O Canada! Canadian quilts

Since Canada Day is coming up (July 1), we wanted to share some of these wonderful quilts.  They were made by Canadians to honor the country's 150th anniversary in 2017.  Each of these outstanding quilts incorporates a nine patch design, either overtly or in a subtle way.  The quilts represent Canada’s history, geography, and culture as expressed by each artist.

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I Must Go Down to the Sea Again by Leah Gravells (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

Leah Gravells says she was inspired by Canada’s smallest province, Prince Edward Island’s potato fields, the Westpoint Lighthouse, and the sea. "My maternal grandfather and my father were lobster fishermen. The Westpoint Lighthouse (now iconic) guided them home to a safe harbor. I spent my early years at the shore and the lighthouse. I make a pilgrimage annually, as I must go down to the sea again."

This beautiful landscape quilt was created with machine piecing, hand applique, hand embroidery, and quilt-as-you-go techniques using cotton batik, wool, velvet, rayon, toile, silk, and ribbon.

Paint The Town Jelly Bean by Shelley DeHay-Turner (Oakville, Ontario, Canada)

Paint The Town was inspired by the brightly colored, whimsical Jelly Bean houses of Newfoundland. Shelley DeHay-Turner says, "My quilt pays homage to the people of Newfoundland who showed tremendous compassion, kindness, and generosity in their support of the many passengers re-routed to Gander, Newfoundland following the tragedy of 9/11."

Spinnaker Sails by Leslie and Ronald Prokop, quilted by Shelley DeHay-Turner (Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada)

Canada can boast the longest coastline in the world with over 200,000 km of shoreline (over 152,000 miles)!  It is no surprise that Canada has a proud nautical history.   In this quilt, competitive sailors at the regatta, with colorful spinnaker sails full of wind, make a patchwork of color across the horizon.  This colorful quilt was hand appliqued, machine pieced and quilted.

Winds of Change by Kathy Mundy (Oakville, Ontario, Canada)

Winds of Change is a tribute to the First Nations of Canada. It is based on a dreamcatcher pattern from No Hats in the House, a dreamcatcher pattern. It is the belief of the Ojibwa, that the dreamcatcher allows only good thoughts to pass through and provides a positive lens for the hopes, dreams, and ambitions of future generations. Kathy Mundy incorporated blue jay feathers as she loves catching a glimpse of the vibrant blue color throughout the four Canadian seasons.

Late Skate by Janet Waurechen (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)

Late Skate was hand pieced, appliqued, embroidered, and embellished, machine pieced. Janice Waurechen says, "I wanted to create a quilt to portray an iconic Canadian image. My Canadian nine Patch quilt pictures a lone figure skater on a frozen pond at night. She is illuminated by the Northern Lights, the moon and the stars. I called my quilt Late Skate, ice dancing under the stars."

Fall in Canada by Helen Monighan and the Stoney Creek Quilters’ Guild, quilted by Ginny Hoages (Stoney Creek, Ontario, Canada)

The Stoney Creek Quilters Guild members were each asked to create a Maple Leaf square. The 56 maple leaves were brought together by the design of member Helen Monighan. Each Maple Leaf square is unique, as each guild member comes from a different cultural background. Fall in Canada was hand appliqued and embroidered, machine pieced, appliqued, and quilted.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration at the 2017 Houston International Quilt Festival.

Quilts of the World part 3: Canada

Part of the 2016 Pacific International Quilt Festival was the World Quilt Competition XX, which is a special exhibition within the larger P.I.Q.F. This competition, which is open to quilters from many countries, starts out each summer on the East Coast of the U.S.A.; the best quilts from that show then go on tour to the various regional shows in America. We hope you enjoy this presentation, continuing with quilts from CANADA.

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Sweat Lodge @ Lazy M, 34 x 43", by Patti Morris

A sweat lodge is a low profile hut, typically dome-shaped or oblong, made with natural materials and used for a purification ceremony in native cultures. Patti Morris says, "This design came from an art retreat at the Lazy M Lodge in Central Alberta. Walking around the grounds I came across this very old stick-like fort called a Sweat Lodge. I sketched it onto paper and then transferred it to fabric. My goal is to donate this piece to the Lodge when I return for another drawing retreat."

A to Z for Ewe and Me, 79 x 90", by Carolyn A. Hudson

Winner of the Best of Country award for Canada, A to Z for Ewe and Me is the 2014 Block of the Month for the Quilt Show designed by Janet Stone. Carolyn Hudson says, "Janet is doing a series of alphabet quilts with ewes and winning consistently in shows for her work."

Each letter of the alphabet is done in a different font and includes a pieced or appliqued block. Carolyn says, "Making this quilt has been a pivotal point in my quilting journey and such fun!"

Ophelia, 54 x 38", by Marilyn Farquhar

This original design quilt is hand appliqued and longarm quilted. Flower motifs were fussy cut and appliqued to create the ostrich. Marilyn Farquhar says, “My son frequently challenged me to make an “ostrich” quilt instead of “flower” quilts. I took up the challenge in secrecy…. not only did I want to make his ostrich, I wanted to use floral fabrics, just to get his goat."

Marilyn's use of purple polka dot background fabric created a whimsical piece and allowed textural quilting.

New Crop, 43 x 43", by Leah Gravells

Leah Gravells says, "I am continually inspired by the sky and the fields of Alberta to create original designs. The new crop fields by Cochrane inspired this design. The fields were a lush green. This design uses 170 batik fabrics which were individually cut into ¾” strips. Each strip is quilted to the batting and backing using a “quilt as you go” technique on a domestic sewing machine."

Leah used 100% cotton batik fabrics, Hobbs Heirloom Batting and 100% cotton Gutermann thread.

Red, White and Black, 54 x 58", by Patti Morris

Patti Morris says, "This quilt originated from some left over stash I found while cleaning out my studio in the spring of 2015. Working without a plan, I sewed some strips together hoping to make a quilt for one of my grown daughters. The more strips I sewed together, the more fun it became. Then, when I decided to throw in some colorful dots, the piece seemed to dance!"

Canadian Winter, 72 x 78",by Carolyn A. Hudson

Canadian Winter, done in red and gray, is an original medallion quilt with an inner border of sampler blocks.  The center 16-point oval Mariner’s Compass is a pattern by Judy Mathieson’s book and was used with permission. The red stars really show up against the wintry gray blocks.

Image credits:  Photos were taken by Quilt Inspiration. Ophelia was exhibited in the main PIQF show.  The other quilts shown were entered in the World Quilt Competition.