Creative Canadians

When I travel and I find a quilt store, I like to see the work of local designers that I would probably not see back home. A few years ago I came across a Canadian quilt designer at a Kitchener quilt store. Her name is Kathleen Bissett and she has had several incredible quilt designs published. My father had become entranced with one of her designs and I made it for him. Its called Tango Tiles and was a bit of a pain to make. From a bunch of coordinated fabric strips that are cut and put back together several times you get the approximately 6' x 4.5' quilt shown below.

Although I know I missed on many of the corner match-ups, you really can't tell when the whole thing is done. This is a special quilt for me as my mother had passed away a few months before I finished it. Her name, her childrens' and grand-childrens' names are all quilted into the big blue squares . BTW, the edges are sraighter than the photo shows as the hanging method is less than ideal - double stick tape and a curtain rod. I failed to make a wide enough hanging pocket to accomodate the rod my father chose. Live and learn!

I just found another of her patterns at another Kitchener quilt store - Creative Sisters. The pattern is called Star Dance and I am contemplating making it up for the Winter portion of the Four Seasons Quilt Swap. It makes up into a 15" x 17" hexagon which seems like an idea size. The instructions are excellent and each step can be done in a variety of ways ... fusible applique, needle turn applique or foundation piecing. Then again, it may be all those blues on the cover sample that make me think of ice and snow.

If you come across her patterns and you would like a fun challenge, try one. Her website is at http://www.kathleenbissett.com/ . Maybe a Quilt guild in Houston would book her for a workshop... hint,hint!

BTW - if you are ever in Kitchener you must visit the Creative Sisters quilt store. They seem to specialize in batiks and asian fabrics and have the most 108" wide quilt backing fabric that I have ever seen... 200 bolts of it!