Happy Belated Canadian Thanksgiving Everyone.
In Ontario, this is the time our land goes to glory, the trees change colour, the fields are harvested and most of us will be taking time with our families and giving thanks.
With the events of the past two years, quite frankly there can’t be enough giving thanks.
This is my season. I love the fall colours. And the pervasive energy of getting things done. And today while making the pies for tomorrow's feast I finally made a colouring page for my red quilt.
When I first started my Youtube channel, a friend of mine, Laura Henneberry and her husband Gar started Prequilt.com, a wonderful online application to design and colour your quilts. And in one of my first videos, Stash Management, I took Prequilt for a test drive.
From a charm pack I had lying around, I designed and then made the wall hanging behind me on my YouTube set. And it is one of my most requested patterns.
Last month, I finally made colouring pages for all my Stashbuster Patterns. And I revised my website so that now you can find the video, Free Pattern and colouring pages in the same place. You can click here to check it out for yourself!
Then I realized that I could also do colouring pages for my other quilts. Like my red wall hanging. And my Prequilt Challenge quilt too. If you want to check out these colouring pages for yourself, you can click here!*
I know that I have spoken about prequilt several times. And Laura has been on my channel several times. Every time I use it, I am so impressed by all the updates and tweaks to make the program better and better.
This week on Karen's Quilt Circle, I spoke with Rose Parr, author of Sew Healthy and Happy (Affiliate Link). As both a quilter and a personal trainer, she has a wonderful understanding of how a quilters' body is used, and she has excellent tips and tricks on how to prevent and/or minimize pain while quilting. It's an interview you will not want to miss out on. You can click here to watch today.
And if you're looking for a cozy craft to do this Fall, why not try English Paper Piecing? Last week, I released my video EPP: The Basics, and it covers everything
you need to know before you get started. I even show you my tips and tricks for getting the hand sewing just right. English Paper Piecing is a great way to sew up your scraps, and it can be a nice break on your back after using your domestic sewing machine. And the quilts can be really beautiful and dynamic - just look at one of my Millefiore Rosettes (#9)
What are you giving thanks for this week? Are there any UFOs you dug out this Thanksgiving? Let me know in the comments below! *Please note that there is no official pattern for "The Red Quilt". With the Prequilt Colouring pages, you have the freedom to play around with colours and print it off to ensure each Half Square Triangle (HST) is in the correct spot. Without the pattern, you also have the freedom of using whichever final HST block size you'd desire. For my quilt, I used charm squares (which are 5" squares), and used the two-at-a-time HST method. If you're a beginner and unsure how to make HSTs, you can click here or here to learn more.