This quilt was made by Beverly, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted custom quilting or just an allover design. I thought the quilt asked for custom quilting with all that white background to fill. I could immediately see one design in the polka dot squares and another in the background, and Beverly liked the idea and trusted me enough to let me go ahead.

“Log Cabin Beads” was made by Ginger and is already the second quilt she made using this pattern. She gave the first one away but loved it so much that she decided to make it again, this time for herself. The pantograph we used is called “Time Warp”.

This adorable animal quilt was made by Beverly as a gift for her grandson. It has lots of embroidery and didn’t need much quilting, I just stitched around the blocks to stabilize everything and tried to stay away from the motifs. I couldn’t decide which details to show as they are all so cute, so there are lots of detail pictures today.

If you are a German quilter, you will probably have a very good idea what a “Dinkelmaus” is. These little creatures are very popular, and I have made a few over the years. For those of you that don’t speak German, a “Maus” is a mouse, as you can probably tell from the picture. And “Dinkel” is the German word for spelt, a grain that is very popular in Germany. And a “Dinkelmaus” is the German version of a bean bag. Its triangular shape makes it perfect to use in the shoulder and neck area, it will stay in place, and you can even walk around with it. A few years ago, when I was still working in an office, staring at the computer all day long, I used to live with one of them around my neck to soothe the tense muscles. I would put it in the microwave whenever needed and just take it off when clients came in.

They don’t take long to sew and make wonderful gifts, and of course you can fill them with whatever you like if you can’t find a source for spelt. It took me a while to find spelt in Canada, so feel free to use whatever works and you have on hand. I just happen to like the smell of spelt warming in the microwave. A few years back I made one for the Christmas gift exchange for our local guilt, and it was an instant success. Several people asked me for a pattern which I didn’t have. I had always just been making it up as I went, so I sat down and wrote a few instructions that I am happy to share with you today. It isn’t a complete pattern but it shows the basic construction process, and unless you are a beginner, you should be able to figure it out. And when it is not in use, just tie the two back corners together in a knot and place your little mouse on a shelf, they are excellent decorations as well.

Click to download Dinkelmaus pattern

Disclaimer: Always consider that these will be heated in the microwave when choosing your material. Don’t use polyester, don’t use anything with metal. Be careful not to burn yourself, they can get very hot! And although I have been using Kamsnaps for eyes for years without problems, there is no guarantee they will work for you. The manufacturer doesn’t claim Kamsnaps won’t melt in the microwave, so please decide for yourself if you want to use these or not.

This blue and white quilt is one of Lyn’s projects, and when she dropped it off she already knew that she wanted me to use the pantograph “Bauhaus” for this quilt. There wasn’t much for me to do except actually quilt it. Blue and white is one of my favourite colour combinations, but this might be a good pattern for a scrap quilt as well, I will definitely keep it in mind.

This project is Carolynn’s first quilt, she made it with her mom’s help. The batik fabrics she used have an ocean theme, and the quilting design we chose suits the modern look of the quilt. It is called “Time Warp” but the texture reminded me of a kelp forest.

“Barbed Wire” is a Fons & Porter design, and this is Gail’s version… a different Gail though, not the one that made the Lava Flow quilt from the last post. It is a wonderful pattern to use up scraps, and the zig zag layout is quite different and makes it interesting. And isn’t the black fabric Gail used for the background and backing just perfect for the barbed wire theme? The quilting design is called “Celtic Scroll”.

Gail made this quilt using leftover Kaffe Fassett fabrics from her Dreamy Hexagons quilt. She chose neutrals for the background and border to make the feature fabrics stand out more. The pantograph I used is called “Raindrops”, and I turned the quilt by 90 degrees and put it on the frame sideways which resulted in a wavy allover pattern.

Happy Canada Day! If you are celebrating this holiday, I hope you have some fun things planned for today. The weather here is supposed to be lovely, warm and sunny but not too hot. If you are in Europe, stay cool und hydrate. I thought it was hot when I was visiting, I am sure glad I am missing this heatwave. We had some cool and rainy days this past week but I am not complaining, I’ll take rain over heat any day.

With today’s block we are already more than halfway through this year’s block of the month. After feeling overwhelmed for months I was wondering if I should do another BOM next year, and I am still a little undecided but ideas keep popping into my head. Maybe that’s a sign 🙂 I have been feeling more organized for the past two weeks, and I am getting more things done without feeling stressed. But back to the Tuxedo Cats, as always, this block will be available for free download until the end of the month and then move over to the store section when the August block is published.

Click to download Tuxedo Cat #7 pattern (English/Imperial)

Tuxedo Cat #7 Download (Deutsch/Metrisch)

Before going to Germany, I made another set of preemiequilts, using my tested and tried layouts. Simple patterns, not too many seams, only light quilting, those are the requirements of the German group that makes them and donates them to the hospitals. They are quick and easy to make, use up leftovers and are for a good cause. I am happy to take some with me whenever I go over to visit.

Brenda made this pretty quilt using the Moda fabric collection “Pepper & Flax” by Corey Yoder. The pantograph we chose is called “Lapis”, and I even remembered to take some pictures with the quilt still on the frame.

This super cute wall hanging was made by Wendy. There will be a tape measure added to the tree trunk, and it will become a growth chart. What a wonderful gift for a baby shower! The appliqué is wool, and the details are embroidered. I only stitched around the shapes and filled the background with swirls. An adorable project, and lots of fun to work on.