Welcome to March and hopefully spring! A couple of weeks ago we had the nicest spring weather, and I spent some time digging around the garden. It was nice and sunny and felt almost warm and I was eager to get some vegetable seeds started. And then the weather changed, cold air from Alaska came in, and suddenly we had -10 degrees Celsius overnight. So much for an early spring. The cold air has moved on, and we are back to normal rainy weather. With all the craziness in the world right now I am really looking forward to puttering around the garden again, it keeps my mind off things and makes me feel much calmer.
Spring means Easter, and although Easter isn’t until April this year I have decided to publish the Easter block in March. Our little bunny friend is bringing the biggest Easter Egg he can carry, complete with a bow. This is another fairly simple block. Be creative with the fabric you use for the egg. My purple floral is fairly conservative, you can go all out here with your craziest scraps. The pattern will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the April block is released.
EDIT: The month of free download is over, and the block has moved to the pattern store where it is now available for purchase. 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.
I hope you all had fun with the first block of this year’s BOM. Before we get to the next bunny, I have a favour to ask. If you purchased any of my patterns through my website, you probably noticed that I make you read a paragraph about a PayPal error message during checkout. Most purchases go through just fine, and we have never been able to determine the cause of the error. The weird part is that even though the error message appears, the purchase goes through, and that leads to a lot of confusion and extra work. If you encounter this error, I’d appreciate if you could take a screenshot and send it to me. When we put the pattern store in test mode, it all works fine, and we never receive an error message. My son who has a BSc in computer science went through a huge log file of communication between my store and PayPal over the weekend, and he says it all works the way it is supposed to work. So seeing the actual error message would be extremely helpful and maybe give him a better idea of what is going on, and any help you can give us is very much appreciated.
And now let’s move on to the second Hunny Bunny. This month’s block is much easier to assemble, it doesn’t have as many pieces. Some spring activities are quite obvious but after a while I had to think about what else the bunnies could do. Well, bunnies hop around, so jumping rope seemed like a good idea, and I came up with this little guy. The rope is embroidered, I figured we didn’t really want to handle skinny, curvy pieces, and the fabric would be mostly covered by stitches anyway. If you add embroidered details by machine as I do, don’t forget to put some stabilizer underneath the fabric, you really need it for the rope, or the fabric will pull. As always, the February block will be available for free download until the end of the month and then move to the pattern store in March when the next block is published.
EDIT: The month of free download is over, and the block has moved to the pattern store where it is now available for purchase. 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.
Happy New Year 2022! I’ll repeat my wish from last year that this one might be better. 2021 has been a particularly bad year for me, and I really hope it will just be uphill from here. But I did manage to work on my patterns a lot during the last few months, and one of them is a brand new Block of the Month for 2022 called “Hunny Bunnies”. Once again there will be twelve blocks with a finished size of 10″. They all feature a bunny doing mostly human things, as you already know from my previous BOMs, “Monkey Business” and “Penguin Promenade“. It is a spring-themed quilt but not an Easter quilt, there will only be one Easter block.
The layout will be the same as last year’s, 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 bunnies. 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. 1.56 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: The month of free download is over, and the block has moved to the pattern store where it is now available for purchase. 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.
Drumroll… I proudly present next year’s Block of the Month project called “Hunny Bunnies”. After doing winter and summer in 2020 and 2021, the next logical step was a spring quilt, and when I thought of spring, bunnies immediately popped into my head. I also like rhymes and alliterations, and I have been a fan of the phrase “honey bunny” ever since watching the movie Pulp Ficton for the first time a very long time ago. I tried to make the basic bunny design less complicated than the monkey, he was fairly intricate with his hands and feet and all those points that needed to be cut for the fur. I also tried to make the blocks a bit less involved which didn’t always work.
This will be the first block* to be published in January. It has quite a few pieces but they are not as tiny and intricate as the monkey ones. The next blocks will be a lot less complicated. I debated just using the bunny with the carrot without the basket but it didn’t look right to me. The turquoise bow is the needed dot of colour that balances the whole block. The whole design came together surprisingly fast. Once I started thinking about it, it all poured out of me, and I think I drew all the blocks within two weeks. I had a lot of fun putting it all together, and I hope you will join me for next year’s Block of the Month. There will be twelve blocks again, finished block size will be 10″, and the final layout will be the same as for the Monkey Business quilt. The finishing instructions will be available for free download next December. It will be a spring-themed quilt but NOT an Easter quilt although there will be one Easter block.
