Safari BOM – Block #1

Happy New Year 2025! I hope it brings joy and creativity to you all. I am excited to introduce my brand-new Block of the Month project, Safari. This year’s format will be a little different from my previous ones. Instead of twelve blocks, there will be nine, running from January to September. In October, I will share the finishing instructions, and in November, the full pattern will be available. We will take a break in December, as it is such a busy time for everyone preparing for the holidays.

Safari is also different from my previous Block of the Month projects. Instead of one animal featured in different scenes, each month will showcase a different animal. All nine animals are inspired by those you might encounter on an African safari. While they will have a whimsical cartoon style, they will not display any human behaviours.

The layout will be similar to previous years, but this time it will feature a 3×3 grid instead of a 3×4. The finished quilt will measure approximately 52 inches square. The finishing instructions will be available as a free download in October, provided as a separate pattern. I always enjoy seeing pictures of your finished blocks! My email address is on the cover page of every pattern, in the lower left corner, so feel free to share them with me.

On the cover page, I have included an estimate of the amounts of background fabrics needed if you plan to use the same fabrics for all nine blocks. For the animals, simply dive into your scrap bin and see what you can find. The exact colours are not important—just work with what you have and, most importantly, have fun!

Our first animal sighting is a giraffe! Here is a picture of my sample block. Isn’t he just adorable with his big head, wobbly legs, and cheeky grin?

The free pattern will once again be available only in English with Imperial measurements. All other rules remain the same as in previous years, and here they are again as a quick reminder:

A new block will be published on the first day of each month at 9 a.m. Pacific Standard/Daylight Time. If any unforeseen circumstances require changes to this schedule, I will announce them here on the blog. Since I am in the Pacific time zone, it may already be the second day of the month for some of you. I kindly ask for your patience and request that you refrain from emailing me about the timing of the next block. I do not schedule posts to go live in the middle of the night, as this allows me to address any potential issues with the pattern files immediately rather than waking up to dozens of messages. If you do notice a problem, please do not hesitate to contact me so I can resolve it as quickly as possible.

Each block will be available as a free download during the month it is published. Once the next block is released, the previous block will move to the store section, where it can be purchased for a small fee. If you miss a block, you can buy it for just $2 CAD (approximately $1.39 USD or €1.34 at the time of writing—less than the cost of a decent coffee these days!). Please do not email me asking for a free copy, as such requests will be ignored. I also kindly ask that you respect my copyright and avoid sharing the pattern with others who may have missed the free download. Sharing patterns in this way discourages designers from continuing to offer free content in the future.

Thank you for taking the time to read through all this. Without further ado, here is the download link for the first block—enjoy!

EDIT: The month of free download is over, and the block has moved to the pattern store where it is now available for purchase.

Purchase Safari Block #1 Pattern

Edit: Bedauerlicherweise muss ich die deutschen Versionen meiner Anleitungen mit metrischen Maßen nun endgültig einstellen. Schon seit einigen Jahren habe ich diese zusätzliche Arbeit nur in kleinere Projekte investiert, aber mit der Schließung von Makerist zum 1. April 2025 entfällt mein Hauptvertriebsweg für deutsche Anleitungen, sodass sich der Aufwand für mich nicht mehr lohnt. Die bereits existierenden Anleitungen biete ich weiterhin über meine Website zum Verkauf an. Bei Interesse bitte dem Link zum Pattern Store folgen, die englische Version bestellen und beim Checkout angeben, dass die deutsche Version gewünscht ist. Ich verschicke diese dann per E-Mail. Für zukünftige Projekte, einschließlich des Safari Block of the Month, wird es leider keine deutschen Versionen mehr geben. Ich danke für Ihr Verständnis.

If you are interested in my previous Block of the Month projects, they are still available for purchase here: