I received some sample books for men’s suits, which all had swatches made of 100% wool. I came up with an idea to use them for a quilt. After I started the project, I found out wool is much harder to press and quilt. When I started quilting, I was instructed to get 100% cotton fabric for all the projects. I always wondered why we could not use other materials for quilting. Now, I know the reason for using 100% cotton for quilting. #46x64 #MACHINEQUILTED #Pieced

To build this neighbourhood, the basic Log Cabin block pattern was used, which is from MODERN PATCHWORK by Elizabeth Hartman. I added different types of birds to the framed windows, which represent the owners of the houses. I believe the inhabitants will live in harmony. #42x62 #MACHINEQUILTED #Pieced

Sharon Rotz introduced the freedom block format in her book, Log Cabin Quilts with Attitude. The object of this format is to use any excess fabric you have collected or any bits and pieces left over from other projects. This quilt can be made to be any size and new fabrics can always be added to the mix as you go. Once the log cabin block is done, you can trim it on an angle to give it a new look. You can also trim the blocks to be different lengths, making the quilt your des

I participated in the “MODERNIZE MY FIRST QUILT” challenge at the Markham Town Quilters Guild. This challenge was to modify your first quilt to make a new quilt. My first quilt was made by two major blocks: half-square triangles and sixteen patch blocks. I combined these two blocks into one. I then put the half-square triangle in the middle of the sixteen patch blocks. This quilt has twenty of these blocks and they all display on an angle.so they look more dynamic. There

I went on a Quilting bus trip to Maine in the summer of 2014. There are so many famous lighthouses in Maine so I decided to make a Lighthouse Quilt after the trip. I was searching for pictures and patterns of lighthouses and finally I found one I liked from Peacemakers Quilting Calendar pattern. The pattern has different colors and shapes of lighthouses and houses. I also added more detail, such as animals and flowers. It turned out to be a lovely quilt. #72x78 #Applique

The Markham Guild of Village Crafts is turning 45 years old this year. The Executive Board has decided to have a 45th Anniversary Challenge – we can design anything with “45”. I used the left over strips from a Jelly Roll to make a quilt while I was at the March retreat. I decided to embroider forty-five of “45” on the quilt which will be my entry to the challenge. I hope it will be fun to find all the “45”s. Happy Anniversary! #53x70 #Embroidery #Pieced

I bought some penguin fabric from Fabricland at a Christmas sale. My daughter loves the fabric and asks me to make a quilt with it. Finally, I found this pattern which uses Modern Log Cabin technique. I also found some other cartoon animal paint fabric to go with the penguin fabric. I only use simple straight line for quilting. #45x58 #Pieced

I got the TRAIL MIX pattern from Markham Towne Quilters Guild when I saw there were some people using this pattern to make quilts. I picked the light purple colour for the trail and I used my material stash to sew all the blocks. I started working on this retreat project three years ago and finally, I finished it this year. It is a queen size quilt – too big for my machine to do the quilting so I asked Janet Chisholm to do the quilting with her long arm machine. #87x103 #L

My son moved to San Francisco in July 2014. His father and I went to visit him in November. I noticed the houses in San Francisco are not tall. Most of them are 3 to 4 floors but they are colourful. It seems they use any colour they like to paint the houses. It was the inspiration for designing this quilt. I used the modern technique to make this quilt. I also used the Toronto Maple Leaf print for backing. I hope my son always remembers Toronto. Hopefully, Toronto Map

This wall hanging consists of fifteen free piece pods in graduated sizes, placed vertically and horizontally. The pods used were the improvisational curve technique. It means to sew the gentle curve with ease. I learned this technique from QUILTING MODERN by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pederson. The touch of yellow and black provides a splash colour with the grey background. #16x43 #Pieced

#20x13 #Pieced

#40X30 #Pieced

My son bought me QUILTING MODERN by Jacquie Gering and Katie Pedersen as a Christmas Present in 2012. I chose to make this SHATTERED QUILT from the book. Modern Quilt has a lot of negative space and quilting on the empty space – you can create your own pattern as you go. This is my first time using the SLICE AND INSERT technique. It takes time to line up the strips. I will explore more in Modern Quilting. #56x70 #Pieced #QUILTASYOUGO #SLICEANDINSERT

I participated in the 2014 “Block of the Month” at the Markham Town Quilters Guild. This year, we did the MODERN SPRING Quilt. During the first two months, I followed the patterns. Then, I used the themes and created my own blocks. I had fun working on this project. #Pieced #Applique #37X46 #Beading #QuitAsYouGo

My daughter bought me the “ENCYCLOPEDIA OF CLASSIC QUILT PATTERNS” as a Christmas Present. I chose the Rock Star pattern which is also known as World without End or Rocky Road to Kansas. The pattern has bright colors against a dark background to give the design a sense of movement as the patterns merge and change. The star points are cut from strip-pieced bands and I used the decorative stitches from the sewing machine to take this pattern to the next level. I also used d

I checked out a quilt shop while I was visiting my sister in California. I saw a nice quilt hanging in the shop that had “scrumptious girl” embroidered and a phrase on each block. The most attractive parts are the phrases – “Good friends by your side”, “Scrumptious blessings”, “Free as a bird”, “Be kind to yourself”, “Angels do watch over”, “Fairies in my garden”…. The pattern is “Truly Scrumptious” by Natalie Lymer. I decided to purchase the pattern. It took me a while t

Dragons are deeply rooted in Chinese culture. The Chinese often consider themselves, “the descendants of the dragon (龍的傳人).” The Chinese word for dragon (龍) is spelled out in Roman characters as “Lung.” Dragons are believed to bring good luck to people, which are reflected in their qualities, including great power, dignity, and wisdom. It is one of the most popular motifs in Chinese art, often sculpted on stone pillars of temples and palaces, and embroidered on beautiful gold

My favourite TV series is Little House on the Prairie. My children had bought me some seasons of Little House as presents for my birthday or for Christmas, but we could not find two seasons in stores. I went online to search for them and during my search, I found the Laura Ingalls Wilder Museum in Walnut Grove, Minnesota. From the museum, I ordered the two missing seasons and a book called Quilting with Laura by Linda Halpin. The book is a collection of blocks inspired by the

It is for 2010 York Heritage Quilt Guild President’s Challenge. #33x21 #Applique #Pieced

The design was inspired by the Changing Seasons: Utako Fujiwara. #33x21 #Applique #Pieced