The Chickadee

Posted in Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

I have been slowly working away on The Chickadee block and I am thrilled to say I am finished. I must confess, I am mighty pleased with the way it turned out. This block is the first of 13 blocks I am making that are inspired by Canadian birds and flowers. The blocks will be stitched together to create a quilt, although each of the single blocks will make lovely stand alone wallhangings. Your choice!

I taught this block at both Retreats I recently hosted at Fireside Retreat in Orillia. It is suitable for beginners as well as experienced stitchers. The Chickadee Pattern is now available on my website here. And because it’s been requested, you can also purchase the templates already traced onto freezer paper for you. This is definitely a time saver:)

While at the first retreat, I was introduced to Cindy Blackberg’s Template Stamps by Amy, one of the students. These stamps are fun to use and is another option for anyone wishing to do hand piecing. I used the Carpenter’s Star template set to make this lovely border for the Chickadee. I love the way this border frames the block. On to the next block!

Til next time…

Kerry

19Sep2017

So Excited…..A Ribbon and a Retreat!

Posted in Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

This past weekend, my “To Everything There Is A Season” quilt won a ribbon at the Simcoe County Quilt, Rug and Craft Fair! This quilt was exquisitely machine quilted by Rose Bell of Fancy Feathers. The paper pattern is now available on my website . The digital patterns for the blocks will be available by the end of the week. Many of you have asked about getting the patterns available in digital form and we are doing our best to make that happen, including the patterns from last year’s Academy of Applique, A Taste of Lilies and Crazy For Callas.

The show, which is always held at the Simcoe County Museum, has some very poignant memories for me. I remember coming to this museum many times on school trips and learning about the fascinating history in our own back yard. Later on, my Mom and I would go to this show every year. Although I wasn’t really quilting at the time, I was so interested in quilts and quilting. This show has been extremely influential in my quilting life. It is more than just a quilt show. There are embroiderers, lacemakers, spinners, hookers and weavers eager to demonstrate their many talents. It is an awesome opportunity to see the remarkable talent in Simcoe County. The weather was absolutely gorgeous this year so sitting outside and eating a piece of pie seemed like the right thing to do!

Big News….I am so thrilled to announce that I am launching my very first Applique Retreat! The 3 day event will be held at The Fireside Retreat in the Spring of 2018 (March 27-29). Please join me for 3 days of stitching, learning and sharing everything applique! This retreat will be a great place to learn the techniques I use for all of my applique projects. If you are looking for a stress free way to hand-applique, look no further! Of course, there will be time set aside to work on your own applique projects. Imagine, 3 days of inspiration and creativity and eating! I will have all of the details in my next blog post.

Til next time….

Kerry

28Jul2017

Thrilled to be Finished!

Posted in Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

I’m so excited to have finished this quilt! I wish you could see my face…I am beaming with pride:) To say I am thrilled with the results would be an understatement….a major understatement! I’m also very excited to announce that I am offering this quilt once again as a Block-of-the-Month. If you didn’t get in on the first go-around, this is your lucky day. The blocks are nine of my favourite blocks from Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore”. I used the setting from Sue Garman’s “Baltimore Squared” pattern.

Here is how it works, once a month for the first 9 months you will receive the pattern and fabrics to do all 9 blocks. The fabrics will be exactly as shown below. Then the following 3 months you will receive the fabric and pattern for the paper-pieced stars, sashings, borders, swags and bindings.

You have until November 1, 2017 to sign up. (Don’t fool yourself…November 1 is not that far away). Details are on the website.

Very often people ask me which thread I use. I have always used Mettler 60 weight and probably always will. It’s the one with the green writing on the label. From time to time I do purchase a spool of something similar, but I always come back to Mettler. It is a little hard to find in shops, so I carry it on my website, along with other hard-to-find applique notions and tools.

Til next time….

Kerry

24Feb2017

Heading off to The Academy!!

Posted in Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

I am pretty much all packed and ready to go! These are the two samples I will be teaching at Barbara Blanton’s Academy of Applique, which starts in just a few short days. These 18″ x 34″ wall hangings were exquisitely machine quilted by Rose Bell of Fancy Feathers. When the Academy is over, these patterns and kits will be available on my website Simple Bird Studio.

