Dog Days of Summer Challenge Entries

Kindred Spirits Quilt Co.

Thanks to Michelle Denham of Kindred Spirits Quilt Co. of St. Catharines, ON for her donation of the 3 prizes for the winning entries into our Member Challenge - The Dog Days of Summer. The top 3 prize-winners will be featured in The Canadian Quilter - winter edition and below are the other amazing entries! I’m glad I didn’t have to judge and pick the winners for this one.
Thanks to all who entered the quarterly challenge and your very interesting interpretation of the theme “Dog Days of Summer”.
  






 
Goose Tracts

Goose Tracts by Margaret Markham

This quilt is an embroidery quilt pattern of HoopSisters.com. There are 64 –8” blocks. Each block is pieced and embroidered all in the hoop and then sewn together and bound. It is a C.D. transferred to the machine via a computer stick. I sewed it on my Janome 15000. I started on June 10/14 and completed it on Aug. 4/14 even though it was a  5 mo. program at Triangle Sewing in Guelph.  Once I started it I had the time and couldn’t stop. Each of the 36 centre blocks was so much fun choosing fabric and colours and then watching it happen with my supervision, changing colours, fabric and correcting little hiccups. Thank you for letting me share my Dog Days of Summer quilt.

Margaret Markham 

 Sunbonnet Sue's Retirement Dream 

Sunbonnet Sue's Retirement Dream by Kaaren Biggs

                                                                 My dream in retirement is to be tall (already there) and thin (not so much) and able to stroll on the beach in a bikini and eat all the ice cream I want! Note the little dogs following at my heels waiting for drips from the cone. The palm trees are three dimensional with two layers of fabric fused together, and attached only in the centre.  Kaaren L Biggs 

Mr. Moose by Linda Steele

"Mr. Moose"
In 1958, I started town school, having done the previous year, Grade 1, in an 8-grade country school. This move was terrifying to say the least, having cried most of the night before. The first person I met was Pat, who saved the day for me and has remained a close friend to this day. She lost her first husband to cancer in 2006 and has met the second love of her life and is getting married this August weekend. As a wedding gift for her to give her new husband, I have just made and sent her this moose. Working on it to choose the right cool winter shades, was very rewarding, not to mention a bit of a cooling effect during the record breaking heat in the Shuswap area we live in, true Dog Days of Summer! Mr. Moose was just finished and mailed to its new owner.
Linda Steele

Flip Flops by Karen Killins-Robinson

Flip Flops

I love the approach of summer when I can start wearing my Flip Flops.  I made this wall hanging as a welcome sign for our new house.
Karen Killins-Robinson






Rollin' on the River

Rollin' on the River by Beth Cameron

I consider this triptych to be somewhat of a self portrait of me in my youth...when I really could indulge in the dog days of summer.  I grew up on the Rideau River and spent hours in and on the water during the summer with family and friends.  I didn't know it at the time but according to Chinese astrology I was born in the year of the water dragon...how fitting!
This piece also qualifies on another level for the Dog Days of Summer as it was created in a week long summer arts camp with Pamela Allen.  I loved these summer arts courses and used to call them 'summer camp for adults'....a week of just playing with my fabric.  Does life get any better?
Beth Cameron

Seamus by Paula Jolly

Seamus

The phrase "dog days" refers to the sultry days of summer and relaxation. My daughter’s beloved American Bulldog, Seamus, spends hot afternoons resting his chin in his favourite chair while a fan blows cool air on his face.
My love of colour encouraged me to draw him in bright colours. Then I hand painted him with various paints and finished with details in stitching.
Paula Jolly



Hot Dog Beach Express

Hot Dog Beach Express by Trisha DellaVella and Mary Eeg

This wall hanging was created from our original Doggy Daycare pattern by Harebrained Happenings (Pattern Company).
What would be a better way to cool off from the blazing sun than to hop on the "Hot" Dog Beach Express bus and head to the beach to splash around in the cool ocean water and roll in the sand. 
Trisha DellaVella and Mary Eeg

My First Canadian Summer by Ana Paula Brasil

My First Canadian Summer
The very first feeling about summer was seen thru the window - the happiness of my son and his dog playing over the grass.  There were close to 6556 ½" squares in this quilt. Size: 39.60" x 26.40" - Technique: Amazing
Ana Paula Brasil










Swimming Laps

Swimming Laps by Megan Hanna

I am an avid swimmer and, to me, there's no better way to cool off than a dip in a pool, lake or ocean. This quilt is my own design and the idea for it came to me one day when I was swimming laps. The tiles on the bottom of the pool looked like hundreds of pieces of fabric!
Megan Hanna

