I’m so happy to be able to share my newest quilt pattern – Canning Day.

Maybe it’s the time of year, but as I created this quilt, I kept thinking of neat rows of jelly jars cooling on my kitchen counter.  The squares in the quilt even made me think of pieces of  fabric used to top a jar of preserves, tied with a ribbon and given to a friend.  “Canning Day” seemed like the perfect name.

I designed this quilt with my mom.  She made hers using Civil War scraps with all the plus signs made in blacks and browns. The shirtings gives her quilt such lovely texture and warmth. Here and there she added unexpected pops of red, mustard or blue.

She is hand quilting hers right now and it is going to be stunning.  I love how dramatically fabrics can change the look of each quilt.

$9.95

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This pattern is a downloadable PDF.  No hard copy will be mailed to you.  After you make your secure purchase through Paypal, you will receive an email with a link to download your pattern, so be sure to provide your active email account address.  If you pay with a credit card or with your Paypal account, it usually only takes a few minutes for your email to arrive.  Yeah for instant gratification!

Once downloaded, save the pattern to your computer for easy reference or print a copy for your own use.  If you have any questions, drop me a line at callimakesdo at gmail dot com.

“ You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment. Fools stand on their island opportunities and look toward another land. There is no other land, there is no other life but this.”

– H.D. Thoreau

The other morning I woke up early and went outside to sit on my porch swing.  It was early dawn and the light was soft and cool in the sky.  As I sat still, a pair of Sparrow Hawks soared above my head and to my surprise one landed on my back neighbor’s rooftop, so close to me that I heard his claws make a great clack on the roof as he landed.  I held my breath to see such an amazing creature up so close with his fierce eyes and sharp beak.

My mornings out on the swing are chilly now.  I have to wear a sweatshirt and wrap up in a quilt, but I treasure the moments of quiet that I’ve carved out for myself there.

It’s a time when I can really think.  I love the quote above from Thoreau.  This past year has been hard for my family and me and so often I catch myself waiting for some better/easier part of our life to start.  I have to remind myself that each moment, even the hard ones, are important- either for the lessons to be learned and for the perspective it gives me of all that I really have to be grateful for.