Pattern: Wild strawberry (Fragaria vesca)
Source: Borte – Bær – Navneklude, Haandarbejdets Fremme (The Danish Handicraft Guild)
Designer: Gerda Bengtsson & Ida Winckler
Original colours: no
Alterations: yes
Notes: I added backstitch around the berries. Thread colours were converted from the original Danish Blomstergarn and the green for the leaves replaced.
About three weeks ago, I bit the bullet and went back to the patchwork section of my UFO list and lottery – thirteen projects still awaiting finishing. And I started a new one, the top is already done.
My plans for the weekend ahead were to bind three of them, but I couldn’t get some batting/wadding for two of them as my local department store had moved their now smaller handicraft section to a new spot. But the saleswoman told me that batting was on the way. Wish me luck.
Here’s an old favorite of mine, finally sandwiched and bound.
Brushstrokes
This project was started in November 2016 and finished in April 2026, using already cut fabrics from another project that never saw the light of day. The side of the hexies is 1 cm (6/8″ approx.) – yes, they’re tiny. I made 4,140 of them, sorted them by colour and covered the whole of my design board. Hand piecing them together using the EPP method, I tried to create the feeling of an abstract painting with brushstrokes and splattered paint. For the back and binding I used the same blue fabric which also appears in the top. As usual, I did not quilt the piece. Final size is 100 x 100 cms.
Pattern: Garlic (Allium sativum)
Source: Herb Cottage, The Craft Collection # 74973
Designer: unknown
Original colours: yes
Alterations: yes
Notes: I altered the backstitching in the flower. The picture was different to the pattern sheet, I followed the one from the picture.
Pattern: Honeysuckle (Lonicera caprifolium)
Source: Cottage Garden, The Craft Collection #CSKCG
Designer: unknown
Original colours: no
Alterations: no
Notes: I used the colour names from the pattern sheet as a base for my thread choices. This is the second version, I made a white one for my Cottage Garden sampler before.
I’m back with the second half of my Botanica sampler.
Pattern: Elder (Sambucus nigra)
Source: Woodland Cottage, The Craft Collection #75892
Designer: unknown
Original colours: yes
Alterations: no
Notes: This is the second time I stitched this, the first was for my Woodland sampler.
leaf panel, cotton, leaf buttons, size 20 x 25 cms/8″ x 19″ approx.
The cute leaf buttons were a gift from my friend M. I cut the panel from a tea towel that belonged to my mom.
flower panel, printed, hand painted, 20 x 25 cms/8″ x 10″ approx.
This panel features a flower print from a print workshop at Tuch & Technik, the textile museum at Neumünster, SH, Germany. It was a free three day class I took in March, 2025. There are a couple of prints I took home that are waiting to be turned into one project or another.
One of my pieces was shown in the exhibition that followed all five workshops (quilting, sewing art panels, crochet, weaving, printing – alas, I only got the last one) from May to October, 2025. The exhibition moved to Muszeum Fabryki, Lodz, Poland, in January and February, 2026.
a view of the printed works at T&T, Neumünster
panel printed with the same woodblock as above,
top layer cut into strips, size 40 x 40 cms approx.,
cotton, polyester netting, acrylic paints
I love the very light ghost layer that appeared when I printed with clear glitter paint as there was still some of the blue paint left on the woodblock after cleaning.
This year, it’s forty-five years since I finished my first patchwork piece. Over the years my interest has shifted from traditional to modern and recently art stuff, but I still love to work with fabrics.
In this loose series, I will re-introduce some of my favorite patchwork pieces. I don’t call them quilts, simply because most of them aren’t quilted. In the past, I have worked mostly by hand, using the EPP (English paper piecing) method. Newer pieces are mostly sewn by machine.
Breakdance (learn more here)
This one was made using a certain range of fabric that was referred to as ‘crash’. I don’t know neither manufacturer nor the real name as this has no information printed on the selvedge. Really lovely fabrics, I bought every colour I could get my hands on and still have a supply in my stash.
Other works I made from the same kind of fabric are Waben (Honeycomb), Würfel (Cubes), LPP42-13 and Kairo (Cairo).
Seasons greetings from Rudy, Trudy, Judy & Flo
and from me, of course
Recently, I had a look through my stash while I was cleaning The Boudoir. I have a couple of ideas for new projects which hopefully will see the light of day next year. Also some ‘old favorites’ that need finishing and tons of material to be used. I’m already working on some new stuff for The Art Lab (see below). And I will be celebrating 45 years of patchwork in 2026, planning a couple of ‘best of’ posts.
loot
After a couple of years I have bought some new fabrics (and a couple of buttons) at the German-Dutch fabric market in October. All washed and ironed now, ready to be used.
Then there were some things someone didn’t want anymore and left them with our creative group to be used. I ‘adopted’ a basket of beads (not that I didn’t have any) and some pens and acrylic paint. Some of the beads have already been used in my circular fabric pages (see below), it was just what I needed to get me started.
I do admit that this site has been a little cross stitch-heavy during the last year – apologies if you’re not a fan of that. It was just that cross stitching was my default mode while I was dealing with some health issues (not going to bore you with any of that). As mentioned before, the Botanica project is taking a break and will return in Spring 2026.
What else has been going on at The Boudoir and The Art Lab?
If you are following my other blog, The Art Lab, you may remember that I made some fabric journal pages in 2024. The sunflower above is a leftover of the series, completed just now. I have decided to make some more of these nature-themed pages which will appear here at The Boudoir next year.
This year, I have been sewing circular journal pages – hop over to my Journal Pages 2025 gallery page if you’re interested. I’ll keep adding to that page as new ones arrive. Also, I have started another new series of fabric pages that you will find at the Art Lab’s Slow Stitching gallery page.
#4 in the circular pages series
Currently, I’m making plans for 2026. January’s focal point will be drawing, painting and working with my hoarded papers. Let’s see what the other months have in store.
Looking forward to a happy and creative year.
Beyond The Boudoir 