New Patterns on Craftsy

I have just put 2 more patterns on my Craftsy site. Both designs feature removable photos. You can change the pictures whenever you like. Great gift ideas!

A Touch of Nostalgia uses small pieces of vintage linens or lace. Instructions are included for all 3 designs.

How Sweet It Is! has some fusible applique and a special picture pocket so you change the picture whenever you like. Instructions are included for all 3 designs.

Click here and here to see more information about both these patterns on my website

International Quilt Market in Minneapolis

The Ottawa quilt show is over - and a great show it was! The weather was cold and wet and we had crowds of people at the show on all 3 days.

I leave for Minneapolis and the International Quilt Market next week. I still have one pattern to write. Hopefully it will be finished in time. The pattern is called "How Sweet It Is!". Here is a sneak preview of the 3 little quilts in the pattern. The "sweet" hanger is from Ackfeld. The photos in these quilts are removable so you can change them whenever you like. This pattern is the latest addition to my Pop-Out Picture Quilt series.

Linda's Birthday Card

I used one of the small panels from the Girlfriends fabric by Northcott to make a card for my friend Linda who was celebrating a special birthday last week.


I used a stiff, fusible interfacing instead of batting.


I stitched the invitation on the back of the card. Then I added a picture pocket and put in a picture of Linda. This picture can be popped out and changed. It is the technique I use in all of my Pop-Out Picture quilts.

Hope you had a great day Linda!

Another African Adventure

Here are some pictures of the last design I am going to put in my new "African Adventure" pattern. The picture is removable, so you can change it whenever you like. I have done a series of these "Pop-Out Picture" quilts. You can see more information about them on the "Pop Out Picture Quilts" page on my web site.

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Now you can make just 1 quilt and change the picture when you want a new look!

African Adventures

Recently I have been making small wall hangings using the embroideries that I purchased from South Africa. Here are some pictures of 2 of them.

Yesterday I put this picture in the Daily Photograph section of my Blog. The picture was taken from the bus window during a recent trip to South Africa. The child was standing on the highway in the Soweto area of Johannesburg.

Now I have made a wall hanging using the same design that I used for the embroideries. This project has taken on a life of its own!

I have decided to make these designs into a new pattern that will be available soon on my website. (Suggestions for a title for this new pattern will be gratefully received!) I will be adding one more design that uses a photograph that will fit in a little pocket on the front so it can be changed whenever you wish. This will be similar to the "Pop-Out Picture Quilts" that are on my web site now. Watch for more information coming soon.

Quilter's World Magazine: April 2009

I have just received the April issue of Quilter's World magazine and was delighted to find my "Words of Wisdom" project on page 50! This is a 3-fold fabric booklet that can hold photographs in little picture pockets. The "words of wisdom" are printed on inkjet printable fabric (I used EQ printables) and then added to the project.

This version is called "As My Mother Used to Say..." and contains such well-remembered phrases as "You'll thank me for this one day"

This version uses photos of flowers and the sayings are all about gardens and flowers.

My Classes at the BC Creative Expo

I had the most amazing group of students in my classes at the BC Creative Expo event last week in Vancouver! Everyone got the class project finished. Here are some pictures of a few of the students.

Hip Hop Houses class

Pop-Out Picture book class. Everyone got 1 page from the Sentimental Journal book completed. All they have to do is add the pictures! These 3 students were all friends from Whitehorse in the Yukon.

Little Picture Quilt class. We used my Little Picture Quilt #1 pattern for the project.

Redwork Cottage class. This is a combination of traditional redwork embroidery and fusible applique.

One More Day Before Quilt Market!

I finally have everything packed for Quilt Market which starts on Wednesday May 14. I just finished this last sample of my new Remembering pattern (#332). The fabric is from the Northcott collection called Seems Like Old Times.

The picture in this sample is removable, so you can have a different photograph whenever you like.

The picture in this sample was printed on EQ Printables fabric.

The pattern gives instructions for using both types of pictures and for making the fabric flower embellishments.

Portland Quilt Market - Almost Ready!

I have just finished a smaller version of my Thanks for the Memories pattern (#330) for my booth at Quilt Market in Portland. This quilt has removable pictures so you can change the photos whenever you like. The photos in these pictures were all taken during my trip to South Africa last November. You can see how versatile this quilt is because you can change the pictures.




Here is a picture of the large quilt made from this pattern. The pictures in this one are all printed on EQ Printables fabric.


Here is a picture of the blocks that didn't work! I really wanted to use this bright, colourful fabric to show off these wonderful houses in Capetown. Unfortunately, the fabric design was too large and busy, and the pictures just seemed to disappear.

