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Bryan House Quilts

New Patchwork Pet Pattern {Nigel and Nina Narwhal}

patchwork menagerie

25 Jan

Hey guys! Happy New Year!

I have a penchant for cute and silly animals. And even more so for cute and silly patchwork animals. Animals that don’t take themselves too seriously? 😉

Meet Nigel and Nina, the Nosey Narwhals.

Nigel and Nina enjoy long lazy swims in the brrrrrrrry cold Arctic ocean waters and all things upper crust. Did you know their horns are actually called tusks? Don’t tell that to Nina, who not-s0-secretly believes she maintained a magical existence as a unicorn in a past life. Do NOT get her started on the whole unicorn thing, because she will talk for hours! Nigel is an expert at handling Nina’s penchant for going on about the whole unicorn thing. But he can get his whiskers in a knot at times. If you really want to rile Nigel up, just ask him about the infamous “sea bass at the opera incident of 1994”. Wow…

Anyhoo… I digress!

 

Part of the reason I love making these Patchwork Pets so much is that it’s an easy win for me as a mom. I make so many quilts that the kids can’t have, it’s nice to be able to make something to give straight away to them. I get a hug, they tell me I’m the best! It’s beautiful!

In addition to the mompliments (mom compliments) I get from my kids. It’s magical to see their imaginations run wild with these critters! My kiddos have a game them play, and it’s called…. wait for it… Patchwork Pets. Ha! But truly, they grab their patchwork pet (they each have one, soon to be a thousand) and run to the playroom and play patchwork pets. My son likes to turn his into a gun… naturally. Haha!

Isn’t he cute? I have so much fun making these creatures. Here’s the prototype I made using Mammoth Flannel by Robert Kaufman. (If you use flannel I recommend lining it with stabilizer first!) Oh my gosh! That mustache! That monocle! Ack! I can’t stand the cuteness! Can’t you just hear him remarking on the tastiness of that caviar? Ha!

These adorably ridiculous creatures are part of my Patchwork Menagerie collection I have planned for 2018. I can’t wait for you to meet the rest of the Patchwork Menagerie line up! I’ve had so much fun designing each and hearing their stories.

Each pet will be available as a stand along pattern or you can join the club and save 30%. If you’d like to grab a copy or join the Patchwork Menagerie club, you can find both in my shop.

 

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About

Hey there! I’m Rebecca, an author and teacher and freezer paper piecing evangelist. I’m also the founder of the Make Modern Triangles Quilt Club.

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Comment ‘FREE’ if you’re a beginner quilter and want to take my free class, give quilting a try, learn a new technique, or simply improve your skills! 

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltteacher
I don’t know about you, but for me, quilting has n I don’t know about you, but for me, quilting has never been about just making quilts.

It’s about slow mornings, quiet time to myself, creating something with my hands, spending time doing something textile, not scrolling on the internet, spending more time creating and less time consuming...

And I think that’s exactly why so many people are being drawn to quilting today.

You want to get offline, learn something new, and have more quiet time that is just for you and your imagination. ✨

I think we could ALL use more of that in our lives, and if you want to give it a try, I’ve got a free class you can sign up for by commenting ‘FREE’ below. 💕

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltteacher
I’ve taught thousands of quilters over the last de I’ve taught thousands of quilters over the last decade, and I’ve been quilting myself for over 15 years, and this is what I’ve learned. ⬇️

What’s stopping you from quilting isn’t that you don’t want to do it. It’s because you have already convinced yourself of something before even giving it a fair shot. 

You’re probably thinking something like...

👉 “I don’t think I’m creative enough.”
👉 “It looks too complicated.”
👉 “I wouldn’t know where to start.”
👉 “I don’t have enough time.”
👉 “What if I spend all that money and I’m terrible at it?”
👉 “I’ve never been good at sewing.”

If any of those thoughts have crossed your mind, can I let you in on a little secret?

Almost every quilter I know started with one of those ideas in their head, including me. 🤫

The beautiful quilts you see today didn’t begin as beautiful quilts, they began as just an idea and a willingness to try.

Nobody sits down at a sewing machine and automatically knows how to quilt.

You learn by just doing it, sewing stitch by stitch, and every time you enter your sewing room, it gets a little bit easier, and you start to enjoy it more and more. 

If something has been holding you back from quilting, I invite you to take my free class where you have nothing to lose and so much to gain. 

Comment ‘FREE’ to sign up. 💕

#modernquilting #quiltingtechnique #quiltpattern #quiltdesign #quiltersofig
Comment ‘FREEZER’ if you want to take my free clas Comment ‘FREEZER’ if you want to take my free class and learn this amazing technique! 👇

Freezer paper piecing tip number eight is to press every seam right after sewing it. 
 
Don’t wait until later or until all of your blocks are done. Press those seams right away!

It might feel like it slows you down in the moment, but it actually saves you time (and frustration) later.

