Appliqué

Pattern

New Patterns: Moose Tracks Placemats and Moose on the Loose Mug Rugs

I needed a gift, and the recipient specifically asked for new mug rugs because the ones I had given her years ago had faded a bit over time. Isn’t it lovely when your handmade gifts are so appreciated that people actually ask for a replacement? I played around with a few ideas and eventually came up with this moose that makes me laugh every time I see it.

PPP-091 Moose on the Loose

I wanted the silly critter in my house too, so I made some for myself. Mine feature the moose holding a Canadian flag. They will make a nice decoration for Canada Day, which is coming up soon.

PPP-091 Canadian Moose on the Loose

Since I was on a roll, I also came up with a placemat design. This one was a bit tricky to draw. I kept adding different borders to the mug rug design, but none of them really appealed to me. It took some thinking outside the box – adding to the moose scene and moving it from the centre to a corner of the placemat – before things fell into place.

PPP-090 Moose Tracks

Both patterns include placement guides and templates for the respective moose scene and the mirror image scene, and also the Canadian flag add-on for each variation. The Canadian flag is, of course, completely optional and can easily be omitted.

The patterns are now available individually in the pattern store. For those of you who like me cannot decide which one they like better and simply must have both, there is also a discounted bundle available.



PPP-090-091-BDL Moose Bundle


Pattern

New Patterns: HedgeHUGS & Happy Breeze Pillows

After finishing the Hunny Bunny Pillows, I went back to another BOM, this time HedgeHUGS from 2023. I also had an extra block that I came up with back then that I wanted to turn into a pillow but never found the time. I also turned the original first block with the apple harvest into a pillow, and both are finally finished now. I guess I do finish something once in a while 😀

I have to admit though that I have so many ideas that I am getting a bit eager to move on from these older projects. Since I don’t have an extra Safari block, I have decided to focus on new ideas for now. I still think that the lion and the giraffe in particular would sell well as pillow patterns, and maybe I will get back to them eventually, but right now I have new and exciting things in the pipeline. The first couple of completely new patterns are almost ready – keep your eyes peeled!

But back to the HedgeHUGS: both patterns are now available individually in the pattern store, and of course I have put together some discounted bundles as well – one with both pillow patterns, and one with the complete HedgeHUGS collection including the original BOM quilt.



083-084 HedgeHUGS Pillow Bundle


076-083-084 HedgeHUGS Bundle


Quilt Show

Langley Quilt Show

Another weekend, another show… I felt good enough to drive to the Langley Quilt Show on Saturday and enjoyed looking at all the pretty quilts. Here are a few that spoke to me. You might see rainbow colours and a cat quilt again – I guess I am a bit predictable 😀

Raven

Rainbow Flowers

Heron

Vineyard Vista

Saguaro Sunset

I thought this Treble Clef quilt was striking in its simplicity.

Treble Clef

This cat quilt was hilarious. I especially like the cats poking their heads in from the sides.

Cats

And this one was very funny too. It is a bit hard to see in the picture but it has lots of seagulls that reminded me instantly of the flock in Finding Nemo.

Seagulls

I didn’t buy anything this time but was happy to see Bill and Heather from Heather’s Fabric Shelf in Kamloops at the Merchants Mall. Bill gave me my APQS beginner’s lesson a long time ago when I first bought my Millie, and I hadn’t seen them in ages. If you are on Facebook, I recommend following their shop page. Heather does a live video every morning, and even if you are nowhere near Kamloops, they are great entertainment. She also did live presentations of the other vendors in the Merchants Mall, including Angela from Cozy Cottons. 

 

Quilt Show

Quilt Show in Abbotsford

Last Friday and Saturday the Abbotsford Quilters Guild had their quilt show, and it worked out with my treatment cycles that I could go. I haven’t been to a show in ages, and it is always fun to see what others are working on and get inspired. I didn’t take a lot of pictures – I was busy taking in everything and chatting with all the people I hadn’t seen in ages, but here are some of my favourites from the show.

This darling ladybug quilt won second place in the challenge quilt category. For me it was the winner – I thought it was super cute, and it even has googly eyes!

Challenge Quilt

And of course there were some cat quilts, which are always favourites of mine. For the “Cats in Space” quilt, we thought they were foxes at first. Somebody else suggested squirrels. Furry and cute in any case!

Cats in Space

Cats 2

Cats 1

This “Grandmother’s Flower Garden” quilt had beautiful custom quilting.

Flower Garden

I love bright colours, and I am always drawn to quilts in rainbow colours. I liked the modern interpretation with the grey background and the fantastic quilting on this one.

Rainbow Stars

And the last one was my absolute favourite in the show. Personally I wouldn’t even want to attempt a Bargello quilt, but they are sure stunning. This one had great fabric choices, and I thought that the way the Bargello curve extends out into the outer border was a very creative detail.

Bargello

And of course we also visited the Merchants Mall. I am not a big shopper for stuff that I don’t need but I picked up a charm pack that I will turn into another donation quilt at some point.

Wild Honey Charm Pack

We had a great afternoon at the show – I am so glad I was able to go. The Langley quilt show is in three weeks, so keep your fingers crossed that I will be able to go there as well!

