Well, well, well, if it isn’ the weekend again. Must be time for another Bonjour Quilts update. Here’s all the latest news for you!
A New Quilt Design
I’m not sewing much at the moment as I’m neck-deep in maths for my next quilt pattern. This one originated from a special request in the family. As I worked on the design I thought “that really is sweet, I should make it into a pattern”. So here I am, working up the throw and queen sizes to go with the twin that I’ll be sewing, hopefully shortly.
As a sneak peek, here’s the lovely fabric selection that the cover quilt will be made from. I had the quilt recipient make a mood board on Pinterest so that I could get a feel for the type of quilt she wanted. These colours all featured, so it was easy to pull them together.
I did some fabric shopping at a new-to-me local quilt shop, Fabric Cartel, about a half-hour away. Thankfully they had everything I needed in stock. Yippee.
I’ll keep you posted as needle is put to cloth!
Kite Quilt Block Measurements
I mentioned in the last newsletter that I’d just finished a quilted cover for the day bed in our spare room.
Here’s the quilt actually in action, now that we’ve rearranged the room in question.
I think the quilt works really well with the IKEA cushions we have along the back, as well as the Kansas Dust Storm cushions I sewed up a couple of months ago. A very bright and cheery spot for the kids to lounge on.
For those interested, here are the measurements of the kite quilt block I used for this quilt.
These blocks are made two at a time. I used 8″ squares and then measured 3″ along the sides, as shown above. This is definitely a “measure twice, cut once” scenario, especially if you’re stacking blocks. You don’t want to cut a stack of 6 in error, like me. D’oh.
I used the lines on my cutting board to place my ruler and then I cut off the wings. The kite shape is then ready to have some contrasting wings sewn on.
The contrasting wings are half-rectangle triangles (HRTs). To get the triangles you’ll need an 8″ x 3″ rectangle, cut on the diagonal. Then you’ll need another rectangle, but cut with the diagonal facing the other way.
This is very important as each rectangle will yield two identically oriented triangles. Then you can match up one triangle from each orientation, to give two mirror pairs.
These can be sewn to your yellow kite quilt block, but make sure you offset the wing by a quarter inch. This accounts for the seam and makes the wings align with the body of the block when pressed. I pressed both my seams outward and then trimmed the block to 7¼” square.
When trimming, keep as much fabric as you can at the top of the kite quilt block, and trim as much as you can from the messy bottom where the wings meet. So much neater and that point cannot be seen or admired in the design, so there’s no point anguishing over keeping it. Life is hard enough as it is without making pointy kite bottoms!
Another way of approaching this kite quilt block, to prevent waste, would be to make 2 quilts at the same time. By swapping the wings on two sets of squares you’d end up with 2 quilt tops. There’d be no off-cut wings left over, like I had. The two quilts would be the inverse of each other, which is pretty fun.
Some food for thought!
Around the Interwebs…
Not quilts, but very quilt-like. Great art works, regardless!
Looking for a good cause to lend your knitting skills to? It doesn’t get much cuter than this.
And speaking of cute, these embroideries with beads are doing their part.
For those in the US, Stephanie has put together a great map showing where you can find creative reuse centres. Another good resource for quilters is FeelGood Fibres, where you can sell your stash and buy someone else’s treasures. And for good measure, here’s a clever recycling tip for hand sewing/mending/embroidery.
Entries for QuiltCon’s Quilt Show close on Hallowe’en (31st October) – plenty of time to whip something up.
If you like dots in your blenders/background fabrics, then you’ll love that Fat Quarter Shop has Magic Dots on sale for 20% off during July.
Modern quilt e-magazine Make Modern has just published its 65th issue!
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.
Here’s an elegant navy and white Diamonds in the Deep quilt, sewn by Kimberly and quilted by Shelly of Ma Tante Quilting.
More Diamonds in the Deep, this time in an inverted colour scheme (light vs dark). Sewn by Katla and very striking indeed!
I love Toni’s bright and happy version of the Slip Stitch quilt pattern.
Another bright and beautiful quilt full of saturated colour. This time it’s the When You Wish…baby quilt sewn by Meredith. I have a free tutorial for the baby quilt, and also a paid pattern for larger sizes.
And finally, Bernie created a lovely version of the Meadow Quilt. You can find the free tutorial for this appliquéd quilt over here.
Chez Bonjour
It’s been a busy two weeks with our two high-schoolers on school holidays and our two uni students home as well. Full house! But all good things must come to an end so it’s back to school next week. In the meantime, there have been plenty of activities to keep everyone entertained.
