Hello, hello! *Checks last post…really?…December?* Well, it’s been a while!
A lot has happened here and in the world over the past 2 months – and no doubt where you are, too. I’ll do my best to give a good update, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the read!
What I’m Sewing…
There hasn’t been a ton of action on my sewing machine this summer (we’ve just started Autumn here in Australia) so there’s not a lot to report.
I have been finishing up Bear Paw blocks along the way, and I’ve amassed quite a collection. These are all made following the directions for the smallest block in my Bottomless Bear Paws quilt pattern. Some have squares paw pads, others have hearts. All are made with scraps and remnant yardage/fat quarters, which is very pleasing.
Over the summer break I bought some fabric which I think might work nicely for my side and corner setting triangles. Given that the Bear Paw blocks are very scrappy, I’ve decided that a ‘more is more’ approach is required. Hence the use of a print rather than a more taming solid. Lean in to the chaos!
Around the Interwebs…
Quiltcon was two weekends ago. I couldn’t attend but I really enjoyed seeing the sights via Staci and Amy’s blog posts outlining their visits. All the winners from this year can also be seen on the Modern Quilt Guild’s website.
Join up for Bonjour Quilts news and receive a free PDF copy of my When You Wish.. baby quilt pattern.
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I’m a little late for Valentine’s Day, but here’s a cute log cabin heart quilt block tutorial that was featured on Diary of A Quilter. If you’re looking to sew for St Patrick’s Day then grab a copy of Kristy’s Lucky Clover FPP pattern – it’s on an excellent sale at the moment.
I enjoyed Liesl’s musings on the how she loves being able to access luxury-level clothing through home sewing. No one puts as much love into it as you do yourself!
Sad news for sewists/crafters across the USA as Joann stores go into liquidation. This is rough news for the many small businesses that sell wholesale to Joann’s too.
Some prettiness to admire (maybe be inspired by?): gorgeous mixed-media art, lush embroideries and honestly the most whimsical and impressive doll house I’ve ever seen built (yay for time-lapse videos!).
Just for fun here’s a few off-topic links that I’ve enjoyed: an expert who repairs 100 year old books, a clever designer who’s reimagining mobility aids (hiding them in plain view). And don’t miss this 2 min video called Rescuing Cats from Super Tall Trees – it made me smile.
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 Bev’s fantastic version of the When You Wish… baby mat, made with tons of happy colour and print. A joyful addition to a baby nursery.
Check out this stunning Diamonds in the Deep quilt sewn by Margit. I love her inclusion of lime green centre squares teamed with checkerboard quilting – perfection!
Ann also sewed a Diamonds in the Deep quilt, for her grandson.
The prints and bold colours are so playful and I really love how Ann created a quilt backing from Dad’s and Grandpa’s shirts. Heirloom, for sure.
And finally, I’m loving Dusty’s version of my latest pattern, All The Triangles. The light pink prints are charming, and I love how Dusty has amended the pattern to suit what was needed (a square baby quilt in this instance).
Chez Bonjour
It’s been a long time between blog posts as I’m trying to get my perimenopausal treatment dialled in. I mentioned in my last post (in December) that I thought I had figured it out – well, it turns out I didn’t! It hasn’t been much fun but I’ve had two more dose changes since then and I’m really hoping that this time will be the winner. My commiserations to anyone else who is struggling with this life change, too.
The other, more immediate news is that a Category 2 tropical cyclone (hurricane) is heading towards us right now. It’s due to make landfall tomorrow (Saturday) morning, so this week has been all about stocking the pantry, drinking water and securing everything outside. To our south we’ve already seen high wind gusts, flooding and power outages. Today I’m alert, not alarmed (but a bit anxious, I won’t lie) as we wait for the cyclone’s worst effects to reach us. Trying to get this newsletter out has been a good distraction!
The cats are very concerned about the impending natural disaster event. This was Tigger this morning:
Sleeping like he owns the place, as the kids say.
Later he moved to a new vantage point with his sister, Lulu. I guess they’re preparing the best way they know how. Always a good idea to face your trials well rested.
Have a great (dry) weekend!
Stay safe, especially if you’re in south-east Queensland/northern New South Wales. Hopefully I’ll be back with another newsletter a lot sooner than this one!
