'PATTERN OF THE MONTH' 2023
Time passes so quickly and it is hard to believe that this is the fifth year that this programme will run. So much fun has been had, so many quilts have been made, and fast friendships (real and virtual) have been forged in that time. The 'Girls' are a very special group and share my desire to add some joy to the mix. The world needs beauty, and 'the Girls' are doing their bit to provide it, that's for sure!
The story of how the 'Calendar Girls' came to be may be found on the previous years' pages so I won't repeat it. Suffice it to say we have a lot of familiar faces already in the group and plenty of new ones too. Everybody is welcome, because it's always good to make new quilting friends, and I'm sure we can all agree that waiting for the surprise which is the 'Pattern of the Month' every month is something which unites us all in anticipation and excitement. I am no exception to this, as I usually start the month having not a clue what will materialise out of the mess which lies between my ears; it's a leap of faith for me too!
If you would like to join, there are perqs - for starters, the cost for all twelve patterns comes down to just $5 a pattern which is a real bargain. You get a fab and very supportive group to cheer you along in all your creative endeavours AND you get a couple of surprises along the way which are exclusive to the Girls. What's not to like?
Of course, the patterns are all available singly, but then they are priced at the normal standalone pattern price of $8.99
If anybody would like to join the 'Calendar Girls' for 2023, please do get in touch (we even have a Calendar GUY or two) - it's great fun and you will be in good company! Either email me on zelda@modernwelshquilts.com or come and visit the MWQ group page on Facebook where all the information may be found.
The story of how the 'Calendar Girls' came to be may be found on the previous years' pages so I won't repeat it. Suffice it to say we have a lot of familiar faces already in the group and plenty of new ones too. Everybody is welcome, because it's always good to make new quilting friends, and I'm sure we can all agree that waiting for the surprise which is the 'Pattern of the Month' every month is something which unites us all in anticipation and excitement. I am no exception to this, as I usually start the month having not a clue what will materialise out of the mess which lies between my ears; it's a leap of faith for me too!
If you would like to join, there are perqs - for starters, the cost for all twelve patterns comes down to just $5 a pattern which is a real bargain. You get a fab and very supportive group to cheer you along in all your creative endeavours AND you get a couple of surprises along the way which are exclusive to the Girls. What's not to like?
Of course, the patterns are all available singly, but then they are priced at the normal standalone pattern price of $8.99
If anybody would like to join the 'Calendar Girls' for 2023, please do get in touch (we even have a Calendar GUY or two) - it's great fun and you will be in good company! Either email me on zelda@modernwelshquilts.com or come and visit the MWQ group page on Facebook where all the information may be found.
January - Winter Lakeside
February - Cupid's Target
|
I was racking my brains and playing with ideas on a 'Valentine' theme and came across the French artist Francois Boucher's painting with this title. My design is very different as it doesn't contain the hordes of tubby, grumpy-looking cherubs which appear in Boucher's original, but I hope it will 'hit the target' with anybody looking for a suitable design to use on Cupid's favourite day of the year.
Size: 92" approx |
March - Pond Life
|
It's called 'Pond Life' because at the time I designed it, the ponds around my house had started waking up after the cold of winter, and I was seeing all sorts of little critters and small flowers starting to appear. The bees in our hives were LOVING it! I tried to get some of the 'movement' in, and a sense of awakening life.
Size: 80" x 94" approx |
April - Celtic Spring
|
This design got its name because it includes all of the flowers of the Celtic nations (Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Cornwall, Brittany and the Isle of Man) plus a Celtic knot in the centre.
The overall shape is also that of a Celtic cross. (And before some clever clogs points this out, I KNOW thistles don't happen in the spring... it's called artistic licence...) I also had in mind the Coronation invitation, which was being dished out when this design was coming together in my foetid little mind. Obviously any references to the English rose are missing.... Size: 76" approx |
May - Titus & Friends
|
I don't often put a completely personal title on my patterns but this is the exception.
Some of you will know we breed one of the UK's rarest cattle – the 'Blue' Albion. At the start of May a truly stunning bull calf was born here ('Titus') who sadly had a bit of a rocky start because his mother died a fortnight after the birth. As it's not good for any cattle to live on their own, but particularly one intended as a show bull, we bought in two similarly aged Jersey heifer buddies for him to play with and do 'calf stuff' together. They have brought us such joy! So, when I found some Grunge had exactly the same colouring as the 'white' parts of Titus it was but a short leap to designing something which commemorates this very special time at our little farm. I've used some 'Jersey' colours too, as Blossom and Petal couldn't be left out! Size: 88" approx |
June - Hotter than July
|
When I designed this, the UK had been having a prolonged heatwave and unusually this even included Wales, normally a wetter-than-average corner of the country.
I don't really 'do' heat so I've found this rather trying, not least because (as is usual with the UK) it includes spectacular thunderstorms and I find the up-and-down nature of the barometer fries what is left of my brain. Stevie Wonder's old album 'Hotter than July' naturally came to mind in these conditions and so… a new pattern was inevitable. I did have colourful bromelliads in mind, obviously, when I was putting it together although this wasn’t a conscious thing! Size: 64" x 80" approx |
July - Raspberry Swirl
|
This design combines three of my favourite things – food, couture and gardening.
Raspberries grow in such profusion at this time of year they seem to turn up in every meal – who can resist them? Whilst working on the design, I also recalled a Chanel style suit my grandmother made which was largely raspberry toned but was edged with grey. This pairing made the choice of colours an easy one. To me, the idea of pink and grey is intrinsically 'chic'. And who doesn't like a bit of that?? Size: 85" approx |
August - Perseid
September - Light Breeze
|
This design obtained its name because I was thinking about us often concentrating on the big storms which start to roll in in the autumn, but in truth there is usually a little wind about on most days. I wanted to try to capture what happens when a just a little breeze comes up in early autumn, and picks up the early leaf-fall; swirling it around and making interesting patterns.
This design is smaller than many of my creations so would perhaps be perfect for settling under to admire the changing season. Size: 58" x 76" approx |
October - The Last Rose
|
I called this one 'The Last Rose' after seeing one of my very brave rose bushes clinging on to its final flowers after having been battered by some truly appalling weather as the first of the autumn storms hit here.
Pink roses are my absolute favourite – much prefer them to the more traditional red! – and it gave me such a shot of joy to see this drop of colour in an otherwise fairly grey environment; so I thought I would share it. Size: 84" x 104" approx |
November - Vanishing Dewpoint
|
In my 'downtime' I love to poke around the internet, discovering things which are probably only of interest to me, truth be told.
On one of this virtual excursions, I was reading about the notion of the 'vanishing point' in painting, and also the technicalities of the 'dewpoint' in a different internet wormhole. Around the same time, unusually, we had some splendid Auroras. So, in the way my strange mind operates, the three ideas kind of came together? I've called it 'Vanishing Dewpoint'. It's a little bit 'different' - but, hey!, it's good to ring the changes, isn't it! Size: 86" x 108" approx |