Kim Hanson

Writing & Quilting

A December Contest

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In honour of the snow

we are having another contest on our Facebook group page, Quilting for Kids. If you love to quilt for your children and/or grandchildren, why not join us? You can do that by clicking here.

Once there, you can enter the contest by reading the first post. The contest is open until the end of December, 2018.

The prizes are a fabric bundle containing ten fat quarters and a copy of the December issue of Quilting Arts magazine.

 

So have some fun! Enter our contest. You may just win!

Kim

Missing a Deadline

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Something crazy happened to me a few weeks back. For the first time ever, I missed a deadline.

Heather McArthur, the editor and publisher of Quilter’s Connection magazine asked me to do a smallish project for the Winter issue of the magazine. She wanted a project featuring some machine embroidery. Naturally, I pounced on the opportunity! I really love working for industry magazines, but especially for Heather.

So, I went about my business as usual. I marked down what I believed to be the deadline on my work calendar and chipped away at my to-do-list. In September, one full month before Heather’s quilt project was due, the quilt was well underway. I was humming a happy tune, just so completely proud of myself…I was on track!

Then, an email popped up in my inbox from Heather. I’m thinking she’s likely just checking in…to see how my quilt is progressing. Instead, I was beyond shocked when she asked me if my project was ready to ship. Wait! What? Ship? I hadn’t even begun to machine quilt yet. Evidently, I was a month behind! A month! I’d been mistaken about the deadline and I got it completely wrong.

As is my habit (I like to blame this one on my Mom!) from childhood, I started the mental bob and weave game. What could I do? What could I tell Heather? What was my excuse? Perhaps I could tell her the quilt was in my car and the car was stolen. Or even better, the dog rolled around on my beautiful quilt top, soiling it irretrievably and I had to start over. Maybe, I could blame my husband and tell her that he inadvertently used my precious quilt to mop up a mess in the garage.

Nope. None of those excuses would do. Sheepishly, I responded to Heather’s email with the simple truth; I had totally messed up the deadline. As is her style, Heather was gracious. She commiserated with me and just asked that, “I ship the quilt as soon as I could.”

Needless to say, the quilt was bumped up my to-do-list to the very top. I stitched and stitched, a little frantically, and finished it in a hurry. Shipping from Calgary to Port Coquitlam, B.C. is very fast, so Heather had the quilt soon after its completion.

I checked online today and Quilter’s Connection winter issue is now available in digital format, and will be on the store shelves very soon. Looks like my quilt is on page 19. Love the snowman on page 8!

Thank you Heather for your patience with me. It was so very much appreciated.

Kim

 

Mike’s Bench

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Happy Canadian Thanksgiving everyone. After having a few beautiful sunny days, we’re back to snow on this Monday. Big, chunky, fluffy snowflakes falling again. There’s really only one question to ask – Why?

On one of the nicer, sunny days in late September, our son’s memorial bench was installed by the City of Calgary. I couldn’t wait to get over to the park and take a look!

We walked through the ravine.

Past the Crowchild Twin Arenas, where this little guy had burrowed a home into the side of the hill and found himself a great spot in the sun.

Once at the park and playground, there was Mike’s bench, just where we wanted it to be.

The bench overlooks not only the playground, but also the baseball diamond and a really beautiful vista.

We chose this spot for Mike’s bench because he was so very happy playing in this park…behind the houses where we used to live. He and his friends, especially his little buddy, Sanjeev so loved this place.

Sitting there in this beautiful, peaceful place I just cried and cried.

We were so grateful to have found the exact place where Mike’s bench should be. Hopefully, lots of kids and their parents will sit there while they’re at the playground or playing baseball or walking their dogs. It’s such a privilege to be able to remember our lovely son this way.

Kim

Quilter’s World Magazine

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Good day everyone. Thank you so very much for stopping by.

For the first time ever, I was gobsmacked at  the grocery store! Yes, it’s true. I was aimlessly walking the aisles at Co-op, sauntering here and there when I decided to stop in the “greeting card aisle” and have a peek at the latest quilt magazines…Quilting Arts, Easy Quilts and Modern Quilt magazine. But, my eye was drawn to Quilter’s World magazine with the lovely autumn colours on the cover. It was so fall-ish! So warm and inviting.

