Posted on

A Taste of New Zealand from the GourmetQuilter

Summer has officially overwhelmed me! I’ve been swamped with projects, pattern writing, and of course a puppy! I decided to check in with my friend, SusanClaire of the GourmetQuilter in New Zealand, to see what was up with her, and ask if she was in the same boat. Full disclosure, I am ever so jealous of her cooler weather! Here’s what she had to say:

“We have been enjoying some wonderfully frosty mornings here lately. The paddocks have been sparkling white, the air has been crisp and clear, and even the barn has looked rather magical dressed in frost. It is definitely the sort of weather that makes the warmth and colour of quilting especially appealing!”

“While I have been busy organising and updating things behind the scenes, I have also added two patterns to the Gourmet Quilter website. They have very different personalities, but both offer plenty of enjoyable piecing and opportunities to play with colour – one rich and atmospheric, the other bright and cheerful.”


Dive into rich color with In the Depths, a striking pieced quilt featuring an intriguing arrangement of squares, framed blocks and slender accent strips. Shown in beautiful blue and green batiks by Hoffman California Fabrics, the design has a wonderful sense of depth and movement. Different fabric choices could give it an entirely new personality, making it a versatile design to interpret in your own colors.
Measuring approximately 55″ square, In the Depths is suitable for confident beginners and more experienced quilters looking for an enjoyable piecing project.

Bring a cheerful burst of color to your sewing with Sunshine and Showers, a pieced quilt combining bold geometric shapes with pretty star blocks and a framed center.
Shown in colorful fabrics by Hoffman California Fabrics, the floral prints, fresh pastels and touches of purple create a design that feels bright, lively and full of springtime promise. The varied block sizes add plenty of visual interest while making this an enjoyable project to piece.
Measuring approximately 56″ square, Sunshine and Showers is suitable for confident beginners as well as more experienced quilters looking for a colorful and satisfying project.

Lucky you, both are digital PDF patterns, ready to download after purchase from the GourmetQuilter website, so you can begin planning your fabrics straight away. Both patterns feature Hoffman California Fabrics, including one of their newest collections, Polka Plaids. Look for the fabrics soon in your local quilt shop.

Want to know more about SusanClaire , the Gourmet Quilter and her delicious quilts? Join her in the free GourmetQuilter Studio Corner,
Until next time,
Karen

Posted on

It’s Magic!

“Draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of the background squares.  With right sides together, place a background square on a print square. Sew ¼” seam on each side of the line. Cut apart on the line.”

How many times have I written that instruction? And how many times have you read that in a pattern, then groaned when you realized that there are at least 240 half-square triangles, flying geese or hour glass blocks?


Scotch Magic Tape is the iconic invisible, matte-finish tape produced by 3M.

There’s really a simpler way, but you can’t always put all the detailed tips in a pattern. After all, it is a pattern, not a small novel. So, I thought I’d share some of my favorite tricks, using Scotch Magic tape. Yep, that stuff you use to wrap all your Christmas gifts. They call it Magic because it disappears on the wrapping paper, I call it Magic because it’s so inexpensive and ever-so-useful! I’m really not much of a gadget girl, but Magic tape is really indispensable (pun intended, sorry!)

Aroma Primavera, a 2026 Spring Palette of the Season quilt, will arrive in quilt shops soon.

Hopefully, these tips are just a bit timely as Aroma Primavera, a Palette of the Season project (with lots of triangles!) is beginning to show up in quilt shops around the country, and Cassie’s Blooms is coming soon.

Cassie’s Blooms will begin shipping in October 2026.

So how to avoid drawing all those diagonal lines? Use a length of Magic tape (almost any width will work) that is longer that the diagonal length of the square. In other words, slightly longer than the line you are asked to draw in the pattern.  I like to lightly stick the tape to my (clean! i.e., free of threads) cutting mat, and using a fine line Sharpie, draw a vertical line on the tape. Then measure exactly ¼” away from the first line, and draw a second line.

Use the tip of a pin to gently pry the tape from the mat if it’s sticking too well, and place the tape on your sewing machine, centering the vertical line of the tape with the needle. The second line should be to the right of the needle.

Place a print square on a background square, aligning with diagonal of the square with your needle and your line. Voila! Speed piece away.

Need to sew ¼” on both sides of the line? No problem, simply align your diagonal with the next line over. As far as cutting the squares apart on the line, you can probably figure out that you simply need to align your ruler with the diagonal to cut. Since I usually stack several squares to cut, I never end up cutting exactly on the line anyway 🙂

If you need to change the bobbin, and it’s a top loader like my machine, you can peel back the tape and re-align it. The best part? If the tape gets “munged up” (technical term), just create a new Magic tape strip. It will probably cost you all of three cents. With pennies out of the picture, does that mean it’s free?

On to my next use of the tape, and this is a quickie, I promise. In the Aroma Primavera pattern, you need to square up a unit to 8 ½” square, centering the center square. That can be a bit tricky, even if you have an 8 ½” square ruler. My ruler didn’t have the center lines where I needed them to be. Once again, Magic tape to the rescue! I put tape on the back of the ruler, making a cross through the center. When I placed the ruler on top of my fabric square, I could use the lines to center the middle square of the block, and trim around the ruler. When I was done trimming all the blocks, I easily removed the tape, and like Magic, my ruler was ready for the next project.

I hope these simple suggestions make your sewing life easier. Let me know if you have some tips of your own to share!
Until next time, Karen