Until next time,
Kirsty x
So nice to see you back. I live in America (Michigan) and am getting ready to go to my first quilt retreat in a couple weeks. Your quilts are lovely, as are your patterns. Thank you.
Thank you, Linda!
Well hello Kirsty
How lovely to have you back
Am so wishing for you to be well
Am sure all of us have also missed your great messages and quilting news
I keep an album of the delightful kitties
For me and my cat Putin to peruse
Putin has also been missing them
So hoping the impending angry weather is kind about keeping a low profile
We here in Canada are limping into spring..a bit of a wait as get
Stay well and dry ..till next time..Ruby Wach and Putin
So happy you are back! Hoping you are feeling better and the storm passes with no damage. Take care!
Welcome back! Wishing you better health and safety through the storm.
Sending you hugs and prayers for improving health and safety from the storm. 🫶🏼🙏🏻
Thank you so much, Sharon!
So glad you have the kitties to help out and protect you! So vigilant! Her is Chicago we don’t get much “weather” – occational tornado every 10 years or so. Just low temps and snow. I consider the cold temps justification for QUILTS!
Take care!
Quilts are definitely the answer to everything Joan. Scary weather and scary hormone levels too!
Thanks for dropping by and have a wonderful weekend, Joan
Kirsty, First prayers to keep you and your family safe. I have really missed your emails, so glad you are back. I know the hots, the sweats, the moods, none of which are fun but it will get better. I had days I didn’t want to live any longer, but coming out the other side has been great. I hope it all levels out fast for you. Grab a kitty and hug them for me. I always look forward to your quilts, the pictures of the beach and the sunsets. But Lulu and Tigger are my favorite. They look softer than minky. Stay safe and get to feeling better soon.
Thank you, Patricia, I appreciate the well wishes. Here’s to levelling out! And yes, the cats are softer than minky, although they moult a lot more than minky! Can’t have it all, I guess x
You have my sympathy Kirsty. This phase is so challenging and what works for one person may not work, or may even make it worse, for another. Hang in there – The only thing I can say for sure is it doesn’t last forever. That isn’t a huge help but truly, this will pass.
Let us know how you are doing after the hurricane. Last week, we had a night of very high winds (for us) at about 90 mph. We lost huge branches from our very very big cedar trees. Also lost power for 72 hours. It was such a pain.
Nice to hear from you – hope life settles down and you can peacefully stretch out with the kitties.
So glad to hear from you, I’ve missed your witty updates and cat pics. Funny but not funny, I first started noticing my crazy mid-life journey while visiting Australia :). Overall mine wasn’t too bad but I will say years later that once you’re past it all life is pretty good. Stay safe with the storm and let us know how you are all getting on.
Thank you so much for saying that I’ll get past this, Mary. Sometimes I wonder if this is my new normal (and then I cry). I’m holding on to all the stories of how it will pass, and I will come out the end feeling better. (Please, sooner than later!!)
Kristy, thanks for including a photo of the quilt I made. I’m honored…baby girl has arrived (gender was unknown before) and all are well. She had dad wrapped around her little finger already. Here’s hoping for safety and not too much damage. We sheltered in place for several Hurricanes in Florida in recent years and it’s terrifying and exhausting…I’m sure that’s why the cats are getting rested up. Glad to know you are well prepared…great to see a blog again,
Thank you Bev, and thanks again for allowing me to share the photo of your beautiful quilt. I’m so happy to hear that baby girl is here, enjoying her quilt and captivating her dad!
Welcome back!! You were missed. Take care and “hunker down” as we say here in US whenever a hurricane of any category approaches. Best of luck.
Thank you, Carroll!
Those are the two sleekest cats I have ever seen. Their coats just shine……..Like all your beautiful quilt patterns………
Stay safe. We always crowd in the bathroom and the tub with blankets over us when a tornado comes….don’t know if that would work for a hurricane….besides cats are hard to herd :)
Hi Lori, yes the ‘take shelter in a room without windows’ advice holds true for hurricanes too. But you’re right, I’m not sure how the cats would take it, they’re terrible at doing what we say! Thankfully it doesn’t look like we’ll have to sit in the bathroom – the hurricane has hit south of us. We’re feeling for everyone that’s suffering its effects and hope they’ll be back on their feet again soon.
Kristy
So glad you are back. You and the cats have been missed. Praying for your families safety during the storm.
Monique
Thanks so much, Monique :)
Oh so good to hear from you. I’ve missed your blog, your wit, your kitties! Stay safe.
Thanks Connie!
It’s so good to hear from you again. You have been missed. Praying for the safety of everyone in the path of the hurricane.
Thanks Cathy. It looks like we’ve missed the brunt of it as it didn’t move as north as previously expected. We’re feeling very lucky indeed. Unfortunately those further south are having a hard time of it. 🙁
So happy that you are back. I had a horrible time during menopause so I know how you feel.
I’m Canadian so if you follow the news you can imagine what we are trying to cope with right now!! Quilting gets my mind off it!!
Take care and stay safe in the next couple of days.
It sure has been a wild geopolitical ride these past months. I won’t lie – it’s added to my anxiety so much that I avoid too much news these days! It seems crazy to worry over something that I can’t change, so I stick to more local issues. But I can say that because no one wants to annex us….yet. Stay calm and keep quilting!
Kirsty,
Stay safe! I hope there is a shelter you all can go to ride this storm out as it might not be so safe to stay in the house? And I did miss you! Each phase of life is a challenge and getting “old” is not for the faint or weak. I wish you only good health in getting through this phase. At least in this day the MDs know how to treat peri-menopause/menopause. Let us all know how you all are after the storm blows over (before April)!
Hi Cindy – I’m with you, old is not for the faint of heart! And yes, it’s so good that peri/menopause is getting some attention in the media these days. There has been so much misinformation out there, it’s about time all women know of the options available to them so we can make some informed decisions.
It looks like the storm has blown over us (well, south of us) as we’ve not been hit with much. I feel for those in the south though as it has been bad for them. Flooding and rain and about 250,000 homes without power.
SO glad to see your blog today! It’s a tough time of life. I really hope you are feeling better, my friend. Here in the USA, I wasn’t aware of the cyclone in your part of the world…as you know, our weather has been crazy as well. I have friends that were affected in a big way in North Carolina when the hurricane flooded them. I pray you stay safe there!
There’s been so much crazy weather everywhere, I feel. Floods, fires, cyclones…none of it very good. Thank you for your well wishes (it would seem we’ve missed the worst of it, thankfully) and have a great weekend.
Hi Kirsty, I was worried about you as I hadn’t seen anything from you for ages.
I’m Glad you’re back. Bunker down my friend. I’m in Brisbane and my furry friend Kelsie Not a cat just a red cattle cross .and I are bunkered down now. too. . One is sleeping (no not me) I’m crocheting just so I don’t drop off watching ” the idiot box'”.
keep safe and well.
hugs Roslyn
Hi Roslyn, hope you did okay overnight. Sounds like you got a ton of rain. It’s been surprisingly not-rainy here so far today – I keep waiting for a deluge to appear but we seem to be just outside of the swirl pattern as far as rain’s concerned. Weather is so weird!
Stay safe up there. From warm and very, very dry Adelaide.
Thanks Celia!
Stay safe up there, from currently calm Melbourne.
Thank you, Robyn!
Hi Kirsty, thanks for the newsletter, I’m in Northern NSW, just in from Yamba. Our power has been off since 10am and just come on so it was a nice distraction for me too. It’s been crazy here today, had a tree down in the front yard and one of our bananas trees with a is down along with a huge bunch on it. Cruising from Brisbane next Friday, so glad it wasn’t today 🥴 take care and stay safe.
Oh boy, Ali, stay safe down there. It’s been very wild in NNSW and the Gold Coast already, I hope it isn’t too bad when it finally (finally, finally!) crosses. It has been quite calm here today so I don’t know if that bodes well or if it’s just the calm before the storm.
Wonderful to have you back, but middle-aged adulting is HARD. Just when it looks like you’ve got your life ironed out, it hits like a sledgehammer and no one warns you.
Stay safe and snuggle cats.
Hi Peggy, yes I really wasn’t expecting this. My ‘lady symptoms’ haven’t caused me any grief throughout my life so I guess I thought I’d cruise through this phase as well. Ha, it seems my body has other ideas!