Standing there, my shopping cart filled with eggs and veggies and jujubes, flipping through the pages of the issue, I stopped with a jolt on page 57. “Quilting in the Canadian Rockies” by Kim Hanson! What was this? My article? This was the first time ever I was surprised to see my own written words. But there they were in black and white.

I had written the piece for Quilter’s World’s Winter 2017 issue. Unfortunately, they had run out of space for that issue and my article was “shelved”. That had never happened to me before, so I didn’t know what to expect. I was paid, but would my piece ever be published? I really didn’t know.

So here it was, much to my delight and surprise. I worked hard on this piece and loved writing it. I got to drive out to Canmore

several times to visit with quilters in the area, to photograph them and their quilts. I met Leah and Dean Murphy, the owners of The Sugar Pine Company, a destination quilt shop nestled in the Canadian Rockies. They were lovely and I got some great shots of both of them and their wonderful quilt shop.

I met Jillian Roulet, an art quilter of distinction. Her quilts are unique, impressively creative and little jewels of art. She lives a “mountain” lifestyle, in that she lives among the evergreens in the forest, the deer in the front yard and essentially creates every day.

QW also published a photo of my quilt, which I call Carina. It had previously been featured on the cover of one of Annie’s Publications.

I am extremely grateful to both Carolyn Vagts and Barb Sprunger at Quilter’s World magazine for their guidance, expertise and finesse. Thank you ladies!

Kim

Bryn’s “Don’t Bug Me” Garden Apron

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Welcome everyone. I’m pleased as punch to be back here again with all of you! This time, we are making a summery, sweet and super-easy child’s gardening apron, embroidered with Designs by JuJu’s Bugalicious design set. They are just perfect for this project! This apron is made using laminate for a clean and easy “wipe down” after use, and can be made over the weekend. Why not get started? Your five-year old will love it!

In case you and your child are finished gardening for the season, you can always use this sweet little apron for your child’s crafting endeavours. It would also make a great painting apron.

Please be sure and read through all the instructions prior to commencing. (If you have never worked with laminate before, please note the special instructions at the end of the pattern).

Shopping List:

 Designs by JuJu DBJJ531 – Bugalicious Applique

White for embroidery and pocket pouch – 1/2 yard – Cut into one piece 10″x44″ for pocket pouch and two pieces 8″x10″ for upper design

Lining for pocket/pouch – teal –  8″x18½”

Laminate for apron front (18″x22″) – Fat Quarter

Lining for apron back – purple – Fat Quarter

Scraps for embroidered appliques

Strapping for waist and neck ties – 66″ – Cut 48″ for waist and 18″ for neck

Small Pink rickrack – 41″

Velcro or D-ring

Embroidery thread, embroidery bobbin thread, embroidery needles, embroidery scissors

Pencil, omnigrid ruler, rotary cutter

Spray starch and Temporary Spray Fabric Adhesive

Permanent fabric marker

*I use Brother Embroidery thread for all my projects

MACHINE EMBROIDERY

  • Download three Bugalicious designs (as per the photo of the apron front, or choose your own) all in the small, 4″x 4″ size. Beginning with the word/saying embroidery design, load it into the machine.
  • Fold 10″x44″ piece of white fabric in half to measure 10″x22″and press to mark the middle. Mark center with a pencil. Medium hoop white fabric and place the hoop onto the machine.

Note: I didn’t use stabilizer for this project, but instead used a double fold of fabric to strengthen the front pouch/pocket even more.

  • Stitch out the word/saying – Nothing Bugs Me When I’m in My Garden. Always clip jump threads as you go.

  • Remove hoop from machine and fabric from hoop. Press. Fold in right outer edge to mark center and press. Mark with a pencil. Re-hoop fabric and stitch out first snail applique design.
  • Place the hoop onto the machine and stitch out the embroidery design outline.

