Author name: Beatrice

Personal Projects

The Finished Quilt – Kiwiana Illusions

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The first of my three New Zealand quilts is finally done. The top of the Illusions quilt has been finished for a while, you can check out the original story here.

I quilted it in January after our return from our second New Zealand trip and even stitched the binding fairly quickly afterwards. I am very happy with the way it turned out, it is a lovely pattern and great for showcasing some special fabrics. And of course I love the 3D effect.

Kiwiana Illusions

Usually I prefer custom quilting my own quilts, but in this case I could not think of any special quilting that would enhance the pattern of the top. The illusion is clearly the star of the quilt, and I decided early on that an allover pattern would do. Of course it needed to be related to New Zealand in some way, and I tried to come up with a pattern based on a scroll I saw on a sign near Mount Cook. That is something I am certainly not going to try again anytime soon. There is a reason why I am not a pantograph designer. I found it very difficult to draw a continuous design, but somehow it worked out in the end and is even a bit similar to the scroll on the backing fabric.

Kiwiana Illusions Back

Personal Projects

Pōhatu Penguins Mug Rugs

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On the South Island of New Zealand, outside Christchurch near Akaroa, is a place called Pōhatu Penguins. More than 50 years ago, a family bought a farm and discovered that they had essentially purchased a penguin colony. This is the only colony of White-flippered Penguins, a subspecies of the Little Blue Penguin. Since then, they have combined farming with extensive conservation work.

We visited Pōhatu Penguins in February 2024 and again this past December. When we walked into their booking office the first time, I immediately spotted a painting on the wall that I would have loved to buy on the spot, but it was too large to carry home on the plane. The young man behind the counter explained that the artist was his wife and graciously allowed me to take a photo of the painting.

Pohatu Penguins Painting 1

The way she had painted the waves in the background reminded me of quilting, and it has been at the back of my mind ever since to recreate her artwork in fabric.

When we visited again, they had more of her art on display, including a smaller version of the Pōhatu Penguins painting. I was still a bit hesitant about taking it back on the plane, but my husband did not see a problem and promised he would carry it (which he did), so we bought it.

Pohatu Penguins Painting 2

I am still planning on making a wall hanging, but for now I have turned the penguins into mug rugs. I made one as a sample that I am keeping myself. I used contrasting thread for the quilting and did not really like it at first, but it has grown on me, and now that it is bound and finished I am quite happy with it.

Pohatu Penguin Mug Rug

I proceeded to make two more, this time using a thread colour for quilting that blends with the background, so it is more about texture. A friend of mine, who is currently travelling in Australia and New Zealand, took them with her and will mail them to Ave, the artist who created the penguin paintings. I felt that if I recreated her art in fabric, I should send her more than just pictures.

Pohatu Penguins Mug Rugs

If you ever find yourself in Akaroa, be sure you check out Pōhatu Penguins.

Sneak Peek

Chirp

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Edit: I originally wrote this post almost a year ago, and it was accidentally published instead of a BOM post. You all know how frazzled I was last year. Anyway, here it is again.

I have not made much progress on that quilt yet. I have a few other things to finish first, but I am sewing up a storm these days and hope to get back to it soon.

 

More than three years ago, I designed a quilt featuring birds. It was during the height of Covid and at the start of my second round of chemo treatments, so it ended up in a “for later” folder. I never got around to actually making it, let alone writing a pattern. But it stayed in my mental quilt queue, next in line once I had caught up on the other projects on my list.

The other day, I walked into Cozy Cottons, our local quilt shop, and Angela, the owner, was unpacking a new fabric line that had just arrived. It was called Chirp by Elena Amo for Moda, and I fell in love with it instantly. The little birds looked a lot like the ones I had drawn for my quilt, and I knew I needed that fabric, at the very least for the backing.

39030-15 Chirp Friends Dove by Elena Amo for Moda Fabrics

I went home and dug up the design. Armed with a list of fabric requirements, I went back to the store a few days later and took a closer look at the full line. My original design used a Tula Pink fabric for the border, and the rest of the colour scheme was bright and bold. I changed it to a more muted palette so I could use the Chirp fabrics for this project. There is a stripe in the collection, and stripes often work well for borders and bindings. I decided to use it for the border and build the rest of the colour scheme around it.

39037-11 Chirp Just Stripes Cloud by Elena Amo for Moda Fabrics 10.5

I was looking for a neutral fabric for the background, but I ended up choosing one with a design as well. The bugs, bees, and butterflies were just adorable, and they will make a lovely addition to the bird blocks.

39033-11 Chirp Fly High Cloud by Elena Amo for Moda Fabrics 10.5

It will be a while before the quilt and pattern are finished, but I have started working on it, and I am enjoying all the cute Chirp fabrics.

Pattern

New Pattern: Safari

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After getting a bit of rest in early January, I felt well enough to finally quilt the Safari top. It all came together quickly, and I also assembled the full pattern in the meantime.

