Thursday, November 3, 2022

Heading North Pattern Release

I am excited to release another pattern today, Heading North. This is one that should have been released a year ago, but ahem, here we are. How can patterns be UFOs? Well, I stand here telling you yes, they sure can. Do not ask me how many I have that are UFOs... Okay, enough confessing, here's to celebrating!
This was published in Make Modern #39 in spring 2021. (affiliate link) The design originated as one of the 30 Quilt Design Challenge quilts I did a few years ago. It uses one block from EQ8! It was my first published quilt Make Modern, and I went to town on the quilting, filling up the negative space with lots of texture. It is a super-simple block, and the quilt top comes together in a day or two max. There is a second design option in the pattern, one that is not in the magazine: a baby quilt with a completely different look, using the same block!

By rotating and changing the colour a bit in a few blocks, I came up with this eye-catching baby quilt.

It measures 36.5" square, wonderful for using the width of 42-43" yardage for the back! I mocked it up in Amanda Murphy's Christmas line in the reds and greens:

So then I tried recolouring the original design in her Christmas line, but it evolved as they tend to do, and this happened:

I see cardinals!
Don't let the negative space intimidate you. I think straight line quilting would be super-cool, or even the flowing organic ones Lorna of Sew Fresh Quilts does. I give quilting suggestions within the pattern.

The best part? Well, besides it being 30% off through Sunday night, is that I asked five of my quilty friends if they'd be interested in sewing one of the two designs, and they all flew (see what I did there) at the chance. They got the already tech-edited pattern, so they were just playing.

However. Full confession here. 

The pattern was printed in Make Modern, as I said. I went through it super-carefully; their tech editor would have too, I would assume. Yvonne tech-edited it. And the five wonderful quilters sewed away happily. 

Except...

One (thank you Wendy) found a mistake in the layout of one row of the throw, which had got past me, MM, and Yvonne😖. Like how? Even stranger was the fact that in my Heading North file in my laptop, the correct layout for that row is there, no incorrectly rotated one. Cue The Twilight Zone theme. Smack self up side the head.

Anyhow, the moral of the story is that mistakes happen. The more eyes on instructions for anything, not just quilts, the better the end product. This one is now perfect. Made six times over as of today! Here is the pattern back:

Here are the quilters who made the throw or the baby (or both: Wow Carol!). You can visit their sites by clicking the links.

Throw


Carol of Quilt Schmilt


Anja of Anja Quilts

Baby


Michelle of @peetmichelle



I hope you will pop over to their sites and take a look at what they've made. You will be wowed! The pattern is on sale as I said, for just $7.70, but I would like to give a free one to a reader. Just leave me a comment below answering this question:

Have you started sewing Christmas projects?

I'll choose someone on Sunday night and let that person know! Be sure to include your email if you are a no-reply.

And that person is Anomak! Thanks for including your email so I could send you your copy. How I love thinking of my pattern in the far north of Canada. 🙏💗  You should check out Anomak on Instagram; her needlecrafts, especially knitting, are out of this world, as are some of the shots of the high arctic where she lives.

27 comments:

  1. Congrats on the new pattern! It's always fun to see how others interpret a pattern.

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  2. I love the new pattern! The purple and teals in your quilt are some of my favorite colors, but those "cardinals" really pop! I am "stress thinking" about Christmas projects and need to get moving :-)

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  3. Does binding the advent wall hangings for church count?

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  4. Started sewing Christmas projects... Hmmm... Now that's a good idea. I have a new machine, maybe I will. But, no. Sadly, not yet.

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  5. I love your “cardinal” version! I bet that will be a favorite since so many people associate cardinals with a visit from a loved one. (That was a new concept to me and now I notice how popular it is in home and garden wares.) Congratulations on the pattern launch!

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  6. That's such a neat pattern, Sandra! I love how those same blocks can make completely different looks. So far, I have one Christmas project in the works - not sure if there will be more yet. Thanks for the giveaway!

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  7. Great pattern and all the variations are fun! I think sometimes there is a gremlin making those mistakes sneak by. I do love the idea of the cardinals or fish flowing across the block. I will have to make one version one of these days!

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  8. So fun to see the other testers' quilts, and to celebrate this release with you, Sandra! It's definitely a fun pattern to sew up!

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  9. The best part of any pattern is getting to see it made by others; how wonderful to see all the testers photos here together. And a row rotated?? This pattern really had a lot of Twilight Zone moments...

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  10. joanneembury@gmail.comNovember 3, 2022 at 11:21 AM

    Love your work and your words, Sandra. Christmas projects tomorrow! Joanne

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  11. Wow love the orange version, looks like our birds (Arctic Coast) getting excited about flying south. Beautiful I included my name, etc. the edit won’t take the info I give.Anomak Niptanatiak anomaknip@yahoo.com

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  12. Sandra you made my month when you asked if I wanted to sew a version of your newest pattern. I had just enough left of my focal fabric (I had used it for your Let Your Star Shine pattern) to be able to use it in the throw quilt and realized there was just enough for a baby version as well. I was thrilled to make another of your patterns. It was so easy to piece and so much fun trying both traditional paper piecing and the Wax Paper method to see which worked better. The best part was seeing both your Christmas Mock-up and Wendy, Anja, Rose and Michelle’s beautiful versions. This just might become my DrEAMi project this month after seeing the other versions.

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  13. Congrats on another pattern release and I loved it when I saw it in the magazine too. I made a mistake in the cutting instruction of my design in MM, but luckily when they send you the mock up for the issue, I went ahead & made another quilt using the instructions just to make sure they were OK & realised it was my own mistake & we rectified it. Love playing with some blocks and recolouring or rearranging them. Don't put me in the draw as I've already got it from the magazine. Love the baby version too. Take care & hugs.

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  14. Congrats on a great pattern! I'm a fan of the more modern layout. So I guess 2023 is the year I really take a dive into FMQ on my domestic with all that negative space? Eek! basaran.family (at) rogers (dot) com

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  15. An excellent pattern!!! I love how the baby and throw quilts are SEW different!!! I do love the quilting on your throw pattern!!!!
    Yes, I've started (and finished) my Christmas sewing!

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  16. Congrats Sandra, your patterns look great. I just picked it up and am looking forward to trying it out!

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  17. I am busy sewing ornaments for the tree using scraps.
    Congrats on the new pattern!

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  18. Great pattern and love the different test versions.
    In my mind, I am starting Christmas sewing - just not translated to action yet.

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  19. Congrats, Sandra!!! Awesome, versatile design! And you know we love seeing all the other quilters versions!

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  20. Christmas projects so soon? Doesn't everyone start December 24th like me? Great pattern.

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  21. Congratulations Sandra on another lovely pattern and sharing your creativity with the world of quilting. I enjoyed seeing all the pretty versions.

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  22. I love the Cardinal version of the quilt since I'm a bird watcher! Yes, I've started two Christmas projects. One a full-size bed quilt and the other a table runner!

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  23. Congratulations on your lovely design! I sure understand about pattern mistakes, having been, in my past professional career, an editor for a quilting magazine. I know how important it is to pattern-test, and verify, verify, verify the accuracy of written instructions. Please don't enter me in your giveaway, but I wish you the best with pattern sales.

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  24. Love the baby size and the Birds. Yes I have started my Christmas sewing making presents for everyone and a Baby Quilt for a Great Nephew who;s girlfriend is due on Christmas.

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  25. Congratulations on another pattern release. That Christmas baby quilt version is so tempting. It’s too bad I’m so good at resisting squirrels.

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  26. Congrats on the pattern release, it is beautiful! The design reminds me a little of fish swimming in the sea.

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