The instructions for the first block will be published on January 1, 2022 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).
Someone asked last week about my handmade Christmas cards. Here is this year’s design which is a smaller version of my gingerbread man from my Ginger & Fred Mug Rugs pattern. They are not always this involved and most of the time not based on my patterns, it depends on what pops into my head and what fabrics I can find. The cards have a finished size of 4″ x 6″, and I create them like the AMCs that were all the rage about 15 years or so ago. I appliqué the top like a quilt block, then iron it to a stabilizer (I am using Timtex which is the closest thing I could find to the product I used in Germany). I also iron a piece of fabric to the back (not a busy design, something that I can write on), then I zig zag around the edges, and voilà. Easy enough to do, just time consuming, especially if the object is quite detailed. I usually make around twenty cards, and they go to a list of people who I know appreciate the effort.
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 2022 with the first block of the Hunny Bunnies BOM.
* The green border is NOT part of the block/quilt, there just wasn’t enough room for the text on the plain block.
And here we are, starting the last month of the year. It doesn’t really feel like December yet, especially with this warm and rainy weather. Not that it gets really cold here, compared to most parts of Canada, but still, it is too warm even by our standards. Now that gardening is pretty much on hold, I missed it and started a batch of radishes under grow lights. And of course I have been drawing a lot, and next year’s BOM seems to be right on track for a start on January 1. I am not promising anything yet but if nothing comes up unexpectedly, we should be good.
As for our Monkey friend, he is relaxing in a hammock under a palm tree today, not a care in the world. This was actually one of the earliest blocks I drew but then I decided it would make a great last block for this BOM. And I have also said that Block #12 would contain the finishing instructions but I have changed my mind about that. They are now available as an individual pattern with no charge, so make sure you download two patterns below. Block #12 will be free until the end of the month and move over to the pattern store in January. The finishing instructions will always be free. They are very simple, just sashing and one outer border, and I will use the same layout and measurements for next year’s BOM, so I can concentrate on the fun part (designing the blocks) and won’t have to worry about doing the math and double checking it seventeen times.
EDIT: The year is over, a new BOM has started, 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.
Can you believe it’s November already? The weather has been pretty nice so far, some rain, of course, but not too cold yet. I still have one butternut squash outside that isn’t quite ripe yet, so I am hoping for a few more nights without temperatures below freezing. Other than that, there is still some spinach and lettuce growing, and my Brussels sprouts are still a bit undecided. As much success as I had with all the other brassicas this year, for some reason the Brussels sprouts don’t like me. Too bad, because I really like them! Yes, I am am on of those people… if you hate them, don’t worry, it’s genetic. Neither of us can help it.
As for our monkey friends, this month’s block features where you would find me: sitting in the shade with a tropical drink in my hand, enjoying the view and a moment of leisure. As always, the pattern will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the last block will be published in December. And before you ask, yes, I have something new in the works for next year, but with all my health challenges right now, I can’t predict yet when exactly we will start. Just keep checking back or even better, subscribe to the blog or follow me on social media, so you don’t miss out. The links to my social media profiles can be found at the top of the sidebar.
EDIT: November 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
LexiLucySleeping 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.
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.
Happy Canada Day! As you can probably tell by the silence on my blog, my life is still very much in disarray. I am hoping to return to some kind of normal during July, but it might take until August to sort everything out. In addition to the emotional upset we spent the last few days under the heat dome in the Pacific Northwest, and no, we don’t have air conditioning. It was no fun but the worst seems to be over, and I managed to keep my vegetables well watered, and they all seem to be doing quite well. The spinach and corn salad bolted before the extreme heat, I had a great broccoli and cauliflower harvest, and the beans, cucumbers and squash seemed to love the weather. I am grateful every day that I continued with my vegetable garden experiment this year, it really helps me keep my sanity.
This month’s monkey is going on safari. This was the block that my husband thought was the most hilarious… a monkey in full safari outfit. But hey, he wants to see the animals too, right?? Coming up with ideas for twelve different blocks is not always easy, and sometimes I just start drawing and it takes me in a direction that I hadn’t really planned. I think for this block I was more thinking of a monkey going on a hike but when his hat ended up looking like a pith helmet I thought it was funny and went with it. As always, the safari monkey block will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store in August when the next block is released.
EDIT: July 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.
