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.

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

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)

(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)

Just a quick update: I have a very early medical appointment tomorrow and will probably not be back by 9 am to release the second block. You all know that I don’t like to schedule these free pattern releases for automatic publishing when I am not around for potential troubleshooting. So tomorrow you will have to wait another hour or two, depending on the weather and how busy the roads are. I will release the block as soon as I am back. Please don’t send me messages or comments, wondering where the block is. Thank you for understanding.

Happy New Year 2023! Best wishes for a great year to all of you, and welcome to my brand new Block of the Month “HedgeHUGS”. Once again there will be twelve blocks with a finished size of 10″. They all feature a hedgehog doing mostly human things, as you already know from my previous BOMs, “Hunny Bunnies”, “Monkey Business” and “Penguin Promenade”. This is a fall-themed quilt but not centered around a specific holiday. When I first announced the BOM last month, I learned that hedgehogs are not native to North America. I didn’t know that! They are all over the place in Germany but of course it was wrong to assume they’d be around here too. 

The layout will be the same as the last two years, the finished quilt size is approx. 52″ x 64″. The finishing instructions will be available for free download in December as a separate pattern. I am always happy to see pictures of your finished blocks, my email address can be found on the cover page of every pattern, in the lower left corner, so feel free to send them my way.

I have also provided an estimate on the cover page of the amounts of fabrics you need if you want to use the same fabrics for all twelve hedgehogs. For the accessories just dive into your scrap bin and see what you have. The exact colours don’t really matter, just go with what you have and don’t forget to have fun!

The free pattern will only be available in English/Imperial again. There will be a German/metric version available for purchase later. The rest of the rules are the same as always, and I copied them from last year’s post:

A new block will be published on the first day of every month at 9 am Pacific Standard/Daylight Time. Any changes I might have to make due to unforeseen circumstances beyond my control will be announced here on the blog. Since I am in the Pacific time zone,  it will already be the second day of the month for some of you. Please be patient and please don’t email me asking when the next block will be published. I don’t like to schedule posts to be published in the middle of the night. There can always be a problem with one of the pattern files, and I would like to be able to fix it within minutes instead of waking up to dozens of messages complaining about the bug. If you find an issue, then please don’t hesitate to contact me, so I can fix it ASAP.

Each block will be available for free download during the month of its publication. It will be moved to the store section when the next block is published. If you miss a block, you can still purchase it for a small fee. Please do not email me asking me to send you the pattern for free. I will ignore these requests. I only charge $2 per block (and that’s Canadian dollars – as I write this, this amount equals approx. 1.48 US dollars and 1.38 Euros – you can’t even get a decent coffee for these amounts anymore!), and I will make bundle packs available again for three or six blocks, once we get there, that will give you an additional discount. Please respect my copyright and don’t pass your copy of the pattern on to your friend who might have missed the free download. This will just result in designers not offering free patterns anymore.

Thank you for reading all this, and without further ado, here is the download link for the first block. Enjoy!

EDIT: If you missed the free download in January, Block #1 is now available for purchase in the pattern store.

Click to purchase HedgeHUGS Block #1 pattern (English/Imperial)

EDIT: Auch die HedgeHUGS wird es auf Deutsch/in metrischen Maßen geben, allerdings nur als Kaufmuster. Block 1 ist jetzt im Pattern Store verfügbar.

(Kauf)Anleitung HedgeHUGS Block #1 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

You might have guessed it already, next year’s BOM project will be a fall quilt. When I decided on a summer setting for the Monkey Business quilt I already had the idea in the back of my head to do spring and fall afterwards. This year we had bunnies for spring, and in 2023 it will be hedgehogs with all kinds of fall activities. There will be a Halloween block (but only one) and also one for Thanksgiving but it will be centered around fall in general and not a specific holiday. Hedgehogs were my first idea for fall but can you imagine how hard it is to draw a hedgehog that can be sewn?? I was ready to give up more than once, and I seriously thought of changing it to squirrels but all my attempts to draw a squirrel looked too much like this year’s bunnies and I eventually went back to the hedgehog idea. I can draw a hedgehog just fine but nobody would want to cut out all those spikes! So this little guy ended up with just a spiky haircut, enough to make him a hedgehog but still simple enough that cutting the pieces will be doable.