This beauty is called Crazy For Callas. Both wall hangings are part of a 12 part series that celebrates my love of flowers and vases.

This lovely is called A Taste of Lilies. Thanks Bruin for holding everything in place for me:)

Til next time…….

Kerry

7May2015

Peggy’s Puzzle

Posted in Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

“Peggy’s Puzzle” is an original pattern for a table topper or a wall hanging designed with beginners in mind. Each 15″ block covers the basics of hand-applique……circles, stems, bias strips, layering and points.

The patterns for the 4 blocks and border are free to download on my website Simple Bird Studio. There are also some Youtube videos to go along with each block.

And, here is “Peggy’s Puzzle” finally finished! Rose Bell from Elite Quilting did the stunning machine quilting!!

Okay…it’s not exactly finished. I still have to bind it!

My addiction of handpiecing hexies continues. I am using Inklingo to print my shapes. I just have to fill in the last of the beige section and add the dark brown border. Will it stop there, or will I continue on? Good question!

A week ago I picked up the latest copy of Quiltmania and these house blocks were on the cover. Since I am trying really hard to use up my stash, I thought this quilt would be a good place to start! Too much fun!

Til next time….

Kerry

11Aug2014

Lazy Days of Summer

Posted in Amherst Island, Hexagons by Simple Bird Applique

This past weekend my husband and I travelled to Amherst Island with my sister-in-law and her husband to attend the Emerald Music Festival. We stayed in a wonderful cottage that belongs to my husband’s cousin. Not only was it filled with some awesome antiques, she also had a collection of old quilts that immediately caught my attention…this one especially. It is hand-appliqued and hand-quilted The applique pieces are pretty worn in some spots. This is the only block that has at least some of each appliqued piece. The rest are pretty faded.

I love the scalloped edge. Sadly, there was no label. (Note to self…label ALL quilts!)

We had a blast cooking breakfast on this 1952 Moffat stove…once we figured out how to turn it on!!

And best of all, I found the perfect spot to work away on my Grandmother’s Flower Garden quilt.

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Til next time…

Kerry

2Jul2014

Ice cream and stitching go together!!

Posted in Civil War Bride Quilt, Friends of Baltimore, Hand-Applique Techniques, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized, Value Proposition Quilt Along by Simple Bird Applique

Canada Day is always a busy weekend for us because it is also our wedding anniversary. So, there is always lots to celebrate….and lots of cake and Canadian ice cream!

Even though it was a busy weekend, I still found some time to do a bit of stitching. When I finished the second border of Friends of Baltimore, I decided to take a bit of time and do some catch-up on a few projects. This is my second block of the Value Proposition Quilt Along, which you can find on a wonderful blog called Faeries and Fibres. Just click on the button at the top of the page called Quilt Alongs by Karen H. Concentrating on value (rather than colour) is more challenging than you might think!

I also took the time to stitch the first two rows of my hexagons together. I really am loving this whole hexie thing…can you tell??

So next, I decided to tackle the corner squares of Friends of Baltimore. To account for shrinkage, (which does occur) the four borders on this quilt are all cut the same length….

…..which means a corner block is needed. Some of the applique on the borders flows onto the corner square and cannot be stitched until the corner block is stitched to the border. This will make more sense as we go along. Trust me!

Now onto the corner block! I always like to start with the vase or the basket. I think it sets the tone of the block. When I bought this gold fabric, I thought it would make a great vase.

It also made a great butterfly on my Civil War Bride quilt!

Now, I am just filling the vase with flowers. Sweet!

Til next time…

Kerry

5Jun2014

Progress feels good!

Posted in Circle of Tulips, Friends of Baltimore, Hand-Applique Techniques, Hand-Quilting Techniques, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

I am finally seeing some progress on a few of the quilts I am working on. As you can tell, I like to hand-applique and hand-quilt. As we all are very aware, both are time consuming, and it can be a long time before any results can be seen. So when I get close to finishing anything, I get really excited

First, I woke up yesterday with one thing on my mind. Finishing the hand-quilting on Circle of Tulips! I am sooooo close! I must admit, though, I have been in my pre-mourning stage for a week or two. I start to miss the quilt before it’s even finished and I wonder what I will do to fill the void. Sad, but true!!

