“1-Day Quilt” Workshop with Brother at Quilt Canada

Brother is one of our generous sponsors, please read on about what they are up to at Quilt Canada 2016.

“1-Day Quilt” Workshop with Brother, at Quilt Canada, on June 15 & 17

Love to quilt or want to try it out for the first time? Intimidated by what you think is a long and complicated process? Well, it’s easy! Join us and discover how quickly you can create gorgeous quilts, embroidery designs and home décor projects.

We can’t wait to meet you! Join us at our two quilting workshops on June 15 & 17 at 4pm, at booths 308, 310, 312 and 313. Let Brother show you how fun and easy quilting and embroidery can be. We’ll even teach you to make a quilt in a day!

Did you know you can customize quilted fabric and motifs from your very own drawings and images? Come see how and get hands-on experience with THE Dream Machine! Read on to see how it’ll help you make projects you’ve only dreamed of!

It’s our most powerful, technologically advanced combination machine ever, with 100 new or improved features. Here are four ways THE Dream Machine makes embroidery fun & easy:

 • At 10.1”, THE Dream Machine has the largest high-def LCD in its class—so you can view your creations in crisp, vivid colours and navigate like you do on a smart phone or tablet.
• It has our largest needle-to-arm, and 56 square inches of workspace—enough for a rolled king-size quilt!
• You can scan handwriting or line art, and then watch as it’s transformed into unique embroidery designs. Plus, you can draw directly on the LCD!
• You get dozens of Disney™ characters—like Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Snow White, Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse—with every machine. And you can add them to any of your projects!

LEARN MORE HERE (video).

LEARN ABOUT LINE ART SCANNING HERE (video).

And stay tuned for our next blog on our upcoming “Awesome Appliqué for All” Workshop, featuring THE Dream Machine & ScanNCut!

WE’RE HAVING TWO WORKSHOPS. WHY NOT COME TO BOTH?

Workshop 1: “Modern Embroidery Quilting”, featuring THE Dream Machine
When:  Wednesday, June 15 at 4pm / Friday, June 17 at 4pm
Workshop 2: “Awesome Appliqué for All”, featuring THE Dream Machine & ScanNCut
When:  Thursday, June 16 at 1pm / Saturday, June 18 at 11am

SPECIAL PRICING

We’re proudly displaying our “I[heart]CQA/ACC” poster. That means, we’re offering special discounts to all CQA/ACC members throughout the show. Be sure to show us your CQA/ACC pin!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Marcie Baron
HAD Marketing Manager, Brother Canada
514.685.2280
marcie.baron@brother.ca

Meet an Amazing Quilter - Krista Hennebury

CQA/ACC is so excited that we got to chat a little with the talented Krista Hennebury about her quilting, her book... and keep reading there is a little surprise at the end!

Cutting Garden

Krista Hennebury is a geologist by training and quilter by choice. She's been quilting for 15 years from her small home studio near Vancouver, B.C.  Passionate about sharing her love of quilting with others and growing community through stitching together, Krista began a successful day-retreat business over 11 years ago. She teaches both locally and internationally.  Krista enjoys making traditionally-informed modern quilts using designer prints, solids, linen and retired clothing.  She enjoys sharing the world of modern quilting with traditional quilters, reassuring them that the art of quilting is in good hands for the future. Her patterns have been published in Stitch, Australian Homespun, Quilters Connection, Simply Moderne and Quilt Now magazines and most recently, her "Blackbird Fly" quilt won a first place ribbon at QuiltCon 2015. Her book of retreat-inspired projects Make It, Take It was published by Martingale in 2015 and she’s twice been a guest on American Patchwork & Quilting Podcast with Pat Sloan. 

When do you find time to quilt? 

I try to find time to sew, write blog posts, design patterns, edit photos or just play with fabric daily. I get the most concentrated sewing done at my day retreats, or while away from home at the several weekend retreats I enjoy every year.  With one very busy teenager still at home, my days are pretty chopped up with mom-duties, yoga and walking. There's nothing like a retreat for focus!

I'm a member and active volunteer of the Lions Gate Quilter's Guild, the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild and CQA/ACC.

Light of May

Tell us about the book that is published. 