As always, the logo is also the first block* to be published in January. The brown fabrics I used for my sample are a bit darker than the ones in the logo, and I like it even better that way. But you will have to wait until January 1 to find out what it looks like 🙂 Getting the hedgehog just right was once again the most difficult part, the rest came together fairly quickly. I tried to keep it simple but it wasn’t always possible, oh well. But even though there are quite a few pieces most of them are not tiny, and the blocks come together quickly.

The instructions for the first block will be published on January 1, 2023 at 9 am PST, and the rules will be pretty much the same as before, I will post details with the first block. The blocks will be available for free download during the month of their publication (in English/Imperial only).

I also made Christmas cards again this year, and this time I chose an easier design with less intricate piecing. I came up with these pretty ornaments, a nice way to show off some Christmas fabrics.

Thank you for stopping by, and have a happy and safe holiday season. I am going to take the next two weeks off, and I will see you all in 2023 with the first block of the HedgeHUGS BOM.

*The orange border is NOT part of the block/quilt, there just wasn’t enough room for the text on the block.

And just like that, another year is almost over. Six or seven weeks ago we still had almost 30°C (over 80F), and suddenly Christmas is just around the corner. I think everyone was surprised by that this year, my quilting Christmas rush started a bit later than usual too but then of course it came with a vengeance, and everybody dropped off their quilts at the same time. I do have another BOM in the works for next year, and timewise it is looking good for a start date of January 1, 2023. So stay tuned, I’ll announce it sometime later this month.

But first we need to get to our last Hunny Bunny block. This month’s bunny is enjoying a rainbow. I visited Hawaii once a very long time ago, and I really liked how they said “no rain, no rainbows” over there. I have been meaning to come up with a rainbow design for quite a while but it turned out to be more difficult than I originally thought. I fiddled around with it until I finally put the colours into separate arcs that don’t really connect, that makes the assembly of the block so much easier. Have fun hunting through your scraps for just the right rainbow colours! And don’t forget that the finishing instructions are also available for download now. They are very simple (sashing and outer border), and of course feel free to come up with a more creative layout. The December block will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store in January. The finishing instructions will always be free.

EDIT: The year is over, a new BOM has started, and block #12 has moved to the pattern store and is now available for purchase if you missed the free download. I have also created special pricing bundles again for blocks 10, 11 & 12 and also for blocks 7-12, in case you missed a whole bunch. The full Hunny Bunnies pattern is also available for purchase now for those who missed most or all of the free blocks. If you just need the finishing instructions, they are still available for free download.

Click to purchase Hunny Bunnies Block #12 pattern (English/Imperial)

Click to purchase Hunny Bunnies pattern bundle 10, 11 & 12 (English/Imperial)

Click to purchase Hunny Bunnies pattern bundle 7-12 (English/Imperial)

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

Click to download Hunny Bunnies Finishing Instructions (English/Imperial)

Auch Block #12 ist jetzt auf Deutsch und in metrischen Maßen erhältlich. Es gibt auch wieder Blockbündel zum Sonderpreis, entweder die Blöcke 10, 11 und 12 oder die Blöcke 7-12 komplett. Die Anleitung für den kompletten Hunny Bunnies Quilt ist jetzt ebenfalls auf Deutsch erhältlich. Wer nur die Anleitung zur Fertigstellung sucht, kann diese nun auch auf Deutsch kostenlos herunterladen.

(Kauf)Anleitung Hunny Bunnies Block #12 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

(Kauf)Anleitungsbündel Hunny Bunnies 10, 11 & 12 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

(Kauf)Anleitungsbündel Hunny Bunnies 7-12 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

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

Anleitung zur Fertigstellung des Quilts (Deutsch/Metrisch) kostenloser Download

It’s November, and the vegetable garden is barely done. The weather is truly unbelievable this year, unfortunately not in a good way. I pulled everything before the big rain, and now arctic air is in the forecast, so that was the right decision, not much time left to clean up everything. But I still found two cucumbers growing on the vines, and I have lots of green tomatoes ripening inside. And I have so many carrots that I don’t know what to do with them… I have peeled and chopped and blanched and frozen so many over the weekend that my fingers seem to be permanently stained orange. If you are local and want some carrots, let me know, I have plenty.

