WIP: button blanket project two

A few weeks ago, I came across a book I've had for years.Flipping through, I began to think about taking inspiration from the Canadian west coast indigenous button blanket into a creative project.

While looking for buttons for my first button blanket project, I came across a bag of buttons I've had for years. Living in Winnipeg, which has a significant history of textile product design and manufacturing (and still has a healthy textile product development industry), it was not uncommon to find several stores selling textile products and findings that the industry discarded. Some of those stores still exist.

I have maybe 50 of the half-inch buttons in the photo on the left. Stuart Ash designed the logo on the button.
With Canada's upcoming celebrations commemorating 150 years of confederation, I think I need to create something for Canada Day 2017. The new logo is in development, not without controversy. I don't think I'll reproduce the new logo, but I'm anxious to see it.


If my recollection is factual, in 1967, Mom made a baby quilt using the triangles of the maple leaf design created for the centennial celebration. I wonder if Mom has a photo of that quilt. Somehow, I'll incorporated this triangle design into a project. And, I must add several updated bits. I have so many projects ahead of this one, though, I've hung my bag of buttons on my bulletin board, to be a visual reminder.

WIP: good-bye U of M Human Ecology - update and tribute

In early October, the University of Manitoba will be celebrating the Faculty of Human Ecology. Sadly (for me!) this comes at the cost of disbanding the Faculty and having the pieces absorbed by other Faculties.  Effective July 1, 2015, Textiles Sciences and Human Ecology no longer exist.

The change for existing staff (both academic and support staff) must be significant. I can only imagine the range of emotions they have been and continue to experience. I hope that the closing of this door leads to the opening of many other doors (and perhaps some windows).

I am taking this opportunity to recognize a number of people at the Faculty who had a positive influence on my early career. Drs Margaret Morton, Susan Turnbull, and Ruth Berry played a significant role in my developing as a professional. Mrs G, Mrs Shannon, and Mrs Bones were wonderful teachers. Dr Jill Oaks was a thrilling storyteller (which, for me, made for a wonderful teacher). Dr King always kept us all on our toes. Dr Clayton-Gouthro ( http://passages.winnipegfreepress.com/passage-details/id-105388/name-Cecile_Phd/) was wonderfully creative and inspiring.

More recently, Dr Javier Mignone (a Family Social Sciences professor) and Dr Joyce Slater (a Human Nutritional Sciences professor) supported my volunteer activities at Agape Table (www.agapetable.ca). Well-known Manitoban dietitian Phyllis Reid-Jarvis, with two degrees from the University of Manitoba (one from Human Ecology) also helped Agape Table with a nutrition project.

I'm adding a sad photo, as a symbol of my sadness today.

Below is an excerpt copied from http://news.umanitoba.ca/hats-off-to-human-ecology/ on July 16, 2015.

Please forward this information to anyone you might know who would be interested.

Hats off to Human Ecology

Celebrating 105 years of education, research, rewarding careers and friendship

JULY 14, 2015 — 

Join us during Homecoming Week as we honour the contributions of Faculty of Human Ecology students, faculty, staff and alumni and look forward to new opportunities in the faculties of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Health Sciences.

Open House
Human Ecology Building
September 29 – October 4, 2015
8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Passing the Baton Ceremony and Reception
Human Ecology Building
October 1, 2015
4:00 – 5:15 p.m.
Speeches start at 4:30 p.m.
Optional tours at 2:30 p.m.

Farewell Dinner
Manitoba Room, University Centre
October 1, 2015
Reception: 5:30 p.m.
Dinner: 6:00 – 9:30 p.m.
Tickets: $65

Visit umanitoba.ca/homecoming by September 25, 2015 to RSVP for Passing the Baton and to purchase tickets for the Farewell Dinner.
Ph: 204-474-9946 or 1-800-668-4908

Please advise of any dietary or mobility restrictions.

WIP: finishing (?) the fire fighter quilt

For a few months, I've been working on a fire fighter quilt for one of my favourite nephews. Sometimes, I must set a project aside for a while to formulate some ideas about how to approach what I want to do next.

With this project, I wanted to add some embellishment that the little guy might play with. I had some ideas, made some notes, tried a couple of things, and remained... unsatisfied. And then I thought of some things that might introduce a danger (i.e., a choking hazard). Dissatisfied.

I have a deadline with this quilt. I need to finish it within the next week. Last week, I decided that I must make a decision about what to do, stick with that decision, and finish the quilt.

making water from beads

I decided to create a fire hose, complete with a fire nozzle, and water and stitch the hose along the border. I envision that the little guy might follow the texture of the hose with his finger or play with the water coming out of the nozzle.

After a recent artists' date, I decided to make water using strings of beads. I must be sure that the beads are VERY secure, so the little guy doesn't break the string within the first week that he has the quilt. I started messing around with placement and other embellishments.

(Mom still might not be happy with the beads! Oh well; it can be a wall hanging.)

playing with the placement of embellishments

Late last week, a wonderful quilter friend of mine gave me a quick theoretical tutorial about how to use Steam a Seam2 (what a wonderful product!). I am now working on creating the appliqué and some other embellishments.

