For the first time ever, I am publishing a block early. I will be busy square dancing all weekend, and I don’t want to have to deal with it first thing next week, especially since the Christmas rush is picking up speed, so here is a nice little treat for Halloween. Well, maybe not… it still is October 31 here as I am writing this, and the trick or treating hasn’t even really started yet but for most of you it is already November. Can you believe there is only one block left? I am still undecided if I want to do another BOM next year. I have more ideas than I can ever handle, I just have to decide if I want to put that pressure on myself for another year. I will think about it this month, stay tuned. For November, we have a jumping kitty. Isn’t it amazing how high they can jump just like that? A very long time ago, when I was living in my first apartment back in Germany where we don’t usually have built in closets, I had a big wardrobe in a nook near the entrance door. When I moved out and we took it apart, I discovered paw prints in the dust on top of it. I still don’t know how my silly cat managed to jump up there, I would have sworn it was too high but still she did it. She also managed to fall behind a china cabinet once and get trapped there but that’s a story for another day 😀 The November block will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the store section when the final block is published in December.

Click to download Tuxedo Cat #11 pattern (English/Imperial)

Tuxedo Cat #11 Download (Deutsch/Metrisch)

November is just around the corner, and this time I am going to publish the block EARLY. I won’t have time to do it on Friday, Saturday or Sunday and have decided to do it Thursday night instead. Since I am way behind timezone-wise, it will be November 1 for most of you anyway. But this also means that the October block will move to the store section early. If you haven’t downloaded it already, please do it now before I move it on Thursday night.

October is quilt show month in Chilliwack which means I am super busy again. I didn’t do much in September, my mom was visiting from Germany, and it was her first visit to North America. We took her on a nice trip down to Seattle, Mount Rainier and the Olympic Peninsula, then took the ferry back to Vancouver Island and spent a few days there. Then I dragged her with me to quilt guild meetings and square dancing, and we also went up to Kelowna where our son is going to school at UBC Okanagan. We had a few very rainy days but overall we were lucky with the weather… a week later, and there would have been snow on the Coquihalla (that’s the Highway Thru Hell, if you are familiar with the TV show). We had a great time, and after she left I discovered that I had nothing left to do for this month’s BOM pattern other than write this post. Looks like I was well organized ahead of time, and I don’t even remember 🙂 As always, the pattern will be available for free download until the end of the month and move over to the store section when the November block is published.

EDIT: The November block has been published, and October’s kitty moved over to the store. It is now available for purchase if you missed the free download.

Click to purchase Tuxedo Cat #10 pattern (English/Imperial)

(Kauf)Anleitung Tuxedo Cat #10 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

A big thank you to all of you for your patience and especially those who took the time to leave a comment. I know that I don’t owe anybody anything but the internet can be a weird place. Being a perfectionist and overachiever I realize that I am usually putting more pressure on myself than necessary, so not publishing the block on time is a big thing for me. Progress, I guess 🙂 And thanks for all the good wishes for my son. He is already starting his third year at the university, time sure flies. He just added math as a second major, “for fun”. I am sure that anyone who thinks college level math is fun, will do just fine. Speaking of fun, our Tuxedo Cat has his Ginger Cat buddy with him in September’s free pattern. Those two must be watching something interesting… probably birds or squirrels. The pattern will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the store section when the October block is published.

Edit: Block #9 is now available for purchase if you missed the free download. I have also created another bundle with blocks #7, 8 and 9.

Click to purchase Tuxedo Cat #9 pattern (English/Imperial)

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

(Kauf)Anleitung Tuxedo Cat #9 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

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

September 1 is coming up, and there is no way that I can find the time to publish the next block on that day, with our son moving into a dorm room. Move in day is always crazy, and I am not going to put more pressure on myself, trying to get everything up and running on the blog and across social media while helping him move. I will publish the September block on September 2 at the usual time (9 am PDT), and the August block will stay available for free download until then. Thank you for understanding.

I hope you are all enjoying your summer and doing fun things while the weather is good. Or stay inside and sew, if it gets too hot. I seem to be allergic to something and spend a lot of time hiding inside, hoping we will either figure out what’s going on or it will just go away. But looking on the bright side, I am getting a lot of sewing done and finally feel I am accomplishing something. I am actually writing this a week in advance… a whole week, that’s absolutely unheard of 🙂 This month’s block shows a stretching kitty, probably just woke up from a nap. It will be available for free until the end of August but please make sure you download right away as I am not sure yet about the timing for next month’s block. My son will be moving from off campus to a dorm room for the next term, and we will be busy Labour Day weekend helping him move. I might have to post the September block earlier or later, but I will definitely announce in advance what I am going to do.

Edit: The next block has been published, and the August block has moved to the store section. It is available for purchase now, in case you missed the free download.

Click to purchase Tuxedo Cat #8 pattern (English/Imperial)

(Kauf)Anleitung Tuxedo Cat #8 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

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.

