The point of it is this:

Believe me, this looks so much better than the ratty old towel we used to have there to protect the chair from dog hair and prints!  Well, the dog looked equally cute, but the ratty towel...not so much!    So, there we have it:  it looks like a quilt for the dog (and didn't that earn me a few horrified looks from a couple of ladies at the quilt guild who overheard me talking with another pet lover) but it technically is for the chair!  And as far as protecting the chair by keeping the dog off the chair...Sigh. We're marshmallows and that ship sailed about 3 days after Rosie moved in 2 years ago.

It wasn't on the list of things I should be working on, but it was quick and easy, just what I needed to draw me into my sewing corner again.  Now I'm playing with these pretties, also not on my list! (I think I need to move away from "should" in the sewing room so it continues to be a happy place.)

This isn't my usual fare of bright colors but I really like the soft quilt taking shape.  I'll share more next week.

Linking up with

DrEAMI at Musings of a Menopausal Melon

Canada 150 Quilt: It's your turn!

Here it is!  My Canada 150th quilt design is now a top!  Dancing a happy jig over here!

Canada 150 quilt top - 58.5" x 69.5"

There's a pattern too!

"150" by Canuck Quilter Designs pattern cover

I'm sure you noticed there isn't a finished quilt on the cover.  Generally speaking, I don't like EQ drawings as pattern covers.  I like to see a finished quilt that proves it's doable and looks decent in actual fabric.  However, I know some folks want to get started on this to have a quilt to show off on Canada Day in July, so I focused on the pattern writing before the quilting.  I figure those folks can see the flimsy here for proof that it's doable! As soon as I have the top quilted, I'll have a photo shoot for the pattern cover quilt and fix that cover.

You see that thin little maple leaf border?  I bought a ridiculous amount of border print to get that stripe of maple leaves.  I needed a length of fabric equal to the length of the quilt, so I bought 1 3/4 yards.  That thin little border isn't very wide.  After cutting four strips of maple leaves and discarding the print in between the strips that I didn't need for this, I still have 36" of width left! Still, I love the look.  The splurge was totally worth it!  I'll find some other celebratory project to use up the rest.

Still, if that splurge is not in your budget, you can substitute another fabric, such as polka dots, small stripes or a solid,  and get by with 1/8 yard (1/4 yard as stated in the pattern if you prefer wiggle room in your cutting).  Or, you can find quilty friends who might want to split that border strip yardage lengthwise with you!  You can get 5 quilts' worth of that thin border from the 1 3/4 yards.

Here's a list of the Northcott Sesquicentennial Collection fabric I used for my quilt:

• Newsprint print (21359-11)
• Red texture (21341-24)
• Off-white (21341-11)
• White-on-red leaf print (21361-24)
• Border print (21362-11)
• Backing will be the Canadian trivia print: 21360-11) 

In a previous post I offered to suggest a sewing schedule, so here it is. It really doesn't take long to put this quilt together, but I'm spreading this schedule out over 8 weeks to help folks fit it into small chunks of time here and there and still get a finish by Canada Day.

Week 1 - Cut fabric

Week 2 - Assemble large leaf 

Week 3 - Construct short leaf tip units for small leaf blocks

Week 4 - Piece long leaf tip units for small leaf blocks (super simple unit to paper piece,  just 3 pieces - I'll post a tutorial if you ask for one)

Week 5 - Piece the small leaf blocks' stem units

Week 6 - Assemble small leaf blocks from units made in weeks 3-5

Week 7 - Assemble all parts into quilt center

Week 8 - Add borders

If you start this week, you can be done by the first week in June and have 4 weeks lft for the quilting and binding.  Easy peasy!


In celebration of Canada's 150th birthday this year, I'm offering the pattern free for a limited time in my Payhip shop.  Get yours now and get started!  I'll have a linky party on July 1st to share finished quilts, flimsies, or any progress at all on this quilt or any Canada related sewing.

Linking up with

Celebrate - Fêtons 150 at Quilting and Learning 
Midweek Makers at Quilt Fabrication
Let's Bee Social at  Sew Fresh Quilts