Archive | April, 2011

The Quilt Count for Japan Climbs

27 Apr

Fellow Quilters,
Northcott’s office is a virtual whirlwind of activity these days, as we prepare our booth for our semi-annual Quilt Market trade show, and also continue to collect quilts for the victims in Japan.

My trusty piecing assistant Susanne was Betty Binder on Tuesday, sewing the binding onto the 4 quilts that I finished quilting last week for our shipment to Japan.  We have a slick quick way of binding that is particularly good for quilts that will see a lot of use.  We make double-folded binding, and sew it onto the back of the quilt first, then turn it and machine-stitch it to the front of the quilt using a mock-applique/blind-hem stitch, just covering the previous line of stitching.  When we stitch the binding on the front side, we use monofilament polyester thread (our favorite is Mono-Poly by Superior Threads) so that the stitching blends right in.  We can completely bind a lap quilt in just over an hour.

There has been a constant flow of visitors to our office as various groups drop off their donated quilts before our April 30 deadline.  Since my last post, we have received 600 more quilts!!  Thanks goes out to:

  • Gisele Lapointe of Pointe Claire, QC (2)
  • Pamela Chasen (1)
  • Upper Canada Quilt Guild (4)
  • Country Quilter in Richmond, ON (6)
  • Garden Thyme in Kingston, ON (8)
  • Quilting Quarters in Almonte, ON (6)
  • Marnie & friends in Prescott
  • Lois Miller in Sherwood Park, AB (2)
  • Maria Hrabovsky in Mississauga, ON (1)
  • Mrs. Maguire in Brantford, ON (1)
  • Fran Auty in Toronto, ON (1)
  • Michele of Kindred Spirits in St. Catherines and her local guilds (25)
  • Mississauga Quilt Guild (25)
  • Sunshine Piecemakers & friends from Fabricland Orillia, ON (71)
  • Sew Have Fun in Oshawa, ON (7)
  • Daphne Greig of Patchworks Studio in Victoria, BC (8)
  • Cheryl of Ye Olde Fabric Shoppe in Stratford, ON (126)
  • Quilters by the square in Goderich, ON (46)
  • Helen Foreman of Oliver, BC (1)
  • Quilts & Calicos in Exeter, ON (1)
  • Louise Rogers of Conception Bay, NL (2)
  • Melville & District Quilt Guild in Melville , SK (6)
  • Country Concessions in Cookstown, ON (108)
  • Thimbles & Things in Bracebridge, ON (80)
  • Aline Chan, Brant Quilters Guild, Paris Quilting Bee & Ladies of the Night (10)
  • Oakville Sewing Centre in Oakville, ON (50)
  • Agota Dolinay of Toronto, ON (1)
  • Aileen Conway of Victoria, BC (3)

Thank you one and all!  Your generosity is so inspiring.  Please keep those quilts coming!

I am pleased and excited to announce that I, or more accurately, my block, was selected to be in Quiltmaker magazine’s issue of 100 Blocks Volume 3, on newsstands any day now.  I received my advance copy yesterday, and eagerly flipped through it to find my block right there in living colour on page 57.  I am also on the blog tour next week promoting the issue – my day is Tuesday.  I shall post images of my block with other new fabulous Northcott fabrics, and will have a prize offered that day, so please come by for a visit.  I hear that these 100 Blocks issues sell out, so you’ll want to get your copy early.

Well, off to finish quilts for our Quilt Market booth.  As always, I’ll keep you posted with pictures.
Cheers,
Patti

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By popular demand, we have a counter!

19 Apr

Hi there, I’m one of Northcott’s graphics gnomes that hides away in a dark corner of the office and designs some of the bright and colorful things you may see throughout your adventures with Northcott. Patti was kind enough to let me make a post on her blog, related of course to the exciting new Quilts to Japan Counter. Until our shipment leaves, you will be able to find this icon on the sidebar and watch it grow as we receive more quilts. Our team will be updating this as often as we can – the more quilts you send in, the more this number climbs (funny how that works) and the more quilts we have to send to those who truly need them. Stay tuned for photo updates, we’ll try our best to dazzle you.

