Welcome back to Bonjour Quilts! It’s time for another weekend update so please read on for all the news.
What I’m Sewing…
Finally, my scrappy bear paw quilt is complete! This has been a work in progress for *checks blog*…wow, 10 months. I’m very happy to have it completed and hanging on my wall.
Here are all the details. Firstly, this scrappy bear paw quilt was made entirely from stash and scraps, except for the border fabric. I was initially thinking of a rainbow of bear paw blocks, but quickly settled on the blues and greens. Mainly because they’re my favourite colours and so the largest part of my scrap pile.
I did like the idea of a little colour pop though. So along the way I made some square and heart shaped paw pads in hot pinks.
I’ve previously mentioned that my bear paw block dimensions came from the smallest block in my Bottomless Bear Paws pattern. I also used the pattern for my edge and corner triangle measurements, which was handy.
Once I’d amassed a fair quantity of blocks I laid them all out to get a feel for quilt size and block arrangement. My first try was too long and narrow, so I pulled a couple of rows and beefed up the sides a bit to make a fatter rectangular quilt.
For block arrangement I knew I wanted all the boldly coloured blocks in the middle, surrounded by the low-volume, light aqua blocks. Kind of like a fade out effect. At this stage I realised that my edge triangles weren’t giving me enough ‘quiet space’ at the sides.
Luckily I had bought quite a bit of the edging fabric, so I was able to cut an additional swathe of background squares to add around the perimeter. My edging triangles then went outside of the additional background squares.
The other design element was the placement of the pink pop blocks. I tried a block arrangement with all the pink blocks in the centre of the quilt. Then I had the pink blocks running vertically at the one-third and two-third lines. Finally I settled on the arrangement you see here – four horizontal lines, evenly spaced.
Next up came the quilting. I decided to go with my favourite, straight line quilting. Initially I was going to quilt a checkerboard, but once I’d finished the vertical lines I though, eh, that’s enough.
I started at the middle of the quilt and worked my way out to either edge. My first lines were fairly largely spaced and based on the corners of the bear paws blocks (almost 8″ apart).
Then I went back and quilted another line between all of the initial lines. And finally, I went back and sewed two lines between them all. I thought about sewing another line between, but I had a hot flush so I called it a day (stupid hormones).
My next decision was binding fabric. There were four options: scrappy turquoise fabrics, a turquoise solid, scrappy hot pink or the same fabric as the background (so it would look somewhat edgeless).
I ruled out the edgeless look straight away – I felt like this one needed a frame. (I often feel that way about scrappy quilts.) The only turquoise solid I had on hand that was large enough was a little too light and bright for my liking. Then I auditioned scrappy turquoise and scrappy fuchsia/berry and the latter won.
Many of my pink paw pads are Ruby Star Society pinks, as are the binding fabrics, so they play really nicely together. With three different fuchsia fat quarters I had more than enough for my binding. I machine sewed this binding down with a straight stitch, light grey thread on top, berry thread in the bobbin.
The last step was to sew a sleeve on the back (as this will always be a display quilt) and pop it up on the wall.
Yay for my scrappy bear paw quilt! It’s fairly close to the front door, so I enjoy the burst of colour it brings to our walls.
Around the Interwebs…
I would like to incorporate more quilts into my home decor (rather than stashing them in cupboards). I really enjoyed this interior design article about decorating with textiles and tapestries – ideas that can easily be adapted to quilts.
Looking for some crafty events to participate in? I’ve got you covered! There’s Angie from GnomeAngel’s 100 days 100 blocks (quilt-along), the Tour de Fabric (quilting classes) and Embroidery Extravaganza 2025. Phew!
Fat Quarter Shop’s monthly sale fabric are the lovely solids of Art Gallery Fabrics. 20% off, score!
How about some ceramics that give a strong patchwork feel? Or these gorgeous, delicate works that are actually porcelain?
Some lovely mixed media pieces heavy on embroidery and beading.
I love all these sculptural art pieces – amazingly all made from recycled materials.
For fun, here’s an interesting house for sale in Australia, and some super cute baby bird photos. Aww.
Reader Quilts…
I always love to see quilts you’ve made from Bonjour Quilts patterns so please keep sending them in! Either email (Kirsty at BonjourQuilts dotcom), or tag me on Facebook or Instagram.
A gorgeous version of the Diamonds in the Deep quilt pattern sewn by Kristi in scrappy royal blues/purples and bright citrus yellow/orange print fabrics. This one is so lively and happy!
Alison super-sized the throw sized Scrap Magnet quilt pattern with 9 extra blocks to create this scrappy beauty.
Katie’s version of the free Off The Rails quilt pattern is in classic red, white and blue. A perfect 4th of July quilt!
Janet made this gem of a Scrappy Lattice quilt. Not only are the squares scrappy, so is her low volume sashing. I love how using a single main colour with this quilt pattern pulls together all types of scraps into a coherent quilt.
