Boy, it’s been a while since I’ve been in here. There are cobwebs and…wait, where’s February gone?
Although not intended, I stepped away from quilt land for several weeks; it’s nice to be back.
So how are you? I hope you’ve been keeping well and keeping on sewing. Let’s jump into the news, shall we?
What I’ve been sewing…
As the title of this post suggests, I’ve been sewing up some bear paw blocks for an upcoming pattern.
This pattern will have a fat quarter (FQ) friendly option as well as a two-colour with scraps option. (By that I mean one background fabric, one paw fabric and scraps for the paw pads.) There will be 3 bear paw block sizes and 5 quilt sizes to choose from. Lots of versatility so it will hopefully fit whatever your stash has to offer.
So far I’ve sewn a FQ version and I’m about to embark on a 2-colour with scraps version.
Oh, I forgot to say that you’ll also have the option of sewing square paw pads (seen above) or the cute lil heart paw pads seen below. I just love hearts on baby quilts.
I’m more than half way through writing up the pattern and will send it off to my technical editor, which segues nicely into…
Around the Interwebs
Did you see all the action at QuiltCon 2024? Here’s a blog post with some fantastic photos, and of course you can check out the hashtag on Instagram for more quilts. And I was so happy to see that my technical editor (the segueway finally appears), Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl, won a first place ribbon in the Best Machine Quilting category. See her amazing quilt here!
The Pantone Quilt Challenge for 2024 has kicked off and you can find the info you need at Sarah Ruiz’s blog. If you need some hints on how to use the Pantone 2024 Color of the Year (Peach Fuzz) – you’ll find plenty here.
If you love quilting podcasts then I have to tell you about (fellow Aussie) Ange from Gnome Angel’s new undertaking, a podcast called Fussy Cutters Club. I’m two episodes in and loving it so far!
Here’s a gorgeous little stop-motion advert video that all lovers of handmade goods can appreciate.
Lego is a big part of our kids’ childhoods – this very clever little video made me smile. (ooooh, I just found this is actually a real Lego set!)
And finally, some gorgeous embroidery by an Indonesian artist.
Reader Quilts
I love seeing what you get up to with my wares! Here are some beautiful quilts that readers have made with Bonjour Quilts patterns. (If you would like to share, please do send in a photo or tag me on Facebook/Instagram.)
We have a scrappy theme for this edition of Reader Quilts.
Cheryl has created a fantastic scrap quilt using the Feeling Cross block tutorial (and adding her own colourful border and sashing design). This is such a happy quilt!
Emma has sewn up a gorgeous navy and white version of the Scrappy Lattice quilt. This is another great pattern for getting your scraps out of the cupboard and into a useful quilt.
Debbie took the Stash Knockout pattern (which is FQ and jelly roll friendly) and put it to good use with her scraps. A bright and beautiful quilt.
Chez Bonjour
It’s been school, sports and birthdays here at Chez Bonjour. Our second born (daughter) turned 18…another one has reached adulthood, huzzah!
We took her in to vote in her first election this week (local election) and she’ll get to do it again for the state election in 7 months. Busy year for politicians! Voting is compulsory here in Australia, which I know isn’t the case in all countries.
And there’s another big election coming up for all those in the US. I created a tutorial for a Vote mini quilt back in 2020; it might come in handy again this (deja vu) year.
Cat’s Corner
Something fun to finish on – our resident Burmese, Tigger (orange) and Lulu (brown) send their regards.
February has been a hard month for them, full of eating, sleeping, shedding fur and acquiescing to tummy rubs. Just brutal.
All right my friends, that’s all from me. Stay well and keep making the beautiful things that make you happy. Until next time,
Kirsty x
