March, 2026 - Pumpkin Patch

The Finished Quilt: Kiwiana Garden Tiles

Beatrice | March 31, 2026 | 5 Comments

The last of the three big New Zealand quilts is done, and there is room in my closet again! As you might remember, I used a free pattern called Garden Tiles from Robert Kaufman for this one. Since I had about 10″ of each of the New Zealand fabrics, I looked up patterns for Layer Cakes online and saved the ones I liked, and this one ended up being my number one choice.

I think the secondary pattern – the crosses in the sashing – probably spoke to me, especially since this is the only one of the three patterns I used for my Kiwiana fabrics that lends itself to custom quilting. I put a feather design in the crosses and partial ones around the outside. The tiles themselves were just stitched with straight lines to anchor them. I personally don’t like to leave large areas unquilted – I don’t like the uneven, puffy look.

I am very happy with the way it turned out. I have one more New Zealand-related project to finish, and then I can move on to other things.

Pattern

New Patterns: Hunny Bunny, Batter Up & Bubble Time Pillows

Beatrice | March 19, 2026 | Leave a Comment

Do you remember the Hunny Bunnies Quilt we did as a BOM a few years ago? I had so many ideas for blocks back then that I ended up with two additional designs, which I decided to turn into pillows. I even bought the fabric that I needed to make three companion pillows for the quilt, but, as always, time got away from me, and the pillows were never actually assembled.

Now after almost five years I finally returned to the project and freed the fabrics from their bin. Since I had the designs all done it didn’t even take that long to make them. Didn’t they turn out cute? The bunny with the carrot basket is the original first BOM block, and the baseball and bubble time bunnies are both new designs.

All three patterns are now available individually in the pattern store! They don’t take long to sew, especially if you do all three assembly line style, and they make great gifts too.

I have also put together a discounted bundle with all three pillow patterns, so you can get everything in one go and save a little at the same time.

And if you missed the Hunny Bunnies BOM back then, you can also get the quilt pattern together with all three pillow patterns as a discounted bundle – a great way to have the complete Hunny Bunnies collection.

Personal Projects

Tiffanies Treasures Kiwiana Panel Table Runner

Beatrice | March 13, 2026 | 1 Comment

The other day I looked at the Kiwiana panel I had been gifted by the owner of Tiffanies Treasures in Auckland and realized that it was approximately the size of my coffee table. I also had enough leftovers from the Hoffman Kiwiana fabric that I had purchased from Tiffanies Treasures for the backing of one of my New Zealand quilts. I pieced the backing and quilted the panel again with New Zealand Koru by Christy Dillon. It is such a nice swirly pattern and exactly what this panel needed.

I finished stitching the binding yesterday, and now it is decorating my coffee table, a daily reminder of our fantastic trip. If you are wondering about the bowl, it was given to me a few Christmases ago by one of my customers, Mary L., who is not only a gifted quilter but also a very good potter. I used to keep candy in it, but I have too much of a sweet tooth to not take one every time I pass by, so I stopped that fairly quickly.

It was a nice, quick project, and I am glad that I figured out a good use for this pretty panel.

Tiffanies Treasures Table Runner Detail 1

Tiffanies Treasures Table Runner Detail 2

Personal Projects

The Finished Quilt – Kiwiana Scrappy Squares

Beatrice | March 6, 2026 | 1 Comment

I am on a roll and finished the second of my Kiwiana quilts. Technically it is the third – I pieced the Garden Tiles top before I pieced this one, but I am still thinking I might be custom quilting the Garden Tiles top and haven’t started on it yet.

Last year I made a donation quilt from scraps using this alternating pattern that I saw somewhere online. In late October, when I was starting to feel a bit better and wanted to start sewing again, I thought this pattern would be a nice way to use up all the Kiwiana fabrics I had bought in 2024. With two finished quilt tops in the closet, I really wanted to use up as much as possible for a third quilt. As much as I love New Zealand and these fabrics, it was time to move on to something different.

And I was right – after cutting all the squares I needed for the quilt, I had only very small scraps left over that went right into the scrap drawers. I put the top together last November, and around the same time Christy Dillon of My Creative Stitches published an edge-to-edge pattern called “New Zealand Koru”. Koru is the Māori word for loop or coil and is often associated with the unfurling frond of a silver fern. It is an important design in Māori art, and I decided it was perfect for this quilt.