A second appliqué, some binding, and it's ready for one final inspection and the gift bag. I had hoped to be able to finish this quilt today, but I have only half a day left and life is getting in the way. Perhaps I'll finish tomorrow!

Posting to TN&TN's WIP Wednesday link-up.

WIP: button blanket project one

I am thrilled to be making progress on my button blanket concept!


Yesterday, while on an artists' date I came across a tremendous collection of "whitish" buttons for very little money. I will take that as a sign that my project is on the right track. This project will be part of my first quilt challenge, so "mum" is the word for several months.




While working away with my ideas, I came across more buttons that I will use in a second button blanket inspired project.

WIP: family ties

Over the last few years, I've been passively collecting ties. I did not choose to seek out ties, but due to family circumstances and the simple passing of time, I couldn't bear to see the ties in my collection be given away.

I have a love-hate relationship with ties. From a practical standpoint, tying a piece of fabric tightly around your neck is completely ridiculous and potentially dangerous. From a fabric design and garment construction standpoint I think ties are fascinating. 

The ties in my collection were worn by the three most important men in my life. Most are silk. Some are wool. A few are polyester.

The ties are hanging in my studio for inspiration and as a continual reminder of the men in my life from whom I have learned so much.





Some day, I will do something creative with these ties. Until then, I'll continue to let the ideas percolate and their design and colours inspire me.

WIP: confession one

In a June, I wrote about losing my rotary cutter ("WIP: Sparkling Gemstones part 2") and the unfortunate and time consuming consequences (which carried over to "WIP: Sparkling Gemstones part 3").

I still have not found my original rotary cutter, but am sure I will find it as I continue to organize my stacks of fabric, patterns, and other supplies. My progress with creating my "studio" is moving like a turtle: slow but steady. My "studio" is only about 46 square feet, but the natural lighting is very good, and the space is mine. All mine. I am using the space while I am designing it because I do NOT wish to finish it and realize it is not what I want.

One of the first things I fixed to one of the walls was a bulletin board. To prevent more disappearances of my rotary cutter, it now has a place on the board, at arm's length from my cutting mat. I also tethered my small scissors to the board with a "leash" that will reach the sewing machine.


Laurel's Lesson Learned: organize your tools.


I've been meaning to write a series of confession posts for a few weeks now.
What reminded me of my "confession" post today, was reading reading Nina Marie's post about setting limits. The timing of her post notice in my inbox was "a sign" (as my honey and I call it).

My honey and I have been considering making a significant change in our lives and for the past few days have been oscillating about whether we should or should not take the next step. An then I read Nina's post. I think in this case, we must let the opportunity pass us by. As the image in Nina's post reads: "you have to say no to a lot of good things in order to be able to say yes to a lot of great things". We'll wait for our great thing to come along.

Thank you Nina. Excellent timing.

WIP: another inspiration

This little guy caught my attention while I was cutting the grass today. These photos were taken about an hour apart. I think it had just come out of it's cocoon; it seemed very slow and docile at first.

Just after I took the second photo (below), it flew away. Surely I can use this as inspiration in a project.

WIP: "Sparkling Gemstones" part 3: finishing

time to add the border

I finally have all of my strips matched (at the seams) and sewn together. It took me longer than it should have because I did not cut carefully (I was anxious to get sewing and allowed myself to hurry), so I had to remove some seams, re-square my blocks, and start again.

I am thrilled with the result. Properly measured and squared blocks allow for much simpler seam matching.

I've been working in my partially finished studio, mostly to get a good sense of how I use the space and what storage and what surfaces I want where. The photo below is taken with the quilt top hanging on my quasi-design wall. I can see immediately (as can you) that I need to consider better lighting for taking photos.

I must consider different lighting

The next task is to square my quilt top, cut and add a border, and then consider the quilting. Right now, I'm considering hand quilting this one. I found the jelly rolls and background fabric at Jocelyn & Co. in Gimli. As usual, Jocelyn helped me to decide which colours to highlight. I love her sense of colour. Jocelyn also creates a lot of her own quilt patterns; some she packages and sells. I have at least two of her quilt designs and selected fabrics somewhere in my fabric storage. The pattern is Pam and Nicky Lintott's Sparkling Gemstones

My honey really likes this version of Sparkling Gems. It reminds him of the summers of his childhood: the blue of the lakes, the green of the vegetation, and the browns of the beaches.

I love the optical illusion quilts like this engender. I used to know what caused our brains to see movement and lines that are not straight, even though I know they are straight. A long time ago, I studied the "Psychology of Perception" at university. I loved the course and the professor was one of the best I had. I should do a little research and figure this out again. I digress.

choosing accents: add a strip of blue?

For the border, I was initially thinking of adding a narrow strip of blue next to the pieced top, then a narrow strip of bright green, and then the wider blue border.

thanks for the tip, Mom... no narrow blue accent

Through several texts and photo exchanges with Mom, I decided to ditch the narrow strip of blue and locate the bright green next to the pieced squares.

(Thanks Mom for suggesting that I try dark greens and off-whites for the border accent.) I am pleased.

