Welcome to October! The garden season is almost over, and I pulled my tomato plants yesterday. We have a ton of green tomatoes now but most of them will turn red over time. And if not, my friend Connie makes the most delicious green tomato relish, so I would have a recipe to try if I am drowning in green tomatoes. Today I will clean up the front yard with the sunflowers. I grew Velvet Queen (a red variety) and Lemon Queen this year, and they are both still producing small new flower heads but overall the plants look pretty beaten up. Twice I saw a squirrel scurrying away with a flower head. I am growing the sunflowers for the birds and other animals, so I don’t mind that at all. It’s mostly entertainment for my cats who love sitting in the front window, watching the birds. We’ll harvest whatever seeds are left and put them in the bird feeder, so the cats won’t lose their entertainment.

As for our hedgehog friend, he has decided to dress up as a ghost for Halloween. That makes for a pretty easy block this month, although the bat eyes are a bit finicky, and you might want to embroider the orange eyes as well, not just the black pupils. It is possible to appliqué them but if you don’t like fiddling with tiny pieces, just simplify the design. As always, the pattern will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the next block is released in November.

Click to download HedgeHUGS Block #10 pattern (English/Imperial)

July and the first half of August were extremely busy for me with quilting for customers. Now I am finally caught up and have started working through my own project queue. Some of the things I found in my closet were quite a surprise! As for gardening, the season is winding down. We have harvested all the onions, leeks and cabbage. The tomatoes are still going strong. But the biggest success of the year were the watermelons. We have picked two so far, and they were so good! Sweet and juicy and full of flavour, the best watermelon ever. I will definitely try this again next year. For those in my area: the variety is Sugar Baby which has a shorter ripening time, and it needs to be started indoors in late April and transplanted around May long weekend, otherwise there won’t be enough time for the melons to ripen before the temperatures start to drop. I highly recommend giving this a try, you will never like store-bought watermelons again!

As for our hedgehog friend, it’s time to go back to school. He maybe looks a bit old-fashioned with his blackboard but I thought it looked cuter than having him carry around a laptop. The backpack is a bit more complicated with a lot of small pieces but I think it looks adorable. Please remember that you don’t have to do everything exactly the way I did. You can always simplify or embroider details. As always, the pattern will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the next block is released in October.

EDIT: If you missed the free download in September, Block #9 is now available for purchase in the pattern store. I have also created a discount bundle for the first three blocks, if you missed more than just one download.

Click to purchase HedgeHUGS Block #9 pattern (English/Imperial)

Click to purchase HedgeHUGS pattern bundle 7, 8 & 9 (English/Imperial)

EDIT: Block 9 ist jetzt auch auf Deutsch/mit metrischen Maßen im Pattern Store verfügbar. Außerdem gibt es auch wieder ein Bündel für die Blöcke  7, 8 und 9.

(Kauf)Anleitung HedgeHUGS Block #9 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

(Kauf)Anleitungsbündel HedgeHUGS 7, 8 & 9 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

I won’t be around tomorrow morning to release the next block as I have several appointments. It will still be released tomorrow but probably not until the afternoon. If you are a subscriber, you will receive an email when the block is released. Otherwise make sure you’ll check back later. Thank you for understanding. 

Another month has flown by, and I wonder where time has gone. My veggie garden is keeping me busy, I am about to start the third batch of beans. The first one is done, the second one is ready to harvest. The cherry tomatoes are so sweet and yummy, and the first big tomatoes are ready as well. And I just noticed today that the first grapes are changing colour. This year I was smart enough and covered them with netting, so hopefully we will get to taste them. Last year the birds got them all. I don’t mind sharing with the crows, not even my fruit and veggies but I would like to try at least some of them myself.

For our little hedgehog friend, it is already (still?) fall, and he is busy raking leaves this month. The blocks are getting a bit more intricate, feel free to simplify the maple leaves by omitting the stems. As always the block will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the next block is released.

EDIT: If you missed the free download in August, Block #8 is now available for purchase in the pattern store.

Click to purchase HedgeHUGS Block #8 pattern (English/Imperial)

EDIT: Block 8 ist jetzt auch auf Deutsch/mit metrischen Maßen im Pattern Store verfügbar.

