Thursday, June 8, 2017

Canada Blocks

Canada Blocks  Jan 30/ 2017

To honor Canada's 150th birthday celebration I decided to make a Canada themed quilt. This mystery quilt block one designed by Shania Sunga seemed like a good one to try.

These blocks are numbered 1 to 13 and a person is supposed to receive one block every 6 weeks. They were very popular and the quilt place ran out, so I had to wait several months to get my first one; then I received 6 in the mail at once last October. What with all the things I wanted to make/ and/or finish for Christmas, I only just got the first block started in January.  (I know have up to block #10)

The blocks are numbered, but I started mine in random order, random meaning whichever one struck my fancy the most at that time. I began with the Newfoundland block because I loved the two little puffins. next I made the New Brunswick Block because Black capped chickadees are my favourite little birds. We have dozens of them here at our feeders all winter. These polite little birds will come to get one seed, fly back to a tree branch to eat it and make room at the feeder for their next little buddy. How polite and canadian is that! ? :)



Newfoundland/ Labrador block with puffins
New Brunswick block with covered bridge and Black capped chickadee





Nova Scotia block with light house and humpback whales



My next choice of block was the Nova Scotia block. It looked relatively easy to do and I loved the Humpback Whales.  I added a bit of sunrise colour to the ocean.


NWT


The polar bears on the North west Territories block really appealed to me and I loved the colours of this block so I made this one next. I added a second baby polar bear.

Manitoba block

This is such a beautiful block. I love the Bison and the crocuses and Manitoba has a large part of my heart because I lived these for over 45 years.  I love crocuses and every spring I wander on nearby Picnic Hill looking and waiting for them to bloom.  (Did you know they won't bloom on cultivated land? And, yes, I tried to prove that theory wrong with no success.)



Gorgeous Yukon block

Next I made this gorgeous Yukon block. I love Aurora Borealis having seen their beauty with my own eyes a number of times while living in northern Manitoba.  And the moose are such beautiful creatures. We see them here in central Alberta, too. I had a "Moose encounter" while driving home one spring evening at dusk. Luckily this one was very polite and stepped off to the side of the road as my car approached unexpectedly. (Almost as fast as she had stepped onto the road.) I don't know who was more surprised, the moose or me!

Next up, Alberta block and top stitching the appliqué parts.
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