When you press as you go, your seams stay crisp, and your pieces lay flat, which makes lining everything up so much easier. You’re not fighting bulky seams or trying to “fix” things at the end. 🙌

Plus, pressing helps set the stitches and keeps your fabric from shifting as you build your block.

Think of it as part of the sewing process, not an extra step.

Your blocks will be flatter, sharper, and way more accurate… and your future self will thank you!

Comment ‘FREEZER’ for my free class! 💕

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltteacher
MAKE A TEST BLOCK!!! Please, I am begging you. 😅 MAKE A TEST BLOCK!!! Please, I am begging you. 😅

You’d think after 15 years of quilting I’d be able to skip it...

And every once in a while I convince myself that I don’t need a test block because I’ve made this block hundreds of times or my freezer paper piecing skills are good enough to skip it... 

And do you know what happens every time I convince myself that I don’t need a test block? 🙃

I almost always regret it and end up having a nice long date with Jack The Seam Ripper as a consequence. 

Learn from my mistakes so you don’t have to learn from your own and make the test block EVERY TIME!!!

Are you making test blocks? Tell me in the comments! ⤵️

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltteacher
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we’re nearing I can’t believe I’m saying this, but we’re nearing the final months of Dutch Summer! 🥹

Finished Dutch Summer Month 6 blocks are showing up in the Make Modern Triangles Club every day. We’re past the halfway point, and we’re really starting to stack up the blocks! Now that we’ve got a bunch of stacks of blocks, it’s such a fun time to play with arranging your blocks and see what your creativity comes up with. ✨

Once you get beyond the halfway point, you start the countdown to the BIG finish! 🎉

We’re feeling excited, motivated, and accomplished. We are covering some ground, folks! Swipe to see each month’s block so far, and drop a ‘DUTCH’ in the comments if you want to make your own! 💕

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Experienced quilters, share what I missed in the c Experienced quilters, share what I missed in the comments! 👇

Comment ‘FREE’ if you’re a beginner quilter and want to take my free class, give quilting a try, learn a new technique, or simply improve your skills! 

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltteacher
I don’t know about you, but for me, quilting has n I don’t know about you, but for me, quilting has never been about just making quilts.

It’s about slow mornings, quiet time to myself, creating something with my hands, spending time doing something textile, not scrolling on the internet, spending more time creating and less time consuming...

And I think that’s exactly why so many people are being drawn to quilting today.

You want to get offline, learn something new, and have more quiet time that is just for you and your imagination. ✨

I think we could ALL use more of that in our lives, and if you want to give it a try, I’ve got a free class you can sign up for by commenting ‘FREE’ below. 💕

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltteacher
I’ve taught thousands of quilters over the last de I’ve taught thousands of quilters over the last decade, and I’ve been quilting myself for over 15 years, and this is what I’ve learned. ⬇️

What’s stopping you from quilting isn’t that you don’t want to do it. It’s because you have already convinced yourself of something before even giving it a fair shot. 

You’re probably thinking something like...

👉 “I don’t think I’m creative enough.”
👉 “It looks too complicated.”
👉 “I wouldn’t know where to start.”
👉 “I don’t have enough time.”
👉 “What if I spend all that money and I’m terrible at it?”
👉 “I’ve never been good at sewing.”

If any of those thoughts have crossed your mind, can I let you in on a little secret?

Almost every quilter I know started with one of those ideas in their head, including me. 🤫

The beautiful quilts you see today didn’t begin as beautiful quilts, they began as just an idea and a willingness to try.

Nobody sits down at a sewing machine and automatically knows how to quilt.

You learn by just doing it, sewing stitch by stitch, and every time you enter your sewing room, it gets a little bit easier, and you start to enjoy it more and more. 

If something has been holding you back from quilting, I invite you to take my free class where you have nothing to lose and so much to gain. 

Comment ‘FREE’ to sign up. 💕

#modernquilting #quiltingtechnique #quiltpattern #quiltdesign #quiltersofig
Comment ‘FREEZER’ if you want to take my free clas Comment ‘FREEZER’ if you want to take my free class and learn this amazing technique! 👇

Freezer paper piecing tip number eight is to press every seam right after sewing it. 
 
Don’t wait until later or until all of your blocks are done. Press those seams right away!

It might feel like it slows you down in the moment, but it actually saves you time (and frustration) later.

When you press as you go, your seams stay crisp, and your pieces lay flat, which makes lining everything up so much easier. You’re not fighting bulky seams or trying to “fix” things at the end. 🙌

Plus, pressing helps set the stitches and keeps your fabric from shifting as you build your block.

Think of it as part of the sewing process, not an extra step.

Your blocks will be flatter, sharper, and way more accurate… and your future self will thank you!

Comment ‘FREEZER’ for my free class! 💕

#modernquilting #paperpiecing #foundationpaperpiecing #quiltingtechnique #quiltteacher
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