(Kauf)Anleitung HedgeHUGS Block #8 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

Happy Belated Canada Day and Happy Fourth of July to our American Friends! The past six weeks have been super busy for me as I have been traveling a lot. I was square dancing and sightseeing in Washington State for ten days in May, then spent two weeks at home trying to catch up on everything, then went to see my mom in Germany for two weeks. I came back last Monday, and after another three days of playing catch up we went down to Oregon on Friday to meet friends at Crater Lake who we hadn’t seen in ten years. We got back last night, and now I am back trying to catch up again. I don’t have a lot of quilts in the queue (phew) but the garden is still two weeks ahead of regular years and will need some attention. I have the first watermelon growing and two butternut squashes, and the first cherry tomatoes are turning orange. I plant only the Sungold variety that turns dark orange but never truly red, so they will be ready to eat soon. The peas are almost done but I still have a ton to harvest, peel, blanch and freeze. My first Velvet Queen sunflower, a red one, has started to bloom, and it is so pretty! I have always wanted a red sunflower and decided to go for it this year. And our California Dreaming rose decided to surprise us with five open flowers yesterday when we returned, that was a beautiful surprise. We spent some time in Portland on our way back and visited the International Rose Test Garden where almost all the flowers were in full bloom… I took over 400 pictures! Now I have to decide which ones I like best and try to hunt some down for next year.

Our hedgehog friend is roasting marshmallows over a campfire this month. I personally am not super fond of marshmallows but I know that roasting them while camping is a popular activity, so it had to be included in the quilt. As always the block will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the next block is released. Thank you for your patience and enjoy!

EDIT: If you missed the free download in July, Block #7 is now available for purchase in the pattern store.

Click to purchase HedgeHUGS Block #7 pattern (English/Imperial)

EDIT: Block 7 ist jetzt auch auf Deutsch/mit metrischen Maßen im Pattern Store verfügbar.

(Kauf)Anleitung HedgeHUGS Block #7 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

I won’t be around this weekend to release block #7. It will probably be released on July 4 at 9 am PDT but it might be July 5, depending on when I get back. If you are a subscriber, you will receive an email when the block is released. Otherwise make sure you’ll check back later. Thank you for understanding. Happy Canada Day!

Can you believe it’s June already, and with today’s publication we are halfway through this year’s BOM? Time sure flies. We had very warm weather in the first half of May, and I decided to risk it and transplanted all heat-loving veggies like tomatoes and cucumbers two weeks earlier than I usually do. We were away for ten days in the second half of May, and it was easier for my friend who took care of our cats during our absence to just turn on the drip irrigation instead of having to water all the seedlings inside. And boy, did they love the weather. Even though the second half of the month was a bit cooler, everything grew like crazy when we were away, and I couldn’t believe the jungle I faced when I got back. I even managed to start some watermelon seeds this year. Watermelons are a bit problematic in our climate because of the short growing season. The plants are looking great already, so maybe I will get some watermelons this year.

Our hedgehog friend is starting football season today, another fall activity in North America. It feels a bit weird to me because in Germany football season started in the spring but whatever works, right? I am not sure what the little snail is doing on the football field but I liked my drawing, and I couldn’t find another block where it fit. And here was an open corner that asked for another element, so in he went. As always, the block will be available for free download until the end of the month and move over to the pattern store when the July block is released. We are tentatively planning to be away again on Canada Day, so make sure you download the pattern now because the next block might be released early.

Edit: If you missed the free download in June, the pattern is now available for purchase in the pattern store. I have also created a discount bundle for the first three blocks, if you missed more than just one download. And there is also a six-block-bundle for those who are just catching up now.

Click to purchase HedgeHUGS Block #6 pattern (English/Imperial)

Click to purchase HedgeHUGS pattern bundle 4, 5 & 6 (English/Imperial)

Click to purchase HedgeHUGS pattern bundle 1-6 (English/Imperial)

Auch Block 6 ist jetzt auf Deutsch mit metrischen Maßen erhältlich, ebenso gibt es auch wieder Bündel für drei oder sechs Blöcke zum Sonderpreis.