This month’s block is the most complicated of the whole set. Feel free to simplify as much as you can. I debated taking out the bees but I think they are cute, and if you don’t want to fiddle with the small pieces, be creative. Find some bee buttons. Or fussy cut some bee fabric and appliqué. Or maybe embroider them. You have options 🙂 I really like my little beekeeper bunny and had fun putting it together. The pattern will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store in December when the last block is released.

EDIT: If you missed the free download in November, Block #11 is now available for purchase in the pattern store.

Click to purchase Hunny Bunnies Block #11 pattern (English/Imperial)

EDIT: Auch Block 11 ist jetzt auf Deutsch/in metrischen Maßen im Pattern Store verfügbar.

(Kauf)Anleitung Hunny Bunnies Block #11 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

And suddenly it’s October, and the last quarter of the year begins. We still have summer weather with pretty hot temperatures (by our standards) forecast for the whole week. On some level we certainly deserve this because June was so cold and wet but on the other hand it is not exactly normal and we really need some rain. But it is good for my butternut squash that has struggled in previous years and is doing exceptionally well now. I have seven more on the vine that need another two or three weeks without frost to be ready. And I gambled and planted a third crop of bush beans, and the first ones are ready to be picked now. After all my complaining in the beginning I have to admit that the garden season turned out quite well in the end.

Our bunny friend is also busy in the garden this month but not tending to flowers or veggies. The garden fence needed some maintenance, so he grabbed a brush and a can of paint and is doing his best to cover it with an even coat of paint without making too much of a mess. The last blocks are a little more detailed/complicated, so feel free to simplify or embroider small details. Once again the pattern will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the November block is realeased.

EDIT: If you missed the free download in October, Block #10 is now available for purchase in the pattern store.

Click to purchase Hunny Bunnies Block #10 pattern (English/Imperial)

EDIT: Auch Block 10 ist jetzt auf Deutsch/in metrischen Maßen im Pattern Store verfügbar.

(Kauf)Anleitung Hunny Bunnies Block #10 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

Where did summer go? I can’t believe it’s already September. However we had cool and rainy weather until the end of June, so I guess it’s no surprise that only two months of proper summer weather feels a bit short. And while I don’t like that it is getting darker every morning, I do enjoy that it is cooler and doesn’t usually heat up as quickly anymore. My garden is doing great, and I seem to be able to keep the powdery mildew away for longer this year… keeping fingers crossed. With our climate here it usually takes over at some point, and while the squashes do mostly okay, last year I had to pull my second batch of peas in mid-August because all the plants were so heavily covered in mildew that they were just done. Somebody in my gardening group said that spraying them with a solution of half milk and half water every few days as a preventive measure works really well, something about the milk protein reacting with the sunlight (?). That sounded easy enough, and as soon as the second batch of peas emerged in July I have been spraying the peas, cucumbers and squash plants. Aside from the occasional sour mik smell and the fact that the milk residue builds up on the leaves which doesn’t look too pretty it seems to be working really well. The peas are flowering and producing pods, and I have more cucumbers and butternut squash than ever before.

Our bunny friend is using the garden for a different purpose this month, hanging up laundry. While it is so much easier to just stuff wet clothes into the dryer than hanging them on the line, nothing feels and smells as good as freshly sun/wind-dried laundry. As always, the pattern for this block will be free until the end of the month and then move to the pattern store when the next block is published in October.

Edit: If you missed the free download in September, the pattern is now available for purchase in the pattern store. I have also created a discount bundle for blocks 7, 8 and 9, if you missed more than just one download.

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

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

Auch Block 9 ist jetzt auf Deutsch/mit metrischen Maßen als Kaufmuster erhältlich. Es gibt auch wieder ein Bündel zum Sonderpreis für die Blöcke 7, 8 und 9.

(Kauf)Anleitung Hunny Bunnies Block #9 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

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