Summer Blues Over Colpoys Bay

Summer Blues Over Colpoys Bay by Pat Golem

Summer evenings are spent watching glorious sunsets over Colpoys Bay, part of Georgian Bay. This particular evening everything looked blue so I took the picture with my digital camera and printed it on fabric. I thread painted the foreground details in a black thread and a clear black thread to highlight them. Water’s edge is my favourite place to spend the “Dog Days of Summer”.   Pat Golem

Dog Days Tablerunner by Linda Schmidt

Dog Days Project


This is the quilt I made during the 'dog days' of summer 2014. It started as a piece of glue resist and textile paints. I added a hand dyed fabric, white for the border, embellished with ric-rac, decorative stitches and dense quilting on my long arm. It's turned into a fun summery-looking table runner.       
Linda Schmidt

 

Quilt Canada 2015 – Blown Away

Next spring, quilters from all over Canada will be coming to Lethbridge, Alberta, home to Quilt Canada 2015!  Lethbridge is a thriving community in Southern Alberta, about a 2 hour drive south from Calgary.  It is well known for its magnificent coulees (deep, naturally occurring ravines) and chinook winds (warm, dry winds that flow east from the Rockies).  





 

The theme for the event is, fittingly, Blown Away.  The planning committee hopes that you will be blown away by the amazing works of art in the National Juried Show, the wonderful natural beauty of Lethbridge in the springtime, the smooth organization of the event, and also by the outstanding hospitality of the people of Southern Alberta.


 

University of Lethbridge

The University of Lethbridge, home to the event, is a wonderful state-of-the-art facility.  Built to take advantage of the natural landscape of the coulee, it offers wonderful views of the Oldman River.  There is a recreation facility, art gallery, and a bookstore full of treasures and gifts.  The brand new Residence with guest rooms features kitchens, ensuite bathrooms, and free Wi-fi.  And, for those who love the outdoors, there are numerous coulee trails for strolling or hiking along. 


Lethbridge and its quilters are eager to share their wonderful city with quilters traveling from all over Canada, the US and overseas.  Mark it on your calendar, and be Blown Away, June 4-6 2015!




Local Organizing Committee (LOC) with their colourful pinwheels:

Back row (l-r):  Pjam Swen, Janet Thompson, Judy Barnett

Middle row (l-r): Effie Brandt, Kathy Oliver (Chair), Connie Chaplin, Diane Briscoe

Front row (l-r): Val Beasley, Teresa Petriw, Wendy Bushell

Shena Boes                                      

Time for Colour -2

The quilts for our cross-Canada (and up to the top, too) travelling show, called ‘It’s Time for Colour!’ are starting to arrive. It is obvious these quilts are made by elite quilters; masters of the art. The workmanship, the themes, and yes, the Colours are outstanding!





 


There will be 36 quilts in total, separated into two shows of 18 that will criss-cross Canada. The lucky folks on Vancouver Island will have a few opportunities to see them this fall, since that is where they are being assembled and prepared for their epic journey. The quilts will be shown at Satin Moon Quilt Shop October 19 – November 2, 2014 and Kaleidoscope Quilt Company at Whippletree Junction from November 3 – 16.  Other showings are being planned.

All quilts are for sale at $200 each, plus tax. Beautiful greeting cards featuring these quilts will be sold wherever the quilts are displayed. All proceeds will be donated to:  “The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada”.  In November, we will display images of all the quilts along with purchasing information. 

If you would like to visit a few of these master quilters working on their Colour quilts check out these blogs:

Janet Archibald, winner in Excellence in Domestic Machine Quilting 2013 http://round22.blogspot.ca/2014/09/its-time-for-colour.html

Carol Swindon, winner of Best in Show, 2012 at:  http://carolswinden.wordpress.com/  
You can scroll down and see several posts about the quilt as it evolves or go to the most recent post at: http://carolswinden.wordpress.com/2014/08/30/basically-completed/

Kathy Wylie, winner of Best in Show, 2013, at:
http://kathykwylie.com/2014/09/its-time-for-colour-part-1/

Terry Aske, winner of 2104 Modern Bed or Wall quilt:
http://www.terryaskeartquilts.com/Studio/2014/09/10/on-my-design-wall-2014-09-10-cqa-its-time-for-colour/

Laine Canivet

Youth Corner

 I’m excited to announce that you’re going to see regular postings about youth and quilting on the CQA/ACC blog.  We’ll keep you up to date on news, shows and events that affect youth.  You’ll meet young quilters and the quilters who teach them.  We’ll have Show & Tell to celebrate the successes of our young quilters and to let them know how important they are to our quilting community.  We want you to share your creativity with a young person so we’ll offer tips and project ideas to inspire you.  
 