(Kauf)Anleitung HedgeHUGS Block #6 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

(Kauf)Anleitungsbündel HedgeHUGS 4, 5 & 6 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

(Kauf)Anleitungsbündel HedgeHUGS 1-6 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

You might have noticed that I haven’t been very active on here or social media over the last few months. While I am having some health issues again, I am mostly doing fine, I just don’t have the time right now for blog posts. Or rather, I don’t want to take the time. My garden has kept me busy, and I am going to Germany to see my mom in June for the first time since 2019 and have been sewing gifts. The BOM is not in danger, and I will keep posting on the first of the month, everything else has to wait.

I have already had the first gardening success of the year. I started asparagus from seeds two years ago, I had a 100% germination rate, and all plants seemed quite happy last year with pretty large spears growing already. In Germany everybody goes completely crazy over white asparagus from April 21 to June 24. Market stands are popping up everywhere, restaurants have special “Spargel” menus, and everyone eats as much asparagus as they can while the season lasts. And yes, if you mention asparagus in Germany, everyone will assume you are talking about white asparagus. Green asparagus is available but the craze is just about the white one. It is the same plant, you just have to protect the spears from light when they emerge. White asparagus is available here sometimes but it is very expensive, the last we saw at the grocery store was imported from Peru. So I decided we should grow our own. I hilled up the soil as much as I could this year and covered it with a special film that protects from light and keeps the soil warm, and we had a nice harvest already and ate lots of cream of asparagus soup, so yummy. It takes about five years before you can harvest for a full two months, so I have now removed the cover and will give the plants the chance to grow and develop sturdy root systems.

Our hedgehog friend this month is presenting the sunflower he grew to feed the birds. I love sunflowers but I am not interested in harvesting the seeds. I am fine with the birds and squirrels eating them, it also entertains my cats who love sitting in the window watching what’s going on outside. In the block the sunflower is there for the taking, I have omitted any tiny seeds… that was quite a pain last year with the bunnies sowing and feeding geese. The bird’s feet and beak are pretty tiny though, so you might want to embroider them instead of cutting them from fabric. As always the block will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the next block is released.

EDIT: If you missed the free download in May, Block #5 is now available for purchase in the pattern store.

Click to purchase HedgeHUGS Block #5 pattern (English/Imperial)

EDIT: Block 5 ist jetzt auch auf Deutsch/mit metrischen Maßen im Pattern Store verfügbar.

(Kauf)Anleitung HedgeHUGS Block #5 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

After February dumped that huge amount of snow on us, March was very friendly and brought some early spring days. Suddenly gardening season was in full swing again, we had topsoil delivered and spent a whole day topping up the beds, built a new bed in the front and planted some pansies. The radishes and peas are growing quickly, and spinach and lettuce are starting to peek out. Unfortunately we have a new cat in the neighbourhood that loves to chew on our drip irrigation. I have put the chickenwire covers (that I used during the winter to make clear that my veggie beds are no litter boxes) back on. I am just not sure yet what she might do to the remay covers once I transplant the broccoli and cover the brassica bed.

In terms of sewing I am still completely obsessed with bags and purses. But I didn’t forget about April’s hedgehog, and he is celebrating Oktoberfest. That’s so not a thing in Berlin and northern parts of Germany but I think it is one of those stereotypical things that non-Germans immediately think of, so I decided to put it in. And I think the little guy is quite happy waving his Bavarian flag and enjoying a nice pretzel. As always the block will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the next block is released.

EDIT: If you missed the free download in April, Block #4 is now available for purchase in the pattern store.

Click to purchase HedgeHUGS Block #4 pattern (English/Imperial)

EDIT: Block 4 ist jetzt auch auf Deutsch/mit metrischen Maßen im Pattern Store verfügbar.

(Kauf)Anleitung HedgeHUGS Block #4 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

Wow, February really got away from me. I had some time-consuming custom quilting to do, and I took a week off afterwards, and suddenly it’s March. On Sunday morning we woke up to the largest amount of snow of the winter, luckily it warmed up enough during the day that most of it melted again quickly. But the weather is still more winter than spring, and even though I am pretty adventurous in my gardening and do a lot by trial and error, even I haven’t started any peas yet. Just some parsley seeds inside, and quite a few of them have sprouted already. Other than that I think I caught the bag-sewing bug. Inspired by a guild trunk show I bought supplies for an Ultimate Travel Bag (By Annie pattern), and I actually finished it last weekend and am now looking through Annie’s other patterns to see what else I would like to make. Pictures will follow later.

