'PATTERN OF THE MONTH' 2021
Of course, the 2021 programme is now closed, but if anybody would like to purchase all 12 patterns from this year, they can get the 'bundle' - which means the patterns work out to less than $6 apiece. What a bargain!
The 2022 programme is going full speed so please do get in touch if you would like to become a 'Girl' for this year and join in all the fun and fellowship this scheme offers. It really is a very special 'event' in the Modern Welsh Quilts year, and customers start bugging me around November about when the new year's group is going to open! So what are you waiting for??
The 2022 programme is going full speed so please do get in touch if you would like to become a 'Girl' for this year and join in all the fun and fellowship this scheme offers. It really is a very special 'event' in the Modern Welsh Quilts year, and customers start bugging me around November about when the new year's group is going to open! So what are you waiting for??
January - Cider and Gingerbread
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I got the idea when a long term customer mentioned the hot spiced apple cider which she was enjoying at this time of year, and strangely this notion combined with my fascination in the highly decorated gingerbread biscuits which you often see around. I haven't got the patience to even think about making these, but I tried to capture something of them with this design!
Size: 80" square approx |
February - Love Spoon
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The design is inspired by the Welsh tradition of men making carved wooden ‘love spoons’ for their sweethearts. Some were very intricate, and antique examples are now worth a lot of money. With Valentine’s Day being in February, I thought a nod to this alternative craft would be a nice – and timely - idea. I also used a very 'Welsh' pallette!
Size: 99" square approx |
March - Snowdrop Bank
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I so love snowdrops and the first sight of them peeping out of the ground after the dullness of winter is a real red letter day for me, every year. I am hoping to plant lots of the bulbs in my new house and make my own bank of snowdrops to cheer me annually, but in the meantime here is the quilt inspired by them. I have used a very 'clean' pallette, which again I think is a great contrast to winter's much duller tones.
Size: 62" x 74" approx |
April - Shower Blooms
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The design is inspired by April being traditionally the month which can’t make its mind up, and where the showers are equal in number to the flowers which are growing bravely through them all. It’s a time of year I love because of all the colour after the greyness of winter so I thought this would be my tribute to those happy little watery blooms which give us all so much joy.
There may also be some butterflies in the mix! Size: 72" x 84" approx |
May - Blue Skies
June -Flaming June
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I’ve always loved the Lord Leighton painting ‘Flaming June’, even though as a rule orange is not my favourite colour. So using this colour palette is my little nod to that beautiful work of art. I wanted to suggest nasturtiums, courgette flowers and baby courgettes too, because they are always around in such profusion at the end of June
Size: 68" x 80" approx |
July - Chocks Away
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Despite being a Quaker, I'm 'into' in military history generally, and I watched a very interesting documentary on the history behind the WW2 Dambusters raid which got the little grey cells working. I've called this one 'Chocks Away!' (which is what Brit pilots used to tell their groundsmen to do when they were ready to take off - ie. remove the physical 'chocks' away from the plane wheels to enable them to trundle away. It's become a saying here generally for 'Let's get going').
I've tried to include the idea of wings, propellers and a few suggestions of military uniform 'pips'. As the RAF were called the 'Brylcream Boys' during WW2, and generally considered to fancy themselves quite a lot, I've also made a nod to twirling moustaches in the extreme end borders, to have a little giggle Size: 84" x 94" approx |
August - Lazy Hazy Days
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It's called 'Lazy, Hazy Days', mostly because one of my dirty little secrets is I have a bit of a Nat King Cole fetish and his rendition of 'Lazy Hazy Days of Summer' never fails to put me in a good mood. I blame my Auntie Iris, because she always used to get me jigging around to that when we had family days on the beach (about 20+ of us because my family is BIG!) when I was a kid - not so much 'soda, pretzels and beer' as 'tea, sausage rolls and pop' in our case.
I wanted to get in the super-bright colours I remember from those days (WHY is childhood always in technicolour?) and somehow my Nanna's prize fuchsias have found their way there too. Size: 92" x 108" approx |
September - Apple Harvest
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I think it's fairly obvious why it's called 'Apple Harvest'! Apples were very much on my mind when I designed it because I have managed to get my hands on some very rare and precious heritage varieties of apple tree which are native to Wales. They won't be producing fruit for a while yet as they are still babies, but I'm already anticipating crunching into them, having them as an accompaniment to my cheese, and making cider from them. There is always something to look forward to!
Size: 88" x 102" approx |
October - Arwen's Bonfire
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It’s called ‘Arwen’s Bonfire’ because I was imagining a bonfire on a windy day, with the smoke swirling and the wind blowing little sparks and leaves around. I was a bit stuck for a title as 'Bonfire on a Windy Day' is a bit long even for me...
Storm Arwen blew through the UK not long before I designed this pattern and blew a lot more substantial things out of place. So when I mentioned I was looking for a title, a friend suggested I combine the idea with the event. So here it is. Size: 92" x 102" approx |
November - Firework Phoenix
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I was reflecting on how the UK 'Bonfire Night' on 5th November used to be the highlight of the autumn season (before Halloween took over) and all the fun we had watching the firework displays and massive bonfires which were always so big a feature of that evening. Somehow the notion of the phoenix worked its way into my head too, and so you can see the suggestion of wings and a head popping up along with the fireworks. I've given up questioning where my strange ideas come from!
Size: 100" approx IMPORTANT - There are a few errors on the original version of this pattern, for which I wholeheartedly apologise. Any new downloads (from end of March 2022) include the corrections. If you have a download older than this, please get in touch and I will give you the corrections. I have tried to contact everybody who might have an old version but this is more complicated than it might appear so if you haven't received an update, please let me know and I'll sort it out! |
December - Nordic Noel
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I called this one ‘Nordic Noel’ because it brought to mind the Nordic Christmas sweaters you often see around. I do also ‘do’ other crafts, one of which is knitting, and although I haven’t actually mastered colour work in that media (I’m a dab hand at Arans though!) I’ve always admired them. Perhaps one day I will kick my indolent butt sufficiently hard to devote the time to learning the techniques.
Now, because it doesn’t actually conform to all the ‘rules’ of the Llynfi/Garw tradition of quilting in which I normally operate, I guess it can’t be a true ‘Llynfi quilt’ for the purists amongst us. But, as I said to somebody on Facebook, sometimes it’s good to step outside the box to do something a bit different, so this is my excuse and I’m sticking to it (and just hoping that my Nanna isn’t looking down from her quilting frame in the sky to see what I’m up to!). Size: 103" x 119" approx |