You may hear from me once in a while with some tidbits on graphic design, the fabric industry and shiny things that I find wonderfully entertaining. Thanks for staying tuned.

Aaron.

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Update on quilts to Japan

15 Apr

Fellow Quilters,
I am back at my desk after a week of skiing in Vail, CO to celebrate hubby’s 50th birthday.  How exciting and humbling it was to see that 2 boxes of quilts had arrived while I was away!  Thank you to Sew Creative in Strathroy , ON for these.  Thanks also goes to:
Laurentian Quilters Guild in St. Sauveur, QC
Leslie White of Deep River, ON
Companion Quilters
Robin Petty of Burlington, ON
Morag-Orr Stevens of Gabriola Island, BC
Quilters Dream in Burlington, ON
Helen Hubert and her guild in Caledonia, ON

There has been quite a bit of confusion in the past 2 weeks as to where these quilts are going, so here is the latest update.  Northcott is collecting and sending quilts to Patchwork Quilting Tsushin magazine in Japan, where editor Naomi Ichikawa is distributing them through Unicef and other organizations.  Northcott had also agreed to partner with Quilts for Japan, who is sending quilts to CRASH, however Quilts for Japan has decided that they no longer wish to partner with Northcott.   Quilters interested in sending quilts to CRASH through Quilts for Japan should visit www.quiltsforjapan.ca for size and shipping details.
Northcott is accepting NEW QUILTS OF ANY SIZE, though large lap/small twin is most needed.   Our initial deadline is end April to receive the quilts, and quilters are asked to forward their quilts to Northcott’s office in Vaughan, ON   (101 Courtland Ave.  Vaughan, ON   L4K 3T5) or to their local shop if the shop is collecting and forwarding the quilts to Northcott.  Canadian company Lapel Stick has posted a wonderful downloadable label that can be included on the quilts if desired (http://www.lapelstick.com/quilts-for-japan).  It is designed by Barb Round and includes inspiring words from one of Singing Quilter Cathy Miller’s songs.  Thank you to Barb, Cathy and Lapel Stick for providing this!  I will be putting the label on the 4 quilts that my little dynamo of a piecing assistant Susanne whipped up while I was on holidays.  Here is a picture of Susanne putting the borders on Quilt #3 made with the beautiful My Asian Garden collection.  And another picture of me basting Quilt #4 made with the brand spanking new Stonehenge Skins in the Colorado colourway – I love it!  I hope to quilt them this weekend if I get bored piecing another version of my king-size Stonehenge Beauty pattern for a show at the end of the month.
A final word of encouragement is from editor Naomi Ichikawa who reports “A family who escaped from the tsunami and is living temporarily at their relative’s house got a big size quilt to use as a big comforter because they want to sleep all together under the quilt.”  Please keep those quilts coming!

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1 Apr

Fellow Quilters,
So much has happened in the past few days that my head is spinning!  Shortly after my post on March 29, I was contacted by Bev Rogan, a fellow Canuck in Calgary, who is also collecting quilts for the victims in Japan.  Bev has set up a website www.quiltsforjapan.ca with lots of helpful information for quilters wanting to donate quilts.  She has managed to connect with Global Samaritan Resources, who will cover the cost of sending the quilts in their 40,000 square ft container – that’s a lot of quilts!  Bev would like Northcott to partner with her, and I think it’s a great idea – Northcott’s resources can go further now – perhaps toward a second or third shipment as well.  Any quilters in western Canada wishing to send a quilt could send their quilt to Bev in Calgary instead of Northcott in the Toronto area.  She has suggested Greyhound Express as a method of shipping, as they seem to be cheapest by far.  The address is:
Bev Rogan
38 Rockbluff Close NW
Calgary, AB T3G 5B1
(403)274-4193
As with all of the groups collecting and donating quilts, our goal is the same – get these “blankets of love” to those who so desperately need them.  I am in the process of attempting to connect some of those who have requested quilts with the aid organizations that have the resources to deliver the quilts.  In the meantime, my talented piecing assistant Susanne will be piecing a couple of large lap quilts (the most requested size) so that I can quilt them.  Susanne says it’s the least she can do to help.  I’ll keep you posted…

Cheers,
Patti