EDIT: It’s August, and the July block moved to the store section. If you missed the free download, it is now available for purchase.

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

(Kauf)Anleitung Tuxedo Cat #7 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

June has arrived, and summer is here. Can you believe that we are already halfway through the Tuxedo Cats blocks? The months have just been flying by. I will be in Germany when you read this, and I have made changes to my schedule for when I return, and hopefully I will feel less stressed and have a little more time to do some sewing. Here is this month’s kitty, providing another dot of colour with her red water bowl. The pattern is available for free download until the end of the month and will move over to the store on Canada Day with the release of the seventh block.

EDIT: Block #6 has moved to the store and is available for purchase now for those who missed the free download. I have also created block bundles for the last three blocks and all six blocks at a special discount price.

Click to purchase Tuxedo Cat #6 pattern (English/Imperial)

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

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

(Kauf)Anleitung Tuxedo Cat #6 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

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

(Kauf)Anleitungsbündel Tuxedo Cats 1-6 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

Welcome to May! And to shake things up a little, I will begin this month’s post by talking about next month’s block 🙂 The June block will be published on the 1st of the month, as always, but it might be at a different time. I will be in Germany in early June, and depending on my plans that day and how much time I have, it might be a little earlier or later. Yes, I know I can just schedule the post but sometimes that doesn’t work (some kind of WordPress bug), and I also need time to update the previous post and share the block on social media. In any case, please make sure you download the pattern right away and don’t wait until the very last minute. If you are an email subscriber, you will receive a notification when the new pattern is posted. But now back to the present and the May block which might be my favourite block of the whole quilt. I love how the sleeping kitty turned out, and I can almost see her paws twitching while she chases something in her dream. The pattern is available for free download until the end of the month and will move over to the store when I post the June block.

Edit: Block #6 has been published, and Block #5 is now available for purchase in the store section if you missed the free download.

Click to purchase Tuxedo Cat #5 pattern (English/Imperial)

(Kauf)Anleitung Tuxedo Cat #5 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

Can you believe it is April already? I know, I know… that’s what I say every month. But I can barely believe that the first quarter of 2019 is already over. I started the year with an enormous to do list, and it feels like I am not getting anything done. I am getting to the point where I feel constantly stressed, desperately trying to catch up, and I have realized that I need to make some changes. This does not affect the Tuxedo Cats BOM project, no need to get worried. But I need to slow down and find some time to relax. People have begun to ask me if I am okay because I always look so tired, and I got the hint 🙂 It is supposed to be fun after all, so I will make sure to quilt less and get a little more rest. This month’s block has a cat looking back at us, and the pieces are not as small as the last couple of months. The pattern is available for free download until next month and will move to the store section when I post the May block.

Ich kann kaum glauben, dass es nun schon April ist. Ich weiß, ich weiß, das sage ich jeden Monat… aber ich kann es wirklich nicht fassen, dass das erste Vierteljahr 2019 vorbei ist. Ich hatte das Jahr mit einer langen Liste von Projekten begonnen, und irgendwie habe ich immer das Gefühl, das ich nichts schaffe. Mittlerweile fühle ich mich ständig gestresst und habe immer das Gefühl, aufholen zu müssen. In der letzten Woche bin ich dann zu dem Schluss gekommen, dass ich einige Dinge ändern muss, so geht das einfach nicht weiter. Ich brauche schon aus gesundheitlichen Gründen ein bisschen mehr Entspannung, und nachdem die Leute nun schon angefangen haben zu fragen, ob es mir gut geht, weil ich immer so müde aussehe, habe auch ich endlich begriffen, dass es so nicht geht. Daher habe ich beschlossen, die deutschen Versionen meiner Muster einzustellen. Keine Sorge, die Tuxedo Cats mache ich natürlich noch fertig, und alle Muster, die auf Deutsch verfügbar sind, bleiben es auch. Aber neue Muster wird es auf Deutsch und mit metrischen Maßen nicht mehr geben. Mit dem Gedanken trage ich mich schon seit einiger Zeit, der Markt dafür ist einfach zu klein und rechtfertigt den Aufwand nicht. Auch die Post schreibe ich in Zukunft nur noch auf Englisch, es kostet einfach zuviel Zeit, alles doppelt zu schreiben. Ich bitte um Verständnis für diese Entscheidung, aber gesundheitlich halte ich das nicht länger durch. Und hier kommt nun die April-Katze, die wieder etwas größere Teile hat als die beiden letzten Muster. Wie immer bleibt sie den ganzen Monat lang frei verfügbar und wandert im Mai dann in den Shop.

Edit: Block #4 is available for purchase now that the 5th block has been published. If you missed the free download, you can head over to the store section for the pattern.

