Paint-By-Number Quilts 4 Animal Appliqués

Hello! I am thrilled to be here today to tell you about “Paint-By-Number Quilts” the new booklet written by my online friend, and fellow quilter, Kerry Foster and published by C&T Publishing.

Kerry is well-known as Penny Dog in the quilting world and she is originally from the United Kingdom. She is now a fellow Canadian and Albertan living in my old stomping grounds of Calgary, Alberta.

When Kerry said she was writing a ‘how-to’ on her Paint-By-Numbers quilting technique I was so excited for her! I have long admired her amazing animal quilts.

animal quilts
Paint-By-Number Quilts by Kerry Foster

The best part is that Kerry has already figured out how to make these quilts happen and she tells us all how to do it with concise, easy-to-understand instructions with step-by-step photos.

Each of the four patterns in the booklet has a colour key which is printed right along the edge of the page for easy comparison to the fabrics in your stash. So you can easily choose fabrics for your project. Each colour is also assigned a number which corresponds to it’s placement in the quilt layout. So you can’t go wrong! Just number your fabric choices with the numbers in the colour key and you’re all set.

The Grizzly Bear Wall hanging in Paint-By-Number Quilts by Kerry Foster.

I love the Grizzly Bear Wall Hanging! I’ve seen a few of these in the wild (grizzly bears, not wall hangings). Most memorably, one time in Jasper National Park when I was a young teenager, my family and I were having a picnic, of salmon sandwiches of all things, while a grizzly bear was nearby. I even said to my Mom, “Do you think it’s a good idea to eat salmon sandwiches with a grizzly bear nearby?” But my parents said the bear wasn’t bothering anybody and he was a ways away.

He was going about his business when suddenly he must have caught a whiff of our lunch because he stopped, raised his nose in the air and then turned directly towards us. Five people never cleared a picnic table and climbed into a station wagon so fast!

Anyway, I would love to make this bear wall hanging and am glad I’ve lived to have the opportunity to do so. (And I don’t even like salmon!)

Kerry’s booklet has all the pattern pieces needed as well as layout diagrams for each of the four projects. Detailed instructions are given for every step of the way from choosing fabrics and preparing to cut all the way to quilting the finished quilt top. Of course, you can use the techniques you learn from the booklet to create Paint-By-Number quilts from your own photos. (Sadly it didn’t occur to me to take a photo while running for my life with my hated salmon sandwich in my hand.)

Raccoon mug run from Paint-By-Numbers Quilts by Kerry Foster

A good project to begin with would be this adorable little Raccoon mug rug. You can get the hang of the techniques before embarking on a larger wall hanging. I have raccoon stories too from when we lived in Vancouver and New Brunswick… they all involve garbage cans.

Anyway, if you’re searching for something fun and new to try I recommend picking up a copy of Paint-By-Number Quilts and learning Kerry’s techniques for animal appliqué quilts. It is expected to be available in stores by the end of September or check C&T Publishing. Amazon will have it early too. The booklet is 32 pages long.

Kerry will be releasing some additional Paint-By-Numbers Quilts patterns to coincide with the booklet release so keep and eye on her Instagram account and blog for information on that!

Disclosure: Kerry asked me if I would be interested in reviewing her booklet and I jumped at the chance. I was given a digital review copy in order to write this blog post. I was truly impressed with the booklet and the quality of the instructions and projects. All opinions expressed here, including my hatred of salmon sandwiches, are my own.

Zeppelin Pouch Pattern Review in Bark Cloth

Zeppelin Pouch from the Minikins Bundle

I tried something new for my sewing project on Friday night. Darla at Clinton Modern Creative had sent me a half yard of bark cloth to try out. It took me a while to decide that to make with it but I finally made up my mind on a Zeppelin Pouch.

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Zeppelin Pouch made with Bark Cloth
Anita’s first try at the Zeppelin Pouch using bark cloth from Japan.

The Zeppelin Pouch is a bag pattern by Sara Lawson and is part of her Minikins Pattern/Video Bundle. I love this pattern bundle! I have printed them all out and I have them in a special fabric covered binder.

I haven’t tried all of them yet so sewing the Zeppelin Pouch was new for me. It is so helpful that the Minikins all come with instructional videos. They make it so easy to understand what to do. So I watched the video and then went ahead with sewing the bag. The way this bag comes together is very cool! Sara really amazes me with how some of these projects work.

The Zeppelin Pouch is perfect to make as a Dopp kit / shaving kit for men. I am going to try another on in cork fabric for Father’s Day. Leather would be perfect for this bag too! It’s great for a make-up bag as well and my nine-year-old daughter was happy to receive this one to keep her hair things in.

About the Bark Cloth:

Bark cloth is a very soft cotton fabric with a texture to it. The texture is basically small raised bumps on the weft and the warp of the fabric. It is a fairly loose weave similar to double gauze so it does fray pretty easily. That gave me a bit of trouble with the Zeppelin Pouch because in a couple of spots when I turned the bag the fabric had come loose from the seam and I had small holes in the outer bag. So I just tucked those in a bit (like a dart) and hand sewed those closed. I don’t think this will be an issue at all with cork or even with a tighter woven fabric such as quilting cotton. The bark cloth is definitely would be fine with a larger seam allowance and in garments. I think it would be nice and cool for a summer skirt or shorts.