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Friday, June 9, 2017

Secret Sewing Revealed


It is my delight and extreme pleasure 
to finally be able to reveal
the 2017 Atlantic Canada Row X Row Experience
designed by Linda Coolen Smith
in collaboration with Karen Chase,
the best little fabric shop in Halifax, NS.




I was very honored when Linda asked me to test her pattern
for her Halifax Row X Row On The Go,
"To and Fro".

I'm not the best pattern tester, 
because I usually just look at the picture,
refer to the cutting requirements,
and take off sewing without looking back.




I had to concentrate very hard 
to make sure I followed 
the very well written instructions 
to the letter.




These photos were all taken at the same place
at the same time.
Guess where you stand determines how saturated the colors are.
Just so you know, the blue is the same throughout!




Anyway, picture quality aside,
job well done, Linda and Karen!
I enjoyed paper piecing the smokestacks in Tufts Cove 
on the Dartmouth side of the Halifax Harbor,
and appliqueing the office towers at Purdy's Wharf.
The most fun was appliqueing the
(one of five)
and the accompanying seagulls.
Well, that, and machine quilting it!

You can visit 
the Atlantic Canada Row by Row Experience 
Facebook page to see more rows, if you'd like,
by clicking right HERE.
There's quite a variety!
It's always interesting to me to see how
each year's theme is interpreted!

Thanks for stopping by!
~Karen




23 comments:

Teatime Creations said...

Very pretty. I love the clean lines in this design. Such a lovely row ... Guess that means a trip to Halifax.

Linda said...

Are you kidding me!! You are the best pattern tester ever!! Wait until other pattern designers hear about you! They will be beating down your door! You are so meticulous and knowledgeable and experienced and most of all, honest. I trust you to tell me what you think, good or bad. Making this pattern for Patch was such a joy for me and knowing you were in my corner made me confident that what I had put out there was ok.
great big hugs.

canuckquilter said...

Nice job on the row! I have a soft spot for those ferries as my now-husband spent a lot of time on them, getting to university and popping over the harbour to spend time with me :)

Anonymous said...

wow Karen this is gorgeous,love it xx

Sandra :) said...

Oh that is SWEET! Teatime Creations said it very well - I love the clean lines in this project too! Awesome finish!

I'm terrible at following directions - I read the basics, and then do things my own way. Sometimes it works - other times it goes terribly terribly wrong, lol!

Binsa said...

Karen you are a great pattern tester and I agree with Linda's comments

Karen said...

Isn't that a sweet row? Linda told me you were testing your pattern, and she highly recommended your skills :) Love the way you've quilted your piece, too.

Lesley said...

Totally awesome pattern and quilt tester! Love this row! Wonderful how Linda designed it, and wonderful how you made it. What a duo!

FlourishingPalms said...

How nice you are to have tested the pattern for them! The perfect gal for the job! The piece looks lovely from here. Love that saturated blue! And thank you for explaining what we were looking at, as I'm one of those who has never been to the part of the country you're in, and don't have a clue as to what's up there. Now do you get to keep it, or is it going into the shop for display?

Debbie said...

Thank you for sharing this! I do so love your work!

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

You did a great job. I'm sure it was a tough secret to keep, for both you and Linda.

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

Love the row and all the other rows I saw on the link. I like this year's theme a little better than this year, but I can't say why. I'm looking forward to visiting my local shops to see what they have in store for me. This is a great marketing event. Who ever thought of it is pretty darned smart!
xx, Carol

Janice Holton said...

Sounds like you had a lot of fun with this pattern. It's a cutie! Love that little ferry! We don't have ferry's where I live as my state is completely land locked!

Louise said...

What a cute pattern!! You know I'm gonna love anything with a boat on it :)

Lin said...

It's a great panel Karen - Linda is very talented. xx

Sondra said...

Love the look of that!

JanineMarie said...

Oh, lucky you, getting to do the pattern testing. What a neat pattern, and your colors and quilting are so striking. I love seeing all the rows this year and wish I could travel to all my favorites!

Anonymous said...

I love the row, and I think you did a wonderful job for her!

Createology said...

Lovely row and it looks like you followed the pattern perfectly. I have never visited Halifax or Nova Scotia but it looks like a great place with lots of beautiful scenery. Blissfully Quilting Dear...<3

Allie-oops Designs said...

Wow that's a great row - a really smart design, love it!!!

Anonymous said...

It's wonderful.

Mary said...

I love the Row by Row. I agree half the fun is seeing how the shops interpret the theme into fabric. Good for you to get to test her Row. I was asked to help design part of a Row. But took a Roadtrip and didn't get it finished. Bummer.

Cheryl said...

Very cute row by row! I really like how the designer got so many different elements into the row. Great testing.