Personal Projects

The Final New Zealand Project: Pōhatu Penguins Wall Hanging

Since I was working almost continuously on the New Zealand projects anyway, I decided back in January to also tackle the Pōhatu Penguins Wall Hanging right away. Otherwise it would probably never get done – I had already had it on my list for two years! After finishing the Penguin Mug Rugs I bought some background fabric right away. Stonehenge Gradations by Northcott was exactly right and adds a nice Canadian touch to my final Kiwi project. I also had enough black and blue Nutex fabrics with Koru designs left over for the backing, binding, and even a hanging sleeve.

Pohatu Penguins Wall Hanging

The penguin appliqué came together quickly, and the quilting took a bit longer. I knew I wanted to quilt larger waves and then fill the background with all kinds of designs, and I am really happy with how it turned out. The quilting adds a lot of beautiful texture to the piece. In the original paintings by Ave that this wall hanging is based on, she used white to fill in the background waves, which adds an interesting contrast to the composition – and it made me realize what an intriguing design challenge it is to translate a painting into a quilt. The two art forms each have their own language, and I love how my little wall hanging found its own!

The people at Pōhatu Penguins are dedicated to conservation and do an amazing job protecting the White-flippered Penguins. I would like to thank Ave for sharing her wonderful talent with us, and if you ever find yourself in Akaroa (on the South Island of New Zealand, not too far from Christchurch), be sure to check out Pōhatu Penguins!

Pattern

New Patterns: Hunny Bunny, Batter Up & Bubble Time Pillows

Do you remember the Hunny Bunnies Quilt we did as a BOM a few years ago? I had so many ideas for blocks back then that I ended up with two additional designs, which I decided to turn into pillows. I even bought the fabric that I needed to make three companion pillows for the quilt, but, as always, time got away from me, and the pillows were never actually assembled.

Now after almost five years I finally returned to the project and freed the fabrics from their bin. Since I had the designs all done it didn’t even take that long to make them. Didn’t they turn out cute? The bunny with the carrot basket is the original first BOM block, and the baseball and bubble time bunnies are both new designs.

PPP-080 Hunny Bunny Pillow

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All three patterns are now available individually in the pattern store! They don’t take long to sew, especially if you do all three assembly line style, and they make great gifts too.




I have also put together a discounted bundle with all three pillow patterns, so you can get everything in one go and save a little at the same time.

080-081-082 Hunny Bunny Pillow Bundle

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And if you missed the Hunny Bunnies BOM back then, you can also get the quilt pattern together with all three pillow patterns as a discounted bundle – a great way to have the complete Hunny Bunnies collection.

067-080-081-082 Hunny Bunny Bundle

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Personal Projects

Pōhatu Penguins Mug Rugs

On the South Island of New Zealand, outside Christchurch near Akaroa, is a place called Pōhatu Penguins. More than 50 years ago, a family bought a farm and discovered that they had essentially purchased a penguin colony. This is the only colony of White-flippered Penguins, a subspecies of the Little Blue Penguin. Since then, they have combined farming with extensive conservation work.

We visited Pōhatu Penguins in February 2024 and again this past December. When we walked into their booking office the first time, I immediately spotted a painting on the wall that I would have loved to buy on the spot, but it was too large to carry home on the plane. The young man behind the counter explained that the artist was his wife and graciously allowed me to take a photo of the painting.

Pohatu Penguins Painting 1

The way she had painted the waves in the background reminded me of quilting, and it has been at the back of my mind ever since to recreate her artwork in fabric.

When we visited again, they had more of her art on display, including a smaller version of the Pōhatu Penguins painting. I was still a bit hesitant about taking it back on the plane, but my husband did not see a problem and promised he would carry it (which he did), so we bought it.

Pohatu Penguins Painting 2

I am still planning on making a wall hanging, but for now I have turned the penguins into mug rugs. I made one as a sample that I am keeping myself. I used contrasting thread for the quilting and did not really like it at first, but it has grown on me, and now that it is bound and finished I am quite happy with it.

Pohatu Penguin Mug Rug

I proceeded to make two more, this time using a thread colour for quilting that blends with the background, so it is more about texture. A friend of mine, who is currently travelling in Australia and New Zealand, took them with her and will mail them to Ave, the artist who created the penguin paintings. I felt that if I recreated her art in fabric, I should send her more than just pictures.

Pohatu Penguins Mug Rugs

If you ever find yourself in Akaroa, be sure you check out Pōhatu Penguins.

Pattern

New Pattern: Safari

After getting a bit of rest in early January, I felt well enough to finally quilt the Safari top. It all came together quickly, and I also assembled the full pattern in the meantime.

I have reactivated the pattern store for now. Please keep in mind that I have to fill orders manually and send out the patterns myself. As I am still undergoing treatments, I might not always be as fast as I would like to be.

PPP-078 Safari BOM Quilt

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I have also created a discount code – enter SAFARI20 at checkout to receive 20% off. The code is valid until February 13, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. PST and applies exclusively to the Safari quilt pattern.

Pattern

New Pattern: Yuletide Reflections

Here is a pattern I came up with last year while I was making Christmas cards. The card design and the little blocks I had stitched felt like they wanted to become a full Christmas quilt, so I bought more fabric and stitched one up in no time. I did not manage to write the pattern earlier with everything that was happening this year, but I finally pulled it together, just in time for Christmas.

PPP-079 Yuletide Reflections

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These are not my usual bright and bold colours, but there is something about the simple elegance of the black and white metallic fabrics that I really enjoy.

I have also created a discount code – enter YULE20 at checkout to receive 20% off. The code is valid until November 25, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. PST and applies exclusively to the Yuletide Reflections quilt pattern.

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