I want to thank everyone for their kind words and messages of encouragement and also clear up one small misconception. Dancing and quilting are my two big passions. Since I cannot dance right now, quilting has become my happy place. So when I feel well enough to work on quilts or patterns, it is not out of obligation. I have always loved designing, but my brain has to be in the right place for it. Being able to return to that creative work is actually a good sign.
The August block is a fat, cuddly Crocodile. Well, maybe do not try to actually cuddle him, but I wanted him to be more cute than scary. His belly looks quite full, so hopefully he is not in the mood to attack anyone.
As always, the pattern will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the next block is released.
April was a wild month for me, and not in a good way, so I am very glad it is over. I had a ventrogluteal injection right before Easter. Colloquially, you might say it was in the buttocks, but it is actually given higher up in the hip area. Everything went well until about six hours later, when my buttock muscles decided they did not like the injection and went into spasm. That put pressure on my sciatic nerve, and the pain was so intense that I had to go to the emergency room. I spent all of Easter flat on my back, unable to walk more than a few steps. It has improved since then, and I am able to walk around again and stand and sit, but the nerve is still very irritated and can be quite painful at times. The things you can get! I had scheduled a lot of blog posts ahead of time, and everything published right on schedule, but I could not keep up with social media. Here is to hoping that May will be better.
Our next Safari animal is a kudu, an African antelope with long horns that curl in a corkscrew shape. I had to simplify the curves in the horns a bit, but I think it is still very recognizable as a kudu. They are surprisingly good at blending in, even with those dramatic horns. Ours is doing its best with a mix of browns and beige.
As always, the pattern will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the June block is released.
EDIT: The period of free download is over, and the block has moved to the pattern store where it is now available for purchase.
Elaine is participating again in this year’s Safari BOM project, and as always, she is very reliable in sending me pictures of her finished blocks, which I appreciate very much. Her blocks are super cute, and I thought I would share them here in case any of you need a little extra inspiration. I especially love the tiny specks of light she added to the pupils of the animals’ eyes. They add so much realism! Click on the images for a larger view.
Welcome to April! I started a lot of seeds in March, most of them indoors because it is still too cold for many to survive outside. But my peas, radishes, spinach, and carrots are all in the ground, as they do not mind the occasional overnight frost.
My veggie beds are all in the backyard. In the front yard, I have the sunflower beds but not much else, so we have started turning the area into a rose garden. There was one very pretty rose there when we bought the house, a Peace Rose, with beautiful colouring and a wonderful scent. Then a friend came across a rose called Pumpkin Patch and just had to buy it for me. We added a few more, and they are doing really well, which gave us the idea to plant as many roses out front as will fit.
But roses are expensive, so this project will take multiple years. We have eight so far, and I have ordered four more, which I should be able to pick up any day now.
As for our Safari, it would not be a very satisfying experience without seeing a lion, would it? I fiddled around with his mane a lot, trying to keep it as simple as possible, but it needed to be a bit spiky to give it enough texture. I did not like the smooth variations I came up with, so be prepared to cut plenty of points. Overall, I am now very happy with the way he turned out, very majestic but still rather friendly-looking.
As always, the pattern will be available for free download until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the May 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.
It was a lot of work, but I am happy to announce that the pattern gallery on my website is finally finished. Pattern sales will continue through the Square shop, as this seems to be working well. However, organizing patterns into categories and adding tags on my website gives me better control, making it much easier for customers to find what they are looking for.
I have essentially recreated the old website shop while linking each item to the new Square shop. The main pattern list displays all patterns in numerical order, with the newest ones appearing first. I decided to bring back all individual blocks from previous BOMs, but to keep the main pattern list manageable, they and the pattern bundles are not included. Instead, there are links in the sidebar to view all individual blocks in numerical order, as well as the available pattern bundles.
When you click on a pattern, it takes you to its page on my website, not the Square store. There, you will find a detailed description, including measurements, required skills, and skill level. If the pattern is part of a series, all related items are listed at the bottom. The buttons link directly to the corresponding items in the Square pattern store.
All individual blocks from my BOM projects, starting with Tuxedo Cats, are available for purchase. They are listed in the individual block category but can also be accessed from the full quilt’s pattern page. Simply scroll down to the series list, where each block is linked directly to its item in the pattern store.
I have checked everything carefully, but with so many links to add, mistakes can happen. If you come across a link that does not lead where you expect, please let me know, and I will fix it as soon as possible. I hope you enjoy the new pattern catalogue. Happy browsing!