Another New Pattern

I have just finished this little Memory quilt pattern. It is called Remembering (Pattern #332). This quilt is 12" x 14" and it makes a quick gift for someone special. You can use a picture printed on fabric such as EQ Printables, or make a picture pocket so you can change the picture whenever you wish. The picture is framed with Crazy Quilting and embellished with stitchery, 3 dimensional fabric flowers and ribbon.

I used silk fabric and metallic thread for the stitchery in the black and white version. The beige quilts are made with cotton fabrics and the pictures are framed with lace.

Click here to see this new pattern on my web site.

Little Picture Quilt #3

I am still making samples of my patterns for the International Quilt Market show in Portland, Oregon using some of the new Spring fabrics. Here are some new models of my Little Picture Quilt #3. The photograph is removable so you can change it whenever you like. A great gift idea!

Little Picture Quilt #1 (Pattern #305)

Little Picture quilts are quick and easy to make. They have a picture pocket that holds a 4" x 6" photo. You can change the picture whenever you like and, as you can see, you can use either vintage or contemporary pictures. The quilts can be hung either vertically or horizontally so they are quite versatile and they make great gift items.

I have just finished these new models using some of the new Spring fabrics. I hope you like them.

"City Girl" fabric by Benartex

"Mambo" fabric by Windham Fabrics

"Mambo" fabric by Windham Fabrics

Happy Easter

My daily photograph for today, Easter Sunday, is of one of my Little Picture quilts - A Touch of Nostalgia (#312). The pictures is a standard 4" x 6" printed photo, so you can change the picture whenever you like. The fabric is one of the new Northcott fabrics, "Seems Like Old Times".


I have been busy making new models of all of my Little Picture Quilts for my upcoming shows at International Quilt Market in Portland, OR and the TrendTex Show in Vancouver, BC. The new spring fabrics are wonderful to work with - bright and cheery, and many have a very retro 1950s and 1960s look. Watch for more pictures of my Little Quilts using these fabrics. I will be posting them in the next couple of days.

The Great Canadian Shop Hop for QNN

Filming for the Great Canadian Shop Hop programme for QNN (Quilters’ News Network) was done yesterday at the Country Quilter quilt shop in Richmond, Ontario. Shop owner, Ann McLean, was at the shop very early in the day, baking muffins and coffee cake, and welcoming the many quilters who were part of this event. The show, produced by Tricia Sherman from Vancouver, focused on The Quilt: A Breast Cancer Support Project. Co-ordinator of this event, Carol Miller, was there and it was a great pleasure to meet her.

Here I am with Barry (the camera guy) and Tricia Sherman, producer of the Great Canadian Shop Hop

I was thrilled to be the guest pattern designer on the show. I did a demo using some of my newest patterns, including my Hang Ups, Pop-Out Picture Quilts and Pop-Out Picture Books. I also talked about how easy it is to print pictures on fabric and incorporate vintage linens and lace in memory quilts.

Barry, the camera man, was amazing! He was interested in the whole quilting process, even to the point of wanting to film underneath the frame as the quilters were working, so he could show what was actually happening on the underside of the quilt.

Shop owner, Ann McLean was a wonderful hostess throughout the day. She remained calm and collected, while multi-tasking constantly. And of course, the shop was open, so Ann and her staff were dealing with the regular customers while all the filming was happening throughout the store. More information about this wonderful shop will be included in a future post.

"The Quilt" project co-ordinator, Carol Miller (l) and shop owner, Ann McLean

Here's Tricia getting a quilting lesson from one of the experts at the Country Quilter

Thanks for the Memories!

Last November, I traveled to South Africa with my quilting friend, Colleen. At Christmas, we were part of a quilt exchange group. I had 3 weeks to design and make a quilt for Colleen using fabric that she had given me 10 months earlier. We had shared so many wonderful experiences on our South Africa trip, that I decided to use some of my pictures in her quilt. The quilt is 41" square and uses 20 photographs that were printed on EQ Printables fabric. And yes, I did get it completely finished in 3 weeks! It’s amazing how the job always takes the amount of time you have.

This quilt then became my newest pattern called Thanks for the Memories (#330). It is now ready to be printed and will be available on my website at the beginning of March.

When I wrote the pattern, I also included instructions for using removable paper photographs instead of printed ones. This makes the quilt even more versatile because you can change the pictures whenever you wish.

Close up views

Little Picture Quilts

Here are 2 Little Picture Quilts made with some new fabrics by Northcott. Each little quilt has a picture pocket that holds a 4" x 6" photograph. You can change the pictures whenever you wish! These are quick projects that make wonderful gifts.

You can see more patterns using this technique on my web site. Look for the "Pop-Out Picture Quilts" page.

Little Picture Quilt #4 (Pattern #308)

Made with "Bubbles and Blooms" fabric by Northcott

A Touch of Nostalgia (Pattern #312)
Made with "Seems Like Old Times" fabric by Northcott