Hello, hello and welcome to the weekend update from Bonjour Quilts. Read on for all the news!
What I’ve Been Sewing…
I finished up the flimsy for my new table runner based on a simple log cabin block.
The centres were cut from the same yardage, while the logs are all super scrappy.
Next step is to decide on a quilting design. My first thoughts are straight line quilting on the navy logs, leaving the centres bare. I’ll be sure to show you when it’s done.
Also complete is my Diamonds in the Deep queen sized quilt. I was so happy when I got it back from Fiona, who long-arm quilted it with a lovely, loose orange peel design.
I have a delicious hot pink washi tape print for the binding, which I am currently sewing in place.
I’m pretty happy with how the little gaps between the tape mean I could create a seamless look at the binding joins.
I’ll rally my tall people to hold the quilt up for me this week so I can show you the whole thing. It’s a big one!
Around the Interwebs…
If you’re near Utah, USA, you can check out the Garden of Quilts over the weekend 18-19 September.
MQG members can register for QuiltCon 2027 now. Registration for non-members opens 16 September.
The trailer for this documentary Handmade Future looks very interesting. I’m enjoying the world pushing back on all things AI.
The 2026 Pet Photographers of the Year are worth a look, no?
Goodness, the work that goes into these pieces is incredible!
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.
Allison sewed this lovely lap-size version of the When You Wish… quilt.
Jenni sewed a bright and beautiful Scrappy Posie baby mat. I have a free tutorial for this baby quilt.
Leslie sewed this adorable fish quilt for her grandson’s new big-boy bed. I love the colours and the wave-like quilting she chose. You can find the Fish Quilt Block tutorial here.
Debra knows that Halloween isn’t that far away! You can find the free tutorial for the Skull Patchwork block here.
A fun scrappy project – James sewed up a Modern Chevron quilt in a modern black/blue and grey combination.
Chez Bonjour
I’ve been out of my normal routine this past fortnight.
The first week I had Covid (bleurgh) and the second week my husband was away which was both harder AND easier than normal (if you’re married with kids you’ll know what I mean).
But the garden has been fun to watch. It’s winter here in Australia and we’ve had a good dose of both rain and sun here on the Sunshine Coast.
Let’s take a quick trip around our yard.
Time for some fauna. First up is this Blue Tongue Lizard which is rarely seen. He is about a foot long and while his bite isn’t poisonous, apparently it’s quite painful.
He was flicking his blue tongue out but I wasn’t able to catch it on film. He was not at all happy to see me and very quickly ran behind our outside storage boxes. There have been many occasions when I’ve seen him and jumped back thinking he was a snake. Then I see his little legs and everything is okay.
A Golden Orb spider busy wrapping something (fly, egg sac?) up in silk.
Silly Lorikeet eating nectar from our grevillea flowers.
A nest being built in one of our native trees by the Noisy Miners. These birds are native but nobody likes them. They are aggressive and are indeed noisy as the name suggests.
Below is a fledged baby (I’m not sure why he’s out in winter) who does nothing but screech all day, every day, outside our front door. His parents are running themselves ragged bringing him food, but it doesn’t stop the constant, intense chirping. The cats and I want to kill him, but he’s a little baby so I can’t even bring myself to shoo him away.
Finally, we have two mature burgundy bromeliad plants outside the kitchen window. One of them has grown a high flower/stamen and it’s pretty incredible to watch.
We have no idea what it’s going to do so it’s been fun to watch it every day. This is the centre of the non-blooming plant:
The other bromeliad has been working hard to produce this:
It’s about 2 metres (6.5 feet) tall and looks like it has smaller flower stalks growing from it.
I’m looking forward to seeing what it produces. I also have a fear this huge flowering effort might mean the death of the plant, but I guess we’ll see. Oh, it also looks pretty at night with our fairy lights:
Cats’ Corner…
I’m closing with some photos of our Burmese cats Tigger (orange) and Lulu (brown) for the cat lovers out there.
Have a great week
I hope you’ve had a great weekend and that you’re ready for the week to come. Don’t forget to plan for some sewing – absolutely necessary for a healthy, balanced schedule.
Until next time, happy sewing,
Kirsty x
I enjoy your newsletter, the quilts, the wildlife and the cats, who so often are pictured dreamily asleep.
I lived in New South Wales many years ago and enjoy seeing what you are doing there,
Thanks, Jean in NYState, USA
Thank you Kirsty for a look into your world. I have used your photos to show my family pictures of Norfolk because they are beautiful. And show true form of the Island.