Tidewater Totes Launch!

"Tidewater Totes" photographed at the Lighthouse Park in Five Islands, Nova Scotia.

I am thrilled to announce that the first three patterns in a series of "Tidewater Tote" Bags are now ready.  These have truly been a labour of love, and learning.  The challenge in designing is to make things attractive and detailed -while keeping the sewing as simple as possible- and I believe that goal has been achieved in these simple-to-stitch projects. Whale tails flashing above the water line, lobsters with their claws held high, anchors, and sailboats adorn the tote bag fronts, which are added in fusible raw-edge appliqué. These are uncomplicated, quick and easy to sew bags that can be made one day and put to use the next.  Tidewater Totes patterns include clear, tested instructions and full sized templates.

The idea for these bags actually originated with local businessman James Austin, who felt we needed a bit more "Maritime" in our buying choices, and I thank him for that. Tidewater Totes are a series of fun, practical bags with an east coast flair. The bags are fully lined and sport an inside pocket, but each design has different features and dimensions. Some have outside pockets or zippered inside pockets, while others feature open tops or tops closed with hook and loop tape, recessed zippers, flaps, or toggles.

This is the Sand Point Beach Bag which features soft rope handles.  I am happy to say I figured out an easy way to attach the handles which does not involve applying grommets or making buttonholes. (I hate cutting holes in a project; I always make a big mess, or get the hole in the wrong spot and then it's ruined.) The rope (available at craft shops) gives a nice, nautical touch.  The bag has an open top so you can easily stuff it with necessities for a day at the beach.

Inside is a zippered pocket for valuables. as well as a key strap for a carabiner to hold your keys. 

The bag takes its name from Sand Point Beach in beautiful Five Islands.

This one is "The Boat Tote", generously sized and featuring a recessed zipper on the top of the bag.  Inside is an open pocket.

My favourite of the bunch is The Whale Tail Tote.  

This pattern contains instructions for two different versions.  The one shown in blue has a double open pocket on the front (under the wave)  Version 2 (shown in green) has a simple appliquéd wave.  Both bags feature an inside pocket and a hook-and-loop top closure.

Soon to follow will be fish, lobsters, lighthouses, and a few more nautical surprises. 

Patterns are available in both print and digital downloads from my website at this link:

Patterns may also be found at selected quilt stores, so please ask at your local quilt shop for your Tidewater Tote pattern.  

Palazzo BOM: Aurifil Thread-of-the-month for 2024.

A brand new Aurifil BOM thread subscription program for 2024 has just been unveiled, and I am pleased to share the latest chapter in Aurifil’s creative journey with you. The Palazzo BOM will launch in April, featuring an exclusive monthly foundation paper piecing quilt pattern designed by Kitty Wilkin (Night Quilter) in partnership with Aurifil's 50 wt. Italian Colour Builders.

The Palazzo BOM promises to transport makers to the heart of Italy, encapsulating a rich and storied architectural history through the use of vibrant colour and contrast between fluid and angular shapes.  Regardless of whether you think of a large palace or really wide pants (!) when you hear the word Palazzo, you will end up with a breathtaking quilt and an enviable Aurifil stash. This program uses the very popular 50 weight 2020 Colour Builder sets, but includes new patterns and videos. 

Each curated set contains three large spools (1300 m each) of 50 weight cotton thread in a light, medium, and dark shade of the same colour.  These are SOLID coloured threads, not variegated shades. Along with the threads, you will receive an emailed newsletter which will contain a downloadable pattern in PDF, tips & tricks, and an exclusive video from pattern designer Kitty Wilkin. The pattern is recommended for Advanced Beginners utilizing the Foundation Paper Piecing Method. As my customers well know, I am happy to provide any help you may need with your pattern.

Cost of the program is $49.99/month CANADIAN for 12 months, plus applicable tax. Registration for the program opens today, and runs until March 12, 2024.  I have more details I can send along to you via email, or message me on Facebook.   (or find me on Instagram @sewkarenly).  This will be my fourth year hosting an Aurifil thread subscription program, and I can personally vouch for how pleased folks are with these programs, and how smoothly they run. 

"A High Tide Floats All Boats": 2023 Hoffman Challenge

Last year when Hoffman California Fabrics announced the fabrics for their annual design challenge, I knew right away I had to have them!  They were an enticing selection of watery greens and blues, just begging to be sewn into something with a seaside theme. To top it all off, they were batiks;  how could I possibly resist? 

The prestigious Hoffman Challenge is an annual , long running event;  you can read more about it at this link. This is the second time I have entered the challenge, the first being in 2015.  My entry that time was also juried in as a finalist, and travelled around North American for the duration of 2016.  It was a wonderful experience to be part of this show, and I was excited to try it again.  Here are the fabrics to be used for the 100 year anniversary challenge:

My first hurdle - and this was no small one - was to source the fabrics from a quilt store in Canada. I am a strong believer in supporting local whenever possible. The collection was to arrive in shops at the beginning of April. I began my hunt shortly after Christmas, contacting shops first in Nova Scotia, then the Maritimes, and finally in all of Canada, to see who had it on order.  Not having any luck, I broadened my search and contacted the Canadian distributor for Hoffman Fabrics, who supplied the name of a shop who had ordered them, but when contacted, the shop denied having any knowledge of such an order. Disappointing. This was now late April, and time was running short, so I finally gave up and purchased the fabrics online from The Fat Quarter Shop in the U.S., who put them in the mail immediately. No complaints about the service, and no issues at the border...which sometimes happens. I had already purchased the accompanying Aurifil thread collection, and I couldn't wait to match them to the fabrics.

