Well hello there! The weekend’s here (wahoo!) and it’s time for another Bonjour Quilts update. Grab yourself a cuppa and settle in to read all about the news around these parts.
What I’m Sewing…
This past fortnight there wasn’t a lot of new sewing, but I did fit in a very satisfying repair job.
I sewed up this baby quilt about 10 years ago. It stayed in the cupboard until we got our new couch 4 years ago and then it graduated to “couch protection” duty. Protection from kids and cats.
You can find a tutorial to make this quilt here in another blogpost. (If you’d like to make a larger version with the same asthetic, you can check out the Sweet and Simple Squares quilt pattern.)
This quilt has supported a lot of bottoms and seen a lot of couch rumbling over the years. As a result of this tough love, plus the fact the sun shines directly on it occasionally through the window, the quilt fabrics have worn in some spots.
I pulled out some offcuts from the backing of a quilt made for my daughter 6 years ago. Her little 14 year old legs make me want to cry…they grow up too quickly! You can see the full post about the backing and the front (Scrappy Lattice pattern) of this twin size quilt here.
The offcuts were from the sides of the backing, trimmed after quilting. I just had to cut out some patches to fit the worn areas. I used double-sided interfacing to secure over the worn areas, and then I quilted over the top of it. For good measure I went around the outside of each patch twice.
All holes were covered and I added some pre-emptive patches to areas I could see were starting to wear thin. The repaired areas are stiffer than the base quilt and feel very sturdy, which is great.
We should get several more years of use out of this quilt, fingers crossed!
Around the Interwebs…
I’m excited to see Angie and Kristy running another Norfolk Island Sewing Retreat in 2027. You can sign up for it right here. If you’d like to see the fun I had at the 2026 Retreat you can read my posts here and here.
A sashiko tote bag tutorial? That sounds like a great project!
A very cool short video on how a small business is turning old fire hoses into very good looking fashion items. I would totally buy one of these.
Stephanie has a fantastic how-to for repairing a hole in jeans – I really love this idea!
This artist paints with threads and the result is beautiful.
Reader Quilts…
Everyone’s favourite – reader quilts! If you’ve made something from Bonjour Quilts patterns please send a photo in. Either email (Kirsty at BonjourQuilts dotcom), or tag me on Facebook or Instagram.
Karen sewed up a wonderful queen sized version of the Colour Explosion quilt.
Lori’s gorgeous Diamonds in the Deep quilt, inspired by Harry Potter (Gryffindor House).
Nancy’s already got her Vote Mini Quilt up on her door. If you’d like to sew your own you can find my free tutorial for it here.
Only 2 weeks until Halloween! Kristina added some Halloween fabric goodness to her Patchwork Skull quilt block (free tutorial for this block here).
Sarah sewed a grin of skulls (apparently that’s the collective term) and complemented them with this cool chopped border:
Marge used three of the skull blocks to create a table runner:
One useful idea is to sew up a trick-or-treating bag. This one was sewn by MaryAnn (I have a tote bag tutorial you could adapt for this purpose.)
Chez Bonjour
Rain, rain, rain. We do need it so I won’t complain. And it’s always lovely to take a lap around the backyard when all the plants are glistening with raindrops.
Cats’ Corner…
Let’s close with some cat photos – turns out many of you love cats as much as you love quilts. Looking at cat photos is a lot easier than basting a quilt, any day!
Enjoy Your Weekend
Make the most of it, my friends – I hope you can fit in some sewing. It’s a rainy Autumn weekend here in my corner of Australia so I’ll be engaging in all the cosy activities!
Whatever you’re doing, stay safe and have fun,
Kirsty x
I have always tried to keep my quilt repairs as subtle as possible. You have just showed me a whole new way of looking at things! I love the way those repairs turned out. The quilt is even more fabulous now.
Hi Celia, I’m sure subtle quilt repairs are a good idea for some quilts, just not on my couch! So much rough-and-tumble, I was actually thrilled at how much sturdier the patched areas feel. I think also because it’s not a very busy quilt the extra patches give it a bit of personality. Not to mention it was very quick and easy which is always a winner.
Now I’m confused isn’t it spring? No rain here in sadly just grey and cool but fingers crossed for some rain. Love the cats mine is trying to make it into the record books for sleeping on a heat pad, sleeping off the 18th birthday celebrations, which honestly he slept through. Have a great weekend.
Yep, I had a brain fart! Cold, rainy and Halloween decorations made me write Autumn. Happy birthday to your cat – 18 is a big number!
Hey Kirstie,
Aren’t we in” Spring “here in Australia.
Or have we somehow crossed over to the dark side LOL
More rain , thank you more time to sew
Love your work my friend
Hugs From me Ros
You’re right Ros! I guess I’d been looking at all the Halloween projects (plus it was rainy, cold and windy last night) and had Autumn on the brain!
As usual, your blog makes me smile and feel some peace. Those kitties sure work hard at napping!
They won gold at the napping Olympics, I’m sure!
Your flower photos are exquisite! I have a cyclamen that I keep in my front window that is the same color as yours. A sweet friend gifted it to me years ago and I think of her every time it blooms (which is all the time!).
They’re so pretty and the flowers are so bright. I hope mine lasts years like yours, Dee!