Appliqué - Pumpkin Patch

Hunny Bunnies BOM – Block #6

Beatrice | June 1, 2022 | 6 Comments

Welcome to June and (almost) summer! Although it sure doesn’t feel like summer up here in the Pacific Northwest! May Long Weekend was quite nice, and we are supposed to have a few warmer days this week but other than that the forecast looks not very promising. But at least the overnight temperatures are warmer now, and I was able to put out all my tomatoes, cucumbers and squash plants. The cukes and squash collection especially was quite a jungle already! I started them later than last year but once they sprout, they just grow like crazy. The brassicas (brassicae? I studied Latin for seven years, I guess that still shows sometimes LOL), seem to like the weather though, as do the peas. The potatoes are looking good too. My husband suggested last week that we should grow sweet potatoes next year. Ha… I wouldn’t even know where to put those. We are definitely running out of space in the backyard. Maybe we need to put a bed or two out in front of the house? Something to ponder next fall/winter.

For this month’s bunny block, we have a little guy riding his scooter. My original idea was riding a bicycle but that would have been too complicated. The scooter was difficult enough to simplify, a bike would have been impossible. I didn’t even know where to start and quickly changed the plan. Of course he is wearing a helmet for safety reasons, get ready to dive into your scrap bins for just the right kind of fabric. The pattern will be available for free download (English/Imperial only) until the end of the month and move to the pattern store when the July 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.

Longarm

Welcome Home

Beatrice | May 30, 2022 | 4 Comments

“Welcome Home” was made by Sharon, and as you can probably tell I had a lot of fun custom quilting it. This is such a sweet quilt with lots of details to discover… birds, dogs, cats and even sheep. Sharon added buttons and ric rac for details, and the sheep are three-dimensional. Truly a labour of love.

Pattern

New Patterns: Bunny Buddies Quilt & Pillow

Beatrice | May 13, 2022 | Leave a Comment

When I started playing around with bunny ideas last year for the new BOM, I got sidetracked and came up with a different bunny pattern. I quite liked it even though it wasn’t suitable at all for a BOM. I have been working on it on and off, and the pattern is now ready to be released. The Bunny Buddies are simple shapes, so if my usual tiny pieces are not your cup of tea or if you have never tried your hands at fusible appliqué, this is a great pattern to start with. You can even substitute the bunny tails for circles instead of the flower shapes that I used. I also created a matching pillow, I just love the bunny silhouettes, and especially the little guy with the floppy ear.

Both patterns are now available for purchase in the pattern store. I have also created a discount code, if you enter BUNNY20 you will get 20% off. The code is valid until May 20, 2022 (11.59 pm PDT) and applies to the Bunny Buddies and Bunny Buddies Pillow patterns only.

Die Anleitung für den Bunny Buddies Quilt ist auf deutsch nicht verfügbar. Für die deutsche Version des Kissens 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 want both patterns, I have also created a bundle at a discount price that is valid until further notice.

Block/Pattern of the Month

Hunny Bunnies BOM – Block #5

Beatrice | April 30, 2022 | 10 Comments

I was trying to stay positive last month when talking about the weather. This month… not so much! It has been much too cold for this time of the year although I have to admit that we had a couple of really nice weekends. Brian Minter who is among many other things the garden king of this town said the other day that we are about three weeks behind “normal”, so that gives you an idea. I have been trudging along, following my garden schedule, and it looks pretty good overall. I planted potatoes, the brassicas are covered and from what I can see love the cool weather, the radishes are almost ready to harvest, and I have planted sunflowers in the front yard. Underneath I sprinkled Nemophila/Baby Blue Eyes seeds. I got this idea from a Facebook gardening group, hoping for a sea of blue underneath the yellow sunflowers in honour of Ukraine. Seems like a pretty useless gesture but hopefully it will at least be pretty. The summer is supposed to be really hot again, and we spent the last two weekends installing drip irrigation. I am really excited about that. It looks like it is working well, and it will not only save water but also save me a lot of time. Last year I spent so much time watering everything by hand that it became a chore, and I’d rather avoid that feeling this year.

Of course our bunny is spending some time in the garden as well. As you probably know, April showers bring May flowers, and this month’s block features a bunny watering flowers. The block has quite a few pieces because of all the flowers but is not difficult to put together. Just scatter the flowers in a way that pleases your eye, and don’t obsess about exact placement, it doesn’t matter at all. As always, the pattern will be available for free download until the next block is released. Hopefully I’ll be back on schedule in June but if something comes up again, I’ll let you know in advance to make sure everyone has the chance to download the free pattern.

Wer nur die Anleitung zur Fertigstellung sucht, kann diese nun auch auf Deutsch kostenlos herunterladen.