  • Remove hoop from machine. Cut a fabric scrap slightly larger than the outline stitch. Spray starch the right side of fabric scrap and press. Spray the wrong side of fabric scrap with temporary spray adhesive. Center and finger press fabric onto the outline stitching.

 

TIPS:  Cover ironing board when using spray starch and fabric adhesive to prevent over spray. Temporary fabric adhesive often leaves behind a residue on the needle. It may be necessary to clean your embroidery machine needle as you go. 

  • Replace the hoop onto the machine and embroider tacking stitches. Remove hoop from the machine and carefully trim around the outline. Place hoop back onto machine and finish embroidering the rest of the design.

 

 

  • Remove hoop from machine and fabric from hoop. Press. Fold in left outer edge and press to mark center. Mark with a pencil. Re-hoop fabric and stitch out the mirror image of the snail applique design, following same steps as outlined above. (See photo of apron for design placement) Trim pocket/pouch to measure 8″x18½”.
  • Hoop both pieces of white fabric measuring 8″x10″. Stitch out butterfly (upper) embroidery design in the same manner as instructions outlined above. Press. Trim butterfly block to measure 5½” (length) x 6″ (wide). Set aside.

CONSTRUCTION

  • Right sides together match pocket/pouch with teal lining. Stitch bottom and top ¼” from edges. Leave sides open. Turn pocket/pouch right side out, and pull out the corners. Press.

  • Stitch pink rickrack along bottom edge of pocket/pouch. Cut 48″ of purple strapping. Trim each end of strapping on the diagonal to prevent fraying. Center and pin purple strap to top of pocket/pouch. Stitch.

  • Stitch rickrack in place around perimeter of butterfly design.

LAMINATE – APRON FRONT

  • Press laminate fat quarter on back of fabric. Do not press on the laminate front! Your iron will stick to the fabric and it will be ruined. Lay out the fat quarter wrong side down on a flat surface.

  • Fold over fat quarter in half lengthwise.

  • Draw armholes on wrong side of laminate with permanent fabric marker. Trace using diagram #1.

 

  • Cut. Open.

  • Cut purple apron lining in same shape as apron front. Set aside.
  • Position butterfly embroidery applique design in place. Stitch.
  • Mark a straight line with a pencil 3½” from bottom edge of apron front. Position pocket/pouch on the straight line and stitch along bottom edge only. Carefully trim pocket/pouch to even on both sides of the apron. Be mindful not to cut through the purple waist strapping.
  • Mark pencil lines on pocket/pouch either side of the embroidered saying. Stitch down both pencil lines to make three pockets.

  • Fold in both ends of purple strapping and temporarily pin to the center of the apron top.
  • Right sides together, match purple apron lining with apron top. Pin to secure. Mark both the top and bottom of purple strapping on both sides of the apron top with pins. Stitch around perimeter of the apron leaving the top seam open and stopping at side pins to leave opening for purple strapping.
  • Turn apron right side out being mindful to carefully pull out bottom apron corners.
  • Remove pins holding purple straps in place.
  • Fold in fabric edges around strapping on both sides of the apron top and stitch to secure.
  • Insert neck strap into upper opening, fold under seams and pin as per photo. Stitch opening closed encasing the neck strap. *Optional – You can snip the neck strap in two and use Velcro to re-fasten or a D-ring as an adjustable option, for a tighter fit.

 

Yippee!  You are all done. Thanks so very much for following along with me on this pattern. Please email me at km.hanson@shaw.ca if you have any questions about the pattern.

Kim Hanson

CARING FOR LAMINATES:

  • There is no need to prewash laminated fabric. The polymer film does not like either your washer or your dryer.
  • Iron laminates on the back of the fabric or use a pressing cloth when ironing laminates. Be careful not to touch your hot iron to the actual plastic surface of the fabric as it will melt.
  • Stitch slowly and deliberately. If a seam has to be ripped out, the stitching holes themselves will remain in the fabric.
  • Use pins mindfully. Once the pin leaves a hole in the laminate it will remain there.
  • Although laminates are a more rigid and inflexible type of fabric than are regular cottons, it is still advisable to use a stabilizer when embroidering directly on the fabric.