Canadian Christmas Blog Hop Day 3

Welcome to the third Sunday of the Canadian Christmas Blog Hop!  We've travelled across the country to Nova Scotia on the east coast to bring you today's featured designer, Benita Skinner of Victoriana Quilt Designs.  Click on the link for a free Christmas ornament pattern and a recipe for yummy domino bars.

Have a safe and happy Halloween everyone!

Canadian Christmas Blog Hop - Day 2

Welcome to the Canadian Christmas Blog Hop!  Our second featured designer is Daphne Greig from Patchworks Studio.  Daphne lives on beautiful Vancouver Island and has written several books on stained glass quilting and give-and-take applique.  Together with Susan Purney Mark, she has been designing since 1996.  For our blog hop, Daphne has created an elegant table runner pattern and has shared her recipe for a yummy Christmas breakfast.  You can see more of her work on her website, patchworkstudio.com.

Martingale Photo Shoot

My second book with Martingale is due out next June!

A few weeks ago, I received a letter from them saying they'd like to start photographing the quilts in their offices in Bothell, WA, (about 2 hours south of where I live), and they wondered whether I'd be interested in having some of my primitives used as props in the photos.  Well, yeah!

So I sent them photos of some of the stuff around my house, like this:

They emailed me back with their choices.
I  loaded them into my car, drove down this week, and brought them into the studio.

Lights,

camera,

action!

My quilts were waiting in line...

for Brent, the photographer, (aka "the quilt whisperer") to work his magic.

Sometimes other equipment was used to give the desired effect.

A tripod was used to adjust a quilt, just so.

And sometimes a quilt needed a quick pressing.

After seeing all the work involved in getting the photos just right, I'll never look at pictures in quilt magazines and books the same way again!

(No wonder my recipes never look like the photographs!)

So when my book comes out next summer, check out the props, as well as the quilts!

The quilts were photographed in a day (which I'm told is pretty fast)

and the next morning Regina (the production manager) and Brent worked on some cover shots.

In between, I had time to wander the offices.
Even the lunch room has quilt designs on the floor!

Halloween pumpkins were parked in the aisles.

Who wouldn't love an office with beautiful quilts around every corner?

Look at the machine quilting on this one!

It was so much fun to visit there again!
Thanks, Martingale, for being such a wonderful company to work with.

The Canadian Christmas Blog Hop has begun!

Oh, I'm so excited!  My friend Dougal Walker of The Freckles Collection has posted a wonderful little ornament pattern and CUTE Christmas cookies on her blog.  You have to check it out!
Dougal is my mentor and friend.  Ten years ago, when I was first thinking of publishing my patterns, a quilt shop owner suggested I contact Dougal since she'd been designing patterns for awhile and knew a lot about it.  So I did contact her and we arranged to meet for coffee.  She's been such an incredible source of information for me over the years.  We've also become good friends and we still meet to share our stories.  Dougal's expertise is in stitchery and you can find lots more of her patterns at www.frecklescollection.com.
Next Sunday will feature another Canadian designer so please check back!

Canadian Christmas Blog Hop!

I know, it seems MUCH too early to be thinking about Christmas, but we do things early in Canada.  We're celebrating Thanksgiving here this weekend and I'm so thankful for my family and friends and for quilting, which has brought the best people into my life.

So, a few of us Canadians thought it would be fun to do a blog hop and introduce you to some Canadian quilters!

Starting next Sunday, and then every following Sunday until December 11, a different designer will be posting a free pattern on her website as well as the recipe for a favourite holiday treat. 

Sounds like fun, right?

We all have very different styles so there should be something for everyone.

So here's the schedule!

If you click on it, it should be easier to see.

We'll be posting the links every Sunday on our blogs so please join us!