I've been quilting for about 15 years and running quilting retreats and teaching workshops for over 10 years. Since 2009, I've written over 700 blogposts on Poppyprint. I'm constantly flooded with ideas and tend to jump around from project to project. The book was a way for me to gain some control over my creative time and create an actual job for myself.  I knew that I wanted to produce a book that people would find useful and inspiring, with beautiful projects designed by talented people.  Since retreating is something I know a lot about, I felt it was a solid theme for me to work on.  

003

Make It, Take It is like a virtual retreat with my blogging friends from around the world; we've created gorgeous and useful projects to help get quilters to retreat with their equipment and supplies, as well as a number of projects to make while you are on retreat with friends (or at home in your sewing room).  The book includes lovely, amusing and heartfelt retreat stories from all of the 11 contributors. I really wanted the book to feel friendly and have great photography.  For the first time, my publisher shot a book 'on location' at a sewing lounge instead of in a photography studio. I think Martingale really came through for me and I'm thrilled with the results!

Ice Road

What are you up to now? 

I'm enjoying teaching my Structural Improv workshop to traditional and modern quilters alike. In September, I'm once again teaching on an Alaskan cruise - we'll be working on my Cutting Garden quilt pattern using Sizzix cutting systems to help us get through our scraps.  The Mahone Bay Quilter's Guild has invited me to be their Exceptional Quilter in April 2017; I'm thrilled to head to Nova Scotia to teach!  I'm still designing for magazines, working on publishing a group of patterns to be available sometime this summer as .pdf downloads and finalizing an e-book Retreat Manual for people interested in starting their own retreat business. 

I love supporting guild activities and am excited to be a part of the Lions Gate Quilter's Guild bi-annual show June 10-11 where I run the boutique. Look for me white glove hosting at the NJS, too! My final big volunteer commitment for summer is coordinating the Vancouver Modern Quilt Guild's first modern quilt showcase here in North Vancouver, August 27-28.

Lastly, what is your favourite food?

Fish tacos

QR Code (try it, it really works!)

What a thrill to have a little chat with the super talented Krista!

Here is the big news! Krista will be at Quilt Canada 2016 in the Fabric Spark  booth #209 and  is signing books at noon on Friday. Drop by and say hi!

Fusibles are your friend!

Zoë MacDonald is E-Commerce and Social Media Manager at Canada’s largest manufacturer and wholesale distributor of quality sewing, quilting, and knitting supplies. Crafty lady and recent quilting convert, she is keen to share her love for the latest in notions.

As someone who’s new to the wonderful world of quilting, I only recently learned that fusibles sometimes get a bad reputation.

Having received most of my tutelage at a garment sewing studio with a bustling tween and teen class and camp schedule, I proudly come from the school of “Make it work”. I've come to see this attitude as being results oriented. If the finished item looks how you’d imagined then that is a win; whether that trim is invisibly hand stitched or ironed on is less relevant.

A different way of looking at project creation is to focus on the process, with less of a sense of urgency. Your meticulous efforts change the nature of the thing: infusing extra TLC, a sense of tradition, or the simple satisfaction of doing things the (call it right or the hard) way. Of course, for discerning eyeballs, there is a visual element too.

Most of the creative people I know value both of these things in different measures, which shift depending on circumstance and mood.  While you might classify fusibles on the more results-oriented end of the spectrum, for anyone with a fabric stash and stacks of scraps they can be tremendously useful for all kinds of appliqué - and attitudes.

The first step is to get stocked up. To find out what you need, consult this flow chart:

The use of fusibles in quilt appliqué are well known, but here are some other ways to work them into your everyday quilt or quilt-inspired sewing and crafting.

HeatnBond Ultra

For a quick (no-sew) pillow makeover inspired by a quilt pattern or complimentary fabrics:

For craft quickies or party décor, it works too:

Peel n’ Stick

For Halloween costumes or kids’ crafts you can even eliminate the iron: 

For stick-anywhere labels:

Or for when ironing’s not an option:

SpraynBond

For lace, light fabrics and needle-free quilt embellishments:

You can find HeatnBond products at your local quilt store.

For more inspiration and product education, follow H.A. Kidd and Company Limited on Facebook.