So, after a couple of hours of stitching and watching re-runs of Downton Abbey, I am finished! Yippee!!

Now, I just have to bind it! The pattern for this block is available as a free download on my website.

I have also been making some progress on the second border of Sue Garman’s “Friends of Baltimore”. This is the left side of the vase almost finished.

So, now it’s time to start the right side of the vase! I added the fern and a few roses and buds.

These borders have lots (I mean lots!) of bias stems on it. So I end up with lots of short pieces. This is how I use up those tiny pieces…

I find a spot on the pattern where I can inconspicuously hide the joins. Now you see the joins….

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…and now you don’t!!

To keep my (extremely unorganized) self from losing track of all those leaves and flowers, I prep them in my usual way and then I glue the pieces to the paper pattern. Also, when I cut the freezer paper shapes out, I place them on the paper pattern in the spot they will eventually be glued and stitched, just to keep everything nice and organized.

So, now I just pick up each piece and place it on the background. Easy peasy!

So…here is the right side of the border!

And, finally, the border is (almost!) finished…I just have a bit of stitching to do!

Til next time…

Kerry

7Jun2013

New legs for a peacock!

Posted in Bouquet For a New Day, Civil War Bride Quilt, Hand-Applique Techniques, Hand-Quilting Tools, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

If you have some time on your hands on Saturday, June 15 at 10 am, come on down to Elite Quilting in Barrie, Ontario where I will be doing a demo of the starch and freezer paper method of hand-applique. The cost is $10.00. Colleen will also have all the supplies on hand for you purchase so you can go home and practice this method. Hope to see you there!

Back to the block! I must admit, I was a little alarmed how freakishly out of proportion the birds legs looks! So I gave the peacock some new legs. I like to use Ultra-Suede for the birds legs and beaks when they are just too darn tiny to applique!

Once the legs were stitched in place, I used a Micron marker on the edge of the Ultra-Suede to hide the stitches and add a bit of definition.

Once I felt better about his legs, I added the stems.

Next, some leaves and a bud.

And, finally, the rest of the leaves and the flowers! Spiffy!

I finished hand-quilting another block from Sue Garman’s “Bouquets for a New Day”. (Only 3 more blocks to go! Yippee!) The vase was very baggy!

So, just like the vase in the last block, I needed to add some quilting to the vase to make it…un-baggy! After much debate, I decided to do the same cross-hatching as in the background of the block, except I did the stitching in red thread. Voila!

Til next time…

Kerry

2May2013

A Productive Day!

Posted in Bouquet For a New Day, Civil War Bride Quilt, Grandmothers Choice, Hand-Applique Techniques, Sue Garman Pattern, Uncategorized by Simple Bird Applique

It is not very often that I sit at my sewing machine and stitch the day away, but that is what I did yesterday! I cut out and stitched…get ready….12 blocks from Grandmother’s Choice Block of the Week! My plan is to make 3 quilts using these 8″ blocks, so I am stitching 3 variations of the same block. I love to see how different fabric placement can drastically change the look of the block. Here are the blocks:

This block is called “I Am An Anti”. Honestly, I did not fussy cut the pink squares on purpose. It just happened!

Next on the runway is “Carrie Nation”.

Followed by “Mr. Roosevelt’s Necktie”.

And, last but not least, is “Jack’s Delight”.

Jenny and Bruin like to keep me company when I sew. They are kind of famous! Check out their youtube video here.

This is my latest finished block from “Bouquets For a New Day”. 5 more blocks to go!

The navy blue fabric in the vase is left over from an Irish Chain quilt I made for my Mom.

Most of this block from “Civil War Bride” is stitched in place. I started to think that maybe the table that the vase is sitting on is too dark for the overall look of the block. So I cut out another table piece and auditioned it. I do like it better.

My #1 rule in applique (and life) is this….fix something while it’s in the block stage, rather than finish the whole quilt and kick yourself because you were too busy…or too tired…or too lazy to fix it! I have been guilty of all 3!

Til next time…

Kerry