Let’s start with a link to a tutorial on “How to Get Kids Loving Quilting at a Young Age”.  It’s written by our President, Jackie White, and offered free on Craftsy.  You can find it here.  It’s a wonderfully, simple project using crayons and markers. Don’t forget to send me a photo of your child’s block(s).

 
Now, let’s have Show & Tell.  You met Daniel Vincent, in the current issue of The Canadian Quilter.  You can see how much he’s enjoying the quilt he made with his mother during March break.


 


 

Alexa Kalist was the Middle School winner of our 2014 Cantik Batiks Youth Challenge.  I know you’re all familiar with her winning “Green Eggs and Ham” quilt.  Here’s another quilt made by this talented quilter.




 










The 2015 Cantik Batiks Youth Challenge is underway.  You can read about it here.  Did you know that, as a CQA/ACC member or member shop, you could win a free one-year membership renewal simply by sponsoring the entry that wins Viewers’ Choice.  The theme this year is “My Favourite Animal”.   I’d like to thank Cantik Batiks/CSM for donating such generous projects prizes?
 
 



Here’s Alexa with the Cantik Batik prizes she won this year.  Alexa has been a huge help to me by offering ideas on how we can interest young people in quilting.  We’ll be sharing those in future postings.



 


I’m always looking for stories about youth and quilting.  Do you have a photo for Show & Tell?  Would you like to honour someone who teaches youth or a young quilter who is passionate about quilting?  Do you have tips and project ideas to offer?  Does your shop or guild work with youth?  You can write it yourself or have me write it for you.  Whatever the story, I’d love to know about it. 
Thank you for taking some time from your busy day.  If you have any questions about this post or the 2015 Cantik Batiks Youth Challenge you can contact me, Jo Ferguson.

Jo F

News Flash! News Flash!

We’ve just heard there’s a book being released Sept. 2, 2014 that features some of our Canadian quilters’ works.  The book, titled “500 Traditional Quilts” by Karey Patterson Bresenham, shows off several quilts from Beth Cameron (Mantioch/Ottawa ON), Kathy Wylie (Oshawa ON), Joan Dorsay (Ottawa ON), Judy Martin (Sheguiandah ON), Dawn Fox Cooper (Procter BC), Lawna L Collins (Kamloops BC) and the Marigold Appliquers of BC. What a wonderful collection of Canadian quilters! Some of these names I recognize as being entrants, and even winners, in our CQA/ACC National Juried Show - not surprising!

Beth is excited about her 2 quilts that are featured in this book.  She says:
The first one is called 'Shining Stars' from a pattern of the same name by Lydia Quigley. Mine was made with over 200 fabrics, all with metallic or fairy frosts. I am very good at the buying part.
The second one is My Kinda Town II.  It is my own design and all the houses have clever names. You probably saw it in the NJS in Halifax. It was also in the Grand National 2013. The original, which I call the night version, was in the Ontario Juried Show in 2005. I am currently working on Versions 3 and 4. My students keep giving me so many good ideas in my classes I have to make them into another version of the quilt! Version 3 will be a wall hanging, much more manageable size for students, and Version 4 will be a Christmas-themed one. I have created a pattern for this, the day version... I’m delighted to be a part of it!

Kathy Wylie has 3 quilts in this book as well - Flourish on the Vine, The Lord is My Shepherd and Instruments of Praise. She comments- It is truly an honour to be included in this compilation of 500 Traditional Quilts.
Looking up Dawn Fox Cooper on the internet, I found a “youtube video” of an interview with her on one of the sites where her quilt was entered. She has also been a winner of our NJS in 2009 for Excellence in Workmanship: Handquilting  - 1st place.

Judy Martin is part of Manitoulin Island Culture group, promoting her island, but also uses the plants to dye her fabrics in her works. See more about this on her website and  blog (judys-journal@blogspot.ca). Her quilts in the book are: Something More Magical Than It Ever Was (1991) and Flesh and Blood (2003). Read more about the book on Judy's blog

Never Again...Again - photo by Roland Dorsay

Joan Dorsay has already gotten her copy and is very pleased to see so many Canadian quilts in one book. The picture here is her contribution.
 
The Marigold Appliquers who are from BC are also featured in this book.

There is a travelling exhibition of the quilts from this book - one stop is Houston at the end of October and Beth just has to go to see “her babies”.

ps this book is available through www.amazon.ca for $16.95.
Marilyn