Quilt

Personal Projects

The Final New Zealand Project: Pōhatu Penguins Wall Hanging

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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!

Personal Projects

The Finished Quilt: Kiwiana Garden Tiles

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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.

Kiwiana Garden Tiles

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.

Kiwiana Garden Tiles Back

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.

Personal Projects

The Finished Quilt – Kiwiana Scrappy Squares

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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.

Kiwiana Scrappy Squares

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

Kiwiana Scrappy Squares Back

Personal Projects

The Finished Quilt – Kiwiana Illusions

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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.

Kiwiana Illusions

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.

Kiwiana Illusions Back

Sneak Peek

Chirp

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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.

39030-15 Chirp Friends Dove by Elena Amo for Moda Fabrics

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.

39037-11 Chirp Just Stripes Cloud by Elena Amo for Moda Fabrics 10.5

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.

39033-11 Chirp Fly High Cloud by Elena Amo for Moda Fabrics 10.5

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

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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

Digiprove

 

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

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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

Digiprove

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.

Block/Pattern of the Month

Safari BOM – Block #8

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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.

PPP-078-08 Safari Block #8 Crocodile

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.

EDIT: The period of free download is over, and the block has moved to the pattern store where it is now available for purchase.

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