Blog - Pumpkin Patch

Monkey Business BOM – Block #10

Beatrice | October 1, 2021 | 5 Comments

It is October already, and we are going into the last quarter of the year and this year’s Monkey Business BOM. While I am not a big fan of winter, I am not too unhappy that this super hot and dry summer is over and I don’t have to spend so much time watering my vegetables anymore. Next year it will be drip irrigation for sure! I am still harvesting my second crop of broccoli, it was so worth the effort to install the cover for the brassicas. And my cherry tomatoes are still going strong, I can’t take off new suckers as fast as they are regrowing. I have decided to pull them this weekend though. I topped all tomato plants in mid-August, and the remaining green ones will ripen indoors. I just want to clean up as much as possible before the weather gets really ugly.

Our monkey friends are still on summer vacation and don’t have to worry about bad weather. I was trying to create a surfing monkey but all my attempts looked too much like the snowboarding penguin from last year’s Penguin Promenade. Then I realized that there is another kind of surfing, and now our little monkey is happily windsurfing across the water. Please make sure to double check that the pattern prints at 100% size, otherwise the design will be cut off in the middle of the block. (Ask me how I know… I have been printing my placement guides for years with the same settings, and I don’t always check, and Adobe Reader decided to switch from “Actual Size” to one of the other options, and I didn’t notice until I couldn’t make the block fit.) As always, the pattern will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store in November.

EDIT: October is over, and the block has moved to the pattern store where it is now available for purchase if you missed the free download. If you just need the finishing instructions, they are still available for free download.

Für die deutsche(n) Version(en) mit metrischen Maßen bitte dem/den Kauflink(s) unten für die englische(n) Version(en) folgen und beim Checkout angeben, dass die deutsche Version gewünscht ist. Ich verschicke dann per email die Anleitung(en) in der gewünschten Sprache.

Wer nur die Anleitung zur Fertigstellung sucht, kann diese nun auch auf Deutsch kostenlos herunterladen.

Longarm

Bunny Garden

Beatrice | September 29, 2021 | 2 Comments

These cute quilts were made by friends Dorothy and Gerry. They purchased the patterns together some time ago and finished their quilts almost at the same time. Dorothy’s version came to me first, and I was delighted that she chose the design “Wedding Vine” for her quilt, it works so well with the appliqued leaves. Gerry agreed, and when her quilt was ready we didn’t have to think twice which panto to use. These quilts are just too cute!

Blog Hop

Coming Soon: Virtual Cookie Exchange 2021

Beatrice | September 27, 2021 | Leave a Comment

It’s almost October, so definitely not too early to start thinking about Christmas. Once again Carol of Just Let Me Quilt will host her Virtual Cookie Exchange in early December, and that’s a blog hop I don’t want to miss. I actually started working on my project in July, and it’s almost done. I am very proud of myself for not procrastinating until the last minute. Of course it all depends on the right idea coming along, and I ended up with enough inspiration for two designs. It was indeed Christmas in July!

Blog Hop

Seaside Adventure Row Along – One Fish, Two Fish

Beatrice | September 13, 2021 | 13 Comments

What a crazy year it has been! Normally I would have written a few more posts about this year’s Row Along but with my constant health struggles I just didn’t have the time. Many of you are probably aware that Marian of Seams To Be Sew – who came up with the Row Along concept and organized the event every year – unexpectly passed away in March. We had just started the preparations and voted on the theme when we heard the news, and we decided to continue with the Row Along in Marian’s memory. Melissa of The Quilting Room With Mel kindly volunteered to take over as chairperson and put a lot of time and effort into making it happen.

One Fish, Two Fish EQ — One Fish, Two Fish – EQ Design

Inspiration for my row hit me when I was browsing the Northcott Fabrics website. They generously offered their fabrics to all the designers again this year, and we could choose anything from their current collections for our projects. I have always loved the look of ombré fabrics but I usually don’t really know what to do with them. When I saw the Stonehenge Gradations Ombré collection, the colorway Indigo jumped out at me right away. I could almost swear it was called “Ocean” at the time but I might be wrong. In any case, I suddenly had a vision of colorful fish swimming on this blue background, with the color getting darker towards the ocean floor and lighter towards the surface. The other fabric I chose was a light blue for the bubbles. Thank you once again, Northcott, for your beautiful fabrics.

DP39420-45 Stonehenge Gradations Ombre Indigo

For the fish, I used leftover batik scraps. The bright colors shine on the blue background, and batiks often have interesting patterns that I thought were perfect for tropical fish. The bubbles were scattered randomly across the background. The instructions are for fusible machine applique (the only kind I do), and I used a machine blanket stitch to applique the pieces.

Once again, I added borders and turned my row into a wall hanging. I would have entered it in this year’s quilt show but unfortunately Covid is still around, and we won’t be able to have one. I am keeping my fingers crossed for 2022.

The pattern for the row will be available for free download for a week. Afterwards the pattern for the complete wall hanging will be available for purchase.