Click to purchase Tuxedo Cat #4 pattern (English/Imperial)

(Kauf)Anleitung Tuxedo Cat #4 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

It is funny how February always seems to fly by. Yes, it is the shortest month but two days shouldn’t make much of a difference. But I am not unhappy to see it go, after a very mild winter with no snow at all the weather decided we needed some before we could move on to spring. At least it has been mostly sunny, and the snow on the mountains does look pretty. But now it is time for spring, and next week it is supposed to get warmer. I am keeping my fingers crossed. This month’s tuxedo cat is playing with a ball of yarn which brings a red dot of colour to the quilt. The face details need to be embroidered, even I didn’t try to appliqué them. The pattern is available for free download until the end of March and will move over to the store when the next block is released. Scroll down to the end of the post to download the pattern file.

Note: The pattern has a new format/layout. There is a reason for this change that I will explain at a later date. The cover page is now in landscape format, and the fabric requirements can be found on the left side (which would be the back of a printed and folded pattern).

Es ist schon komisch, wie schnell der Februar immer vorbeizufliegen scheint. Er ist zwar der kürzeste Monat, aber so viel sollten zwei Tage dann auch nicht ausmachen. Ich beklage mich aber nicht, nach einem sehr milden Winter mit gar keinem Schnee beschloss das Wetter dann, dass es ohne Schnee keinen Frühling geben kann und versorgte uns reichlich damit. Zum Glück war es meistens sonnig, und der Schnee auf den Bergen sieht schon hübsch aus. Aber jetzt wird es langsam Zeit für den Frühling, nächste Woche sollen die Temperaturen steigen, und ich drücke die Daumen, dass das auch stimmt. In diesem Monat enthält der Tuxedo Cat Block einen Farbtupfer, ein rotes Wollknäuel, mit dem die Katze spielt. Auge und Nase müssen diesmal aufgestickt werden, nicht mal ich habe versucht, diese Teile zu applizieren. Wie immer gibt es das Muster kostenlos bis zum Monatsende, und es wird in den Shop umziehen, wenn der nächste Block veröffentlicht wird.

Achtung: Die Anleitung hat ein neues Format/Layout. Das hat einen Grund, auf den ich zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt eingehen werde. Die erste Seite ist jetzt im Querformat, und die Liste der benötigten Stoffe findet sich auf der linken Seite (bei einer gedruckten und auf A5 gefalteten Anleitung wäre das die Rückseite des Patterns).

Edit: The third block moved over to the store section and can be purchased there if you missed it. I have also created a discount bundle for the first three blocks in case you missed them all.

Edit: Der März-Block ist in den Shop umgezogen und kann dort erworben werden. Es gibt jetzt auch ein Bündel mit den ersten drei Blöcken zum Sonderpreis, falls jemand noch einsteigen möchte und alle bisherigen Blöcke verpasst hat.

Click to purchase Tuxedo Cat #3 pattern (English/Imperial)

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

(Kauf)Anleitung Tuxedo Cat #3 (Deutsch/Metrisch)

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

I hope you all enjoyed last month’s tuxedo cat block. February has a brand new block available for free download, featuring a kitty sprawled on the floor. Or maybe on the couch or possibly your computer keyboard where for some strange reason they always like to sit. In order to make the whole cat fit into the 10″ block, the pieces had to be smaller than in last month’s pattern. The black and white pieces still have a reasonable size but the pink and green details are very small. It is still possible to appliqué them with the fusible web method but if you don’t like handling tiny pieces, embroider them instead. It is supposed to be fun, please don’t feel you have to do it the way I do it. I love tiny pieces. Really, I do. I am kinda weird that way.

There was also a little confusion last month about pages that appeared to be empty. 10″ is not a good block size for printing on letter-sized pages. If you add the title, the block will be spread out over four pages although two of them will be almost empty. If there are just a couple of lines on two of the pattern pages, don’t worry, you still have the full pattern. You probably don’t even need to print them if you don’t mind eyeballing the placement of the cat. But if I left them out I would get complaints about missing pages.

Und weiter geht es mit dem nächsten Tuxedo Cat Block. Im Februar gibt es zum freien Download eine weitere schwarz-weiße Katze, diesmal gemütlich auf dem Boden ausgestreckt. Oder auf dem Sofa. Oder vielleicht auch auf der Computertastatur, wo Katzen ja komischerweise gern liegen. Damit die ganze Katze in den 26 cm großen Block passt, müssen die Teile ein bisschen kleiner sein als im letzten Monat. Die schwarzen und weißen Teile haben noch eine vernünftige Größe aber die rosa und grünen Details sind schon sehr klein. Mit Vliesofix lassen sie sich immer noch applizieren, aber wem das zu fitzelig ist, kann gern auch diese Details aufsticken. Es soll ja Spaß machen, und nicht jeder arbeitet so gern mit winzigen Teilen wie ich.

Edit: Der Februar-Block ist in den Shop umgezogen. Wer den freien Download verpasst hat, kann ihn nun dort erwerben.

Edit: If you missed the free download in February, the block is now available for purchase.

Click to purchase Tuxedo Cat #2 pattern (English/Imperial)

(Kauf)Anleitung Tuxedo Cat #2 (Deutsch/Metrisch)