While searching for fabrics, I had sketched a general blueprint on the computer of where I was headed.

I stitched a practice piece from similar colours to get the proportions of the little sail boats.  Although my sketch had looked fine, I didn't feel the sailboats showed up well on the pale background, so I tried again.  You'll also notice I changed the orientation of the boats.

This one suited my eye much better (but the sail boats are too large.)

My  plan was to free motion embroider whitecaps on the top of the waves, but I was unsure which weight of thread to use.  Doing trial stitching with different weights on water soluble stabilizer was a great way to "audition" the whitecaps on the waves.  

I just laid the thread embroideries on top of the fabric, and decided 28 weight Aurifil thread gave the look I wanted.  

With these many hours invested and my plan of action decided, it was now time to start the real thing. I began the process all over again with the challenge fabrics.  The centre Mariner's Compass in this quilt is 10" across, so there are lots of tiny pieces to work with.  Much patience was required, and many days ended in frustration, trying to get the points as sharp as possible.

The letters were a nightmare, both to cut out and to stitch.  Leave it to me to choose a skinny, curly font.

The choice of batting was not a simple one;  the finished quilt is small (36" across) so I didn't want anything thick to overwhelm, but it also needed to show the stitching, and hang perfectly straight.  I ended up going with a single layer of Hobbs wool batting.

Even though it's not a large quilt, it took hours of free motion stitching.  My eyes ached from working all those tiny pebbles, but I do like how they look.

My original plan was to take photos of the quilt at high tide by a wharf where ships were tied up.  I've taken such shots in the past at Advocate Harbour, but the tide table was not in sync with best light and the deadline for submission was imminent. I ended up taking the shots at the lighthouse park in Five Islands, N.S. High tide was around 7 am so we were in place early.

You can read the warning sign for the high tides in the background.

You will have to take my word for it because they don't show well...but there are actually three boats "floating" by in the water.  If you look closely, you can see the white foam streams. :)   If you are curious to know, the islands in the background, l-r, are Moose, Diamond, Long, Egg, and Pinnacle.

The Artist Statement submitted with my quilt reads as follows:

Living on the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia, home of the world’s highest tides, the title aphorism is well known. Even JFK knew it! The design is inspired by the watery blue batiks of the challenge.  The quilting is free hand, free motion (not marked) to mimic the rise and fall of an uneven tide. Centre compass is 10-1/4”, quilt perimeter is 129”.

The Hoffman Challenge 100 Years Exhibit opened this past week at the Road to California Show in Ontario, CA.  I am grateful to internet friend "Darlene Sewista" for taking and sharing these pictures from the show.

Toy Soldier Wall Hanging

As our good friends at Monty Python's Flying Circus used to say, "and now for something completely different!"  I've had a series of life-sized wall hangings bopping around in my head for months now, and finally managed to birth the first one (s). These giant (6 ft. tall) toy soldiers add a fun, whimsical touch to our Christmas decorating. Simple to make for even a beginner quilter, the pattern has straight seams, rotary cut pieces, and fused appliqué features. These wall-hangings are intended for indoor use, protecting doorways, or standing guard beside the presents under your Christmas tree.

 I think these toy soldiers are so fun, and I can't wait to hang them this Christmas.  As with most things simple, it took a lot of thinking and complicated maneuvering to make it so.  It was important to design this big fellow in such a way that a full sized pattern wouldn't take 100 sheets taped together when printed.  And it doesn't.

With the words of Albert Einstein bouncing in my head, I made these fellows "as simple as possible, but no simpler." The pieces are rotary cut, and honestly, you can easily finish one of these fellows in a day. The blocks are appliqued before joining together so there is not a lot of fabric to deal with on the sewing machine bed.  I used a blanket stich to outline the shapes, dipping into my stash of Aurifil threads to match them to the fabrics being used.

The quilting was kept to a minimum,  The soldiers use "flex foam" batting to keep them standing straight and tall.  The next bit of fun was finding a good spot to photograph these sentinels.  Here they are keeping guard outside a bedroom .

I swear their eyes followed me whatever angle I chose!

One soldier alone decorates a door nicely.

I took them outside to dress up the front door, but they will not spend the season here as they were made of quilting cottons.  A weatherproof fabric intended for outside would solve that issue.  The pattern is available in both print  or download  versions, or ask your local quilt shop to order then in.

When our tree goes up. these fellows will be standing on guard to make sure a certain little kitty cat does not go climbing...

Next up:  The Magi!