Of Comics & Quilts

Betty asking about Elizabeth Hartman's quilt design...

Towards the end of my university days, I came across a comic strip by the unlikely name of Bub Slug, created by fellow alumni Gary Delainey (artist) and Gerry Rasmussen (writer), who had the sheer audacity to situate the titular character in their own home town: the unassuming city of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada; aka, my home town.

Bub was a hockey-loving blue collar worker. (His job, I believe, was being the maintenance man for our iconic High Level Bridge.) At some point, Bub Slug – the strip, not the character – disappeared into the comic strip ether, but in the early 1990s, a new creation called Betty (featuring Bub's wife, but also involving Bub and their son) took its place.

I've been reading Betty on a regular basis for many years now.

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Why am I telling you this? Well, because one, it's still increasingly difficult for me to come up with things to write about, but mainly two, because sometimes other interests of mine intersect with the topic at hand here, quite unexpectedly. I had known for some time that Betty is a crafter and sewer (having seen evidence of it on various occasions) but recently, the moment arrived for me to write about her.

Here's a funny strip from June of 2023 that tells you all you need to know. I saved this because, first of all, I totally identified with the idea that it takes a long time to pick out fabric... particularly if you're doing so in an actual fabric shop. (It's a very intimidating experience.) Second of all... well, the visual punch line of course!

A notable Sunday edition of Betty from June 2023 that was a hoot!

What ultimately convinced me to write about Betty is that in mid March, the boys unveiled a storyline about quilting, with the first strip showing Betty watching videos online, resulting in a side conversation between Bub and son Junior that with Mom thinking about making another quilt, she'll be taking over a part of the house for about a month.

Only a month?

I look at full-size quilts and see them as years long projects. They have the potential of becoming albatrosses around their makers' necks; or more aptly, in sewing parlance, WIPs or UFOs that hang around forever. Now, for someone who's an active quilter – i.e., not Betty or me – making a quilt is just a natural part of life and if approached as if it were everyday work, it might just take a couple of months to make (assuming it's not a "quick and dirty" t-shirt or rag quilt).

But only a month for the likes of Betty? (Or me?) No, Bub, it probably ain't gonna be just a month. Not unless she throws herself into the project full-time. (I can just imagine all the cutting!) Now, this particular storyline eventually segued into a "maybe we should finish our basement so that we both have a permanent space to do our hobbies" thing, but not before Bub accompanies Betty to the intimidating fabric store where he gives and receives advice on the whole fabric selection process. Har!

Here's the strip that essentially triggered this post...

Penguins?? Did someone mention penguins??

I looked up "Penguin Party" to see if it was an actual quilt design, and of course – good work, G and G – it was. It's the creation of Elizabeth Hartman, who has designed some nifty looking, non-traditional quilt patterns, in my opinion. Looking through her shop, I was almost tempted. I was particularly drawn to the Greenhouse and Beehive patterns, for the fact that they remind me of our indoor garden (which we've now guided through a fourth winter) and for my love of bees in general.

Given that she's made quilts before, I would think she has some idea...?

To any of you who have been around here for awhile, or have seen my first project, it'll also come as no surprise that I am enamoured of penguins as well. Potentially making Bub's "about a month" prediction possible, Ms. Hartman's options for her Penguin Party pattern encompass a throw pillow, a child's quilt and a lap quilt... i.e., none of them are sized for bed use. But what I loved about the design was the hack that she provided for dressing the penguins in long sleeved sweaters!

Is there anything cuter than penguins wearing sweaters??
(image courtesy of elizabethhartman.com...)

I was "this close"...! But no, I don't need another throw pillow, and I have no want to make a quilt of any size. (I also don't have the fabric stash required to make quilts like this look good, and at this point, I'm definitely not buying more fabric.)

Ya gotta love Bub!

This kind of "precise measuring, cutting and build-a-block sewing" style of quilting is not beyond my skillset – as I found out when I turned some large blocks into mini quilts several years ago – but the rigidity and repetitiveness of it is not my thing.

Remember Fat Quarter Shop's Snapshots quilt for St. Jude?
This is the Camera block that I ended up making (but never posted about) in the fall of (pandemic) 2020...

If I'm going to do any more quilting, it will involve the more scrappy, forgiving methods that I've come across: "free-form", bargello and improv.

In all honesty, even the free form appliqué quilting that was done on this kite was a bit too much of an ordeal for me.

One side of my kite window hanging...

If I'm going to quilt again, the results won't be so big that they need to be spread out on a bed or sofa. (My first bargello table topper is actually draped over the headrest of a leather chair in our bedroom.)

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I found other bargello patterns that intrigued me after I made my own version back in 2023. (One that particularly caught my attention is something called a Spicy Spiral, which I may get around to making someday.) I also happened upon a relatively obscure YouTube video by Connie Spurlock.

If you were a reader here towards the end of my "regular" blogging stint, you may recall one of the last things I did was to DIY a wedge ruler to help me make my second wavy bargello table topper. Connie's video is an instructive demonstration of the different quilting patterns you can make with a ten degree wedge ruler. The method can be used to design things ranging from large wall hangings to small pot holders... and of course, you can also incorporate bargello into the mix.

Connie Spurlock offers up a great selection of quilting options using a 10 degree ruler...
(image courtesy of YouTube)

It's definitely worth taking a gander at if you're at all interested in what I call "quilting without too much commitment."

And on that note, I am done with comics and quilting for today. But before I go, I want to acknowledge that I reached out to Gerry Rasmussen – and through him, to his partner in crime, Gary Delainey – to ask for permission to reproduce their work here for this post. (From the standpoint of someone who has had her work misappropriated, it's the right thing to do, as always.) I was delighted to receive an enthusiastic affirmative response very quickly on a holiday weekend. It confirmed my belief that we Edmontonians are simply the best!

Thanks, guys, for the permission to share, as well as for your ongoing creativity. I appreciate having the unique opportunity to let you know how much I've enjoyed your work over the past decades. Here's hoping I will continue to see Betty's adventures throughout my senior years!

Question for the rest of you: has this discussion piqued your interest in quilting by any amount?

'Til next... 🇨🇦🍁