Walks along the Sunshine Coast
A visit to a local medieval museum with a super holiday program
A creek-side walk
We were looking for birds and frogs (not many found, unfortunately – but the scenery was great):
Another visit to Australia Zoo
Finishing up with some koalas. Here are two sweeties sleeping in the recuperation enclosure. Sadly lots of koalas are injured on roads, Australia Zoo has a wildlife hospital that helps.
Lunch time!
Which of course must be followed by nap time:
These next 3 photos are all of the same koalas. They were just so cute I had to take a photo from every angle. This is a mama koala with her joey, sleeping in the nursery enclosure. Bless.
These silhouetted ears made me smile:
I have a post on our previous visit to Australia Zoo if you’d like more photos of animals. And speaking of animals…
Cats’ Corner…
Some cat photos for those who love them. These cats have enjoyed having all the kids home for the school holidays. Lots of warm laps to sit on during our cold Australian winter.
Have a good weekend!
Wherever you are, whatever you’re doing, I hope it’s a good weekend for you. Perhaps with some sewing time, to help you recharge and relax.
Until next time, take care,
Kirsty x
Your blog was just what I needed today. I live in Kerrville, Texas, right in the middle of a catastrophic flood. I am safe, however many of my friends have lost everything. Looking at all your wonderful pictures was a lot of fun. Your flora and fauna, so different from ours, is a great diversion. Keep up the good work, Kirsti. I always enjoy.
Hi Carolyn, the news on the Texas floods has been so horrible, I’m so sorry you and your neighbours and friends are facing this. I’m glad the blog can be a moment of distraction from hard times. It’s moments of respite that can help us keep going when times are tough. Wishing you all the best x
LOVE the quilt on the bed – the blue cushions and the 2 pillows you made before just make a stunning spot. Loved the pictures of the animals, too — we went to Cairns years ago and heard a cassowary in the bush, but never got a photo. Being aware of how dangerous they can be if riled, we just went on our way. Your turkeys are MUCH more colorful than ours. We have a large flock of wild turkeys who frequent the neighborhood here – and have been in our yard, our roof and into the backyard before they realized we had a small dog. Since then we’ve removed all the grass & gone with 2 different shades of rock & lots of raised planters (virtually no maintenance now as we’re seniors), so we haven’t had any visits. But we admire members of the flock on our trips down the street. ALWAYS love the pictures of the family cats — they have a wonderful life with your family…wish all pets received the same! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for dropping by, Deb. I was pretty happy to get a photo of the cassowary. I’ve been past that enclosure on two separate visits and never saw him. I’ve also heard about the dangers of an angry cassowary, so I was always wary when up in Far North Queensland too. The brush turkey was a funny fellow. I was trying to get a photo of him building his ground nest but when he saw me he ran straight up to me with an expectant look. I guess people have been hand feeding him as he was not afraid at all. He was disappointed though, I had nothing for him.
Loved the looong cozy newsletter with quilts, scenery and wildife! Living in Phoenix AZ on the south side of the largest urban park in the country (South Mountain Park), we have seen coyotes, javelina, rattlesnakes, and other desert wildlife right in our own cul-de-sac. Even had a Gila Monster walk down the middle of the street (they are one of only two poisonous lizards in North America) – we captured him and released him back into the park, only about 1/8 mile away…..doing archaeology here in the Southwest, I have also encountered Western Diamondback rattlesnakes, Sidewinders (one chased me across a site), tarantulas, scorpions and other nefarious desert dwellers……they are beautiful in their own ways but we respect their space! Your newsletters are a great way to start a weekend – hope you and your family will enjoy the time you have together – it goes very quickly! And the kids’ quilt room is beautiful – you have an amazing sense of design and color, and I’m so glad I found you years ago when I made your star-shaped Christsmas tree skirt for my sister! It has been a wonderful, inspiring, fun journey and I hope it continues for many years! Would love to visit your beautiful area some day! Bless you and yours!
Thank you Debi, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the newsletter. Sounds like you live amongst an abundance of wildlife too!
Your blog was a very pleasant surprise this a.m. Live in the State of Georgia, US, and it is a very warm time for us as we are mid-summer. Thank you for the “visit to the zoo”, would love to visit your country.
Thanks for dropping by the blog, Carolyn! I hope you get to visit one day.
The bird with the pink spot on its face is a Rose-crowned Fruit Dove per Google. Lovely pictures!
Thanks Tina. Rose-crowned fruit dove sounds delightful.
Loving your newsletters. The pictures of where you live are beautiful. Hoping to get sewing this weekend! Wish me luck!
Good luck, Mary. Sounds like a great way to spend the weekend!
Your newsletters brighten my day. Loved the koala and baby pics especially. And guess what, I have purchased your When You Wish pattern…I see it as a great a patriotic quilt for my Quilts of Valor Group!
So glad you enjoyed the koalas, Rose. When You Wish would look fantastic in red, white and blue!