quilts

In 2013, I blogged about a quilt pattern designed by my all-time favourite designer, Mary Engelbreit. It was called “Playtime Pals”. I originally made a quilt from this pattern for my baby daughter, Shawna in 1982. It lay on her single bed once she graduated from her crib. She slept covered by it every single night. It was washed a million times, used to make forts in the living room and became an outdoor picnic blanket when the need arose. After ten years or so, after having been dragged everywhere, it was tattered and torn, reduced to a few pieces of muslin.

The pattern was an iron-on outline of cheery and sweet children clothed in vintage outfits. The quilt-maker did the iron-on’s, then filled in and completed the childish outlines using fabric paints… basically colouring for adults. I ironed all the pattern outlines onto bleached muslin fabric in different sizes, purchased an array of fabric paints and set to work, painting for days on end. (I had never used fabric paints in my life, so there was a bit of a learning curve and some less-than-perfect blocks!) But, I loved every single minute of working on that quilt. It was just so different from anything else I had tackled.

For some unknown reason, once I had completed Shawna’s quilt, I didn’t keep the pattern. (Duh!)

So, in 2009 when our daughter gave birth to our precious granddaughter, Harlow, I thought about Playtime Pals again. I wanted to remake that quilt; this time, though, I’d make a better, more durable version of it. I searched and searched for it on ebay, contacted Mary Engelbreit’s “people” and posted online that I was looking for the pattern. Believe it or not, one glorious day, I found it on ebay! I was pretty ecstatic and a little surprised. It cost next to nothing, was in brand new condition, so I had it mailed to me by the vendor. It was such a find.

Initially, I came across this little gem of a pattern in a 1982 issue of Better Homes & Gardens, Christmas Ideas magazine.

Flipping through the pages, Playtime Pals jumped right out of the magazine and hit me in the heart.

So, so beautiful. Charming and whimsical. I absolutely fell in love with this pattern.

It’s now 2019. I have yet to begin my new, remade version of Playtime Pals. It’s still on the back burner, but I will get to it one of these fine days.

Fellow quilter, Judy Borman, contacted me after reading my 2013 blog post. Like me, in 1982 she had been instantly drawn to this pattern. Judy especially loved the style of the artwork and the representation of simple childhood activities. She and her quilting friend, Ann, both decided they simply had to make this pattern together…one for each of their young daughters. Here is Judy’s rendition from 1983, made for daughter, Jenny. You’ll notice unlike mine, Judy’s quilt remains intact!

In 2018, Judy was delighted to discover the old BH&G magazine from 1982 at the bottom of a box she was unpacking for her new sewing room. The photos in the magazine brought back such wonderful memories of quilting and creating with her friend, Ann. In the intervening years, Judy had made a couple of applique quilts, leading her to believe she may be able to turn the graphed patterns provided by the magazine into applique patterns/placement sheets. If she was successful, she wouldn’t require the actual, printed pattern from 1982 that I had discovered on ebay.

Judy made it work! She devised a brilliant plan to work from the magazine itself. After a sample block or two turning out beautifully, she decided to take a crack at remaking Playtime Pals. This time, the quilt was for her colourful, exuberant four year-old granddaughter, Alice.

So, so sweet.

Judy Borman is an example of the type of delightful person one can come across online. Ever since she contacted me after my initial blog post, we have been communicating while she worked on Alice’s quilt. (In addition to being a busy, quilting grandmother, Judy administers an informative website – www.cookingforcents.weebly.com – that you may want to check out).

So, it is now up to me to find the time to remake Playtime Pals. I’m going to use white muslin this time instead of bleached muslin. I’m going to buy myself a brand new set of fabric paints. Sashing and borders will be chosen from my more-than-ample stash. I’m really excited to get started and hope to be able to show you the final result of my work soon.

Thanks so much to Judy Borman. She is my inspiration.

Kim

Good Wednesday everyone. The long weekend (July 1st – Canada Day) is coming, the sun is shining and the hail stones have all dried up! So, it’s a great day.

Bowness Park is our playground – especially for those of us who are fortunate enough to live close by. It is an unexpected and glorious demonstration of nature, an oasis on the banks of the Bow River. In the book, Bowness Our Village in the Valley, the Park was widely known as “the best feature” of the historic Village of Bowness. As native Calgarians know, Bowness was amalgamated into the City of Calgary in 1964.