Block/Pattern of the Month

Important: Hunny Bunnies Block #5 will be released early

Beatrice | April 27, 2022 | 2 Comments

I try to post my BOM blocks on a regular schedule but sometimes life has other plans. I won’t be able to troubleshoot potential problems on Sunday (May 1), so I have decided to publish the May block a day early, on Saturday April 30. This means that the April block will move to the pattern store a day early as well. So if you haven’t already downloaded and saved the pattern, do it now before you forget 😉

The download link can be found at the bottom of the original post.

Block/Pattern of the Month

Hunny Bunnies BOM – Block #4

Beatrice | April 1, 2022 | 10 Comments

March has been pretty wet around here but overall much better than predicted. There was always rain in the forecast but we had quite a few nice and sunny days in between, and I did get some gardening stuff done. My peas are going strong, even the ones that I planted before the cold spell in late February, and the spinach and lettuce are growing as well. A friend gave me some raspberry canes and strawberry plants last weekend, so I am not only growing vegetables this year but also trying my hand at some fruit. What I am most happy about though is my asparagus that I started from seed last year. It is coming back, and the spears are growing so fast that I can almost watch them grow, it’s unbelievable. Asparagus takes patience, and I am at least two years away from my first harvest but the spears actually look pretty good already, compared to the tiny stalks last year.

As for our bunny friend, he is experiencing Pacific Northwest weather this month… April showers. That’s why the Easter egg was already delivered in March. He has a huge umbrella, big enough to accommodate his ears, so he won’t get wet. And next month, the weather will hopefully be better and a lot warmer. The pattern (English/Imperial) is available for free download until the end of the month and will move to the store when the May block is released. NOTE: The next block will be released a day early, on April 30, so make sure you save the pattern right away.

Wer nur die Anleitung zur Fertigstellung sucht, kann diese nun auch auf Deutsch kostenlos herunterladen.

Sneak Peek

What I Am Working On: Hibiscus Blocks

Beatrice | March 18, 2022 | Leave a Comment

It has been a while since I posted about what I am working on myself. I didn’t do much sewing last year, and when I finally found my mojo again towards the end of the year, I was so busy sewing that I forgot to take pictures. Now my progress is painfully slow again but today I finally remembered to take a picture and have something to show. These Hibiscus blocks are part of another monkey quilt, this one will be called “Jungle Monkeys”, and while the monkey is the same as the one in the Monkey Business quilt, it will be more of a “monkeys in the wild” quilt and have no human accessories or activities. I have assembled all the applique but not stitched around the pieces yet, so I still have a way to go, but I really like the look of the bright flowers on the green background.

Block/Pattern of the Month

Hunny Bunnies BOM – Block #3

Beatrice | March 1, 2022 | 7 Comments

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.

Wer nur die Anleitung zur Fertigstellung sucht, kann diese nun auch auf Deutsch kostenlos herunterladen.

Longarm

Canadian Mystery Quilt

Beatrice | February 11, 2022 | 9 Comments

Do you remember the Canadian Mystery Quilt? It was designed by Shania Sunga and started in 2015 with the goal to have it finished in 2017 for Canada’s 150th birthday. I signed up for the program, and my finished quilt can be found here. It is still hanging in my hallway, and I love looking at it every day, it is such a wonderful quilt, celebrating Canada’s diversity. Lynnette was inspired by the quilt as well and bought the kits back then without being a quilter. She had always wanted to make a quilt, and her mother-in-law is an excellent quilter, so she had someone available to ask for advice but I still think it is a huge feat to even attempt this quilt as a beginner, let alone finish it. The pandemic gave her the time to work on the blocks, and she did a great job putting it all together. For quilting, we chose the pantograph “Maple Sugar”, an allover maple leaf design.

Pattern

New Pattern: Butterfly Pillow

Beatrice | February 7, 2022 | Leave a Comment

Who still remembers my Rainbow Butterflies quilt? Or actually, even both of them? I made them a long time ago, before I started my first BOM here, so many of you probably weren’t stopping by at the time. The first Rainbow Butterflies quilt was made as a donation at the request of a local care home. You can read all about it here. I really liked what I came up with and decided to adjust the quilt size a bit and make a second one as a pattern sample. This is the final version of the Rainbow Butterflies quilt:

While I usually plan my quilt designs meticulously, I took a different approach for the Rainbow Butterflies and just made blocks in all colours, using whatever I could find in my scraps. When I had enough blocks, I started laying them out and shuffling them around until I was satisfied with the way it looked. This was still the original quilt that was donated later on. I had one pink block that I couldn’t fit in, it just didn’t work with the rest of the colours. I finally ended up stitching it to the back of the quilt with the label, and when I made my pattern sample I did not make another pink block.

But I still love pink and wanted to have a pink butterfly, so in December I finally made another pink block and turned it into a pillow. What a simple solution, and I should have come up with it a long time ago. Of course you don’t have to limit yourself to just one pillow or to a pink one, this is an excellent pattern to use up leftovers in any colour. Just sort them into light and dark values, and off you go.

I have also created a bundle with special pricing for those who would like both patterns for the quilt and matching pillow.