Mary, a local quilter and fellow guild member, purchased my One Fish, Two Fish pattern last year and recently sent me a picture of her finished quilt. I love seeing what people create with my designs. Mary used the fish pattern to bring her own underwater scene to life, and it turned out beautifully. Isn’t it just adorable?
If Mary’s quilt inspires you, here is a picture of my original design, along with a link to my pattern store where you can purchase the pattern.
Für die deutsche Version der Anleitung 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.
If you have pictures of projects you have finished using my designs, I would love to see them! Feel free to send them my way, and I would be happy to feature them here as well. My email address is on the back of the cover page of every pattern.
And we made it to March! I should be able to start my garden outside soon, and I am hoping to eat fresh asparagus by the end of the month. My asparagus bed is well established now, and I am really looking forward to cream of asparagus soup. It is wonderful to have something to harvest this early in the season while everything else is just beginning to grow.
For this month, our Safari sighting is a meerkat. One of my cats often assumes a meerkat position when she spots something especially interesting or exciting, and it always makes me laugh. So when I was looking for African animals and the meerkat came up, I just had to include it in this BOM. His round face turned out a bit cartoonish, but it was too charming to leave out. I hope you like him too!
Für meine deutschen Leser: Das deutsche Wort für meerkat ist Erdmännchen. In Afrika gibt es auch ein Tier, das auf Deutsch Meerkatze genannt wird, aber das ist eine Affenart und nicht mit den Erdmännchen verwandt. Manchmal machen Übersetzungen/Sprachen echt keinen Sinn.
As always, 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.
I am still catching up on pattern writing, and here is a design I came up with in 2022. You might remember my Happy Hippo Hop quilt—the original was made for a friend who is a square dance caller and was expecting her first baby. It was inspired by the song I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, which she loved to sing during dances in December.
But her true love are Holstein cows. She has a huge collection of stuffed cows and cow-themed items, and for her birthday, the hall is usually decorated with cows while everyone wears black and white. So after her son was born, I said to my husband, If Heather ever has another child, I am going to make her a Holstein cow quilt.
In the summer of 2022, she announced that she was expecting again… and guess what? She was expecting twins! The Holstein cow theme was actually perfect for twins—black and white pair well with any colour. I ended up making two quilts for her and one for myself as a pattern sample, each with different feature colours. Her twins, a boy and a girl, received the turquoise and orange quilts, while I kept the purple one as my sample.
When I thought about a matching pillow, I could not decide whether I liked the full cow block or the smiling cow face with the daisy better. So, I ended up with two different pillow designs—and I love them both!
All three patterns are now available for purchase in the pattern store! I have created a discount code—enter MOO20 at checkout to receive 20% off. The code is valid until February 21, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PST and applies exclusively to The Moo Crew quilt, the A Whole Lotta Moo pillow, and the Blossom Belle pillow patterns.
Diese Anleitungen sind auf Deutsch nicht verfügbar, und auch zukünftige Anleitungen – einschließlich des Safari BOM – wird es nicht mehr auf Deutsch geben. Bisher habe ich zumindest für kleinere Projekte noch deutsche Anleitungen mit metrischen Maßen geschrieben, aber mit der Schließung von Makerist zum 1. April fällt mein Hauptvertriebsweg weg, und der Aufwand lohnt sich für mich nicht mehr.
If you would like all three patterns, I have also created a discounted bundle, which will be available until further notice.
The two pillows are also available as a bundle with a discounted price until further notice.
And we are back with the next instalment of the Safari Block of the Month! I hope you enjoyed working on the little giraffe in January.
This month’s block features an ostrich. Ostriches are the largest living birds. They cannot fly, but they can run incredibly fast. While they are farmed all over the world, they are native only to Africa.
Here is a fun fact I discovered while designing this block: ostriches have only two toes. I noticed their feet looked unusual when I was studying pictures, as I somehow expected them to have at least three toes. Before finalizing the design, I double-checked and confirmed that they indeed have just two.
I had the assembled block sitting on the ironing board for a few days before I found the time to stitch down the pieces. Every time I walked by, I could not help but laugh at the silly face looking back at me.
For this block, I decided to make the ostrich pink and purple because I wanted something more colourful than just black and white. Interestingly, the black and white ostriches I usually picture are males, while females have brownish-grey feathers. Huh, the things you learn while designing quilt blocks!
The pattern is available for free download until the end of the month—here is the link. Have fun with it! And if you have a picture of your finished block, I would love for you to share it with me.
EDIT: The month of free download is over, and the block has moved to the pattern store where it is now available for purchase.