Like a few other quilt tops, Sparkling Gemstones is "finished" for now. I must choose how it will be quilted and I have other projects with looming deadlines. Until then....

Projects awaiting a backing, batting, and a decision about stitching.


Posting to TN&TN's WIP Wednesday.

WIP: did I REALLY need to add to my collection?

I had not been to visit Jocelyn at Jocelyn & Company in Gimli, MB for a few weeks, so today, I had a bit of time and stopped in. I needed some fire hose and a nozzle for my fire fighter quilt (the associated post is in a draft form right now) and I knew Jocelyn would be able to help me out.

While paying for my new fire hose, nozzle, and four fat quarters with colour combinations I couldn't resist, I noticed the "Sea Buddies" peeking at me. What fun! I'm not sure I've seen a more pleased looking crab.

I couldn't resist. The package of little fishes, crabs, sea horses, and star fish crawled into the car for the trip back home.



I am torn about combining a solid white or coloured fabric with these squares. If a colour, what colour?

I can not bear to cut the square at the bottom left (i.e., the pink and yellow turtle), so I must think up a pattern that keeps at least two squares whole. I don't think that will be a problem.

I don't want to use angles in this quilt because I think it will interfere with the prints. I want to keep as much of the print visible as I can. Better get the graph paper out.


Can't find graph paper (it is on the list). (Have you noticed how quickly I've chosen to neglect my fire fighter quilt. I have a deadline to finish it, but I hesitate to stop this creative process.)

I made some notes and quickly mapped out a couple of options.

I'd love to create an ocean-looking piping and sewing it between a couple of rows. (How will I do that?)

And, what colour of contrasting colour should I use... light, dark, blue?


We are getting quite a thunder performance right now. I sure hope we get some rain and no violent weather. I also sure hope that the north half of Saskatchewan gets a good dump of rain. I love you folks, but we've had enough of your smoke! I also feel so badly for all of those people who have been evacuated because of the fires.

I can set this aside again now and get back to my two quilts that must be finished within a couple of weeks, specifically, the architecture and fire fighter quilts. Time flies when you are having fun!

WIP: using fabric scraps

My Mom is encouraging me to move toward paper piecing to use scraps of fabric. In fact, she has been encouraging me to try paper piecing for a while. A couple of days ago, Mom sent me the link to a video about paper piecing, and I'm sold. It's on my "new project" list.

My Mom is amazing.

So far, I've been saving some of my scraps for postcards (thanks Monika! http://mysweetprairie.blogspot.ca/p/classes-i-teach.html) and cutting some into one-inch pieces.

For the next few weeks, I must focus on filling my fusible grid project box. In a few weeks I hope to be visiting with some of my favourite nephews and perhaps one of my best nieces; I hope I can get them to be creative with me.

fusible 1 inch grid

Placing a piece of fusible grid on a table and a box of cut squares next to it, seems to invite group participation in the same way that leaving a large puzzle on the dining room table does.

my grid project box needs a refill

In the past, when I left a photo, a grid, and lots of fabric squares on the dining table, my honey would gaze at what become our project and add and/or remove a few squares almost every time he passed near the grid.

I hope my nephews and niece will get interested in this project. I'll let them make a design. I'll sew the grid together and see if they wish to embellish their design with other things. (Note to self... organize some embellishments.)

Maybe they'll create individual name plates to hang on their bedroom doors. Maybe we'll create something larger.

Maybe... I need more boxes of one-inch squares.

WIP: good-bye to Textile Sciences (Human Ecology) at the U of M

I am enjoying this 148th Canada Day, but with some sadness.

Thirty-some years ago, I moved to Winnipeg to attend the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Human Ecology. I wanted to learn more about textiles and clothing design, so I studied to attain a Bachelor of Human Ecology in Clothing and Textiles (C&T).

In the early 2000s, through the hard work of Dr Lena Horne, the department of C&T was transformed into the department of Textiles Sciences in recognition of trade policy changes, industry changes, economic chagnes, the downsizing of the Canadian clothing manufacturing industry, and the stunning advances in textiles via advances in technology.

So long to the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Human Ecology

Effective today the Textile Sciences department and the Faculty of Human Ecology are no more. As part of the University of Manitoba's "Structure Initiative", the faculty is "closed". Textile Sciences will join the Faculty of Engineering's Department of Biosystems Enineering and the few remaining professors will continue their prestigious research and teaching careers.

The excerpt below is copied (today) from http://news.umanitoba.ca/academic-structure-initiative-update-human-ecology/

Throughout its 105 year history at the University of Manitoba, the study of Human Ecology has evolved to reflect the educational and research needs of a changing society. It has grown from being a diploma in Household Sciences at the Manitoba Agricultural College in 1910 to become the School of Home Economics in 1943. In 1970, the School was granted official faculty status and in 1981, the Faculty changed its name to Human Ecology to reflect the diversification of curricula. In 2012, discussions about exploring partnerships between the Faculty of Human Ecology and other faculties were initiated as part of the university’s Academic Structure Initiative.

Posting to TN&TN's WIP Wednesday.