Introducing: The Churchill Quilt

Churchill Quilt Polar Bear

I’m so excited to introduce you to the Churchill Quilt, my newest Blanket Statement pattern! 

Check out the paper and PDF pattern in my shop here

For those of you who may be new to my patterns, I always choose pattern names based on parks or towns in Manitoba.

Churchill is the northernmost community in Manitoba (on the 58th parallel, to be exact), located on the west shore of Hudson Bay. It’s known as the "Polar Bear Capital of the World" due to its large population of polar bears! And from June to September, thousands of beluga whales visit Churchill. Not only can you go whale watching, but there are tours that allow you to get up close and personal with them!

Some of you may already know this, but I had a dream of becoming a marine biologist as a kid. I LOVED beluga whales (and still do), so spending all of my time with them seemed like the best job in the world. They are just so jolly! 

So, I think it goes without saying that a trip to Churchill is absolutely on my bucket list!

Another fun fact that shows my love for all things arctic is that I had two favourite stuffed animals as a kid; Hooter the Snowy Owl (yes, my parents thought my name choice was hilarious!) and Snowflake the Polar Bear, who is pictured below. My son and daughter have now inherited these furry friends. 

ErinAndSnowflake
The Churchill Quilt design draws its inspiration from the winter sun rising above the horizon over the snowy arctic. The half square triangles create a subtle arc, similar to a sunrise or sunset. The arc could resemble rolling hills, or even the peak of a church steeple. All fitting for its name! 
Churchill-Pattern-CoverImage
This quilt is an excellent pattern for beginners and a fast finish for seasoned quilters. It's a great introduction to half square triangles and simple piecing! 

The pattern includes a 3-colour version, as well as a 7-colour version. It includes 5 different sizes ranging from wall hanging all the way up to a large bed size! 

Here are the fabric requirements: 

ChurchillFabricReqNow, let’s talk about the cover quilt! It’s a throw size made with the following Kona Cotton colours: 

The backing is Speckled in Metallic Black by Rashida Coleman Hale for Ruby Star Society

Yellow Churchill Backing Folded

There also could not have been a better spot for me to take these photos of the cover quilt! A local artist named Kal Barteski turned an alleyway here in Winnipeg into an arctic art gallery masterpiece called “Back Alley Arctic”. It’s a must-see if you ever visit!

Yellow Churchill Baby Polar Bears
Yellow Churchill Snowy Owl
Yellow Churchill Belugas
Yellow Churchill Lynx

Next up, I made this blue and peach throw! For Kona Cotton colours, I used: 

Blue and Peach Churchill
Blue and Peach Churchill On Couch
Blue and Peach On Couch 2

I used Summer Lovin’ from the After The Rain collection by Dear Stella for the backing. I put out a poll in my Instagram stories for which binding to use, and the majority of my followers voted for this adorable navy and white quarter-inch striped one by Riley Blake! 

I also used 40 wt pale pink Aurifil thread (2405) for this quilt, which is a slight venture away from my usual go-to white thread! 

Blue and Peach Churchill Binding and Backing

I made this pink version using fabrics from the Home collection by Sarah Golden for Andover Fabrics. I used Ditsy Butterscotch and Ditsy Rose for the half square triangles. The background is Rose Grid Dot from the same collection, and the backing is Luna and Laurel’s Perfectly Imperfect 

Pink Churchill Trees
Pink Churchill Trees 2
Pink Churchill Sidewalk
Pink Churchill On Floor

Next up is this cute 7-colour rainbow wall hanging! I used Kona Cotton in the following colours: 

I also used Brushed Metallic Gold by Sara Watts for Ruby Star Society for the background fabric, which I think looks like sparkling snow. Which, by the way, is called “diamond dust”!

7-colour mini Churchill wall hanging
7-colour mini, Churchill wall hanging

I actually made this green wall hanging for my bathroom three years ago using reclaimed cotton - the same fabric that I used for one of my Pine Falls versions!

Green Churchill Wall Hanging Bathroom
Green Churchill Wall Hanging
Green Churchill Wall Hanging

I then re-made the green wall hanging using Kona Cotton, along with a peach version, for a workshop I ran. Participants were able to choose to make one or the other. 

I used Spruce and Everglade for the green version. For the peach, I used Peach (of course), Ice Peach and Rifle Paper’s Rosa Periwinkle for the binding. 

I used Natural for the background for both! 

Churchill Wall Hanging Layered
Churchill Wall Hangings Folded

Last but not least, I made this modified square version of the Churchill pattern for Curated Quilts magazine! The submission required a specific colour palette, so I had fun adding in some strips of colour to the half square triangles. Here are the Kona Cotton colours I used: 

Curated Quilt Square Purple Churchill
Mini Square Purple Churchill

I'll soon be sharing the pattern tester versions of the Churchill Quilt in an upcoming blog post! I also can’t wait to see the quilts everyone creates with this pattern, so make sure to use the hashtags #churchillquilt and #blanketstatementpatterns if you decide to share on social media!

Have questions about this pattern or any other ones in the shop? Please reach out to hello@theblanketstatement.ca and we’ll help you out! 

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