My Dad was reminiscing the other day about the late 50’s and 60’s. As he tells it, our family used to “live at Bowness Park” despite the fact that we actually lived in the neighbourhood of Hillhurst. In those days, the park was filled with delightful amusement rides for children – a carousel with big horses, a caterpillar ride that went round and round and a mid-sized Ferris wheel that felt gigantic to me as a young child. The best ride though, hands down, was the Train….little cars that toured the park on the little train tracks that any kid would love to climb aboard. Great days and so much fun.

The little boat ride was exciting too. I fondly remember fighting off my brothers so that I could steer with my right hand and drag my left hand in the water!

Swimmers flocked to the Park in the summer time to swim in the massive pool. I personally have no memories of the pool. Dad tells me that two people lost their lives swimming in that pool via electrocution. I’ve always thought that was just an urban legend, but I was wrong.

I came across a document online entitled Memories of Growing Up in Bowness by Linda Mikkelsen Price. In the memoir, she shares “On hot summer days, the place to be was Bowness Park and the swimming pool. The pool had a huge sandy bottom and a wooden deck, two diving boards, slide, stationery raft, movable raft and a water wheel. My siblings and I were not allowed to go to the pool or park on weekends because Mom did not like all the strangers from Calgary that hung around. (*I would have been one of those strangers!) Maybe that rule saved my life. It was a Sunday when two people were electrocuted in the pool under the slide. I still remember hearing the wail of the ambulance and fire engine sirens”.

The 2013 flood in Calgary permanently changed the landscrape of Bowness Park. The banks of the Bow spilled over devastating much of the Park, and water streamed unabated into all the neighbouring backyards. Standing on the sidewalk watching the water furiously cascade onto the streets was a frightening sight that I hope I never see again.

It’s 2016 and Bowness Park has been renewed, restored and rejuvenated. It’s original beauty and charm may not be evident, but the Park itself feels pristine and new and quite wonderful.

Geese and ducks heartily populate the lagoon. One thing I didn’t know was that geese hide in the tall grass when the temperature rises.

Bowness Park is an enticing backdrop for quilt photography, my new found passion. I’m excited to share with you, photos of a few quilts made by my excellent friend and fellow quilter, Marilyn Wickenheiser. Marilyn and I have been friends since her eldest daughter was 12 years old – for 26 years now. When I was the editor of our neighbourhood newsletter in Silver Springs, Marilyn came to me with an idea of advertising for and beginning a girls hockey team. Although I love everything athletic, I was inwardly sceptical and initially scoffed at Marilyn’s idea. But bless her heart, she persevered, the advertisement went into the newsletter and the rest became history. Who knew….girls liked playing hockey too! Marilyn went on to play a huge role in the launching and development of Girls Hockey Calgary.

Marilyn’s quilt is entirely handmade, including the crochet edging. It is extremely heavy and oh so cozy. (What I’ve recently come to understand about autism and weighted blankets, this quilt would be just perfect) It is called a “promise quilt”…there is no pattern for the quilt, nor are there any written instructions. The “promise” part comes from the maker promising not to write out instructions for others, but to pass on the how-to’s to other quilters verbally.

Kate’s Chenille Quilt by Chi Chi Designs in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan is the inspiration behind Marilyn’s exquisite chenille quilt. I’ve never made chenille from scratch, but Marilyn has and the results are beautiful.

In Marilyn’s huge stack of finished quilts, this quilt top immediately caught my eye. I love the colourful fabrics – it reminds me of a child’s quilt. The pattern for the top is Triple Dash from ModaBakeshop 2014. Marilyn used only scraps to make this delish and charming quilt top. No new fabrics required!

Quilts of Marilyn’s along with My Zen Garden, piled in front of the fire pit on the brand spanking new deck in front of the not-yet-opened Cafe adjacent to the lagoon at the Park. My Zen Garden lies beside a commemmorative plaque on one of the decks’ wooden benches.

The playground is new, the walking/biking path is new and there are new train tracks that run along the river banks. Yes, the little kids’ train is still running, the massive poplar trees are still shading Park visitors and the beauty is intact.

Have a lovely long weekend. Next Wednesday – My Zen Garden quilt pattern.
Take care

Historical Bowness Park photos from the book entitled Bowness, Our Village in the Valley, published by the Bowness Historical Society.