Canada by Code Block

When Sew Sisters Quilt Shop approached me to design a block for The Canadian Sampler, a Block of the Month (BOM) Club to celebrate Canada's sesquicentennial, it didn't even take me two seconds so say, "Hell ya!"

My block, featured for February, is the Canada By Code block. I wanted my block to have a modern look to it, but still pay tribute to our history. This simple-looking block uses Morse code to spell out our country’s name. Fitting too, since Canada’s primary long-distance communications method during the time of Confederation was the telegraph.

And while we don't use Morse code anymore, this 'code' block design is also a nod to our tech industry and lifestyle -- we're a pretty 'connected' society. Did you know that 82% of Canadians have high speed Internet connections? We are so connected in fact that the Canadian government has recently declared that high speed broadband internet should be considered a "basic communications necessity" like landline telephone lines. That's a pretty bold statement that's going to have major impacts on our telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas of the country.

I like to think that this block celebrates our history and gives us a taste of our future.

The designers worked with Northcott ColorWorks Premium Solid 9000-241 Cardinal and 9000-10 Snow to design and create a block that expressed their appreciation for this country. I love the variety of blocks in this quilt that can appeal to all types of quilters.

Here is the finished quilt. Didn't they do a great job laying out all the different blocks? You don't have to lay yours out this way, of course -- you can lay it out any way you want!

The BOM kicked off last month, but it's not too late to jump in. If you'd like to participate, check out the Sew Sisters Quilt Shop website. Instructions for two blocks are sent out each month, with the instructions for the layout and sashing coming in the 11th month.

You can also share your blocks using #thecanadiansampler on Instagram. It's so fun to see how different people are making this quilt.

TGIFF! - Innocence Lost, Courage Found

Riddle me this: A woman is in a completely bricked-in room. On one wall, there is a large mirror, but there is no door. There's a bench in the middle of the room. She's a clever one though and she got out. How did she get out? Answer at the bottom. Hint: Think math.

I started this quilt a few weeks ago using the Fibonacci sequence up to 13. I worried that it felt too simple. You assured me that it wasn't. Thank you!

I took your advice and stayed simple with the quilting too -- lines every 1/2" -- but for each stripe I quilted the addends (I looked up the term) from the sequence in the opposite colour. Eg. for the red stripe that is 5" wide, I quilted 2 white lines along one side and 3 white lines on the other. I filled in the rest of the stripe with matching red lines.

I also decided to learn how to piece the binding to match the stripes. Yay! Lessons learned -- use the quilted top measurements not the original unquilted top measurements. I had to redo a number of seams because the stripes were smaller once quilted. Seems obvious now, I know. LOL!

The back is just a simple white backing. 

I won't talk too much about the name, except to say that the colour choices were deliberate and reflect the name for me. The optimist in me can't leave it at that though so while the red was chosen for its negative meanings, it was also chosen because it means courage. And the reciprocal nature of the design means that the red flows back to the white too. Same idea with the name. :)

Finished size: 41" by 65"
Fabric: Kona White and Kona Wine

Batting: Hobbs Heirloom - 80/20

Thread: Aurifil 2021 and Aurifil 2460

Linking up to TGIFF!, which is over with Leanne at Devoted Quilter.

Answer: She broke the bench in half because two halves make a whole (hole). ;) Happy Friday!