Here’s a super cute Window Panes quilt sewn by Maureen, for Project Linus. It will make someone very happy to receive such a lovely quilt.
Chez Bonjour…
Out and about in my local area (Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia)
Cats’ Corner
Our two Burmese cats, Tigger (orange) and Lulu (brown) have been working hard to stay warm in the winter weather. They’ve decided that sleeping is the best way! Here are an assortment of photos over the week:
Have a great weekend
That’s it from me for another fortnight. I hope you’re keeping well and can find some time for yourself this weekend. It’s important to take some respite along the way to maintain resilience!
Take care,
Kirsty x
Wow! That Bear Claw quilt is GORGEOUS. What a great job!
Thank you Rose!
Your new quilt is gorgeous! I *love* the colors you chose. It’s always interesting reading about your process. Thank you for sharing it with us.
Tigger and Lulu look like precious angels who never get into any trouble. Right?
Perhaps in an alternate universe Tigger and Lulu never get into trouble. But not in this universe! Then again, how boring would that be? Our loudest laughs are usually when they’re doing something naughty (or really dumb).
Will there be a pattern for this Bear’s Paw?
Hi Dorothy, not an exact pattern. These blocks are the same dimensions as the smallest block in my Bottomless Bear Paws pattern. But I didn’t follow the pattern’s cutting instructions because I made it scrappy. The pattern is made either with yardage, or with fat quarters.
What a wonderful use of the Bear Paw pattern! Your color choices are beautiful; love the hot pink heart accents and carrying it in the binding …sealed with a kiss springs to mind. I had a conversation recently with a quilting friend re trying to use a color other than white for the “background” and your color choices are a fabulous example of how that can really make a quilt sing. Thank u6ou for sharing!!
Thanks Pam! The aqua is a nice change to white, I agree. And the name Sealed with a Kiss suits this quilt perfectly, thanks!
Oh my! The lovely blues and greens in your bear paw quilt are so relaxing and comfy-looking. I’m VERY fond of blues and greens myself – most any cool colors too. Hot reds, oranges and yellows just don’t cut it for me; they just feel “uncomfortable” – for lack of a better word. The Diamonds in the Deep quilt above however, is absolutely GORGEOUS. I may not like all the colors in it but I can and do recognize the hard work and talent that went into laying out the colors to make your pattern into a work of art like the all exquisite quilts you design and make. The one above practically sparkles.
I love Tigger and Lulu! They are so beautiful and silky looking; they make a person want to cuddle them. We have two “mutt” cats ourselves, Chloe and Curley, whom we adore because they are loving, affectionate and absolutely “cuddle-able”. You haven’t lived until you’ve been awakened by a heavy purr and a sweet little face rubbing against yours. We also have a very large, 100lb Pitbull (yeah, I know what people say about them) who is the most sweet-natured, friendly, gentle and adorable creature. She LOVES people, rarely barks, is very playful never growls (except in play), and a lamb around little children. The neighbor kids adore her.
She is superb with the cats. In fact, the cats dominate her. When she was new here, our male (Curley) chased her around the house, snarling and growling at her – she tried to hide behind my husband, shivering in fear! The cats definitely rule and she is very respectful of them.
Thank you for all the exquisite quilts and quilt ideas you share with us!
I love the visual of a 100lb dog running away from the cat. Very Looney Tunes! I can imagine they’re all a lot of fun together.
I really love that Diamonds in the Deep too – the combination of the colours and the patterned fabric makes it so dazzling. She did a wonderful job.
I love the bear paws. That has always been a favourite block of mine and teal/turquoise a favourite colour. The heart centres are a sweet touch.
Thanks Enid, I really love those bluey-greens so much.
That bear paw quilt is lovely! Thanks for sharing your thought process as you modified your design and selected your binding. I also enjoyed the links you shared! And I always enjoy the photos of your kitties.
So glad you enjoyed it, Sheri.
Wow! Your newly finished quilt is exquisite! I appreciate that you took the time to evaluate the quilt before you finished it and decided to change it up a bit, because the final product is a work of art. The colors and placement of the pink paws make perfect sense – way to go!
Thanks so much, Dee. I’m really happy with how it turned out.
Lovely quilt Kirsty!
Such fresh colours and the binding sets it off so well.
Very happy I settled on the pink binding. Thanks Judy!
Love love love your Scrappy Bear Paw Quilt, those colours are just glorious and love the layout too. That binding is absolutely perfect to finish it off. Always great to see Tigger and Lulu.
Thanks Marg!
I absolutely love your Bear Paw Scrappy Quilt and it just happens to be my favourite colours too. Well done on another gorgeous design. Hoping to buy this design really soon xx
Thanks Arlene, you can never go wrong with blues and greens!