Lucky Four-Leaf Clover Scented Sachet

Join us as we welcome an adorable project from one of our amazing sponsors WonderFil Specialty Threads!

Scented sachets are wonderful additions to the home as they can be used in a variety of clever ways all around the house. Tuck them in closets or in drawers to leave a lightly fragrant scent on your clothing, keep them in your vehicle as a natural alternative to car fresheners, drop them in your dryer to keep clothes smelling fresh, keep them with your storage to act as a natural repellent instead of using mothballs, drop them in a bath for an aromatic and relaxing at-home spa day, or even tuck them into your pillow case to help you relax and sleep at night. They also make cute and thoughtful handmade gifts for every occasion!

These adorable little pouches are not only practical household items, but incredibly easy to make and turn into decorative pieces. Here’s what you need to make a four leaf clover sachet:

• download and print the four leaf clover pattern 
• felt or wool in dark green and light green colouration
• a chalk fabric pen
• dried lavender or other dried herbs, flowers, or spices of your choice (these can easily be purchased at a local specialty spice store or online)
• Eleganza 8wt perle cotton in white
• appliqué pins
• no. 24 chenille needle

Note: by changing the colour of the felt from green to any other bright combination of colours, you’ll end up with a pretty flower instead!

Optional Materials:

• 100wt InvisaFil in colours IF712 and IF702
• Eleganza 8wt perle cotton in colour EL5G26

For the full tutorial on this DIY project visit the WonderFil.ca blog.

Make sure to visit our booth at the Quilt Canada 2016 in Toronto from June15–18.

With Love and Threads,

WonderFil

How to Prepare for Quilt Canada!

How to Prepare for Quilt Canada (and give you a giggle=)

Quilt Canada 101
The ultimate how-to guide to prepare for Quilt Canada 2016!

If you are hoping this is a serious, mature post about how to prepare for Quilt Canada such as bring a compass and extra socks, this is not for you.  This post is going to advise you how to knock-your-socks-off, lift-the-ceiling and have a smashing-good-time at the conference!

If you are that type of quilter, then read on...

1.      Wear running shoes! No ifs, ands or buts about it. Pack them up and put them on—all day, every day. If you can, put an extra spring or two in them—it will be all the better.

2.      Get those fold-up bags that shrink down to the size of your fingernail. Have at least ten of them in your purse or backpack; you are going to need them. If not—hire a camel.

3.      If attending with others, wear something on your head: kerchief, baseball hat, shower cap, anything! And make it bright. How annoying will it be if you are to meet for lunch and you can’t find your friends because all you see is grey hair? While grey is great in a modern quilt, it’s not so good to get your lunch in a hurry. If your friend is sporting a bright pink shower cap at the front of the food line—bam—up you go! You’re ready to eat with no time wasted.

4.      Share cell phone numbers with each other. If you find the deal of a lifetime, you want to text or send a picture of the fabric and tell them the booth number ASAP… you can only be nice to a friend for so long when it comes to a deal on fabric!

5.      Photo-bomb as many pictures as you can. It is super fun! Think of the photographer’s joy when you show up in the background of all their pictures! (This is where that extra spring in your shoes comes in real handy.)

6.      Bring a corkscrew. I don’t think I need to spell out why this will be handy at 9:00 pm, in your room, when you find yourself without one. For that matter, use Google Maps to find stores that are necessary for your evening enjoyment.

7.      Bring some of your guild pins. Quilters love, love, love trading pins and collecting pins and goodness knows what else when it comes to pins—wear them, I guess.

8.      Bring an extra suitcase. Personally, I put one suitcase inside the other when I travel. I always return with two filled ones. Trust me, this year’s Merchant Mall will be like no other!

9.      Pack a snack. Nothing like carrot sticks, apples or water! For goodness sake, let’s not kill the trip before we get started! Pack food you are actually going to eat! Chocolate, caramel and coffee are all excellent sources of energy and caffeine.

10.   The very last thing. Please stop by and say, “Hi,” to the CQA/ACC board members (ok, at least say hi to me). We will be there to meet you (and steal your chocolate if you have any left)!

See you at Quilt Canada 2016!

Jackie White

Chocolate loving Board member=)