I have reactivated the pattern store for now. Please keep in mind that I have to fill orders manually and send out the patterns myself. As I am still undergoing treatments, I might not always be as fast as I would like to be.

PPP-078 Safari BOM Quilt

Digiprove

 

I have also created a discount code – enter SAFARI20 at checkout to receive 20% off. The code is valid until February 13, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PST and applies exclusively to the Safari quilt pattern.

Personal Projects

Kiwiana Fabric Purchases

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Of course I also shopped for fabric in New Zealand. On our first trip there two years ago, I bought a quarter metre of every Kiwiana fabric I liked and have since made three quilt tops from them. This time, I did not want to get sucked into buying more fabric just because it is pretty. Three New Zealand quilts seem enough.

I decided I would only shop for backing fabric, and with the exception of one piece that I have already turned into a bandana, I stuck to that resolution.

My first stop was Tiffanies Treasures north of Auckland. I found them on a list of New Zealand quilt shops and assumed they were a retail store, but when I walked in I learned that they are actually a wholesaler and not usually open to the public.

The owner asked me whether I knew Trendtex. For non Canadians, Trendtex is a wholesale business just outside Vancouver that represents Moda Fabrics in Canada, among other things. He explained that he was essentially the New Zealand version of Trendtex, specializing in Moda and Hoffman Fabrics.

Once a year they are open to the public, when the whole commercial area where their warehouse is located opens its doors to everyone. That big event was coming up on the first weekend of December. Since I was only two days early and had come all the way from Canada, the owner graciously allowed me to look around and shop. I found the most amazing fabric featuring New Zealand birds and plants, printed by Hoffman exclusively for Tiffanies Treasures, which I bought for one of my quilts.

M28-213 Tiffanies Treasures Kiwiana by Hoffman Fabrics

When I was done with my purchase, he gifted me one of their exclusive Hoffman Kiwiana panels. I have no idea yet what I will do with it, but I appreciated his kindness very much.

M191-213 Tiffanies Treasures Kiwiana Panel by Hoffman Fabrics

I had seen a Nutex Kiwiana fabric online that I really wanted for one of my quilts, but none of the shops I visited carried it. At Country Dawn Quilting in Whangarei, I found a similar fabric in rainbow colours and bought it to use as the backing for my second quilt.

85060-3 Nutex Fabrics Koru

The last shop we visited, Sew It in Christchurch on the South Island, was a treasure trove of Kiwiana fabrics. I was thrilled to find the exact fabric I had been coveting since I first saw it and immediately bought it for my third quilt. Fabric shopping was a complete success!

85490-4 Nutex Fabrics Te Koripi Wae O Maui

Miscellaneous

A Month Away

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After the difficult year I had, everything came together just in time for our long planned trip to New Zealand in December. For months, we thought we might have to cancel, and I did not truly believe we would go until the last week of November, when my lab results came back fairly normal. Sometimes miracles do happen, and we were able to spend the entire month in New Zealand.

My husband is the best tour organizer you can imagine, and he had everything planned out beautifully. We spent the first half of our trip on the North Island, then flew to Christchurch on the South Island, and even made it to Stewart Island for a couple of days.

It was a fantastic trip and a much needed break. We were lucky enough to see penguins in the wild and even spotted kiwis on Stewart Island, which was a wonderful experience. I will leave you today with a gallery of my favourite pictures.

 

Miscellaneous

Reminder: Last Day To Order From The Pattern Store

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Just a quick heads up that today is the final day my pattern store will be open. I will deactivate it tomorrow morning and process any remaining orders before it closes.

I hope to reopen next year, although nothing has been decided yet. It will depend on how things go with my health. I am working on new patterns, and I am hopeful that everything will come together.

Pattern

New Pattern: Yuletide Reflections

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Here is a pattern I came up with last year while I was making Christmas cards. The card design and the little blocks I had stitched felt like they wanted to become a full Christmas quilt, so I bought more fabric and stitched one up in no time. I did not manage to write the pattern earlier with everything that was happening this year, but I finally pulled it together, just in time for Christmas.

PPP-079 Yuletide Reflections

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These are not my usual bright and bold colours, but there is something about the simple elegance of the black and white metallic fabrics that I really enjoy.

I have also created a discount code – enter YULE20 at checkout to receive 20% off. The code is valid until November 25, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PST and applies exclusively to the Yuletide Reflections quilt pattern.

Miscellaneous

Online Store Reactivated

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As several of you have noticed and pointed out, I deactivated my online store in September. I wasn’t in any shape to turn on the computer and send out patterns, and since I wasn’t posting any BOM blocks either that seemed like the best solution. My plan was to close the store at the end of the year without ever reactivating it but I now realize that this won’t work. People missed the free downloads for various reasons and want to purchase the missing patterns. I have reactivated the store for now but please note that it will only be online until the end of this month. I will not be able to fill orders in December. If I will reactivate it next year depends on how I am feeling. So if you are missing any blocks or would like to buy any other pattern, please do so until the end of November.

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