Fellow Quilters,

As I write this, I am looking out at a seemingly endless deep blue sea while sailing from French Polynesia to the Cook Islands.  The depth of color is indicative of the ocean’s depth –  5500m or 3 1/2 miles.  It contrasts sharply with the pale clear blue of the sky, dotted with puffy white clouds.  Interestingly, it is the same blue sky that I often see on glorious summer days at home and it has me recalling camping trips to the lake.

It is this that inspired me to design this month’s block for the Quilt Block Mania blog tour organized by Carolina at Always Expect Moore.  The theme is camping, and it brought back memories of paddling across the lake to pitch our tent on a suitable camp site.  If there was chance of attracting bears with our food supplies, the food was bundled up from an overhanging tree branch and suspended out of reach of any furry friends.

For my Canoe Lake block I used the lakeside colorway of my Canoe Lake collection  for Banyan Batiks.  The preprinted 9” lake-scene block is perfect for the block center, framed with a narrow border.

My free Canoe Lake block for the November Quilt Block Mania blog tour

Around the perimeter there are lots of small Bear’s Paws footprints – time to hoist our cache of food out of baby bear’s reach!  You can find the free pattern for my Canoe Lake block here.  You can also find the free blocks by the other participating bloggers at the links below.

Bug Jar Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
Tent for Two by QuiltFabrication
Forest Tree by Scrapdash
Canoe Lady by Sugar Sand Quilt Co.
Campfire Nights Block by Belle of Seams Sew Me
Gone Fishing by Paleofish Designs
Canoe Lake by Patti’s Patchwork
Vintage Camper by Inquiring Quilter
Sleeping Bags by Appliques Quilts and More
Camp Sign at Patchwork Breeze
Blooming Meadow Quilt Block
S’mores by Quiltblox
Marshmallows by Inflorescence
Billy Tea by Duck Creek Mountain Quilting
Compass by Blue Bear Quilts
Scout Badge by BoBerry Design Co.
Looking for honey by Martha Jane Creations
Night Camper by Jessica of Blue Sky Modern Craft

I spent a few moments playing with my Canoe Lake block in Electric Quilt and came up with a couple of quilt designs.

Option #1 is 44” square with 9 blocks and has more small Bear’s Paw blocks in the pieced cornerstones.  That baby bear gets around!

A 44″ square quilt with more 1 1/2″ Bear’s Paw blocks in the cornerstones

Option #2 is 58” x 73” with 12 blocks and has mama-bear-sized blocks in the cornerstones.

A 12-block version with twice-as-wide sashing is 58″ x 73″

What about you?  Do you like camping? If so, tent or trailer?  Or do you prefer the pampered elegance of a cruise?  It is a treat to have someone else make my bed, prepare my gourmet meals AND wash the dishes while I go to the evening show.  If you’d like to treat yourself to a lovely 11-day Panama quilting cruise just after the holiday rush, please consider joining me and the K&A Quilt Studio team January 4-15, 2023.  With 4 days of quilting and 6 ports of call in the sunny Caribbean, it’s a delightful way to escape the January blah’s and enjoy some quilting therapy with your quilting besties or some new-found friends.  Contact Kate at K&A Quilt Studio or click here for further details to start 2023 with a splash!  Apparently the depth of the Caribbean Sea is much shallower than the Pacific Ocean, resulting in an incredible turquoise color.

If you’ve made it this far you deserve a chance at a prize.  Please leave a comment below telling me your favorite type of vacay for a chance to win a fat ¼ pack of Banyan Batiks.  All comments received by midnight November 7 are eligible for the draw.

Cheers,

Patti