Our little hedgehog friend is flying a kite this month. I have some vague childhood memories of kites mostly not flying but crashing down, and it was never my favourite pastime, but somehow autumn is still connected to wind and flying kites, so I just had to include it. As always, the pattern is available for free download until the end of the month and will move over to the pattern store when the April block is released.

Edit: If you missed the free download in March, the pattern is now available for purchase in the pattern store. I have also created a discount bundle for the first three blocks, if you missed more than just one download.

Click to purchase HedgeHUGS Block #3 pattern (English/Imperial)

Click to purchase HedgeHUGS pattern bundle 1, 2 & 3 (English/Imperial)

Block 3 ist nun auch auf Deutsch/in metrischen Maßen im Pattern Store erhältlich. Außerdem gibt es auch wieder ein Bündel für die Blöcke 1, 2 und 3.

(Kauf)Anleitung HedgeHUGS Block #3 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

(Kauf)Anleitungsbündel HedgeHUGS 1, 2 & 3 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

I was so busy in January that I didn’t even have time to take a few detail pictures of the Hunny Bunnies blocks in the finished quilt. I published the full pattern on January 1st together with the last block and the bundles but I never got around to actually announce it here. So here we go, the complete pattern with all twelve blocks and finishing instructions is now available both in English/Imperial and German/Metric. I only added a crosshatch for the background of the blocks, I thought the background fabric provided enough texture. The sashing fabric was super busy, and the quilting doesn’t show much but I went with some spiral pattern that looks a bit like a stylized rose (at least if you have my imagination). For the outer border I used a pantograph design called “Let It Bloom!”. I finished the quilt a long time ago and it was actually displayed at the quilt show last October.

For those of you who missed most or all of the blocks last year, this is your chance, and if you enter HUNNY20 during checkout you will get an additional 20% discount. The code will be valid until February 12, 2023 11.59 PM PST.

Click to purchase Hunny Bunnies Quilt Complete Pattern (English/Imperial)

(Kauf)Anleitung Hunny Bunnies Quilt Komplett (Deutsch/Metrisch)

(Edit: Of course I worried for nothing… It snowed again overnight, so we left extra early, and the roads were clear and traffic wasn’t a problem, and they were able to get me in and out quickly although I arrived way too early, and I am back almost in time. But that’s Murphy’s Law, if I hadn’t worried about it, I’d still be stuck in traffic somewhere :))

It is still too early in the year to start rambling about my gardening adventures. It is actually snowing outside as I am writing this. Just a little, and the temperatures in the forecast are above freezing, so it should be disappearing fairly soon. But I am ready to go again, maybe plant some peas towards the end of the month and start the first seeds indoors.

So let’s look at our little hedgehog friend right away, who is out in the woods this months looking for mushrooms. I really hope he knows which ones are edible! I am not into collecting mushrooms in the woods, I grew up in a big city and wouldn’t know one from the other. But I have a very distinct memory from when I was nine years old and we were on vacation in Switzerland. We found some mushrooms in the woods, and my mom insisted these were chanterelles (I hope that’s the right name, I had to look up the English word). She took them home with us and said she would turn them into a delicious dish for all of us to enjoy. My mom had grown up outside the big city and she may or may not have been right, who knows. But all three of us kids only knew stories and fairytales with poisonous mushrooms and as city kids we found eating anything that we found in the woods appalling. Neither of us would have touched the dish, and we were so afraid that our mom would eat the mushrooms and die. Luckily for us, she put them in the fridge and forgot all about them. When she remembered them, they were spoiled and had to be thrown out. Phew.

As always, the pattern for this block will be free until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the next block is released.

EDIT: If you missed the free download in February, Block #2 is now available for purchase in the pattern store.

Click to purchase HedgeHUGS Block #2 pattern (English/Imperial)

EDIT: Block 2 ist jetzt auch auf Deutsch/mit metrischen Maßen im Pattern Store verfügbar.

(Kauf)Anleitung HedgeHUGS Block #2 (Deutsch/Metrisch)