EDIT: A week has come and gone, and the full pattern for the One Fish, Two Fish wall hanging is now available in the pattern store, if you missed the free row download.

Für die deutsche Version mit metrischen Maßen bitte dem Kauflink unten für die englische Version folgen und beim Checkout angeben, dass die deutsche Version gewünscht ist. Ich verschicke dann per email die Anleitung in der gewünschten Sprache.

And before you leave, don’t forget to check out the other two rows that are being published today. Visit Kris at Scrapdash and Althea at Blue Heron Quilting for two more fabulous free patterns. They are only free for a week, so be sure to visit right away. New rows will be posted every Monday until the end of October. For the full schedule please check The Quilting Room With Mel.

Block/Pattern of the Month

Monkey Business BOM – Block #9

Beatrice | September 1, 2021 | 10 Comments

Every time I think I am mostly back on track, life throws me another curve ball. I am struggling with health issues right now, and I completely forgot to schedule today’s BOM post. Luckily the blocks are all sewn, and the patterns are all written, so there won’t be much of a delay, now that I finally realized that today is September 1.

This month, we are going back to the beach where our little monkey has built a wonderful sand castle, decorated with shells and a little flag. As always, the pattern will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the October block is released.

EDIT: September is over, and the block has moved to the pattern store where it is now available for purchase if you missed the free download. If you just need the finishing instructions, they are still available for free download.

Wer nur die Anleitung zur Fertigstellung sucht, kann diese nun auch auf Deutsch kostenlos herunterladen.

Longarm

Yama to Kawa

Beatrice | August 10, 2021 | Leave a Comment

This modern quilt called “Yama to Kawa” was made by Jean. The pattern is by Lorna Shapiro, if you are local you have probably heard of her. She specializes in Japanese fabrics and silk. A few years ago she came to our guild for a trunk show, and her work is amazing. You can find out more about her on her website “Quilter’s Dream Fabrics”. Jean wasn’t sure how she wanted her project quilted and was undecided between custom quilting and a pantograph. I had to admit that this quilt didn’t immediately speak to me, it is a tough one to custom quilt. Looking through my pantograph collection, we found this one called “Time Warp”, and Jean liked it for her quilt. It picks up the rhomboid shapes of the quilt pattern and adds great texture.

Longarm

Sharon’s Binding Tool Star

Beatrice | August 4, 2021 | 1 Comment

“Binding Tool Star” is a very popular Missouri Star Quilt Co. pattern, and this is Sharon’s version. She put the star pieces together pointing outwards instead of inwards, quite an interesting variation of the original pattern. The “Binding Tool Star” is also very versatile when it comes to choosing a pantograph, almost anything goes. Sharon chose “Butterfly Tango” to complement the lovely spring colours in her quilt.

Block/Pattern of the Month

Monkey Business BOM – Block #8

Beatrice | August 1, 2021 | 12 Comments

It’s August already, and nothing is back to normal in my life but I am trying to reclaim things step by step. I have started to post again, hoping I can keep it up. I certainly have a ton of quilts to show! My garden is doing well although we are having a very hot and dry summer. Lots of watering required, next year I am planning on having more soaker hoses. It takes up a lot of time to water everything by hand. But the biggest news is that we have adopted two quilt inspectors for quality control 😉 We actually got them in mid-June when they were just three months old, and they are making such a difference in our life. We had cats in Germany and have always wanted to adopt some in Canada, and we felt we needed some emotional support and were lucky to be able to adopt these two cuties. Their names are Lexi and Lucy, and they are full of energy and mischief, always ready to get into trouble.

Quilt Inspectors Sleeping on the Job — Sleeping on the Job

Our Monkey friend has cut up a delicious watermelon this month and is offering slices for refreshment in the summer heat. Funny, I just realized that I don’t have watermelons in my garden, I should write them on next year’s list. The watermelon seeds are quite small. I appliqued them all but although I don’t mind small pieces, that was not a fun endeavour, so I changed them to embroidery for the pattern. Or you could sew on small black beads. I did that for a watermelon block some years ago, and it looked pretty neat. The August block will be available for free download until the end of the month and move over to the pattern store when the next block is released.

EDIT: August is over, and the block has moved to the pattern store where it is now available for purchase if you missed the free download. If you just need the finishing instructions, they are still available for free download.

Wer nur die Anleitung zur Fertigstellung sucht, kann diese nun auch auf Deutsch kostenlos herunterladen.

Longarm

Out Of The Box

Beatrice | July 30, 2021 | 3 Comments

This quilt in beige and brown colours was made by Bonnie. She knew right away that she wanted it quilted with “Diagonal Plaid Bias Cut”. This design is always a good choice when a quilt has lots of squares, and it complements Bonnie’s work nicely.

Longarm

La Vie En Rose

Beatrice | July 28, 2021 | Leave a Comment

This quilt was made by Sandra as a gift for her mom. The fabric she used for the sashing has grape leaves, and those inspired the choice of quilting pattern. “Ground Cover” is one of my favourite leaf patterns, the leaves look a bit like ivy but can also pass as grape leaves and were just right for this quilt.