Patchwork - Pumpkin Patch

The Finished Quilt: Kiwiana Garden Tiles

Beatrice | March 31, 2026 | 4 Comments

The last of the three big New Zealand quilts is done, and there is room in my closet again! As you might remember, I used a free pattern called Garden Tiles from Robert Kaufman for this one. Since I had about 10″ of each of the New Zealand fabrics, I looked up patterns for Layer Cakes online and saved the ones I liked, and this one ended up being my number one choice.

I think the secondary pattern – the crosses in the sashing – probably spoke to me, especially since this is the only one of the three patterns I used for my Kiwiana fabrics that lends itself to custom quilting. I put a feather design in the crosses and partial ones around the outside. The tiles themselves were just stitched with straight lines to anchor them. I personally don’t like to leave large areas unquilted – I don’t like the uneven, puffy look.

I am very happy with the way it turned out. I have one more New Zealand-related project to finish, and then I can move on to other things.

Pattern

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

Beatrice | March 19, 2026 | Leave a Comment

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.

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.

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.

Personal Projects

The Finished Quilt – Kiwiana Scrappy Squares

Beatrice | March 6, 2026 | 1 Comment

I am on a roll and finished the second of my Kiwiana quilts. Technically it is the third – I pieced the Garden Tiles top before I pieced this one, but I am still thinking I might be custom quilting the Garden Tiles top and haven’t started on it yet.

Last year I made a donation quilt from scraps using this alternating pattern that I saw somewhere online. In late October, when I was starting to feel a bit better and wanted to start sewing again, I thought this pattern would be a nice way to use up all the Kiwiana fabrics I had bought in 2024. With two finished quilt tops in the closet, I really wanted to use up as much as possible for a third quilt. As much as I love New Zealand and these fabrics, it was time to move on to something different.

And I was right – after cutting all the squares I needed for the quilt, I had only very small scraps left over that went right into the scrap drawers. I put the top together last November, and around the same time Christy Dillon of My Creative Stitches published an edge-to-edge pattern called “New Zealand Koru”. Koru is the Māori word for loop or coil and is often associated with the unfurling frond of a silver fern. It is an important design in Māori art, and I decided it was perfect for this quilt.

Two down, one more to go… but I can promise you already I will not have the last one done by next week 🙂

Personal Projects

The Finished Quilt – Kiwiana Illusions

Beatrice | February 27, 2026 | 2 Comments

The first of my three New Zealand quilts is finally done. The top of the Illusions quilt has been finished for a while, you can check out the original story here.

I quilted it in January after our return from our second New Zealand trip and even stitched the binding fairly quickly afterwards. I am very happy with the way it turned out, it is a lovely pattern and great for showcasing some special fabrics. And of course I love the 3D effect.

Usually I prefer custom quilting my own quilts, but in this case I could not think of any special quilting that would enhance the pattern of the top. The illusion is clearly the star of the quilt, and I decided early on that an allover pattern would do. Of course it needed to be related to New Zealand in some way, and I tried to come up with a pattern based on a scroll I saw on a sign near Mount Cook. That is something I am certainly not going to try again anytime soon. There is a reason why I am not a pantograph designer. I found it very difficult to draw a continuous design, but somehow it worked out in the end and is even a bit similar to the scroll on the backing fabric.

Sneak Peek

Chirp

Beatrice | February 11, 2026 | 3 Comments

Edit: I originally wrote this post almost a year ago, and it was accidentally published instead of a BOM post. You all know how frazzled I was last year. Anyway, here it is again.

I have not made much progress on that quilt yet. I have a few other things to finish first, but I am sewing up a storm these days and hope to get back to it soon.

More than three years ago, I designed a quilt featuring birds. It was during the height of Covid and at the start of my second round of chemo treatments, so it ended up in a “for later” folder. I never got around to actually making it, let alone writing a pattern. But it stayed in my mental quilt queue, next in line once I had caught up on the other projects on my list.

The other day, I walked into Cozy Cottons, our local quilt shop, and Angela, the owner, was unpacking a new fabric line that had just arrived. It was called Chirp by Elena Amo for Moda, and I fell in love with it instantly. The little birds looked a lot like the ones I had drawn for my quilt, and I knew I needed that fabric, at the very least for the backing.

I went home and dug up the design. Armed with a list of fabric requirements, I went back to the store a few days later and took a closer look at the full line. My original design used a Tula Pink fabric for the border, and the rest of the colour scheme was bright and bold. I changed it to a more muted palette so I could use the Chirp fabrics for this project. There is a stripe in the collection, and stripes often work well for borders and bindings. I decided to use it for the border and build the rest of the colour scheme around it.

I was looking for a neutral fabric for the background, but I ended up choosing one with a design as well. The bugs, bees, and butterflies were just adorable, and they will make a lovely addition to the bird blocks.

It will be a while before the quilt and pattern are finished, but I have started working on it, and I am enjoying all the cute Chirp fabrics.

Pattern

New Pattern: Safari

Beatrice | February 6, 2026 | 3 Comments

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.

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

Beatrice | November 18, 2025 | 1 Comment

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.

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.