Tag Archives: northcott

A Flask from my Past

5 Oct Alchemy (Erlenmeyer flask) block by Patti Carey

Fellow Quilters,1 pinnable image October Quilt Block Mania

Oh what fun I had designing my block for this month’s Quilt Block Mania blog tour!  It took me back to my university days, working in the chemistry and pharmacy labs, conducting experiments to prove/disprove theories, and creating tinctures and creams for a variety of ailments.  During one lab session I even made Pepto-Bismol liquid from scratch, complete with strawberry flavoring, and it worked!

This month’s theme for QBM, organized by Carolina at Always Expect Moore, is “science”, and the color palette is acid green and yellow with smoke and hemlock – sounds like a true witch’s brew, ideal for Halloween.

True confession time here – I am a science geek.  Science & Nature is my go-to category in the Trivial Pursuit board game.  When I make homemade salad dressing I S-L-O-W-L-Y add the oil to the other liquid ingredients to create the perfect creamy emulsion instead of a layer of oil sitting atop

an Erlenmeyer flask

an Erlenmeyer flask

the layer of vinegar.  How, you ask, do you easily create this creamy deliciousness?  By swirling the liquids in an Erlenmeyer flask of course!  Its narrow neck, conical shape and wide base are perfect for incorporating and combining liquids.  Now, if you are fresh out of Erlenmeyer flasks, you can also use a blender or a whisk.

This flask was designed by German chemist Emil Erlenmeyer in 1860, whose work focussed on theoretical chemistry including early atomic theory.  You could say that he was ahead of his time, perhaps rather modern.  I like to think he would have enjoyed and appreciated having a quilt based on one of his inventions.  Without further ado, I present Alchemy, my Erlenmeyer flask quilt block 😊.

Alchemy (Erlenmeyer flask) block by Patti Carey

Alchemy (Erlenmeyer flask) block by Patti Carey

Don’t you just love those flasks half-filled with acid potions?

You can download the pattern here.

For fun, I popped this block into the table runner setting I used for July’s Kebab block.  How cool is this?!?  Uber modern!

Alchemy 4-block 12" x 48" runner

Alchemy 4-block 12″ x 48″ runner

And here’s how it looks in a 48” x 60” lap quilt – just perfect for all the modern chemistry geeks out there 😊 😊

Alchemy 48" x 60" lap quilt

Alchemy 48″ x 60″ lap quilt

Or combine my Alchemy block with one or more of the other 11 blocks included in this months QBM blog tour.  Here are the links to the other participating bloggers’ posts and blocks.

Rocket Ship Quilt Block by Carolina Moore
Using Fibonacci in Quilts at Scrapdash
Microscope & Test Tubes by Appliques Quilts and More
Test Tubes FPP Block at Penny Spool Quilts
Benzene Ring from QuiltFabrication
Erlenmeyer flask at Patti’s Patchwork
Fall Prism at Blue Bear Quilts
Atomic at Pretty Piney Quilts
Test Tubes by Mom and Me Quilting Co
Discovery by Inquiring Quilter
Molecules at Perkins Dry Goods
Gravity at Duck Creek Mountain Quilting

Last month I had 2 giveaways in blog posts:  Congrats to Lisa England for winning a copy of Quilter’s World magazine and some Winter Frost fat ⅛’s by FIGO to get you started on your own Ski Village quilt.

Congrats also to Cathy B for winning a bundle of Northcott’s Dublin linen-look fabric in the Seaside Adventures Row-along.  This fun free event continues until October 25, with 2-3 free row patterns each week.  Find the details at The Quilting Room with Mel.

Lastly, stay tuned for information on the sign-up for my Cottage Sampler Quilt-along, running from December 29 – March 16.  The sign-up starts October 15 – woo-hoo!

Cheers,

Patti

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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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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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Canadian Quilts for Japan

29 Mar

Fellow Quilters,

In the past few days, I have had several pleas for help, asking if Northcott could possibly assist in getting quilts to the earthquake/tsunami victims in Japan.  I consulted with The Prez, and the answer is yes – Northcott will collect quilts sent from Canadian addresses and ship them to Japan at the end of April.  Interested Canadian residents should send their quilts by end April to:
Northcott – Quilts for Japan
101 Courtland Ave.
Vaughan, ON   L4K 3T5

Why only Canadian addresses, you ask?  Because getting quilts across the US/Canada border is a nightmare, and rather costly.  US residents, don’t despair!  Your quilts are wanted too.  Please send them to:

Mission of Love Foundation
2054 Hemlock Court
Youngstown, Ohio 44515 ~ U.S.A.

For more information, check out details at equilter.com. Our contact in Japan has requested NEW quilts only, please, up to a maximum size of 60″ x 70″.  This is a fabulous oppurtunity to use up some of those fat quarters that are languishing in my stash.  I think I may whip up a couple of super-quick quilts using Tricia Cribbs’ Turning Twenty… Again pattern and some of the new Stonehenge Skins fabrics (by Northcott, of course).  I’m going to use a polyester batt because it is much lighter for shipping, and I find that it is warmer than cotton.  I just purchased some new pantographs for my longarm machine, so this will be a great opportunity to try them out.  I’ll keep you posted.

Cheers,

Patti

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Chapter 1 of my very own blog…

25 Mar

This is my beginning statement to the great big world of the Blogosphere. To you I wish to say a very simple “hello!”.

Creating a blog is a wonderful experience. I will tell you more about my journey to get here in days to come, right now I’m just trying to figure out what all these little buttons do beside my cursor. I know one of them publishes my text and broadcasts it into the entire free world, and another supposedly sends tweets – any bird watchers out there? If I click the big red one I’m sure my computer will suddenly burst into flames and I will lose everything, but the inviting green one promises to make the sun come out and a bluejay to land on my shoulder.

Anyways, thanks for your patience in getting started. I am very excited to share with you all the stories that occupy a normal week here at Northcott and in my spare time as a quilter. More posts are sure to come, and my design team might be changing the look of our site until their creative minds are satisfied.

Looking forward to chatting soon!

Sincerely yours,
Patti.

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